My First Shopping Trip
The instant the carriage door opened, what wrapped itself around me was the overwhelming heat of the “world” itself.
“Waaah…!”
Without thinking, I let out a little gasp of wonder.
This was the central avenue of the fortress city Aubernil.
Commonly known as the “Red Brick Market.”
The stone-paved road stretched on endlessly, its edges worn smooth by countless footsteps over the years, glowing with a glossy amber sheen.
On both sides of the street, colorful tents and stalls were packed in tightly, so vivid it felt like someone had taken a rainbow and splashed it straight across the ground.
“Amazing! Sera, look! That sign over there is moving!”
I tugged on Sera’s hand and shouted excitedly.
What I was pointing at was a tavern sign.
From the beer mug carved into the wooden signboard, illusionary bubbles created by magic popped and spilled out, bursting in midair and fading away as golden particles.
“Fufu, that’s a simple spell using a wind-aspect magic stone. Alice-sama, please make sure you hold my hand tightly so you don’t get separated.”
“Okay!”
I squeezed Sera’s warm hand right back.
This is so much fun!
I was desperately trying to suppress the shiver of excitement running through me as I looked around.
I’d played all kinds of full-dive games back when I was a gamer, but I could answer without hesitation, Gnosis Online was on a completely different level of quality.
The way light scattered, how shadows fell, the texture of the fabric in the clothes of people passing by.
Even the old nicks in an adventurer’s leather armor, or the sweaty sheen on a merchant uncle’s skin, everything was backed by full physical simulation.
Tickling my nose was a violently appetite-stimulating scent, a mix of browned butter and unknown spices.
What reached my ears were the creaking wheels of cargo wagons, the distant toll of bells, and a symphony of noise woven together by countless people.
I looked up at Sera smiling gently beside me, and at Guork and Rusker, both vigilantly watching our surroundings.
The residents of this world, their insides were “players,” just like me.
And yet, with their memories sealed away, unaware that they were characters in a game, they lived their lives believing this world to be the one and only reality.
… Of course they believe it.
I swallowed my awe, mixed with a cold sweat.
If this world’s resolution had been low, if people walked unnaturally, or wall textures were rough, human instinct might have sounded the alarm, whispering “this place is fake.”
But here, there wasn’t even a millimeter of space for “unease” to creep in.
The sway of the wind, the warmth of human bodies, even the smell of the air, everything was overwhelmingly, absurdly “real.”
There’s no way anyone would notice.
This world had leapt far beyond the line where the brain misidentifies something as “reality.”
“Alice Ojousama, please watch your step. There are a lot of people here.”
Our guard Guork skillfully split the crowd with his rock-like body, securing space for me to walk.
Rusker, wearing a grin, still kept his eyes moving constantly, never letting his guard down.
“Oh? Looks like they’ve got ‘Golden Peaches’ in stock today. Smells sweet.”
“Golden peaches?”
I tilted my head.
“Yes. A delicacy of early summer that can only be harvested on southern islands. If you bite into the thin skin, sweet nectar comes spilling out.”
At the stall Rusker pointed to, golden, faintly glowing fruits about the size of softballs were piled high.
Their lightly fuzzy skin formed a beautiful gradient like a sunrise. The rich, sugary scent unique to ripe fruit teased my nose, and my throat swallowed audibly.
… They look delicious…!
My instincts were screaming, I want to bite into that right now.
I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from those jewel-like fruits lined up in the display case.
“Would you like to try one?”
Sera crouched down and peeked into my face.
I nodded rapidly.
“Yeah! I want to try it! … Is that okay?”
Upward-glance beam, fire.
Sera went down instantly, her cheeks flushing red as she let out a small “Ugh.”
“There’s no way that wouldn’t be okay! Shopkeeper! One that looks the sweetest and tastiest! No. please wrap up four!”
Instant decision.
The fruit we bought dripped amber-colored juice when it was cut.
I took it in my small hands and took a bite. Ham.
“Nnnh…!”
What spread through my mouth was an intense sweetness, followed by a popping, crackling sourness.
And the moment I swallowed, a gentle warmth spread from my stomach.
“S-so goood…!”
I pressed a hand to my cheek and broke into a beaming smile.
It’s seriously delicious.
The texture, the aroma, the way it slid down my throat—everything directly stimulated my brain.
“Ahh… Alice-sama is munching… precious…”
Muttering something dangerous, Sera wiped my mouth with a handkerchief.
Maybe I really didn’t know anything about this world yet.
I mean, I didn’t know just eating while walking around could be this much fun.
We headed deeper into the market.
At the weapon shop’s eaves, longswords coated in mithril silver gleamed coldly.
In the magic tool shop’s window, there were blue-flame lamps floating in midair, and fountain pens for automatic writing that recorded whatever was spoken nearby.
“Look, look, Sera! That kitty has two tails!”
“That’s a cait sith. A clever kitty that understands human language.”
The cat that crossed the alley glanced my way, and I felt like it went “Nyaa.”
Fun.
Really, truly fun.
Even a single crack in the cobblestones, a bit of rust on a streetlamp, I could feel this world’s obsession with detail everywhere.
“Fufu, Alice-sama. It looks like there’s a street performance over there.”
Guided by Sera, we stepped into a plaza, where a fire-breather was spewing flames shaped like a dragon into the air.
Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
I clapped my hands too.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful. Too vivid. Too beautiful.
… And that’s exactly why.
The cold, gamer-side personality inside me, Mirai, whispered softly.
“Which one of these do I kill?”
I watched the street performance with an innocent smile, while scanning the passersby at the edge of my vision.
That kind-looking old granny?
That earnest young man hawking his wares?
Or that lost child crying after being separated from their parents?
… No. That’s not it.
Going after harmless civilians would leave a terrible aftertaste.
What I was looking for was like a single black stain dripped onto this beautiful painting.
I popped the last piece of fruit into my mouth and swallowed. Gulp.
And then…
“UOOOOOOOOH!!”
With an explosion-like roar that shook the ground, the fire-breather whipped up a massive flaming tornado. A blast of hot wind surged, and the excited crowd of hundreds surged forward all at once.
“Kyaa!?”
“H-hey, don’t push! Get back, you idiots!!”
Even Guork nearly lost his footing under the avalanche-like pressure of the crowd. Rusker clicked his tongue and spread his arms, trying to shove people back.
“Ojousama, please don’t let go!”
Sera shouted, gripping my hand tightly.
She was shielding me with her own body, trying to protect me from the crowd.
Perfect judgment. Perfect loyalty. Normally, she would never let go.
… Sorry, Sera. I’m a bad girl.
Thud.
In the split second when a large man slammed into Sera from behind, I saw it, the “blank point of force” where her grip loosened.
With a flick of my wrist, like a magic trick, I slipped free of her grasp.
A small “technique,” exploiting the gaps in joints, honed long ago in close-quarters PvP combat.
“Eh…? Alice, Ojousama…!?”
By the time Sera turned around, my small body had already sunk beyond the wall of frenzied adults.
“Alice Ojousamaaa!!!”
I heard Sera’s scream, almost like a wail.
Sorry. I’ll listen to your lecture properly later.
I wove through the gaps in the crowd and slipped into a narrow alley away from the lively plaza.
A place where light didn’t reach. The noise faded like a lie, replaced by cold darkness reeking of rotting garbage and iron rust.
“… Now then.”
I brushed the dust from my skirt and curled my lips into a grin in the empty back alley.
I shifted the angel’s mask just a little, letting the face of the strongest gamer peek through.
Earlier, while watching the street performance, I’d caught sight of them at the edge of my vision.
Men whose sticky gazes weren’t on the performance at all, but on the wallets of well-dressed rich folks in the crowd, men who slipped off into this very alley.
My “gamer’s intuition” told me there was prey here.
I smiled toward the darkness, sweetly, and cruelly.
“... Now then. Come on out, Mr. Villain?”
What do you think about this chapter?
