That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us - Volume 3 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

The Point of the School Trip

WHEN THE CRUISE SHIP finally docked at its destination, the other students were elated.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been to this island.”

“The atmosphere here is so different!”

“All the buildings are wooden!”

While everyone else regarded the foreign culture here with wonder and appreciation, very different emotions struck Marie and I. The view from the harbor was all we needed to trigger our memories of Japan.

“I knew this island was inspired by Japan, but I didn’t realize it’d be quite so authentic. Really hits home,” I said.

Marie shared my sense of nostalgia and heartache. “It’s all a bit too authentic,” she said. “That’s the problem.”

The scene in front of us reminded us both of the home we couldn’t return to, instilling a longing that we could never fulfill. It would be misleading to say that the island replicated Japan exactly. Still, the buildings and architecture were reminiscent of those you might find in our home country’s rustic, peaceful countryside.

“According to my data, this island in similar to Japan in several ways,” cut in Luxion, still hidden by his cloaking device. “In particular, its shrine and torii are such close matches that I almost wonder whether they are exact reconstructions.”

“Probably because that’s how they designed this area in the game, right?” I said.

“Yeah,” Marie agreed. “Maybe for the school trip, they wanted to insert a culture that’d be foreign to the game characters, and they decided to go with Japan.” They’d probably just stuck to doing a traditionally Japanese area because it was too much hassle to actually research and design a location that was also foreign to Japanese players.

“In viewing this solely as a game environment, you two seem to be thinking too narrowly,” said Luxion.

I shrugged. “How else would we look at it?”

“I will conduct my own investigation.” Luxion ended the conversation with that; he must’ve decided it was pointless to argue further.

Taking in her surroundings, Marie looked terribly homesick. She finally smacked her cheeks to force herself out of her funk. “Okay! Let’s enjoy this island for all it’s worth! It might even have some Japanese-inspired dishes for us to try. Can’t hurt to take a look around.”

She had a knack for redirecting her emotions somewhere more positive. In this case, I admired that. “I’d love to try some of their miso and soy sauce, if they have those.”

“We’ll have to look into what kind of wine goes well with the food here, too. Red or white? Sweet or dry?”

We both smiled as we walked along. At one point, Deirdre cut in front of us, clad in a white swimsuit and chiffon cover-up.

“We’ve finally arrived! Let’s head straight to the beach!” she called back to her followers, who scrambled after her.

I stared at her—or rather, at her chest. “We’ve barely arrived, and she’s already changed, ready to hit the water? She sure has a lot of energy—ouch! That hurt!” I turned to glare at Marie, who’d pinched my side.

“Hmph! You’re always ogling other women’s breasts. Jeez, you’re such a jerk!” No sooner had the words left her mouth than she took off running, leaving me behind.

“H-hey!”

“How many times will you continue to make the same mistake until you learn your lesson, Master?” asked Luxion.

“Look, screwing up over and over is human nature.”

“At least learn from it this time so you do not continue to do so. Or perhaps I should seriously consider breast enhancement surgery for Marie.”

If he was serious, I had to level with him. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not interested in fake breasts.” Authenticity was everything to me.

“How lucky I am to have found such an incorrigible master.”

I perked up. “You mean it?”

“It was obviously sarcasm,” Luxion said, dismayed. “Please do not assume I am complimenting you.”

***

After she’d disembarked, Olivia found herself scanning the crowds of students, wondering whether Leon was among them. Her hopes were dashed when she realized he wasn’t.

“I don’t see him. Maybe he left earlier,” she muttered to herself, sighing with great disappointment.

Kyle was at her heels, his face pinched with concern. “You’re not looking for that male student who saved you before, are you?”

Olivia’s cheeks flushed. “Um, yes, actually.” She nodded, a little embarrassed.

The elf’s brow furrowed. “I don’t see anything wrong with thanking him, if that’s what you want to do, but you shouldn’t get too close to him. It would be disrespectful to Prince Julius and his friends. Please keep that in mind.”

He couldn’t understand Olivia’s sudden interest in Leon. Julius and the other noble scions who favored her were far superior in every respect, from rank to wealth to influence. Leon couldn’t begin to compare to them.

“Should I really keep my distance?” Olivia wondered aloud. 

Since she was a commoner, all aristocrats were equally out of her league, and she found it hard to fathom the hierarchy that existed among them. Since coming to the academy, she’d slowly become more aware of the power structure within the upper crust, but that was mostly a vague awareness; she couldn’t say she comprehended the pecking order fully.

“What? Yes. You’re not actually interested in him, are you?” asked Kyle. “I’ve heard that he’ll be granted the title of baron once he graduates, but he’ll still only be the minor lord of a remote region of the kingdom.” 

Kyle obviously looked down on Leon, which Olivia didn’t appreciate.

“They’re all far out of my reach regardless,” she said.

“What’re you talking about? Of course they’re not. Prince Julius and the others are clever enough that they could figure out a way to make it work somehow. You should focus more on what’ll benefit you in the future.”

Kyle was clearly pushing her to choose either Julius or someone within his group of friends. Yet when her servant mentioned the future, Leon’s face popped into Olivia’s head first.

***

We were staying at a ryokan during our short visit to the island. The other students were elated at the opportunity to sample this foreign culture, but it wasn’t quite as novel to Marie and me. I paid the inn an extra fee to secure us a private room. The academy apparently didn’t mind, since none of the professors admonished me for it. In fact, they seemed content for me to do whatever I wanted, so long as the inn was willing to accommodate us.

Our room was furnished with a table set in the center of a shared space, and Marie and I were currently seated across from one another.

“I’m glad they have green tea here. Still, it’s jarring. It feels almost like we’ve been transported back to Japan,” I said.

Marie wore a yukata the inn had provided. She was happily chowing down on the snacks they’d served with the tea. “It’s amazing how they perfectly replicated every aspect of a Japanese inn, down to this common area. Back when I lived in Japan, I’d never have imagined finding a place like this so nostalgic.”

“You said it.”

The moment was peaceful and relaxing. I really enjoyed kicking back like this, sipping my tea. But, truth be told, there was a good reason I’d gone out of my way to reserve a larger room for Marie and I.

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Marie’s expression turned serious. “Let’s. We have important things to discuss.”

We were both suddenly solemn, and why wouldn’t we be? We’d come to this Japanese-style island on our first school trip for good reason. 

There was an item here that provided a substantial advantage in the game, specifically in combat sections. It was an especially high priority for players because it bolstered characters’ stat growth. Since it did so each time a character leveled up, nabbing it while a character’s level was still low was most beneficial and efficient. That was the whole reason I’d paid off the professors to ensure Marie and I could visit here.

The real challenge hadn’t been getting here, though. It would come now that we’d arrived.

“At tomorrow’s festival, the item is for sale as a charm,” I said. “But each person is limited to one charm purchase, and—at least in the game—that charm is completely random. You have no idea what you’ll get.”

Marie nodded. “Yeah, I remember. You have to reload constantly until you get the item you want. But there’s no such option for us.”

“Exactly. We’ll have just one chance.”

There was quite a variety of charms, and some were complete garbage. As Marie correctly mentioned, players might need to reload and try again dozens of times to get what they wanted. This wasn’t a game for us, though, so we couldn’t do that.

“Still, it’d be nice if we could reload,” Marie added.

I grinned. “Sadly, reality doesn’t work that way. But that’s okay. I figured out a way around it.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

I plopped a fat coin purse onto the table. “Money. We’ll solve the issue with cold, hard cash. I’m going to buy every single charm the vendor has for sale!”

Marie’s eyes lit up. “I should’ve guessed! Other people would hesitate over how underhanded that solution is, but you’ve got no compunctions. That’s a real asset at times like this!”

“Fwa ha ha ha!” I cackled, then stopped short. “Wait. Is that really a compliment?”

“Yeah. This time, at least!”

Hunh. I guess it makes sense that I only get complimented for being devious when it’s helpful. I couldn’t quite say being praised for that made me happy, but I guess it wasn’t so bad, since I was at least getting some acknowledgment.

Luxion hovered at the edge of the room, gazing at us with great disappointment in his singular robotic eye. “Based on the initially tense atmosphere, I expected you to confer regarding something important. This was all over obtaining an in-game item? Master, you should have used this opportunity to propose instead.”

Huh? Hold up a sec. Does worrying over an item really seem so silly that this AI got concerned about us?

***

When the day of the festival arrived, Marie and I—both clad in yukata—ignored the festivities around us, pumping our legs.

“Wait right there!”

“Drop those charms if you know what’s good for you!”

We were chasing a man in a fox mask. On his back was a box full of charms he’d planned to sell at the festival.

“Someone heeeeelp!” he screeched at the top of his lungs.

When we’d first met the man, we’d greeted him casually and asked to buy charms. He’d been happy to oblige, saying, “Yes, of course. One per person.” Inside the box on his back were hundreds of little white bags, each containing a charm. It was impossible to pick out a bag that contained the one we wanted.

That was when I made my move. “Give me all of them,” I’d said. “I can pay whatever price you want.”

Can you guess what he did next? He shouted at us: “No, out of the question!” Then he refused to sell us any charms at all and made a run for it. That was why we were currently chasing him.

“If you’re worried about the money, I can pay you ten times what you normally charge per charm! No, a hundred times!” I bellowed breathlessly.

The man glanced over his shoulder at us. “Absolutely not!”

He was ridiculously fast. It didn’t help that Marie and I were sprinting at top speed; we weren’t gaining on him at all.

“I can’t even catch up to you? Are you kidding me?!” Marie cried. “You can outrun me despite how much training I got fleeing vicious beasts on a snow-covered mountain?! What the hell are you?!” She was impressed but dismayed.

“Hearing that, I should ask you the same thing! How are you still alive?” demanded the man. “Now I’m even more terrified!”

You and me both, I thought. The vendor and I saw eye to eye on that particular matter, at least. I can’t imagine creatures chasing me around a remote mountain. Marie’s made of tougher stuff than I am. 

Still, the vendor was carrying an extremely big, heavy-looking box, and despite all the running we’d done, he didn’t seem the least bit winded. To make matters worse, he was skipping up the mountainside wearing traditional Japanese sandals; the incline didn’t even slow him down. There was no winning against a local.

Marie and I were meanwhile panting for breath, losing speed. I glanced at her.

She nodded back, equally vexed over how the vendor was running rings around us.

“All right,” I called to him. “Fine! We give up! At least sell us one each, please!”

His whole body turned to face us. “One per person, and that’s it,” he said, continuing to run backward. “Just one! You better not try to steal any!”

“We won’t! Just stop running already! You’re way too fast…”

How far had we sprinted, anyway? Marie and I were both drenched in sweat.

The man finally stopped, though he still seemed wary of us. I yanked my wallet out of my pocket and handed him enough cash for two charms. Marie and I were still winded, our shoulders heaving with each intake of breath.

“It would’ve been better if you’d just agreed to buy one each from the start,” the vendor complained. “Your rash demands forced us all to run all over the place.”

“Sorry about that,” I said. “I was just that desperate for the charms.”

“This is the first time a customer’s ever offered to pay a hundred times their worth. To be honest, it’s flattering. Still, I want to limit my charms to one per customer. I have patrons who come for the festival each year, and they really look forward to buying a charm.”

So he’s more concerned about making people happy than profiting. It made sense that he hadn’t let me buy them all, then. If he’d only explained his position sooner, that whole nonsensical chase would’ve been unnecessary. Then again, I guess it was my fault for being too stubborn.

I scratched the back of my head. “Look, I genuinely feel bad. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

The man lowered the box from his back and lifted its lid to reveal hundreds of tiny white bags. According to his rules, we weren’t allowed to scrutinize them or feel them before deciding which to buy.

“All right. One each,” he said.

I plucked mine out first.

“Since you’re making us pay, you should let us pick out which charm we get,” Marie grumbled under her breath, still huffing and puffing. She wanted to skip the randomized aspect of this.

“The right charm will find the right person,” the vendor assured her. “There are no bad ones, so choose whichever feels correct.”

As far as we were concerned, anything other than the charm we were specifically after was as good as useless.

“Come on,” I begged, “let me luck out… Huh?! No!” 

The moment my fingers slipped inside the bag I’d chosen, I could tell I hadn’t picked the charm we wanted. The first thing I felt was a braided cord. When I pulled that, the rest of the charm popped out of the bag. The cord connected to a metal ring that was in turn linked to a marble-sized ball. When the light hit it, the ball reflected a rainbow of colors. It looked like a big pearl, but I knew it had to be an artificial replica. Considering how cheap the charm had been, that was to be expected; it would’ve been much pricier if the pearl were genuine. The only real reason I was disappointed was that this wasn’t the charm I’d hoped for.

Marie waited for me to finish, then reached inside the vendor’s box and grabbed a charm for herself. She wasted no time opening the little sack to see what she’d gotten. “Give me what I want, give me what I want,” she chanted. “Come on! Argh…” 

Her hopeful expression gave way to disappointment. I knew instantly that she’d struck out the same way I had. From the little white pouch, Marie pulled a gleaming silver charm shaped like a sword and shield. It was intended to boost melee characters’ physical attributes as they leveled up.

Studying our disappointed expressions, the vendor hoisted his box of charms onto his back once more. His fox mask hid his face completely, but I sensed him grinning beneath it.

“Those charms suit you,” he said. “Now, I’ll be returning to the festival.” He sighed. “It’ll be quite a walk back.”

As soon as he’d faded out of view, Luxion appeared beside us. “I am glad to see that you both acquired the item you so desperately wanted.”

“Yeah… In a sense,” I said.

Marie and I glanced at each other’s charms. My fake pearl strengthened healing magic, which made it entirely useless to me. Marie, meanwhile, had no interest in a charm that would strengthen her physical attributes. At least, I assumed she didn’t. I mean, she was stronger than the weaker guys out there, so maybe that charm wasn’t bad for her. I could somehow picture her with gorilla-like strength after the charm boosted her stats. The image was partly terrifying and partly hilarious enough that I actually wanted to see it.

While I was lost in thought, Marie held the charm out to me. “This isn’t my style, so I’ll let you have it.”

“You sure?” I asked but accepted it gratefully.

“It looks like the kind of keychain sold at souvenir stores. You know, like a dragon wrapped around a sword… That kind of thing. The stuff guys always like to buy.” It sounded as though she couldn’t comprehend men’s taste.

“Hey, I actually bought that exact type of keychain,” I replied. Back in grade school, in fact.

She shook her head at me. “I’ll never understand it.”

“I think I actually like this,” I said. The way she’d described the sword-and-shield charm brought back fond memories for me.

“Well, good for you. Now give me the one you got.” Her eyes were fixed on the fake pearl charm I held. When I offered it to her, she snatched it from my hand and slipped the braided red cord around her right wrist.

“There. We’re done! We might not have gotten to buy them all ourselves, but this at least wasn’t a bad outcome.” She flipped her hand, appreciating the way the charm looked on her wrist. Flyaway strands of hair on her forehead were now stuck to her sweaty skin. Sweat had also soaked into her yukata, making it slightly translucent. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail, exposing the nape of her neck.

There was something strangely sensual about the way she looked. I had to tear my gaze away. Unbelievably, my heart was pounding in my chest—over Marie, of all people.

“Man, all that running really took it out of me,” I said, trying to distract myself.

“Yeah. I’m soaked with sweat.”

The intense exercise had exhausted us both.

“Regardless, by the time you return to the festival, everything will be ready,” Luxion declared.

Marie cocked her head. “What’ll be ready?” She’d already forgotten what she’d been looking forward to when we first arrived.

I forced a smile. “The fireworks, remember? We’re going to watch them from a perfect spot. I can’t believe it slipped your mind. Who is it that won’t shut up about the fireworks, starting yesterday?”

Realization dawned on her face. “That’s right! The fireworks! We need to hurry back!” She took off. 

Luxion and I hurried after her, trading looks as we went.

“We’re good to go?” I whispered to him.

“Of course. The rest is up to you.”

“Yeah. That’s the part that worries me.”