C107: A changed life and a changed me
Three weeks have pa.s.sed in June. It’s still the rainy season, but the temperature has risen and the humidity is clinging to my skin, making me feel more uncomfortable. I used to stay in my room and not notice the change of seasons, but since I started going out as a matter of course, I can feel the seasons on my skin, for better or worse.
Even as I was thinking about it, sweat was pouring out of my body and my s.h.i.+rt was sticking to my body. I’m cleaning a room in the office with no windows open and no air conditioning.
“Boss, I’m dying from the heat and humidity. Let’s turn on the air conditioner.”
During the cleaning process, Mr. Yamamoto was wiping off his waterfall of sweat with the towel around his neck and talking directly to the president. As a newcomer, I can’t say what I think, so I’ll just cheer him on in my heart. Please speak up!
“As much as I’d like to, my client told me not to use the air conditioner.”
“Well, at least open a window.”
“He doesn’t want me to do that either. He said it would be a problem if important doc.u.ments were blown away by the wind.”
The president seemed to be dissatisfied with the current situation and started to complain. Well, I guess so. The president, despite his stern appearance, cares about his employees. I knew it was strange to impose such an absurd situation on him.
“Refill your water often. When we’re done here, we’ll take a break and get some ice cream at the convenience store.”
“Really? I’m feeling a little more motivated. Hey, Yos.h.i.+o, Makoto.”
“That’s right. I think I can work a little harder.”
“Yeah!”
I was too busy giving a feeble reply, and even Makoto was about to run out of steam. All that was left was to continue cleaning in silence, rehydrating without talking to anyone.
“Thanks for your help. Which ice cream would you like?”
As I was cooling off outside the building, the boss asked me to unfold a bag from the convenience store and choose one.
“Excuse me.”
“I had to go get it.”
When Makoto, who was dying next to me, apologized, the president broke into a smirk.
“What are you talking about? Running errands is not part of the job description. Besides, it was cooler at the convenience store, so it was a perk.”
It’s amazing that the president can say these things so naturally. He deserves respect as a person in a superior position. I want to respect him, too. I chose the ice cream on a stick, and Makoto chose a cup of shaved ice. The president and Mr. Yamamoto were fighting for the ice cream at a distance. It seems that Mr. Yamamoto chose the most expensive one.
“That’s mine, give it back.”
“What are you being so stingy about? It’s only fifty yen difference. You’re abusing your authority!”
“You bought it with my money, didn’t you?”
To a stranger, it might look like a tense situation, but I know it’s just the usual joking around, so I’ll just watch while I chomp on my ice cream.
“At first, I was worried that the president and Mr. Yamamoto didn’t get along well, but I guess that’s not the case.”
Makoto, who was watching with me, seemed to have recovered a little after eating the shaved ice. I knew he saw it that way too.
“You two are always like that, you know. We’re lucky to have people like that at work.”
“Yes, you’re right. Everyone is so kind here…….”
Makoto looked at the cloudy sky with a distant look in his eyes. I hadn’t heard the details of why he was withdrawn. His father had told me before that he was having problems with his relations.h.i.+ps at school. I was a recluse too, but he seemed to have a very different and more serious reason.
“I’m really glad to work here.”
I nodded my head with a smile at his words filled with real feeling. It looks like I made the right decision in recommending him a part-time job.
“I’m going to attack another capture point in the next few days.”
I changed the subject and brought up the topic of the Village of Destiny.
“That’s where all the bugs are…….”
He looks scared to look at them. I guess he really doesn’t like them. Well, if I were asked to actually go to that place, I would refuse with all my might.
“There are a lot of spiders there, so I’m worried about their webs and stuff.”
For some reason, spider monsters appear frequently in horror movies, and I guess they are excellent creatures designed to make people dislike them.
“Oh, what are you going to do, exterminate spiders?”
Before I knew it, the stern face of the president, who was standing nearby, came into my vision. It was a close call. We hadn’t had a conversation that would have conveyed the contents of the game, but I guess I was distracted by fatigue, and I had to be careful.
“Yes, actually, I do.”
“I’ve heard that spiders don’t like citrus smells, so it’s useful to bring a spray with tangerine juice in it. I’ve also heard that if they drink coffee, they’ll get drunk. But the best thing to do is to use insecticide.”
He has a lot of knowledge because he used to work as a pest control operator before he started his own business. I’ll take out my phone and write this down. After that, I asked him a few questions about pest control. I’m sure this information will come in handy later.
I managed to finish my work for the day and made it home. First, I took a bath to wash off the sweat and dirt, and then went to the living room to find that dinner was already prepared. I heard that both my father and sister were coming home late, so it would be just me and my mother for dinner.
In the past, I avoided seeing them as much as possible, so it was normal for me to eat dinner alone or with my mother. These days, if I’m running a little late, I tend to wait and have dinner with the family of four.
“It was hot today, wasn’t it?”
“Gloomy and awful.”
In the past, my mother would only talk to me about two things: one-sided topics or reprimand me for not doing anything. I am relieved just to be able to have a peaceful conversation. I used to feel pressured to have dinner with my family, but now I don’t even think about it. Rather, I find myself actively talking about what happened at work. Oh well, I guess I’ll tell them about it now.
“Oh, I might go on a trip for a couple of days around the end of the month.”
“Oh, really? Are you staying with Seika?”
“Hahahahahaha! No, that’s not it. What are you talking about?”
I cough upset at the blow that was released with a smirk on her face.
“You’re all old enough to know better than to be embarra.s.sed.”
“That’s not the point! I’m going to partic.i.p.ate in an offline meeting of lizard lovers. So I’m taking Destiny with me.”
If I don’t do something, I’ll get caught up in my mother’s pace. I quickly rattled off the details of the false event that I had prepared in advance. If I wanted to take Destiny with me, I would need a good reason, so I thought of a setting for an off-line meeting that would actually happen.
“That sounds like an event your father and Sayuki would love.”
“You know. If I tell them, they’ll want to come along, so you’ll have to fake it, Mom.”
I could see the trouble I would get into if I told this lie to my father and sister, who are unparalleled lizard lovers, so I would get my mother on my side.
“All right. You have to take care of his condition. Well, he seems to be fine in any environment.”
My mother is the second closest person to me in this house. Every day, she and Destiny watch a TV show together when he sneaks out of my room. She seems to think that he’s a smart lizard with a good ear and doesn’t even pay attention to him when he walks around the house.
The only person who is still surprised when he sees him is Seika. As a matter of fact, Destiny can adapt to any environment. He has a weak const.i.tution against the cold, but when he went to Hokkaido, he used a disposable body warmer to keep himself warm. The high temperature and humidity seems to be a more comfortable environment for him, and he has been thriving lately.
When I returned to my room after finis.h.i.+ng my meal, I found Destiny lying in the corner of the PC desk in a fixed position, idly looking at the PC screen. Basically, he’s either taking a walk around the house or observing the village on my PC.
“Did you notice anything unusual?”
When I asked him that, he just turned and tilted his head back and started to flick his tongue in and out. What’s going on with your neck joints?
“There didn’t seem to be any change.”
I sat down in front of my computer and took a quick look at the past logs, and then went through the village as usual. The villagers are trustworthy, but there have been times in the past when people from the evil G.o.d side have infiltrated the village, so checking the village like this has become a daily routine. I also have to keep an eye on the newly arrived hunters to make sure they don’t do anything stupid.
The regular hunters have become so accustomed to the village that some of them have even bought houses in the village and are living there. The village has a reputation as a hot spot in the capital and surrounding villages, and several people a month come here to settle down.
However, the only drawback is the “Temptation of the Evil G.o.d” that occurs at the end of every month, and our village is almost always attacked on a large scale, so that is the biggest obstacle for people to move here.
“The population of the village is now over a hundred, so that’s about right.”
The truth is, I can’t keep track of too many people, so this is almost my limit. I’ve memorized almost all of the names and faces of the villagers……80%……70%…..60%, but to be honest, I don’t think I can do it if there are more.
“But if I want to get to the next level, I’ll probably need to increase the population.”
I know that my current level is 4 and that there is a level 5. So, there is at least one more level up possibility. It seems that reaching that level is one of the goals of the game, and there are rumors on the forums that the benefits of the game increase once you reach level 5.
So I’m aiming for that level, but if I want to increase the population of the village any further, I’ll have to start by expanding the village grounds. The trees around the village have been cut down, so there is enough land for expansion, but I need to rebuild the log fence from scratch.
If the number of people increases and the defense capability increases, there may come a day when we don’t have to be afraid of the Temptation of the Evil G.o.d. If I think about it, it would be wrong to say that I don’t want to grow the village because of my ego. However, there is a downside to growing a village. This is what I heard from Habata, a player on the Evil G.o.d side, and the G.o.d of Fate.
The bigger the village, the more points the evil G.o.ds will get when they destroy it. Apparently, population is one of the conditions for a.s.sessing points, and 10,000 points are added for each villager. In other words, if they destroy a village with a population of over 1,000, they can get at least 10 million yen. So, if I develop, I may become a target for high-level players on the evil side.
“I’ve heard that some players purposely miss the smaller villages and wait for them to grow bigger before harvesting. It goes without saying that those people are the old-timers, high-level, strong characters.”
Because of these circ.u.mstances, I’m hesitant to develop the village any further. What’s better is that I’m working with Makoto to build the village, so it’s easier for me to see what’s going on than others. It’s quite an advantage that even if I can’t handle an unexpected situation, Makoto can.
“If that’s the case, maybe we can get another player from the Lord G.o.d’s side to join us and live in the village, so we can work together to build it.”
It’s difficult, though, because of the problem of selecting the right people. The only player I can get in touch with is……Habata, but he’s on the evil side. I don’t want to invite that guy into the village.
“I guess the development of the village will have to wait. First, let’s look at the next capture point, and the matter of Iryu Mujin Village.”
Let’s do what we can, one thing at a time. I’m going to look up on the Internet what I heard from the president today and make a note of it. I’ll just keep moving forward steadily without stopping.