Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 186

Chapter 186: Temporary School Closure and Sleepover

When I woke up, the rain outside had intensified, and for students’ safety, an emergency email announced that school would be temporarily closed until the situation settled.

Looking out the window, the rain was indeed stronger than yesterday, and I could spot a few crab-like monsters, ?Increasing Crabs?, scattered along the sidewalks in town.

Their shout and the sight of them scuttling alongside pedestrians with umbrellas, who were carefully avoiding them, looked quite surreal and had a strong, comical element even from here.

These non-aggressive monsters wouldn’t attack unless provoked, but there’s no guarantee they’d stay that way. We need to clear the Undersea Temple as soon as possible, recover the ring, and help Laura grow into her role as a songstress to defeat the impending disaster.

Next, I called on ?Lucifel?, the support system that now functions as my smartphone in real life, to display information on the World Tree on the screen.

“Let’s see… No changes in the World Tree today either.”

After confirming images and data of the massive tree, which has become a symbol of the world’s current transformation, I felt a bit of relief.

The World Tree’s presence is something humanity simply can’t ignore. As a result, it garners massive viewership, with media channels providing live updates and observations around the clock.

After checking a few sites, I quietly switched my smartphone screen to sleep mode.

“Alright, with my daily tasks done, let’s grab some food downstairs, then I’ll log into AsuOn.”

In casual clothes, shorts and a t-shirt, I grabbed a hair tie and quickly pulled my long hair into a simple ponytail to keep it out of the way.

I picked up my smartphone from the desk, stuffed it into my pocket, and went downstairs.

There in the living room was Kurono, who’d returned from Shino’s house last night. She’d come over dressed in an adorable, frilly, light-blue dress with a black headband.

Next to her stood Shiori, in a long-sleeved cut-and-sew top and a short skirt, creating a bright, cheerful scene for so early in the morning.

My little sister and my cousin really are charming. If these two went shopping together in town, there’s no way they wouldn’t catch the attention of others.

—Or would entertainment scouts approach them first?

Shiori has actually received business cards from those types a few times when she’s been to the central district.

(…If these two were to debut on TV, they’d probably be super popular.)

Imagining the two of them singing and dancing was too easy, so Sora quickly shook her head and stashed the mental images of the two into the “memory drawer.”

Seeing my odd movement, they tilted their heads in curiosity, so I distracted them with a quick morning greeting and headed toward the bathroom.

That’s when I noticed that Shino, Kurono’s guardian, wasn’t in the living room.

“Huh? Where’s Master?”

“Shino had to go to work. She dropped off Kurono, looking all apologetic before she left.”

“I see… Even in a situation like this, she still has to go in the morning. Adult life sure isn’t easy.”

Shino’s company has released several popular VR games. One of their most beloved series is ?Monster Bender?. It’s a game where you tame, raise, and battle with monsters, with level-up bonuses that players can allocate as they wish.

It’s simple but deep, and I got hooked on it myself. I raised my favorite monsters just the way I liked, playing all the way through the main story (though I skipped PvP since it was full of standard template monsters).

Come to think of it, they recently announced the fifth title in that series. Maybe that’s partly why Shino’s so busy.

Somewhat satisfied with that thought, I went to the bathroom, washed my face, and returned to the living room to help prepare breakfast.

Then, the doorbell rang. Since the two in the kitchen were busy, I went to check.

“Oh, big brother, it’s probably Inori! Invite her in when you answer.”

“Inori?”

Just to be sure, I checked the monitor. Standing outside the door was a girl with long black hair covering one eye, dressed in a gothic Lolita outfit with a witchy look—exactly as my sister guessed, it was Inori.

I headed to the entrance, unlocked the door, and opened it.

In the pouring rain, the girl with the notable “two mountains” on her chest gave a small bow when she saw me.

“Good morning, Sora…”

“G-good morning, Inori.”

I almost asked why she’d come on such a rainy day in casual clothes, but held it back. School was canceled starting today, so she probably came over to hang out. But I checked my phone history, and there was no prior message from her.

Since Shiori knew it was Inori at the door, it seems they must have arranged something between them.

I told her to come inside since it was pouring rain. Then, I was startled by a woman standing beside Inori, someone I hadn’t noticed at first, a maid with neatly cut black hair at shoulder length. She wore a suit and held a medium-sized carry-on case, as if she were ready for a trip.

Curious about the luggage, I looked at Inori, who answered in a hesitant voice.

“Uh, since it’s going to be… a temporary break from school until the rain clears up, I thought… maybe we could get to the Undersea Temple today, so… I-I thought I’d stay over…”

“Got it, sounds good to me. You’re more than welcome.”

After that, only Inori came inside, while the maid handed me the carry-on case and what looked like a letter, saying, “I would only intrude on the young lady’s time with her friends,” and then left.

The handwriting on the letter was familiar—it was Inori’s father’s, addressed to “Mr. Sora Kamijo.”

(What’s this about…?)

Curious about the letter, I decided to take Inori and the luggage from the entrance to the living room.

When we got back, Shiori and Kurono, who had just finished setting up plates of salad, toast, and bacon and eggs, looked delighted to see Inori and warmly greeted her.

“Good morning, Inori.”

“Hey, Inori!”

“G-good morning…”

“Meow~”

Our plump white cat, Shiro, who only shows up at mealtimes these days, rubbed against Inori’s legs in welcome. She smiled, saying, “Wow, long time no see, kitty!” and crouched down to pet Shiro. Just then, her stomach let out a loud grumble.

Shiori chuckled and showed Inori to the table set with breakfast.

It wasn’t even 8 a.m. yet. Looks like she was too excited about staying over to have breakfast at home. Her old, impulsive self was still the same, and I couldn’t help but smile at that.

With all three now seated, it was just me left to sit down.

“…But first, let me read this letter, and then I’ll join you.”

Telling them to start without me, I carefully opened the white letter the maid had handed me. Inside, Inori’s father had written the following:

“Dear Sora, I hope this finds you well. I am grateful for all you do for the world. When I first heard from my staff that you had… gone through a transformation, I nearly fell down the stairs and broke my neck. Fortunately, same-sex marriage is now recognized. I still see you as my future son-in-law and will treat you as such.

P.S. Thank you for delivering the letter and my daughter’s favorite flowers when she was unwell and bedridden.”

The polite greeting was so characteristic of Inori’s father, but I couldn’t help feeling mixed emotions about the “son-in-law” part. I folded the letter neatly and tucked it into my pocket.