MV – Chapter 82: The Colony and the Minor Villain

The infinite expanse of space stretched out, with stars shining constantly, marking this place as existing far beyond Earth.

This was the terminal of a spaceport. The lounges of various space airlines lined the area, and numerous shops, all closed with their shutters down, stood in rows. Overhead, several mainboards, which should have been glowing with information, now hung dark and lifeless from the ceiling. The floor was made of a mysterious material, soft yet firm when pressure was applied, making it easier to run.

It was a place straight out of a sci-fi movie or novel, an embodiment of the space age. However, only emergency lights were on, and the air was cold enough to see one’s breath, suggesting that the air conditioning wasn’t functioning properly.

“This place is cold…and lonely. In the game, it was just a white space, but in reality, I’ve actually come to a colony?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach furrowed his brows, looking sadly at the once bustling scene, now devoid of life.

“That’s correct, Player. This colony was once inhabited by many people, and this spaceport terminal was a hub for travelers, both tourists and business people alike.” 

A girl, busy sorting the items laid out on the floor, spoke without even looking up, showing no hint of emotion.

“Hey, isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to be all sentimental? You know, like those last guardians of a ruined facility who speak with a melancholic expression. Why are you busy organizing items instead? Can you at least look at me a little?” (Lanpeach)

“I’m dividing the valuable items so we can split them. That’s far more important than such events. Players like you always enter things from aesthetics first and then give up. You’re the type who buys workout clothes to lead a healthy life but ends up using them as pajamas.” 

“That’s not true~! I always start with the aesthetics and see things through~! I bought those pajamas on purpose from the start~!” (Lanpeach)

[Soldier, that excuse is a bit weak!] (Libra)

Lanpeach childishly puffed out his cheeks in response to the girl’s retort. She glanced at him briefly before returning to her item sorting, showing no interest in Lanpeach.

“Aah aah, if you’d made this a cool event, I was thinking about splitting the loot fifty-fifty, but now…” (Lanpeach)

“Of course, I was just about to get serious. I knew that you only looked like a minor villain on the outside, but you’d be better than some low-life thug on the inside. I’ll decide how we split the loot.”

The girl stood up suddenly, her attitude clearly self-interested. She cleared her throat, placed her hands on her hips, and gracefully brushed back her hair, offering Lanpeach a dazzling smile.

“You probably guessed it already, but my name is Mira. Nice to see you have come, Player. It’s been 1,256 years, 24 days, and 8 hours and 47 minutes since our last visitor. Welcome to the space colony: Sweet Pancake.” (Mira)

She extended her hand horizontally and spun around with a smug expression.

“Sweet Pancake?” (Lanpeach)

“Yes, because the colony is shaped like a stack of pancakes. Just so you know, you can’t eat the walls, even if they look like pancakes.” (Mira)

“Eating the walls was never an option. Also, that name is terrible.” (Lanpeach)

[Look, look, Soldier! From the outside, it really does look like a pancake! There’s even butter on top and syrup drizzling down!] (Libra)

“No, don’t ask for my opinion. I can’t phase through walls to check like you do, Libra. But, you haven’t seen this before, Libra?” (Lanpeach)

Libra was phasing through the walls and excitedly observing the colony from outside while Mira looked at her with a pitiful expression.

“She’s an eye-candy support character created for the Player, so she doesn’t have admin privileges. This must be her first time in a colony too.” (Mira)

“Libra really is a sad case, huh… I see, so she’s just a low-level employee.” (Lanpeach)

Libra was far more pitiful than he imagined, so Lanpeach decided to treat her more kindly from now on.

[Don’t pity me, you two! It’s fine. Once you level up, Soldier, I’ll eventually become a top-level admin too!] (Libra)

“That’s right. Only you, young lady, can climb the ranks and change the way this company operates. So, work like a horse.” (Mira)

[That sounds like something a black company would say to keep you shackled!] (Libra)

‘So cruel!’ – Libra said as she clung tightly to Lanpeach’s head, squeezing him, while he gently patted her in comfort, all the while observing Mira.

Her black hair, which reached her waist, was smooth and glossy like a raven’s feathers. Her confident eyes radiated strength, and her lips conveyed a sense of determination. Despite this, her youthful features gave her a cute, puppy-like appearance that stirred a protective instinct. She was still small in stature, wearing a form-fitting black reinforced suit, with a jet-black cape draped over her shoulders.

“It looks like some kind of chuunibyou cosplay.” (Lanpeach)

“It’s practical. It doesn’t get dirty, has an auto-repair function, and has pockets so discreet you might forget you’ve stashed something in them.” (Mira)

“It’s mostly the pockets you’re interested in, isn’t it? Well, whatever. Nice to meet you, Mira. I can’t hire you just yet, though.” (Lanpeach)

“I’ll be here at the colony until a contract is made, and I can offer short-term support, so no need to worry.” (Mira)

[Right, right. I think it’s fine if you never hire her ever.] (Libra)

Libra hissed defensively, staking her claim as if to say, ‘This is my territory’. Lanpeach, being the sly villain he was, was probably thinking that provoking this rivalry might lead to more intense skinship with Libra in the future.

“Let’s get back on topic. We need to get this colony up and running. Let’s start by activating at least this section. The required energy is 5,000 EXP, also known as Fate Energy.’” (Mira)

“That’s greedy. This feature wasn’t in the game…” (Lanpeach)

“It exists in reality. Without powering up the colony, you won’t be able to use the shops or anything else.” (Mira)

“Sounds like a threat… Fine, I’ll use the 5,000 EXP!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach sighed as he made the declaration. It felt wasteful, but there was no choice.

[Activating the spaceport terminal of the Sweet Pancake Colony.]

A low hum filled the air as a slight vibration shook the floor. The ceiling lights flickered to life, the mainboards powered on, and holograms began to display in the air. Shop shutters opened, and lights illuminated the signs of various stores.

“Fufu, welcome, Player. To humanity’s last surviving colony and final fortress.” (Mira)

“Well, I guess I should say excuse the intrusion.” (Lanpeach)

[Excuse the intrusion~!] (Libra)

Mira twirled gracefully like a fairy and extended her hand towards Lanpeach, who reached out to take it —only to be stopped by Libra clinging onto him.

Despite all the curious lines being spoken, it seemed that the facilities functioned just as they did in the game.

◇◇

“I’m busy sorting items, so I’ll skip the tour. Feel free to explore on your own.” (Mira)

“Hey, isn’t that supposed to be the Player’s line? Why is a support character doing the skipping?” (Lanpeach)

“Mumumu, should I keep the frayed copper wire or the rusty gear for myself? I’m also torn between the old magazine and the empty bottle.” (Mira)

Lanpeach tried to retort, but Mira was already fully engrossed in sorting items, her expression dead serious. Realizing it was futile to argue, Lanpeach gave up and sighed at how greedy his support character was.

Lanpeach decided to explore the shops, thinking that continuing the conversation would just lead to her repeating herself like a game character.

“Welcome-usa! Buy some manju. They are freshly made-usa yo? It’s been a while since we had a customer-usa!” 

The shops ranged from restaurants to weapon stores, all staffed by rabbits. They stared at their lone customer with eager eyes, making Lanpeach feel uncomfortable.

The prices were displayed as holograms…

[Colony Manju: 50 points]

“So it’s not Ele, huh…” (Lanpeach)

“Payment in EXP is accepted-usa.”

The shopkeeper rabbit sniffed the air as it spoke, confirming Lanpeach’s suspicion.

[Heeh, so you pay with EXP in these shops.] (Lanpeach) 

“That’s right. Everything in the colony stores is paid for with EXP… Ele is trash. The quality here is much better than anything sold on Earth.” 

These shops are only accessible after acquiring the Extraterrestrial skill, meaning most people wouldn’t come here until their second playthrough. The fact that payment is in EXP indicates that it is a privilege reserved for those who had finished the game completely since you wouldn’t be able to use it without the 5x experience point bonus.

“Oh, Player, you have 1,278 points. I’ll round it to 1,200 and give you a white card. It’s my treat. Enjoy your first shopping experience.” (Mira)

Mira tossed him a white card, which he caught. It seemed to store points like electronic money. At first glance, it looked like a kind gesture, but…

“…This isn’t a treat! This is the leftover experience I got from killing monsters, right? I was wondering why it wasn’t showing up. So it was here all along! And that’s not rounding down!!!” (Lanpeach)

“Oh, you caught on. I did take a small fee when converting it to points, but it’s a trivial amount. Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to operate without that experience, so it was a necessary expense. The rounding down was just Mira-style.” (Mira)

Lanpeach quickly realized what was going on as Mira stuck out her tongue playfully and turned away. He had suspected something was off, and now he understood…this girl had been secretly stealing from him.

“By the way, if you’re going to buy something, I recommend starting with the Mask of Chaotic Causality. Now, I’ll get back to sorting the items.” (Mira)

“The ‘Mask of Chaotic Causality’? That wasn’t in the game. What is it?” (Lanpeach)

Realizing that Mira probably wouldn’t answer him, Lanpeach decided to ask the shopkeeper rabbit holding a manju.

“The ‘Mask of Chaotic Causality’ is a handy item you can buy for 1,000 points-usa. If you wear it, no one with an Uncover level of 7 or lower will ever be able to identify you-usa. Unless you take it off right in front of their eyes, even if you do the same things as you do right in front of them, they won’t be able to guess it’s really you-usa. It befuddles the outcome, regardless of the process -that’s the power of the Mask of Chaotic Causality-usa.”

“So, it’s the moment when the Disguise skill becomes useless. But instead of just disrupting recognition, it messes with causality itself? That’s some terrifying power.” (Lanpeach)

[Still, considering what you’ll be doing from now on, you need it, Soldier. You’ll be doing a lot of purging.] (Libra)

“Yeah, being able to stand out without being identified is definitely a plus. Alright, I’ll take one of those masks.” (Lanpeach)

“Thank you for your purchase-usa! We have various mask types: a horned helmet, sunglasses, a demon mask, and a Hyottoko** mask. Which one would you like-usa?”

[Obviously, the horned—gagh] (Libra)

Lanpeach quickly covered Libra’s mouth before she could say anything unnecessary. He wasn’t mentally strong enough to wear something so embarrassing.

“I’ll go with the sunglasses.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach’s first purchase from the colony shop was a pair of sunglasses. Seeing this, the shopkeeper rabbits’ eyes sparkled.

“Customer…”

“You’ve got money-usa yo…”

“Buy something from us, too~usa!”

The other shopkeeper rabbits realized that he had money and swarmed around him.

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