The Boy Who Was Doing The Wrong Thing Will Do His Best - Chapter 155
Volume IV Chapter 155
“Hey, it’s been a while, Akane-san.”
“…Hmm.”
Since it’s a game avatar, I can’t tell what expression Akane-san is wearing right now.
But if it were the usual Akane-san, she would immediately ask if I’m stuck on any quests and then proceed to chat while we tackled those quests together…
Yet, today, she’s frozen in place, not moving an inch. It must be because of the bracelet, right…
“Um… I actually put on the bracelet you sent me before checking with you, Akane-san. I hope that was okay…”
Even though it was a gift from Akane-san, I couldn’t quite believe it was official. Partly because Akane-san is still a student and a year younger than me, but mostly because of her family background…
Apparently, in normal families, parental consent isn’t necessary. But since Akane-san is the heiress of the Saijo family conglomerate, there’s a possibility that her parents’ wishes could override hers. That’s just my speculation, though.
By the way, men (like me) don’t have the right to interfere in the affairs or businesses of the woman’s family (in this case, the Saijo family) regardless of whom they marry, and they don’t inherit anything either. Inheritance rights only apply to children born between the two parties (exclusively to the woman).
Living together isn’t mandatory either, so most men don’t experience any change in their living environment after marriage.
However, there are cases where women overexert themselves trying to please their husbands and end up ruining themselves, especially in families of a certain status, where parental intervention might occur.
As for me, I prefer to live together with the woman who becomes my wife, so some changes are inevitable, but even then, it’s natural that I can’t do anything to leverage my wives’ family backgrounds.
Still, all my relatives are quite concerned about me, so I occasionally pop up in video calls with Kaori and Nene-san to express my gratitude.
“It’s okay… but… are you sure it’s alright?”
Though there’s no change in her avatar’s expression, Akane-san responds (via voice chat) with a hint of insecurity, which is unusual for her to show despite saying it’s okay…
“Of course, Akane-san, and…”
“Akane.”
“Hmm?”
“Akane is fine. We can’t get married yet, but Taketo-san said he likes me, so I’m already his fiancée. So, call me Akane.”
The anxious voice from earlier seems like a lie now, and it’s just the usual Akane. I feel a bit relieved. It would be a waste if we became fiancées only to have our relationship become awkward.
“Got it. If Akane prefers that, then I’ll call you that.”
“Mm. So, continue.”
Her avatar nods, urging me to keep talking. It’s like she’s at her own pace, or rather… Well, that’s just Akane-like, I suppose…
“…When I think about formally talking about it, I start feeling embarrassed… but…”
“I’m eager to hear. Please, go on.”
Akane’s avatar shakes its head repeatedly. Sometimes, her childish behaviors, now that I know she’s a year younger, seem cute… but, leaving that aside, it’s still embarrassing.
Maybe I should stop… but it seems impossible. Akane’s avatar is emoting a posture of sitting on a chair, clearly ready to listen.
“Haa… Alright. Um, so… Akane and I have known each other since we were Yokai Busters (an online game). Among non-family members of the opposite sex, you’re the one I’ve known the longest.”
“…”
“Even the petition, remember? That was you, Akane, right? At that time, my emotions were running high, and I was too narrow-minded to realize that even though the petitioner was Akane Saijo, I couldn’t connect it to you properly, and I didn’t even properly thank you.”
“…”
“Akane. It’s a bit late now, but I really wanted to thank you properly. Thanks to that, because you conveyed everyone’s voices supporting me, I felt motivated to try my best for everyone. Otherwise, I’m sure I would still be shut away by myself.”
“So, I owe it to Akane that I am who I am now.”
“That’s… exaggerated.”
“No, it’s not. Thanks to you, Akane. And so, while I was thinking about you, I found myself putting it on.”
I make my game avatar extend its left hand.
“Akane, thank you.”
“…I want to see you.”
“Huh?”
“I want to see Taketo-san. Come see me.”
Akane wants me to teleport to her immediately. Not because she was informed by Mil-san, but because she saw me using teleportation on my way back from visiting various channels on the Akane channel before.
“Well, that’s a bit… It’s almost 9 p.m.”
Even though we’re fiancées now, it would be inappropriate time-wise. Besides, in about an hour, Kaori will tell me it’s time to recharge and hug me, and then it’ll be time with Nene-san and Mil-san.
“If you teleport, there won’t be a problem. Come.”
[Taketo-sama.]
Mil-san shakes her head beside me. It seems Akane won’t back down.
Mil-san, who is already wrapping her arm around mine, nods with a face that says it’s okay anytime.
“Alright, but just for a bit.”
Since the handheld game console will automatically log out and go into sleep mode if left unattended, that’s fine…
“Huh?”
Just as I was about to use teleportation to move to Akane’s room, at the moment…
“Taketo-kun, it looks like today isn’t going to work after all… Oh, no, why is… gah!”
Akane’s avatar disappears with those words left hanging, and quickly, the log shows that Akane has logged out.
“Akane?”
I called out Akane’s name even though she logged out, so there’s no way she could hear it. What should I do now? Mil-san, should we log out too? I thought this when someone logged in as if replacing Akane…
“Hey, Taketo-san. Long time no see.”
“Um, could it be Aoi-san?”
An original avatar resembling Aoi-san appeared right in front of us.
I’m pretty sure it’s Aoi-san since we’ve met a few times, but her appearance is a bit strange.
Instead of her usual elegant dress, she’s wearing bikini armor.
Moreover, she’s holding a heavy sword (a huge sword with a weight surpassing a greatsword) that doesn’t match Aoi-san’s avatar’s physique. It’s a powerful weapon, but it’s slow and difficult to handle, requiring considerable player skill. I don’t want to use it, though.
“Yes, it’s Aoi.”
“I didn’t know. Aoi-san, you play games too?”
“I do~. Despite appearances, I’m actually part of the game’s administration. I’ve played extensively, even during testing.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
“Hehe. Well, I saw Akane playing today, so I felt like logging in after a long time.”
After completing a quest with Mil-san and Aoi-san and logging out, I couldn’t help but think that the combination of a heavy sword and bikini armor wasn’t very practical.
Aoi-san’s original avatar looks oddly realistic, and she’s incredibly skilled, but something about it sways, making it hard to focus.
Oh, right. During the quest, when Aoi-san gave me a wrist bangle she had dropped, I noticed that my accessory equipment slot had inexplicably increased.
I wondered why, but it turned out to be nothing special. Aoi-san explained that the specifications had simply changed. When I equipped it, both the bracelet and the bangle overlapped, yet both were reflected on my avatar, which was pretty impressive.
Aoi-san suggested playing together again because it was fun, and I readily agreed (I was happy to have more gaming buddies), but I wish she would change her equipment. However, she mentioned that she favored high-level equipment because she liked its capabilities, so it’s probably not possible…