Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 15
1-15. Mari-nee and Lively Siblings
After that, somehow managing to get up, I walked ahead of Nero for caution.
Nero is truly an excellent child; he informed me in advance when monsters approached.
Thanks to him, I was able to pass through the forest without fighting at all.
Truly, I have nothing but gratitude for Roulette-san, who gave birth to Nero.
I walked through the main street of the town, somewhat groggy, heading towards the church.
Estelle-san asked me, or rather tearfully pleaded, to use the church when resting, making it difficult to choose other accommodations.
If Estelle-san were to find out that I stayed somewhere other than the church, even if I could stay there…
“This room is old, and to be honest, not very clean, so please don’t mind,” she would likely say with a Virgin Mary-like smile, shedding a single tear.
Children with moist eyes around her would complete the scene.
And I know that the room Estelle-san talks about is actually cleaned meticulously by her every day.
Knowing that, my mental strength is not strong enough to stay elsewhere.
Somehow, I reached the church without being found by Estelle-san and entered the room.
Lying down on the bed, I logged out while holding Nero.
Good job today, Nero…
In the end, back in my real bed, it was too much trouble to remove the blindfold, so I fell asleep like that and woke up to find that it was morning.
When awakened by Masato, I curled up, and he carried me in a princess carry.
At first, it was embarrassing and I resisted, even though he was my brother, but after two weeks, I got used to it.
It’s scary how you can get used to things that were supposed to be just a fragment of a dream.
After washing my face in the bathroom and waiting for Maki to wake up while sitting in the kotatsu, breakfast was arranged on the kotatsu’s table.
“Rice, miso soup with clams, grilled salted salmon, and boiled komatsuna. This feels like a Japanese breakfast. And is this Yamagata style?”
“You like it, Mari-nee? It’s easy to eat because it has fibers, and it’s nutritious as you can get various vegetables at once.”
Yamagata dashi is mainly made by finely chopping summer vegetables and kelp, seasoning with soy sauce and mirin.
After waiting a while, the kelp absorbs the moisture from the vegetables, thickening the soup and making it even more delicious.
Although it’s called summer vegetables, most vegetables are available regardless of the season, so I often made it when I was busy.
If kept in the refrigerator, it would last for a while, so when I couldn’t prepare dinner in time, we ate it together.
“I’m happy… I hope I can eat a lot with this.”
My muscles and organs are deteriorating together, and I can only eat less than an elementary school student.
If I push myself too hard, I can’t digest it properly, and I end up vomiting immediately.
“You’ll have to train your body along with that. I’ll manage both rehabilitation and nutrition properly, so no need to worry. I’m no match for Mari-nee when it comes to cooking!”
“You’re 100 years too early to try to beat your sister, my dear brother. Ah, good morning, Onee-chan!”
“Good morning, Maki.”
“Don’t give up on me, Maki. I’m like a professional apprentice, studying to become a nutritionist!”
“A professional apprentice can’t beat Mari-nee’s cooking. Mari-nee’s cooking is in a genre called ‘big-sis-cooking.’ If you don’t understand that, you still have a lot to learn, right?”
“What did you say, Maki? Are you picking a fight!”
“If it’s a fight, I’ll buy it with money!”
The two clashed on either side of the kotatsu.
It’s lively with these siblings from the morning… I calmed them down with a wry smile.
“All right, that’s enough. Since Masato made breakfast, let’s eat it before it gets cold. I’m unusually hungry.”
“Really! What do you want to eat first!?”
It’s nice that they’re willing to serve, but, well, let’s calm down a bit.
“Come on, take your time choosing, Masato.”
No, saying that, I put Yamagata’s dashi on the spoon, and Maki seems eager to feed me, right?
In the end, a fight erupted again over which recommendation to eat first, and the clam miso soup I wanted was already lukewarm.
After breakfast and a break, it was time for rehabilitation with Masato helping me.
Moving my body is still tough, and there’s no sign of my muscles returning.
Well, it’s not something new, and it should be better than doing nothing.
And a little bit, I feel frustrated that Masato thinks he won in cooking.
Until a few days ago, I think I would have accepted it.
But since I became capable in MWO, I feel like it’s giving me the strength to resist.
After about two hours of rehabilitation and lunch, with Masato studying on one side, I read an e-book on the bed. It’s a novel I used to read when Mom was still around, and a sequel had come out without me realizing it.
As I finished reading with a sense of nostalgia and immersed myself in the satisfaction of completing the book, a popup from MWO appeared while I was navigating the search screen.
“Come to think of it, I might not have seen MWO’s website.”
I received the game and the blindfold from my siblings, and I started MWO without any information.
Thinking it was a good opportunity, I selected the pop-up, and the MWO official website opened, with the title “The 1st official event” being advertised prominently.