Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 96

Idiot

Who knew a lot about Pandora?

Ponsuke relied on his acquaintance, but then he thought who should he relied on for this.

The information broker would definitely be the most knowledgeable.

However, he was really busy that even picking up the phone would be difficult for him.

At present Ponsuke hesitated to rely on the information broker for a personal matter.

(I’ll call him if there’s no other way. Now who’s the next most knowledgeable after him?)

Lighter was knowledgeable about items and the market price’s trend.

He never cut corner when it came to anything related to business.

Blaze was knowledgeable about the basic of fighting and how to have fun.

However, they weren’t suitable for the matter this time ――for Anri’s request.

The orcs……were overly maniac.

They seemed like they might have some unexpected acquaintances but, Ponsuke didn’t want to rely on them personally.

(In that case……)

His last hope was also someone who he didn’t rely want to rely on, Sololy.

.

.

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At the Capital of Hope.

Sololy appeared at the arranged place. He was dressed with outfit that hid his whole body as usual.

Anri spoke out her thought brazenly.

「What’s with this guy? He has zero sense with the way he dress in all black. Or rather, why is her hiding his face?」

Sololy fell on his knees hearing Anri speaking so straightforwardly.

「To speak such horrible worlds to a solo player so suddenly……it’s depressing so I’m going home today.」

Sololy was going to logout while crying, so Ponsuke stopped him and explained the situation.

「P-please listen to our story first. We are searching for someone ――」

Inaho and Lily also consoled Sololy.

「Fight on, Sololy-san!」

「Come on, be motivated like usual.」

Sololy sat on a chair reluctantly.

「Geez, just for this once okay?」

However Ponsuke didn’t miss how Sololy was looking extremely happy after Inaho and Lily consoled him.

The five ordered drinks in the restaurant, then Sololy listened to the situation.

「You mean the place called player area aren’t you? Well, it’s a place  that some players find where the dev can’t interfere with and use to  make a killing. I heard a rumor that some bad adults are controlling the  place but……there are a lot of celebrity avatars there.」

Anri slammed her hand on the table.

「Take me to that place! I’ll beat up the shitty bastard who used my data and make him confess everything ――」

But Lily realized something there.

「Eh, isn’t that strange? There are a lot of players using the appearance of famous people right?」

Inaho tilted her head.

「What’s strange about it?」

Ponsuke also hadn’t realized it, so he was tilting his head like Inaho.

「Who knows?」

Lily moistened the inside of her mouth with her drink before she talked.

「It surprised me that there is also paparazzi-like existence in  Pandora but, will they really investigate that kind of place just  because there’s an avatar that really look similar? If it’s me then I’ll  just think of it as 『It’s really well made』 and that’s it. Thinking  that a game avatar might be the actual person is just the guest’s  delusion. Rather, thinking realistically the person inside the avatar  might actually be male you know? What do you think as a man?」

Ponsuke shook his head.

「No way. I won’t be able to play there. But, it’s definitely strange.」

Someone accidentally noticed Anri’s avatar and investigated――such happening was unnatural in the first place.

Anri was enraged.

「I knew it, it was that woman’s work! It was her who sold me out!」

Inaho tried to calm Anri down in panic.

「P-please calm down. There is still no proof――」

Anri stood up and glared at Inaho.

「What do you know! I was really close. Just a bit more and I would be  able to become a real celebrity. Not just an amateur who is doing  modeling as part-time work. Even though I would be able to become a real  model that the agency will invest in for real……and yet that woman-!」

Inaho was overwhelmed by Anri’s feeling and she looked like she was going to burst into tears, but Lily chuckled.

「What!?」

Lily didn’t flinch even when Anri glared at her.

「Do you think someone who get crushed with just this much will be  able to cut it at the entertainment business’s flashy stage? I guarantee  it……you’ll get crushed anyway sooner or later.」

Anri picked up her glass and threw it at Lily, but Ponsuke’s burly arm immediately blocked it.

Sololy gave a small applause.

「Nice job Ponsuke-kun.」

Anri’s shoulders were heaving.

「You guys don’t know anything……I don’t have anything else other than  being a model. I finally found a place that recognized me. And  yet……why-!」

Anri burst into tears. Ponsuke and Sololy were flustered seeing that, while Lily sighed and looked at Sololy.

「And, do you think you can find the person?」

Sololy put his hand on his chin.

「Speaking from the conclusion, it’s possible. But I think it will take time.」

Anri pressed on Sololy.

「I don’t care how just do it quickly.」

「No……but, there are a lot of player areas you know? Besides, Anri-san  is it? You’re just a level 1. The places that you can go to are  limited.」

She could go directly from this Capital of Hope to Capital of Love,  but she wouldn’t be able to go any further than that as a level 1.

Inaho slightly looked up.

「Aa, it’ll be impossible to beat up the culprit like that.」

For Ponsuke, it was unbelievable that there were that many player areas.

「Eh? There is really that many?」

Sololy nodded.

「There is none in Capital of Hope, but there are a lot out there.  Some are inside the city, but there are also such areas outside. Also,  the problem is the time slot. We don’t know when the person will log in  after all.」

Anri didn’t get it.

「……No, then we can just check all the places.」

Sololy looked troubled.

「No, listen to me. That will be useless if our login time slot is  different. Besides, we also don’t know where the player who is using  your avatar is and when are they logging in.」

「Then just stay at the lookout for some days until you find them!」

「I can’t just keep watching for days! Please understand already!」

Like this the four had it hard to make Anri understood.

Several hours later.

「In other words, to make it possible to investigate……I just need to get strong isn’t it?」

Inaho nodded with a tired look.

「That’s right. We’ll also search the player areas and internet for  that person in the meantime. We will be able to catch that person when  we find out their time slot.」

Ponsuke realized something important here.

(……Come to think of it, will we be able to catch them even if we find  them? Sololy-san said that the person is connected with some scary  adults.)

However, it would be difficult to explain that again to Anri who was  feeling fired up. He was also scared that even after going through the  trouble to explain it to her, she would just go off on her own.

(……I guess we’ll need to look after her for a while.)

◇

Inside an underground room.

Kurita logged out and opened his eyes.

He got up from his chair. Then A middle-aged man immediately approached and started cleaning it up.

A man wearing striped shirt talked to Kurita.

「Yo, looks like you’re making a killing in there.」

Kurita was smirking while bowing his head.

「I already learned all the tricks. I even earned 150000 yen just from today.」

Kurita was using the avatar of Anri who was being a hot topic recently. For him this was a most profitable time.

「This too is thanks to the avatar looking so similar to the real thing that it even got into news.」

The man in striped shirt was grinning and told the circumstance to Kurita.

「It’s not just similar. The data came from the real Anri you know?」

Kurita was astonished.

「Well, I’m only telling you this because that avatar will lose its  attractiveness soon anyway. This is the case of fellow women pulling  down each other. Don’t spread it out too much okay?」

Kurita nodded.

The man in striped shirt too wasn’t loose lipped by any mean.

He understood that Kurita was becoming a big earner and couldn’t get  away from them, so he intended to get friendly with him to make him  continue earning a lot of money for them.

Kurita too had sensed it somehow but he didn’t say anything. He was  fine with being valued, and the debt collector wouldn’t come to his home  if he was working here.

Kurita received around ten percent from his earning and left the underground room.

He had obtained around ten thousand yen just from two hours of working.

The big earner could get tens of thousands of yen.

Kurita felt complicated.

(No wonder the stupid women are selling their body. They can earn money easily like that.)

◇

「This stupid womannnnnn!」

The raging Alfie pointed the golden shotgun she was holding at Anri.

Anri who wasn’t feeling a shred of guilt at all was holding a spear.

Ponsuke and co were entrusting the investigation to Sololy while helping Anri to level up but――.

「No, that was because you suddenly moved forward. Sorry for stabbing your butt though.」

Alfie almost pulled the trigger and shot Anri to death without listening any further, but Ponsuke held her back.

「Alfie wait! Mariela too, stop laughing and help me to stop her!」

Alfie screamed incomprehensibly when she got stabbed by spear near her butt.

Mariela burst out laughing when she saw that.

「Becaues, PIGYUAAAAA! She screamed like that! Alfie really sounded stupid then. Aa~aa, if only I managed to video it.」

Alfie raged.

「Let go of me, Ponsuke! I’ll shoot these two to death……I’ll turn them into beehiveeeee!」

「Yeah, I get it. I get it so calm down a little! Anri-san, apologize. Apologize to Alfie!」

Anri herself was crouching down while placing her spear on her lap.

「This butterfly, I can touch it. Awesomee~」

She was touching a butterfly with her hand in astonishment.

Anri was always acting really carefree, but today it felt like she was lacking focus.

(I wonder why, she’s looking sad.)

Ponsuke was concerned but, Alfie’s anger wouldn’t dial down.

「……I absolutely won’t forgive this girl.」

Alfie was expressionlessly taking out a bomb from her item box, so Ponsuke snatched it and threw it to far away.

A terrific explosion burst out. The wind blast and the smoke covered the surrounding.

It must be a specially made bomb by Lighter and others.

「Ponsuke, let go of me. This girl has trampled my maiden heart……」

Ponsuke was feeling exasperated even while holding Alfie back.

(No, even if you call it maiden heart……besides, I remember how you also hit me in the back before.)

Mariela was laughing too much that she was crying. She wiped her tear with her finger.

「Aa~, that really made me laugh. And, what are we going to do now?  Anri too has leveled up. She can go until the Capital of Diligence now.」

Ponsuke sighed.

Sololy was narrowing down which player area where Anri’s avatar was staying from the posts in board and the like.

It seemed the most suspicious player area was located in the Capital of Diligence.

Ponsuke tied up the raging Alfie with a binding item and threw her on the ground.

「Au……for Ponsuke to treat me like this. It makes me a bit happy.」

Ponsuke ignored Alfie and wiped his sweat.

「Their login time is between 9 to 10 PM, so I want to go investigate  that time period. But, I can only ask Sololy-san for this kind of  thing.」

Logging in to a time period that was different than usual was difficult because of each person’s cycle of livelihood.

Ponsuke could do it but, he couldn’t rely on his other acquaintances.

Mariela fidgeted a little.

It was an adorable gesture.

「S-should I also help? Y-you know, it’ll be difficult if Ponsuke do it alone.」

「Ah, me too――ouch!」

Mariela was grinding her foot on Alfie who was on the ground. Ponsuke felt turned off seeing that while looking at Anri.

「Anri-san, it looks like we’ll be able to meet the one you’re looking for after we finished the preparation.」

Anri didn’t look upbeat.

「What’s wrong?」

Ponsuke called out to her. Anri wiped the tear on her eyes.

「Anri-san!?」

Ponsuke panicked seeing that.

「I……have lost everything.」

Anri started shedding large drops of tear. Ponsuke and Mariela――and  the tied up Alfie too listened to her situation and became dumbfounded.

◇

――It was a yesterday’s happening.

Anri brought the evidence that she had collected from the surrounding  to her agency to prove her innocence, but there she learned the truth.

Inside a room of the agency, Anri couldn’t believe the words that she had just been told.

「……Eh?」

The agency staff was exasperated.

「I told you didn’t I? Something like truth doesn’t matter. What’s important is the image.」

A rumor that Anri was doing prostitution inside game had spread.

Just that was already problematic. The agency declared that they  couldn’t manage Anri who hadn’t even gone through an actual debut  anymore.

「A problem occurred before your debut. This is what decided everything.」

Anri’s gaze wandered around. Then she mentioned the thing that she heard from her acquaintances――from Ponsuke and others.

「T-then my body data! I never gave out my data to anyone else, so it was someone in the agency――」

The agency staff laughed thinly.

「So?」

「Eh?」

「I don’t know where did you sniff around, but it’ll be better if you  don’t try using difficult words like that. Because Kurihara-san――no,  you’re an idiot aren’t you?」

Anri turned speechless.

The staff made a condescending smile at her.

「You have a slightly cute look but, girls at your level can be found anywhere. Do you understand?」

He spoke as though he was explaining something to a kid. That was because he knew about Anri’s grade.

Anri’s learning ability was low.

From the start her number in that area was low.

Anri had always been called idiot from her surrounding since the  past. But then she found modeling where she could do her best at.

「B-but――」

She squeezed out her voice in desperation but the staff only laughed.

「I get it. You worked hard because you want to enter the  entertainment industry right? But, that’s normal. To go any further, do  you think someone with as many opening as you――furthermore someone who  tried to blame the agency will get hired? In the first place, do you  know how strict the security on the data is? Though I doubt you will  understand even if I tell you~」

Strength left Anri’s body and she couldn’t say anything back.

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