———
Tutorial Quest: [Having Trouble Deciding?] Completed!
Remaining time: 3 Mins 45 Seconds
Rewards have been distributed to your inventory.
———
I glanced at the receptionist, who'd led us to a rugged door in the back marked 'Washroom'.
"What now?"
"Mmmmmn~ Well, you could start by letting go of my hand."
I looked down. Ever since the receptionist had offered me her hand, I had been holding it the entire time. How did I not notice???
"S-Sorry," I said, swiftly letting go. I'd quickly gotten accustomed to the receptionist's smooth fingers. "I didn't realize—"
She laughed. It was a light, bell-like sound, a soft ripple that brushed against my ears. "No, no, it's fine. It was cute watching you be all deeply invested and such while not realizing."
"E-Eh???" Blood rushed to my cheeks. Since when did NPCs flirt???
"Pffft. You should see your face." She smiled. "What's your name? I never asked."
I paused, so flustered that I could barely think. Well, my username was HA_MDwastaken, if that's what she was asking for… but then again, I wasn't sure that I wanted an NPC calling me HA_MD…
"...I'm Hiyomi. N-Nice to meet you." I held down my skirt, hoping I didn't make a further fool of myself while I bowed.
"You probably already know that I'm the receptionist. My name is Midori. Nice to meet you, Hiyomi."
Mmmmmmn~
Oh god.
Call me desperate or a simp, but I can't tell you how good it felt to hear her call me. Just hearing her say my name in her own voice sent shivers down my spine. I played with my hair, avoiding her eyes as I pulled the strands forwards to hopefully hide my flushing face.
Thankfully, Midori didn't seem to notice as she pulled a bundle of clothes out of her inventory. "Let's get you into an alchemist's uniform, shall we?"
- - -
After a short while, I emerged from the washroom, opening the door with a *clack*. I glanced down at my new clothes. "H-How do I look?"
———
Item: Basic Alchemist's Uniform (Student)
HP +5
Stamina +5
Magic +5
Description: A standard student's uniform belonging to the School of Alchemy in Agëmon. Its design is deceptively simple and comfortable to move in.
———
Midori was leaning against the wall. A nearby window casted a soft light on her face. She smiled and whistled. The sharp and playful sound somehow felt warm to my ears like a flute. "You look nice."
"Really? Hehe~ Hearing you say that makes me happy." I beamed and pressed down on my uniform. (Look at me, all giddy from an NPC's praise.) It was certainly much, much better than what I'd been wearing before.
The uniform consisted of a crisp white dress shirt and a muted beige sweater vest overtop, along with a green tie the same shade as the receptionist's. They were slightly oversized, but I just thought it made it look even cuter.
I looked down slightly dejectedly at my own breasts, then up at Midori's. I tugged the loose fabric around my chest.
…Yeah, they were just going to assume that everyone was just as big as Midori, weren't they?
Devs, I've got another strongly worded email coming your way at mach 10 like an RMRT [1]once I log out…
I sighed and pouted. I was fine with being small, but then again… Midori…
Cwyge.
Either way, I ended up with dress shorts—thank god they at least covered more, reaching mid-thigh—with black tights underneath. On my feet were a pair of black combat boots.
The uniform also came with a pair of cute thin-rimmed glasses, which weren't prescription. I kept them in my inventory for now.
"Hmm." Midori tilted her head at me.
"Y-Yes?"
"Nothing. I have some stuff for you. Come," she waved.
Our feet tapped on the wooden floor.
I followed her back to the receptionist's counter, where she handed me a card and a hair tie. She leaned across the counter and tapped the card with one elegant finger.
"That there is your student ID. Keep it safe. It'll give you access to certain things across the kingdom that only Alchemism school students have access to."
The writers' ingenuity strikes again~ I always thought that this detail was neat. The student ID being specific to Schools and classes was Lucidia Online's in-universe way of regulating class-specific content: quests, areas, and more.
I nodded.
"And this?" I raised the hair tie.
"I couldn't find any new ones, so it's mine. I hope you're fine with it. Whenever you're using the worktable, tie up your hair. Safety procedures."
Oh, right. That actually made sense—in labs, hair could get in the way, maybe even turn dangerous if something went wrong. It was already a hazard in real life; in a fantasy MMO, I could practically see myself blowing up if I slacked on safety.
Well, that's the logical reason I told myself when I accepted the hair tie.
Inside, though, I was imploding. This was Midori's hair tie. I-It's not like it means anything, right? It's just because she couldn't find any new ones! A-And I'm a new student! That's all.
…Right?
I slipped it over my wrist, hands and lips trembling. It tugged my skin, as if it were remembering Midori's body heat.
When I played with my hair to hide my flushing face, her faint lily perfume reached me. It was sweet, green, light, and delicate, like spring flowers after rain. My heart jumped. Oh god, it really smelled like her… with just the faintest warmth of her skin mixed in.
It felt wrong wearing it somehow, like me having it around my wrist would eventually wear out her scent. Hopefully that didn't exist in this game.
…
I just wanted to…
…
Fuck…
…
I stared at Midori, my eyes glazing over as my imagination began to take off…
I caught myself.
No, Hiyomi, don't get dirty thoughts. Wait, why am I wearing this? I should take it off… What if by wearing it I lose its scent?
God… /// what am I going to do with myself?
"Hiyomi?"
"Eep!" Shame washed over me like a languid wave. Midori had called my name while I was busy admiring and fantasizing with her scent... Jesus Christ, what had I become?
"Are you okay over there? You look a little lost."
"Y-Yes ma'am! I mean, Midori!" I squeaked.
She locked eyes with me. "Ma'am? I could get used to that."
I whipped my head away and looked to the floor as blood rushed to my cheeks again, heat flooding up my neck like a fire.
"Pfft. You're easy. That was a joke. You can call me Midori, or Ma'am. Whatever you're comfortable with." She sat down on a stool behind the counter.
"Hey! I—" Okay, maybe I was a bit easy. I practically melted around pretty things. But still… "T-That's not nice…"
As soon as the words left my mouth, I immediately regretted saying them.
In hindsight, it probably would've been obvious that those words were probably the worst thing I could've said when I was aiming to become close to Midori.
This was a game, after all. Words mattered—especially from a player to an NPC. Midori was still an NPC, as pretty as she was, and the devs would've coded her with players' comfort as a priority, even if that meant backing off from her usual personality.
Reacting to my words—a player's words, Midori seemed to snap back to a default, professional receptionist facade. She blinked, stood up, and bowed as her eyes dimmed just a little, like she was drawing a curtain between us. Her tone cooled to one of a academic receptionist to a student rather than the warm, personal tone she'd spoken in before.
"I apologize. I overstepped my boundaries, Ms. Hyomi. Either way, that's all I've got for you for now… If you want, please take a look around town. This is your first time here in Agëmon, correct?"
"Y-Yes, it is…"
"I can recommend some places to check out, if you wish."
I swallowed.
Just like that. It was just as quick as snapping my fingers, as frost creeping up a cool glass, as curtains slamming shut on stage.
The closeness had been lost as the distance between us solidified—Midori had been casual a moment ago, but my awkward protest must've pushed her code too far.
I was already messing things up. Some genius I am…
My heart tightened. "I'm fine for now… thank you for all the help."
Midori regarded me with eyes that had lost their spark—still very much alive, don't get me wrong—but the fragile closeness that had drawn me to her in tandem with her looks had been shattered.
Her lips moved slowly as she spoke carefully, not daring to disturb my boundaries as a player. "Not at all. It's my job. Stay safe. If you ever need help or a place to stay, know that we're always open."
"T-Thank you... I'll see you around."
With a heavy heart, I closed the door behind me with a squeak, the heavy, elderly wood creaking and groaning on its hinge.
My footsteps sounded phantasmal and hollow as I stepped outside.
The moment I exited the school, the city square hit me again with a wall of noise—the chatter of thousands of voices rising and falling, in distinct contrast to the clinical silence I was attuned to. For all I knew, this was only a fraction of Lucidia Online's playerbase; most had probably moved on to other cities or different spawns.
Feet scuffled endlessly on the cobblestones like battalions on parade. By now, the stones had been polished smooth by the passage of these countless boots.
Looking about the clearing, the banners fluttered over each school as the breeze picked up. Many people streamed out from class selection—toward quests, shops, whatever—and glanced my way. Some looks were pitiful. Others were mocking.
I sighed. I'd dealt with looks like that before as the youngest doctor at Forest Brooke General.
I had my reasons for choosing alchemist—besides, even if I weren't weak as hell, I'd probably still have chosen the school if not solely for Midori…
Half of me wanted to bolt back inside to hide, to sort things out, but… without knowing what I was going to say or how Midori could react, I would just be making things worse.
I breathed out to clear my mind.
That breath was probably the most painful breath I'd taken in a hot minute—every stressful moment at Forest Brooke General Hospital included.
Just then, a system window popped up with a soft chime.
———
NPC (?) Name: Midori, The Re[ept*[]n1st
Relationship Level: Acquaintance (low)
———
…
Huh.
They added relationship levels with NPCs? That's new… And what was up with the question mark next to 'NPC'? The receptionist title, too. It was bugged out.
I poked it a couple of times, like that would magically fix it. Classic genius move: poke the problem and hope it sorts itself out. (Disclaimer: please, please, please don't try this with patients, you'll only make things worse.)
For now, I'd just have to keep an eye on it. The window told me my relationship level with Midori was 'Acquaintance' and 'Low.'
…Great.
How far could I even raise my relationship level? And more importantly—how do I get her back to being casual with me, like before?
I slumped onto the warm, rough stone steps outside the school and buried my face in my hands, feeling the rough scrape of the rock radiating chilled warmth into my clothes, as if it were judging me with every nook and cranny, every grain that it had.
What a mess I'd made out of things…
…
I'm not going to lie, this was the second time playing this game that I wanted to cry.
There was the frustration, of course, of messing up with a waifu. But beyond that? I felt like an absolute asshole.
I wasn't sure what I did wrong—I mean, did I even do anything technically wrong? Well, I said that it wasn't nice—and I guess in retrospect the game would have Midori respond in that way, but I'd still gotten all attached and I don't know why I feel so bad, it's a completely reasonable way for a game NPC to react, and—
A bubble of tears foamed at the corners of my eyes and burst, cascading down my face and smearing the HUD's faint glow. They fell and fell in uneven drops that darkened the dusty stone steps below.
Sniff.
Look at me, a 23 year old crying because she lost relationship points with a 3-D woman.
I'm pathetic.
Sniff.
I tried to calm myself and tried to wipe my tears away. The drops softened the dress shirt I had on.
No, Hiyomi. It's fine. You still have a relationship level with her, and she's been registered as a relationship by the game.
There must be some way to increase her level somehow.
Someway to get her back.
I breathed once more, choking back my tears. I glanced at the time in my HUD. I spent quite a lot of time floundering about in the tutorial, so it was about noon. I was getting a bit hungry, too. I considered logging out to take a physical and emotional break.
I took another breath, settling my trembling hands.
I'd decided.
Screw quests, screw grinding, screw exploration.
My new objective for Lucidia Online was to get back that closeness with Midori, the receptionist of the Alchemist school. Sure, there might be other waifus down the road, but... I felt like I owed it to Midori as a person, at least.
I slapped my face with both hands so hard that it almost stung in-game.
Then out of nowhere, I heard a masculine voice speak out above the chatter of the square. "Hey, c'mon. Don't cry, don't hit yourself—you don't have to be so hard on yourself for choosing the shittiest class."
[1] Rapid Medical Response Team