Translator: Shizukuku

Editor: Lilia

Read at Watashi Wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 129 – Game Fest is Here!

It’s Game Fest today!

Even though the sky was overcast, there were so many people that the chilly weather felt perfect.

I made plans to meet up with [ Takahashi and his Merry Men ] at the bullet train station. Yuuta was going to pick up Yui first and then meet Masuda at the station, so I was heading to the station alone.

It would actually be my first time meeting Yui and Brave in real life.

When I arrived at the bullet train station, I looked for Yuuta and found his forehead in the crowd of people.

Being tall is really convenient. It makes for a good landmark.

As I approached, I saw a small girl next to Yuuta.

Oh, so that was Yui. Her avatar’s face wasn’t all that different. Cute.

“Hey, Yuuta!”

As I called out and approached, it seemed like the two of them had heard my voice and were looking around for me.

Then Yuuta noticed me and waved his hand.

Yui followed his gaze and looked at me.

“Mac-kun? Um, well, saying ‘Nice to meet you’ feels a bit odd, doesn’t it?”

“We’ve met quite a lot in the game, but it’s nice to meet you in real life.”

Yui’s head was about 10 cm shorter than mine when I approached her, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Yuuta saw my face and immediately poked me in the temple.

“Don’t fall in love with my girl.”

“Your girl… Yuuta, you just wanted to say that line, didn’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“I just know, you idiot.”

Yui, who was observing our conversation from the side, suddenly burst out laughing.

“So you guys talk to each other like that here too. You guys must be really good friends.”

Her smile was so cute and soft. She was indeed a very feminine girl.

And it was refreshing to see Yuuta’s eyes soften a little when he looked at her.

Amidst all this, we heard Masuda’s voice calling out, “Hey~” from a distance.

Masuda emerged from among the crowd, hand in hand with someone.

“Hey, Mac. Nice to meet you. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

She looked down at me with a smile.

Wait, what?

“…Brave?”

The girl who smiled and nodded was taller than me.

It was the shoes, really. She was wearing heels, so she was taller than not just me but also Masuda. 

She had a slender figure and a pretty face, but her field of vision was too high.

“Mac, you’re bigger in the game, aren’t you? You’re so small and cute in real life.”

And her tone was exactly like Brave’s. But it was a wonder that I didn’t feel any sense of discomfort.

Masuda was smiling beside her, looking like Kairi.

Maybe Masuda should be the girlfriend.

Together with the two couples, I boarded the bullet train to the Game Fest venue.

Even though it was still a few hours before the opening, there were already long lines for the general public. 

The line we were joining used a different entrance, and we ignored the people who were staring at us in jealousy as we lined up.

But there were also a lot of people already lined up who had won the lottery, so we weren’t as far forward as I would’ve liked.

I thought we got up early, but we didn’t. 

But the previous year, I remembered lining up way, way back, eager to get in early, so maybe this year was better.

“Masuda, you have my eternal gratitude.”

For now, let’s express our utmost appreciation to Masuda for getting us tickets. 

As I bowed my head in thanks to Masuda, Yuuta and Yui also mimicked me, bowing to Masuda.

“What are you doing in the frontier town now?”

“Just getting beaten up by the hero alongside [ Platinum Lion ].”

“Yeah. But it’s strange how my level keeps going up even though I get beaten to a pulp every time. He’s truly worthy of being called a hero.”

“He really dotes on his wife, though.”

I was curious about this “doting on the wife” thing. Even though he was a hero, he didn’t seem very concerned with saving the world.

But well, considering Emily-san was also a hero with an unusual tendency for doting, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if the hero was like that, would it?

“What about you, Kengo?”

“I went to the cursed dungeon. It was interesting. If you go to the cursed dungeon, I recommend you bring a bottle of alcohol. The cursed statue will be delighted.”

“Huh? Are you doing something interesting again?”

Yuuta sounded dumbfounded at my words.

I wasn’t doing it on purpose, but it just kind of happened. It wasn’t my intention.

“Hey, could you tell me more about that?”

Suddenly, a man who was standing behind us in the line spoke to us and we turned around. 

A stylish, short-haired man wearing glasses was looking at us.

“Wait, Takahashi…?”

When Yuuta turned around, the stylish-looking man’s eyes widened. 

Wait, did he know Yuuta? I glanced over at Yuuta, and he looked puzzled. Maybe they didn’t know each other.

The man quickly started introducing himself by saying, “Oh, sorry, it’s me, me,” sounding just like a scammer.

“It’s Harpon. That face, it’s Takahashi, right? You used your real face for your avatar?”

“Harpon-san?!”

Our voices harmonized beautifully.

Wow, the real Harpon-san seemed to be a pretty nice guy.

“Yui is here, too. Your outfit today is cute. So, it’s true that you guys are dating. Damn, you guys are living the life. By the way, who are these three?”

Harpon-san pointed at us, and we introduced ourselves in turn.

“I’m Brave.”

“I’m Kairi.”

“I’m Mac.”

At our introductions, Harpon-san was rendered speechless.

Especially when it was Masuda’s turn. Harpon-san’s eyes widened, he looked at Masuda’s chest, checked the flatness, and muttered, “…Seriously?”

Yeah, I know. Yuuta was having a good laugh, too.

“Wait, Mac? That Mac?”

“Yes, um, the ‘that’ part is a little curious, but yes, I’m Mac.”

“…Could it be that you’re the one who discovered the thing about the statue?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I see…”

Oh, he was somehow convinced.

As I was tilting my head in puzzlement, Harpon-san brought the conversation back to the initial topic.

“What was that about the stone statue being delighted? That’s the stone statue that curses you if you touch it, right?”

“That’s right. When you pour alcohol on it, the part that’s touched by the alcohol starts moving, and he’ll ask you for more. If you can pour it on his head then you can have a conversation with him.”

“Huh, that’s definitely something I should check out… I’ve already had my fill of the elf village for now, anyway.”

As Harpon-san muttered that, Yuuta and I exchanged glances with each other.

So he’d been in the elf village all that time? Well, it was perfect for leveling up, I guess.

“How did you manage to get to the elf village, Harpon-san? Didn’t you have a hard time?”

Yuuta asked, and Harpon-san grinned.

“I bumped into a dungeon searcher along the way and we worked together. We even went into a secret dungeon. I learned a light magic spell.”

“Wow, that’s great!”

I couldn’t help but smile wryly at Yuuta making such a fuss. No matter how amazing the magic was, if his magic level and MP were too low, he could only use it at a power level meant for party tricks. I kept that thought to myself.

But Yuuta casting easy spells with great difficulty would be entertaining in its own way, so I welcomed it.

As I was thinking about that and laughing, Yuuta poked me in the temple again. Ouch!

As our conversation reached its peak, Masuda looked up and said, “Oh, look, the staff are coming out. Isn’t it opening time?”  

Ah, that’s right. This was what I’ve been looking forward to. We in the priority line would go in first, right? 

While we excitedly waited, a staff member picked up a microphone and began making some announcements. Once they were done, the doors would open.

“For now, let’s head to the ADO booth.”

“What, you guys too?”

The staff was now warning us not to run inside the venue, but I was sure everyone would be running. I hoped I wouldn’t get trampled.

As I glanced sideways at Yuuta tightly squeezing Yui’s hand, I found myself leaning forward eagerly, gazing at the entrance. I couldn’t wait for the opening.

The line started to move. However, there was no pushing or anything like that; each person had their ticket checked, received a priority name tag that said, “Please place in a visible location,” and passed through the entrance.

We all put our name tags around our necks.

When I glanced behind me, I saw a huge crowd of people lined up behind the glass entrance doors. It was a sight to behold from this side.

After checking the pamphlet that Harpon-san somehow joined us in receiving, the six of us proceeded in a mad dash to the booth we wanted to visit.