Chapter 85

"Stop being lazy."

Even as I say this, I gently cover Nana, who is sleeping soundlessly on the sofa.

The live stream ended just after 9 PM. We took breaks twice during lunch and snack time, and today we ended up spending about 12 hours in the dungeon.

As for why Nana is sleeping on the sofa again, it's because she fell asleep while I was drying her hair after she ate dinner and took a shower.

She's now sleeping comfortably with a rather sloppy expression.

Lately, she's been having trouble sleeping, so I couldn't bring myself to wake her up. I'll just carry her to her room later.

"Well, we managed to collect all the maps..."

As expected, it wasn't 20, but the final number of maps we collected through trades was 21.

This includes the 20 maps of the dungeon floors and the one map of the plain floor we visited first.

I've input all the maps I can trade into my mind, and I've completed the fastest routes to clear each map.

I've also memorized the locations of the juicy monsters like the Jewelry Box.

"...We've only defeated five types of bosses, and the information about the Siren's Knight is still fragmented. Even after integrating all the lines from the nine knights, there are still many unknowns..."

I write down the information I collected today on my tablet, as if organizing my thoughts.

If I could remember everything myself, I wouldn't need to do this, but information only has meaning when it's shared.

Not only for Nana to see, but also to show other players when needed, it's not a waste to write down my memories as data.

The most talked-about topic in the event right now is the mystery of what a "Siren" is.

The nine knights, including Mirage and Hash, ultimately left no more information than the fact that they are knights who serve the "Siren."

The only thing we learned, thanks to Nana, is that they are enemies of the creator god.

There are many theories, but none of them seem to hit the core.

What we can vaguely understand is that this event is not just an item collection event.

To be precise, for players, it's just a material collection, but for NPCs, it's not.

Unlike us, who have been continuously looping without returning, many players have returned to the city and talked to NPCs.

According to the players who talked to the NPCs, the "gate" that appears in this event occurs irregularly in the WLO world and is considered a kind of disaster for the NPCs.

It's necessary to enter the gate and defeat the enemies; otherwise, after a week, the gate will overflow with monsters.

Since the NPCs, who have limited lives, have to do this looping, it's like hell for them.

So, as long as the players defeat the monsters in the gate, everything will be fine. The event will end happily without a doubt.

"Of course, it won't be that simple."

There's definitely "something" more.

I don't have any evidence, but my intuition, honed from playing many games, tells me that something will happen in the final stages of the event.

I don't know if there's anything I can do to prepare, but the more loops we do, the less likely we'll be at a disadvantage if something happens.

In any case, thanks to Nana's good mood all day, we've prepared to efficiently loop through the Star Dust Labyrinth.

On the other hand, the fact that Nana is now sleeping is probably because she maintained an unusually high energy level all day.

I can refine and polish the information I've learned tomorrow or later.

The event lasts for seven days, after all.

"I think I'll go to bed too... huh?"

Just as I was thinking about carrying Nana to her bedroom, my phone rang.

It's past 10 PM, so it must be from someone very close or a mysterious sales call.

The screen displayed "Rin-nee." Recognizing it, I reflexively pressed the call button.

"Hey, Rin, how are you?"

"Yeah, Rin-nee seems to be doing well."

Hearing her energetic voice, I feel a sense of relief at her unchanged nature.

Rin-nee, or Takaishi Rin, is our cousin, who is freer than anyone and more reliable than anyone.

"Still, what's up with the sudden call? It's so rare for you to call."

"Is it bad to call just because I wanted to hear my cute little sister's voice?"

"Idiot, if that's the case, you should call Nana."

"What are you saying? You're also my precious little sister."

I know her gentle tone is genuine, but it's also true that Rin-nee doted on Nana more than me.

No, it's not out of jealousy for Nana. Rather, I used to compete with Rin-nee to show that "I take better care of Nana."

"Well, I didn't call just to chat. ...Hey, Rin, is Nana sleeping now?"

"Yeah, she's sleeping soundly."

She's not snoring or anything, but compared to the past few days, Nana looks much more comfortable.

"I heard from Ran that you brought Nana out. It's been a long time since we met, but most of the topics were about you. Ran hasn't changed, either."

"Did you meet Ran? He won't meet me because he's busy."

"Of course, it's because you're in Japan. I met him in America. He's really busy, but I forced him to make time."

"Typical of Rin-nee."

The fact that she made time for "that man who makes millions in seconds" clearly shows the hierarchy.

Well, it's just a seniority-based relationship where Rin-nee exerts authority.

Besides, Rin-nee herself is a globally influential person. In short, Rin-nee and Ran are business partners.

Well, Rin-nee herself doesn't do anything anymore. She's a completely free person, detached from the world's troubles.

"I watched your stream today. It's reassuring to see that you two are still close. Nana seems much more energetic than before."

"Yeah, thanks to the care you gave her back then."

The day Nana cried. The day her parents died.

I caught her wandering aimlessly and entrusted her to Rin-nee.

I thought that if she stayed with me, she would become overly dependent to fill the hole in her heart.

It was really painful not to be by her side when she needed me the most.

But thanks to that, we have the Nana we have now. Nana, who used to depend only on me, has started to communicate with others.

I'm very grateful to Rin-nee for that.

Well, according to Rin-nee, "I didn't do anything." She insists that Nana pulled herself together on her own.

"But, she's still the same at heart. She's still one-track minded and lives in a narrow world."

Sighing, Rin-nee paused before continuing.

"...The essence hasn't changed, but I've never seen Nana like this before. She's closer to how she used to be, but it's different."

"I understand. That's why I'm here with her."

"Good. I'm not calling to blame you. I really did want to hear your voice. But be careful. Nana is closer to her old self, which means she's more unstable than usual. Your actions could make it harder for her to recover. Don't push her too hard."

"Thanks, I will."

In short, Rin-nee is worried. About Nana, and about me. She's worried that we might both break down.

We both regret that day of tears. I kept my distance from Nana to prevent her from experiencing that pain again.

If she remembers, her heart will surely be shattered.

But, probably, that situation can't be avoided.

Nana will definitely remember that day, and the hidden wounds in her heart will be exposed.

I'll proceed with the utmost caution.

In this world, the only person who can support Nana's heart is me, without any exaggeration.

"Oh, by the way. I'll be back in Japan soon. You know, that... WLO? Prepare a copy for me, okay?"

Just as I was reaffirming my resolve, Rin-nee brought up a completely different topic.

However, I didn't feel the need to do it myself.

"Why are you asking me? You can get it through your connections, right?"

"Well, it seems you can't buy it from overseas at this point. I could ask someone in Japan, but the easiest person to ask is you, right? As a favor from your cousin."

"Hmm, I see."

VRMMOs are different from traditional MMOs in that conversations can't be done with just chat.

They naturally become verbal conversations, but this creates a fatal language barrier.

To avoid this, VRMMOs are often divided by country.

Well, high-precision translation machines already exist in the real world. It's only a matter of time before similar functions are added to VR.

In any case, I understand why Rin-nee can't get WLO.

"Sure, no problem... But make sure to contact me before you come. And take a bath properly."

"Of course, I always take care of my appearance."

This cousin, who says it so confidently, doesn't seem to understand why I'm giving her this advice.

"If Nana says you smell, I won't know anything about it."

"Ugh..."

"Hehe, so contact me when you come."

Nana has good eyes and ears, but her sense of smell is also sharp.

Maybe remembering this, or maybe imagining the scene, I hung up the call, leaving Rin-nee speechless.

By the way, Rin-nee is actually shorter than Nana.