A person can present in completely different ways online versus in real life.
Someone withdrawn in reality might become articulate, outgoing, and warm-hearted on the internet.
It's less that they "become someone else" online—and more that, by putting on a mask, they finally take off the mask that hides their true self.
The more a person compromises with their "mask" in real life, the more they'll display the opposite personality in the online world.
Suppressed emotions never truly disappear.
They only accumulate.
[This game is a multiplayer game. To ensure gameplay quality, the system has automatically matched players.]
[Please choose matchmaking range]
[1. Often meet: match with acquaintances of the host]
[2. Could meet: match with people in the same city]
[3. Can meet: match with people on the same planet]
[4. Better never meet: match with people from different eras]
[Based on the host, option 4 "Better never meet" has been automatically selected]
[Your game partner will be a person who cannot exist in your reality—someone you could never meet in real life]
Asagami Fujino had received this information the moment she entered the game.
That was likely why she'd looked so "unrestrained" upon arriving in the instance.
But the purple-haired girl hadn't expected her abnormality to be exposed so quickly.
If she could have, Fujino would have preferred to hide her thoughts.
So she explained herself to Arato Sora.
"It's not like you think, Mr. Arato. In the game, I obtained an ability that completely eliminates my sense of pain."
The purple ghost that had worn an eager expression gradually became tense under Arato's gaze.
Like a proper Yamato-nadeshiko, she described the skill she'd gained: Painless Third Party.
From what Arato had learned in character creation, skills in this game were supposed to come from the player's prior experiences.
So what kind of state must Asagami Fujino be in, in reality, to have a skill like Painless Third Party?
Surely—more abnormal than anyone could imagine.
But none of that had anything to do with Arato.
"I see. So for you, everything here feels more like playing a game. In that case, enjoying combat and even death… is pretty normal."
With a calm expression, Arato conveniently supplied Fujino's earlier excitement with a plausible excuse.
Fujino froze for a split second, then quickly nodded.
Because in chibi form, their inner emotions were written plainly across their faces.
At that moment, chibi-Arato really did look unconcerned.
The ghost girl relaxed again.
They were just "online friends" who didn't know each other, weren't they?
And if they were just online friends, then there was no need to care about these things.
So, with unspoken agreement, they dropped the unnecessary conversation and went straight to the point.
"From what we've just seen, charging in head-on to clear that Giant Bee Hive isn't realistic for us. Even if it works, it'll cost a massive amount of time."
Although Arato had likened Fujino's state to that of a "player," the truth was that neither of them was a normal player.
Death in the instance didn't mean instant respawn. You had to wait an hour.
They couldn't grind attempts like a Souls game player—endlessly reviving and slowly memorizing the boss's patterns.
"So what's your idea, Mr. Arato?"
"How about a bait tactic? You've got Painless Third Party, and I've got Rapid Crafting—I can make traps in a short time."
"So I'd act as bait, lure the giant bees into the trap you build?"
Fujino's voice was clear and crisp.
Floating beside Arato, the purple-haired girl's eyes were hollow—yet her mood seemed to carry an extra, unmistakable anticipation.
"That works," Arato nodded.
He'd originally considered taking turns for fairness, but seeing how much Fujino cared about it…
Maybe there was no need to steal her "fun."
"This is the trap I'm thinking of."
As he spoke, Arato lowered his head, picked up a small pebble, and began sketching roughly on the dirt.
The stone scraped across the ground, and soon a chain of simple stick-figure diagrams appeared.
The plan was straightforward:
Using his ability, Arato would carve out a tunnel shaped like a funnel—wide at the entrance, narrowing toward the back.
The bees would chase Fujino into the large opening, then quickly discover the passage narrowing more and more until it ended at a tiny outlet—only big enough for a single person to squeeze through.
Since the swarm was huge, they couldn't escape through the small exit all at once.
After that, it would be Arato and Fujino's "show."
Any bee that tried to force its way out would be met by spears dropping from above, impaling it the moment it emerged.
Fujino hovered nearby, listening to Arato's explanation.
A strange sense of unreality washed over her.
Fujino liked rational people.
She liked watching someone earnestly work toward a concrete goal—planning, preparing, laying things out.
When she saw someone like that, she could almost "borrow" a little of their passion for life.
But now—
She might be taking part in it herself.
"Miss Asagami? Asagami? Asagami… classmate?"
Arato's voice reached her.
Fujino snapped back to herself, belatedly realizing she'd been spacing out.
"Yes!"
Even as a ghost, she responded quickly.
Under Arato's gaze, her mind began to turn at high speed.
"There's one problem with your plan, Mr. Arato. How do we find—or create—a tunnel that's exactly the right shape?"
She used a question to shift the topic.
Though, truthfully, she didn't care about that detail at all.
No matter what Arato answered, she would nod.
She was already looking forward to building traps with him—luring bees together.
The result didn't matter.
Fujino wanted the process.
A girl who feels no pain can't blend into a normal life.
A girl who feels no pain lives every day inside a disguise.
A girl who feels no pain longs for somewhere she can be useful.
And now—
This was where her "value" was.
"We can search for it together, Mr. Arato. There's no need to rush."
A strange warmth rose in her chest, and her voice grew even gentler.
"Oh—about that, I was thinking I'd just process it myself."
Arato hooked a slightly smug smile.
As he spoke, he lifted his hand and swung his hammer downward.
Rapid Crafting activated.
With a small drain of stamina, the ground he struck turned into an empty hollow—and to his left appeared a lump of mixed soil and stone.
This was Arato's first piece of "development" for Rapid Crafting.
The first crafting formula he locked in wasn't anything complicated:
A simple aggregate—anything made from "rock."
Input: dirt and stones from the ground.
Output: a crude block of packed earth and rock.
Through that kind of input and output, Arato had rapidly turned himself into something like a Minecraft player.
And honestly, this scene really did resemble mining blocks in Minecraft.
"So it works."
Smiling now, Arato continued hammering down, pushing further.
Before long, a huge cavity opened in front of him—a proper tunnel taking shape.
Not gonna lie—having the power to reshape the environment at will was addictive, even after just one use.
And that, too, was probably why Arato had chosen to step into the world of mystery after meeting Touko.
People living ordinary lives couldn't help being drawn to the supernatural.
Thump, thump, thump—thump, thump, thump.
As Arato kept working, Fujino floated nearby, watching his motions.
That seriousness… was hard to look away from.
Of course, what made it even harder to ignore was this:
Fujino knew he understood she was abnormal.
Someone who knew she was abnormal—yet still chose to move forward with her—
Just watching him was enough to make her eyes linger.
Soon, when they lured the giant bees, she would be pierced again.
And while she was being pierced…
What would Mr. Arato's reaction be?
Just imagining it made her both afraid—and excited.
-------
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