Chapter 1187 - Interlude
"——............h-...... nnn-gh...!"
Waking up, while gazing at the canopy covering my immediate view, I stretch my body as much as space allows.
No matter how much experience one accumulates, the gap between virtual and reality is certain. As long as the player is human, they probably cannot hope for the impact of rapid transitions in physical sensations to become zero.
Hearing that even that Ashe has still not reached a state of being unaffected, my limit, which remains average or slightly superior regarding simple physical specs, is... well, probably around here.
In other words, immediately after logging out, I am inevitably somewhat sluggish.
As long as I continue to associate with the virtual world, this will probably become a lifelong friend. It cannot be helped, it is a cheap price to pay for fully enjoying the world of dreams——so,
As always, positive thinking to gloss over the feeling of lethargy is already a routine.
Interlocking with my movement, the upper lid of [Arcadia] automatically opens. Sitting up, leaving the mechanical bed, and standing up, while stretching fully once again...
A glance at the wall clock. What the two hands indicate is an inverted L-shape showing exactly nine o'clock in the evening.
——Going to sightsee a new world, fishing in a poison swamp... and after that, wandering aimlessly as the whim took me. A chain of walking here and there without purpose.
"Nnn-gh............"
Including the fact that we disbanded early, it was an extremely relaxed and gentle Saturday from start to finish. So much so that, after becoming alone like this, I end up standing around and soaking in it.
After becoming busy with this and that, a completely private time from start to finish like today is relatively rare. And so, these days, after fully enjoying such a rare day, I have come to feel not only satisfaction but also guilt. How should I put it...
I might have become quite dyed in my position, I think.
"......................................Alright."
Yeah. Yes. Now then——escaping reality so soon after returning to reality ends around here.
The non-mechanical bed next to the mechanical bed. In other words, I pick up my smartphone, which had been left house-sitting in reality (here), tossed on top of my favorite bed.
When I tap it, a mountain of notifications is on the lit-up display. That is, well, as a matter of course that I have already adapted to, my skill of prioritizing according to the situation at the time has also been polished recently.
The trick is to accept and reconcile with the fact that there is only one of me as a fact.
Writing replies to absolutely everything is normally impossible. And basically, believing that the other parties also understand or sense that impossibility——I squeeze my effort to the minimum.
Even so, I have to look through everything once. Therefore, at the end of the day, bracing myself to challenge the unread messages has become my daily routine, but...
For the past few days, there are two names that I have tagged as highest priority.
And that is because, since last month.
Since after that stream. Just as I sent a message saying, I can take some free time for a while, to where I had been pressed with this and that, scheduling began with the force of a surging wave.
Now, as for who and who they are...
——Good day. How about a weekday date on Monday, the day after tomorrow?
None other than the guardian-sama of my partner, Sora, and,
——Gooood evening. Regarding that matter, are you free next Wednesday?
Similarly, the guardian-sama of my exclusive craftsman, Nia.
In short, the second act of an extremely personal trial following Tetsugo-shi the other day. The consecutive, unavoidable greetings standing in my way... are, as of today, Saturday, literally,
"......'No objections'......'I am free'......and,"
secretly, drawing near, right before my eyes.
Yes.
I recommend proceeding while keeping in mind the fact that both are currently non-romanceable targets.