Overlord: The Path of Sin

Kazeumi Kumi

"Are you sure it's fine for me to meet him?" Holding her phone tightly, a cute girl stared at a video of a maid eating her food while visible text conversation appeared. The slightly chubby girl sat on her bed, her anxiety growing as she continued to snack on rice crackers, with two empty packets already discarded nearby.

"Yes, it's fine. You are not stealing him from me, and I have another vixen doing that for me, so it's not necessary... Besides, don't you want to play Yggdrasil with him again? And, most of all, don't you want to talk to him? Again?" Mei Mei asked in a serious tone, emphasizing her point.

Mizuki flinched a little, her glasses slipping down her nose with a few beads of sweat on her cheeks.

"I mean, I want to meet him. I mean, very badly, but... so suddenly, and in real life nonetheless? Shouldn't it be better if we meet in Yggdrasil before meeting in real life?" Mizuki asked, munching on another rice cracker, the crunching and chewing noise making Mei Mei a bit irritated.

"First of all, stop overeating. Dealing with anxiety doesn't always have to involve food! Put that cracker in the dustbin," Mei Mei scolded in a stern tone, pointing her chopstick at Mizuki. Although this behavior was considered rude in their culture, Mei Mei didn't care.

"Fine, fine," Mizuki responded, tossing the half-eaten rice crackers into the dustbin. Her eating habits were quite poor, and it didn't help that her brother was a glutton who brought home a lot of snacks every day, particularly hot and spicy ones filled with pepper, which she often indulged in to cope with her anxiety.

"It's all his fault I'm overeating. I'll have to delete another collection of his beloved games," Mizuki muttered to herself, determined to mess up her brother's computer to curb his gluttonous habits.

"Whatever, listen now. Make sure to wear a cute dress, and don't use makeup. Master doesn't like cosmetics. Don't wear cologne, the smell might make him nauseous. Don't bring any food with you, even if it's premium and 100% synthetic and sanitized. Make sure to detoxify yourself after entering the house; there's a detoxifier next to the shoe locker. Don't bring anything that has a strong smell, and avoid items that might produce smoke, like a lighter or anything similar," Mei Mei started giving Mizuki a list of precautions and warnings, speaking in a matter-of-fact, strict tone, almost as if she were instructing a child.

"Wahh, I have to do all that stuff? Why does it feel like I'm meeting some high-ranking member of society," Mizuki complained after hearing all the 69 precautions provided by Mei Mei.

"You do know that he is diagnosed with a genetic disease. I don't want him to get hurt or feel uncomfortable. To be honest, I'd rather not bring anyone from the outside into the home, but you are my friend, and, most importantly, Master used to talk about you and seems to have a good relationship with you. So I want you two to reconcile," Mei Mei explained, emphasizing that her actions were always for Lucian, even if it seemed otherwise.

"I see," Mizuki murmured, watching her friend eat through the phone screen.

"Is Lucian handsome?" Mizuki asked. She hadn't seen him yet.

"Yeah, probably even more than you think," Mei Mei replied matter-of-factly.

"And you called him an 'Incel who jerks off to hentai.' Hahaha," Mizuki couldn't help but laugh, remembering their earlier conversation a few weeks ago.

"Don't mention it, or I'll permanently ban you from ever seeing him!" Mei Mei threatened, pointing her chopsticks at Mizuki once again.

"Hai hai, queen!" Mizuki responded, playfully acting as if she were prostrating herself.

****

The winds in all the Arcologies were cold, despite living inside isolated domes, the heat still didn't greet them.