Hehe, Bocchi-chan was so fun.
After returning home, Tsukikawa Shu still went to the supermarket first to buy ingredients for dinner. He made an extra portion, packed it in a lunchbox, then went to the neighboring apartment and gently knocked on the door.
The sounds of a computer game battle still rang out from inside, mixed with the shouts of a certain pink-and-white-haired loli.
After a while, the door opened a crack again, and a crescent-shaped ahoge poked out.
Compared to the first time, the gap in the door was finally wider now, wide enough for the little loli inside to poke her head out and look outside.
Compared to how wild she was while gaming, Ouyama Mahiro was actually like a weak, helpless little quail when facing a real person.
"Here, this is dinner." Tsukikawa Shu handed her the lunchbox. "Remember to return it to me tomorrow morning."
"Don't stay up gaming and oversleep," Tsukikawa Shu reminded her.
"Mm..." she answered softly.
Ouyama Mahiro's routine had always been completely reversed, day for night. But ever since Tsukikawa Shu began cooking for her every day, she had no choice but to adjust her schedule.
Otherwise, failing to return the lunchbox would be very bad. She would get scolded!
And besides... Tsukikawa Shu's cooking was quite good. After eating it a few times, Ouyama Mahiro had not touched her instant noodles again.
Normally, Ouyama Mahiro would have simply closed the door and gone back inside by now.
"What is it?" Tsukikawa Shu asked.
"Umm..." Ouyama Mahiro thought for a moment, then pulled the door open a little wider.
Then, she handed him something. Tsukikawa Shu took it and saw that it was a game cartridge.
When he looked up again, Ouyama Mahiro had already hidden behind the door, with only her eyes peeking at Tsukikawa Shu.
"Big sister... ah, no, that's not right. Little sister? No, no... Mihari said that I should learn to thank people."
Ouyama Mahiro paused, then continued in her soft, sweet voice, though she clearly lacked confidence. "So, you can have this."
In truth, Ouyama Mahiro had considered giving Tsukikawa Shu something else as repayment for cooking for her these past few days.
But after searching and searching, she simply could not find anything presentable enough to give him.
Her figures? No, no. Her collection of videos? That would not work either...
After thinking it over, games were the only things she could give him.
She just did not know whether he had a game console at home, or whether this would be too abrupt.
"Then thank you." Tsukikawa Shu smiled and accepted it.
"Um..." Ouyama Mahiro still had something to say. After hesitating for a moment, she continued in that soft voice.
"Are we... friends? Mihari said friends give each other gifts."
"Mm, we're friends," Tsukikawa Shu said with a smile.
"Yay!" Ouyama Mahiro could not help crying out when she heard that.
Having shut herself away at home for so long, combined with her personality, Ouyama Mahiro had never had a single friend.
But she quickly realized that was inappropriate, and a blush appeared on her face.
"I-I-I... I'm going to take a bath first!"
Then she hurriedly shut the door.
Little Mahiro was pretty fun too.
Tsukikawa Shu looked at the tightly shut door and smiled.
At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight shone in, everyone's busy day began.
As Veteran Players, Tsukikawa Shu and Goto Hitori naturally woke up earlier than usual and met at their designated spot.
It was not just Tsukikawa Shu and Goto Hitori. Everyone who had survived last time had gotten up early.
If a drone had filmed from above, it would have captured many people carrying brand-new, clearly recently purchased backpacks stuffed to the brim. They stood at their front doors or by their windows, looking out at the scenery with nervousness, despair, or confusion.
Unlike the calm Tsukikawa Shu and Goto Hitori, everyone else felt anxious and uneasy. Quite a few had been unable to sleep all night.
The activation time of the Inner World was not fixed. Even the countdown notifying players to enter did not appear at a fixed time.
For example, this time, it had only appeared the day before activation.
Tsukikawa Shu and Goto Hitori each carried a backpack filled with supplies and food they had prepared beforehand.
"Are you ready?"
Tsukikawa Shu held Goto Hitori's hand.
"Mm!"
Goto Hitori nodded.
She was still wearing that pink tracksuit.
It was pretty unfashionable, but durable and convenient for exercise.
Sunlight fell across Hiratsuka Shizuka's face as she slowly got up and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Although she had not been particularly busy yesterday, she still liked sleeping in. What she hated most was early classes.
Still somewhat grumpy from waking up, Hiratsuka Shizuka, wearing a loose white nightgown that revealed part of her breasts, let her long hair fall loose as she shuffled toward the sink.
Holding a toothbrush, she looked at herself in the mirror and slowly brushed her teeth.
"When did that brat Tsukikawa Shu even get a girlfriend?" Hiratsuka Shizuka still could not figure it out.
No matter how she thought about it, Tsukikawa Shu had not seemed to have much interaction with that girl. How had they suddenly gotten together?
But Hiratsuka Shizuka did not dwell on it and continued brushing her teeth.
However, at that moment, her vision suddenly blurred, and an eye-searing white fog inexplicably enveloped her.
"What's going on?"
Before she could figure it out, she came back to her senses and froze.
She was standing on a street in slippers, still holding her toothbrush cup and toothbrush.
Abandoned buildings covered in moss surrounded her, while the concrete road was cracked and uneven. She was standing in a city that looked like the end of the world.
"Where exactly is this? A parallel world? Or another world?"
In any case, this was not Japan.
And she had come here dressed like this?
Hiratsuka Shizuka lowered her head to look at her nightgown and slipper-clad feet... well, something was blocking the view, so she could not see them.
[Current mission: Survive for 5 days] [Beware of the monsters around you. Killing them will earn you equipment and experience, but they are also extremely dangerous. You may become their next meal.] [If you survive for 5 days, you will return safely to the original world and wait for the Inner World's next summons.] [If you die here, you will also die in the real world]
Cold system notifications appeared before her eyes.
So it really was a fight for survival...
But arriving in this world dressed practically naked, how was she supposed to survive?
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the desolate city.
Just as she was thinking, a voice called out to her.
"Teacher Hiratsuka."
The voice was familiar. Hiratsuka Shizuka looked up and saw the face she knew best.
"Tsukikawa Shu?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka stared blankly at Tsukikawa Shu, who was clearly well prepared.
Tsukikawa Shu was not wearing his school uniform. He wore a black tracksuit suited for movement, with a katana at his waist and a bloodstained iron hammer in his hand.
A girl in a pink tracksuit stood beside him.
Tsukikawa Shu and Goto Hitori had originally brought plenty of equipment with them, but after entering, they discovered that aside from basic clothing and small personal items, nothing else could be brought in.
Whenever the Inner World opened, new players entered according to a ratio of fifty percent random strangers and fifty percent related people. After Tsukikawa Shu and Goto Hitori arrived, they searched the surrounding area and then encountered Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Tsukikawa Shu was quite surprised to encounter his teacher in a place like this.
"This isn't a good place to talk. Come with me," Tsukikawa Shu said.
Hiratsuka Shizuka blinked. Unfamiliar with this world, she could only follow Tsukikawa Shu.
But as she took a step, she suddenly realized that she was still wearing that loose nightgown, exposing far too much of her chest. Her face flushed slightly as she pulled it closed and hurried after Tsukikawa Shu.
This time, several new things had appeared after entering the Inner World.
[The required number of players and average level have been reached. The system has opened a communication platform.] [Every player may speak on it and post relevant information.] [The chatroom and forum will not reveal personal information or avatars, but everyone speaks under their real name.]
A forum-like interface appeared before them, complete with a chatroom and forum.
There was not much to say about the forum; it was no different from one in the original world. The chatroom, on the other hand, displayed real-time messages. Anyone could speak there, and it looked quite lively.
"What's going on? What is this thing? Where is this place? Why am I here?!"
"Help! I barely made it through last time after starving for three days. I really can't stay here for five days this time!"
"Any big shots willing to carry me? I'm a cute girl..."
The messages were mostly from newbies. The chat was scrolling too fast, and Tsukikawa Shu could not be bothered with it.
Many people still believed the Inner World might have some sort of order. They thought they could chat and ask for help here just like in the original world, unaware that this would expose their real information even faster. That was the most fatal part.
There were far fewer posts on the forum. No panicking newbies were posting complaints there, probably because the system filtered out such meaningless content.
Some Veteran Players had already posted trade listings.
Neither the chat group nor the forum displayed player avatars. Like a very bare-bones chat app, they only offered the most basic exchange of information.
Tsukikawa Shu looked at the trade posts on the forum. There was nothing worth seeing. During his last visit to the Inner World, he had already farmed enough necessary materials to fill his inventory, so he did not need anything at all.
What concerned him more was another new feature.
[East Suburb Dungeon unlocked] [Entry requirement: A player above level 20 must lead the party.] [Entry requirement: A player above level 20 must lead the party.] [Guaranteed rewards: Large Experience Card, weapon upgrade materials.] [Random drops: Fine-quality equipment (1%), rare equipment (0.5%), Epic Grade equipment (0.1%).]
Tsukikawa Shu glanced at his level. It was exactly level 20.
"I wonder how long it takes to clear a dungeon once," Tsukikawa Shu pondered.
Before you continue