episode_0087

Anyway, this game is a JRPG. I don’t know what the atmosphere was like back then because I didn’t play many JRPGs in the 90s, but most JRPGs released in the 2020s are often anime-style games with lots of content that otakus would like.

There may be only that much difference, but no matter how realistic the graphics are and how Hollywood-like the production is, if you look into the content, there are many cases where the main characters, male or female, are all handsome.

The personality is more like an animation character than a movie character, and even though he’s clearly a white character, the Japanese dubbing strangely suits him better than the English dubbing. The motions also feel a bit exaggerated.

Well, maybe it’s just my stereotype of enjoying those kinds of games… … At least that’s how I felt.

In that sense, if you ask what position ‘Azerna Chronicle’ occupies in the JRRPG version,

I can confidently say that ‘this is a game that would be hard to endure unless you’re an otaku in the first place.’

The fact that the character design is based on 2D illustrations is a minor issue. Aside from the fact that the game itself receives ‘generally positive’ reviews from rating sites and the ESD platform’s internal evaluations, the characters’ personalities and actions are clearly reminiscent of Japanese animation, and there is even a prequel-style system for attacking those characters.

There is a story that is made up of one large plot line, but among the short events that appear within it, there are quite a few that are ‘blatantly aimed at’.

An episode where they go to the beach in swimsuits is a must-have for this type of story. A school drama that leaves out an episode where the female protagonists can wear waitress outfits that are similar to maid outfits would have lost its raison d’etre.

However, in addition to the episodes that were inserted so naturally and subtly, there were also contents in this game that made you wonder, ‘Isn’t this episode a bit forced?’

For example, an episode set in a casino.

… … I was a true fanboy to the core, seeing that I could roughly guess what the female protagonists would be wearing just by hearing the word “casino” in the game.

*

Although the fire was put out, there were still many issues that needed to be resolved.

Yeah, well, going tactical is good. This kind of atmosphere is rare in this world, so it might work. To others, it might look like looking into the future, but to me, it’s a fighting style that suits me just fine.

If I say that this is a fighting method that has been honed through training by a veteran who has been on the battlefield for a long time, the people around me will definitely agree. That is probably the image I am aiming for.

The problem is that then the mysticism I have been pushing so far will be jeopardized.

There are characters that have multiple concepts at once, but if those concepts are not properly coordinated, they end up being a mishmash of characters that are neither here nor there. That’s why I needed to be a little more careful when creating the character.

“Do you have any concerns?”

And Alice, looking at my face lost in thought, read my mood without fail.

“No big worries.”

“Don’t do that.”

Even though I answered as if nothing had happened, Alice didn’t give up and asked again.

“So, that… … .”

Even Alice, who said that, rolled her eyes here and there with an expression as if she was talking about something difficult to say.

“I’m like your older sister. If you have any worries that you can’t tell anyone else, wouldn’t it be okay to tell me?”

“… … .”

For a moment, I was dumbfounded and turned my head to look at Alice. Alice’s cheeks turned a little red.

It was an expression on his face that seemed to indicate that he knew it was unreasonable to say what he was saying.

That’s because Alice was the one who felt inferior more often than not, and I was the one who gave her self-esteem.

“Ahem.”

But Alice quickly covered up her embarrassed expression and cleared her throat.

We had been walking and suddenly stopped in our tracks. There was no one around. Alice must have brought up that story because there was no one around.

“Look, your birthday is earlier than mine.”

“… … .”

“That birthday isn’t really that credible… … .”

“… … .”

“The one who was under your father longer? Right? So, since you became his child later… … .”

“… … .”

“If you were my little brother, wouldn’t it be so strange, right?”

If you are so sure, why is there a question mark at the end of your last sentence?

Um, well.

I have no intention of fighting without admitting the truth. Strictly speaking, I am not someone who can be called Alice’s older sister, and if you dig deeper, it is questionable whether I can be called a woman in the first place.

My body is a woman, and I’ve lived in this body for over 10 years… … If I count from the moment I was in the orphanage until now, it’s been about 10 years, but if I turn back time and include the moments I’ve experienced, it’s easily been over 10 years.

But before that, the life lived as a man was longer than the life lived as a woman.

If you ask me if I can claim to be Alice’s ‘older brother’… … that raises a big question. Strictly speaking, isn’t he close to being an old man?

“… … If you want to think that way, you can think that way.”

“… … I can’t understand why the response is so lukewarm.”

Alice, was it a joke or something? It felt like it was pretty serious.

Alice must have felt jealous because Claire started calling her “sister” out loud, and she just left it at that. After all, we grew up with a relationship similar to that of sisters.

Could it be that my pride didn’t allow me to call her sister, just like Claire?

“Well, okay. Regardless of the reaction or anything, since I said so, I’ll say so from now on. You’re my little brother from now on.”

But no matter what, it’s still absurd.

I don’t call Lucas or Jaden ‘brother’ either. And of course I don’t plan on calling Alice ‘sister’ either. Alice knows that very well.

The two of us started walking again.

I passed the empty yard and went out the main gate of the academy.

The weather was slowly approaching summer based on Rondarium. Still, it was much better than the sweltering summers of Korea. According to the setting, it is said that even in summer, the temperature rarely exceeds 30 degrees.

But that doesn’t mean summer isn’t hot. The temperature is the temperature, and the sunlight is sunlight. If it weren’t hot in the first place, there would be no reason to go to the beach in the summer.

“Okay, sit down first and wait.”

The place we both arrived at was a cafe.

This is a place I often come to after eating parfait last time. I tried to turn back time and kept a blank expression, but it seemed to Alice that I really liked this shop.

And it was true. I liked it here. It was rare to find a cafe that served such delicious desserts and yet strangely had no customers.

“Huh.”

As Alice said, I sat down without saying anything, and Alice snorted as if she was in a good mood.

“I thought you might want to eat it soon.”

Actually, it’s not that I want to eat it now, but I’ve always wanted to eat something like this.

Well… … It’s sweet. I like sweet and delicious things. I think I’ve come to like sweet foods more since I became this person.

Anyway, Alice must have felt good about being acknowledged as her older sister, because she quickly headed to the checkout counter without even waiting for the waitress.

“… … .”

And because she looked like an excited little child, honestly, it was really hard to have the image of her as an ‘older sister’ just from that appearance.

Well, if that’s what you want, I’ll cooperate.

While I was sitting quietly and watching that excited back view—

“So, has it been decided who is the youngest now?”

I heard that voice.

“… … .”

When I turned my head in the direction where the mature woman’s voice came from, I saw a person sitting in the seat.

The woman, with her long silver hair pulled back behind her ears, exposing her forehead, had a somewhat decadent air about her. Her skin was a little dark, but her hair, soft eyebrows, and even her long eyelashes were all silver, giving her a very unique atmosphere.

In those gray eyes that seemed to have little interest in the world, there was an interest that I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Her name was Bella, and she was sitting in one of the empty seats, looking at me with her chin resting on both hands.

His last name is Pangriphon.

In the original work, the owner of the private sword died before the start of the main story.

“Ah, Lucas said he wanted to do something, so he took a vacation and disappeared. I took over the work. Dad didn’t seem that upset, so don’t worry too much. ”

This character, who tells me stories I didn’t even ask about in a soft and slightly slow voice, was actually one of the characters I found a little uncomfortable.

Well, now it’s hard to say that Lena is as unpredictable a person as you might think.