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 86

Chapter 86: The Two Silver-Haired Girls

 

“How did it come to this…”

 

After deciding on their course of action, Sora and the others went out for lunch, opting for an Italian pasta restaurant.

 

Sora had planned to jump right into ?Astral Online? once they got home, but thanks to Shiori’s suggestion, they ended up going shopping at a commercial complex called Neon instead.

 

The purpose? To buy clothes for Sora, who only had clothes that were a size too big for her current body.

 

Even though Sora protested, insisting she didn’t need new clothes and wanted to get back to ?Astral Online?, her argument was mercilessly shot down by both Shiori and Shino.

 

Even Kurono, who had initially seemed like she might side with Sora, quickly changed her stance after Shiori whispered something in her ear.

 

What did you just say to her, huh?

 

Outnumbered three-to-one, Sora grudgingly followed behind Shiori and Shino, pouting as they led the way. Kurono, walking beside her, looked a bit guilty.

 

“Sorry, Sora…” Kurono apologized softly.

 

“Kurono-chan doesn’t need to apologize,” Shiori interjected. “Big brother’s just lazy, and if we don’t push him like this, he’ll never do anything.”

 

“Ah, the usual routine, huh? Sora never goes out on his own, so we always have to drag him along like this,” Shino added.

 

“If we leave him alone, he’d stay shut inside the virtual world forever,” Shiori remarked.

 

“I *did* teach you the basics of a balanced VR gaming life from square one, didn’t I? Your skills are perfect, so how did it come to this?” Shino sighed.

 

They both continued to lay into her.

 

Sora was itching to say, “Aren’t you two no different from me, even worse!” but in this situation where she was outnumbered, she knew she couldn’t win.

 

The truth was, Sora had cut out anything unnecessary from her life and maintained only the bare minimum of social interactions, even with her close friends. She didn’t see anything wrong with it, since she still helped with chores around the house and believed there was no real problem.

 

Sora let out a dissatisfied “Hmmph” and tried to make a feeble counterattack.

 

“Isn’t beating ?Astral Online? more important right now than clothes or a regular lifestyle?”

 

At this, both Shiori and Shino turned and glared at her with sharp looks that seemed to carry a sound effect, as if slicing through the air.

 

Feeling their piercing gazes, Sora instinctively stopped in her tracks and took a step back.

 

Seeing her reaction, Shiori and Shino could only sigh in exasperation.

 

“Sure, the quest is important, but I won’t let you keep walking around looking so sloppy.”

 

“I mean, just leaning forward a little creates a gap in your clothes big enough to fit an entire arm. You’re practically showing off your sports bra.”

 

“I-I-I-I don’t even go outside much or anything…”

 

“Hmm, big brother, so does that mean you’re going to keep refusing all of Kurono-chan’s invitations from now on?”

 

“I’m really sorry after you went through the trouble of moving here. I never thought my disciple would turn into such a mess of a person…”

 

“Th-That’s not fair!” Sora cried out, trembling with anger, clenching her fists, unable to come up with a proper rebuttal against the perfectly coordinated attacks from the two.

 

But then, the final blow struck Sora’s heart.

 

“The quest is more important, right? You don’t have to push yourself,” said Kurono, standing beside her with a slightly sad smile.

 

That expression hurt far more than the logical attacks from the other two.

 

Making her precious partner feel even a little sad was something Sora couldn’t allow. It was the ultimate taboo for her.

 

So, Sora quickly shook her head and frantically spoke to Kurono.

 

“There’s no way I’d have to push myself to accept an invitation from my partner. Right now, you’re more important to me than ?Astral Online?.”

 

“Sora…” Kurono’s face lit up with joy, and in her excitement, she hugged her arm.

 

Feeling the warmth and sensation of her real body, Sora froze, her face turning bright red all the way to her ears.

 

Leading the way, Shiori glanced over at them and flashed an amused smile at the sight.

 

“Well, big brother, if that’s the case, then you’ll need to buy some sharp-looking clothes so you can walk proudly beside cute little Kurono-chan.”

 

“Ugh, fine, I get it,” Sora grumbled, now resigned, pointing a finger at Shiori, who was smiling cheerfully, and Shino, who had a gentle smile on her face.

 

“But let me make one thing clear—I am absolutely ‘not’ wearing any girl’s clothes! Even if my fate goes to zero, I’m sticking to that line!”

 

……………………………

 

After finishing her shopping, Sora slumped down onto a bench for a break, completely exhausted.

 

The reason for her fatigue was quite simple.

 

Sora Kamijo, a high school boy on the inside, had ventured into a women’s clothing store.

 

She’d found herself in awkward corners full of skimpy women’s underwear that made it hard to know where to look.

 

Then there was Shiori, who kept bringing over all sorts of cute clothes with frills, which she had to fend off.

 

And Shino, who tried to dress her in matching outfits with Kurono, which she had to desperately refuse.

 

She was worn out from it all.

 

“I’ll get you guys back for this…”

 

In the store, the only item she could tolerate from the women’s section was some boxer shorts.

 

Next, she picked out five sets of shirts and pants that fit her current body size.

 

Shino, being an adult, paid for everything, and Sora changed into the clothes Kurono had picked out for her right there in the store.

 

Now, instead of baggy clothes, she was dressed in sharp, well-fitting clothes.

 

The design was plain, no patterns, just solid colors.

 

Overall, she looked like a boyish girl.

 

While the scent of brand-new clothes surrounded her, Sora stared at the ceiling. Kurono, who was sitting next to her, handed her something.

 

“Here, Sora.”

 

“Oh, thanks.”

 

It was a canned soda.

 

Grateful for Kurono’s thoughtfulness, Sora took the carbonated drink, opened it with a “pop,” and downed it in one go.

 

Taking a breath, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Ahh, what a good girl. You’re gonna make a great wife someday.”

 

At the exaggerated compliment, Kurono’s face turned bright red.

 

“R-really?”

 

“Yeah, really. I’d never lie to you, Kurono.”

 

“Yay!”

 

Kurono clenched her fists lightly and smiled brightly.

 

What an adorable little creature.

 

Sora couldn’t help but feel all warm inside.

 

Incidentally, Shiori and Shino were currently inside a nearby lingerie shop, leaving her alone (she’d narrowly escaped being dragged in with them).

 

So, for now, it was just the two of them.

 

When Kurono naturally leaned into Sora, who was sitting beside her, Sora accepted it without a word.

 

From the surrounding people, she could hear comments like:

 

“Whoa, are they twins or something?”

“She’s such a gorgeous girl, amazing!”

“I wish a girl like that would call me ‘Onii-chan’…”

“I would prefer to be called ‘Onii-sama!'”

 

There were a few strange remarks in the mix, so Sora instinctively placed her hand on Kurono’s shoulder, pulling her closer protectively.

 

Kurono, caught off guard by the unexpected action, flinched and blinked several times while staring at Sora’s face.

 

“S-Sora?”

 

“Ah, sorry. It seems we’re attracting attention, so I just…”

 

Sora remained wary of the sharp gazes directed at them from the crowd. Meanwhile, Kurono, with a blank expression, seemed completely unaware of the attention they were receiving.

 

I have to protect her… Sora thought, feeling an overwhelming urge to keep her safe. She silently made a firm vow in her heart.

 

About ten minutes had passed as they waited for Shiori and Shino. By now, a crowd had gathered around them, and things were starting to get out of hand.

 

If they moved now, it felt like something would break, leading to a chaotic situation. People were currently keeping their distance, but Sora had a sense that, with the right trigger, they’d close in all at once.

 

Just as she thought that, it happened.

 

“Woah!?”

 

Suddenly, there was a massive thud, and for a brief moment, the ground shook violently. Sora and Kurono nearly lost their balance, but luckily, they were sitting on the bench, preventing them from falling over.

 

However, many people around them were not as fortunate, and several had fallen, causing a commotion.

 

The shopping mall was now filled with noise and confusion. Amidst the chaos, someone shouted in a loud, alarming voice.

 

“H-hey! What the heck is that!?”

 

Turning in the direction of the voice, Sora saw a man leaning over a guardrail, pointing toward the ocean, his face pale.

 

Sora led Kurono over to the railing and looked in the direction the man was pointing.

 

“No way…”

 

“Sora, is that…?”

 

Both of them were left speechless.

 

What they saw in the distance was something instantly recognizable to anyone who had played ?Astral Online?.

 

It was the massive World Tree, Yggdrasil, towering all the way to the sky.