Day 17: Takenaka
Logged in for the 17th day.
“Ah, hello there. So sorry for suddenly calling you out like this on such short notice.”
“No, no, not at all. I was the one who requested to meet in person. And, well… ——————”
——————He was a man!
I swallowed the honest surprise that had risen to the tip of my tongue just in the nick of time.
Takenaka-san was a pure human male with striking, round gray eyes. He was clad in Arabian-style attire and carried a staff taller than himself, with a large bell attached to the end.
Since he’d responded to me because he was drawn to that super cutesy outfit of mine, I’d just assumed he was a woman. The wording of his messages also had a meticulous consideration that felt feminine.
Then again, perhaps the person inside is a woman.
In Kima-Kura, you can’t falsify your gender on your status, but character creation and what you wear are unrestricted. I think there are people who play with a look that resembles the opposite sex.
In any case, today I was meeting Takenaka-san at a small Fountain Plaza near the library.
I’d agonized over how to contact him. In the end, I figured that since I was asking about an Item Creation request, it would be smoother to talk directly, so I opted for a face-to-face meeting.
His messages exuded a sense of him not being a bad person, so ignoring him wasn’t an option. Just to be sure, I checked the shop where I bought the buttons, and indeed, the owner was listed as Takenaka-san.
And so, that brings us to the present.
“You came wearing that outfit, I see.”
“Ah, this, you mean. Yes. This is the outfit you liked, Takenaka-san, right?”
Smiling shyly, I spread my arms to give him a full view.
Takenaka-san then put a hand to his chin and nodded as if impressed.
“As expected of Boutique-san. I’m relieved to see you seem to have quite some guts.”
Eh? Why is his impression of this outfit “guts”? And wait, does he think my name is Boutique?!
“Ah, my apologies! You’re Vivia-san, right? I know, I remember. Goodness, I figured you’d probably received some anti-comments and such from this whole uproar.”
“Ah, yes. I have.”
“I thought people who worry about that sort of thing would hide for a while or deliberately wear plain clothes, but Bouti— Vivia-san, you’re so composed, it’s really impressive.”
I see. That thought had indeed crossed my mind.
But then again, I also wondered, in the highly anonymous world of an online game, should I really care that much about what others think? It’s not like I did anything wrong.
I was finding it difficult to judge that myself, so I was actually using this meeting today as a sort of light experiment.
The Fountain Plaza I designated is a perfectly situated spot—not too close to my home, nor so far that I’d be exposed to tons of public eyes while traveling. My intention was to walk there in this conspicuous outfit—one that would probably allow some people to recognize me as the instigator of the Revolution Event—and gauge the reactions of Kima-Kura users.
If, by some chance, I got harassed by strange people, my plan was to fall back on Takenaka-san. In reality, it might not be an issue he could do anything about, but just having that one connection with another person there can be enough to bolster your spirits a little, you know?
“As it turned out, I was completely fine. I did feel some stares, but so far, no one has approached me. So, I ended up using you for a little experiment. I’m sorry.”
“Not at all, don’t mind me. So that’s what it was. Well, it has its peculiar cultures, common in online games, but I think Kima-Kura’s player base generally isn’t on the low side in terms of public decency.”
Eh? Is that so? This isn’t considered low? And what on earth is this “peculiar culture”…?
“The talk room regulars, especially, are full of trend-chasers and hedonists, so they jump on any new topic or meme. Say, Boutique-san, have you perhaps never seen the talk room?”
Well… I knew it existed, but I’m generally the type of person who has no connection to those kinds of tools for the socially adept… As I stared blankly at Takenaka-shi’s high-spec talk, he took out his Multi-Tablet and showed me what the talk room looked like.
Since he was being so kind, I decided to overlook him getting my name wrong again.
“Past logs are kept for a certain period, so many people read them even if they don’t participate. It also serves as a place to share strategy information.”
As Takenaka-shi scrolled through the screen, the aftermath of the Revolution Event was displayed. Whoa, so it was this much of a commotion here too.
I see. I understood now that there was a common, unique atmosphere to this talk room, the video comments, and the shop messages.
Well, that doesn’t mean I can condone inconsiderate words and actions, but basically, does it mean I shouldn’t worry too much even if there are people who criticize me or speak harshly?
My impression is that there aren’t many obsessive people, and for all their unrestrained talk, everyone seems rather detached.
“Yes, that’s exactly it. There are, not uncommonly, people who are a bit nuts or lack common sense, but—”
“Takenaka, nice try picking her up,乙.”
“Drop dead!”
“—the good thing about Kima-Kura players is that there aren’t many people who seriously try to interfere with others. Of course, I’m not saying there aren’t people who are genuinely not right in the head. Those kinds of people will pick fights no matter where they are or what they do, so just quickly report them to the GMs. Boutique-san, you should just play with a generous mindset, as if you’re looking down on all the hecklers.”
“I understand…”
Uh, yeah. I really learned a lot.
So Kima-Kura is a world where people suddenly barge into conversations as they pass by, others dismiss them without a second glance, people endlessly get names wrong, and those very same people think they’re the most normal ones of all. That’s the kind of world it is, huh?
I’m filled with the urge to retort like crazy, but well, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” so I’ll just generously let it slide…
【Kima-Kura Utopia. Talk Room (Official) – General】
[Sasa]
Another production support event? Things are getting way too repetitive, it’s beyond ‘lol’.
[Watari]
Um, Kima-Kura is a production game, so… (in a small voice)
[Barretta]
Don’t touch that.
[Watari]
Ah, yes.
[Songsalri]
The new chara-chan is cute. Her sullen loli face is great (´ω｀)
[Mya]
I don’t need her partner who looks like an intellectual yakuza.
[Hitei Shinai Nao]
Rather, the intellectual yakuza is all I need.
[NejiKo+]
Eh? Is that her boyfriend? Was that written in the introduction?
[Naltiq]
Couple characters are usually placed as a pair on the introduction page. An episode event for them will probably happen eventually.
[In-chara desu]
Don’t need that kind of epi. Are they trying to pick a fight with us non-ria folks?
[Rena]
For us shippers, it’s pure bliss. I’m truly grateful for this quirky game.
[universe202]
It’s always the cute girls who get partners. Are the GMs here even serious?
[Takenaka]
Ril-sama is a non-ria. She is a non-ria, right?
[Yoshio www]
Takenaka-senpai, otsu otsu lol. Did you succeed in hitting on Boutique-san? lololol (Image)
[Sasa]
That joke is old, unemployed kid. The psycho commoner topic is stale.
[Mya]
＿人人人人人人人＿
＞ Unemployed Kid ＜
￣Y^Y^Y^Y^Y^Y￣
[Hitei Shinai Nao]
Huh… Is this a dream…? Sasa seems to be saying something sensible…
[Naltiq]
Sasa denies everything, but what he says is actually sensible.
[Songsalri]
What even is “sensible” anyway? (´・ω・｀)
[Momo Taro]
Sensible is…
[Watari]
Talking with you all makes me forget the meaning of the word “sensible”!
[Milan]
lol
[universe202]
The residents here are always quick to start a bargain sale on the word “sensible.”
[Rena]
Gestalt collapse of “sensible.”
[In-chara desu]
sensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblemakotosensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensiblesensible
[Yuuhei]
Stop it lololol
[Makoto-chan]
Did you call? (●・ω・)