Pencilgon
Staring at the splintered remnants of the sword cradled in Kuro's hands, my brain nearly short-circuited. That shape, the etched sigils, the residual glow—it screamed Legacy Weapon. I mean, not just rare-tier, I'm talking borderline myth-coded. And yet there he was, just… turning it over like he picked it up out of a bargain bin. Did he seriously not know what he had? Or—no, wait, maybe that's the point. Maybe the real mechanic is not knowing. Is this one of those obscured triggers where ignorance is a requirement for activation? No, too convoluted. Or is it? Dammit, Kuro, what did you do to find this thing?!
He turned the broken blade over in his hands, expression unreadable."What's a legacy weapon?" he asked.
I choked on my own breath. "What's a—?! That! That's a legacy weapon! Do you have any idea what that means?! Do you know how many threads I've combed through? How many rabbit holes I've fallen into chasing even a hint of one of these?! And you're just—just sitting there holding one like it's a dropped kitchen knife from a goblin side quest?!"
Kuro blinked. "...So it's rare, then?"
I could feel myself visibly ageing ten years on the spot.
"Well, to be totally honest, I did think it was something special," he said, still turning the blade gently like it was nothing more than a souvenir. "It had pretty good stats and all. But I just kind of picked it up at some abandoned shrine I stumbled across, deep in one of the forest zones early in my playthrough."
I stared at him like he'd just confessed to finding a Picasso in a skip.
Out of the blue, Sunraku jumped into the conversation, voice casual but eyes gleaming with that familiar spark of mischief and obsession.
"Actually, I might know a place that can fix the weapon," he said, nodding at the splintered blade in Kuro's hands. "But you'd have to trade it to me for a moment."
I whirled on him. "You—you knew something too?! Why am I the only one losing my mind here?!"
Apparently, I wasn't. A quick glance caught Oikatzo wearing the exact same expression—equal parts confusion and cosmic betrayal.
He just grinned, already opening his inventory like this was business as usual.
Kuro shot him a suspicious glare—naturally. I mean, who wouldn't? No one in their right mind would trade what they just found out was a Legacy Weapon—an incredibly rare armament—to some bird-headed maniac strutting around half-naked.
My gaze flicked back up to the two of them, and—I was incredibly wrong.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched in stunned silence as Kuro just... handed the sword over. No hesitation. Not even a pause. He passed a Legacy Weapon to Sunraku like he was lending him a spare potion.
I guess he really wasn't lying when he said I didn't need that blackmail photo.
---
Ryuji Kurozawa
I let out a long yawn, stretching the stiffness from my body. Playing VR was incredibly fun, but every time I logged out, I felt way heavier than usual. It was probably because of my in-game stats—agility and strength—so finely tuned they almost synced with reality. It's incredible how the virtual world could make you feel so physically real. Then again, maybe Grandfather's right. If I get back into training, maybe I'll feel even better after spending extended periods in VR.
Oh! And it could also help improve my performance for the Wethermon fight!
Ding Dong
The familiar chime of my apartment doorbell snapped me out of my thoughts. Reaching for my phone, I checked the time."7pm.? Who could that be at this hour? I'm pretty sure I'm not expecting anyone."
Exiting my bedroom, I made my way to the front door with casual haste. Cracking it open just a sliver, I took a quick peek outside. For some strange reason, a sudden rush of heat spilled into my apartment. That's odd—it should be pretty cold today.
Pushing the door open a little more, curiosity got the better of me—and what I saw made my breath catch. Standing there was a woman, radiating a red-hot rage that seemed to warp the very air around her.
"Sara?! How did you get here!?" I wasn't sure how long the in-game discussion had gone on, but it had to have been at least a few hours. So how, in all that's logical, did she manage to get here—from the countryside to the city centre—in such a short time?
I'm sure she's here because I didn't respond to the letter. But she got here faster than the letter would have even reached them, even if I'd sent a reply the moment I got Grandfather's message!
"Young Master Hoshigawa... I believe it's time for you to return to your grandfather's at once." Her tone was low and cold, despite the fiery aura she radiated. And the way she said that name—Yikes. She was seriously mad.
"Ahem!" I cleared my throat, determined not to show any weakness to the true monster standing before me. "Let me just grab some stuff!" I added, rushing back into my apartment to pack a bag.
"I'm sure that's unnecessary, young master," she said firmly, her grip tightening around my wrist. "You have all the items you need back at home, so I can only see this as an attempt to hide within your apartment."
My eyes went wide. "It's nothing of the sort! You see, I just wanted to grab my VR headset. I've got something really important coming up in the virtual world—me and a few friends were planning to take down this really strong boss and—"
"Stop." She cut me off sharply.
The grip around my wrist loosened, and she clasped her hands together. Her fiery aura extinguished in an instant."Did you say friends, young master? Oh, I'm so proud to see you making friends so easily—without relying on your status. How about I go inside and collect your VR equipment for you?" she said, her eyes dazzling brighter than the sea of stars guarding heaven.
"Really, I just had to mention friends...?" I muttered.
"Uh, yeah, if you could, please." I stepped aside, and she walked past me into the apartment, beginning to gather the equipment I needed.
(A/N)
It truly has been a while, big hello to anyone who's still here and reading along.
I have a week free as long as I don't get preoccupied with more personal issues I believe we could get to the wethermon fight in maybe 3-4 chapters. I'll have to properly lock in for that fight though. We'll see how it goes.
See you next chapter.