章 23: The Necklace

[Name: Kirisaki Maya

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Class: DcMonalds Worker

Level:0

Stats: N/A

Description: The new head manager of DcMonalds, second Lucid branch. Has taken a liking to her kouhai, but she couldn't tell him her feelings. Albeit being overly enthusiastic, she suffers greatly due to pressure from work and school. Her kouhai is her only saving grace from this cruel world]

Bewilderment filled Yuuta as he tried to figure out the panel in front of him. He knew for a fact that he was in the game, specifically his lucid dream. But what left him confused was the fact that there were no reports of a panel appearing in front of someone. In the reference books that his younger sister read, there was no indication that panels such as the one in front of him right now would appear.

And then, it occurred to him.

'Is this, perhaps, my skill? But why? It's not like I've already finished the three tests. Was it a malfunction? Or did I really gain it by completing the tests and hidden quests?'

It was understandable that there won't be any explanation readily available for him. After all, all dreamers in the Lucid Dream Server are beta testers. And they were there to test out the game and learn as much as they could from it, in preparation for the next generation— or rather, the next wave of players who would avail of the game and play it.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that every player will have a different skill since the prerequisites of gaining one are desire and the will to learn the skill no matter what. Just like in any other lucid dream, whatever you think about would materialize and become real. And for this case, Yuuta had gained the gift of sight because he badly desired it.

'Strange. Why am I getting the notification right now when I've had sight ever since I entered the game? Or is it talking about a different kind of sight? Like, for instance, all-seeing-eye? Clairvoyance? Or is it like Plunder from that certain anime? Also, why is it called a hidden skill? I've never heard anyone mention anything about a hidden skill? Is it a special skill? What's the difference between a regular skill and a hidden one? Is it more powerful? Sigh~ this is really getting confusing.'

"Why are you sighing? This is your big day, Yuuta. You should be proud of yourself. Not anyone could get a promotion a week after they got hired. You clearly have talent." Kirisaki-senpai said, bringing Yuuta back to reality. Or in this case, back to his lucid dreams.

"Thanks, Maya," Yuuta said, clenching his fists to further emphasize what he was saying. "You're right. For now, I should do my utmost as a manager of this branch."

"Now that's the spirit. You better take care of yourself from now on, okay? Well, you're still living with me so I guess there's no point in telling you that."

"You take care of yourself as well, Maya. And congratulations on your promotion as well." Yuuta said. "You can have this as a token."

Since creative mode is now enabled, the game already resembled an actual lucid dream. In other words, anything imagined can become a reality. That's why, when Yuuta said that he had a gift for Maya, the truth was he didn't have any.

And yet, he reached into his pocket and rummaged it. After a few seconds, he pulled out a necklace that had a lot of precious gems embedded in it. It was just a normal-looking necklace. But for someone like Maya who had admired expensive stuff from afar, she could tell that the necklace was somewhat expensive.

"W-what's this, Yuuta? You didn't have to give me anything." Maya blushed as she hesitantly extended her hands. "And where did you get the money to buy that?"

Yuuta ignored everything he said and walked towards her back. "Here, I'll put this on for you."

The pinkish glow on Maya's face turned into a deeper shade of red as Yuuta gently fastened the necklace around her neck. And as if that wasn't enough, Yuuta began talking in a soft and gentle tone while reminiscing about the past that he never had. "You see, I got this from my mother back when she was still alive. I've always kept it to myself since I decided to give it to someone I'm truly thankful to. Just like how I'm thankful that my mom gave me an awesome childhood before she passed away, I'm grateful that you were willing to take me in even though I was just a complete stranger. At first, I thought that you had some ulterior motives but seeing the way you act made me believe that you truly are a kind-hearted person, senpai. I hope this necklace will give you the same appreciation I received from you."

A stray tear left Yuuta's eyes as he finished fastening the necklace around Maya's neck. Honestly, even though it was just a mere necklace he imagined inside the game, he had the same necklace in real life as well which he received from his mom.

"Geez, what are you saying, Yuuta? That wasn't even a big deal." Maya felt her eyes getting moist, making her suppress the tears that were about to come out of her tear ducts. "Thank you, I will treasure this forever."

"Yeah, now you should go. Isn't today your first day as head manager on the other branch? You shouldn't be late on your first day." Yuuta smiled, lightly pushing Maya from behind.

"Mou~ all right, I'll take my leave. Make sure you do a proper job as manager even when I'm gone, okay? Who knows, I might even put in a good word for you once I get to meet the CEO of DcMonalds hehe."

And just like that, Maya took her leave. But even as she was heading out of the restaurant's doors, she glanced at the necklace that Yuuta gave her and clutched it as if it was her lucky charm. With renewed confidence, she headed off.

<You've unlocked the Hidden Stage>

<You've unlocked the Hidden Quest>

<Quest: Work your way to the top. has been activated>

"You got the worst of all timings, you know," Yuuta mumbled towards the notifications as he thought of logging out. It had only been a few minutes but he was already done playing for the night.