Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 57

Capital of Discretion

Capital of Discretion.

It was a human capital where steam machine was developed.

The NPCs there were wearing suits and dress. The capital had an atmosphere that made them felt the era vaguely.

Street lights were lined up and steams were rising to the sky from all over the city.

Items that couldn’t be created until now were produced in factory using the power of machine.

The moment Ponsuke and co entered the Capital of Discretion, a screen immediately appeared in the air before their eyes.

It said welcome and that the upper limit of level and friendship meter until now had been removed.

Also they became able to obtain new job and skill now.

Alfie yelled when she saw the Capital of Discretion.

「I’ll get the job that can use gun right away! Ponsuke, Meriela! Come, help me out!」

At the plaza of the Capital of Discretion.

Alfie twirled there as though she was dancing before stopping with a pose. The reaction of the people around her was cold.

Blaze was heading toward a shop that he had investigated beforehand with his friends.

「Ponsuke-kun, we’ll act separately from here.」

Ponsuke waved his hand at Blaze.

「Contact us if something happen.」

They belonged to the same guild, but their guild didn’t have any  building and there was also no quota that was forced on the members.

The Capital of Discretion was an important city for Lighter and the others in the artisan group.

「Then, we’ll also take our leave here. We have to obtain the necessary job and raise our skill proficiency immediately.」

Lighter and the other artisans headed toward the shrine in delight.

This was a capital that was made from bricks. The pointlessly  elaborate steel pipes and plumbing were spouting out steam everywhere.

Everyone was going off doing whatever they wanted.

As for Sololy, he had vanished somewhere with only a letter remaining on the spot near Ponsuke where he previously stood.

『Please don’t look for me. But, I’ll come if you call.』

Nanako, Sierra, and Guruguru wanted to sightsee in this Capital of  Discretion. Somehow the three of them were often acting together now.

「Ponsuke-san, we are going too.」

「I want to get a new staff.」

「I want short sword. I hope I can get a manlier equipment here.」

The three vanished among the crowd.

And then there were the orcs.

「Young lady over there.」

「Don’t come any closer. You guys smell like pig.」

An NPC who was dressed like a noble lady stared at the orcs with scorn in her eyes. It made the orcs shivered in delight.

They hurriedly took note to record what kind of reaction each NPC was showing.

The eight orcs were going around talking to NPC one after another. They went away like that.

Everyone was already absorbed with the new city.

Alfie who was left alone at that place was still holding her pose without moving.

Mariela shrugged and talked to Ponsuke.

「From the start our guild members are just aiming for the guild  items’ benefit without any shared purpose after all. Well, it’s obvious  that this is how it would turn out. What’re we going to do?」

As expected Ponsuke felt pity for Alfie and decided to agree to her demand.

「I guess we’ll help out with Alfie’s event to be high human. There’s  also still time until my promise to meet with the information broker. I  also need to think about what job and skill to take here.」

Alfie leaped at Ponsuke while looking like she was going to burst into tears.

「I knew I can count on you Ponsuke!」

Ponsuke was calm.

「No, it won’t be funny if even I ignore you.」

Mariela too had gotten helped when it was her event, so she didn’t have any particular disagreement with that.

「I also need to start thinking about it. Elf can’t use firearm right?」

The upper limit for the level at the Capital of Discretion was 100.

It wouldn’t be strange for player who managed to come until this far  to have maxed their job. Because of that this capital was also a place  where a lot of new jobs appeared.

In other words, this capital was also a place that gave the players a lot of things to think about.

The three walked.

Mariela and Alfie were walking at Ponsuke’s sides. It was a situation of having flowers in both hands.

「More importantly how about we enter a restaurant somewhere and eat?」

「Of course we should!」

「You’re always lively huh.」

Their play style was to keep their own pace even while aiming to  reach the frontline. It was a play style that didn’t focus solely on  clearing the game, but also having fun at the side.

There were many inefficiencies with that play style, but Ponsuke  thought that it suited them rather than spending all their time to level  up.

(Well, we have come until this Capital of Discretion. Next will be  Love and after that it’s Diligence. I wonder how many months we will  spend before we can go to the Capital of Love?)

In order to progress from this Capital of Discretion, they would need to defeat they four cyborgs in this World of Discretion.

He planned to take that quest after they finished their preparation.

Alfie was walking while looking at the shops around them with enjoyment.

「There are a lot of bars here. How should I put it, it’s really exciting.」

In contrast Mariela looked displeased.

「This place feels gloomy somehow, I don’t like it. I don’t get it why there are so many steams spewing out everywhere.」

The two started arguing with each other because of their difference  in taste, but Ponsuke was standing between them so their quarrel didn’t  devolve into something physical.

「More important, let’s go eat something already.」

Ponsuke hurried the two while arbitrating their argument. After that the three entered the restaurant that they decided on.

◇

At school after school had ended.

Akito was working together with Maya who was also the class president.

They had interaction with each other even since before but, the  occasion where Maya relied on Akito had increased since the school  festival.

Maya stretched after she finished her class president work.

「It’s over with this. Sorry to make you help every time.」

Akito sighed.

「Well, I don’t really mind. I also have no plan today anyway.」

Maya looked at Akito with envy.

「How nice. I still have cram school after this. Do you have any cram school or lesson Naruse-kun?」

Akito put his things into his bag while answering Maya’s question.

「I have part-time work, and I’ll go to fitness club when I’m free to  train my body. But I have no time to do anything else I think.」

Akito would be troubled with his living expense if he spent anymore money than this.

「I see. I’m sorry if I sounded offensive.」

「It’s alright. After all it feels like you also have it hard president.」

Maya was an elite unlike him. It was like a rail had been prepared  for her to run on. She was very talented, so she was also demanded to  make contribution that befitted that. That was how the current society  worked.

The inside of the classroom was getting darker.

The orange color of the sunset dyed the inside of the classroom. Maya looked down and fell into thought.

(It’s a lot recently.)

Maya looked like she was thinking about something. She had also blundered several times during class, which was unlike her.

「What’s wrong? Don’t tell me, you have gotten tired of life or something?」

His words sounded joking but, in reality there were a lot of children  who had expectation placed on them as elite. The case of parents  enthusiastically preparing the best environment for their children and  put too much expectation on them was also increasing.

In addition, there were also a lot of cases where children were  forcefully made to follow a path they didn’t wanted. There were many  youths who got tired of life.

Maya lifted up her face and shook her head.

「That’s not it. It’s really nothing like that. Don’t say something  like that to the teacher or anybody else okay? They will contact my  family and make them worry.」

Maya thought for a bit, and then she mustered her courage and asked Akito.

「Umm!」

「Yeah」

「Naruse-kun, have you ever done something like offline gathering?」

Offline gathering.

It was a meeting with acquaintance from internet or virtual world in real world.

Akito was astonished.

(President, could it be she’s gaming? No, perhaps she has fellow  elite friend or something from internet? Perhaps friend who have the  same hobby?)

However, Akito unfortunately had never done offline gathering before.

「N-never but, is it okay? I heard that sometimes you could encounter someone dangerous through that.」

Maya shook her head with a smile.

「That person is absolutely not someone like that. I’m confident.」

Akito thought.

(She’s this confident even though there’s no basis to it. She’s Amazing.)

Maya talked about how wonderful was this person who she was going to meet.

「He is kind, reliable, and always protected me. And you know, even  though he usually also often feel unreliable, he always give it his all.  Sometimes he also surprised me by doing something that I never even  expected. It’s fun being with him.」

Seeing Maya talking really happily like that made Akito thought.

(Is she in love? Well, how should I put it……it’s unthinkable that you  can come into contact with that kind of perfect guy from internet.)

However he couldn’t possibly destroy Maya’s dream by saying such thing here.

『That person might be just acting like that in internet.』

Maya would surely become enraged if he told her something like that, so he didn’t say it.

(Even so, president’s acquaintance is someone that amazing? As expected from an elite.)

Akito recalled how he didn’t have anyone like that around him and stopped Maya’s bragging.

「In other words, you want to meet with that person offline.」

「That’s right! But, how should I put it……there is this atmosphere that make me unable to suggest it.」

Akito folded his arms.

「You two are only acquainted with each other?」

Maya looked slightly displeased.

「No. Usually there are three of us. There can be more depending on the situation but, usually it’s the three of us together.」

「Three people huh.」

Akito said 「In that case」 and made a suggestion.

「As expected that person might become on guard if you ask him to meet  alone, so how about suggesting to have an offline gathering with the  three of you?」

Maya said something like 「Us three……but, then」 while seriously considering it.

It looked like she was in a situation where she wanted to meet with one acquaintance while not wanting to meet the other one.

「You should prepare a mail address exclusively for the offline  gathering beforehand. It will be scary to suddenly get asked about your  actual contact number right?」

Akito gave such advice, but Maya looked puzzled.

「Eh, not really?」

Akito smiled wryly while saying that was the manner to convince Maya.

「……I think it will be fine though.」

Akito became slightly worried for Maya whose belief was that firm.

.

.

.

「……Offline gathering.」

At his part-time workplace, Mild.

Akito mentioned to Yakumo about his conversation with Maya the other  day while omitting Maya’s name. He was slightly surprised by her  reaction.

「What’s wrong senpai?」

There was no customer inside the store. The fulltime employee was also at the back office.

They were talking because they were alone. Then Yakumo asked Akito with a serious expression.

「Say, do you want to go to offline gathering if it’s you in that person’s place?」

Akito was confused, even so he tried imagining if it was him who went to an offline gathering.

(No, I have tried to not think about those two’s actual identity, but  I’m certainly curious about it. Still, I’ll need courage to actually  meet them……)

Akito considered various things, and then he nodded.

「I want to go to one if there’s a chance. Well, I’ll be scared if I think that the other side cannot be trusted though.」

Yakumo looked happy to hear that.

「R-right you are! Of course you will want to go to one!」

Akito became curious about the person who Yakumo wanted to meet that she was acting like this, but he thought.

(The beauties around me asked me about offline gathering……furthermore  it’s clear that the person they want to meet is a man. It makes me feel  complicated somehow.)

Akito got curious about Maya and Yakumo’s internet acquaintance.

◇

Capital of Discretion.

Alfie entered a café where she was sitting face to face with Mariela. The two were alone.

Today Ponsuke got asked by Nanako, Sierra, and Guruguru to help them level up. So the four of them were outside the city.

Usually these two wouldn’t separate from Ponsuke no matter what, but  this time only they found such thing as convenient, so they asked those  three to play with Ponsuke.

These two……actually never got into argument when Ponsuke wasn’t with them.

To be more accurate, their relationship had settled down to be something like this when they noticed.

Alfie was drinking coffee with an elegant manner.

「And? What is it that you want to talk about?」

Alfie was usually boisterous and acted selfishly, but without Ponsuke there wasn’t anyone else that she would act spoiled with.

She also had no intention to complain at Mariela.

It was also the same for Mariela.

She didn’t particularly want to get involved with Alfie. They wouldn’t even quarrel if Ponsuke wasn’t with them.

「……I’m going to invite Ponsuke to do offline gathering. Well, I’m considering to invite you too.」

Alfie’s hand that was bringing her cup to her mouth froze just for a moment. Mariela didn’t miss that.

Alfie’s expression didn’t change. And then she took a sip of her coffee.

Taste, aroma.

They were all no different from the real coffee. It  tasted really delicious.

She thought that drinking the coffee here was still better than drinking it in some random shop in real world.

Alfie smiled at Mariela.

「Is that so. Offline gathering is it. I’m looking forward to it.」

Mariela also smiled.

「Yes, I’m looking forward to it too.」

From the words, it seemed like it was just a normal conversation  asking if the other would come to an offline gathering. However, the  other players around these two were sensing something mysterious  sparking between the two.

A player who came to this café as a customer was considering about  talking to the two while watching them……at the end he gave up and left  the café.

Alfie put her elbow on the table, interlocked her fingers together and placed her chin on them.

「And, what time are you thinking of holding this gathering?」

Alfie’s smile here was different from usual. It was a smile that seemed to be testing.

Mariela reached toward her juice, and then she leaned back on her chair and drank just a bit.

She was drinking using straw. She was showing an attitude that seemed to look disinterested.

「I’m also going to ask Ponsuke first to check the location of where  we might be able to meet but, I’m thinking that within this month will  be good.」

Alfie lifted up her face. And then she pressed her hands together and smiled cutely.

「I can’t wait. But, it will depend on Ponsuke’s schedule.」

「You’re right.」

It was a conversation that was different from normal and also without  any of their usual quarrel. The atmosphere of that place felt awfully  cold.

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