“Sorry to keep you waiting, did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here.”

As I was contemplating my status and future plans in front of the adventurer’s guild where we had decided to meet, Aya-san appeared in casual clothes.

Today, she wasn’t in her neat and formal guild uniform.

Wrapped in a dress-like outfit, Aya-san appeared even cuter, perhaps due to the contrast from her usual attire.

Though the base material being good might also have something to do with it.

“I’m looking forward to today.”

“Leave it to me. Are there any places you want to go, Arata-san?”

“Somewhere with a beautiful view, or a restaurant with delicious food, I guess? Also, I’d appreciate any recommended places from you, Aya-san.”

“…You’re not interested in places like weapon shops?”

“Yes, because it’s a holiday today.”

“Understood. Then, let’s go to the market first.”

Led by Aya-san, we head towards the market.

In each town, a market is held at a designated place.

The market hours are twice a day, from morning to noon and in the evening.

Here, you can buy items at bargain prices, and flea markets are also held, similar to a free market.

Especially at the flea market, occasionally, rare and valuable finds are put up for sale.

“Arata-san, this is Loine’s market.”

“It’s quite busy, isn’t it?”

“Yes, today is the once a week day when merchants from the royal capital visit, so the townsfolk come out in force to shop.”

Loine is known as the 【Starting Town】 and compared to the royal capital and other towns, it falls into the category of a small town.

Despite that, a large number of people visit the market, making it quite lively.

Shopkeepers also call out loudly to draw in customers.

Therefore, the hustle and bustle of customers and shopkeepers can be constantly heard from all around the market.

“…Hmm?”

“Is something wrong?”

As I walked through the market with Aya-san, my eyes were caught by one of the stalls.

It was a store selling fresh vegetables and fruits.

I reached out slowly to one of the items that caught my eye.

“That’s a Loop fruit.”

“Loop fruit, you say?”

“Yes. It’s a fruit with a slight sweetness. Some may find it a bit too acidic, but it’s a well-loved fruit in this region.”

The Loop fruit was a fist-sized red fruit similar to an apple.

When I appraised it, it seemed to be an item that slightly restores ST.

I hadn’t seen this fruit during the game era.

Perhaps it existed as an early-stage item, but at least I had never seen it before.

“Where is this from?”

“Kid, that Loop fruit there, it’s harvested right here in this town. We have an orchard in the suburbs, and the fruits harvested there are shipped to the royal capital as well.”

There wasn’t an orchard in the game.

Is it another newly added element, perhaps?

That being said—

Whenever I see an apple, I am reminded.

Of the smell of disinfectant.

The pain of the IV drip.

The apple decorated with a knife in the shape of a rabbit.

“I’ll take this, please.”

“Thanks for your business!”

The Loop fruit was cheap, only 20R a piece.

Taking a bite, as Aya-san mentioned, it had a stronger acidity than sweetness.

When I looked up, Aya-san was smiling delightfully at me.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, how does it taste?”

“…It feels… nostalgic somehow.”

After buying the Loop fruit at the stall, I walked around the market with Aya-san.

What I realized was that the world had expanded.

Take the Loop fruit, for example.

I don’t remember there being any farms or orchards in Loine or any other town.

Also, the method of travel was significantly different.

In the game, the movement from town to town was instant using a teleportation device.

Also, when going to the territories of other races, you would move by flying dragon.

But, as far as I can gather from Aya-san’s explanation, the usual way of moving from town to town is by horse or on foot.

From this, it’s clear that new fields have been generated in the parts that were cut due to the game’s capacity issues.

“This shop serves delicious pasta.”

“Is that so?”

“Especially the ones using mushrooms harvested from the Wartz Great Forest, they’re really tasty.”

“That sounds delicious. In that case, I’ll order the pasta you recommended, Aya-san.”

For lunch, we decided to eat at a pasta restaurant that Aya-san recommended.

The block where this shop is located also doesn’t exist in the Loine town I remember.

And the ingredients for the dishes served here, some of them weren’t in the game.

There have been many discoveries just in half a day.

Indeed, it was a good decision to ask Aya-san to guide me around the town.

In the evening, she said she’d guide me to a spot with a beautiful view, so I was looking forward to that.

—But that day, I didn’t get to see the scenery Aya-san had praised so highly.

While having lunch and chatting, the outside of the restaurant suddenly became noisy.

“Is there some sort of festival going on?”

“No, there shouldn’t be any events scheduled—”

My question was cut short.

From somewhere, an unpleasantly loud bell sound could be heard.

I recognized this grating noise.

It was a stampede—