生産活動と膝枕
日曜夜、午後九時。
皆より少し早い時間にログインした俺は、生産活動に
目的の一つはタートル系装備に武器を一新すること。
防具に比べて武器の性能はそろそろ苦しい。
ヒースローを出るにあたり、トビ以外のメンバーの武器を更新する必要性を感じていた。
人が少なくなった『ヒースローの街』の鍛冶場でサッと作った杖2、剣1。
タートル系上限の上質+10が作製できたので、こちらはそれで問題無し。
セレーネさんの指導が生きてきたな......順調順調。
攻撃力は鉄系の三割増しといったところで、タートル系の売りである耐久力は四倍もある。
長旅になってもこれで安心だ。
それが終わると、リィズと約束していたアクセサリーの作製に移る。
場所はヒースローにある噴水傍のベンチの一つ。
甲羅とは別にレアドロップした少量のべっ甲を用い、それほど手間取らずに完成。
我ながら、悪くない出来だと思う。
その次は裁縫だ。
素材は取引掲示板で買ったデニム生地に似たプレイヤーオリジナルの合成繊維。
それと、縫い込むことで防具全体に耐火性能を持たせることが出来るファイアーワームの糸も購入。
どちらも高かったが......なんとエルフ耳が綺麗に全て売れたので、懐には余裕がある。
まさか登録からたったの二日で売れるとは思わなかった。
需要は確かなようなので、金欠になったらまた生産を考えるのもいいかもしれない。
......と、手元は何も問題ない。
現実ならミシンが欲しい所だが、三割も縫えば勝手に完成するのがTBというゲームの裁縫の常なので。
問題は、長時間同じ姿勢で居ることで感覚が無くなってきた太腿にある。
そろそろ足が
一度立って体をほぐしたい。ゲーム内でも体は固まるし、血は滞るのだ。
だから――
「し、シエスタちゃん......そろそろ起きて、現実で寝なよ......」
人の足を枕にして眠る少女に声を掛けた。
彼女がここをふらりと訪れたのは約三十分前のこと。
べっ甲アクセの仕上げのタイミングだったので、ロクに相手も出来なかったのだが......気付いたら膝の上が占領されていた。
「しかし、ゲーム内で寝て一体何の意味があるっていうんだ......?」
「......先輩、知らないんですか? ゲーム内で寝るとHPも状態異常も回復するんですよ。しかも、満腹度の消費も抑えられます」
「マジで!? って、起きたんならどいてくれよ! ......足が......もう、限界っ......!」
「貧弱ですねぇ......まぁ、鍛えてたらこんなに気持ちいい膝枕は望めない訳ですが。先輩の膝、気に入りました」
「ぬああっ!」
答える余裕はない。
シエスタちゃんが体を起こした直後、作製中の生地を横に置いてベンチから崩れ落ちるように地面に両手をついた。
体重を逃がして足の血行を回復......って、こんな細かいところまでVRで再現しなくていいのに!
あああ......NPCもプレイヤーも、不審そうな視線を俺に向けてくる。
恥ずかしい、でも動けない。
そのままの体勢でいると、通行人が蹴とばした石が偶然足に飛んできて――
「――!!」
痺れている部分に直撃。
声にならない呻きが、喉の奥から絞り出された。
「酷い目にあった......」
ベンチに座り直し、裁縫を再開できるまで結構な時間あのままうずくまっていた。
もうすぐこれも完成なので、一気に終わらせたいところ。
寝起きでも一向に普段と変わらない眠そうな顔で、シエスタちゃんはそんな俺の手元をボーっと眺めている。
「ドンマイ、先輩」
「原因作った人の台詞かなぁ! それはさぁ!」
完全に柳に風だこれ。まともな反応が返ってきやしねえ。
気まぐれな猫を相手にしている気分だ......。
「......ところで、リコリスちゃんとサイネリアちゃんは? 今日は一人なの?」
「あの二人は良い子なので、今夜はもう寝ました。私は悪い子なので、こうして先輩と逢引きを......」
「不穏当な単語を聞いた気がするけど、俺の聞き間違いかな? ......はぁ。だったら、君もそろそろ寝たらどうだい? もう十時になるし、中学生には遅い時間なんじゃ?」
「どう考えても君の図太さで、その程度で泣くのはないなぁ......」
噓泣きに決まってるって。
ご丁寧に両手で顔を覆って声まで震わせているけど、余りの白々しさに俺が泣きたくなるレベルだよ。
思った通り、降ろした手の下には変わらず眠そうな表情があるだけだ。
「――でも、同級生の男子はこれでコロッと騙されてくれますよ?」
「君の方がよっぽど酷いわ!」
悪魔だ、悪魔が居る。
女の武器を悪用するとは......同級生の男子も、もうちょっと良く見て気付け。
バレバレだぞ。
「......? んー?」
「お? どうした?」
急に何もない空間にキョロキョロと視線をやり始めるシエスタちゃん。
その行動に俺が困惑していると、のっそりと立ち上がって小さく頭を下げて一言。
「では、私はそろそろ現実で寝ることにします。先輩、またお会いしましょう」
「お、おう、唐突だな。えーと......おやすみ」
「はい。おやすみなさい」
挨拶を残し、手を振りながらログアウトしていく。
その行動に多少の疑問は残るが......まあいい。
一人になったので、俺は裁縫の方に集中した。
それから五分ほど後だろうか?
静かな足音が聞こえたので、顔を上げるとログインしてきたリィズが隣に座るところだった。
帽子を外して自分の膝の上に置く。
「おう。どうだった、テストの自己採点は?」
理世のログインが俺よりも遅かった理由は、自室で模擬試験の自己採点をしていたからだ。
記述式の部分を除外し、記号問題だけをざっと......とのこと。
「はい。特に問題ありませんでした」
こいつの問題無しは、イコール満点だからなぁ......優秀過ぎて、もはや競う気も起きないね。
一時期は俺も妹に負けるかと対抗意識を燃やしたものだが、とても敵うものじゃない。
今はもう、兄としてただただ妹の勉学の道を応援するのみである。
頑張れ理世......お前がナンバー1だ。
「そっか、それは重畳。お疲れ様」
「あっ......ふふ......」
頭をポンポンと軽く触ってやると、照れたように帽子で顔を隠した。
そのまま体をすっと寄せてくる。
今日くらいはいいかと放っておくと、不意にリィズが眉根を寄せて厳しい視線を俺に向けてきた。
「......ハインドさん」
「ハインドさんの体から、他の女の臭いがします」
急におかしなことを言い出したリィズが、俺の周囲で鼻をひくつかせる。
確かにさっきまでシエスタちゃんが近くに居たけど、まさか匂いなんて残ってないだろ......?
「クンクン......この太ももの辺りが、特に......」
「え ゙!?」
犬かお前は! 嘘だろ......どうして分かるんだ。
別にやましいことはないし隠す気は無い、無いんだけど......言わない方がいいと俺の勘が激しく警鐘を鳴らしている。
現にリィズの瞳からは光が失われ、その眼差しはもはや闇の深淵を覗き込むが如し、である。怖い。
俺はその勘に従い、インベントリからアクセサリを引っ張り出してリィズに首に強引に着けさせた。
突然の動きに、目を白黒させて体を起こすリィズ。
「ほ、ほら、イベント初日に約束しただろ? ユーミル用にイベントランキングを狙う代わりに、リィズには何か代わりのアクセサリーを作るって」
「憶えていて下さったんですか......? わあ、綺麗......」
魔女の服が地味なので、なるべく明るい色の物を選んでべっ甲の首飾りを作った。
色は半透明で、赤が少し混じった黄色に褐色の模様が独特な色味を形成している。
髪飾りという案も考えたが、帽子を被ると見えなくなってしまう恐れがあったので首飾りという無難なチョイスに落ち着いた。
性能は極上+1、魔力が+15される魔導士にピッタリの一品。
「ありがとうございます!」
「満足したか?」
表情も明るくなったし、目に光も戻ってきたしで一安心だ。
首飾りを手に取ってリィズが眺め出したので、俺は裁縫の続きへと――
「ですが、それとこれとは話が別ですよ?」
その後、暫くの間リィズは俺にべったりと張り付いて離れなくなった。
それもシエスタちゃんと同じ体勢で......つまりは、本日二度目の膝枕である。
曰く、匂いを上書きするまでこのままだそうな。
結果、ログインしてきたユーミルがキレてリィズを引っぺがすまで、俺はその体勢のままでずっとベンチに座り続ける羽目になった。
これにより、俺の足が再び痺れたことは言うまでもない......。
Chapter 40 - Crafting And Lap Pillow
Sunday evening, 9 pm.
Since I had logged in before everyone else, I was currently doing some crafting.
One of my aims was to upgrade our weapons with turtle type ones.
Compared to our defensive gear, our weapons were already falling off.
If we are going to head out to the vicinity of Heathrow, I felt the need to upgrade the weapons of everyone except Tobi.
In the now less populated blacksmith's workshop of [Heathrow town]  I made 2 staves and a sword quickly.
Since I made them with fine quality and +10 which is the upper limit for turtle type gear, there weren't any problems with them.
This is all thanks to Selene-san's guidance...it's going well.
Their offensive power is about 30% higher than those made of iron, but the selling point of the turtle gear is that their endurance is about four times that of iron gear.
Even if it turns out to be a long trip we should be safe with this.
Once I was done with that, I moved onto making that accessory I promised to make for Riizu.
The place was a bench close to the fountain in Heathrow.
I used a small amount of tortoiseshell which was a rare drop that dropped apart from the shells, I completed it without much trouble.
Even if I say so myself, I believe it turned out quite well.
Next up is sewing.
The material was a player original synthetic fiber that resembled denim cloth I bought in the trading BBS.
Other than that, I bought fire worm's thread that can generally add fire resistance to defensive gear you sew it in.
Both of them were quite expensive...but I was somehow able to sell all the elven ears, so I still have some surplus of money.
To think they would sell in just two days after I registered them.
Since it seems like there's a demand for them, I'll think about making them again once we start running out of money.
...Oh, I have no issues handling this.
In reality, I wish I had a sewing machine, but the sewing in the game called TB is made so that it'll complete on its own once you finish 30% of the work.
The problem is the loss of feeling in my thighs for staying in the same posture for a long period of time.
My legs are about to go numb....
I want to stand up and relax my body. Even inside the game your body will feel stiff and the circulation of blood can be stopped.
That's why...
[S-Siesta-chan...wake up already, don't really go to sleep...]  (Hind)
I talked to the girl that was using someone else's legs as a pillow.
She suddenly appeared here about 30 minutes ago.
It was around the time I was making the finishing touches on the tortoiseshell accessory, I couldn't do anything about it at the time...but before I realized it, she was having my lap all for herself.
[However, what meaning is there in sleeping inside the game...?]  (Hind)
[...Senpai, you didn't know? You can recover HP and from status ailments if you sleep inside the game. Furthermore, it'll reduce the speed at which the hunger gauge depletes.]  (Siesta)
[Really!? Wait, if you are awake please move! ...My legs...are already...at their limit...!]  (Hind)
[You are such a weakling...well, if you trained your body, I wouldn't be able to lie on such a pleasant lap though. I have taken a liking to senpai's lap.]  (Siesta)
[Nuaaaa!]  (Hind)
I didn't have the time to reply to her.
Immediately after Siesta-chan raised her body, the cloth I was working on and placed on top of the bench fell down to the ground and I tried to catch it with both hands.
Now that my legs were free from her weight, the blood circulation returned...even though it would be fine if they didn't reproduce even these minute details!
Aaahh...the NPCs and player's suspicious glances focused on me.
This is so embarrassing, but I can't move.
While I stood still like that, a stone kicked by a random passerby accidentally flew towards my leg...
[-!!]  (Hind)
It was a direct hit in the area that had gone numb.
It was a soundless groan, but it was squeezed out from the depths of my throat.
[That was awful...]  (Hind)
I sat on the bench again, I spent quite a lot of time squatting like that until I was able to return to my sewing work.
I'm about to finish this one so I want to finish them all in one go.
With her usual unchanging sleepy face even though she had woken up, Siesta-chan absent-mindedly stared at my hands.
[Don't mind it, senpai.]  (Siesta)
[Should that be said by the culprit!? Besides!]  (Hind)
It's definitely going in one and out of the other. I can't get a serious reply.
It gives the feeling that I'm dealing with a whimsical cat.
[...By the way, where are Lycoris-chan and Cineraria-chan? Are you alone today?]  (Hind)
[Those two are good girls, so they are already sleeping. Since I'm a bad girl, I'm having a tryst with senpai like this...]  (Siesta)
[I get the feeling I heard an improper word there, was it just my imagination? ...Hah.
[No matter how I think about it you are just acting cheeky, you wouldn't cry over this much...]  (Hind)
They are definitely fake tears.
She's carefully hiding her face with both hands and her voice is shaking, but it was so obvious that it was at a level it made me want to cry too.
Just as I thought, once I took one of her hands down, behind it was only her usual sleepy face.
[...However, I can easily trick my male classmates like this, you know?]  (Siesta)
[You are the one that's very mean!]  (Hind)
She's the devil, the devil is here.
Abusing women's weapons...her male classmates should also take a better look at her and notice.
It's so obvious.
[...? Hmm?]  (Siesta)
[Oh? What's wrong?]  (Hind)
Siesta-chan suddenly shifted her gaze to a place where there was nothing.
While I was confused by her actions, she sluggishly stood up and bowed her small head.
[Well then, it's about time I slept for real. Senpai, see you again.]  (Siesta)
[O-Oh, that was quite sudden. Eh...good night.]  (Hind)
[Yes. Good night.]  (Siesta)
Leaving those words behind, she logged out while waving her hand.
Her actions left some questions behind...but oh well.
Since I was alone now, I concentrated on sewing.
I believe it was five minutes after that?
Since I heard calm steps, I raised my head and saw Riizu who had logged in and she sat down next to me.
She removed her hat and placed it on top of her lap.
[Oh. How did it go? Marking your own tests.]  (Hind)
The reason Rise took longer than me to log in was because she was marking the trial tests on her own room.
She would take out the parts that she didn't get right...and guess what her grade was roughly.
[Yes. There weren't many issues with them.]  (Riizu)
When she says that there weren't any issues, she meant that she got perfect marks after all...she's too good, she doesn't have any competition at this point.
There was a period of time where I was burning with competitiveness against my little sister, but I was no match for her.
Right now, I'm just a brother that's trying to help his little sister in her path of pursuing knowledge.
Hang in there Rise...you are number one.
[I see, glad to hear that. Good work.]  (Hind)
[Ah...fufu...]  (Riizu)
I lightly placed my hand on top of her head without reservation, in order to hide her bashfulness she concealed her face with her hat.
Like that, she proceed to bring her body closer.
Just when I was thinking that it was fine to let her do it just for today, Riizu brought her face really close to mine and glared at me intensely.
[...Hind-san.]  (Riizu)
[There's the smell of another woman coming from Hind-san's body.]  (Riizu)
Riizu, who had said something really weird, suddenly started to draw her nose to my surroundings.
It's true that until just a while ago Siesta-chan was close to me, but would that have left any remains of her scent...?
[Kunkun...especially around the area of these thighs...]  (Riizu)
[Eh!?]  (Hind)
Are you a dog!? You have got to be kidding me...how was she able to tell?
It's not like I was guilty of anything and there was no need to hide it, there was no need...but my sixth-sense rang the alarm bells and told me that I shouldn't say anything about it.
The current Riizu's eyes had lost all their light and they already looked as if you were peering into the abyss. It was scary.
In accordance with my sixth-sense, I took out the accessory from my inventory and forcibly put it on Riizu's neck.
Due to my sudden movement, Riizu's eyes showed surprise and she came back to her senses.
[R-Remember? I did make a promise at the start of the event, right? That in exchange for aiming for the event rankings for Yumir, I would make an accessory for Riizu.]  (Hind)
[You remembered...? Oh, it's lovely...]  (Riizu)
Since her mage clothes were plain, I chose a tortoiseshell with as bright a color as possible to make a necklace.
The color was translucent, it was crimson with a bit of amber and dark brown mixed into it to give form to a unique shade.
I thought about making a hair ornament, but I had the fear that it would get hidden once she wore the hat so I settled for the safe choice which was the necklace.
Performance wise, it was a first-rate +1 and it increased magic attack by +15, perfect for a mage.
[Thank you very much!]  (Riizu)
[Was it satisfactory?]  (Hind)
Since her expression had brightened up, I felt a sense of relief once light returned to her eyes.
Now that Riizu had placed the necklace on her hand and was gazing at it, I should get back to my sewing-
[However, this and that are different matters you know?]  (Riizu)
After that, for a short while, Riizu clung onto me and wouldn't let go.
At that, it was also in the same posture as Siesta-chan...that is to say, this was the second lap pillow of the day.
The pretext was probably to stay like that until she overwrites the previous smell I guess.
As a result, I stayed sitting down on the bench like that until Yumir logged in, snapped, and tore her off me.
Because of this, it goes without saying that my legs went numb again...
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