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 42
Chapter 42: Real Encounter
Sora, running down the street as if fleeing from housewives, is overwhelmed by a vague anxiety about the “god” that has appeared in the real world.
Though she hasn’t seen it yet, the sudden appearance of someone claiming to be a god clearly isn’t normal. If those who have seen it, like the housewives, believe it’s a god, then it might have the power to brainwash people.
Such a thing hardly seems like a normal existence.
Moreover, if the leaders of various countries are brainwashed and following this “god”…
What will happen to this world?
It’s not just about Astral Online.
Something unseen seems to be moving in response to it.
Feeling an indescribable anxiety, Sora clenches her teeth.
For now, she just wants to get to a convenience store and return home as quickly as possible.
With fear of the outside world weighing on her chest, Sora runs, trying to suppress her impatience.
Suddenly, a figure darts out from around a corner right in front of her.
“Oh, no…!?”
She tries to evade in a panic, but her body, propelled by momentum, doesn’t move like it does in a game.
Unable to avoid or stop in time, she crashes directly into the figure that emerged.
“Uhh…!?”
The impact was like hitting a utility pole.
The other person remained motionless, while the petite Sora fell backward and landed on her rear.
“S-sorry!”
“Oh, no, I’m the one who should apologize. Miss, are you hurt…? Hm?”
The person she bumped into was a tall woman, around 180 cm in height.
Her long black hair was braided, and her sharply defined, slender face gave off an adult woman’s vibe.
She was dressed in distressed jeans and a sleeveless shirt, creating a wild look that matched her appearance perfectly.
She looked down at Sora with an intrigued expression and extended her right hand to her.
Then, with her remaining left hand, she pointed to her own head.
“The hood of your parka came off because of the collision.”
“Oh, um… you’re right.”
Realizing that her silver hair, which had been hidden, was now exposed, Sora hurriedly adjusted her hood.
Seeing this, the woman smiled.
“Could you be… Sora?”
“Eh, how do you know my name…?”
“Don’t you recognize my face?”
Sora examined the woman closely.
The woman’s appearance matched that of a character she had met in Astral Online the day before, rather than in the real world.
“Could it be… Kirie-san?”
As Sora blurted out the player name, the woman grinned and said:
“Let’s have some tea at that café over there. I heard from Shino that you’re a guy, so I’d like to hear why you’re a girl in real life.”
…………………………..
Kameda-ya, a locally famous, independently operated coffee shop known for its excellent coffee, was where Kirie and I took a seat in the corner as I preferred to avoid attention.
Kirie opened the menu and said to Sora, “It seems a bit rude to ask for information for free, so I’ll treat you here.”
“Treat…?”
“Yeah, order whatever you like. In return, I want you to tell me all about it.”
Well, I don’t mind sharing with someone trusted by Shino, so it’s not a bad deal.
Besides, I haven’t had lunch yet, so I’m actually quite hungry.
Nodding in agreement, Sora ordered coffee and a cutlet sandwich from the arriving server.
Kirie also ordered coffee and a sandwich, then handed the menu to the server.
“Alright, let’s start with introductions. I’m Hojo Kirie. I’m a working adult, and I usually do this kind of work.”
As she spoke, she pulled out a genuine police badge, just like those seen in dramas.
Seriously!?
Sora nearly toppled her chair in shock but managed to keep her balance.
Regaining her composure, she introduced herself again.
“I-I’m a first-year student at Kamisato High School. My name is Sora Kamijo. Kirie-san, you’re a police officer?”
“I’m just a lowly patrol officer, you know. But starting today, under orders from above, I have to put my work on hold and focus entirely on conquering Astral Online.”
“Conquering Astral Online… That means Kirie-san also.…”
“Yeah, this morning, some creepy white-haired kids came and handed me an adventurer card.”
She then pulled out a white card, the same kind Sora had.
…No doubt about it, it’s an adventurer card.
Seeing Sora’s grim expression, Kirie gave a wry smile.
“Seriously, what’s going on with this world? And from the looks of it, it seems like the same kind of abnormality has happened to you too.”
“…Yes, that’s right. When I logged out from the game yesterday, this is what happened to my body.”
“That’s unfortunate. And from what you told me yesterday, it seems like you can’t return until you defeat the Demon Lord. That’s a huge problem—way beyond just being troublesome.”
“But I have no other path.”
No matter how difficult it is, the only way for Sora to get her male body back is to defeat the Demon Lord Shaitan.
As Sora gazed at Kirie with determined eyes, Kirie picked up the coffee that the female server had brought.
“Sounds good. I like strong boys. But does Shino know about this?”
“Ugh… I haven’t told my mentor yet…”
“If you haven’t talked to her, you should do it soon. If you keep putting off issues like this, she’ll definitely get angry.”
“I-I’ll talk to her once I’ve sorted out my feelings…”
My response felt pitiful even to me.
I knew all too well what kind of person Shino was.
Naturally, if I kept silent about something as big as gender transition, she would be furious, no matter what the circumstances were. She would definitely be angry.
It’s because I trust her that I can’t afford to keep this from her.
That’s the kind of person Shino is.
And it’s something I could also say about my two closest friends.
This situation, which is currently troubling my timid self, hits right at the heart of the matter.
Seeing Sora with a grim expression, Kirie took a sip of her coffee and chuckled.
“You were cool in the game, but in real life, you’re still a child, huh?”
It was a brutally honest assessment.
I had no response to that.
When the dejected Sora fell silent, Kirie continued.
“Oops, I guess that was a bit harsh.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s the truth…”
Sora took a sip of her coffee to calm herself.
After a while, the server brought the sandwich and cutlet sandwich.
The sandwich was a classic combination of lettuce, ham, egg, and cheese, while the cutlet sandwich was a calorie-rich item filled with thick pork cutlet and shredded cabbage.
My stomach growled as I looked at the food.
At that point, Kirie changed the subject.
“By the way, it seems you’ve gotten quite close to Kuro recently. What kind of magic did you use?”
“…Magic?”
The sudden topic made Sora tilt her head in confusion.
She hadn’t expected the conversation to turn to Kuro.
She’d just been adventuring together with her and hadn’t done anything particularly special.
Kirie, enjoying her sandwich, talked about her relationship with Kuro with genuine interest.
“Even though I look like this, I was introduced to Kuro by Shino three months ago, and we started playing the game together. Although we can talk somewhat normally now, it took about two months to get to that point.”
“Ah… Is that so?”
So, what does that mean?
I couldn’t quite grasp it, and a question mark seemed to float above my head.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Kirie pointed and said,
“That kid, who just met you yesterday… and who had been overtly avoiding boys until now, talks so enthusiastically about adventuring with you in a girls’ group chat. It’s really shocking for us adults.”
“Well, if she’s enjoying herself, that’s what matters, right?”
It wasn’t just Kuro. Thanks to her, I’m now able to enjoy online games again after three years.
At first—honestly, I was secretly nervous, even my two closest friends didn’t know that.
What completely erased those worries were the Demon Lord, who gave me an unwanted curse, and the crazy girl who tried to thrust a sword into my head on our first meeting.
…Wait, it feels like I haven’t had much of a break even after just one day?
Sora felt a bit troubled.
Anyway, if Kuro is happy, it’s a win-win for both of us.
“Ah… I understand now.”
As Kirie took a bite of her cutlet sandwich. She, with a more serious expression than ever, said to me,
“Sora, please take good care of that kid.”
It would be rude to answer with food in my mouth.
I swallowed the cutlet sandwich and nodded deeply.
“Kuro is my ally. I don’t need to be told that.”
“If you make her cry, I won’t forgive you.”
Oh, that’s scary.
But why did it sound like a future mother-in-law talking to her daughter’s boyfriend? There is nothing between us, okay?
Nevermind…
Even so, she was already determined not to make her cry.
I finished my meal and vowed to Kirie, “I promise.”