BXBX NOVEL Chapter 280: Fighting off sleepiness
Chapter 280: Fighting off sleepiness
“Thanks…”
“You’re at your limit. Soon you will be forcibly logged out, so hang in there a little longer.”
“I understand…”
Her adorable, slurred speech reveals just how close she is to sleep. At the same time, I realize that this is a very rare sight.
(It’s unusual for her to try to sleep while others are awake.)
Nana doesn’t avoid sleeping in front of others entirely, like when she was asleep in the car on the way back from the BATTLER’s. It’s just that she goes to bed later and wakes up earlier than anyone else, making it impossible to see her sleeping face. She has the caution of a stray cat, especially when she’s with me. That’s why I know that she trusts Sukuna deeply, just by the fact that she’s on the verge of falling asleep here.
“You did a good job of paralyzing and trapping my shadow, and here I thought it’d be easier to escape from it anyway, was Sukuna in bad shape?”
“Yes. She seemed to have reached her mental limit. She was fighting Melty yesterday, and today, she had quite a showdown before coming here.”
“I see. So she got in touch with Melty. I expected them to fight, but they actually did. That must have been quite a show.”
“Melty was using truth magic, which appeared to be a trap to lure Kohaku.”
“I see, so Melty had her own reasons to fight. Anyway… Haha, she looks so deflated.”
“It’s quite rare to see her like this in front of someone other than me, you know?”
Nana is at her limit, almost sleeping but not quite yet. It seems she’s just barely sending out signals to avoid being forcibly logged out. Knowing her, she probably grasped the system’s limit when she was forcibly logged out after rapid-firing MHKS. Still, seeing Nana fighting off sleepiness like this is extremely rare. It’s not often that you get to see her trying her best to stay awake, rather than just dozing off.
“You shouldn’t keep a weary warrior for too long. Oh, right, Sukuna’s level cap must have already been unlocked. The benefits gained aren’t much different from other professions. The only unique advantage for the Oni-folk would be the right to enter the hidden realm.”
“What exactly is inside?”
“The age of the gods. Not this scorched, dying land, but a world in its prime when I truly lived. However, I wouldn’t recommend challenging it with your current abilities.”
“Is it because our level isn’t high enough?”
“That’s one reason. More importantly… this is, after all, the edge of the world, a remote place far removed from your journey. There’s no experience to be gained in this world. Of course, there are no dropped items either. Warriors in the midst of growth shouldn’t waste too much time here.”
Thinking about it, there indeed wasn’t any result from the previous battle. Well, there was a result, but we didn’t gain anything from it. This is a dungeon that only a limited number of players and their companions can enter. It makes sense that there wouldn’t be any special advantages for a select few races and professions if everyone could potentially enter.
“I understand. Do you have any messages for Sukuna?”
“Tell her to show her face every now and then.” I begin to miss conversations with others once I am able to move more freely. Also, please inform my other children about this location. Not just Sukuna, because their growth will fuel my power as well.”
“I’ll pass it along. Well, we’ll be going now.”
“I looking forward to our next meeting.”
With that, Shuten Douji extinguished the copy she was using. To be honest, being seen off from behind would be a little uncomfortable, but I guess I should be grateful for the lack of awkwardness.
“Alright, let’s head back. Come on, Nana, I’ll give you a piggyback ride. Wake up for a moment.”
“Mmm… Mmm.”
I decide to carry Nana on my back, as it would be difficult to carry her while holding her from the front. In the game world, unlike the real one, I am quite strong. I can easily carry a person on my back and walk. Still, it’s very unusual for me to carry Nana like this. I’ve always been the one carried by Nana.
We retraced our steps a little and returned to the original world.
“I’m not that tired, but it seems like Nana pushed herself too hard.”
<She’s been working hard these days.>
<She’s so cute when she’s asleep.>
<Is she really… asleep?>
<A genius at maintaining a barely awake state?>
<Fighting off forced logouts, huh?>
“She’s about to drop any second now. I don’t think she’ll last another three minutes.”
Barely able to fight off sleepiness, Nana seems to be on the verge of sliding off my back. I walk through the Forest of the End, trying to hold her up as best I can.
“I’m sorry to Nana’s viewers for ending it like this. She’s been working hard since her time in BATTLER, so I’ll at least let her rest tomorrow. But once her battery is completely drained, I don’t know how many days she’ll sleep straight. Maybe she’ll be asleep for about three days.”
<Three days!?>
<It’s tough to recharge when you have a big tank>
<She’s been streaming almost non-stop for a long time, so it’s good to take a break>
<It’s alright>
“Nana’s viewers are so kind. If it were my viewers, they’d be calling me weak and frail.”
<There’s no one in this world who can challenge her stamina>
<It’s actually a relief to know she has limits>
<It’s a fact that Rinne is frail>
<Rinne has gained some stamina in comparison to the past, but she remains frail>
<We got to see Nana’s vulnerable side, so it’s all good>
<I envy her ability to completely shut down when she’s tired>
“Well, it’s just fatigue, so don’t be concerned. This is a minor detail, but she has never been sick in her life.”
<We knew that>
<Oh, really?>
<Not surprised anymore>
<She’s the woman who remains unaffected by poison>
“Now that you mention it… ah, it seems like she’s reached her limit.”
While gradually wrapping up the stream and chatting with the viewers, I suddenly felt Nana’s weight on my back lighten. Turning around, I saw Nana’s avatar dissolve into particles in the air.
“So this is what a forced logout looks like.”
<She just melted away…>
<She’s ascending>
<That’s kind of funny>
<When she was a BATTLER, it looked like she was blown away by the shock>
<What’s with this ‘this isn’t it’ feeling?>
“The subtle feeling of loss as she gradually got lighter hit me in the heart.”
<LOL>
<LOL>
<LOL>
<LOL>
“Well, I’m going to put Nana to bed and log out too. For updates on Nana, please check the staff’s posts on social media.”
<Goodbye~>
<Take care~>
<Thanks for the stream!>
<Bye!>
<Good job today>
<Get some rest~>
<Well done!>
As soon as I logged out, I found Nana sound asleep, lying on the full-dive machine.
“I can’t just let her sleep like this…”
No matter how good the performance of this VR machine is, or the fact that it is a bed-type model, it is not intended for dozens of hours of sleep. Of course, Nana is strong enough not to get sore even if she sleeps on the floor, but this is still not acceptable.
Furthermore, this is just my own selfishness.
“Still, it’s a bit impossible to lift a completely sleeping Nana…”
If Nana were in REM sleep, it’s not impossible to pick her up. But generally, when you try to carry someone without their cooperation, they feel many times heavier. I don’t have that kind of power in this world. I’m sure I’d definitely hurt my back. {REM sleep = auto counter off lol.}
“Sigh. There’s no choice, I’ll have to call for reinforcements.”
Since I can’t carry her alone, I need to call someone for help. However, no matter how deeply Nana is sleeping, if I choose the wrong person, there’s no telling how she’ll react. Even in her sleep, if someone triggers her guard, Nana can put them to sleep in no time.
“Touka is out of the question, considering her finals. Haruka is busy with Suupa… n?”
As I was pondering who to call for help while stroking Nana’s sleeping form, a short message arrived on my smartphone.
“It’s rare to get an SMS these days… Ah, I see.”
I replied with a message urging the unexpected, yet much-needed person to come as soon as possible.
===*
Ever since the battle against the Apostles, Nana has been gradually softening. It’s because she now has some room in her heart.