After wandering the streets for a bit, they found a shop with a subdued brown exterior but a tantalizingly classy feel. The flowers out front must have been watered recently; the light caught the beads of water on them, glittering.
"Maple, wanna go here?”
“Yes, let’s! These all sound good,” Maple said, eyeing the chalkboard nu outside.
“Cool. After you!” Sally held the door open, then followed Maple in.
It was a modest-size interior, and there were already several other players here.
They glanced up when the door opened, spotted Maple, and looked surprised.
Maple had garnered a ton of attention in the first event and, thanks to her distinctive armor, had continued to stand out ever since so most players knew who she was.
Thanks to the awards ceremony, people assud she was a top player, and everywhere she went, people noticed.
Picking up on the tension imdiately, Sally turned to Maple and said, "Man, you're totally famous."
"I-I am?"
Maple seed utterly baffled by it.
She hadn't even noticed all the looks she was getting.
"Never mind. Wanna sit over there? Looks open."
Sally pointed to a table by the wall.
"Sure. That seems like a nice spot."
They sat down and scanned the nus.
Sothing was bothering Sally, and she finally put her finger on it.
"Oh! Okay. Maple, you're wearing heavy armor! Doesn't feel right in a shop like this."
"...Good point."
Maple glanced around at the other players.
Everyone here today was wearing robes or other lighter gear, so she really stood out.
Naturally, this ga had plenty of players who wore armor every bit as bulky as Maple's.
Situations like this might not crop up often, but at the mont, Maple was seriously considering buying herself a non-armor outfit.
"Maybe we should do so shopping after."
"That could work. For now, let's order sothing."
"Yeah-lem go through the nu first."
Maple picked the nu up again, leafing through it. This shop's nu primarily offered re-creations of real-world desserts. Shortcake, vanilla ice cream it was easy to guess what most options would taste like. Sally ordered a strawberry tart, and Maple, a slice of chocolate cake.
While they waited, their conversation turned to the future.
"When's the next event? Hope it's sothing we can do together."
"Yeah, I'd love to run an event with you, Sally."
It had been a long wait, but at last they could play together.
And both of them wanted to spend as much ti as possible helping each other out and having fun together.
"If it's the sa format as the first event, that won't be an option."
"Yeah...I don't really want to fight you."
"Oh?" Sally said, surprised.
"I an, I don't think I could win," Maple admitted.
"I'm not so sure... I an, I definitely wouldn't make it easy for you, but..."
As she spoke, their orders arrived.
The strawberry tart gave off a sweet scent, and the vivid colors sang a bright song of spring.
The chocolate cake was a calm brown, with a slightly darker chocolate coating.
They each took a bite.
"Oh, that is good! I bet this would be really expensive in the real world," Maple said, savoring the slightly bitter tang.
"Yeah, it's nice getting to eat such fancy desserts like this. Yours looks good, too!"
"Want a bite?"
Sally considered this for a mont.
"...Nah, I'll just order my own. You should be waking up soon too."
She flagged a server down, ordered a slice of cake for herself, and then started in on her tart.
"Maybe I should get more, too... You could order as much as you liked in-ga, and it wouldn't cost you a di of real money." Kaede murmured.
And you didn't have to worry about calories.
"Maple! This looks good, too!"
"Hmm...maybe I should go for that."
"Totally!"
---
Her eyes fluttered open, and Kaede sat upright on her bed. Feeling a wet sensation on her cheeks, she raised a hand to her face and cleaned the tears off.
"..." Kaede blinked, frozen for a mont. "Artificia? Is that you?"
Kaede took a deep breath, her fingers brushing against the smooth fabric of her blanket. The gentle hum of Artificia’s voice in her mind was a comforting presence—one she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed until now.
“You’re really back,” Kaede whispered again, her voice trembling just enough to betray the storm of emotions inside her.
Artificia’s tone was calm and even, but if anyone asked, Kaede would swear she could hear a subtle warmth in it.
Kaede wiped her face, trying to gather herself. “I thought I’d lost you for good after... well, everything that happened.”
She smiled faintly, her gaze drifting to the ceiling. “I guess we’ve both been through a lot. I’m just glad you’re here. Things have been... complicated.”
Kaede hesitated. Part of her wanted to dive right into the details, about the Antari, the colony, and her vision for their future. But another part of her just wanted to savor this mont, to feel the reassurance that she wasn’t entirely alone in this strange world.
“Not yet,” she said softly. “Let’s take it slow. I’ll catch you up soon.”
Kaede chuckled, the sound light but genuine. “You’ve never stopped, have you?”
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, the cool floor grounding her. The faint light of dawn was starting to seep through the cracks in the walls, painting her room in soft hues of orange and gold.
"Ah. It's nothing, just a dream." She murmured. "I've been having them for a few days now. It doesn't matter now that you're here though. I'm really happy you're back."
Kaede stood, stretching her arms above her head. “All right. Ti to get moving. There’s a lot to do today, and I can’t afford to waste any ti.”
She stepped toward the door, pausing for a mont to glance back at her bed. mories of the dream lingered, bittersweet but comforting.
“Artificia?”
“Remind to check if the Antari can figure out desserts. It’s been too long since I’ve had cake.”
Kaede smiled, shaking her head. “You’re the best.”
With renewed energy, she opened the door and stepped into the day, the warmth of the morning light chasing away the lingering shadows of doubt.
Alas it wasn't ant to last, as Kaede received a ntal ssage from Crimara.
(Master, a situation has arisen.)
Not bothered by the sudden ssage, Kaede answered. (Crimara, what's going on? Is there a problem with your hunt? A powerful monster?)
(Not at all master, I'd be hard pressed to find a force stronger than us at the mont. No re monster is worth your attention. The issue is with the... locals.)
(Locals? You know what, standby I'll be there imdiately.) Kaede said in a reassured tone.
(Understood master.)
Kaede prepared to activate her cover move when Artificia interjected.
Kaede raised an eyebrow. "You just did that thing again."
Kaede frowned. "Just like back then at the camp, you sound way more fluent than before." In her mind, a chibi version of Kaede pointed accusing fingers at a large orb of glowing threads.
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