It’s been a few minutes since I arrived home. As expected, I find Kazuki, who had just arrived before me thanks to Mom. And given his current predicament, he’s now cooped up in our bedroom after dinner, struggling to read a Math textbook in an attempt to study up for tomorrow's exam. Considering that he's desperate to pass his midterms, I figure I should help him out for his sake. However, there’s something I need to do first.

"Logging in that game again at exam week?"

I grin sheepishly as I try to keep my composure right in front of our mother. I know she might be mad if I try logging in without her permission. So what better way to avoid the inevitable than to risk myself by telling her directly?

"Y-Yeah. It's nothing too important. I just studied a lot this week and I could use a break for a while. And don't worry, I’m going to help Kaz out with his studying before I log in. Plus, I won't stay in the game for long since I just want to do something brief."

I’m pretty nervous. I do have plans in the game regarding my skills, but the part about "a short amount of time" was true to my word. I just hope she wouldn't see this as a way for me to evade my studies because I had focused on them lately. And as I wait, she hums for a few seconds while scratching her chin.

"If you say was true, then..."

Oh boy... Here comes the verdict. I hope that she doesn’t stomp her foot on the floor and say...

"I'll give you permission to play for a little while."

"Come on, Mom. I..."

Huh?

"W-What did you say?"

"I said you're allowed to play it. But on one condition: you only play for 30 minutes or less, no exceptions."

I... I can't believe it. Did she just approve of her permission? I’, actually relieved to hear her answer, but something didn’t seem right...

"U-Uh... Thanks? But why’d you said yes? I thought you would end going up and arms against it and ground me to make me focus just like Kazuki."

"Huh? Why would you think that? I’ve always been worried about your midterms and practically any previous exams during middle and high school. I'm happy that you’re diligently studying for these times, but I'm worried that you might have a problem with studying too much since you’ve done so many times without breaks."

This is true. Whenever I return home during exam weeks, I study non-stop after dinner without any thought of a break or just giving my mind a rest before heading to bed. And to be honest, it’s starting to become a bad habit. I could only respond to this revelation with a sheepish chuckle and a scratch on my head.

"Honestly, I know you want to keep up with your grades, but there are times I feel that it's starting to affect you mentally. I know I'm still got mixed feelings regarding that online game that your father is helping develop, but maybe it’ll be good to break your usual routine this week." That seemed fair. Mom had the same mindset as my friends, which I still couldn’t believe. "But that doesn't mean you can play it for hours on end. It's still midterm week, and I'm just allowing you because you need a well-deserved break."

Still the same mother I know, but it's a good start...

"I know, I know. 30 minutes or less and then I have to log out, right?"

My Mom nods in response, and I sigh in relief.

"As long as you promise to be careful online, I give you my permission. But please help out Kazuki first, okay?"

"Don't worry. I'm not logging in until I do."

With that, I wished my Mom the good night before I headed upstairs.

For a while, I spend my time helping out Kazuki with his studies for tomorrow. As I expect, he’s not having a good time with his Math studies and as I continue to help him, I could tell he was starting to struggle very badly after a just few pages. I’m worried since I want him to pass his midterms. Heck, I can even hear him grumble as he planted his face into his Math textbook before he raising his head back up and turning towards me.

"Ugh... Is it 9 PM yet?"

I wish I could say yes, but this is his for his own good to ensure he passes his exams tomorrow.

"No, it's still 7:37 and we’ve just barely finished advanced division."

Kazuki groans once more and complains, "Come on! I already suffered through two hours of exam torture earlier! Why do I have to suffer more?"

"Because learning math is vital if we want to continue our business online, and you need to pass tomorrow's test if you want a passing grade for this semester."

"I know, but still... This is just too much for me to handle! Is it even possible to try and study inside ?"

I frown upon hearing the virtual world's name.

"No, and as Mom said, you need to focus on your studies this time. We promised that you can play again if you finished your schoolwork and pass this semester. I know this is torture for you, but we just want you to get good grades and help you get a good start in high school after both of us graduate."

"Yeah, right..." Kazuki grumbles. "Next year, I’m gonna be staying here alone while you go off to the college of your dreams! It's just not fair!"

Oh yeah... I forgot that. While I haven't figured out what college I was going to attend next year, I’m a little conflicted about it since it means that Kazuki has to stay behind, while I move into the college dorm if that happens. It would help with Kazuki's independence, but I also knew it would be hard being separated from me for the next few years. And so far, we hadn't figured out how to deal with the inevitable of me moving away from home.

"I told you, we can find a way around it before graduation and if we can’t, then we can just meet up in if you like."

"But that isn't the same as right now! I don't want you to leave here! What am I going to do without you?!"

I sigh again as I see the sorrowful expression on his face.

"Just don't think about it for now, and let's just hope an opportunity falls into our laps within the coming months."

I pat Kazuki's shoulder and wipe the tears from his eyes to try and cheer him up. His birthday’s coming in a few months and I want to make sure he wasn't lonely next year.

"Okay... But can I still come with you to right now?"

Just when I think this moment could last a little longer, he had to break it with an question.

"Aren't you supposed to keep studying right now? Don't worry, just grab some scratch paper and try to work on these practice equations."

I decide to not let that topic take over our study time and Kazuki really needs to pass tomorrow's test. All I can do was continue tutoring him for the rest of the night.

After that small studying session, Kazuki is already in bed snoring away to dreamland, and I set up my and prepared the game's launch. It was still 8:30, but right now, it’s great timing. Besides, he’s spent so long studying off his butt, hence his early exhaustion. Not only that, it gives me a chance to log back into the game. With a deep breath, I lie down on my bed and put on my to prepare for another dive.

----

Once I feel I can open my eyes again, I find myself in our usual room in inn. But unlike before, I don't see Kazu anywhere in here, which makes me feel a bit weird. It makes sense since it’s my first time logging in without him by my side, and the fact there's no [Guardian Player] settings on my HUD might let me play a whole different experience in than before. Still, I’d promised Mom I wouldn’t stay here for long, so I decided to not waste any more time and head out for my first day alone in .

However, as I leave the inn, I suddenly feel a sense of shock and awe once I reach the central area of the city. Sure, I can see the same scene of players chatting and vending in their stands, but as I continue to stare at this sight, I can’t help but feel sad. Now that I think about it, despite having to hear Kazu's gasps and loud rants all the time during our visits here, I’m starting to miss them. Regardless, I know this was not the time to mope around at this changing scenery around me. I decide to head over to the general store to get something there first.

Since my [Cooking] level is now 7, I’m able to purchase an [Advanced Cooking Kit] there, which will allow me to access several more cooking utensils for my future meals. However, the real problem now is where I should cook. Sure, the sounds like a good place to do that, but I’d rather not repeat that previous crowd incident if I make a new meal there. It was traumatizing enough for me, and I do not want to end up being bombarded by players and trapped in the game just to cook for them to satiate their virtual taste buds. I can try cooking in the fields, but that would risk me being attacked by aggressive monsters, even in the daytime. If only I can cook somewhere in priva-

[Young [Wind]! It's so nice to meet you once more!]

I quickly scream as I turned around to see suddenly appears right behind me.

"W-What the?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" I spit out in a panicked tone as I try to get my bearings together.

[Forgive me for my sudden appearance, but it's been so long since I last saw you and your younger brother.] The white tiger bows his head as a sign of his apology. [Speaking of which, where is your brother? Did something happen to him?]

I sigh as I recover most of my breathing after the initial scare. "He's... kind of unavailable right now. He's safe, but he has stayed back in for personal reasons."

Namely to study for his exams and sleep early for them. But I’d rather not tell that to an NPC unless I want him to be confused about real life.

[Oh... I see...]

Before I can do anything else, my eyes widen as I see the large and menacing white tiger of the pout and sit down while hanging his head down. Yeesh... Ever since the plague incident, he has taken a liking to my brother lately. Sure, I’m glad that they were now friends, but just seeing a monster being disappointed at Kazu's absence creeps me out a bit. Heck, just seeing a non-player character be like this gave me the chills. Still, I can’t help but feel guilty seeing him like this, so all I can do is pat his head to cheer him up.

"Don't worry about it. We already agreed that he will return in a few more days, so try to be patient for now. I promise that he will go back to see you again as soon he's finished with these important tasks back in ."

Bai Hu slowly came out of his depressed state and stood up.

[Alright. If you say that he will return, then I trust you. But what about you, young Wind? Is there a reason why you're leaving the city for a while?]

Well, he is an NPC and I already consider him my friend. So I might as well explain my reasoning my goals for today.

[I see. And to ensure that you want to cook alone, you went to this field to avoid attention by the other adventurers, correct?]

"That's right. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I'm going to cook, though. I was planning to make some barbecue and a fruit salad here, but I'm a bit worried that I might attract some unwanted attention from the monsters as well."

As I look at Bai Hu again, I become confused as he flashes a brief look of confusion before shaking it off and regaining his stoic composure.

[There's indeed a high chance your cooking attempts may attract some strong monsters and considering it a hunting season for all of the monsters, I agree that this is a dangerous place to do so.]

"Hunting season?" I repeat. "You mean a season where adventurers try to hunt many monsters as they can."

[No, it's the exact opposite. Because of an excess amount of mana being released in the atmosphere, the monsters' abilities and strength are temporarily increased and if you're not careful, you might end up being the hunted.]

Seriously?! If this is part of a mini-event here that I hadn’t heard of before, then I want no part of it. I’ve already suffered enough in our last battle and I don't want today's play session to end up consuming time just to survive.

[But if you're desperate to find a secluded place to cook, then I will allow you in one of my forest's unused areas.]

My eyes perk at what I’ve just heard. Had he just offered me one of the areas in the ?! He can't be serious.

"I-I don't know. It might feel weird if I used one of your domains as my private kitchen."

[Considering what you did to save my forest alongside your brother, it's the least I can do to help you. And I am curious about these "barbecue" and "fruit salad" food you've mentioned. If you let me taste them, then I have no qualms in using the domain to protect your privacy.]

And I thought those rare materials were enough to reward us. I guess one big good deed could lead you to unexpected places like that. Though I’m a bit on the fence regarding his curiosity for otherworldly delicacies.

"Well, it's not like I have a choice in this manner. Okay, just lead the way to the domain. But just a tip as a friend: you should use those charms you gave us to warn me of any future arrivals instead of just jumping in front of me unannounced. I have an aversion to scares like that, you know."

[Oh, lighten up, young Wind. What's the point of a surprise if I tell you first?]

"Everything, Bai Hu. Everything."

Sure, he’s a guardian and a strong monster. But he seriously needs to learn that I can't expect him to know that he was coming without some kind of warning. Who knows what could happen if he just appeared out of nowhere in public?

In any case, I follow him back to his home without any objections.

As we arrive in the once more, I notice that something was different about these woods. For one thing, most of the monsters here seem to not mind my presence as they just pass me by without any attempts at ambushing or attacking me on sight. What's more, the forest itself has changed. I see several fruits hanging above some trees, as well as some flowers scattered around the bushes of the forest. Compared to the dreary and dark atmosphere during our second visit here, it’s much more lively and beautiful than before.

[Are you surprised by all of this?]

Hearing Bai Hu's voice again, I shift my attention to him while scratching my chin in thought.

"Y-Yeah... I know I’ve only been gone for a few days, but I never expected the to change so much in such a short amount of time."

[Well, that's the main advantage of my position as the [Guardian of the Forest]. After you and Kazu left, I spent the rest of that day fixing the damages that the [Black Willow] had caused throughout the forest, including the fire that you accidentally set off during the fight.] Just hearing that memory again made my face go red. In my defense, I seriously hadn't thought of the consequences. [After that, I worked together with the lesser guardians to plant new trees and plants to replace the dying plants from the plague, and ever since then, most of the monsters here became calm over the peaceful scenery we made from the recovery season of this place.]

So that explains the change of atmosphere.

"I'm glad to hear that the place is recovering very well, sir. But did you ever figure out who was responsible for unleashing that plague in the first place?"

To my dismay, he just responds with a nodded "no".

"I see... I guess it hasn’t been easy trying to catch the culprit even in this world."

[I agree with you, young Wind. With every dark action comes retribution. However, whoever this culprit was managed to avoid leaving any excess mana, thus preventing me from obtaining their scent. If we don't capture them soon, there's a chance another city or forest will be in danger once more. And it's imperative to track them down and figure out their modus operandi.]

He's right. This culprit almost destroyed one of the semi-landmarks of this world and whether they are an NPC or not, there's no way I’m letting this incident slide.

"Well, if my schedule is free, maybe I can help you out with catching the culprit and bringing them to justice. I know it's not much, but I want to protect the forest as well." While I'm not all invested in all of this like Kazu, I did have an affiliation to hiking and outdoor activities, so it was not strange for me to express my frustration about this mess. I know it's not a real forest, but I dislike people who try to destroy environments and get away with it. "Heck, if Kazu was here right now, he’d be just as frustrated and would beat them up just to help you out."

[True, true. I'm just happy that you two are willing to help me in my time of need. Although right now, I think it's my turn to help you in your time of need.]

I quickly stop after I hear those last words. I’m a bit confused at first, but when he turns his head towards in front of him, I turn to where he was pointing and faced a large wall of vines, which seemed to be like the doorway to Bai Hu's domain. Before I could even ask, he suddenly lets out a roar that echoes through the whole forest as I back away from the tiger. To my shock, the vines begin to move and uncover themselves, revealing an opening large enough to fit Bai Hu and me. I knew he was able to do this with other domains like his own, but I’ve never expected a hidden one to appear right in front of me.

[Well, as you always say to a lady, "Humans first".]

I quickly give him a quick annoyed glance before letting out a big sigh.

"Seriously, I recommend not saying that again. It's too embarrassing..."

[Oh... Sorry...]

With that small embarrassment done, we enter through the hidden domain as several monsters approach the entrance.