NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: This is how the strongest duo play
Shiori-san and I logged into Stellaris Fantasia Online (SFO) and invited Nishi, my little sister, to join our party.
Our plan was simple: farm affinity points by hunting world bosses. In SFO, affinity points grow between players who team up, and as long as Shiori-san and I were in the same party, our points would steadily increase. Having Nishi with us made the trio feel balanced and lively.
"Wow," Shiori said, amazed. "To think that your little sister is ranked top 21 among support-class players in Japan. You two really are siblings."
I couldn't help but smile at the praise. "Yeah, Nishi's support skills are unmatched. She's the best healer in tight spots."
"But you're amazing too, Shiori-san," Nishi chimed in thru in-game microphone, her voice brimming with admiration. "Despite working a full-time job, you're ranked top 3 in the mage class and 9th overall in the game."
Shiori-san blushed slightly but smiled. "Thank you. It's been my escape, I guess."
The three of us formed our party and set out to hunt world bosses. These bosses spawn in hard-to-reach locations and drop rare items along with significant affinity bonuses. They require coordinated teamwork to defeat—but with two top-ranked players in the party, it wasn't as daunting for us.
Game Mechanics Breakdown
In SFO, players select distinct roles: warrior, fighter, assassin, mage, marksman, tanker, or support. Each role has its own skill set, strengths, and weaknesses. Adding to this complexity, there are ten elemental attributes in the game: fire, water, wind, earth, light, dark, lightning, wood, ice, and physical. Attributes influence effectiveness against certain enemies and determine playstyle. Rankings are divided by class and an overall leaderboard that measures power based on item strength and kill counts.
Our current standings were:
Me: Top 1 assassin class, Top 5 overall
Nishi: Top 21 support class, Top 98 overall
Shiori: Top 3 mage class, Top 9 overall
Shino (another friend): Top 11 marksman class, Top 27 overall
There we're also a ranking for duos in-game, which determine by adding both powers of the two.... and among them, Me and Shiori-san stand on the top spot.... but that's before our affinity was reset.
After 20 minutes of exploration, we finally encountered our first target: the Iron Armored Colossal Golem, a world boss nicknamed "King of the Mountains."
"This is it, Shiori-san," I said, feeling a rush of adrenaline.
She nodded, her game avatar emitting a glowing aura. "Let me handle the offensive. My light attribute is effective against it. Haru-kun, you keep its attention up front. Nishi, stay on standby to heal if needed."
Following her plan, I darted around the battlefield, taunting the Golem and dodging its heavy strikes. My assassin class and lightning attribute granted me unmatched agility. Meanwhile, Shiori unleashed a devastating barrage of spells from a safe distance, her light attribute shredding through the Golem's defenses. Nishi monitored our health bars, but the Golem didn't stand a chance. Within minutes, we emerged victorious.
"Great job, Shiori-san. As expected of a top-tier mage," I said, offering her a thumbs-up.
She returned a soft smile. "You weren't so bad yourself, Haru-kun."
Encouraged by our success, we continued hunting world bosses until 10 PM, defeating a total of seven and earning valuable rewards and affinity points.
"Shiori-san, it's getting late. We should stop now," I said, glancing at the clock.
She sighed but didn't protest. "Okay."
I was surprised by her obedience. She stood, tidying herself up before leaving my room. As she walked out, she stopped to bid farewell to my family.
"Goodbye, Mom. I'll visit again sometime," Shiori said, her voice unusually casual.
Wait… did she just call my mother "Mom"?
"Ara, you called me Mom? How sweet," my mother said, laughing. "You're welcome to have dinner with us anytime, Shiori-san."
Nishi chimed in, "Bye, onee-chan! Let's play again soon!"
Shiori's smile grew warmer as she waved back. "Of course, Nishi-chan."
Watching their exchange left me speechless. In less than a day, Shiori had wormed her way into my family's hearts. Somehow, she felt more like an older sister than a teacher.
I accompanied her home afterward. It wasn't far—just a few streets away—but letting someone like her walk alone at night didn't sit well with me.
As we walked, a lingering curiosity got the better of me. "Uh, Shiori-san, what did you and Nishi talk about earlier when you first arrived?"
She stopped, giving me a playful smile. "Don't intrude on a woman's secrets, Haru-kun."
Damn, she's cute.
As soon as I went back our house, I plan to sleep. We have school tomorrow after all.
But my little sister entered my room and pestered me...
"Onii-chan I didn't much enjoyed the game earlier!!"
"Eh why?"
"The two of you didn't even need my heal..."
Yeah, because the golem didn't put my health bar on half...
"Don't worry, tomorrow, let's play again, just the two of us..."
"Really? Yatta!!"
I'm afraid that my little sister might also develop a Yandere attitude.
The next morning, I headed to school as usual. A few blocks from home, I ran into Shino, one of my classmates and an avid SFO player.
"Yo, good morning, Haru. Looks like you're famous now," she said with a teasing grin.
"Famous? In school?" I asked
"Don't flatter yourself, you creeps me out. Here, take a look."
She handed me her phone, showing a forum thread from the SFO community. The headline read:
"Best Duo Breakup? Harucchi and Tria's Marriage Revoked!"
Scrolling through, I saw countless comments speculating about our in-game separation. Some even mourned the loss of our duo ranking on the leaderboards.
The legendary partnership of Harucchi and Tria has officially come to an end. Their rankings as the best duo have been wiped along with their marriage and affinity. Is this the end of an era?
I whispered. "This is going to cause so many misunderstandings."
Shino smirked. "Well, at least your love life is making headlines."
"Don't tease me," I said, handing back her phone.
As much as I wanted to ignore it, the forum thread bothered me. What if someone at school who knows my in-game name found out? Worse, what if Shiori-san saw this? I'd have to find a way to address it—preferably before rumors got out of hand.