Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 88

Guild Member Recruitment

At the middle of June.

The exam for the first semester was approaching. Akito was diligently working in his part-time work.

One year had passed since he started working at spring last year. He had already gotten used with the work.

He received good evaluation with his work manner and attendance rate.

If he continued as he was then he would surely be able to obtain good  evaluation that would be useful for getting accepted into university or  finding work.

This part-time work was for the student to earn money and also as social study.

「Senpai, I’ve finished checking the storage.」

Yakumo smiled.

「It’s great having a capable partner with me. Work becomes easier.」

Yakumo was currently in her third year at high school, but it seemed  she would be able to obtain recommendation to university based on her  grades and work evaluation until now.

She wasn’t slacking down as a student preparing for university  admission exam, but she also looked to have more leeway compared to the  other entrance exam takers.

「Senpai, aren’t you going to need to do a lot of preparations for the exam?」

「I’ll have to go to hospital at summer, and I think I’ll also need to  be absent a lot during winter. If that happen, Akito might get a new  partner.」

Akito didn’t know what kind of junior he would get in his shift, but he hoped that it wouldn’t be anyone problematic.

At the same time.

(Senpai has settled down a lot compared to before. It was a disaster  at that offline meeting. I hope she will keep being like this from now  on.)

The time spent inside the game had increased from “six days to eight  days”, but he didn’t feel like there was any particular effect from it.

When he woke up from the game, he could remember what he was supposed  to do that day without having to think too hard about it. There wasn’t  really anything that made Akito thought it was dangerous.

Yakumo laughed while changing the topic.

「Come to think of it, the next shift should be the usual university student duo shouldn’t it?」

「Yes. But, it feels like I haven’t caught any sight of them recently. I wonder if they’re busy?」

They frequently came late not long ago. Even so they were only given a warning about it because this was just part-time work.

But, apparently they were also threatened that there would be no next time because of how horrible their lack of discipline was.

「I think they said something about learning programming language. It  looks like they even go through the trouble of going to specialized  classroom for it. Perhaps they got awakened to something.」

「Program? Those two should be at liberal arts major though……」

The two enjoyed having a casual conversation while focusing on their work quietly when customer came.

There was also no unpleasant superior. There was also nothing to worry about until the part-timers for the next shift came.

The workplace was a peaceful place for Akito.

And then the topic of Pandora came up.

「Come to think of it, about Inaho-chan. It feels like she’s following Akito around recently.」

「Is that so?」

He had gotten closer with Fran during the festival before this, but  he was already close with the energetic Inaho-chan from the start.

But when he tried looking back, certainly it was just as Yakumo said recently.

「Yeah. You’re recently always with her like during quest or level up  aren’t you? That Alfie, she looks like she’s seriously considering  ambushing Inaho-chan in the darkness you know?」

As expected doing that to a fellow guild member was just wrong wasn’t it?

Akito decided to talk with Alfie about it.

(Guess I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow.)

If he talked to her about it face to face, there would be no worry of them getting overheard by someone else inside the game.

(President……is she getting restless again?)

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「Ambush? That’s a misunderstanding. I’m not Mariela.」

「Eh?」

After school.

Akito was sitting face to face with Maya with a table between them. He was helping her with the student council president work.

The classroom was a bit dark. They could hear the voices of students who were working hard with their club activity.

The school felt even livelier than before because the club activity had increased.

It became a hot topic how the school had recruited a scholarship  student from other prefecture that was a bit far away from here.

There was talk about how that scholarship student was talented and  the school staff who picked her was now feeling proud about it.

That student’s name was――Akito heard it was Kanaho.

「I only said that it’ll be better if Akito also play with other  people because recently you have been together with only her all the  time. That talk about me ambushing in the darkness or whatever is just  nonsense.」

(What. So it’s like that. Senpai was just a bit exaggerating.)

Akito was relieved.

「I’m more worried about Mariela instead. It feels like she’s  irritated recently. She’s going to try sniping or something in the  middle of city like that.」

「……Why?」

「Who knows. Perhaps she’s scared that Akito might get taken away.」

(Should I ask senpai about it? But, this might be just some kind of misunderstanding……hmm~)

Akito looked troubled. Then he recalled something.

「C-come to think of it……I wonder if girls are usually thirsty for fatherhood?」

「What?」

Akito talked vaguely so that Fran wouldn’t come up in it.

He disguised it like it was his friend asking him the question.

「I wonder. I can only say that it depends on the person.」

「I-I see.」

「It also depends on the age. Many girls are feeling antipathy for  their father. Well, perhaps if the girl has some kind of problem, or she  doesn’t know her own father……they might harbor a yearning for father.  Even so, is that friend older than you? For you to be thought as father  inside game, are you perhaps often speaking like middle-aged man?」

(I hope that’s not the case.)

Akito couldn’t say that it was about himself at this point.

「But, even if their avatar is female they might be male at the inside  isn’t it? Then, perhaps it’s just a matter of a small boy wanting to be  pampered by his father.」

An adult woman like Fran was an elementary school boy inside? Akito’s brain stopped working when he imagined that.

Maya stood up.

「Oh, the paperwork isn’t delivered even after I messaged them.」

「Should I go talk to them?」

「It’s fine. It’ll be over with this, so Akito can go home. See you tomorrow.」

Maya left with a smile. Her back looked different from when she was in the game. She looked like a prim and proper lady.

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After Kanaho finished with her club activity, she went to the staff room to meet with her advisor.

「Haa~, I’m feeling good too today.」

She felt like she was in better shape than even when she was back home.

「If it’s like this I think I’ll be able to leave great result too……」

Then a girl――a senior came out from the staff room.

She was pretty and also elegant.

(So there’ s also someone like that in this school.)

Alfie’s face came up in her mind for a moment, but Kanaho immediately forgot it.

「Oh, are you perhaps Ikari-san?」

「Y-yes.」

Kanaho straightened her posture and greeted back. The girl smiled and said 「No need to be so formal」 before continuing.

「I know your name because I heard that you’re an amazing talent. Do your best.」

「I’ll do my best!」

The second year senior left. She looked like a true lady――she almost never saw someone like that even inside the game.

(Come to think of it, Lily-san also felt like that when she helped me at the beginning.)

Thinking carefully, the players around her felt somewhat amazing.

Mariela and Alfie who were strong even though they also liked to play  around were also like that, but others like Lighter for example were  also making a killing inside the game.

Blaze too was coordinating the guild even more than Ponsuke. He  fulfilled Lighter’s savage quota without fail and supported the guild  that had become bigger.

Noin was also good with singing. Fran too also looked like a capable woman who could do anything.

Sololy and the orcs……Kanaho shook her head.

(……I’ll work hard too. If not)

◇

The guild members gathered in a bar.

They were sitting around a large table. They were considering to challenge a major quest in the Capital of Love.

Lighter spoke.

「Guild quest is great because they give a lot of rewards.」

He was aiming for the rewards and rare item.

For the other members, clearing a difficult quest was the real thrill of a game.

In addition, they would also be able to obtain guild item.

Blaze was also excited.

「It’s great to not continue doing the same quest and monster anymore……」

「Blaze, calm down. Calm down! It’s holiday. Today it’s holiday!」

Blaze said 「T-that’s right」 after his friend called out to him like that. Ponsuke understood his feeling.

(I was also kinda like that.)

Ponsuke’s guild wasn’t large in scale.

It wasn’t but, its activity was greater than the scale should be, so its members were overworked.

Although, that kind of guild wasn’t rare.

There were many players who were working harder than Ponsuke and co, or rather they were made to work hard.

Lighter and others in the craftsmen group were also in high spirits.

Ponsuke opened his mouth.

「The guild quest “Treasure Hunting in Pirate Island” will be battle on ship.」

The objective was for the adventurers to head to an island of the pirates and stole the treasure there.

They would fight humanoid monsters, which were pirates.

There were powerful pirates in the island who had bounty on their  head. They could get the treasure after taking the keys that those  pirates owned.

There would also be attack from the pirates before arriving at the  island. This guild quest demanded for the players to prepare  countermeasure.

「Well, we can easily clear the player number’s limitation……e-eh?」

Ponsuke saw the quest information before he immediately checked his own guild’s information.

Lighter hurried him up.

「What’s wrong? Read the rest quickly. The number limitation is below 200 isn’t it? Then there won’t be any problem at all.」

Alfie lifted up the small gnome Lighter and shut him up.

「Lighter, please don’t bother Ponsuke.」

「Don’t smile with that kind of scary face. This is why I’m very worried for you……」

Lighter mumbled his complaints but, he got surprised by Ponsuke’s words.

「Sorry. Somehow, after the large scale update there’s an additional  requirement that we now need more than a hundred people to take the  quest.」

It was a requirement that didn’t exist before the large scale update.

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「Promotion video.」

Sololy gathered the gazes of everyone.

They had been thinking of various ideas to secure more guild members. Then Sololy stood up and spoke confidently.

Noin was lying on the table using her large breasts as cushion.

「Promotion vide?」

Sololy played some videos.

They were videos that were created by large guilds to promote their  guild and listed up the requirement to join in an easy to understand  way.

Among them there was also a video that looked really professional. It  had been edited and processed to look like promotional advertisement of  famous product.

Prey stroked his chin.

「I see, you’re saying that we should create something like this to advertise our guild.」

Blaze watched several of the videos.

「Let’s search for the secret of Pandora? Strength is justice?  ……Absolute justice, so Shinsengumi also created this kind of video.」

Lighter looked excited. He was motivated to do it.

Their guild wasn’t a weak guild, but it also couldn’t be called big.

In the first place, there had never been any requirement like this until now.

In the future, this kind of promotion would also become needed in order to get more members.

「Then let’s create and edit it right away! Is what I want to say but, is there anyone here who’s good with this kind of thing?」

Everyone averted their gaze.

Blaze shrugged.

「Looks like there isn’t anyone here with hobby or job related to  video. In that case, we need to create the member recruitment video  based on our capability.」

What kind of video would be good?

Everyone exchanged opinion with each other. Then Mariela muttered.

「Like, how our guild is a friendly guild where there isn’t any stiffness with each other?」

Everyone looked at Mariela and Alfie alternately, but the two girls in question paid it no mind at all.

Ponsuke also nodded with a smile.

「That’s a good idea. Let’s make the at home atmosphere as our guild’s selling point.」

Alfie also gave her own opinion because she didn’t want to lose against Mariela.

「Then, let’s give a pitch how our guild give the beginner players  kind and earnest guidance. Ponsuke also has actual track record of that  so there won’t be any problem. Let’s show off Ponsuke and my kindness  through the video.」

Inaho and Noin were staring unabashedly at Alfie’s face.

「That’s just Ponsuke-san. Alfie-san had only ever taught about the places to have fun at the sightseeing area at best……」

「Alfie-chan, you once dropkicked me didn’t you? You aren’t kind at all.」

Lighter became anxious for some reason and changed the topic.

「Yosh, as expected appreciation is also important in game! Let’s  advertise that we will appreciate your hard work-, something like that.  This kind of thing is getting popular among the guilds that rarely gave  praise to what their members achieved!」

Blaze also raised his hand quietly.

「Then, let’s advertise how our guild also doesn’t have any horrible  quota……the quota will surely go down too if we get more members after  all. It absolutely will decrease!」

Noin clapped.

「Ah, then let’s also advertise how we are a fun guild that get along  with the surrounding. Because you know, for some reason there are many  guilds who consider other guilds as enemy.」

Opinions kept coming up one after another.

Sierra, Nanako, and Guruguru also joined in.

「Won’t it be great to advertise how this guild also have a lot of  beginner players? Make it into a guild that can be joined by everyone.」

「Welcoming beginners is also important!」

「As expected, I think focusing on just efficiency is no good.」

The guild members became heated up.

「Let’s invite various players in great number! With that we’ll at least be able to get quantity!」

Ponsuke and co consolidated the various suggestions and decided to put up a help-wanted advertisement first.

They all too photo together, and then wrote the consolidated suggestions.

「Yosh, it’s done! Let’s put this on the bulletin board first. Now then, what about the video recording?」

Lighter thought for a bit.

「As expected we won’t be able to create anything complicated. We can  just video our daily activity and combine them into one video can’t we?  You know, we’re a cozy guild unlike the others after all.」

Sololy prepared the tools.

「Then I’ll take the video. I’ll record everyone’s daily life while  editing it and turn it into promotional video to recruit members. As  expected the result won’t be like the work of pro but, I can at least  make a suitable one for introducing our guild.」

Inaho was tilting her head while everyone was getting motivated.

「Cozy, earnest, give appreciation, has a lot of rookies……e-eh?」

Inaho was the only one who looked puzzled.

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The Capital of Hope.

The players were looking at the advertisement to recruit guild members that were put on the bulletin board and the walls.

A trio of players were considering of which guild to join.

They were looking at the recruitment poster of Ponsuke’s guild.

「……This is, that isn’t it?」

「Yeah, it’s that.」

「What’s with this recruitment poster? It listed up all the words that  black company love to use. I can feel the malice oozing out from it.」

The eyes of the handsome youth looked dead.

The poster said that the guild had friendly atmosphere, but in the  photo, it was clear that the girls were putting distance from each  other.

The guild had a relatively famous player like Ponsuke as member, and  although it had no guild base, it also had guild items. The guild was  actually promising, but the promotional lines negated all those positive  factors.

The three tossed the poster into garbage can.

「Nope. Hard nope.」

「I want to join an easygoing guild.」

「Not too easygoing though……」

The recruitment advertisement of Ponsuke and co was a total failure.

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