SPECIAL AFTERWORD PIECE
EXP
Amid the red sand of GGO’s desert wastes, two small players lounged on their backs.
“Hey, Llenn.”
“What, Fuka?”
“I’m bored.”
“Me too.”
“That’s the thirty-fourth time you’ve responded that way.”
“Because it’s the same number of times you said what you did.”
“Close. I said mine thirty-five times. One time, you didn’t say anything. What happened? Were you thinking about daikon pulling?”
“Why would I? Also, Fuka, I found out that daikon pulling is totally just a local Hokkaido thing. None of the kids down here have even heard of that game before.”
“Yeah, I know. I was talking with a foreign exchange student from Honshu, and she was totally baffled when I mentioned it.”
“She’s not a foreign exchange student if she came from Japan. Hokkaido hasn’t declared independence.”
“So were you thinking about daikon pulling?”
“No! All I was thinking was that it’s very boring to be waiting around like this.”
“Hey, Llenn. Is there really a special enemy who drops super-rare items around here? You didn’t get tricked by another no-good man, did you? I’m worried about you, daughter.”
“You’re not my mom. This info came from Pito, so I’m pretty sure it’s solid. Pretty sure…”
“Fine, then.”
“That satisfies you?”
“I will believe anything Lady Elza says, unconditionally. It is my path to salvation.”
“Don’t go starting a cult.”
“Wicked heretic! Disbeliever in Our Lady Elza! Begone from this place!”
“Knock it off, I said. We can’t be relying on M and everyone else all the time.”
“Yeah, that’s true. We gotta be able to earn enough money for ourselves…”
“Yes, exactly.”
“…and once we’re independently wealthy, then we can milk the rich for their money.”
“Not so fast.”
“No, I’m going to speak my mind. In real-world terms, how much money do you think we’ve sunk into our goddess Lady Elza?”
“Huh? Um…a lot…”
“Right? So we’ve earned a little return on our investment.”
“What do you mean, ‘earned’?”
“Anyway, let’s just focus on killing any enemies who show up.”
“That’s the problem: There aren’t any…”
“Still, you’ve changed, Llenn.”
“Huh? Have I gotten smaller?”
“Nope. I take that back. Llenn hasn’t changed; Kohi has. Karen Kohiruimaki has changed.”
“Well? Have I gotten smaller?”
“Nope. Forget about your height; that’s a lost cause. No—what I mean is, in all ways, you’ve gotten so, so, so much more proactive than you used to be. Your personality’s brighter. You just don’t seem to have noticed.”
“R-really…?”
“The old Kohi was like shyness itself, dressed up in clothes. You never ever reached out to interact with anyone before, did you? That’s Gun Gale Online for you. The ol’ Geeg…”
“Hmm. You really think I’ve changed that much? Really…?”
“Yes, you’ve obviously changed! You’re a different person! Who the hell are you?! Give back the nice, reserved old Kohi! Give her back right now!”
“Huh? No! I won’t!”
“Damn you, impostor! Prepare for eternal judgment!”
“Oh? You’re gonna draw your pistol on me…? That you can’t hit anything with?”
“We got a fifty-fifty chance at this distance. Bring it on! I’ll destroy you and feed you to my weapon for EXP!”
“Heh, I was just getting exhausted waiting for enemies to show up… P-chan’s been dying for EXP, too… Execution Points!”
“You really have changed… Show me, then! Let’s have a true women’s duel!”
“Hey, M, do you think that’s Llenn and Fuka going crazy over there?”
“That seems to be the case. Couldn’t begin to guess why, though.”
“Did they have a falling out?”
“It seems like they’re enjoying themselves, though.”
“Did they start a fight to the death out of boredom? I want to let them know that no enemies are going to spawn in that spot anymore, but I’d hate to interrupt their fun. Let’s leave them be for now.”
The End
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