Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 18

Epilogue

Pandora’s Box.

The location was the Capital of Discretion that was just a step away from the frontline.

This place was called as the World of Greed ――Capital of Greed in the past.

In that Capital of Discretion, a trio was walking through a  complicated alleyway where not many passerby could be found. The three  of them were wearing robe that reached until their waist.

They walked through the labyrinthine path without getting lost in it.  And then they arrived in front of a building with wooden sign hanging  on it.

It was the guild Information Broker Asscoiation. The guild only had one member――the guild master himself.

However, other information brokers would cooperate with this guild even though they were registered with other guild.

This place was also the place for players who specialized in being information broker to gather.

The trio knocked the door with a certain pattern. And then they waited for a while before the door opened.

Behind the door was a dreary room, where there were five people around a wooden round table.

「Sorry we’re late.」

The guild master opened his mouth after the trio sat around the table.

「Then let’s start our regular meeting. I got an interesting information. Apparently an orc Selector finally appeared.」

The seven other people made satisfied look after hearing that.

「Do we know the requirement?」

The guild master nodded, but his expression was conflicted.

The guild master was the only one whose face was exposed inside the room.

「It’s all the same with every case, no exception. The key is the  business-use VR machine. Certainly it has the required spec for playing  as Selector. In the first place the household use machine is nothing  more than the inferior version of it.」

One person rubbed his chin that was hidden by his robe, and then he spoke.

「It’ll be impossible to get another of that from now. All of them  have been withdrawn back. We might be able to find some if we search for  it but……」

The business-use VR machines were being withdrawn by the company that sold it.

Most of those withdrawn machines were dismantled and turned into  spare parts, or used as materials for recycling, so it would be almost  impossible to find an intact one.

The guild master folded his arms and placed them on the table.

「There’s no time. The players are going to clear the World of Sloth  at this rate. It will be finished in six months at the fastest. ……The  dev is already preparing the next large scale update.」

What were these information brokers had to talk about that they gathered like this?

Wasn’t the large scale update something that any player should be looking forward to?

Such questions were ignored and they continued talking.

「Gluttony, Greed, Envy……and next is Sloth. The influence of Gluttony and Greed should be small though?」

After one person said that, the guild master lightly tapped the table.

A hologram was projected in the air.

「The number is insignificant but the influence is starting to show.  The first time and the third time……the influence is gradually getting  bigger.」

One person spoke in panic.

「We should secure the Selectors quickly. If we can secure business-use machine and obtain new account, then even us――」

However the guild master shook his head.

「All the Selectors were using business-use machine. But, the machine  isn’t the only requirement. There are also a lot of other players who  use business-use machine but aren’t a Selector.」

Having the machine was a major requirement, but that wasn’t all. The guild master reclined on his chair.

One person looked around restlessly while asking the guild master.

「Will we make it in time? If it’s like this perhaps we should hinder the clear――」

Another information broker snorted.

「Do you think the sickos will stop just from that?」

The people here weren’t the only information broker in this game.

In addition there was a bad news.

「The number of player has broken through thirty million. It’s over  half the population of Japan. But, that number still hasn’t stopped  growing. New players are keep joining the game.」

The projection started showing a news program from the real world.

The female announcer was visiting a retirement home.

『The much talked about game, Pandora’s Box. Recently it has been  offering the device to places like this retirement home for an  experiment, to see if even the elderly who is physically disabled can  experience their golden age again in the virtual world.』

The person in charge of the facility was answering the female announcer with a smile.

『At first I questioned their sanity, bringing something like game to  this kind of place. Certainly virtual technology has been of some help  here, but some people like it while some hate it. However after they  experienced the virtual world, any grandpa and grandma will login  everyday. Some of them were very gloomy in the past, but now they became  very sunny.』

The projection was paused there.

「The number of player is increasing explosively. This flow can’t be stopped.」

One information broker drooped his head and became speechless.

The guild master concluded the meeting.

「Either way, we’re going ahead with the plan. It’s also urgently  necessary now to monitor the Selectors. After all the Selectors are also  influencing their surrounding.」

*

At a large monitor in front of the station.

This station was the largest one in the provincial city where Akito was living. It was crowded with the youths during holiday.

Akito was there, sitting on a brick enclosure around a flower bed while staring at the monitor.

『Collaboration between Pandora’s Box and English language cram school! Let’s experience English more closely!』

Seeing such commercial made him impressed with how many businesses were collaborating with a game like Pandora.

「Placing NPCs who talked in English to create an environment of  English speakers huh. Is going through the VR training alone not  enough?」

Even if knowledge had been drilled into their brain, it would be meaningless unless that knowledge was used practically.

Even if that person got some degree of understanding of English  thanks to the knowledge, it would only gradually degrade if they had no  chance for actually speaking it.

Because of that institutions like English language cram school and the like were still remaining even now.

「Is practicing really that important?」

Akito crossed his arms and fell into thought. Then a voice called to him.

「Hey, why are you making a difficult face like that? I’m not late or anything.」

Standing in front of him was Shikata Yakumo.

Today she was wearing personal clothes as she appeared in front of Akito.

「Ah, I’m sorry! Wait senpai, are you dressing up for this?」

Yakumo asked Akito to help her shopping before this. So here he was killing time in their meeting place.

Yakumo brushed up the hair over her ear.

「There’s no way I can come to this kind of place while looking  slovenly. There might be my senior or junior from school here. More  importantly, I’ll be counting on you today.」

Akito was recruited to be baggage carrier, but he was actually happy inside.

「Leave it to me. By the way, what are you planning to buy?」

Yakumo lifted her face a little while pressing her index finger on her lips.

「Hmm~……various things?」

Akito thought that her answer was pretty vague while walking together with her.

One girl caught sight of that scene.

*

Maya saw a familiar face when she came in front of the station. She was there because she was going to her lessons.

「Naruse……kun?」

At his side was a girl with bob cut red hair that almost reached her  shoulder. Her atmosphere felt somewhat similar with Mariela whose  relationship with her had become tricky recently.

The girl looked huffy, but at her side there was Akito looking happy.

「I see. He got a girlfriend.」

It somehow made her felt nauseated.

Maya whose chest was filled with murky feeling sighed before she  began to walk toward the building where her lessons would take place.

「Perhaps I’ll try asking Ponsuke for advice today.」

*

Inside the game.

Alfie emptied her tankard that was filled with juice in one gulp.  Currently she was in the dining hall at the first floor of the inn.

「Did something happen?」

Ponsuke watched Alfie acting like that while eating manga meat. Alfie then clung on him tearfully.

「Listen to me Ponsuke! Today I saw someone who looked like Mariela going out happily with her lover!」

Mariela was eating pizza as she listened to that.

「Fuuhn, someone who look like me eh.」

She became a bit curious, but there were tens of millions of players in this game.

Bluntly speaking, it would be difficult for them to coincidentally run into each other in real life.

It would be impossible unless they held an offline meetup.

「I see……you felt vexed because that person has a lover. Ah, this is like, ‘Normie explode!’ kinda thing isn’t it!」

Ponsuke said that in understanding, but Alfie said that wasn’t it while hitting Ponsuke repeatedly.

「You’re wrong! The lover was someone who I know! And that person  looked like he really had fun when I saw him……even though he was always  somewhat distant when talking with me, isn’t that just strange?」

Mariela’s hand reached toward her tankard.

「It’s not strange at all isn’t it? Because, those two are couple so it’s only natural. It’s none of your business at all.」

Alfie glared at Mariela.

「……It made felt really irritated seeing that Mariela looking happy.  It was also irritating that Mariela showed off like that even at RL.」

Mariela slammed her tankard on the table.

「It was something unrelated with me!」

Ponsuke watched the two while thinking.

(Is that lover male? Or female?)

Just because their avatar was female inside the game didn’t mean that they would absolutely be female too in the real life.

(Well, doesn’t matter. Or rather, I never thought that Alfie was actually in the unpopular group too.)

He himself was also someone who had no luck with the opposite gender.  He never expected that someone rich like Alfie would also be in his  side. It was unexpected.

Ponsuke felt inappropriately happy from getting a comrade and placed his hand on Alfie’s shoulder.

「Welcome to the alliance of the unpopular.」

His smile infuriated Alfie and she pinched the back of his hand with all her strength.

「Ouch! What’re you doing. Even though I thought that I’ll be able to get a lot closer with you after this!」

Alfie stood up.

「It felt like you were humiliating me. Ponsuke, be my chair as punishment.」

Ponsuke shrugged.

「Aa~, scary scary. It came out, Alfie’s queenie remark. I get it. I’ll call Prey-san and others here so you can do as you like.」

Mariela faked a smile to cover her disgust.

「You can’t laugh at the orc party now. Or rather you guys are really made for each other.」

Alfie yelled.

「Line up over there you two!」

Alfie looked like she was going to yell Mukiii- in anger. Her hand reached toward her weapon, but then the inn’s door got thrown open.

The orc group entered in droves from there.

――Five of them.

「We’re here to answer the call! I shall become her majesty’s chair!」

Prey said while posing. Next the other orcs also posed.

「Abandonment play also isn’t bad. But, as expected I want to be hit!」

「I want to be stepped on.」

「Today shall be our day for sure instead of Ponsuke!」

And then the newcomer orc made a pose awkwardly.

His face was reddening.

「Kuh, why do I have to get dragged into something like this? Even though I only want to get glared scornfully.」

Ponsuke’s jaw dropped wide open. And then he pointed at the orcs.

「……There are more?」

Prey put his hands on his hips and held his head high.

「Hahaha! We found the newbie over there. It was obvious from a glance. He’s our comrade, Ponsuke-kun!」

Prey closed one eye and gave a thumb up. Ponsuke shook his head in respond.

「Please don’t group me with you guys. Aa, I’ll lend Alfie out to you guys, so by all means do as you like far away from here.」

「Seriously!?」

Dume’s nose huffed in excitement. But then Ponsuke got his legs swept from under him and he fell.

「Nuoh!」

He fell on all fours. Alfie wasted no time and sat down heavily on Ponsuke.

「Oi stop! I don’t have this kind of fetish!」

But the orcs didn’t care about his defense.

「……How can you monopolize the reward by yourself like that!」

「As I thought you’re the last boss!」

「Today we’re going to beat you up for real!」

「With this weapon that I had just gotten――」

「……So envious」

It seemed that the five orcs were really beyond any help already.  Ponsuke hurriedly tried to stand up, but Alfie’s face reddened and her  eyes became teary.

「Ponsuke you idiot」

「Eh, why!?」

Ponsuke fretted and wondered about what he had done wrong, but the killing intent from the five orcs washed that anxiety away.

(I got to do something about them first)

While that was going on, Mariela thought that today would be noisy again and ordered foods for the orcs too.

And then she remembered something and clapped her hands.

「Ah, come to think of it I have some foods that I cooked myself. Let’s eat them together everyone!」

Something ominous came out from her item box.

Ponsuke and others were seriously disgusted by the foods that could barely be called as such.

Alfie took a bite of  that food and choked.

「……awful」

Mariela was shocked.

「Why! Even though I had worked hard since then! You guys too say something!」

The orcs shook their head together.

「I’m sorry. Bad food is a different genre from our fetish, so please spare us.」

Mariela became tearful and turned her gaze toward Ponsuke.

Tears were pooling on her eyes. She was also biting her lips to hold back from crying.

While being Alfie’s chair, Ponsuke…….

「B-bring it on」

Mariela’s face brightened.

「Ponsuke!」

He said that while averting his gaze. Then he finished all of Mariela’s foods.

They were having fun playing the game peacefully too today.

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