---Haven't I done something like this before?
I was reminded of something when I saw the phosphor bud green paste blend with the bright green colored stamina potion.
"Yeah, it was in one that indie game. It was called 'El-11 SIU-M', right?"
It was released around a certain big event that happened every summer. It was regarded by a select few as one of the best classic games, made by a group of veterans under a studio called SilverAge Games.
You played the role of the manager of a little classic bar, and you could increase the warehouse capacity by becoming a subcontractor of a larger company, or by making your very own brand, and carving your way out in the world until you hit a niche market. For an indie game, it gave you a great amount of freedom, and had a ton of depth. That was why it was lauded as one of the go-to classic gems of PC gaming.
Among all the real types of alcohol you could brew in the game, there was a certain one that was composed of just of rice and water. But, if you used alcohol instead of water, then the mixture would react differently, and the result had special properties.
---I've been mixing it with water before boiling up until now, but if I used a potion instead... What would happen?
I had nothing better to do besides try out new things; thankfully, the night was still young.
"Execute Appraisal... Wow, I did it."
The small bottle in my hand was filled with a mysterious emerald green liquid that emitted a faint glow. The translucent appraisal window stated 'Grade 6 Recovery Potion (Quality++)'.
Morning had started to creep in as I looked out the window. I ended up pulling another all-nighter, huh? At least I had results. I'd tried several experiments after coming up with the replacing water with potion idea, but just mixing up the stamina potion normally seemed to give effective results.
"Ann, wake up. It's morning already."
It pained me to wake her up when she was sleeping so peacefully, but I had to.
"Hmm... Good morning."
Ann slowly opened her eyes, got up a little, and hugged me while still half-asleep. She may still be halfway in dream land, but her charm really did a number on me...! Laugh at me all you want for getting flustered about her hugging and jumping on me, but I still have yet to become overtaken by my desire. Still, I also didn't feel like running away from this happy feeling.
"Ann, Ann. Wake up. The medicine's ready."
"Huh... Really!?"
She perked right up and relinquished her hug. Now that she had finally let go of me, I really missed the feeling of her being glued to me. I really did...
"Yeah, I made a Grade 6 recovery potion. I wanna get it to her right away, wanna come with me?"
"Yes, let's go!"
And so we headed off to deliver the potion to the village as dawn broke.
◇
"Ngh... Oh? What is this? What happened?"
Sara awoke from her own bed, confused by the situation that surrounded her. She only faintly remembered she had gotten sick from something and was bedridden. It was a sensation Sara had been used to ever since she was a child, but her body felt surprisingly light this time. There were no lasting effects that indicated she had even fallen ill. On top of that, Aoi was leaning on the side of her bed, totally asleep. His head was resting defenseless beside her lap. Ann was sitting in a nearby chair with a jealous look on her face---watching Sara get worked up over what was happening was quite the sight.
"Ah, Sara, you're finally up! Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"Huh? No... Hey, Ann, can you tell me what's happening?"
Still confused, Sara listened to the whole story from Ann. She told her about how she had collapsed and apparently caught some dangerous disease called 'cursed cold'. She also told her about how Aoi stayed up all night making medicine for her when he found out. When he gave her the medicine, ascertained that her complexion improved and her breath stabilized, he fell asleep like a rock on the spot.
"Uuuh, then I can't be angry at you... If I move you out of the way, I'll even seem ungrateful."
Sara said with mixed feelings tinging her words as she put Aoi's head back on her lap.
"That's not fair, I want to do it too!" Ann said, filled with playful jealousy.
She jumped up into the same position as Aoi and put her head over Sara's lap as well.
"Ehehe. I'm so glad you're feeling well now."
"Say, Ann, why do you think Aoi helped me?" Sara asked, puzzled, as she pet Ann's head, which was perfectly lined up with Aoi's.
"He nodded right away after I asked him to save you! He said he would help because you're his friend, too."
Ann looked at Sara with a curious look on her face that said "What's wrong with that?"
"What should I do? This rival is tougher than I thought..."
Ann looked up at Sara's troubled expression, as she laughed embarrassingly.
◇
It was noon the next day, on a moss lawn around the cabin... Originally it was just a stone walkway we had built to move the cart back and forth while we worked on the staircase. Soon after we finished working, the soft moss took over and turned it into a makeshift lawn. Today, Sara was visiting, and she was using Ann as a lap pillow.
"I brought something to prove my gratitude, but don't expect me to bow down and thank you."
She said as she handed me a basket filled with mushrooms and wild plants, while looking straight into my eyes.
"Ann told me she wanted me to use her as a lap pillow."
"And you didn't want to?"
Yeah, I know very well what Sara really wanted to say.
"Ann looked really pleased when I put my head on her lap, but she lost to the sunlight and fell asleep. I've been under the sunlight with her like this for over 30 minutes now, isn't that praiseworthy?"
The sun was kinda strong today; good weather all around.
"Why does Ann even want you to use her as a lap pillow, anyway?"
"I don't know, but I just couldn't refuse when she told me 'I can do it but you can't?'"
I couldn't make fun of her when she said it with such a melancholic face. There was no way I could object to something so dreamlike as watching two girls being so cute. It was like a man's dream.
"Uuh..."
Now this was an awkward mood. After delivering the medicine and confirming it worked, I fell asleep on her lap after passing out because of the exhaustion. I'd rather not even mention the fact, though, for our peace of mind.
"You know, I won't give up being Ann's first place, but I'll accept Ann leaving the village to come live here."
"Thanks, hearing that from Ann's best friend makes me really happy."
"That said, please promise me one thing. You have to protect Ann no matter what happens."
---"Ain't that a bit too headstrong!?" Was what I was about to say, but I couldn't form the words in my mouth.
"I can't say I can with complete certainty that I can do that, but I can promise to do as best I can to protect her."
"I think it's good that you don't take it lightly, but that's unfair..."
"Are you gonna start nagging me for that?"
I thought an innocent promise like protecting a girl no matter what was more fitting for a 16 year old boy.
"What should we do to make the promise official? People lock their pinkies together, back where I come from."
"That's for promises between married couples. Normal people here use these for promises."
And then she presented her ring finger to me. It was interesting how the fingers used for promises changed depending on whether you were married to the person or not.
"Then, it's a promise."
"I promise."
I locked my ring finger with hers and swore. The fact we had a peaceful exchange made me so happy that I couldn't even imagine Ann and Sara were suffering so much until not so long ago. It may not look like that much of an achievement, but I was satisfied with the reward I got for completing the potion making '
event', so to speak... I'm glad I did my best.
◇
Saving Sara and making up with her didn't really change our daily lives much. I was still in my trial period. But in the meantime, I was devoting myself to prepare for the next village market fair, and looking for products that may have a demand.
I figured that being able to make so many types of potions was enough, but I had no real variety outside of that. I didn't even know how much value the potions would have inside the village. I understood the process, so I tried making more recovery potions when everything settled down, and managed to make more Grade 6 products with the a 'Quality+' property.
"The color is really pretty, and they seem to be in demand... but I can't say for sure yet."
I put the little bottle with the emerald colored liquid against the light and tried to appraise it, but I still couldn't tell what exactly it did for someone. The translucent window that came out said "Cures most illnesses and relieves the symptoms of severe illnesses to some extent."
I guess I wouldn't know until I tried it out.
I tried making special products that made use of what I had in the labyrinth, besides potions. I tried using the wire net I'd bought from Tundra to reinforce a glass, making a makeshift candle lamp. Then I placed a piece of bluelight moss and poured some water inside to make a lamp that didn't require any fuel.
The moss wouldn't spread if it didn't have a lot of clean water around, but since it could keep shining on without withering even with no water, it was still usable. It might not be as bright as an oil lamp or a normal candle, but it made for a good source of light still, because it required no maintenance, nor consumed any fuel.
"I'm not too sure about this... Execute Appraisal."
Name : Bluelight Moss Lamp
Description : A lamp that emits a pale light in the absence of sunlight. The intensity of the light will be constant as long as it's properly watered. While not requiring any fuel, its brightness pales in comparison to lamps that employ fire.
Yes, looked like it turned into a lamp just like I wanted. Its nature might be a little different from what I intended at first, but the appraisal was useful enough. I wondered how it determined the kinds of the things I made. It seemed to be able to distinguish failures, at least. I made about ten lamps and put them inside a leather bag I'd made for the occasion, along with the potions. I also began making some more hoes and sickles with the
Things were awfully quiet around here since Ann went to visit Sara. Even if she lived here in the labyrinth, I'm sure she'd like to cherish the bonds with her best friend and family. Despite that, and even though I'd gotten kinda distracted because of the whole deal with Sara and her illness, I was still amazed by Ann's real form.
I knew Ann was a half-kobold from the first day I appraised her, but I didn't know she could transform into a kobold form to get their abilities. Her true form was literally the same as a normal human girl. I couldn't rely on appearances to guess her age because our races were different, but nothing could beat the impact of the beautiful girl I found in her the first time around. No matter if she had a doggy or human form, she was Ann on the inside, so my way of treating her wouldn't change much. But if she kept up the skinship level we've had so far while in pretty girl mode... Then my mind would snap at some point.
It seemed her form changed due to the shock of the fall when I first found her, but then I asked about why she was in kobold form back when we met, to which Jenny gave me another answer. She said it was because of self-defense. Apparently it was easier to get targeted by demons or other things if your appearance was of a human's.
I may be speculating a little bit here, but there might be multiple human clans out there, and it must be easier for the other races to judge beauty among humans. But when it came to kobold faces, it must be hard to differentiate a pretty kobold from a normal one, unless you were a kobold yourself. "She's like a little sister to me, so I can't see her as a woman" is a line I'd heard more times in games than I could count, but I really couldn't keep that up if that happened again.
My view of Ann had already shifted from somewhere along the lines of a little sister and a pet, to a pretty girl that was somewhat like my little sister. I'd like to put various things about that on hold until the end of my training... but Ann's way too powerful.
I wondered if they sold some sort of 'calming tea' in Tundra... I had Tundra open on one side, while I chugged down willpower potions, and kept making hoes and sickles with the
That night we played Ann's favorite game.
We played the tabletop game while I recalled all the games I'd played back on Earth. I called it "Labyrinths and Dragon's Feast." After we were done playing, Ann called out to me after we had cleaned ourselves and headed to bed for the night.
"Hey, can we talk a little bit before going to bed?"
I doubted I would be able to calm down if Ann and I slept together in that tiny bed under the same blankets, while she wore nothing but my white shirt just like before. When I heard Ann's voice though, one full of trust in me, I could feel my heart calming down a bit.
"Sure, what's wrong?"
"What's a sneaking visit?"
"H-Huh...!? (cough) (cough)"
I was caught so off guard that I started to have a little bit of a coughing fit. The calm sea that was my heart went back to the choppy waves it was riding just a moment ago.
"A-Ann, who told you about that?"
"My auntie. She taught me a lot of things, but I forgot to ask about that word."
---You started plotting the next attack already, Jenny...!?
"I see. Hmm... It's kinda hard to explain as a man. I think it'll be easier to understand if you just ask Jenny about it."
"I see. I am, umm... sorry, that I bothered you before. I did, didn't I? You looked in so much pain and all..."
---She looks so apologetic and cute, I'm the one starting to feel sorry...
"You had a reason for it, right?"
We had been together for two months now, and I knew how much of a pure and caring girl Ann really was. It worried me at times.
---If I really looked like I was in pain, I'm sure Ann would stop even if she trusts Jenny's wisdom.
"Yes. I want to stay with you forever, but Auntie told me the time we can stay together like this isn't so long unless we... marry."
"I see..."
Ann was still a child... No, thinking about it now that she has changed forms, I could see she was growing, but her honest and cute character made me embrace a younger impression of her. I'd also almost forgotten I was in a medieval fantasy world, after spending so much time peacefully stuck at the bottom of this ravine. Sara was treading between life and death after getting a little sick. Death was always looming around the corner; lifespans weren't that long, and the mortality rate of babies was too great also. I knew marriage and childbirth started at an earlier stage of life here, compared to those of modern Earth, but I didn't fully understand or realize it yet.
It was a blind spot for me. Even though I knew there were differences between our cultures, we were still from separate worlds. Of course their set of values and customs would be completely different from mine.
"That's why Auntie told me that if I do this 'sneaking visit' thing, we can be together forever."
A chill ran down my spine when I'd finally realized what Jenny's next scheme was. There's no way I could tell Ann any of that, though. Not when she was opening her heart to me and choosing her words so carefully.
"Hey, can we really stay together forever? It won't make you hate me, right...?" she asked.
The anxiety-tinged words leaking out of Ann's mouth hit me like a truck. I felt like they were pushing me down, as if the gravity was turned up. Ann was being pretty bold, but it was obvious she was pretty worried and anxious about this. What could I do? I'd be hard-pressed to simply resolve the situation by saying...
---"We can be together forever."
I didn't want to make a promise that involved the future when mine was so unclear due to the trial period. That said, I didn't want to reject Ann here either.
Rather than spouting words of acceptance irresponsibly, it would be better to reject by carefully wording things as to not hurt her; that would be the best. That was my judgment call as an adult... But I hated it. If I hurt her with heartless adult words, words with no feelings behind them, it would truly be the worst assessment of my life.
---Think... You have tons of experience overcoming difficult moments like this, don't you? A way to not hurt Ann and not take responsibility...
One such way rose to the top of my head as I thought as hard and fast as I could.
"You're so smart, but you miss the mark so much sometimes, Ann."
"H-Huh...?"
The uneasiness made her curl up a little bit, and I hugged her as gently as possible.
"If I hated you, there's no way we'd be this close together. Even though you have so many doubts and fears, there's no need to worry. I could never hate you, don't you think so too?"
"Do you really mean it...?"
"Yes, because I feel the same way about you. You can stay here as much as you want."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but... can you wait a little bit for me to reply on whether or not we can truly stay together forever? You know, I'm still just an apprentice labyrinth manager, right?"
"Yes..."
"It'll be decided if I stop being an apprentice or not in a month or so. That's why we should make a promise."
"A promise?"
"Yeah. If I stop being an apprentice in one month, can you ask me the same thing? I'll answer then."
"Yes, I got it... I promise. I'll ask no matter what, okay?"
Ann rested her head on my arm and began sleeping quietly. I wondered if it was because she felt safe now. Man... I was fortunate that I wasn't picky with visual novels. This option wouldn't have come out as smoothly if I didn't have so much experience with those. I was thankful for being a gamer from the bottom of my heart. Nonetheless, the option I used as reference was one that tied you to the ending of one of the heroines, if I remembered correctly. I just postponed it.
Strongest Gamer; Let's Play in Another World Volume 1 Page 12