4. On the fact that the people who fell with me don't listen to me
4. On the fact that the people who fell with me don't listen to me
For starters, I crawled and barely managed to lay down 30 Half Blocks. Next to the original landmass, a platform made of Oak Planks of similar size was created.
"Now, we need to mine the dirt little by little and move it."
"Where?"
"Onto the wooden planks."
I pointed to the wooden planks I had laid out so far for Ranma, who was asking. They were thinner than the landmasses we were currently standing on.
Ranma wore an anxious expression.
"It won't collapse, will it?"
"Probably?"
I couldn't give a definitive answer either. In Minecraft terms, unless you were hacking away with an axe, or a Creeper blew up next to it, there was no risk of it breaking. The problem was that there was a limit to how much I could expand the land.
"Dirt is the most important thing. You can grow trees with dirt, but you need it for farming too."
"Farming? Do you have seeds?"
"We have to hunt monsters."
If you kill a Zombie, there's a certain chance it drops a Potato or a Carrot. It's hard to farm right now because we don't have water, but once we figure out how to get water, we can start tilling the fields. In Minecraft, it's possible to till a field and farm even with just a single block of land. We need to get Wheat first, and Wheat Seeds can be obtained by killing a Skeleton and getting Bone Meal. For now, we have to kill everything we see, whether it's a Skeleton or a Zombie.
Fuck.
Since monsters haven't appeared yet, I don't know how the 'reality adjustment' has been applied, but monsters are basically always aggressive. Monsters are the guys that rush to attack as soon as they see a person. If we had some foundation established, monsters wouldn't be a problem, but right now, we might have to risk our lives.
"Ah. First off, Ranma, you're a martial artist, so you don't need a weapon, right? And Asagi-ssi, you use a sword?"
"Yeah. I'm fine with my bare hands."
"Right. I need a sword."
Both Ranma and Asagi nodded. Asagi's eyes were still unreadable, which made me uneasy, but since it was good to have a weapon made, I walked over to the Crafting Table and attempted to make a Wooden Sword using one leftover Stick and two Planks. Unlike things like axes, the sword had 'reality adjustment' applied, so I could refine its shape. Normally, only a Longsword should be craftable, but it seemed possible to spend levels to create the sword I wanted.
Ah. It's too early in the game, there's so much to do.
Since my level is 1 right now, I couldn't change the shape, so I made a Longsword-shaped Wooden Sword and handed it to Asagi.
Asagi, not liking the shape of the sword, frowned as she took it. It couldn't be helped. To make a sword Asagi likes, I need to level up, and the only way to get experience points right now is to kill monsters.
I don't want to kill monsters, though.
As soon as Asagi held the sword—even though it was a wooden one—she pointed it directly at me.
Huh?
"Um... Asagi-ssi?"
I asked, looking at Asagi with a flustered expression. Ranma, seeing Asagi suddenly act like she was going to attack me, jumped up and started to guard against Asagi, but perhaps because Asagi was pointing the Wooden Sword at me, he didn't rashly jump in and just shouted.
"What are you doing all of a sudden! We have to cooperate here!"
"You. Did you say your name was Ranma?"
"Yeah! And you're Asagi, right?"
Ranma nodded at Asagi's question. Asagi narrowed her eyes, glared at me, and opened her mouth.
"How do you know my name? I've never said my name here."
"Huh? You're right?"
Ah.
I'm fucked.
My heart sank. Asagi was right. They had never introduced themselves here. But I had just blurted out their names.
Asagi saw my face turn pale and smiled bitterly.
"We're the only ones who don't know your name."
"Uh-uh. Look. Hehe... Could you please put the sword away?"
"Ranma and I don't know anything about this place, but you know this place in detail. And you know our names exactly. What am I supposed to think here?"
You don't think I'm the mastermind, do you?
As I stammered, Asagi's eyes narrowed even further. Ranma, that idiot, seemed to think Asagi's words made sense and was now completely on Asagi's side.
"Yeah! That guy was suspicious sometimes!"
"......."
That bat-like bastard.
Ranma's sudden change of stance was so absurd that even Asagi looked dumbfounded. I was agonizing over what excuse to make.
"Now. Hurry up and send us back."
Asagi just seemed to suspect that I was the mastermind. I felt wronged. I don't even know why I was suddenly dragged here, so how on earth am I supposed to send Asagi and Ranma back?
"Um... please, really, believe me! I don't know anything! It's the game I play, that's all! Minecraft!"
"To play such a filthy game. Isn't it possible that we were dragged here because you play such a filthy game?"
How dare you insult Minecraft!
Asagi just insulted Minecraft by calling it a filthy game. I can't stand being looked down on, but I can't stand Minecraft being looked down on either. I got pissed and scowled, but because of the Wooden Sword pressing gently against my Adam's apple, I immediately tucked my tail.
"Um... please calm down."
"What are you talking about? I am perfectly calm right now. My mind is clear."
At Asagi's words, I became tongue-tied. I absolutely cannot say that Asagi is an eroge protagonist. Ranma and Asagi were both people from the media in my world, and now they've fallen here with me.
Actually, even I think it feels like my fault that they're here with me right now.
Isn't it a situation where it seems like what I did before going to sleep last night was transferred exactly as is?
I absolutely cannot tell the truth about this. If I told them, I might get beaten up, treated like a slave, or even killed. The moment they become convinced that it's my fault they fell into this place, I'll have no human rights.
"If you move according to my instructions, we can survive and get out of here!"
"Right. You were trying to become the leader here very naturally."
"......."
You leave me nothing to say when you put it like that.
The problem is that I have no excuse to refute Asagi's words. I have to build trust somehow so I can survive here too. To do that, I need to clear Asagi's suspicion, but that's not working.
After agonizing for a moment over what to do, I decided to just be shameless. There's no other way to get through this situation.
"So? Are you not planning to get my cooperation?"
"......."
Asagi didn't answer my question. She was narrowing her eyes and glaring at me, looking like she was agonizing over what to do with me. I gulped. I'm a Minecraft veteran, not a martial artist. Why did I make that Wooden Sword! I have to mine all the dirt and move it to the wooden planks before night falls. Because if the space beyond a certain distance from the player is dark, monsters will spawn. If I don't create a light source with a Torch, monsters might unluckily pop out on the planks.
Even though I made it so they wouldn't spawn according to the Minecraft system, it wouldn't be strange if they just popped out since it received 'reality adjustment'. It's originally bug-based gameplay.
"I'll accept your cooperation."
When I was nervous, Asagi muttered while still pointing the sword at me without putting it down. Can I at least be a little relieved? I let out a sigh of relief inwardly. I was unconsciously assuming that because they were characters, they would trust my words without doubt. I have to treat them as individuals who think for themselves. I had barely managed to avoid the worst-case scenario because of a mistake caused by my subconscious.
Asagi sent a warning while looking at me, who was relieved.
"If I judge that you're doing something foolish, I will kill you without hesitation."
It's best to keep your enemies close, after all. Asagi said that and put down the Wooden Sword. Ranma, who had been watching, walked over and stood by Asagi as soon as she put down the Wooden Sword.
That son of a bitch. Look at that guy who was clearly obedient and following well until just a moment ago, now he's swayed by Asagi's words and doesn't trust me. Bad bastard. Traitorous bastard.
"Now. What are we going to do from here?"
Asagi asked, looking at me. In an instant, the initiative had passed to Asagi. Ranma was looking at me with a stern expression.
"First, we have to mine the Dirt Blocks and move them."
For now, it was right to move at least a little before time passed. Asagi looked at me without a word and gestured with her chin. It meant to hurry up and do it. I cursed 'fuck, fuck' inside and crawled toward the Dirt Blocks on the edge as Asagi ordered.
Pak! Puk!
If I had known this would happen, I should have made a Wooden Shovel! My hands hurt a little, but I wasn't trying to mine a lot of dirt right now, and I could make a Wooden Shovel once the Oak Tree grew, so it seemed better to just use my hands to mine the Dirt Blocks for now.
Because in this situation, you have to keep working, even if it's just a little bit at a time.
Minecraft.
I make things with what I harvest. First, harvest. I'm harvesting a Dirt Block!
Paak!
The Dirt Block, unable to withstand my punching, sparkled and disappeared. Normally, since I was close, it should have been looted to me automatically, but unfortunately, the spot where the Dirt Block popped out was in the void a little distance away from me.
Ah.
I stared in despair as the dropped Dirt Block fell into the endless void below. It didn't get looted because it was a bit of a distance from me.
Dropping dirt.
The gaze stabbing into the back of my head is stinging. When I turned around, Asagi and Ranma's fierce gazes, as if asking what the hell I was doing, were fixed on my face.
"......."
"Sometimes this happens."
Asagi and Ranma didn't look like they believed me.