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Four blocks of dirt high, and six wide stand before me. My pride, and the product of an hour of effort.
“Renko, Renko.”
Nothing.
In my headphones, the audio gain only lets me hear static.
“I think your microphone is muted...” While I wait for her to answer, I notice how sad the house looks without windows. “Hey, do you know how to make glass?”
Furnaces are made with stone, you can burn things with coal, and it's... sand? That's what glass is made from.
“Renko, Renko. Chop some wood and can you remake the house? Mine ended up kinda ugly...” When I speak into the microphone, the gain drops and the buzzing in my ear doesn't bother me as much anymore.
I went mining while letting Renko take care of the house. “Hey, umm we should each make our own houses like this?, or should we live together? Let's live together, okey?”
And on the other hand... “Hey, um... Renko.” I say as I run my fingers over my heavy eyelids, trying to chase away the sleep. “Ah, sorry if I sound really sleepy.” A yawn attacks me and follows along with what I say next. “Sorry if I sound kinda sleepy, I've been sleeping a lot... well actually, I just woke up...”
“Miss Yukari?” A small voice sounds behind me. I take off my headphones and turn around, a little irritated, yeah, but when I see Chen's sweet little face, I don't know, something inside me softens... “Mama Ran said you should come eat already, you haven't eaten all day.”
“Yeah... Chen, pretty please, be a good girl and tell Ran I'm kinda busy with something, please?”
Chen didn't answer right away. She looked at me with that expression that seemed to say, If that's what you want, before telling me, “She's gonna get mad, you know.”
“She'll get mad at me? I'm that i’m like her mistress.” I said cheerfully, joking around, but I did everything I could to keep my voice as low as possible because maybe I really would make Ran mad...
With a little giggle, Chen was already leaving when I stopped her. “Wait, before you go...” I call out, and Chen pokes her little head back through the doorway. I gesture for her to come over.
When she gets beside me, I take the microphone I'm using and hold it up to her face. “Say hi to Renko.”
She looked confused for a second by what I'd asked, but it didn't take her long to say, “Hi, Renko.” How cute.
“That was Chen, heh, she just said hi to you.” I said into the microphone before telling Chen, “You can go now.”
“Hey Renko, actually, I'll build the house, and you go mine instead. whatcha think?”
It's not that I was afraid of the dark, I was afraid of finding something down there. Honestly, wood looks better and cleaner than dirt, and besides, with the flowers I picked, I can decorate the entrance so it looks more... pretty.
“Hey Renko, I don't know, um... Want me to make like an imitation of what my house looks like?”
“Miss Yukari!” I heard from the end of the hallway.
“Ah, sorry Renko, I'm about to get scolded.”
“So what do I do now?”
“Fences are made with sticks and wood, you could use them for the entrance.” The sound of chewing came right after Ran's words.
Yeah... yeah, I get it now, and after a while I'm able to do it right. Wood, stairs, some flowers, the fences... it's starting to take shape.
“Okay, so this is the entrance, and once you come in, here's the living room, and hang on, let me show you.” I say as I move toward a door at the very back. “Here's my room. It's more or less like this, but less lit and a little more... messy.”
I hear Ran's tail smack against the floor. No need to say it sounded like a scolding. “Don't eat so fast, Chen.” Ran said behind me.
“Okay, and...” I move around my virtual house looking for another room. “And here's Ran's room. Just imagine there's a little table here, some paintings here, some notebooks, and lots of things... I wish you could meet her, she's a sweetheart.”
“Miss Yukari?” Chen asked behind me, with a tenderness that squeezed my soul. “Who is Renko?”
I turned around and took off my headphones to look at her. Ran rested her gaze on Chen for a second before turning it to me, sharing her curiosity.
“Ah, she's a friend...”
“And where does she live?” Chen tilted her head, so sweetly, with an innocence that kept her from seeing how much that question stung.
“She’s from the Outside World.” I said as I turned back to the screen.
“Like Miss Sanae?!”
“Yeah, like Miss Sanae...” I went back into the game. Renko had killed some spiders and brought back some string so I could make a fishing rod. Listening to the music while fishing in a river.
“And how long has she been your friend?”
I got a music disc... I don't know how to use this. I'll ask Renko, but while I did that, I answered Chen. “Since looooong ago. There was still a long time left before I met Ran.”
“And how did you meet her?” Chen asked me again.
I turned around again and immediately wanted to look at Ran, hoping she'd tell Chen to stop. But she was looking at Chen with a bit of intrigue, and then she turned to me with the same curiosity as her shikigami. “Excuse me, Miss Yukari, but... I mean... who is Renko?”
I just turned back to the screen, just in time to catch a fish.
“Hey Renko, umm, I'm getting sleepy now and stuff... Se-see you tomorrow... Bye, Renko.”
I slipped under the futon, and while I hurried to rest my tired eyelids, I could hear Ran shamelessly taking my seat so she could play instead.
“Where's Renko?”
I don't know what Ran did, but on the screen I saw what I think was the list of connected players...
“...” I said something automatically. I was half-asleep, distracted, and honestly, the moment I said it, I forgot what I'd even said.
“Oh...” Ran replied in a somewhat sad tone.
I could feel Chen looking for space beside me, and I let her keep me company as I drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, I kept hearing Ran, and out of the corner of my eye I watched her put on the headphones and start playing.
She gone a thousand years ago... and there's still three hundred years left before she'll be born again... Renko...