おやつに作ったワッフルを食べ、ようやく本来の目的だった勉強会を行い、日が暮れる前に解散。
実質半分以上はゲームに関する雑談タイムだったが、テスト範囲の勉強は大体終わったので良しとしておく。
洗濯物を忘れずに取り込んだ後、夕飯の用意をしていたところで沢山の荷物を持った母さんと理世が帰宅。
袋を見るに大量に服を買い込んだ――わけではなく、どうやら帰りにスーパーに寄って食材の買い出しをしてきてくれたようだった。ありがたい。
調理を続ける俺の横で、二人が袋から食材を取り出して冷蔵庫にしまっていく。
「亘ー。いい匂いしてるけど夕飯のメニューは?」
「あー、筑前煮、焼き鯖、ほうれん草のおひたし、なめこの味噌汁......とかそんな感じ。今日は米食べてないから、和食にした」
「あら、良いわね。お昼がちょっと重かったのよねぇ」
「そうなの? 二人は昼、何食べてきたの?」
「ファストフードです。ハンバーガーショップで食べました」
「へ? なんで?」
俺は思わず手を止めて二人の方を向いた。
外食ならもっと良い店で食べてくればいいのに。
時間が無かったのか? それとも店が混んでいた?
と思っていたら、二人とも敢えて行ったのだと言う。
「亘が健康に良いものばっかり作ってくれるから、たまにああいうチープなのが食べたくなるのよ。ね、理世ちゃん」
「ええ。つい、ふらっと立ち寄ってしまいまして」
「ふーん。で、どうだった?」
俺がそう聞くと、二人は顔を見合わせて曖昧な笑みを浮かべた。
「......今度、ハンバーガーバンを買ってきて家で挟みましょうね」
「そうですね。中身が兄さんのハンバーグなら、美味しく出来上がりそうです」
「駄目じゃん......」
この二人、割と頻繁に俺の理解を超えた動きをするんだよな。
結局、何のために行ったのか良く分からない話になってしまっている。
というか、どうせならバンズも家で焼けばいい。
折角ガスオーブンがあるんだし、使わないと勿体ないじゃないか。
「まあいいや。取り敢えず夕食にしよう。ほら、運んだ運んだ」
「はい」
夕食が終わった後は食器の片付け、明日の料理の仕込みを済ませてから風呂へ。
やるべきことが全て終わったら、いよいよトーナメントの決勝ブロックだ。
時間に余裕もあるし、事前に公式サイトにログインして自分への全額ベットも済ませてあるので......。
「んじゃー、行くかぁ」
ストレッチをした後で、VRギアを着けてベッドに横になった。
「おおう、コロッセオのサイズがデカくなっとる......」
グループトーナメントは全て同じ会場のコピペだったのだが、どうやら決勝ブロックの物は一味違うようだ。
ログインしてサーラから会場に転移すると――そこは倍近いサイズになったコロッセオの内部だった。
薄っすら見える外の景色はグループトーナメントの時と同じ気がするんだが、どういう辻褄の合わせ方をしているのだろう?
異空間に並列に存在している......とか?
分からないが、そんな巨大な会場には既にかなりの数のプレイヤーが押し掛けている。
「あ、本体さんだ」
「本当だ。でも遠隔兵器の勇者ちゃんが居ないぞ?」
「後から来るんじゃない? ――うわっ、こっち見た!」
「気を付けろよ! 目が合ったらお前も遠隔兵器にされちまうぞ!」
するか! と聞こえてきた会話に全力で突っ込みを入れたい気持ちを抑え、どうにか平静を保つ。我慢、我慢だ。
にしても思った以上に本体呼びが定着しているな......隣にユーミルが居ないので注目度はほどほどで済んでいるが、なるべく目立たないように静かに移動を開始する。
それはそれとして、インベントリなりメニューなりを開くと見える所持金0の数字が物悲しい......。
というのも御丁寧に一の位まで賭けることが可能だったので、未祐と秀平の監視の元、キッチリと全財産約30万ゴールドを余さず入力する羽目になった。
最終的な俺達の倍率は最下位のまま更に上がって50倍になったので、当たれば1500万Gもの大金を得られるわけだが。
「そう上手く行くとは思えないしな......」
「「だーれだ?」」
「!?」
不意に誰かの手によって視界が暗闇に閉ざされる。
聞こえた声は女性のものが二人分、しかし方向からして俺の目を覆っている主の者ではない。
柔らかな感触からして、この手も女性の物だと思うのだが――うぇぇっ!?
何か、手だけじゃなく背中にも柔らかくて重量感のある物体が押し付けられているんだが!?
「――声を出したのはリコリスちゃんとサイネリアちゃん。俺の目を抑えてるのはシエスタちゃん......かな? どうだ!」
「おー、先輩正解ー。お久しぶりでーす」
「お久しぶりです! 良く分かりましたね!」
「こんばんは。今夜はお招きいただき、ありがとうございます」
くりくりした目で元気の良いリコリスちゃん、礼儀正しい優等生気質のサイネリアちゃん、そして眠そうなシエスタちゃんの三人が俺にぺこりとお辞儀をした。
普通に登場して欲しかったが、中学生らしく微笑ましい部類の悪戯なので咎めはすまい。
サイネリアちゃんの招かれた、という言葉には理由があり......。
「ようこそ。じゃあ折角だから、一緒に席に移動しようか」
決勝トーナメント出場者は最前列の席がゲーム側から用意してあり、一組につき十人までフレンドを呼んで一緒に並んで座ることができる。
俺達の場合はリィズ、セレーネさん、トビ、そして新たにフレンドになったミツヨシさんを呼んで四人なので枠が余る。
そこでユーミルとも共通のフレンドであるこの子達を招いたわけだが、ちゃんと応援に来てくれたようで嬉しい。
「ところで先輩......さっき私の胸の感触で誰なのか判別しませんでした? 気のせい?」
......って、公衆の面前で急に何言ってんだこの子は。
確かにしたけども。したけども!
つい今しがたも、昼間見た未祐の胸と比べちゃったけども!
「......そうだって言っても違うって言ってもからかう気だろうから、絶対答えない。それと、前にも注意したと思うけど軽々しく異性にそういうことをしない、言わない。危ないから」
「えー、けちー。でも、私も先輩にしかそういうことしないって前に言いましたよ?」
「ふおお......ハインド先輩、クールな対応です! 大人っぽいです!」
「本当に。シーがこんなに簡単にあしらわれるのも珍しいです」
それ、多分だけど君達の同級生男子が比較対象だろう......?
中学生男子と比べて大人っぽいと言われても、微妙な気分にしかならないのだが。
これでも内心は物凄く動揺しているから、それほど変わらないように思えるし。
「というかむしろ先輩、言動がちょっとオッサンっぽ――」
「――嘘ですごめんなさい」
「シーちゃんが謝った!? 担任の先生にも、一度も謝ったことないのに!?」
「凄い迫力......あ、わ、私はお母さんっぽいと思いましたよ! だから大丈夫です! はい!」
サイネリアちゃん、それフォローになってない。
しかしオッサンって......人が気にしていることを......。
こうやって隙あらば悪戯なことばかりしてくるシエスタちゃんは、実際かなりの問題児だと思う。
リコリスちゃんとサイネリアちゃんによると、それでいて勉強の成績は非常に良いのだそうな。
中学校の先生方の苦労が偲ばれる......。
成績が良くて態度が不真面目とか、手がつけられん生徒だろうに。
「そういえば君達は、PvPは一切やらない感じなの? リコリスちゃんが前衛なら、どっちと組んでもバランス良いと思うんだけど」
「いえ、私とリコが予選に出たんですが......」
「へたっぴなので、アローレインを撃つ前に負けちゃってばっかりで。予選落ちですー」
「私は二人の成長を昼寝しつつ見守っていました。むふー」
そう言ってシエスタちゃんは眠そうな顔のまま親指を立てた。
それは何もしていないに等しいんじゃないか?
「リプレイ見てアドバイスくらいしてあげなって」
「シーの助言は的確なんですけど、気が向いた時しかしてくれなくて」
「シーちゃん酷いですよね? ね?」
「酷いというか、君達も大概変わった関係だよね......」
見た感じ三人組というよりは二人プラス一人なのだが、不思議とそれで付き合いが成り立っているように思える。
リコリスちゃんとサイネリアちゃんの二人が主に行動して、シエスタちゃんはたまに口出ししたり気紛れに動くだけという。
とはいえ、それで仲が良いのだから外野が言うことは何も無いのだが。
そこまで話したところで最前列に着いたので、話の続きは席に座ってからということになった。
We ate the waffles I made for a snack and finally got to the main objective of our gathering, which was to have a group study. We stopped before it got dark.
More than half the time was spent talking about game related stuff, but since we had finished covering what would be in the test it was fine.
After bringing the laundry inside, about the time I was done making preparations for dinner, Rise and Mom came back home while carrying a huge amount of stuff.
Once I took a look inside the bags I saw a huge amount of cloth...nope, for some reason it seems like they had gone to the supermarket and bought ingredients. I'm thankful.
They stood next to me, who kept making the food and started putting the food inside the fridge.
[Wataru. It smells good, but what's in the menu for dinner?]  (Akeno)
[Ah, chicken stew, fried mackerel, boiled spinach, mushroom miso soup...something like that.
[Oh my, that sounds great. Our lunch was kinda heavy.]  (Akeno)
[Is that so? What did you eat?]  (Wataru)
[Fast food. We ate in an hamburger shop.]  (Rise)
[Eh? Why?]  (Wataru)
I unconsciously stopped moving my hands and looked at them.
Since they were going to eat outside, it would have been fine if they went to a better place.
Didn't they have enough time? Or was it because the shops were crowded?
Just when I thought that, they both said that they went there on purpose.
[Since Wataru makes only healthy things, sometimes we feel like going to those kinds of cheap places to eat. Right? Rise-chan.] (Akeno)
[Yes. We stopped there without noticing.]  (Rise)
[I see. So, how was it?]  (Wataru)
When I asked that, they glanced at each other and showed an ambiguous smile.
[...This time, let's buy some hamburger bread and make some at home.]  (Akeno)
[That's right. If inside there were burgers made by nii-san, I'm sure they'd come out really tasty.]  (Rise)
[There's no way that would be possible...]  (Wataru)
These two tend to do things that I don't really understand quite frequently.
In the end, this is turning into a conversation that makes me unable to understand why they even went out for such.
To begin with, if we are going that far, I might as well make the buns at home too.
We have a gas oven after all, it would be a waste to not use it.
[Oh well. For the time being, let's eat dinner. Come on, bring the stuff over to the table.]  (Wataru)
[Got it.]  (Akeno)
After dinner, I cleaned up the tableware and after finishing preparing the ingredients for tomorrow, I took a bath.
Once I finished doing everything I had to do, it was finally time for the finals.
There was more than enough time, so I logged into the main site first and bet my entire savings too...
[Well then, time to go.]  (Wataru)
After stretching, I put on the VR gear and lie down on the bed.
[Ooh, the size of the colosseum has gotten bigger...] 
The ones used for the group tournaments were just copy pasted and all the same, but it seems like the one used for the finals is completely different.
After moving to the venue from Sala after logging in...I appeared within the colosseum that was many times the size of the previous one.
After taking a small look at the scenery outside, I got the feeling that it was the same as the one for the group tournaments, how do they make it to stay the same way?
Do they exist in parallel while being part of another dimension...or something like that?
I don't really get it, but in that huge place there were already a big amount of players crowding into it.
[Ah, it's the True Self.] 
[You are right. However, the remote weapon Hero-chan is not there though?] 
[Won't she come here later?...Whoa, he looked here!!] 
[Be careful! If you meet his eyes, you'll get turned into a remote weapon too!] 
As if! is what I wanted to retort with all my might when I heard such conversation, but I managed to keep calm.
Though, there are more people using True Self than I thought there would...but since Yumir is not next to me the amount is moderate, I started moving around quietly so I didn't stand out.
Leaving that aside, when I opened my inventory and saw the 0G in my possession, I felt sad...
Because you can even bet the single digit numbers of cash, under Miyu and Shuuhei's supervision, I properly bet all I owned which was about 300.000G.
At the end, our position was still last but our betting odds got up to 50x, so if we win we'll get the huge amount of 15.000.000G but...
[I doubt it'll go that well though...] 
[[Who are we?] ] 
[!?] 
Suddenly my field of view turned dark because of someone's hands.
The voices I heard were of 2 females, but the owner of the voices wasn't the one that was covering my eyes.
From the soft feeling I got, I believe these hands also belong to a female but...Uuh!?
There's something, there are some soft and heavy things that are not these hands currently pressing against my back though!?
[...The ones that talked were Lycoris-chan and Cineraria-chan. The one covering my eyes is Siesta-chan...I think? How about that!]  (Hind)
[Ooh, senpai you got them right. Long time no see.]  (Siesta)
[It's been a long time! Good job figuring it out!]  (Lyco)
[Good evening. Thanks for inviting us tonight.] (Sai)
The one with round eyes and cheerfulness Lycoris-chan, the one like a polite honor student is Cineraria-chan, and the sleepy looking one Siesta-chan bowed to me.
I would have preferred if they had made a normal entrance, but it was at the level of a charming prank coming from some middle schoolers so I couldn't really reprimand them.
Though it's also because like Cineraria-chan said, I was the one who invited them...
[Welcome. Since we are here, how about we go get some seats together?]  (Hind)
Participants in the finals have front row seats prepared for them beforehand, and each pair is able to call up to 10 friends to sit down with them.
In our case we invited...Riizu, Selene-san, Tobi and our new friend Mitsuyoshi-san, so we had space to spare.
At that time, we invited these girls since they were both friends of mine and Yumir, but I'm happy that they were able to come here to cheer for us.
[By the way senpai...weren't you able to discern who I was just now because of the sensation of my breasts? Was that just my imagination?]  (Siesta)
...Wait, what is this girl even saying in public right now?
It's true that I did. It's true but!!!
Just now, I kinda went and compared them to the breasts of Miyu, who I saw this noon too, but...!!
[...Since you'll end up making fun of me whether I admit it or I deny it, I definitely won't answer.
[Eh, don't be like that. However, didn't I say that I didn't do this kind of thing with people other than senpai?] (Siesta)
[Fuoo...Hind-senpai, that was a cool way to react! It's so mature!]  (Lycoris)
[So true. It's quite unusual to see Si being handled this easily.] (Cineraria)
That...that is probably only when they compare me to the guys from their middle school right...?
Being told that I'm more mature compared to middle schoolers does give me quite the complex feeling.
Even when I look like this to them, I'm actually quite shaken up inside, I don't think I'm that different compared to them.
[Rather than that senpai, the way you talk reminds me of an old ma-]  (Siesta)
[...Just kidding, I'm sorry.]  (Siesta)
[Si-chan apologized!? Even though she has never apologized even once to our homeroom teacher!?]  (Lycoris)
[Such incredible intensity....ah, I-I believe you feel more like a mom! That's why it's fine! Yeah!]  (Cineraria)
Cineraria-chan, that doesn't make it any better.
But to think they would call me an old man...saying things that are bothering other people...
Since Siesta-chan just keeps pulling pranks whenever she sees a chance, I believe that she's quite the problem child in real life too.
But according to Lycoris-chan and Cineraria-chan, it looks like despite this fact, her academic grades are quite good.
I can see their middle school teachers having it hard...
Even though her grades are good, she doesn't take things seriously and it's not like they can put their hands on a student.
[Now that I think about it, haven't you guys done any PvP? If Lycoris-chan acted as the vanguard, I believe there would be a good balance no matter who pairs up with her though.]  (Hind)
[No, I participated with Lyco during the preliminaries but...]  (Cineraria)
[Since we sucked, we always lost before being able to use Arrow Rain. We dropped out during them.]  (Lycoris)
[I watched over their growth while taking a nap. Mufuh.]  (Siesta)
While saying that, Siesta-chan gave a thumbs up while looking really sleepy.
Isn't that the same as saying she didn't do anything?
[At least look over the replays and give them some advice.]  (Hind)
[Si-chan's advice was really accurate, but she only did give advice whenever she felt like it.]  (Cineraria)
[Si-chan is mean right? Right?]  (Lycoris)
[Rather than mean, I'd say you guys have quite the weird relationship...]  (Hind)
From what it looks like, instead of a 3 man group, it feels more like 2 people plus another, but weirdly enough it makes you think that they are part of the same group.
Lycoris-chan and Cineraria-chan are the main people that decide what to do, Siesta-chan does voice her opinion from time to time or moves on a whim.
That being said, since they get along so well despite that, I have nothing to say as an outsider.
Since we arrived at the front row after talking to that point, we decided to continue our talk after we had taken our seats.
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