ALL NOVEL The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 73
73: Right Now
The time was 2 a.m. Most students would be asleep before an exam, and explorers were no exception. It was a time when most people would be resting.
I had returned to the transfer zone, but since it was late at night, I didn’t expect my classmates to welcome me back. Rather, I didn’t want them to notice me, especially with the incident involving Ria.
…But in reality, everyone was awake.
“――Shouma!!”
As soon as they saw me, the 1-D members rushed towards me. They must have been waiting for me. It felt like being a celebrity? No, it was more like being on the verge of getting arrested.
“You…! You’re safe!!”
“Everyone was worried about you!!”
“Oho ho ho!! You’re truly a man I can count on, Shouma!!”
The three class representative candidates, Aoi, Yoshikawa, and Mushakouji, spoke to me in turn.
The people behind them seemed restless, unable to calm down. I suppose my exploration was quite extraordinary in this world.
“You defeated the floor master, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“How did you…!? What did you do!?”
Gensai and Koume were shocked.
The people around me wanted to know the same thing. I could explain, but I was too exhausted today. I’d rather do it another time, but it seemed like they wouldn’t let me off that easily…
As I was thinking this, I spotted my sister, who was waiting alone at a distance.
“…Let’s talk about it later, okay? I have a prior engagement. I need to take my mischievous sister home.”
I said, and slipped out of the group. They looked disappointed, but they wouldn’t force the issue when it came to family matters.
I turned to face Ria, who was standing alone.
“Shall we go?”
“Y-yes…”
Our conversation was brief. I took Ria, who had become more docile, and left the academy.
◆
As we walked home, I felt a strange sensation. As Shouma’s sister, Ria and I didn’t have much to do with each other, and I was aware that she disliked me. I never thought we’d have the chance to walk together like this.
So it felt fresh. I had no idea what to talk about. Even with someone of the same age, I didn’t know what to say, let alone with my younger sister… …But I wasn’t overthinking things with Ria. I didn’t dislike silence, and I was tired from the exploration anyway. If I didn’t have to think too much, that would be great.
We walked in silence for a while.
“…Don’t you want to hold hands?”
Ria muttered.
…?
Who was she talking to?
I was taken aback for a moment, but since ignoring her would be rude, I decided to engage in conversation with my sister.
“What’s the point of holding hands?”
“…”
When I asked, Ria remained silent. …It seemed like we had a bad communication.
I shrugged and looked ahead again.
Why did she bring this up, anyway?
Maybe… are you nervous?
You went to explore ABYSS on your own, so you think you’ll get scolded by your sisters when you get back? Well, you’ll probably get scolded, but that’s because you did it yourself, so you should just accept it.
But anyway, why did Lilia go to ABYSS? The exploration of ABYSS starts from the third year of middle school, and 15 is the earliest age. The way to obtain the magical crystal terminal (Portal) is also a mystery, and did you do something reckless? If so, it’s natural to get scolded.
I’m a bit worried about Lilia.
“…What were you thinking, doing something so reckless?”
“!”
“If you want to become an explorer, you should challenge it through regular means. Why did you—”
“…I was impatient.”
Lilia looked down and replied.
I kept silent and listened.
“I admired Anra-sama. I wanted to become an explorer during her school days. I wanted to form a party with Anra-sama and explore ABYSS together…”
“And you ended up getting lost on the 10th floor…”
“…I don’t remember how I got to that place. I felt like someone talked to me at the reception, but—”
“That’s okay.”
It’s probably the work of some idol anyway.
Along the way, Lilia was brainwashed by the massive amount of monsters that attacked her. Only someone with [Absolute Domination (Domination)] can do something like that.
Their goal is… probably nothing in particular.
It seemed fun, so they did it. Even if someone died, they’d just say “oh well” and that’s it. They’re a crazy person with a twisted sense of values. That’s why I don’t want to get involved with them.
Lilia… was just unlucky.
Normally, she would’ve been warned and that would’ve been the end of it, but she got caught up in the crazy person’s scheme and made a big deal out of it.
I’m also partly to blame.
Lilia got targeted by the crazy person because of me. Lilia is my sister, so… the crazy person must’ve thought it’d be fun. They’re definitely laughing about it.
Thinking about it, Lilia is really pitiful.
Normally, she would’ve started exploring from the 2nd floor, but she got thrown into the floor master’s domain right away. Her body is fine, but what about her mind? It’s not surprising if she develops PTSD in the future. The more I think about it, the more I can’t forgive the crazy person.
—So, I naturally said it out loud.
“What was it like exploring? Did you think you’d give up after experiencing such danger, but you still want to do it?”
After a brief silence, Lilia nodded slightly.
“…I was scared… I regretted it… but I still don’t want to give up…”
“To catch up with Anra-sama…”
“—It’s not just that! I thought, with this incident… I want to become an explorer like Shouma…”
“—Lilia!!”
My words were cut off. We had walked back to our home and were greeted by our sisters, who had been waiting for us outside.
“You idiot, we were worried sick!!”
“Anra-sama… uwa, uwa, uwa, uwa, uwa!!”
Lilia’s tension was released as she was hugged by Anra-sama. With her face buried in Anra-sama’s chest, Lilia was crying like a child.
—And with that, the incident came to a close.
I won’t disturb the emotional reunion, so I’ll slowly leave the scene. Even if I’m disliked, I can at least read the atmosphere.
――――――――――――――――――――
Thank you for always cheering me on!
This concludes Chapter 2. I’ve updated the author’s notes with my thoughts on the next chapter, so please check it out if you’re interested.