The Infinite World of Weapon Girls

……

No way! No way! No way! Why is it so difficult?! Why can't I even understand it?!

Elma realized that she seemed to have fallen too far behind in the basics, and felt quite overwhelmed when it came to even slightly deeper knowledge.

"Erma, do you need help?"

Kobayashi appeared behind the Sea Dragon Girl without anyone noticing and said something.

Like parched saplings meeting rain, so timely and eager, the Sea Dragon Mother felt as if she had been given a refreshing shower. She quickly got up, helped Xiao Lin to her seat, and put on a pitiful expression, saying...

"Senior, you've arrived just in time! You absolutely have to teach me properly, waaaaaah!"

"Hey... Elma, your enthusiasm for studying today is unexpectedly high!"

Xiaolin sighed as he operated the computer.

"Because, because...because I want to be independent!"

Eruma blushed and stammered twice, but her last sentence was so firm.

"Aww..."

Xiaolin opened his mouth, picked up the document in front of him that required his processing, glanced at it, and a strange smile appeared on his lips.

"Erma has changed a lot... Alright! Then I'll teach you properly."

Dragons aren't stupid; the key is whether they're willing to learn properly. Kanna is a perfect example.

As a result, under Kobayashi's careful guidance, Elma, who became serious, made rapid progress. Even Kobayashi, who had a high talent for computers, had to admit Elma's learning ability as a dragon.

Before they knew it, only when very few employees had left the company on that floor did they realize that the man and the dragon had been there since morning, skipping noon and afternoon, and had stayed until evening.

"Erma-chan, with your attitude and speed today, if you study on your own for another two or three days, I believe you will be able to handle this job perfectly."

Xiao Lin exclaimed in admiration, but when he turned around, he found that the Sea Dragon Girl, who had been focused intently, was now lost in thought. Her bright eyes, which were bluer than the sky, clearer than the river, and more dazzling than sapphires, were brimming with tears.

Xiaolin paused for a moment, then stood up, placed his hands on the Sea Dragon Girl's shoulders, and smiled gently.

"Hmm, let me guess... you miss Tina?"

Eruma quickly recovered and sheepishly wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm so sorry, I took it upon myself to mistake you for her..."

"It's alright... Why don't you come over to my house tonight?"

"Thank you, but... no thanks."

Elma returned to her seat and began absentmindedly tidying up her messy desk to hide her panic.

"Well, you haven't even had lunch yet. Studying is secondary. Go and eat something soon. Alma, see you tomorrow."

"Yes, yes, I'm really sorry to have troubled you today, senior. Let me see you off."

……

In the evening, under the dim streetlights of the town center, Eruma walked into the sushi restaurant alone.

Here are families and couples, which easily remind her of someone, a girl who is both family and lover to her.

But Hailongniang only came here to eat. Shaking her head and dismissing those thoughts, she followed the shop staff to the bright and dazzling display case.

They all look so tempting, which one should I choose?

"Welcome! What would you like to do for me?"

"The second to last one near the edge! And the second one in the third row, and the sixth one in the fourth row!"

This is purely the method of the sea dragon girl who can't name the sushi.

This was the first time she had made such a decisive choice, and Elma was genuinely happy for herself, feeling that she had overcome another bad habit... This sense of accomplishment was truly unparalleled.

"Your total bill is 800 yen. Thank you for your patronage!"

"Um...okay, no...whoa...where's my wallet...?"

This was the first time the Sea Dragon Girl had encountered something like this. She had already decided to choose her sushi, but her wallet was gone. Bewildered and helpless, Elma suddenly felt so wronged that she was about to cry.

……

When Elma returned home, hungry and exhausted, she felt she wasn't the powerful, noble sea dragon that people knew, the one who fed on giant sea beasts; she was merely a lonely widow/widower.

Remembering how she had actually refused Kobayashi's dinner invitation, Eruma was so angry she wanted to punch herself.

Because she lost her wallet and couldn't buy any groceries, Eluma searched for a long time and only found a bottle of yogurt and half a bag of cream bread. Looking at the empty refrigerator, she suddenly felt extremely sorry for herself.

This is simply not enough...

Hmm, let's turn hunger into fighting spirit then. Anyway, with a dragon's constitution, skipping a few meals won't kill me. Maybe... I can even lose some weight?!

So, Hailongniang sat in front of the computer, picked up the computer language introductory and advanced tutorials she had brought back from the company library during the day, and began to study them seriously.

Before immersing herself in her studies, Elma's gaze inadvertently fell upon an icon on the screen.

An icon resembling a 'fat pig'—this is the logo of JIUJIUYE, currently the most popular fantasy MMORPG in Japan.

Huh? Who downloaded this...?

Elma clicked on it, not understanding why.

As is well known, games that require an account will leave a record after you log in once.

On the account login page within sight, Elma saw a login record for one account.

Account box [WTSHERMGSK]

Password field [... (empty)]

A very strange string of English letters with no pattern.

Elma stared, mesmerized, her gaze moving from left to right, comparing the first letters of the Romanized words, and somehow she pieced together a sentence.

"I love you so much (Eluma, I like you)"

It's a coincidence, it must be a coincidence!

Nobody knows the password! Do you think Elma would know the password?

Would I really know the password?

……

It wasn't as beautiful as a starlight or firefly fading away, nor was it like the gradual disappearance of a body from solid to ethereal, leaving one with a final chance to confess.

—Instead, they vanished without warning, disappearing into thin air.

Like a shooting star that has already flown away without you having a chance to make a wish in your heart.

Like a candle that has gone out before it could be given to a friend as a blessing.

...Just like the sea dragon girl who had left before she could confess her feelings.

"Tina...I love you—!!!!!"

That was the Sea Dragon Girl's belated confession.

The scene from my memory was quietly frozen in my crystal-clear, shimmering eyes.

Staring blankly at the beautifully designed game login screen, Elma bit her lip, tears rolling down her delicate, fair cheeks, dripping onto her small, dainty hands. Then, her trembling hands moved to the keyboard, pressing each key one by one, typing out a line of letters.

——TNNCTGSK

Both are the first letters of the Roman alphabet.

Translated into Japanese, it is "ティナのことが好き (Tina I like you)"

She typed her belated confession, which she thought Tina hadn't heard, into the password box and pressed Enter.

……

"Ding—Account login successful"

Eh?

A sudden wave of sadness washed over Elma. She thought, "So, another coincidence, isn't it? Absolutely, truly a coincidence..."

Elma gazed at the level 1 female newbie character born in the beautiful Peach Blossom Village. Even though she was already crying, seeing the character's strange ID name made her burst into laughter through her tears, a bittersweet mix of sobs and laughter.

ID name: [Spiral Ascent]

……

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

"You must have known all along what I wanted to say to you..."

-

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

------

①——I've posted a bonus chapter, sorry there's no main story today.

Thank you so much for the generous gift! (* /ω＼*)

This is the story of Elma changing herself for love, and also a story of Tina never leaving.

The final scene is the day Tina left the love note. She unexpectedly visits Elma's house, downloads and registers the game account on Elma's notebook, becoming the last trace proving that she once lived in this world.

②【Thank you for pointing it out. The first letters of all Chinese characters have been replaced with Romanized and Japanese. Please ignore if the translation is inappropriate. Orz】

③ [PS: I remember a reader wrote a long review saying they didn't like the main god and the reincarnators. It's laughable that I was arguing my point earlier, saying I tried my best to write something touching. Maybe Dragon Maid did manage to write a little bit...]

Because the author's previous reading experience mainly focused on isekai (another world) fantasy, she was relatively unfamiliar with system-based transmigration stories like "Carrier of the Two-Dimensional Blacklight Virus" and "You're So Lazy, Dracula." Therefore, initially, she studied "Krullivan's Infinite World" and followed the popular reincarnation world genre, constructing the story of this book with the addition of "reincarnation teammates."

~~~A completed story about a dragon maid, a story about Tina and Tina Sprant that has a framework but hasn't been filled with stories yet.

What's the difference between system travel (world travel) and reincarnation world?

I think it lies in the fact that one has few or no teammates, thus allowing for more interaction with characters from the original world, a longer emotional journey, and a deeper exploration of the story.

It features both teammates and rivals, but due to the need to accommodate the appearance rate of all characters, a more detailed description of the characters and story from the original world is not possible.

Although I've been writing for two years now, I still feel too inexperienced and need more knowledge and a little more care to nurture me. The above only represents my personal opinion.

And if I pick up a pen again in the future, I believe I won't be writing about reincarnation worlds anymore. I'm preparing to switch to the world travel genre, though it will still involve anime crossovers and will still be touching and heartwarming stories.