Let's Get a Pet (VR Game Edition)

"So, the other day we had that talk about pets, remember?"

"hm? ah, the one that spiraled into a dog-vs-cat war"

"the one sebas won decisively, that one"

"cats are cute too, you know? make peace with cats"

"birds are good too. java sparrow is the best～!"

"honestly, rabbits are great too. gotta sniff 'em"

"fool, cats are for sniffing too"

"dogs are for sniffing too, right?"

"Hold up, hold up, hold up. Everyone, could we set the pet-sniffing business aside for a moment and hear me out?"

With the comments running wild, Karona cut in.

"That aside, I've been thinking I might try keeping a pet of my own."

"!? Ojou-sama, you have me, don't you!?"

"Kokuyou, you are my precious maid. You are not a pet."

"………… Nnngh! I don't know whether I should be happy about that or not!"

"kokuyou-san…"

"she wanted to be doted on like a pet, huh"

"sasu-Kokuyou"

"Well, that said, buying an actual pet takes quite a bit of money, and keeping one comes with responsibility. It's not something you can just casually say 'let me give it a try' about."

"responsibility, yeah. super important. you're taking on a life"

"anyone who can't see it through to the end once they start shouldn't be keeping pets"

"buying one and then abandoning it is beyond the pale…"

"Which is why, behold!!"

Don! Karona brandished a piece of software loaded into her VR headset.

"Little Island, where you can keep pets in VR! It was recommended in a SuperChat I received the other day, so I bought it! Thank you～!"

"no sweat"

"oh, digital pets."

"oh, this is the one, right? the one where you can play with rabbits and penguins and stuff on top of dogs and cats"

"and it's on an island, where you play with puppies and kittens"

"so today's a game-stream episode, huh"

"What I really want is for BCD to implement a pet feature or a taming system, to be honest."

"Which is why you have me, yes, Ojou-sama?"

"… Come to think of it, Secretary AIs. I wonder if there are animal-type ones too?"

At the very least, cat ears existed, Karona thought as she stroked Kokuyou.

There had to be more animal-like beastkin AIs, or even lizard-type Secretary AIs, somewhere out there.

"there's a talking dog. quadrupedal shiba inu"

"those exist too huh, the range is way too wide…"

"apparently sniffing them counts as sexual harassment and triggers a warning"

"this cruel world…! not being able to sniff…!!"

"Well, setting that aside, game start, right this way!"

The game launched.

First, she appeared inside a little cabin.

"ooh, so you can stream VR games too"

"ojou's not visible, huh? first-person view, is it"

"ah, this was originally a single-player VR game, so of course it works like this"

"Yes, this is a rather old game, and originally a standard VR title… unfortunately, it seems my figure won't be shown this time. Motion sickness warning, everyone～."

[Kokuyou]: "Ah, I'll display Ojou-sama's figure off to the side of the stream screen."

"capable maid"

"saves us"

"gives off that vintage animated-still-art stream vibe. I'm into it～"

Inside the starting room were a little black shiba inu and an American Shorthair cat, a puppy and kitten respectively, both looking impossibly fluffy.

"Oh, I've spotted Pet No. 1 right off the bat! And Pet No. 2 too!"

[Kokuyou]: "Surely the cat is No. 1, right?"

"kokuyou-san lol lol lol"

"unwavering lol lol lol lol"

"… This black shiba, its black parts look a bit like Kokuyou～!"

[Kokuyou]: "Gufuh!? M-Ojou-sama, that's mixed feelings for me!"

"a punch from an unexpected angle lol"

"ojou, please lay off teasing kokuyou-san lol"

When she scooped the puppy up, it lifted properly into her arms.

"Hmm, the texture isn't quite realistic, but there's a sense of touching it through the controller."

"it's an old game, can't be helped"

"but seen through the stream screen, it's an inu-san all the way"

"cute"

"wanna sniff"

As she tried petting the kitten too, feed-request icons floated up above the pair.

"So there's food. Let me see… oh, this is a feed can? Open this into the food dish, and… oh, oh, they're coming right over. Now, go ahead～?"

When she set the dish of food on the floor, the puppy and kitten began chowing down, haku haku haku.

[Kokuyou]: "Being hand-fed by Ojou-sama herself… please trade me places there."

"here we go again with kokuyou-san lol lol lol"

"honestly, you're really somethin' lol lol lol lol"

"Aah, how soothing～… adorable little things!"

[Kokuyou]: "I can eat food from Ojou-sama's hand too, you know!"

"'you know' my foot lol lol lol"

"I'd eat food from ojou's hand too, if she offered!"

"isn't that just a plain old 'aa-nn,' though?"

"Oh, you can swap locations and head outside. I have to say, in real life just walking around inside a tiny room would be a struggle, but doing it in BCD where you can freely stroll without limits really cranks up the sense of realism."

"oh, that's a nice touch"

"that's the strength of immersive VR gear emulating other devices"

"Island exploration time～!"

That said, this game had no particular storyline; it was simply a game of romping around with animals. Fishing, taking out a boat, playing fetch…

Karona played with the animals at a leisurely pace, and before she knew it, the whole dog-person-versus-cat-person debate had been completely forgotten.

And then, today's highlight.

"Capybara! It's a capybara!? They have these too!!"

"ojou's never been this hyped lol lol"

"this is a capybara victory for sure"

[Kokuyou]: "M-Ojou-sama～!? Cats, please remember the cats too!"

Well, even dungeon streamers need peaceful rest now and then. Yep.