Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 71

Who Is the Winner

White Christmas.

Akito missed the last train after he finished watching the movie.

It was because he didn’t check the movie’s running time beforehand.

Akito, Maya, and Yakumo had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. They would stay in the hotel today.

「President, sorry. This hotel’s price is surely really expensive isn’t it?」

Maya talked with the receptionist that they wanted to stay overnight.  She was told that there was a single empty room where the three of them  could stay.

It was a miracle that there was an empty room in this day.

And yet Maya told him 「Don’t mind it」.

「Actually it would be better if I can get two rooms. I’m the one who should say sorry.」

Yakumo was also shrugging.

「I’m thankful from just being able to get a room. Let’s go to the room after we finish eating.」

He would stay in a hotel with girls.

Akito’s face reddened when he thought that.

Yakumo teased him.

「What are you imagining I wonder?」

「Eh, no, umm! ……Nothing.」

If I’m lucky I might be able to graduate from my virginity! Akito wasn’t that mature that his chest wouldn’t stir a little from such youthful expectation.

Maya also teased him.

「You’re really bold Akito. Well, enough about that. The after meal coffee is going to come soon.」

Akito averted his gaze from the two. Even he was aware that his face was flushed. He changed the topic.

「Come to think of it, I heard that coffee at hotel is expensive. It’s too much to let president pay for everything so, I’ll――」

I’ll pay too.

Maya cut him off from saying those words.

「My acquaintance has connection with this hotel so it’s alright. We can leave the bill to be taken care of by him.」

Yakumo was surprised.

「You’re pretty awful yourself aren’t you.」

「It’s fine. It was that person who told me to use this place. That’s why, let’s just enjoy it without feeling burdened.」

A cheerful conversation.

Unlike the previous offline gathering, they were having a great time here.

(I panicked when we missed the last train, but I’m glad we can have a good time like this. But, something doesn’t feel right――)

The after meal coffee was brought before Akito could arrive at the answer of his question.

The coffee was the same for everyone.

Akito put syrup and milk into his to make it sweet. When he looked at the other two, they were also pouring milk into theirs.

He thought that he might get treated like a kid if he drank his sweet  while they drank theirs black, but it seemed that he was safe.

(Haa, I’m too thrilled today that I might not be able to sleep.)

Akito thought like that while looking at his coffee. Such thought was  so sweet, even sweeter than a coffee that was mixed with milk and  syrup.

Yakumo spoke up.

「Eh, that person――」

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Yakumo poured milk while putting in the sleep inducing drug.

(Calm down, there won’t be any problem if I switch the coffee when they get distracted.)

Yakumo waited for her chance. Then she saw a monitor showing a news program.

(That’s――!)

「Eh, that person――」

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the monitor.

Akito thoughtlessly turned his gaze toward the monitor, while Maya was looking a bit flustered.

The monitor was showing the information broker who had become the  president of Pandora’s operating company. He was slender inside the  game, but in reality he had a very unhealthy body build.

He was answering the question of the female announcer.

『Then, there’s no mistake that Pandora’s service will resume at January?』

『Yes, that’s right.』

『Some people are concerned that perhaps the verification of the system isn’t thorough enough. What do you think about that?』

『That’s not the case. By removing the unnecessary data, the burdens  on the game until now have been cleared away. To put it in a simple  term, there won’t be any problem after the bad parts are removed. Of  course we’re still continuing to investigate these unnecessary data.』

Pandora was becoming the representative of VR game.

Because of that, the money that it gathered was also in a different scale.

Some weekly magazines and internet news were writing that the  management must simply want to resume service as quickly as possible.

Yakumo paid attention to Maya while switching their cups.

In the monitor, the information broker could be seen ogling the female announcer.

Akito was watching the monitor seriously. Yakumo saw Akito’s cup and reached out toward it.

In the movie today, there was a scene where two lovers exchanged  their cup before drinking coffee. She must be remembering that scene.

Yakumo blushed while holding Akito’s cup protectively.

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『So you’re saying, that there won’t be any problem with resuming service after one month?』

『Of course. I promise everyone even greater experience in virtual world than before.』

Maya was listening to the information broker’s talk while watching  from the corner of her eye Yakumo drinking coffee from the switched cup.  She made a guts pose inside her heart.

(Yosh! The hindrance is gone with this. Now we just need to spend some time before going to the room.)

Just now she was surprised when Yakumo raised her voice while she was putting in the drug.

However she successfully mixed the drug into the coffee. At the same time she also managed to switch her cup with Akito’s.

The two of them were starting to head into a dangerous territory.

Maya drank her coffee while smiling to Yakumo.

Yakumo was also smiling.

(The battle is already over. It’s too bad, you silly goose.)

Maya was convinced of her victory. She looked at Akito.

Akito was also drinking his coffee.

「Ah, I don’t get this taste.」

Akito was saying that he didn’t understand the difference of  expensive coffee. Maya was looking at him who was like that while  smiling.

「You will be able to differentiate it quickly. Do you want to come here with me again?」

Akito was bewildered. Yakumo then interrupted.

「Oh, that’s a good idea. Akito, let’s come here again together.」

The direct translation of the two’s words was 「Next time let’s come  here without the nuisance」. But, it didn’t get through to Akito at all.

He was smiling. It was unknown whether he was simply pure or that he believed on the two too much.

「Y-yeah. If possible I want to come here again when I have more leeway.」

Akito hinted about the monetary problem of coming here.

Maya thought.

(It’s fine. We’ll come again here soon, just the two of us.)

Maya had been drawing a plan inside her head until the step of  introducing Akito to her father while also asking Jun to be there to  intermediate. Meanwhile she drank her coffee.

The coffee felt tastier than usual…….

It was a special day. White Christmas. The two girls were also in the middle of keeping each other in check.

There was also the influence of the slightly lewd movie that they had  just watched. The two were going out of control because of those  factors.

It caused the two of them to commit a blunder that they usually wouldn’t do――the blunder of putting their hand on Akito’s cup.

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Ten minutes later.

Yakumo was pressing her hand on her head inside the elevator.

Akito got worried and talked with her, but to her it felt like his voice was coming from far away.

Her legs were also swaying unsteadily.

「Senpai? Senpai, are you alright!?」

「I-I’m fine.」

(This bitch, don’t tell me she noticed what I did!?)

She immediately suspected Maya’s involvement with her current  condition, but ahead of her gaze Maya was also pressing her hand on her  head while her other hand was holding on the wall. It looked like she  was just barely staying on her feet.

Here Yakumo realized.

(Don’t tell me, this woman! ……SO YOU TOOOOO!!)

Maya also looked at Yakumo. As expected she also came to the same realization and felt astonished.

「President! Hey, are you two really alright? I’ll go call some――」

The two hurriedly stopped Akito when he said that.

(It’ll be bad if it get found out about the drug! No matter what here we should――)

「We’re fine. It looks like we’re feeling tired from getting a bit too  excited today. You know, today is really fun just like inside the game  after all.」

Yakumo smiled. Maya also matched her story.

As expected from two people who had known each other for long inside the virtual world. Their teamwork was exceptional.

「Ahahaha, sorry that we’re like kids. I was looking forward to this day so much I couldn’t sleep last night.」

Akito looked relieved.

It seemed he was happy to hear Yakumo and Maya’s words.

Yakumo thought.

(If it’s like this then should I wait for Akito to be the one making  his move on me? No, but if he make a move on this girl instead……)

She tried to stay awake by sheer willpower, but as expected from a  popular sleep inducing drug. Both Yakumo and Maya had to give it their  all to resist the desire to sleep.

When the elevator stopped, Akito lent his shoulders to the two and brought them until the room.

Yakumo thought.

(Ah, his body is unexpectedly sturdy.)

She heard that he was training in fitness club, but it seemed that he was more muscular than he appeared.

The room’s door came into view.

The three entered inside and Akito laid down the two on the bed.

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After laying down the two on the bed, he put the tops that the two took off on the hanger.

He also placed their bags and other things on the table. Then he put a  blanket over the two so they wouldn’t get cold before sitting on the  sofa.

「I’m also getting sleepy somehow. E-eh? My smartphone――」

He searched for his smartphone, but it wasn’t inside his pocket.

(Come to think of it, it felt like something fell when I opened the door.)

Akito went outside with unsteady gait. There he found his smartphone on the floor.

But, when he passed the door and picked it up……*click*.

The door closed. Then it made the sound of getting locked.

「Eh? Ah, crap……t-the key is inside.」

The troubled Akito thought of what to do in front of the door, but  his sleepiness was getting stronger. He was confused because he felt  sleepier than usual, but then his acquaintance walked through the  corridor.

They were two university students who he often saw at the fitness  club. They only knew each other’s face and didn’t even even know each  other’s name.

The blue haired girl’s face was red. She must have drunk alcohol.

「Eh, what’s wrong?」

The troubled looking woman beside her saw Akito and became concerned.

「You’re from the gym……more importantly, you don’t look well. Are you sick or something?」

The two’s voices were gradually getting further away in Akito’s ears.

「Err……I’m……sleepy」

The blue haired woman laughed at his answer.

「What’s that? As I thought, you’re amusing.」

The woman’s grinning face was the last thing he saw.

(Ah, I’m already――)

Akito collapsed. He fell toward the blue haired girl――and buried his face into her large breasts.

「Eh, wait! H-hey! Eh, Reona, what’s going on here?」

「Don’t ask me. He said that he felt really sleepy.」

Akito fell asleep like that.

「What now?」

「He’s sensei’s acquaintance. There’s no way he’s a bad kid but……his room must be nearby anyway. Let him sleep.」

The two carried Akito into a room beside the room where Yakumo and Maya were sleeping.

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The next day.

Akito found large breasts in front of him when he woke up.

(……These aren’t the breasts of senpai or president.)

He turned over and saw the breasts at the opposite side.

But, these also weren’t the breasts of those two.

(Umm~, I had seen them from somewhere. That’s right, these  magnificent breasts are the breasts that I always saw at the fitness  club. Aa~, feels like the weight is off my shoulders now that the  question is answered.)

It was really weird to recognize someone based on their breasts, but Akito felt relieved after that and closed his eyes.

After a while, his eyes snapped wide open and he got up in panic.

「Eee!?」

He was sleeping on a bed between unknown breasts――no, he meant unknown women. He looked over himself.

He was wearing his underwear. However, his clothes had been taken off.

The room had women clothing scattered all over.

He pressed his hands on his head and desperately tried to remember yesterday.

「Wait, yesterday I was with senpai and president……and after that? What happened after that?」

His memory when he was drowsy was vague. He didn’t understand how he  ended p sleeping together with people who he only knew by face.

When he looked over the room, there were several expensive looking alcohol bottles that had been opened.

「D-don’t tell me I drank alcohol? N-no, that didn’t happen. Because I don’t smell like al――ah, I do!」

When he paid closer attention, he smell alcohol from the two beside him too.

Akito got up for the time being. He picked up his clothes, put them on, and left the room.

「T-that’s right. Nothing happened. Nothing happened……I think.」

He wasn’t sure.

Just in case, he tried to speak with the two, but it was early in the morning and they showed no sign of waking up.

Akito gave up and wrote his gratitude on a memo inside the room.

(Gratitude? Gratitude for what? No, more importantly did something really happen yesterday?)

As expected, perhaps he should wait until the two woke up? While he was thinking that, his smartphone rang.

The caller was Maya.

He hurriedly picked it up and Maya’s worried voice came from the other side.

『Akito? Where are you right now? Where did you go yesterday?』

She asked him a lot of questions. Akito gave her explanation before  hanging up. And then he thanked the two sleeping women and exited the  room.

He looked at the room’s number and realized that it was beside Yakumo and Maya’s room.

Yakumo came out when he knocked on the door.

「Akito! You, yesterday――why do you smell of alcohol?」

Akito thought that it would take a lot of time if he told the truth,  so he told the two that he got locked out of the room and slept outside.

As expected both Maya and Yakumo became apologetic.

(T-thank god. I can somehow get through this safely.)

However, what in the world happened last night?

Akito couldn’t help but wondering about it.

Akito returned inside the room, took a shower, and tidied up himself.  The whole time he was thinking about everything that had happened in  confusion.

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In the room next door.

Yumi woke up and yawned while getting up. He looked inside the room.

「Aa~, yesterday I drank again even after that huh.」

Her memory was getting a bit hazy.

Her clothes were scattered everywhere. Her parents would definitely yell at her if they saw the state of this room.

「Reona, wake up. It’s morning already.」

Reona was sleeping soundly.

Yumi was feeling exasperated while walking around inside the room to collect her clothes. Then she found a memo on the table.

「Come to think of it, we brought a boy inside yesterday……why did we do that again?」

Yumi crossed her arms while looking at her own appearance.

She was in her underwear.

「……There’s no way.」

Ahahaha, she was laughing while picking up the memo.

『Thank you very much for yesterday. I don’t know what is it that I  should thank you about but, the two of you have really helped me.』

Yumi tilted her head after she read the memo.

The writing was really roundabout.

It was as though the writer tried to be ambiguous…….

A thought crossed her mind after she reached that point.

(Perhaps he tried to convey something that couldn’t be written  directly? Something that really can’t be written about? ……Eh? D-don’t  tell me, when I was drunk? N-no way!?)

Yumi dropped the memo.

「Eh? D-don’t tell me……REONAAAA!」

Yumi misunderstood and threw her arms around Reona to wake her up immediately.

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At the hotel’s restaurant.

The restaurant wasn’t in buffet style. There Akito was meeting with Maya’s acquaintance.

「Nice to meet you, is what I want to say but……Maya-chan. Who is that girl?」

The man was tall and had the atmosphere of an attractive middle-aged man.

His atmosphere was also high class. He didn’t look out of place in this hotel.

He was imposing, but he looked bewildered seeing the three of them.

The dejected Maya replied.

「……She’s a friend.」

「Nice to meet you, I’m Shikata Yakumo.」

Yakumo was also looking dejected.

「Aa, is that so. A friend……a friend huh.」

The man kept stealing glances at Akito. He introduced himself as Hiragi Jun.

「Err, umm――」

「Aa, pardon me. Actually I have something that I want to ask you.  NAruse Akito-kun……you’re involved with that incident aren’t you?」

The man spoke as though it was nothing at all.

Akito was panicking inside.

However.

「Don’t be wary like that. It’s not like I plan to make trouble. But,  there’s something that really concern me. How much do you know about the  incident this time? This incident simply feel too well arranged.」

The discovery of the moon’s plan.

The mobilization of the government and mass media.

Everything was going too smoothly.

Akito told the man the truth.

(Perhaps it’s fine if he’s president’s acquaintance? Besides, it’s not like I really know that much.)

「I don’t really know the details. I was just asked to cooperate.」

「Cooperate? Did it have to be you, you and the others? Couldn’t someone else do it?」

Thinking back now, it was a strange story.

It was a grand plan, and yet they asked for help from a mediocre high school student like him.

「I myself think it’s strange. But, they called me Selector.  Umm……according to them I’m a prior guinea pig of the government or  something.」

Jun seemed to notice something from Akito’s explanation.

「……I’m sorry. I’m glad I can hear your side of the story. But, this  is curious. Selector means someone who choose right? I don’t think a  chosen existence will get called Selector though.」

Akito too seemed to feel that, but the other side decided to call him  like that on their own so he didn’t really think deeply about it.

(Not a chosen existence, but the one who choose huh……)

The incident had been solved.

However, there was still anxiety inside Akito that he couldn’t clear away.

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