Chapter 4: Magical girl canteen~*
A gasp of horror and disbelief left my lips soon after my eyes started tracing down the mission window.
'<l Mission:
You are currently being mistreated by the marquess. If this persists, permanent damage may be done to your body. Find a way out of this position!
*if you fail this mission you shall receive a penalty
Time: 1 week
Reward: ??
Penalty: Heart shall stop '
'My… heart will stop?!'
"Open message window" Although my voice was shaky, it had a stern and angry undertone that hid the bits of shock and fear that had threatened to weave themselves into my voice. "Send a message to 'God'. Subject: mission penalty. Message: Please explain the mission penalty. What exactly do you mean my heart shall stop?! I refuse to take this mission."
Only 15 seconds after I had sent my message, 'god' replied back.
'Subject: Mission Penalty
From: God
Yay! You finally reacted! You're sounding so scary~ Lighten up a bit!
Also, I wouldn't recommend refusing this mission, after all, you would still receive the penalty~
And by 'heart will stop' I mean your heart will stop beating, of course, silly! Unless you don't know what happens after that~
Good luck with your mission then! Here, a gift from me!'
'God' gifted you
[Tasty & healthy food set] x 1!
You shall receive a gift in physical
form as you do not have 'inventory'
(please upgrade the system to unlock)
|OK|
'God' gifted you [Mineral water] x 1!
You shall receive a gift in physical
form as you do not have 'inventory'
(please upgrade the system to unlock)
|OK|
Two pop-ups came in front of me. Although they seemed like quite harmless items, after witnessing the previous event, I couldn't trust something given by that guy, and therefore ignored it.
"DING"
'Subject: Mission Penalty
From: God
Aaaw, Sage-chan won't trust me, I'm hurt :'<
Don't worry, I didn't put any poison or anything! After all, why would I do that when I can just do this'
The moment I read 'this' I felt light-headed, out of breath, nauseous, and discomfort clouded my chest, shoulders, and jaw. The discomfort vanished for a few seconds, but before relief could overtake me, it returned in the form of terrible pain. After a few seconds, all these sensations vanished as if they had never existed, to begin with.
After recovering from the shock, and regaining the proper amount of air in my lungs, I realized I recognized these symptoms.
'That was definitely a heart attack. Sage never got one in the game though… so... 'god' must have caused it?!'
I was not sure how to react. If I acted angry, that 'thing' would be happy that I showed a reaction, however, I felt that I could blow my top any minute. Before I came to a conclusion, I heard a desperate growl coming from my stomach.
'No wonder I was feeling so irritable'
I was about to go ask for food before I remembered that Sage had only one piece of bread in the mornings. In a flashback during the otome game, Sage was begging a maid for more food. The maid took pity on her and gave her a bit of bread and soup. When the marquess found out, he beat both the maid and Sage.
'Well, scratching that off my list of ways to gain food'
I then considered stealing food directly from the kitchen. Although it was a dangerous task, it would fill my stomach. Just there is a minor problem. I don't know where the kitchen is… and Sage is not allowed outside her room… and noble mansions in this otome game usually have enough maids and butlers to form a small village. If I get caught by any of the servants, it will probably be notified to the marquis.
'Well, scratch that off my list too.'
I eyed the two pop-ups.
'I shouldn't let beings like that ruin my life anyways.'
I jabbed one of the two 'OK' buttons, and watched fascinatedly as gray squares, appearing from nowhere, bunched together, and got smaller, while more of these miniature squares joined. Gradually, the shape got more realistic and defined, though still 2-D like. When completed, a stainless, untouched canteen appeared from pixelated squares. It softly lowered itself into my hand. Only when I clenched the canteen just hard enough so it wouldn't slip through my hand, did it fully respond to the calls of gravity.
'Wow, talk about mesmerizing aesthetics, I might as well have been watching a magic girl transform, instead of a canteen being created.'
Wanting to watch again, I put the canteen on a small side table, and sat on the bed. I then pressed 'OK' for the '[Tasty & healthy food set]'. I watched in amusement as every aspect of the food set, including the steam, was created from the shrinking pixel-squares. When the tray of food and utensils were complete, it hovered above my stomach, seemingly to wait for me to bring my hands out to carry the tray. I softly chuckled, before keeping my hands out to fulfill its request. After it gently landed in my hands, I kept it on the side table and peered over to see the dish being served. With a bit of anticipation after reading the 'tasty' part.
'Eh?' a slight shock swirled in my eyes. 'isn't that… sushi and miso soup!?'
I have only had this dish once when I was young. I remember actually wondering if I was in heaven. As this faint memory flashed through my head, I could feel bits of drool wanting to escape. After a quick trip to the bathroom that I found connected to my room, to wash my hands, I quickly got ready to eat my meal. Ignoring the chopsticks (I had no idea how to work those things), I decided to start my meal with the sushi. Only moments after I had plopped the sushi piece in my mouth, my eyes shot wide open.
'What is this?! ...THIS IS SO SPICY! IT BURNS!!!'
"DING!"
'Open chat'
'Subject: Sushi newb
From: God
Oops, forgot to warn you about wasabi (the green paste)! In my defense, I never knew you haven't had sushi~
I can't stop laughing
X'D '
I glowered at the message while draining the mineral water from the canteen at a frightening pace that almost transcended the limits of the human race.
'Okay then… take 2'
I carefully dipped my sushi in soy sauce, avoiding the wasabi like it was the plague. I then slowly layered it down in my mouth, half expecting the burning sensation to torture my tongue once again. After a few careful chews, a light lit up in my eyes, as tears of happiness rolled down my cheeks
'So delicious… I am glad to be alive--wait--no dead--wait what? Never mind' shoving aside the confusing thoughts for later, I let myself admire the heavenly taste to the fullest 'the ingredients mix perfectly! The avocado adds depth to the slightly tangy and sweet rice, and the fresh fish, while meanwhile, the cucumber refreshes you with each bite, letting you eat endlessly more. The soy sauce---'
~fast forwarding the eating session~
I felt the last fragments of warmth from the miso soup slide down my throat, as I savored the after taste of the heavenly meal. I honestly couldn't find any words to describe the brilliance that my taste buds had felt during that blow-out.
"DING"
'Is it possible for you to show me the notification automatically whenever something happens?'
'Subject: Sushi newb
From: God
0.0
the way you were eating the sushi made it seem like you were starving your whole life--oh wait-- I meant your past life. Just what kind of life were you living?
*look of pity*'
After experiencing heaven just now, and on a full stomach, I didn't feel like glaring at a message and wanted to enjoy the bliss for a bit longer. Hiding the canteen, tray, and utensils under the bed, I looked at the lock screen of the phone to see what time it was.
10:43 P.M.
Deciding to turn in for tonight, I replayed the event of today that hadn't been digested yet. Various thoughts occupied my head until dreams overtook me, and my consciousness dripped into worlds of imagination. Where logic didn't exist, where unseen thoughts revealed themselves, and where I can go through a lifetime of experiences, in the warmth and comfort of my bed.