Chapter 496

Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 496

Defense Specialization and Matching the Pace

—At a later date, Kaede and Risa were on their way home from school.

Because Risa's studies suddenly became hectic, Kaede had been logging in alone. Nevertheless, that day, the two were planning to start exploring the 3rd Floor Area together.

"While Risa was gone, I played with Frederica and Mii."

"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself."

"Yep! We explored together and found some hidden areas."

"Hee... Nice. What kind of place is it?"

"Let's see—"

As she walked side by side with Risa, Kaede narrated her exploration.

When their plans didn't match up, they'd take a detour to unlock secrets in areas they'd explored, or grinded to level up. If they were lucky, it'd lead to the next enhancement.

"Kaede sure made a lot of friends..."

"That's right! I was glad that everyone was friendly."

Not only were they friendly, they were also top players in their own rights. Like Frederica and Mii, whom Kaede had just mentioned, many would be more than willing to lend her a hand.

"By the way, I'm sorry about this, but I feel like I need to study more than I thought. I can log in today, but halfway through, I might have to let Kaede handle things her way."

"Is that so?"

At Kaede's question, Risa nodded slightly with a dejected look on her face.

"Handle things my way..."

"Uh-huh. As long as you're having fun, nothing else matters. Isn't that my original reason for inviting you?"

Risa reminded her of the time limit. However, the exploration progress of the 10th Floor was only half-completed. At this rate, it'd end in an incomplete combustion.

"Then I guess I'll wait for Risa."

"Uhm..."

"Hehe, didn't you tell me to handle things my way?"

Risa, who didn't expect that kind of answer, paused. Kaede took a step forward, then turned around with a smile.

"Besides, Risa was the one who invited me. So I need you to do it with me until the end, right?"

"I see... You have a point."

"Uh-huh! And if you're concerned about your studies, let's study together more often to alleviate those worries!"

"Okay. Then why don't we put more effort into studying?"

"I'll be in your care, Risa."

"Leave it to me, Kaede."

Risa shook her head to drive away unnecessary thoughts. Negative thinking was one of her bad habits.

'If I'm going to do it anyway, let's have fun until the end.' Certainly, she stepped into the 10th Floor with that mindset.

"I'll be sure to achieve high scores in the next mock exam, so watch me."

"Good luck, Risa! Whenever you're motivated, you can pull off absolutely anything!"

"Hehe, I'll do my best with 50% more effort."

Worrying and overthinking were a waste of time. Today, they'd be conquering the 3rd Floor Area.

Both should be done flawlessly. As long as they could pull that off, they didn't need to think about the details.

"Well then, after this..."

"Yeah! [New World Online] time!"

Once the two said their goodbyes, they promised to meet again in game.

Thus, Maple and Sally quickly went home.