C15

By the time night fell, the hustle and bustle of the event map had intensified even further.

The working-adult group had finished their jobs and logged in one after another, setting the guild chat into rapid motion.

Koyori-chan: “Thanks for waiting, everyone~♪”

Gonzaemon: “Here they come, our participating members for tonight are ready.”

Lord Gomez: “Today we're dropping weapons.”

Mako: “Leo-niishama~! Please take care of me today too!”

Kahifu: “Since it's a guild all-out war, let's get hyped up♡”

Leo: “Understood.”

The guild members assembled. We organized our raid party, and each member moved into their designated position.

Normally, I have zero interest in other people. But I didn't hate the time spent with the guild. Inside Asuon, everyone had their own role and moved toward a common objective. There were parts that communicated without words—which made this place comfortable.

Lord Gomez: “Opening act, I'm roasting them.”

Gonzaemon: “Don't over-roast 'em lol”

Koyori-chan: “Buffs are on me~♪”

Kahifu: “Leave any injuries to me♡”

Shigumin: “Leo.”

Leo: “Yeah.”

Shigumin: “Same as usual.”

Leo: “Understood.”

The countdown begins.

This time's raid boss is the \bigstar 10 Oblivion God Eldios.

The raid boss lets out a roar.

The moment its giant body moved, Lord Gomez's magic dyed the field, and Gonzaemon caught it head-on. Koyori-chan and Kahifu piled on support, while Shigumin circled around to its back. Taking that opening, Leo and Mako lunged in.

Everyone fulfilled their roles—which is why we're strong.

............。

The battle, lasting about 30 minutes, ended without any major collapses until the very end. The raid boss quietly crumbled down. Subjugation successful. A list of rewards filled the screen.

Gonzaemon: “Woooooah!”

Koyori-chan: “Weapon dropped yeeeeah♪”

Lord Gomez: “We win.”

Kahifu: “Everyone's looking great♡”

Mako: “Did Leo-niishama get it?!”

Leo: “Got it.”

Mako: “Yay!”

Shigumin: “Grats.”

Leo: “Thanks.”

◇

As the night deepened, the guild members who finished the raid logged out one by one.

Koyori-chan: “It was fun today~♪ Good niiiiight!”

Gonzaemon: “Got work from morning tomorrow... going to sleep.”

Lord Gomez: “See you all tomorrow—'”

Kahifu: “Staying up late is the skin's enemy♡ Nighty night~♡”

Mako: “Everyone, niiiight!”

The bustling guild chat gradually grew quiet.

Even so, Reo didn't log out. Shigumin was still lingering around, too.

The time was past 11:00 PM.

Shigumin: “...Sleepy.”

Leo: “Go to sleep.”

Shigumin: “Just a short break.”

Leo: “That means you're sleeping.”

Shigumin: “No.”

A few minutes later.

Leo: “Asleep?”

No reply.

On the other side of the screen, Shigumin's character sat on a town bench without moving.

She fell asleep while logged in. Reo chuckled softly.

"Night."

Muttering a word no one was listening to, he shifted his gaze to his inventory.

What lay there was the limited-time weapon dropped by the raid boss he'd just obtained. This weapon was truly worth raising seriously.

Weapons had three slots, and the abilities granted to them were all determined randomly.

Attack power, critical rate, elemental enhancement, skill cooldown reduction, boss damage UP... etc.

There were hits, and there were misses.

Precisely because of that, players repeated the lottery over and over until they got their ideal combination, and Reo was no exception.

He pulled a cash-shop item from his inventory.

《Oracle's Engraving Stone》

An item to re-roll slots.

For Reo as a student, it was by no means cheap.

One. Then another. They vanished without hesitation.

The slots on the screen switched.

Not that, not that, once more. Not that, another one... not that.

His fingers wouldn't stop.

He hadn't intended to spend this much.

But the next one... the next one for sure...

Each time he thought that, the cash items dwindled one by one.

Before he knew it... only one remained.

Looking at the numbers displayed on the bottom right of the screen, Reo let out a quiet breath.

(...This is the last one.)

When he hovered the cursor and clicked, light raced across the screen, and the slots switched one by one.

The final engraving stone vanished...

What remained on the screen was a combination nowhere near the abilities he desired.

............。

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

It was a voice Reo would never let out under normal circumstances.

A weird, high-strung tension from pulling an all-nighter without sleep had manifested in an unexpected way...

He didn't even realize he had screamed.

It was entirely unconscious...

Casually fixing his slipped headphones, he returned his gaze to the monitor as if nothing had happened.

◇

After finishing his bath, he wiped his hair with a towel and headed up to the second floor.

The date was about to change. The house was dead silent. Reo should probably be sleeping by now.

Walking down the hallway with that thought, right at that moment.

'Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah!'

A voice echoed from Reo's room.

His steps halted involuntarily.

"...Eh?"

That voice just now had definitely been Reo's.

He hurried over to the front of the room.

"Reo?"

No reply.

"Reo, are you okay?"

Total silence.

He reached a hand out toward the doorknob—and stopped.

He's skipping school today... Did something happen at school?

A tiny wave of anxiety spread deep within his chest.

Heading straight to the bedroom, her husband was closing a paperback book on the bed.

"Dear."

"Hm?"

At his wife's voice, her husband raised his head.

"Just now..."

His wife chose her words carefully.

"When I passed by Reo's room, I suddenly heard a screaming voice."

"A screaming voice?"

"Yeah..."

His wife continued anxiously.

"I've never heard him make a voice like that before."

"...Was he okay?"

"I called out in a panic, but there was no reply... I could hear sounds from the room, so it seemed like he was awake, but."

Her husband's expression clouded slightly.

"...Is that so."

"I'm thinking of checking on him one more time."

At his wife's words, her husband thought for a moment.

And then.

He slowly shook his head.

"Let's not for now."

"But..."

"At that age, there are faces you don't want your parents to see, and when it comes to school or friends, it's a phase where they carry worries only they can understand."

His wife let out an anxious breath.

"...But you know, he's been a little weird since yesterday."

Her husband listened in silence.

"When it's time for meals, he comes downstairs properly, eats, and answers when spoken to, so at first I thought he was fine."

A brief pause.

"でも... He looks like he's being chased by something."

His wife clasped her hands over her knees.

"I feel like he's a little different from the usual Reo."

Her husband didn't answer right away.

He thought about Reo.

Indeed... skipping school and raising his voice were things unthinkable for the usual Reo.

However.

How far parents should pry into an adolescent child's life didn't have an easy answer.

"...True."

Her husband quietly opened his mouth.

"I'll keep an eye on him too."

His wife raised her head.

"But I don't think cross-examining him right now is the right move."

"At that age, everyone holds a secret or two they can't tell anyone. Let's make sure we're ready to listen properly when he decides he wants to talk."

His wife gave a small nod.

"...Right."

After a brief pause, her husband continued.

"If he's genuinely carrying something heavy, then we'll face it properly when the time comes."

His wife nodded quietly.

Anxiety remained. Even so, for now, all they could do was watch over Reo.

◇

The next morning.

Seeing Reo emerge from his room, his mother furrowed her brow slightly.

The dark circles beneath his eyes were deeper than yesterday's.

Even so, acting as usual, he slowly walked down the stairs.

"Reo, are you okay?"

"...I'm fine."

Answering shortly, he took a bottled water from the fridge.

Drinking a single sip, he turned his gaze toward his mother.

"I'm skipping today too."

His mother hesitated for a second. The scream from last night.

And the tired expression of her son standing right before her.

There was no way she couldn't worry.

Even so.

"...Understood."

She recalled her husband's words.

Just a little longer. Let's watch over him just a little longer.

She repeated that to herself.

◇

That day, too, Reo continued to dive deep into the world of Asuon.

Challenging event bosses, gathering materials, adjusting equipment.

Occasionally Shigumin would log in and they'd farm together, when she grew sleepy she'd fall asleep, and when she woke up they'd resume.

Only Reo never slept once.

The event period was limited. There were things you could only get right now. That's why he couldn't stop...

Losing his usual composure, time silently slipped away...

◇

...The morning after next.

His mother finished preparing breakfast and arranged the plates on the table.

Right then. Slow footsteps echoed from the stairs.

"Reo, morn—"

Turning around, his mother lost her words at his appearance.

His complexion was pale, dark circles shadowed beneath his eyes, and his gaze lacked focus.

His gait was somewhat unsteady.

He looked like a completely different person compared to two days ago.

"Reo!"

She rushed over instinctively.

"Honey, what's wrong with you!?"

Reo looked blankly at his mother.

"...I'm fine."

"You are not fine at all!"

His mother shook her head.

"Let's go to the hospital right now!"

It was a tone that allowed for no objection.