Volume 3 Chapter 152: Negotiations Between Two Stubborn Sisters

The train ride home was quieter than usual.

Rio sat beside the window, her head resting lightly against the glass as the familiar city passed outside. Streetlights stretched into long golden lines whenever the train picked up speed, while the lights of apartment buildings flickered between the gaps of the surrounding structures. Even at this hour, the city remained alive. Cars continued flowing through intersections, convenience stores remained brightly illuminated, and the occasional pedestrian hurried along the sidewalks with their bags tucked close against the evening chill.

Beside her, Ryota leaned back in his seat with his arms folded, staring absently toward the opposite side of the train.

Neither of them had much to say.

The conversation with Sayanaki had left them both with plenty to think about.

They had revealed another secret.

They had learned another piece of Sayanaki's life.

And Rio had given her something that could potentially change her financial situation significantly if everything went according to plan.

For Rio, it had been a good night.

Not because everything had gone according to plan.

Quite the opposite.

The meeting had become far more personal than she had originally intended. She had gone there expecting to explain the truth about the reset and perhaps answer a few questions about Evermount's future. Instead, she had learned why Sayanaki killed players, why she desperately needed money, and how much responsibility the girl had been carrying alone.

Sayanaki wasn't simply a ruthless player who treated other players as walking bags of loot.

She was a girl trying to keep her family together.

That realization had changed something inside Rio.

Crowned Era was no longer merely a guild she intended to build because she remembered its future potential.

It was becoming something far more personal.

A group of people she genuinely wanted to protect.

Rio slowly lifted her eyes toward the reflection in the window.

For fifteen years, she had believed that information was everything. Knowing what would happen, knowing where to go, knowing which skills would become powerful, knowing which players would become dangerous, and knowing which opportunities would eventually appear had been what allowed her to climb to the top.

Yet tonight had reminded her of something she had forgotten.

The future wasn't only a collection of events.

It was also made up of people.

And this time, those people were standing beside her.

"You're quiet."

Ryota's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Rio glanced toward him.

"So are you."

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

Ryota shrugged.

"Sayanaki."

Rio's expression softened.

"Me too."

For a while, they simply sat together in silence.

There was something strangely comfortable about it.

Neither needed to explain what they were thinking.

Both understood.

Eventually, an announcement echoed through the train, informing them that their station was approaching.

A few minutes later, the train slowed and finally stopped.

Rio and Ryota stepped onto the platform together.

The moment the doors closed behind them, the cool night air brushed against their faces.

Ryota stretched both arms over his head.

"Finally. Home."

Rio adjusted the strap of her bag and nodded.

"Let's hurry."

Ryota raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"My mom."

He immediately understood.

"If we stay out too late, she'll worry."

"Exactly."

They left the station together and began walking through the quiet residential streets.

The neighborhood was considerably calmer than the city center. Most of the stores were already closed, and the only sounds were the occasional passing car, the hum of distant traffic, and the soft rhythm of their footsteps against the pavement.

Rio was still thinking about Sayanaki when something ahead caught her attention.

At first, she didn't pay much attention.

There were two girls walking several meters ahead of them.

One was carrying a school bag.

She had familiar white hair that caught the glow of the streetlights.

Rio's eyes narrowed.

Beside her was another girl with pink hair, talking happily as they walked.

Rio's pace gradually slowed.

Ryota noticed almost immediately.

"What?"

Rio didn't answer.

Her eyes remained fixed on the two figures ahead.

The girls turned onto the same residential street that Rio and Ryota were heading toward.

Rio stopped completely.

Ryota nearly walked into her.

"Rio?"

Still, she didn't answer.

She watched as the two girls continued down the street before disappearing around the corner.

Only then did Rio slowly exhale.

"...So that's where you've been."

Ryota frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

Rio finally looked at him.

"I think it's about time."

"About time for what?"

Rio sighed.

"For me to confront her about it."

Ryota's expression changed immediately.

"...Akari?"

Rio nodded.

He understood.

For the past few weeks, Rio had noticed several strange things about her younger sister.

Akari had suddenly become far more interested in gaming. She had started disappearing into her room for long periods of time, and there had been several occasions when Rio overheard her talking about monsters, equipment, and strange names that sounded suspiciously similar to Evermount terminology.

Rio had deliberately ignored it.

At first, she had assumed Akari was simply interested in the game because of all the attention surrounding its launch.

But then there had been the reports of a silver-haired girl appearing on Floor One.

A girl whose appearance was remarkably similar to Rio's.

And now Rio had just watched Akari walking home with Memory.

There was no longer any reason to pretend she hadn't figured it out.

Rio took a breath.

Then she raised her voice.

"Akari!"

The two girls ahead immediately stopped.

Akari slowly turned around.

Her eyes widened when she saw Rio.

Memory stopped beside her and looked toward the older sister as well.

For several seconds, neither girl moved.

Akari's gaze shifted toward Ryota.

Then back to Rio.

Her expression slowly became suspicious.

"...Oh."

Rio crossed her arms.

"Come here."

Akari immediately recognized that tone.

She leaned slightly toward Memory.

"Uh..."

Memory swallowed.

"What?"

"We're in trouble."

"I think so."

The two girls reluctantly turned around and walked back toward them.

Rio waited until they were standing directly in front of her.

There was no anger in her expression.

No shouting.

No accusation.

Only certainty.

She looked directly at Akari.

"I know you and Memory have been playing Evermount."

Silence.

Akari froze.

Memory froze.

Ryota remained behind Rio, watching the two girls carefully.

Akari's eyes widened.

"...What?"

Rio didn't repeat herself.

She didn't need to.

Akari slowly looked toward Memory.

Memory looked back.

The exchange between them lasted only a second, but it communicated everything.

We're caught.

Completely.

Rio turned toward the house.

"Inside."

Akari sighed.

Memory's shoulders dropped.

"Yep."

"This is definitely a family meeting."

Ryota quietly muttered, "Good luck."

Akari immediately glared at him.

"Don't act like you're not involved."

"I'm not."

"You're standing next to her!"

"That's because she walks faster than me."

Rio glanced over her shoulder.

"Both of you."

Akari and Ryota immediately stopped arguing.

The dining room was quiet when everyone settled inside.

Rio pulled out two chairs from the table.

"Sit."

Akari sat down first.

Memory followed, sitting beside her.

Rio took the seat across from them.

Ryota hesitated for a moment before pulling out another chair beside Rio.

Memory's eyes moved between the two sisters.

She had known Akari for a long time. She knew exactly how stubborn her best friend could be.

However, she had also heard enough stories about Rio to understand something else.

The stubbornness apparently ran in the family.

Having both sisters sitting across from each other was not exactly comforting.

Memory quietly folded her hands together.

Please don't fight.

Rio leaned forward slightly.

"Why were you keeping it a secret from me?"

Akari lowered her eyes.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

There wasn't much point in lying.

She knew Rio too well.

Her older sister could usually tell when she was lying, and trying to construct some elaborate excuse would only make things worse.

More importantly, Akari didn't want this conversation to become another argument where she had to keep hiding Evermount from Rio.

Eventually, she sighed.

"Because I wanted to experience the game for myself."

Rio remained silent.

Akari looked up.

"I don't want shortcuts."

That caught Rio's attention.

Akari continued.

"I know you're really strong. I know you know a lot about Evermount. And I know you're probably capable of making things a lot easier for me."

She paused.

"But that's not what I want."

Her voice became more earnest.

"I want to play the game. Actually play it."

Rio watched her carefully.

"I want to discover things myself. I want to make mistakes. I want to figure out how to beat monsters on my own. I want to find things without someone telling me exactly where they are."

Akari's expression softened.

"I don't want to log in and have my older sister tell me where every rare item is, which dungeon is easiest, which skill is strongest, or which event gives the most money."

She smiled faintly.

"I want my own adventure."

Memory immediately nodded.

"That's what we talked about."

Akari glanced toward her best friend.

Memory smiled.

"We wanted to discover Evermount ourselves."

Akari nodded.

Then her gaze suddenly shifted toward Ryota.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Did you tell her?"

Ryota blinked.

"What?"

Akari stared at him suspiciously.

"Did you tell Rio?"

The expression on her face made it seem as though she had just discovered a traitor inside her own household.

Ryota immediately raised both hands.

"No!"

"I didn't tell her anything."

Akari continued staring.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"I didn't."

Rio sighed.

"Akari."

Her younger sister looked toward her.

"Don't blame Ryota."

Akari blinked.

"He didn't tell me."

"Then how did you know?"

Rio leaned back in her chair.

"A friend of mine in Evermount told me."

Akari's expression changed.

"Someone you know saw me?"

Rio nodded.

"They told me there was a girl on Floor One who looked remarkably similar to me."

Akari slowly realized where this was going.

"It is true that players can change their appearances during character creation," Rio continued, "The device scans our facial features and body but you barely edited your appearance. You kept almost all of your natural features."

She smiled faintly.

"That made it suspicious."

Akari groaned.

"And then..."

Rio paused.

"I asked Mom about it."

Akari's shoulders immediately dropped.

"...Of course."

Rio nodded.

"She confirmed it."

There was no escaping now.

Akari sighed.

"Yeah."

She leaned back.

"I've been playing."

Memory nodded.

"Me too."

Ryota leaned forward.

"How long?"

Akari glanced toward Memory.

Memory answered.

"A while."

Rio narrowed her eyes.

"How long?"

Akari scratched her cheek.

"...A few weeks after launch."

Rio's eyebrows rose.

"You've been playing since shortly after Floor Two was released?"

"Yeah."

Rio shook her head slightly.

"All right."

She leaned forward.

"Then tell me."

Akari blinked.

"Tell you what?"

"What level are you?"

Akari suddenly looked embarrassed.

"...Thirteen."

Memory nodded.

"Me too."

Rio paused.

Ryota looked toward her.

Rio's eyebrows lifted.

"Level thirteen?"

Akari nodded.

"Yeah."

Rio glanced toward Ryota.

Then back toward Akari.

"I'm almost level twenty."

Ryota nodded.

"And I'm almost nineteen."

Akari's eyes widened.

"Already?"

Memory looked equally shocked.

"You're almost level twenty?"

Rio nodded.

"Yes."

Akari stared at her.

"But..."

She glanced toward Memory.

"We're only level thirteen."

Rio smiled faintly.

"That's still good."

Akari blinked.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Rio's expression became more serious.

"Most players are around levels fifteen to seventeen right now."

Akari's eyes widened.

"So we're not that far behind."

"No."

Rio shook her head.

"For players who aren't deliberately grinding with competitive knowledge, you're actually progressing well."

The compliment immediately brought a small smile to Akari's face.

Rio noticed.

She couldn't help smiling as well.

Then she asked another question.

"What floor are you on?"

"Floor One."

Rio nodded.

"And you're planning to move to Floor Two?"

"Yeah. We're about to start exploring the route there."

Rio's expression changed slightly.

She was genuinely surprised.

Akari had already progressed far enough to prepare for the second floor.

That was considerably better than Rio had expected.

"You've been doing well."

Akari smiled.

"Thanks."

Rio leaned back.

"Then what class did you choose?"

Akari's expression brightened immediately.

"I'm a Slayer."

Rio paused.

Her eyes sharpened with interest.

"Slayer?"

Akari nodded proudly.

"Yeah."

Rio considered the answer.

It actually made sense.

Akari had always been physically aggressive, even outside games. She had never been particularly patient when something stood in her way. Give her a sword and a target, and Rio could already imagine what would happen.

Akari would probably charge first and ask questions afterward.

Rio then turned toward Memory.

"And you?"

Memory straightened slightly.

"I'm a Sage Tamer."

Rio froze.

"...Sage Tamer?"

Memory nodded proudly.

"Yep."

Rio stared at her.

That was a rare class.

Very rare.

And considering Memory already had Bubbles, along with whatever unique mechanics the Sage Tamer class possessed, Rio suddenly understood just how much potential the two girls had if they developed naturally.

She looked between them.

Akari.

Memory.

Two Level 13 players.

One Slayer.

One Sage Tamer.

Both already progressing toward Floor Two.

Rio slowly smiled.

Then she said something neither of them expected.

"You and Memory."

She paused.

"I want both of you to join our guild."

Akari froze.

Memory froze.

Ryota smiled beside Rio.

For several seconds, neither girl said anything.

Akari slowly turned toward Memory.

Memory turned toward her.

The two stared at each other.

Akari sighed.

She had known this was coming.

Of course it was.

There was no way Rio would simply let her younger sister continue playing Evermount alone after discovering she was already involved.

Before Akari could answer, however, Memory suddenly smiled.

"Let's do it."

Akari blinked.

Memory's eyes were practically sparkling.

"I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun playing with everyone."

She glanced toward Rio.

"And maybe your sister can help us become stronger."

Akari stared at her.

Memory continued enthusiastically.

"We'll get to meet everyone properly. We can explore together. We can join dungeon runs."

She clasped her hands together.

"And guilds sound really fun."

Akari sighed again.

She knew Memory.

Once Memory became excited about something, there was almost no stopping her.

And honestly...

Akari didn't hate the idea either.

She looked back toward Rio.

"Fine."

Rio smiled.

"You'll join?"

Akari raised one finger.

"But under one condition."

Rio's expression immediately became serious.

"What condition?"

Akari leaned forward.

"You have to promise something."

Rio nodded.

"I'm listening."

"You and everyone in your guild have to let me and Memory explore the game ourselves."

Rio blinked.

"No shortcuts," Akari continued. "No instant dungeon clears. No handing us overpowered equipment. No revealing every hidden quest. And absolutely no telling us exactly what we're supposed to do to level up faster."

Memory nodded enthusiastically beside her.

Akari's expression became even more serious.

"And..."

She pointed directly at Rio.

"No overprotective big sister mode."

Rio's face immediately changed.

"I'm not overprotective."

Akari stared at her.

Rio looked away.

Akari raised an eyebrow.

"Big sis."

"I'm not."

"Big sis."

"Okay!"

Rio finally threw up her hands.

"Fine."

Akari smiled.

Rio crossed her arms.

"I promise I won't get in the way of your adventures too much."

Akari's smile disappeared.

"Too much?"

Rio immediately realized her mistake.

Akari narrowed her eyes.

Rio coughed.

"I mean... I'll let you play normally."

"Good."

Memory looked relieved.

Then Akari suddenly leaned forward again.

"All right, sis."

"Hm?"

"How about we meet up on Floor Two?"

Rio nodded.

"Sure."

Akari smiled.

"We'll probably reach it soon."

"Then I'll meet you before the Sand Shipyard."

Akari blinked.

"The Sand Shipyard?"

Rio nodded.

"It's a good place to meet. It's near the teleporter after you reach Floor Two."

"All right."

Akari smiled.

"Deal."

The tension that had filled the room only minutes earlier finally disappeared.

What had begun as a confrontation had slowly transformed into something far more comfortable.

The four of them remained around the table for a while longer.

Akari began talking about some of the monsters she and Memory had encountered.

Memory enthusiastically described Bubbles and several of the strange situations they had gotten themselves into.

Ryota occasionally interrupted with questions, genuinely curious about how the two had been progressing without their knowledge.

Rio answered some questions while deliberately holding back others.

She gave advice.

But not too much.

She corrected mistakes.

But she didn't reveal future solutions.

She listened.

And for Rio, that was harder than she expected.

For fifteen years, she had lived by information.

Knowing the future had been her greatest weapon.

Knowing what would happen had allowed her to prepare for almost anything.

But now she had to learn something completely different.

Sometimes the best thing she could give someone wasn't an answer.

Sometimes it was the freedom to discover the answer themselves.

As the conversation continued, the light outside gradually faded.

The orange glow of sunset disappeared from the windows, replaced by the dark blue of evening. The dining room grew dimmer until Rio eventually switched on the lights.

Eventually, Memory glanced toward the clock.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh."

Akari looked over.

"What?"

"It's getting late."

Memory stood and grabbed her school bag.

"I should probably go home. My parents are going to wonder where I am."

Akari nodded.

"Yeah."

Memory turned toward Rio.

"Thank you for letting me join."

Rio smiled.

"Of course."

Memory gave a small bow.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Akari stood.

"I'll walk you out."

The two girls headed toward the entrance.

Before Memory stepped outside, she turned around one last time.

"Akari."

"Hm?"

"Floor Two."

Akari smiled.

"Floor Two."

Memory raised a fist.

"Adventure!"

Akari laughed.

"Adventure."

Memory finally left.

The house became quiet again.

A few minutes later, the front door opened once more.

Their mother had finally returned home.

She stepped inside carrying several bags of takeout food.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Rio immediately glanced toward the clock.

Their mother smiled.

"I picked up dinner."

Akari appeared from the hallway almost instantly.

"Food?"

Their mother laughed.

"Yes, food."

Ryota smiled.

"Perfect timing."

Their mother placed the bags on the dining table and began taking the containers out one by one.

"Tomorrow is the first day of school after summer vacation," she said. "So I thought we could have an easy dinner tonight."

The smell of freshly cooked food quickly filled the dining room.

Akari immediately opened one of the containers.

Rio laughed softly.

For a moment, everything felt strangely ordinary.

There was no Project: Spectrum.

No reset.

No Silver War Goddess.

No future she had to prepare for.

No enemies waiting somewhere inside Evermount.

Just dinner.

Her family.

And the sound of Akari complaining about which food had been given to her.

Rio watched her younger sister for a moment.

Tomorrow would be the first day of school after summer vacation.

Another ordinary day.

Or at least, it should have been.

Because beneath that ordinary surface, everything had already changed.

Rio now knew that Akari and Memory were players.

Akari and Memory were about to join Crowned Era.

Sayanaki had become someone Rio could genuinely call a friend.

Patch 0.3 was approaching.

The future was beginning to shift in ways Rio had never experienced before.

And somewhere inside Evermount, two Level 13 adventurers were preparing to take their first real steps toward Floor Two.

Rio looked across the table at Akari.

Her little sister was happily eating dinner, completely unaware of how much the future might change because of her.

Rio smiled.

This time, she wouldn't drag Akari through the future she remembered.

She wouldn't tell her exactly where to go.

She wouldn't hand her every powerful item before she had the chance to discover them herself.

She wouldn't turn Akari's adventure into another version of her own.

Instead, Rio would let her create something that belonged entirely to her.

Her own memories.

Her own victories.

Her own mistakes.

Her own adventure.

Perhaps that was the most important promise Rio could make.

Not as the Silver War Goddess.

Not as the future leader of Crowned Era.

But simply as Akari's big sister.

Tomorrow, school would begin.

And after that...

Evermount would continue.