NNYV7C2P5

Chapter 2

Part 5

Translation: Yamaking

Nekohime: I just did that without thinking, but do mew think winning like that was okay?

Schwein: Nah, I don’t think so.

Apricot: It was originally supposed to be my loss, but nobody raised any complaints did they?

I guess just because she was named the winner doesn’t mean she’s convinced that she deserves it after all.

Master was mulling over this, but I think it’s fine.

Rusian: I think it’s because there’s the difference in standings after all. When you see a large scale guild’s master up against a small scale guild’s master, you’d naturally want to root for the little guy right?

Apricot: Is this what they refer to as rooting for underdog I wonder?

That’s right. It’s precisely because it shows that the weak can also triumph which is why people prefer it after all.

Sette: Congratulations! I’d want to go to the victory party too, but I’m already sleepy—

Schwein: Oh? You’re going to sleep already?

Sette: It’s already pretty late you know!

Rusian: Really? This is usually the time when we get started though.

I guess this girl really is just raised properly.

I wonder if the reason why she doesn’t log in late at night is because she’s already sleeping?

Sette: And so, today’s commentary was brought to you by Sette. Good night—

Rusian: What’s with that last line!?

She just logged out with a look of complete satisfaction on her face! It’s true that Sette-san played a really active part in today’s event though!

Schwein: Now then, since that’s all done, we can safely proceed with Nekohime-san and Master’s wedding right… but, ugh, just saying that feels really weird to me though.

Ako: It’s not a couple you’d expect right!

Apricot: Couple… it’s not something like that though, I think…

Nekohime: I’m really sorry for causing mew so much trouble.

Nekohime-san bowed her head in apology.

Apricot: It was no problem at all. The tournament itself was fun after all.

Ako: That’s right! We won that race after all!

Schwein: And I was able to show everyone my cool side after all!

Rusian: I was able to do a good job on the analysis too.

If everyone’s satisfied with it, then I guess it’s fine. We even won after all, so it was worth the whole day’s effort.

Apricot: …I’m glad I got to make some good memories.

Rusian: ……

Ako: ……

Ah, that’s right… there’s still that thing.

Nekohime: Meow?

We didn’t know what to even say to Nekohime-san as she stood there confused by all of this, so we just kept quiet.

Nekohime: Ah, that’s right, what do mew all think we should do about the wedding ceremony? Do you prefur we do it tomorrow?

Apricot: My apologies. I have a marriage meeting tomorrow so I can’t really take any time out of my schedule.

Nekohime: Aah, so mew had plans. Then fur tomorrow, let’s hold off on—

Ah, she blurted out the thing about the marriage meeting.

Nekohime-san then completely stopped in response to that sudden shocking statement.

Nekohime: D, did mew just say marriage meeting!?

Nekohime-san cried out in shock! I knew she would!

Nekohime: Marriage meeting!? Mew you have a marriage meeting!?

Apricot: Yes, that’s what I have planned.

Because Nekohime-san left before us at school earlier, she wasn’t able to hear about it.

‘What do we do?’, I try to ask by looking at Ako and Schew, but all they could do was shake their heads with troubled expressions.

Nekohime: Is that fur real!? Wasn’t the thing mew mentioned about getting married this year just a joke!?

Apricot: My parents do tell jokes like that sometimes so I’m not quite sure but… Well, I’m participating with that in mind.

Nekohime: Meoooow!?

Nekohime-san stood mouth agape as she looked towards the sky.

I mean, I’m sure you can’t help but be surprised if a student of yours suddenly tells you they have a marriage meeting right?

Nekohime: D, did mew all know about this?

Rusian: Well, yeah.

Schwein: We heard about it from her after all.

Ako: …Yes.

Nekohime: Then why didn’t mew all stop heeeer!?

You don’t have to shake us down!

Rusian: Ah no, you see, she just told us about it today too you know?

Nekohime: Sudden! Mew know that’s too sudden!

Apricot: It’s a complicated story really.

Master said as she gave out a light hearted laugh.

This is no time to be laughing, Master.

Apricot: If it does end up leading to marriage, I wouldn’t have much time to simply play games anymore which is why I did my best today in hopes of creating some good memories.

Nekohime: N, neow way… Even though mew love this game so much, mew’re just going to quit!?

Apricot: In the worst case scenario, yes.

We all really didn’t expect this.

At first we were all troubled because Nekohime-san might be getting married, but then it turns out Master is the one who’s going to do that instead.

Nekohime: It’s way too early for mew! Fur a minor who’s still in high school to get married… As mewr adviser, I can’t accept this!

Apricot: Though you say that, it’s already been decided. Tomorrow at 12 noon, I’m to head over to a place called Kakuriyo in Maegasaki. They’ve rented out the whole place to make sure there would be no interferences.

Nekohime: Uuuu, it feels like they’re not kitten around…

Schwein: Uwah, that sounds like the real deal…

That place felt like it screamed “the most legitimate place in town”. I say that since I remember seeing it too before, once.

Apricot: Now then, I still have to prepare so I’ll be taking my leave. Let’s talk about the ceremony some other time.

Rusian: M, Master!

Apricot: What’s the matter?

As I called out to stop her on impulse, Master responded with a look of confusion on her face.

What do you mean ‘what’s the matter’? Having a marriage meeting like that and then being forced to quit is just…

Rusian: …Nah, it’s nothing.

Apricot: Is that so?

‘See you later then’, she said as she left.

Master really just went and logged out as if all that wasn’t that big of a deal.

……

After that, silence continued to fill the room.

Nekohime: Why none of mew stop Apricot-chan?

The first to break the silence was Nekohime-san.

Schwein: ‘Why’ you ask…

Nekohime: If all of you mew said you were against it, Apricot-chan could have listened to your advice!

Rusian: Ah, but you see…

Typing on the keyboard felt harder than usual; like how I usually feel when I’m just resorting to spouting excuses.

Rusian: I mean, I don’t really know if it’s okay to barge in private matters like that in real life…

Ako: We don’t have the right to stop those things right…

Schwein: And even if we did stop her and the marriage meeting gets cancelled… It would have a huge effect on Master’s life. We simply can’t take responsibility for something like that…

Everyone was saying the same thing.

Nekohime: Everyone… Is that how mew all thought about this?

Rusian: I mean, in the end, we’re all online game buddies right?

Schwein: And no matter how much someone loves to talk online, when it comes to real life…

Ako: There’s just things that you don’t want anyone else prying into…

‘We’re all spouting some pathetic stuff aren’t we?’, is what I thought.

Even if everything we say happens to be the truth, I can’t stop myself from thinking this.

‘My own judgement can’t tell if it’s okay to ask about these things or not’. ‘It might upset Master’. ‘And if she happens to change her mind, I can’t take responsibility for what happens’.

That’s why I can’t do anything. This is what I truly thought.

Nekohime: ……

Some time passed and Sensei began to say something.

Nekohime: You’re all so close with each other, but it feels like mew are all separated by something… Like there’s a huge wall between each and every one of mew.

I didn’t have the complete confidence to refute that statement.

I don’t think there’s a wall between us.

I feel like what’s actually there isn’t a wall, but something like a transparent line.

We could cross it whenever we want.

But we don’t want the other to get angry at us for crossing that line… We’re scared of being hated by the other person… Which is why we continue to strengthen our bonds from the other side of that line. That’s probably how it all feels like.

Even so, we thought it was fine like that.

Nekohime: This isn’t like mew at all…

Rusian: …Eh?

Schwein: What do you mean ‘not like us’?

For the record, I believe we’re acting completely within our character.

Our real selves are always scared, afraid to deepen our relationship with others.

But in response to that, Nekohime-san said,

Nekohime: I mean, real-life this, game that… isn’t something I expect to hear from Rusian and mew all whose motto is ‘What even is difference between real life and the game?’!

Rusian: Wait a minute! My motto is actually the opposite of that though!

That’s Ako isn’t it! That doesn’t apply to all of us, it just applies to Ako!

Nekohime: Do mew all hear me? Mew are sorely mistaken!

As we stood there baffled, Nekohime-san continued to firmly state her point.

Nekohime: Not wanting to get closer because you’re worried about what might happen? You can’t stop them because you don’t have the right? Choosing to keep quiet because you can’t take responsibility for what happens afterwards? Those are just the naive ramblings of someone who thinks they meow it all!

Schwein: But it’s the truth, isn’t it?

Nekohime: Taking responsibility for someone else’s life? Of course neowbody can do that! That’s just common sense you meow! Mew you should know that goes without even saying! However, that doesn’t mean that mew could just run away from all responsibility!

Ako: We can’t just run away… from all responsibility…?

Nekohime: It’s as mew say!

Nekohime-san looked over all of us as she continued.

Nekohime: Mew yourself, having no effect at all on a precious friends of yours, is something that can never happen. This is why each and everyone one of us will be purrever responsible fur the effects we have on our friends. Mew simply can’t run away from it! But even so, in the end, mew are responsible fur yourself. Mew should know that these things don’t contradict each other at all!

Schwein: We’re forever responsible for each other… this is a pretty tough lesson, isn’t it?

Nekohime: I’m mewr teacher after all!

Sensei proudly stood there, with her nose in the air, as she continued.

Nekohime: Nekohime-san is a teacher you meow? Not doing or saying anything just because they can’t take responsibility fur it is something we would never do. A teacher is someone who is always willing to do everything they can fur their students.

Nekohime: And that’s what I would like mew all to do for her as well. If she’s going to be made to furcefully quit the game, at the very least, I don’t want her to think that she wouldn’t be missed by her friends—

Suddenly, big characters appeared on our screen.

Nekohime: Don’t mew run away!

Nekohime-san’s ears perked up as she typed those words.

Nekohime: Don’t mew run away— when it comes to serious matters regarding your friend! This is an order from mewr adviser!

Nekohime-san started to wag her tail.

Don’t you run away when it comes to serious matters regarding your friend.

We can’t take responsibility for them, so all of the responsibility lies on the person themselves, but even still— we’re still partly responsible for who they are.

And it’s precisely because we’re partly responsible that we have the right to intervene. That might be plausible.

Rusian: …We may just be responsible for this, Ako.

Ako: Eh?

Rusian: Didn’t Master say it before? That she wanted to get married after watching us. In that case, I have to stop Master. After all, marriage is nothing but trouble.

Ako: It’s filled with happiness too isn’t it!?

Rusian: And that’s because it’s with you, Ako.

It’s because it’s with Ako that this marriage is filled with happiness.

It wouldn’t be the same with anyone else.

Schwein: …Well, I guess…

Schew clapped her hands together as she began to speak out.

Schwein: You can’t really be happy if you just give in to getting married huh? Since it was Master who said that., I’ll just have to get her to take responsibility for what she said.

Ako: If you put it like that, it’s almost as if Master wanted someone to stop her right?

Rusian: Yeah. It’s like she was saying: ‘Come stop this with all of your might’.

If that’s the case, then we have to stop her. We have to actually tell her to not quit.

Ako: But, how do we stop her?

Schwein: Call her? Convince her parents to call it off?

Rusian: But Master has this weird sense of responsibility, so I don’t think she would them herself that she’ll back out on it.

Nekohime: Then that leaves only one pawsibility—

Nekohime-san’s eyes sparkled as her tail stood on end.

Ah, I feel like she’s planning something sinister.

Nekohime: Furced Entry!

Schwein: Forced Entry… At the marriage meeting’s venue!?

Nekohime: Mew got it! We’ll head there directly and tell them furankly that we’re against it!

I knew it would be something crazy!

Schwein: Eh, I don’t think that’s a good idea… Surely you don’t have the right to do that, even if it’s you Sensei!

Nekohime: True, as her teacher purrhaps I have no such right… But as Nekohime-san then it’s purrfectly plawsible!

Ako: What right… exactly?

Nekohime: The right of Nekohime-san, as Apricot-chan’s furmidable wife!

Rusian: …What are you, Ako?

Schwein: …What are you, Ako?

Ako: So from another person’s point of view, this is what I look like right…

Ako is looking kind of grumpy there!

Nekohime: So there mew have it, it’s decided that we’re going!

Wait, you’re absolutely, positively serious about going!?

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