Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 21
1-21. Mari-nee and Class Change
Having stayed up late into the night and leveled up, I returned to the town. I headed straight to the church and, after logging out, lay down on the bed that Estelle-san had prepared for me.
When I woke up, it was already evening, around 6 PM. in real life.
It seemed that Masato had already finished shopping for dinner, and a pleasant aroma filled the room.
“Goma oil, ginger, garlic… the dinner seems to have a Chinese flavor.”
Maki had complimented Masato’s cooking, saying it couldn’t compare to hers, but I had long thought otherwise. The seasoning and presentation were well-balanced, and considering my health, he cooked something easy to digest.
Despite Maki’s comments, she ate everything without leaving a grain, so she must have acknowledged his skills.
“You two are always competing in strange ways, my little siblings.”
As I chuckled, the other half arrived.
“Onee-chan looks happy! Did something happen?”
“Hehe, nothing at all.”
“Eeeh! There must be something! It’s about me and Onii-chan, right?! Mom was definitely giving me that motherly look just now!!!”
She rushed to my bed, peering into my face.
Maki is sharp, indeed.
But oh well, I did have a motherly look… I slowly lifted my hand and stroked Maki’s head.
“I was just thinking how cute Maki is.”
“Mmm~ I feel like I’m being deceived somehow! But it’s been a while since Onee-chan stroked my head. You used to do it a lot when we were younger.”
Her twin tails, held together, swayed happily.
“Is your work done for today?”
“Perfectly! It was just right to close out the stocks of a company I had been preparing for a while. Even after deducting the losses from cutting losses, it’s around 80 million yen in the positive.” (548.460 USD)
“Th-that’s amazing…”
I’ve heard Maki talk about her work many times, but I still can’t get used to the enormity of that amount.
80 million yen is about 20 years’ worth of the current average annual income of 4 million yen.
A day’s income…
Of course, I know she gathers an enormous amount of information, analyzes it, and works hard every day until late at night. But still, you know?
Really, Maki has grown into an amazing girl, Mom.
As I listened to Maki enthusiastically sharing today’s achievements, Masato came to call us for dinner.
As expected, dinner was Chinese cuisine—a luxurious Chinese bowl filled with plenty of vegetables and seafood.
By the way, Maki got angry because there were no quail eggs in it, and Masato retorted, ‘If you’re going to complain, don’t eat.’
However, he was defeated without hesitation by the counterargument, “But who is earning that money?” and ended up being tasked with buying quail eggs.
Well, I guess it’s because he’s her big brother? Hang in there, Masato…
Enjoyable dinner, I guess? After dinner, I logged back into MWO.
MWO time was in the morning. As I descended the stairs, I encountered Estelle-san, surrounded by children, preparing to eat.
“Hello, Estelle-san-san.”
“Maria-san! Hello. We’re about to have a meal, would you like to join us?”
My satisfaction level was about two-thirds full, and if it was Estelle-san’s invitation, I couldn’t refuse.
“Yes, please. If it’s okay, can I ask for bread, Estelle-san-san? I’ll make the main dish.”
“Oh my, I’m always receiving your help…”
Before Estelle-san could express her apologies, the children intervened.
“Maria-Onee-chan is cooking!”
“Yay!”
“We can eat a lot!”
“Maria’s meat is better than Sister’s vegetable dishes!”
The last one must be Van?
Be careful with the way you say it, as it sounds like you’re going to eat the meat from my body.
Well, say whatever you want; I don’t know what will happen later.
While I was thinking that, Estelle-san, who had been standing behind me, took me somewhere.
Self-inflicted, perhaps? Is this also part of the education? Probably.
Arriving at the kitchen ahead of time, I took out vegetables like daikon, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes.
The children, who seemed to be expecting meat, had disappointed expressions, but I wanted them to judge after they ate it.
I immediately used the learned skill, <Preparation> on the vegetables. Like magic, the dirt on the vegetables disappeared, and the peels and cores were removed.
“Oh, this is handy.”
If it can handle this much, all that’s left is to manipulate the knife with a thread to chop it up.
I chopped them finely one after another, threw them into the pot without adding water, covered it, and started the fire.
This part should be fine for now.
Next, from the meat chunk of the Black Wolf I used before, I took out a large number of bones left after extracting the meat and put them in another pot.
I added water and whole garlic cloves to this one and simmered it.
Then, I activated the skill <Accelerate>.
As the broth quickly boiled and scum appeared, I diligently skimmed it off, covered it, and continued simmering with <Accelerate>.
Hmm, <Accelerate> consumes quite a bit of MP.
I’d like to level up quickly to reduce consumption, but since I don’t plan to use MP right away, I’ll keep using it.
It took about 20 minutes until MP was about half.
Stopping the skill and opening the lid, the soup had turned into a cloudy and rich soup reminiscent of tonkotsu ramen.
I unintentionally did it, but how long has it been simmering?
Tasting it, there was enough umami, so it should be okay.
When I opened the pot with the simmered vegetables, the vegetables had released their own moisture nicely.
I added the wolf bones soup, mixed it lightly, and seasoned it with salt.
With this, it’s done. I wonder if the nutritional value is high.
While waiting for Estelle-san’s bread to finish baking, I made pickle brine, soaked the vegetables, and activated <Accelerate> to make pickles.
Once everything was ready, the children made subtle faces at the slightly cloudy soup without meat. However, the moment they took a sip, their eyes widened, and they began to gulp down the soup eagerly.
Don’t forget the bread and pickles, okay? And remember, there are seconds available, so don’t try to snatch someone else’s soup!
I temporarily set aside my own meal and distributed soup seconds to the children. I noticed that Estelle-san’s bowl was also empty.
“I tried making it using a newly learned skill. How was it?”
After asking while serving a bit more than usual to the children, they answered with dreamy faces, placing a hand on their cheeks.
“What a deep and delicious soup. I’d believe it if someone said this is heavenly soup!”
“Well, that’s a bit exaggerated.”
It was nice that they were delighted, but being praised to that extent made me feel a bit awkward. In the end, I had to make three rounds around the table, and the large amount of soup I made was reduced to just a few servings.
Leaving the church, I headed to the square south of the town.
Just to be sure, I asked Estelle-san again, but it seemed that Zela-san could be found in the square. Arriving at the square, the atmosphere was as relaxed as before, time flowing smoothly.
There were still four people dressed as jesters, entertaining the surroundings with their performances.
“Zela-san-san… I wonder if it’s difficult to find her again this time?”
She used to appear as an old man with a dog, but it wasn’t guaranteed to be the same this time. As I steeled myself, Zela-san was sitting on a bench, feeding birds, just like before.
Feeling a bit anticlimactic, I carefully observed the birds. No sense of discomfort, and this time, could it be real?
Approaching, the surprised birds all took flight.
It seems it was indeed real.
“Oh, if it isn’t Maria. The meal you gave me last time was delicious. Thank you.”
“No, I’m the one who’s grateful. You taught me a lot about the jester job, and the skill has been incredibly useful.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. So, what brings you here today?”
“Well, I’ve finally reached the point where I can do a class change. So, I came to see Zela-san-san for that.”
“Hmm, you’ve finally made it that far. Do you know the conditions, then? You need to be recognized by me, that’s all. And even when we first met, you already had the skill to gain my recognition based on your abilities alone.”
“Huh? So, does that mean…”
“Congratulations. The new job available for class change is <Puppeteer>.”
<Puppeteer>
[A job specialized for those who chose strings as their main equipment while being a jester. This job focuses on handling multiple objects simultaneously.
Proficient in quantity-based battles, the number of strings that can be controlled simultaneously is doubled.]
…So, this is an advanced job, huh?”
Reading the description, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat conflicted.
“Is something bothering you?”
“It’s not that I’m dissatisfied, but… it feels like the direction of this job, the Puppeteer, is a bit different from the current relationship between Nero and me. It’s like it’s cold, as if you only see me as an object.”
“However, that’s what being a Puppeteer is. Quantity is not something to be underestimated. No matter how strong you are, if you get surrounded and show an opening, you might be defeated. That’s why a certain level of cold handling is necessary.”
“Yeah, but… let me think about it for a moment.”
“Don’t worry about it. Acting according to your heart is sometimes important.”
Acting according to my heart, huh?
Suddenly, the interactions I had with Nero flashed in my mind. My precious partner, cute and strong. The only thing different from the real thing might be that he doesn’t meow.
Cries…. Sound…. Heartbeat,.
“…Um, Zela-san.”
“Hmm? Have you decided to become a Puppeteer?”
“Not yet. But before that, can I ask where you’ve been talking from today?”
“…I’m right in front of you.”
“Recently, I learned a skill called <Enhanced Hearing>. My level isn’t that high yet, but even with that, I can tell when someone is this close. Why can’t I hear the sound of a heartbeat from Zela-san in front of me?”
“…”
“Also, just so you know, I still find it hard to believe, but the Zela-san in front of me is a doll, right?”
Then, I heard the sound of a heartbeat from behind the bench where Zela-san was sitting. The one who appeared was a beautiful woman with deepred hair, dressed in a bright red dress.
“I never thought I’d be exposed here. Who are you really?”
“Just an ordinary person. Well, maybe not so ordinary in terms of the body.”
Although I hadn’t talked much about my body until now, I found myself talking surprisingly easily with a wry smile.
“Hmm… but quite something. I must properly acknowledge you for this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like this.”
Zela-san snapped her fingers, and a message appeared on the screen.
?Special Advanced Job “Marionettist” is now available for selection.?
?Marionettist?
A specialized second job for jesters who choose strings as their main equipment. It does not increase the number of controllable strings like the Puppeteer, but excels in coordination with puppet targets, enhancing their performance.
“If that’s the case, would this suit your wishes better?”
“Y-yes!”
I cautiously chose to change class to ?Marionettist?.
?Class changed to ?Marionettist?. The job skill of ?Puppeteer?* has changed to ?Manipulator?**. The job skill ?Control Mastery? is now available.?
(*these two word have the same furigana but different kanji and meaning, The puppeteer is more like puppet user, the manipulator is describing the user as the Marionettist including ventriloquist, the true meaning of the kanji is puppet manipulator/companion)
I was curious about the new job skills, but I summoned my puppet plush Nero with anticipation.
Nero that appeared stretched naturally, and then…
“Meow!”
He meowed towards me.
I couldn’t help but hug him, and Nero licked my cheek.
“From now on, let’s do our best. Then, your puppets will always respond to you whenever you need them.”
Zela-san, who was a doll, disappeared, and the woman Zela-san walked away.
As I bowed my head to her, Nero let out another meow, bidding her farewell together.
?Maria: Jester Lv 15 ? Marionettist Lv 15?
STR: 1
VIT: 3 ? 4
AGI: 5 ? 6
DEX: 58 ? 64
INT: 4
MID: 15 ? 17
?Skills: Skill Points +22?
?String Manipulation? Lv 13
?Manipulator? Lv 6
?Clown? Lv 9
?Capture? Lv 4
?Cooking? Lv 6 ? Lv 7
?Preparation? Lv 1 ? Lv 2
?Acceleration? Lv 1 ? Lv 3
?Night Vision? Lv 3
?Meditation? Lv 2
?Visual Enhancement? Lv 1
?Auditory Enhancement? Lv 2
?Puppet Targets?
Nero (Cat Plushie)