VOLUME 1
Chapter 2: The Quest
Part 1
Back in the real world, Eri Inui had no friends.
Well, some people may have thought of her as a friend, but she felt like she had none.
Coined by shy people who were not very good at making friends, “riaju” was a Japanese Internet slang word for young people who were happy with their lives and lived them to their fullest, such as normal high school students who spoke with their friends, got into relationships, and were active members of their communities.
On the outside, Eri was one of these “riaju,” or at least she was very good at pretending to be one.
Deceiving others came very easily to her. She talked to her classmates in school, responded to text messages, and created harmless friendships. Eri knew that she was good at that.
The only place where she could express her true self was on the Internet. On online games, even if she was hated for voicing her real opinions or if she was the target of harassment, ceasing to play games would cause her interpersonal relationships to end.
She felt like she could not be herself anywhere but on the Internet.
One of her friends from another MMORPG invited Eri to join Sky World. An MMO whose client was only spread by word of mouth was very suspicious, but after checking out the client on many different Internet services to make sure that it was not a malicious file like a worm or a Trojan, she tried starting the client.
The day after Eri first connected to Sky World was the Birthday.
That day, Eri, tucked tightly in bed, opened her eyes, looked around, and found herself alone in a different world.
Fortunately, she was invited into the guild called the Crimson Scarf Knight Association.
Shiroko, the leader of that guild, treated her nicely, and Eri thought that her scent was like that of somebody she knew in real life. She said, “Let’s relax and make friends with each other on this island.” In other words, it seemed like she just wanted to build up a close-knit community.
“Relax[ing]” was one of the guild’s main selling points. In reality, Shiroko only wanted to be in a position of authority. She could not let her guard down around anybody like Eri.
The only exception to that was one month ago when a beautiful young girl, Kasumi Yukasaki, who did not know much about this world, “fell from the sky.”
Eri remembered how they first met pretty well. Eri and the rest of her guild were busy near the bind stone in the forest preparing for the raid.
“Well, until the next airship comes, let’s be friends!”
Kasumi shook her head quietly.
“Please allow me to look for ways to get off the island without waiting for the regularly scheduled airship.”
There were no other ways. Soon, Shiroko realized what Kasumi was really trying to say. She would not spend any time slacking off. She was the type of person who, even if there were only just a tiny possibility, would devote all of her energy towards whatever she had in mind.
Before long, she discovered a way to leave the island. There was an empty airship hidden somewhere, but it would be very difficult to reach it.
Shiroko took care of Kasumi, but did not really want to help her achieve her goal of escaping from the island. Doing something like that could result in the collapse of “Shiroko’s insular community.” Her paradise would come to an end.
Because of that, Shiroko did not really try to bring Kasumi to the empty airship.
Kasumi Yukasaki did not pick up on that. She desperately wanted to help out. Conflicted, Eri wondered about her.
Then a lone boy showed up. He killed the Dread Sphinx on his own. That development could possibly pose a threat to Shiroko’s plan.
She still didn’t know whether he could be trusted…
Eri prepared herself for the worst.
VOLUME 1
Chapter 2: The Quest
Part 1
Back in the real world, Eri Inui had no friends.
Well, some people may have thought of her as a friend, but she felt like she had none.
Coined by shy people who were not very good at making friends, “riaju” was a Japanese Internet slang word for young people who were happy with their lives and lived them to their fullest, such as normal high school students who spoke with their friends, got into relationships, and were active members of their communities.
On the outside, Eri was one of these “riaju,” or at least she was very good at pretending to be one.
Deceiving others came very easily to her. She talked to her classmates in school, responded to text messages, and created harmless friendships. Eri knew that she was good at that.
The only place where she could express her true self was on the Internet. On online games, even if she was hated for voicing her real opinions or if she was the target of harassment, ceasing to play games would cause her interpersonal relationships to end.
She felt like she could not be herself anywhere but on the Internet.
One of her friends from another MMORPG invited Eri to join Sky World. An MMO whose client was only spread by word of mouth was very suspicious, but after checking out the client on many different Internet services to make sure that it was not a malicious file like a worm or a Trojan, she tried starting the client.
The day after Eri first connected to Sky World was the Birthday.
That day, Eri, tucked tightly in bed, opened her eyes, looked around, and found herself alone in a different world.
Fortunately, she was invited into the guild called the Crimson Scarf Knight Association.
Shiroko, the leader of that guild, treated her nicely, and Eri thought that her scent was like that of somebody she knew in real life. She said, “Let’s relax and make friends with each other on this island.” In other words, it seemed like she just wanted to build up a close-knit community.
“Relax[ing]” was one of the guild’s main selling points. In reality, Shiroko only wanted to be in a position of authority. She could not let her guard down around anybody like Eri.
The only exception to that was one month ago when a beautiful young girl, Kasumi Yukasaki, who did not know much about this world, “fell from the sky.”
Eri remembered how they first met pretty well. Eri and the rest of her guild were busy near the bind stone in the forest preparing for the raid.
“Well, until the next airship comes, let’s be friends!”
Kasumi shook her head quietly.
“Please allow me to look for ways to get off the island without waiting for the regularly scheduled airship.”
There were no other ways. Soon, Shiroko realized what Kasumi was really trying to say. She would not spend any time slacking off. She was the type of person who, even if there were only just a tiny possibility, would devote all of her energy towards whatever she had in mind.
Before long, she discovered a way to leave the island. There was an empty airship hidden somewhere, but it would be very difficult to reach it.
Shiroko took care of Kasumi, but did not really want to help her achieve her goal of escaping from the island. Doing something like that could result in the collapse of “Shiroko’s insular community.” Her paradise would come to an end.
Because of that, Shiroko did not really try to bring Kasumi to the empty airship.
Kasumi Yukasaki did not pick up on that. She desperately wanted to help out. Conflicted, Eri wondered about her.
Then a lone boy showed up. He killed the Dread Sphinx on his own. That development could possibly pose a threat to Shiroko’s plan.
She still didn’t know whether he could be trusted…
Eri prepared herself for the worst.
