Behind the Avatar

We wandered around the town of Suriad, took quests back in Tsudon via our Home, and so on.

Figuring we had work coming up and really needed to rest in real life, we logged out of the game. The time was right on target: late at night, with plenty of room to get proper rest.

On top of that, I felt zero mental fatigue. If anything, I felt refreshed. I couldn't help thinking I could probably push through another full day.

Incidentally, after parting ways with Mahariku-san, we never ran into her again.

We bumped into one of her subordinates in Suriad (probably San-chan) and asked about it. Apparently, Mahariku-san only showed up once every few days to begin with.

… Right. One of those systems where you batch out a week's worth of orders at once.

Pretty standard for choice-based ADV-style management games.

How to put it… I sort of got the feeling the devs were telling us to stop thinking too hard about the flow of time, maybe?

Probably just my imagination, though. Probably. Surely. Yeah.

"… Hmm."

"Yo? What's up, Coworker, yo?"

"Nah, it's just… Mahariku-san's real identity has been bugging me after all."

"That so, yo. I wouldn't recommend it, but want me to connect you on chat, yo?"

Right. Coworker was at least close enough to Mahariku-san to connect us over chat.

She really must be his direct boss or something…

"Nah, I'll pass. If she's your boss, she's got a position and everything, right? Wouldn't want to bother her during work."

"She's been going on and on about games, so feel free to take her off my hands, yo."

"Wait, seriously? … No, I'll still pass. I've got work to do too."

For the record, I was properly working in another window while chatting.

"Yeah, that's for the best, yo. Wouldn't want to dump my boss on you and mess up your work, yo."

Apparently, the person behind Mahariku-san had been outed as a gamer and was seizing the chance to geek out with Coworker. She'd been gleefully unleashing a flood of casual chatter.

And it wasn't just Kaito a Luise talk, either. She'd been going on about tons of other games too, even inviting him to play online matches together and whatnot…

"Well, if you two can have a peaceful chat, that's the best-case scenario."

"Gotta drop everything the moment a complaint comes in, though, yooo. Haaah."

"Thanks to the sales team, I can work at my own pace over here. Appreciate it."

"You're welcome, yooo."

That aside.

The reason Mahariku-san's real identity was bugging me again was…

… right. Her way of speaking.

Mahariku-san had undeniably been speaking with feminine mannerisms.

So there was a good chance the player was actually female.

Or maybe it was just really dedicated roleplaying.

I mean, if a beauty like Mahariku-san had been speaking like some old dude, I'd have been disappointed… Actually no, that might've been fine too? As long as she was a beauty or a cute girl.

If you find out the truth, reality starts crossing your mind every time you play. Better not to know after all.

For now, I'd put it at about an 80% chance she was female. Hopefully a beautiful boss lady. Believing that was probably better for my well-being.

Well, we'd probably meet up again in-game tonight anyway.

Given how she was, she'd probably apply the Restriction Release Code right away, and there'd be plenty of time for another long chat.

If I wanted to ask about her real identity, I could always bring it up then.

"By the way, Coworker. Just tell me what the real-life Mahariku-san is like from your perspective. But leave out the gender, if you would."

"Oho, good taste, Coworker, yo. Let's see, yo… A demon drill sergeant whose looks are a total scam, yo. Oh wait, that's rude to demons, yo!"

Oh, so the looks were legit? Heh. That'll fuel the imagination.

＊　＊　＊

Incidentally, that night, we successfully reunited with Mahariku-san in Suriad in-game.

"Hey, I didn't get any email about restriction release or whatever?"

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes. Maybe having unlocked a 'second character' is the key? That's what the Wiki seemed to suggest."

I see. So that would mean Mahariku-san, who was still on her "first character," couldn't get the Restriction Release Code.

"By the way, what exactly gets unlocked when you use the Restriction Release Code?"

"Oh, ■■■■■ gets unloc… hm?"

"Huh? What'd you say?"

"■■■■… ■■■■■. Is it turning into noise?"

"Seems like it. I couldn't quite hear you."

"Ah, pardon the interruption, yo. ■■ gets unloc… ■■■… Yep, there's a filter on it, yo. Probably because Mahariku-shi hasn't unlocked it yet, yo."

What a filter. Oh right, there was that mysterious filter.

"Alto. Tell me in real life tomorrow."

"… Ahh, I can't really talk about it, so please forgive me, yo."

"Worried about spoilers? I don't mind."

"■■■ and ■■… Oof. Can't even say the reason, yo…!"

Probably because it'd be against the law. Can't be helped.

For now, it'd be nice if Mahariku-san could unlock her "second character" too. The unlock conditions were still a mystery, though.

For us, it had unlocked after we defeated a boss monster called an Elementarion, and Penpen's unlocked when she paid off her debt…

"What could the unlock conditions for a 'second character' even be? Nothing like that has shown up in my UI yet."

"Well, let me just say you'll be in for a huge surprise once you get the restriction release, yo."

"Ohh, exciting… Going by other people's conditions, it seems to vary by scenario… Since mine's a company, maybe it triggers when funds hit a certain amount? Employee count is a possibility too… Maybe I'll go aggressive with the moneymaking for a while."

Since that apparently involved some shady dealings, local security would take a hit in return.

A necessary sacrifice. Collateral damage, as they say.