Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 114

Marriage System

Akito and Riku had promised to meet each other in a café. There they  told each other about their recent situation in this summer vacation  that would end soon.

They were having silly talks of high school boys like how hard their  part-time work was, or what happened after the large commotion.

They were also having somewhat lewd talk as befitting high school boys, but both of them wouldn’t cross a certain line.

Like how far Riku had gone with his lover――Kagami who was an adult woman.

Or how was Akito’s relationship with Yakumo and Maya since that commotion.

They didn’t want to ask such question. Even if they were asked they would only be able to obfuscate the answer.

Both of them understood that and didn’t touch the serious part.

Now then, Riku who said that he wanted to talk during summer vacation  brought up the topic of Pandora in this café where students like them  stood up.

「By the way Akito-kun」

「What’s with you?」

Akito suspected the way Riku called him using “-kun”. In respond Riku took out his smartphone.

「Actually I got an offer for mixer.」

「Tell me about it in detail, Riku-kun――no, Riku-san!」

Akito’s eyes sparkled when he heard the word mixer. Riku nodded to him several times and showed him some pictures.

「……Oi, wait a second. Aren’t these Pandora’s avatars?」

Akito’s attitude changed drastically.

The reason because the females inside the images were all game avatar.

There was no way of knowing their true appearance like that.

Even if the avatar looked peerlessly beautiful, it wasn’t unusual for  the inside to be a middle-aged uncle in this world. Something like  avatar’s appearance couldn’t be trusted.

「Don’t be angry. It can’t be helped because I’m talking about mixer  inside Pandora. Come to think of it, you aren’t marrying anyone inside  the game right?」

Pandora was an online game. It wasn’t rare for fellow players to form actual connection with each other.

In fact, marriage also existed in it. The player’s race and job could  positively influence their partner――it became a plus for their status.

But, when it came to clearing group, the clearers chose their marriage partner based on the clearing.

Even normal player would search partner that would be beneficial for their status.

They used avatar so they could accept almost anyone as long as their  outside appearance wasn’t in impossibly disgusting level. Rather than a  marriage it should be called as a type of light contract instead.

「……It’s troubling that you’re bringing this up now.」

For Akito, the topic of marriage was one that he preferred to avoid.

That was because talking who he would marry would cause dispute.

Akito had run into a lot of disputes recently since meeting his guild  members in real life. He wanted to be spared from facing even more  disputes than that.

「That. You’ll be troubled if you marry with someone inside your guild.」

「If you understand than don’t bring up that topic. Or rather, orc  race is receiving cold treatment, so there will be few merits marrying  with me. Thanks to that nobody ever considered it.」

Orc was treated coldly inside the game.

There were a bunch that delighted in that and actually sought it  proactively, but that cold treatment was also expressed in the marriage  system.

There wouldn’t be any considerable merit even if someone married an orc.

There was still merit, but if that was the case then it would be  better to marry with other race that would give greater benefit.

The present marriage system was controlled almost solely by race and job. Such system wasn’t kind to Akito――no, to orc.

Riku was grinning.

「About that……it’s not like what you think. The marriage system is  apparently going to be drastically modified with the liberation of the  World of Chastity.」

With the clearing of the World of Lust, a new world, the [World of Chastity] appeared.

It really felt like a world that was related with marriage.

「Plan? So it’s not definite?」

Both Akito and Riku had close relationship with the information broker who was now the president of the managing company.

It wouldn’t be strange for Riku to have that kind of information.

「You think I can ask for that much detail huh? Even I am looking  forward to it, so let’s wait until the game resume and there’s more  information. But, it seems that it’s a fact that there will be change.」

Riku said that he didn’t know about it in detail, but he told him  that the current situation where the benefit would depend on the  avatar’s race was going to be re-examined.

「And so there’ll be mixer inside game?」

「It’s important to check the affinity between each other. No, it’s  more of a status check I guess? Anyway, I want to find a good partner.」

The merit of marriage was big.

From status increase to skill strengthening.

There were also various others benefit, like rare item drop rate increase for example.

The unpopularity of orc was because they couldn’t give that kind of merit to their partner.

「……No, it’s troubling even if you tell me that. There will be commotion if I marry.」

Most of all, to Akito it would feel like betrayal toward Yakumo and  Maya who he was friendly with. That wasn’t something that Akito wished  for.

Akito also thought that the case in the resort area was more of a  misunderstanding rather than the two of them going out of control.

The sleeping drug too, the two made an excuse that they brought it  because they couldn’t sleep from feeling too excited. Akito believed  their words wholeheartedly.

There was no way they brought it to drug him.

Anyone would think so.

「Stupid. You should go look outside because doing it inside your  guild will bring conflict. You should really make use of the marriage  system. As the guild master, from here on it will also be required from  you to have powerful status too.」

There were several types of guild master.

But going to the extreme, there were two types. Player who wasn’t strong but excelled in leading an organization.

Then a player who was simply strong inside the game.

Large guilds were mainly led by the first case, even so they still  needed to be somewhat strong in case there was quarrel or other players  picking a fight with them.

In the world of Pandora, being weak was simply from a lack of effort.

A player could do anything they wanted if there was level difference,  though some of the no-lifer players were an exception to that.

Player skill too could be polished until a certain level as long as the player made an effort.

It could be said that anyone was equal inside the game except a part, really just a small part of the no-lifers.

「You guys are standing out right? There are a lot of guys who aren’t  amused by that, so you should proactively adopt this kind of  strengthening method.」

Akito thought hard.

「Then I can just ask someone in my guild――」

「Don’t. I’m convinced now after witnessing that previous case. Never  search for partner inside your guild. That’s the only thing that you  mustn’t do. Or rather, why is everyone who gathered into your guild is  horrible fellow like that huh?」

That was insulting.

Akito protested to Riku.

「Don’t call them horrible……certainly everyone has one or two screws loose but, they are all really good people.」

Akito was thinking 「But I guess it’ll be better if Lighter reflect on  himself」 inside his heart, but he genuinely believed that his guild  members were good people.

His judgment mustn’t be a mistake.

Riku looked at Akito with a sad gaze.

「……If that’s what you believe then that must be the case. But, I……I  can’t abandon you so……that’s why, let’s go to a mixer. Okay?」

Akito thought.

(Why is he worrying about me like that?)

Riku was trying to persuade him really seriously, so in the end Akito agreed to give it a try just once.

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At his part-time work.

Akito was tidying up the cardboard boxes in the storage.

He arranged them based on the products inside. He was also sweating because of the summer heat.

There was also air conditioner inside the storage, but it only did the minimum amount of temperature maintenance.

「Haa……so tiring.」

Near Akito was a middle school boy who was working part time here for  a limited period. He wasn’t working, instead he was holding his  smartphone.

「……Look here, you shouldn’t play with your smartphone during work hour.」

Akito warned him, but the boy didn’t put down his smartphone.

「Eh, is this newcomer bullying? I’m not touching my smartphone when  there is customer, and if you’re saying that I can’t touch it even when  there’s nothing to do then isn’t it just like in a black company? Is  that the store’s policy? Isn’t it just you senpai who thought that it’s  no good on your own?」

The middle schooler was lining up words like he memorized it from internet. Akito was fed up by that.

It was helpful when Yukine came here last year, but it seemed that the one this year was a miss.

「I’m the only one doing the work here. You aren’t even moving a single box.」

「Oh man~, it’s too hard. I can’t move something so heavy like this.」

Akito caught a glimpse of the smartphone’s screen.

Normally it would be impossible to see anything from just an instant like that, but Akito could see it.

It was the screen of an SNS.

『I’m being bullied at work right now by my senior lol Advise please lolol』

The responds to that post was,

『High-handed and useless guy can really be found anywhere huh』

『What’s his high school’s rank? That senpai mustn’t be anything special anyway』

『You’re also a loser for doing part-time work at this era』

Such replies were coming one after another.

Akito really got fed up.

「That’s the rule. Or rather, didn’t you get the explanation? You were  told that you can’t contact anyone or look at SNS during part-time  unless it’s an emergency right?」

Akito made a sound argument, but the boy laughed.

「Aa~, I’m not motivated now. Even though I was motivated before, I’m not anymore thanks to senpai.」

The middle schooler stretched cockily.

Akito got fed up and he had also finished with the sorting so he left the storage.

「Eh, you running away? Say something back.」

The boy kept glancing at his smartphone while making provocation. Akito ignored him and found Yakumo at the back office.

He looked at the clock and found that their shift was almost over.

The boy saw Yakumo who had taken off the store’s apron and straightened himself.

「Senpai, you are finished already? I’m sorry, I wanted to help but there was a bit of hindrance.」

The boy glanced at Akito as though it was his fault that the boy couldn’t help.

High school girl.

Furthermore one who was beautiful and sexy. Even this boy became  obedient in front of such girl. But, to Akito it made him amazed instead  that this boy in front of him could change tact so drastically.

(I wouldn’t be able to even talk if it’s me.)

In the past, it took him time until he became able to talk properly to Yakumo when he became her partner at the beginning.

Akito thought that perhaps he should learn from this boy for that kind of thing.

「……I see. Then work harder next time. Though our shift is different so I don’t think we’ll meet again.」

The boy panicked when he heard that and he looked at the shift schedule.

「Eh? H-huh?」

Akito stretched.

(Senpai is working on her day off today. There was a shift change yesterday. Did he misunderstand because of that?)

The middle schooler’s shoulders dropped in dejection when he realized  that their shift wouldn’t match anymore. Yakumo looked at the boy  before signaling Akito with her gaze.

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.

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On the way home.

Akito and Yakumo were walking side by side.

「Summer festival?」

「Yes, summer festival. The last day of the summer vacation will be  Sunday right? They said that they will hold a small festival there.」

Yakumo was told by an auntie that they would hold a festival in the  neighborhood, so she should come if she wanted to. She invited Akito to  go there.

「Summer festival huh……」

Akito nodded in respond to Yakumo’s hopeful gaze.

「That’s nice!」

「Yeah! You know, it’s only natural to want to end the summer vacation  by experiencing a summer event. ……A lot of things happened after all.」

「……True.」

Their second day in the resort area ended up with getting the worst memory of being interrogated by police.

They wanted to do something summer vacation-like at the very end at least.

Akito could also understand Yakumo’s feeling that wanted that.

But, there was something that he forgot here.

The fact that Yakumo was one of the people who caused that worst memory itself to occur.

「Pandora will also resume, so the guild will meet up again and make  merry. Come to think of it, there’ll be festival inside the game too  won’t it?」

The service would resume in summer vacation, so there would be festival in all the worlds there.

There would also be special discount for buying paid items. Akito planned to spend a bit more money for that.

He kept it a secret that would also be a bit of revenge toward his family.

「I wonder what kind of festival it will be.」

「It has been so long since we last login so I can’t wait.」

The two were conversing like that.

A university student couple was walking near the two of them.

「Hey, I want a prepaid card for my birthday present. You know, the  paid items will be cheaper during the summer vacation. There is this  material that I want to get no matter what.」

The man looked troubled by the woman’s begging.

「Again? No, I don’t mind. But don’t you want something else, like new bag or clothes?」

「That’ll be expensive. Rather than that I prefer the two of us buying paid items and go farming mats together.」

The male looked a bit happy hearing that.

「I-I see. Then perhaps I’ll splurge a bit.」

「For now, let’s spend 10000 yen per login……it’ll be great if we can gather the materials I wanted at the third day.」

「What is it that you want?」

「There’s this designer who plays as crafter. The equipment he made is  just so cute! He want rare item along with the required materials too  as payment but, the equipment he created is really eye-catching. I  absolutely want one!」

The male said.

「……What, so you want to dress up inside the game.」

He muttered that, but that was still cheaper compared to buying bag in real world, so he didn’t complain.

The intimate couple was holding hands even in this hot summer night.

They were conversing happily, but the topic of their conversation was mostly about Pandora.

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