In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 21

Chapter 21: Battle Curry

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It’s over! Finally, it’s over!

The week-long class placement tests had finally come to an end. I’d probably have to take supplementary lessons for social studies, but what was done was done.

And now, this weekend, starting tomorrow on Saturday, the pre-release app for the VR game Battle Flower Gale, which we had pre-registered for, would finally be available. …That said, we still wouldn’t be able to start playing the actual game yet. The pre-release app only allowed us to create our in-game avatars and go through the tutorial.

This afternoon, the five of us guys were heading out to get the personal data required for avatar creation measured. The place was directly managed by the game company in the electronics district near Natsuhabara Station, and of course, we had already made a reservation beforehand.

Technically, we could get our personal data measured at a local authorized retailer, but those stores weren’t necessarily designated as male-priority service shops. That was why the registration email had recommended that male players use the official store.

That email had also come with another one titled: “Congratulations! You’ve been selected as a monitor!”

The “monitor” program was packed with perks—free VR gaming equipment, free downloads for both the pre-release and official apps, no monthly subscription fees, and even a waived fee for personal data measurement. In exchange for all those benefits, we only had to log in a certain number of times per month for the first six months after the game launched.

“Wouldn’t it be tough to keep playing for six months straight?”

Worried about that, I asked Yuuki just to be sure.

“Not at all. The number of logins is fixed, but there’s no restriction on playtime. If you get tired of it, you can just log in and log out right away. In the end, we’re basically just advertising props, so that’s fine.”

…Advertising props, huh.

Apparently, the goal was to create the impression that “Right now, X number of male players are playing this game!” It was supposed to be pretty effective as a marketing strategy in this world. It felt a little sneaky, but VR equipment was crazy expensive, so honestly, I was grateful for these perks. If I had to buy one myself, I’d probably need to get a part-time job first.

We arrived at Natsuhabara Station. Since we still had time before our reservation, we decided to grab lunch before heading to the store.

“Since we’re here, want to check out a themed restaurant? I just looked it up, and there are open seats, so we wouldn’t have to wait.”

“A themed restaurant? For what?”

“Sengoku Onimusha Reppuden BR. It’s set in the same world as Battle Flower Gale, so we might get a feel for the game’s atmosphere.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that was a thing.”

“Yeah. The main attraction is actually the game’s official merchandise shop next door.”

“Sounds interesting. If we can get in right away, let’s go.”

The restaurant entrance had a castle-like design, with walls that mimicked stone fortifications and white plaster. Inside, the floor looked like the wooden planks of a traditional Japanese room, making it feel like we’d stepped straight into a castle. Along the hallway leading to the seating area, banners with the crests of famous warlords stood in rows. At one corner, there was an open space displaying several life-sized figures. They were posed dramatically, dressed in flashy armor, wielding swords, spears, and other weapons.

“Are these the outfits from the game?”

“Yeah. The figures themselves are modeled after popular characters. This area’s a photo spot, so you can take pictures freely.”

I see. That was the kind of service you’d expect from a themed restaurant. The seating wasn’t traditional tatami-style but consisted of booths with tatami-covered benches. The semi-private rooms had walls decorated with famous battle paintings, battlefield maps, and folding screen-style artwork that looked like they belonged in a castle.

Once we were seated, I immediately checked out the menu. It turned out to be fairly standard—set meals like grilled chicken or sashimi, alongside warlord-themed dishes like the “Roast Beef Kabuto Bowl” and pancakes printed with family crests.

“Any recommendations?”

When Houjou asked Yuuki that, he replied.

“Hmm… If you like meat, go for the Kabuto Bowl. If you want something spicy, the Battle Curry. If you prefer something light, the Wabi-Sabi Wasabi Japanese-style pasta. All the set meals are pretty decent too.”

Man, he really knew his stuff.

As for me… I hadn’t had curry in a while, so I figured I’d go with the Battle Curry.

“Takeda, have you decided on what to order?”

“Yeah, I’ll go with the Battle Curry.”

“Got it.”

Yuuki entered all our orders on the restaurant’s tablet.

The Battle Curry had a mound of rice in the center of the plate, shaped like a fortress wall, with two different types of curry poured on either side, onion chicken curry on one side and beef dry curry on the other. It was a little pricey, but the two-flavor combination sold me on it.

The sweet, caramelized onion flavor of the chicken curry and the rich, tender beef dry curry made for a great pairing. It was delicious.

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After the meal, we headed to the official store for personal data measurement. Since we had a reservation, our turn came up right away when we arrived at the store. After a brief explanation, I took off my jacket and shoes, removed my belt to lighten up a bit, and then lay down in the designated pod.

“The scan will take about 10 to 15 minutes. If you start feeling unwell during the process, please press this call button.”

To help us stay relaxed, the pod played soothing music. They also offered the option to switch to popular songs or a preferred music genre, but I wasn’t familiar with the current music trends, so I left it as it was.

“The measurement is complete. Please remain lying down until the pod lid fully opens and you receive further instructions.”

The lid that had been blocking my view gradually opened. Once it was fully retracted and the pod stopped moving, a chime rang out.

Pororororon!

“Thank you for your patience. The measurement is now complete. It will take about 15 more minutes to prepare your data, so please wait in the next room.”

In the waiting room, I found Yuuki and Saitou already there.

“Hey, you made it just in time. They’re about to start the VTR on avatar creation. alaet’s watch together.”

Apparently, it was going to play on the monitor in front of them. That was something I definitely wanted to see. I quickly sat down in an open seat.

The process went like this:

→Download the early-access app and launch it.

→Select “Create New Avatar.”

→Load personal data.

→Display personal data.

Alright, so far, so good. The customizable features included facial structure, hairstyle, hair/eye/skin color and even gender.

Oh, so you can change your gender? But height and limb proportions are fixed. Other body features could be adjusted to some extent, but nothing too extreme.

While we were watching, Houjou and Uesugi arrived as well, so the five of us continued watching the VTR together. It seemed to play on a loop as long as there were viewers, so it didn’t matter if we joined midway.

“What kind of avatars is everyone thinking of making?”

“I think I’ll go for a full-on fantasy look with bright colors, like blue or red hair and eyes.”

“What about your face?”

“If you mess with it manually, it ends up looking artificial and weird. If you want to tweak it, it’s better to just set a general image and let the ‘Auto Mode’ handle the details.”

“Auto Mode?”

“With Auto Mode, you can set parameters like ‘+5 years in age,’ ‘sharper features,’ or ‘stronger gaze.’ You can even specify a preferred ethnicity, and the program will automatically generate the face for you.”

Hmm. I don’t want to be too recognizable, so I should change something… But what?

“Well, I probably won’t mess with the face too much. Just adjusting the age setting already makes a big difference, and changing the colors should be enough.”

“Really? If you adjust the age, what’s a good range I should go for?”

“Probably around ten years older? I don’t think we can go younger, considering our current age. Just try different settings and see what feels right.”

“Got it. I’ll experiment a bit.”

With that, we successfully completed our personal data measurements, and after that, we went our separate ways. Now, all that was left was actually creating our avatars.

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