Day 60 login
While doing production work at home, a light bell rang. Since I had turned off the player’s arrival sound, this was a sign that an NPC customer had arrived.
When I stepped out, my favorite characters, Ciel and Shanta, were browsing around the store. Although there were two other female players, I was used to this situation, so I didn’t pay any attention to them and focused on Ciel and Shanta.
It was pretty nerve-wracking at first to go out in front of real customers. Most of the customer service is handled by a copy avatar, but when I have to adjust the store settings or interact with game characters, I have no choice but to show my face in the shop area.
Back when the physical store first opened, there were times when there were no customers. But lately, there’s almost always someone around while I’m logged in, so I’ve had to adapt to this situation.
Still, the fact that there are customers is appreciated.
There are often lines outside the store. One time, I decided to go on a trip, opened the back door, and was surprised to see people lined up to the front.
One main reason is that the store only allows two people inside at a time. I plan to expand the store someday.
Fortunately, the customers were well-mannered, and no one interrupted me while I participated in the character event.
Although it is an exciting moment for me, it is probably a common occurrence for the customers. Everyone seems to be unfazed.
When the two girls noticed that I had replaced the previous avatar, they looked surprised but quickly returned to selecting clothes.
As a result, I’ve become less conscious of people’s eyes in the store. It’s not like the shop events are private, but no one listens to our conversations.
When Ciel and Shanta saw me, they came straight over without hesitation.
“Hello, Vivia. Oh, you look a little down.”
She stamps a sparkling smile, but it looks gloomy to her. Or maybe the reality of “It’s already Monday” casts a shadow over her mind.
In short, Ciel-chan is still the strongest today.
“What’s up? Are you behind on your assignments? Or did your crush reject you?”
Shanta-chan asks.
“Let’s think about something fun. For example…”
“Summer is coming! When you say summer…”
“Summer vacation!”
They shouted in unison and laughed together. This must be Eden.
“Vivia, do you plan to go anywhere this summer?”
After Ciel-chan asked that, a selection panel appeared.
→・Go to Danama
・Go to Shirahae
・Stay home
Hmm, I see. Out of these, if I had to choose one, it would be Shirahae.
It’s not like I’m going on a summer vacation or anything, but I’m going there soon because of the kaleidoscope.
“Shirahae! That’s nice, it’s cool. Perfect for a summer retreat.”
“We went there last year. But I didn’t like it. It was kind of gloomy.”
“Don’t say that, Shanta. You were running around in the flower field near the inn.”
“Ah, that place was beautiful. It was filled with bright red flowers. But it gets a little spooky when the sun goes down.”
Huh, so there’s a place like that. Can players go there too?
Listening to their conversation leisurely, I suddenly noticed they had stopped talking and exchanged glances. Then, as if they had devised a mischievous idea, they chuckled softly.
The two spoke in hushed tones.
“I’ll tell you about our secret place, Vivia. If you’re going to Shirahae, you should visit the flower field there.”
“It’s on the outskirts of Byakuya, behind an inn called Shogetsukaku. It’s a lovely place. But…”
“At night, you can hear someone crying. We’ve heard it too.”
“We heard rumors and got curious, so we snuck out of the inn without telling Papa. And then it happened!”
“I can hear voices! Uh, uh, like someone is trying to stifle their crying! The voice was low, so I think it might be a man.”
Huh? What’s going on? This conversation is taking a strange turn.
What was supposed to be a fun summer vacation turned into a ghost story before we knew it…
“The locals say they hear strange noises. There’s something sinister there.”
“Hey, Vivia, if you’re going to Shirahae, you should check out that place. It’s a recommended spot.”
“Are you scared? You’re such a scaredy-cat.”
“We’re not trying to be mean or anything. It’s just a wonderful place.”
The two exchanged glances and smiled.
Yep, they’re making mean faces. But that’s what makes them so cute!
Byakuya’s Shogetsukaku, huh. I don’t like scary stories, but they might foreshadow some event, so I’ll keep them in mind.
As the conversation came to an end, Ciel-chan stepped forward.
“By the way, Vivia, the trip you mentioned earlier sounds nice, but isn’t taking a little break from your daily routine important?”
Oh, could this be what I thought it was?
“There’s no need to wait for the holiday season. Let’s go out together. You’re just hanging around anyway, right? Tell me when you’re free.”
Oh no~! A date event has been triggered~!
Just kidding. I was expecting it.
Was it about a week ago? I finally got the chance to give Shanta-chan a present.
Present events for Ciel-chan have been happening quite often lately, and one day, I was able to talk to Shanta-chan, who was stealing glances at me.
“What’s up? Trying to be nice or something?” she said. But right after that, the gift selection screen popped up, and there was no way I could resist. Earth Crystal.
But even someone as frivolous as me still had a grain of reason left, and Zoe’s face flashed through my mind.
That’s why, as a way of atoning for my sins, or out of a sense of obligation, I decided that when I gave Shanta-chan a present, I would provide Ciel-chan twice as much, and when I ran out of crystals, I would give her twice the amount of other items. That way, there would be a difference in their favorability scores.
I remember that a single player couldn’t trigger events with two or more characters simultaneously in the weekly date events. Since this guaranteed my date with Ciel-chan, I figured I could avoid being a jerk and stealing Shanta-chan’s first date.
The result was that I may have deprived a player who is a fan of Ciel-chan of this month’s date, but that’s that.
Also, I found out recently that “Omakase Mode” has been added to the date event.
Unlike the traditional date format, where you can freely interact with the character you choose, this mode is more like a story mode where you leave the date plan up to the other character.
The developers probably figured that only the date winners would be able to enjoy the story, which would lead to resentment. After the first date, a summary video is available on the official video site.
Still, experiencing the event in VR must be something truly special. What’s more, they’re planning to implement the Omakase Mode starting this month, and with my date with Ciel-chan this month, I feel fortunate!
There was a video of Lil’s date on the video site, and I watched it. Rather than the usual fun date course, it was more like a story-driven tour that gave you a glimpse into the characters’ backgrounds. It was pretty elaborate.
Some characters were a bit depressing, or the plot was suspenseful and thrilling, so there were some strong reactions. But overall, the reviews are good.
After watching Ryl-sama’s video, I thought it looked more fun than just going out for lunch or tea.
The story shows that the player takes the place of a maid who feels ill and spends a day accompanying Ryl-sama. They visit an orphanage, study at the library, and practice dancing. It was a typical day off for her, serious and proper.
However, during dance practice, the player gets to be her dance partner, and some romantic moments are thrown in to keep things interesting.
The video perspective was great from the dummy avatar’s first-person point of view. Showing a random player dancing with Lil-sama would have caused a massive uproar in the comments section.
That’s why, in Ciel-chan’s case, a screen appears where you can select the mode after specifying the date.
“I’m looking forward to it. Where shall we go this time?”
→Leave it to me
I’ll leave it to you
Needless to say, I chose the latter.
Incidentally, Omakase Mode has no events where you can choose date outfits.
I wonder what Ciel-chan’s special story will be like. I’ll work hard this week, too, and as a reward, I’ll have a weekend date.