とある祝日の午後。
この日の俺はバイトも休みで、電車で一駅先にある隣町のショッピングモールに待ち合わせに来ていた。
駅の広場に設置されているベンチに座り、スマホを操作しながら時間を待つ。
その待ち合わせの相手というのは......。
「師匠ーっ」
うわぁ、返事したくねえ......。
ゲーム内ならいざ知らず、現実の街中で「師匠」呼びはかなり痛いし恥ずかしい。
何のために昨夜の内に本名を明かしたのかさっぱり分からないじゃないか。
手を振りながら向かってくる、少女と見紛うばかりの容姿をした少年。
ハーフパンツから伸びる白い足は、毛の一本も無く日差しを眩しく反射させ――
「って、やけに中性的なファッションだな......ワザとか? それとも天然?」
「師匠?」
「ん? ああ、悪い。こういう場合は初めまして――で良いのか?
「嫌ですよう、師匠。ゲームの中みたいに呼び捨てにしてください」
「んじゃ師匠もやめてくれ。俺の方も普通に名前で呼んでくれたらそうする」
「!?」
どうしてそこでこの世の終わりみたいな表情になるのか、理解に苦しむ。
彼女......じゃない、間違えた。
ゲーム内ではワルターと名乗っている彼、
年齢は俺の一つ下、理世と同学年だそうな。
男にしては長い肩口までの髪はサラサラで、細身の体を包む服装もどこか女性的なもので......。
「どうしてですか師匠......ボクみたいなのが弟子じゃいけませんか? ボクはこんなに師匠のことをお慕いしているのに......」
うっ、そんな泣く寸前のような表情と声で......。
周囲の通行人の視線が俺に向かって突き刺さる。非常に居心地が悪い。
もしかしたら、周りからは俺が女を泣かせているろくでなしにでも映っているのかもしれない。
こいつは男だぞ......。
「じゃあもういいよ、師匠で......」
「はい、師匠!」
――お嬢様の誕生日プレゼント選びで迷っています。
そんな内容のメールがワルターから送られてきたのは数日前。
ワルター......司とお嬢様の居住地は、近いとも言えないが県を一つ挟んだ微妙な位置にあるらしい。
気軽にとはいかなくとも現実的に会えない距離でも無いので、電車を使ってこうしてあちらから出向いてきたというわけだ。
実はこの話が出た時に秀平も誘ったのだが......
「ぐはっ! ふ、古傷が疼くでござる......」
という中二病真っ盛りでもまず使わないような言葉を発してきたので、今日は結局俺だけだ。
まだ例の件のショックが尾を引いているらしい。
他に面識があるのは未祐のみだが、ワルターと直接話したことがあるわけでもないので誘わなかった。
本当は女性への贈り物なので、誰か知り合いの女子を連れてきたかったのだが......そう上手くはいかず。
しかし、こうして直接会ってもそれほど感動というか予想外の出来事は起きないもんだな。
昔のオフ会というと、ありがちなのは相手が性別を偽っていたりとか。
抱いていた印象と実際の姿が違い過ぎたりとかで、オンライン時のように仲良くできなかったり。
むしろ逆作用でそれが良い方に働いたり。
世代じゃないので話に聞いただけだが、何とも悲喜こもごもではないだろうか。
「で、プレゼントの案は決まったのか? さすがにある程度は考えてきたんだろう?」
「はい。アクセサリーにしようかと」
「アクセサリーか、分かった。ならこっちだ」
同級生の女子なんかも、休日に買い物に来るのは大体この隣町だ。
街の規模も大きいし、駅前の貴金属店・アクセサリー屋を一通り回れば何か見つかるだろう。
「いらっしゃいませ。何かお探しですか?」
「いや、俺じゃなくて連れが――」
「可愛い彼女さんですね。あ、でしたらこちらのケースの商品はいかがですか? こちら春の新作でして――」
「師匠、師匠、これなんかどうでしょうか?」
「お前が付けてどうすんだよ。似合ってるけどさ」
「え......そ、そうですか? 恥ずかしいです......」
「お客様、こちら男性用のペアのものもございますが。よろしければセットでいかがでしょうか?」
「本日当店ではカップルデーを行っておりまーす! あ、いかがですか? ドリンク三割引きですよー」
「あ、お、お腹空いていないので大丈夫です!」
「違うだろ! 何故カップル呼ばわりされたことを否定しない!?」
「す、すみません師匠......」
こんなやり取りを続けながら、実に五つの店舗を回った。
俺はあと何回こいつが彼女じゃないと店員に告げ続ければいいのだろう......?
しかしどうも司はどの商品もお嬢様には不釣り合いだと感じているようで。
一度スタート地点のベンチに戻り、買った飲み物を口にしながら一休み。
「......なあ、ヘルシャって相当なお嬢様なんだよな? でっかいお屋敷に住んでいる」
「そうですよ」
「お前さ、もしかしてお嬢様が普段身に着けている装飾品と比較しながら選んでない?」
俺の言葉に司はハッとしたような表情でこちらを見た。
「確かにそうかもしれません......」
「それだと、街中で売ってるようなアクセサリーじゃ見劣りするのも当然じゃないか。それ以前に俺、大事なことを訊くの忘れてたわ」
「大事なこと......ですか?」
「予算だよ、予算。それによって入る店を変えるべきだったんだよ、最初から」
話に納得したのか、一つ頷いて司が俺の耳元に顔を寄せてくる。
待て、なんでわざわざそんな――というか、どうして男なのに良い香りがするんだろう......。
明らかに香水ではない、シャンプーや石鹸の優しい香りがふわっと広がる。
ひそひそと小声で俺に告げたその金額。
屋敷勤めという司の境遇を考えると納得の、一般的な高校生が持つには大金だったわけだが。
「それでも多分、お嬢様が身に着けるものとしては足りないんだろうなぁ......」
「うぅ......そうですよね......」
司の話によると大粒の天然ダイヤやらアレキサンドライトやらのアクセサリーをジャラジャラ持っているのだそうだ。
そうなると、半端に高価なものよりもここは別ベクトルで突き抜けるべきだろう。
「......だったら俺から一つ提案がある。聞いてくれるか?」
「もちろんです、師匠。何でしょうか?」
「ここはいっそ、既製品ではなく手作りアクセをプレゼントしたらどうだろう?」
持たざる者が高価な贈り物に対抗する唯一の手段。
それは思うに、気持ちのこもった手作りの品ではないだろうか?
ヘルシャの性格を考えるに、安物だからと投げ捨てるような真似はしないだろうし。
「手作り......ですか? それはとっても素敵だと思いますけど、今から作り方を覚えるのは......」
「そう焦るなって。実はこの近辺には、手作りアクセサリーを体験できる店が結構あるらしいんだよ。完成までの所要時間も大体二時間前後って聞いてるし、どうだ? 探してみないか?」
司の顔色が明るいものへと転じる。
以前クラスの女子が安く簡単に、オリジナルの物が作れて楽しいと話しているのを聞いたことがあったのだ。
早速スマホで周辺を検索すると、店の種類もそれなりにあり予約なしで行ける店もいくつか発見。
ガラス細工、パワーストーン、シルバー、とんぼ玉等々......。
俺達は顔を寄せ合って、相談の末にとある店に電話をかけることにした。
A certain public holiday in the afternoon.
Today I had a day off from my part-time job, so I went to the neighboring town one stop away by train to an appointment in the shopping mall.
I sat down on a bench in the plaza inside the station and waited while playing around with my phone.
The person I had an appointment with was...
[Master!] (Walter)
Uwah, I don't want to reply.
I don't really care in-game, but being called [Master]  in the middle of town is quite painful and embarrassing.
Why do you think I went as far as to tell him my real name last night?
The one who was waving his hand and heading towards me was a young boy that you'd mistake for a young girl.
White legs stretching from under his shorts and his hair was dazzling under the sunlight.
[Wait, what's with that androgynous fashion style...are you doing it on purpose? Or are you just an airhead?] (Wataru)
[Master?] (Walter)
[Hmm? Ah, my bad. I guess in this case...I should say nice to meet you? Tsukasa-kun.] (Wataru)
[I don't want that, Master. Refer to me the same you do in-game.] (Tsukasa)
[In that case, stop with the Master. If you call me in a normal way I'll consider doing that.] (Wataru)
[!?] (Tsukasa)
Why do you look as if the world is going to end from just that, I can't begin to understand him.
She...wait, wrong.
The one that goes by the name Walter in-game, Yanase Tsukasa looked no different from his avatar in-game.
In terms of age, he's a year below me, he's in the same school year as Rise.
Even as a guy, he had shoulder length silky hair, a slim body and even the clothes he wore were rather feminine...
[Why, Master...am I not good enough to be your disciple? Even though I idolize you this much...] (Tsukasa)
Ugh, looking at me with those eyes that look as if he's going to cry and that voice...
The people around us glared and pierced me with their gazes. It was really uncomfortable.
It might be that they think I'm some piece of trash that has made a girl cry.
This person is a guy though...
[In that case it's fine...you can call me Master...] (Wataru)
[Yes, Master!] (Tsukasa)
...I don't know what to buy for ojou-sama's birthday present.
I received an email with those contents a few days ago.
Walter...Tsukasa's and his ojou-sama's residence, while not exactly close, was about one prefecture away from the looks of it.
While not a distance you could travel whenever you want, it wasn't a distance that was impossible to travel either, so we each took the train and met up like this.
The truth is, when we decided about this I went and invited Shuuhei but...
[Guhah! My old wounds are aching...] (Shuuhei)
He said those types of words that came straight out from someone with chuunibyou so it was only me here today.
It seems like he is still shocked from the events of that time.
If we thought about other acquaintances I had there was Miyu, but since she has never talked to Walter directly, I didn't invite her.
Honestly, since it was a present for a girl, I wanted to bring a female acquaintance with me if possible but...seems like that was not happening.
However, even after meeting him in person, unexpectedly, I don't really feel any sort of excitement from it.
If we were speaking about offline meetings, you could frequently see people lying about their gender.
Or maybe they look really different from what you imagined and maybe you can't even get along with them the same way you do in-game.
Or maybe on the contrary, the opposite happens and it's a good thing.
I'm not from that generation so it's only stuff I heard about but it gives me some mixed feelings.
[So, have you any ideas about what kind of present you want? Like I thought, you probably have some kind of idea already right?] (Wataru)
[Yes, I think that an accessory would be good.] (Tsukasa)
[An accessory huh? I got it, then over here.] (Wataru)
Even girls my age usually come over to this town to buy stuff whenever they have time.
The town is quite big so I think we'll find a jewelry or accessory shop if we go around the area in front of the station.
[Welcome, what are you looking for?] 
[No, it's not for me but the person accompanying me-] (Wataru)
[You have a cute girlfriend. Ah, in that case, what about the products displayed in this case? We have the new spring products-] 
[Master, Master, how about this one?] (Tsukasa)
[Why are you trying it out on yourself? Though it suits you.] (Wataru)
[Eh...I-It's that so? That's embarrassing...] (Tsukasa)
[We have the one for males that pairs up with that one as a set. How about it?] 
[We have a couple's day promotion going on today! How about it? The drinks are 30% off!] 
[Ah, I'm  not hungry right now so it's fine!] (Tsukasa)
[That's wrong! Why are you not denying it when we are being called a couple!?] (Wataru)
[I-I'm sorry, Master...] (Tsukasa)
With this sort of back and forth, we actually went through five shops.
Just how many times will I have to tell the employees that he's not my girlfriend...?
For some reason, Tsukasa also keeps saying that the products of the shops don't fit his ojou-sama.
For the time being, we decided to go back to the bench at our starting point and drink the beverages we bought while resting.
[...Hey, Herscha is an ojou-sama right? She lives in a huge residence right?] (Wataru)
[That's right.] (Tsukasa)
[You, aren't you comparing the items to what she usually wears when you are choosing by any chance?] (Wataru)
Tsukasa looked at me with surprise once he heard those words.
[You may be right...] (Tsukasa)
[In that case, wouldn't it be obvious that you find the accessories found in town lacking? Before that, I forgot to ask something important.] (Wataru)
[Something important...you say?] (Tsukasa)
[Budget, the budget. We should have decided on the shops by taking that into account from the start.] (Wataru)
Having understood what I meant, Tsukasa nodded one time and brought his face close to my ear.
Wait, why is he doing this...to begin with, why does he smell so good even though he's a guy...
It's clear that he's not wearing any perfume, the smell of his shampoo and soap spread towards me.
He then whispered the amount of money to me in a small voice.
It was an amount I could believe from someone working at a mansion, it was a large amount of money compared to what a normal high schooler would have.
[Even then, I guess it wouldn't be enough to buy something that would fit someone with a lot of money...] (Wataru)
[Uuuh...you might be right...] (Tsukasa)
From what Tsukasa has said, she usually has accessories made from large natural diamonds or stuff like alexandrite dangling from her.
In that case, instead of trying to find something expensive, we should approach this from another angle.
[...In that case, I have a suggestion. Want to hear it?] (Wataru)
[Of course, Master. What is it?] (Tsukasa)
[How about you just forget about buying something that's already made here and make a handmade accessory?] (Wataru)
It was the only method to fight against expensive gifts.
To do that, wouldn't the best thing be a product that you have poured all your feelings into?
Thinking about Herscha's personality, I believe she would just throw it away if it was some cheap product.
[Handmade...you say? I believe that would be lovely but when I think of starting to make it right now...] (Tsukasa)
I heard that it takes around two hours to make a finished product, how about it? Want to search for one?] (Wataru)
Tsukasa's face turned cheerful.
A while back, I heard the girls in my class about them making their own original accessories and it being fun. It was also cheap and simple.
I searched the vicinity on my phone at once, there were quite a few stores and they didn't need any reservations either.
Glasswork, power stones, silver, glass beads, etc...
We brought our heads closer and after talking about it for a bit, we decided to call a certain store.
VRMMO no Shien Shokunin ～Top Player no Shikakenin～
ＶＲＭＭＯの支援職人　～トッププレイヤーの仕掛人～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/vrmmo-no-shien-shokunin-%ef%bd%9etop-player-no-shikakenin%ef%bd%9e/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Slice of Life
Adventurers Beautiful Female Lead Blacksmith Brother Complex Calm Protagonist Childhood Friends Clan Building Cooking Crafting Curious Protagonist Dense Protagonist Elemental Magic Fantasy Creatures Game Ranking System Gamers Hard-Working Protagonist Healers Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Love Rivals Male Protagonist Misunderstandings MMORPG Ninjas Possessive Characters Priests Siblings Siblings Not Related by Blood Sword And Magic Virtual Reality Younger Love Interests Younger Sisters
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4014ds/
二階堂風都