Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 45: Real-Life Meeting

I can't believe I would say this, but thank goodness for midterm exams.

After that unexpected battle in <Isekai Online> yesterday, I was just glad to focus on studying and trying to pass this semester's exam. I wasn't kidding when I said I had exhausted physically and mentally back there. Thanks to that battle, I barely managed to school on time since I woke up so late. But now it was all good and so far, my performance on my schoolwork hadn't been deterred in spite of the setbacks. However, there was still a matter of the consequences of yesterday's incident. While I originally forced Kazuki to stop playing for a couple of days due to his recklessness in the game, Mom forced me to extend it to five days due to his exams this week. I did agree so that Kazu could focus on his studies, but needless to say, he was not happy about having to go cold turkey on gaming.

In any case, I was just glad to be back in real life and to focus on not only my studies but also my real-life connections. And best of all, I didn't have to deal with more <Isekai Online> shenanigans for the week! As I gathered my books from the locker for my next class, I suddenly heard a knock next to me. I turned and, no surprise, I saw Zac grinning at me more eerily than usual.

I just frowned at this as I closed my locker. "If this is about my algebra notes, then I suggest you wait until class is over. Besides, we still have History and Biology exams back-to-back and you're supposed to focus on those subjects first."

But when I looked at Zac, I noticed that he had a nervous disposition about him, which was even weirder when I noticed Damon sporting the same look on his face. Usually, whenever we meet, they greet me while they discuss differing opinions on everything. I was a bit curious, so I decided to ask, "Hey, what's the matter with you two? Did you bicker in public again or something?"

To my surprise, they just respond with a sheepish chuckle, something that they'd never done before. This caused me to raise my eyebrow in response to this.

"N-Nope, nope. Nothing's going on. Don't worry about us!" Zac answered, seemingly in panic. "It's not like we're just staring at you because of y-"

Before he can finish, Damon covers his mouth and interjects, "You... seemed tired lately. Did you sleep okay last night?"

That wasn't like Damon to interrupt Zac like that. I was suspicious about this, but I also feel that they seemed to be hiding something for a reason. Regardless, I decided to just play along for now as I sighed and scratched the back of my head.

"Sort of... We kinda logged out late last night and I ended up sleeping an hour late this morning."

"O-Oh, I see," Zac said as he removed Damon's hand from his mouth. "I guess you were too busy in <Isekai> yesterday, huh? How was it?"

I wanted to tell them what happened during our trek in the <Tested Wilds>, but considering how weird and somewhat traumatizing our experience was, I decided to tell them an abridged version of it.

"Well, we managed to beat a bunch of monsters in the <Tested Wilds> and our new vending machine became surprisingly popular overnight," I told them. "I never knew those orange and apple juice drinks managed sold out so much after we got back."

"Tell me about it. I bought a few bottles and I never knew I could enjoy an American classic in a fantasy VRMMO!" Zac grinned as he leaned against the lockers. "Think you can make a few more and give a discount to your ol' friend right here?"

All I could do is roll my eyes at this. Sure, Zac was one of my best friends, but he could be a bit of a cheapskate sometime. This is ironic considering how he often wastes his money over some useless things other than video games. "I doubt it. Besides, I would end up as your chef and butler if I continued serving you out of favoritism."