MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

— Ding! —

"You've reached your destination!"

Was this really the right place? Jack glanced at the sign with doubtful eyes: "Super Neko Maid & Butler Café!" Well….he was here for a coffee, so probably?

He pushed the doors open, finding himself in a world of cosplay and happy chatter. It wasn't just the employees that were dressed up, but many customers too.

Jack couldn't help but stare at the scene. It was almost as colorful as Infinite! A cute girl with brown hair and piercing green eyes welcomed him with a bow.

"Welcome, master!" The girl was pretty enough to be a model.

As he saw her, he froze. Was he crazy or…?

She happily guided him toward a table, ready to take his order. But at this moment, he didn't care much about food or drinks and kept staring at her.

No, he wasn't crazy! Her features were different from the game, but it was Bubblegum, alright! Others wouldn't have noticed, but his instinct told him it was her!

Pfft— Was she trying to surprise him?

A young manager was subtly staring their way from the back, her eyes shining. Should he point the ruse out already?

No…playing along would be way more fun! He slowly checked the menu, particularly the performance section: meals served with a small show.

~ Super Neko Combo (Super Neko Imitation Nyan!)

~ Love-Love Omelet (Condiment Drawing)

~ Birthday Special (?Singing for You!?)

~ Dance Dance Eggolution (Dancing!)

~ ….

Jack glanced at Bubblegum with incredible seriousness. "I'll take…" he then enumerated all the performance dishes.

"Whaaaa?! A-are you sure?!"

"Very!"

"…"

"…"

Just when Bubblegum was about to falter, the manager appeared. Her blond hair was as brilliant as her smile as she glanced at her friend, who seemed in a pickle.

"Don't worry, Master! She'll be right back with the food!" She impishly chuckled as she doomed the poor Bubblegum, dragging her toward the back.

They were back a few minutes later, with enough dishes to feed an army.

The other customers were astonished at first but ended up laughing soon after. "Wow, a show's starting!" "Miss maid, I don't think he's actually here for the food, hahaha!"

She went from dancing to singing to finishing her sentences with Nyan in one sitting. Her face had long turned utterly crimson, yet she kept going. ~ So cute!!!

Jack was looking at her, nodding approvingly. At one point, he even imitated an orchestra conductor, swaying his fork following the music.

Then came the condiment writing.

"What should I write, Master?"

"Woo!"

She couldn't help but chuckle. She had heard this so many times in Infinite. The other customers were baffled, but she understood.

Afterward, she sat in front of him, mentally exhausted. Who knew being a maid could be so tiring! In retrospect, this had all been a trap from her "close" friend!

"When did you two even plan this?!"

"Plan? We didn't. I just wanted to see you dance. "

"T-then when did you realize that I was disguised?!"

"Oh, as soon I saw you. I'd recognize you anywhere."

— Crash! —

The sound of glass shattering echoed. The manager was trembling, stars in her eyes. He'd recognize her friend anywhere?! How crazy romantic was that?!

Why was the bystander getting so excited? Even now, she was giving Bubblegum a huge thumb up.

"…."

"…."

That's when the two decided to run away.

They strolled around peacefully as they talked, and it felt so natural. So what if their appearances were different? For the first time in forever, Jack opened up.

—

"So I went to this Dojo, and I…."

"Pfft— You guys just made peace afterward?!"

—

"Did you see the Roomba video?…"

"You saved your family from debt with a video?!"

—

"Wait…how am I the reason you're playing Infinite?!"

"I was just joining casually, but then we had lots of fun, so I kept playing, haha…."

—

"My sister recently started playing too. I want to help her, but I don't want to ruin the experience for her either."

"Tch— So sensible! What happened to the Jack who shoved all that info inside me?! Then again, info's not the only thing that you…."

—

"You know, I was in a really bad place before. But then a miracle happened, and I got a second chance at life. Part of me is scared to mess things up.

"I understand this more than you know. But so what if you mess up a bit? We're both human, Jack. No one expects you to be a god….well except that one cultist…."

—

Jack had initially been planning for a short meeting before returning to Infinite, but he completely lost track of time.

From time to time, they'd visit random places that looked interesting.

—

At a gun range, he saw her badass side. She playfully challenged him to a duel, one that he lost badly. Before he knew it, other people wanted to join too.

She defeated them all, even an active policeman!

Every time, she'd show a mischievous grin before pulling the trigger. Then her plasma bullets would hit the target head-on, obliterating it.

"Damn, you're good! Where did you even learn to shoot?"

"I was kidnapped once, so I trained."

She completely glossed over said guns being restricted and unavailable to the public.

—

At a small attraction park, he saw her childish side. She insisted on trying everything that looked fun, even the rides usually meant for kids. She went wild in the bumper car ring!

"Muhahaha, I am the bumper overlord!"

"Bumper overlord?! Wait till I ram you!"

Both of them completely ignored the bystanders giving them weird glances.

—

At a laser-tag place, he saw her competitive side. They faced one another inside the neon-glowing playground, shooting happily. The other players soon understood one thing.

Encountering Jack or Bubblegum —> Instant Annihilation.

Their names stood proudly at the top of the leaderboard. But soon, they realized something else. Jack > Bubblegum. He won every single duel!

She was the better shooter and was even an assassin in Infinite. Yet he always managed to get her from the back! It was so irksome!

"You, why are you always behind me?!"

"The view's nice…."

—

At a rodeo, he saw her down-to-earth side. She didn't mind the mud or how unsophisticated the place was. She was simply having fun.

"Hey, come check this pig! It's so cute!"

"Not as cute as you, but yes."

He found himself spouting cheesy lines like an idiot. Still, it was worth it just to see her smile.

They soon watched the main event, mutated bulls running after clowns jumping around in power suits. The whole thing looked as silly as epic, the fans cheering endlessly.

"Dodge it! Hurry! Not that way!" She cheered along, her eyes glowing and her slender fists raised high.

The show was great, yet he found himself observing her more and more, from her messy hair to her cool yet practical black sneakers.

He was brought back to his senses by an announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Now is the long-awaited amateur challenge! Does anyone from the crowd want to give it a try? Just be aware, it's super incredibly dangerous!"

Jack gave a glance at the mutated bulls. Evading them was harder than it seemed, for they had a unique ability: a sixth sense. They could guess their opponent's movements.

As Jack stood up, volunteering, he instantly became the crowd's focus.

"Oh? We have a valiant hero! Alright, come on down, you s?u?i?c?i?d?a?l? courageous guy!" The announcer cried out.

As Jack came down, a few event organizers were freaking out. Who the hell was this guy?! This was actually a planned event, with a professional scheduled to participate.

As Jack arrived near the challenge ring, a few employees were ready to stall him long enough for their boss to show up and explain the situation.

"It seems there's a problem with the suit! We'll get you another one. Just wait a minute!" They uttered the perfect excuse— or so they thought.

"Oh, no need." Before they could react, Jack entered the ring, closing the door behind him.

That's when the executives felt like their hearts would stop. Not only was there a civilian in the ring, but he was gearless to boot?! He was 100% dead!

But it was too late: a mutated bull was already charging.

Jack finally saw her worried side. Bubblegum even grabbed a plasma gun from god knows where ready to shoot the thing. He gestured for her to stay put with a small smile.

The bull was an opponent Jack could never hope to run away from or defeat if only physical capabilities were concerned. But he didn't have to.

"You have a sixth sense, right? Sense this!"

He used the same trick as earlier with the Dojo Teacher. For an instant, he reverted back to his broken self, one that would cause unending suffering to anyone slighting him.

The bull sensed the change. Tricked by its ability, it saw Jack as an impossible obstacle to overcome.

Gasps and screams of fear resonated. The man was doomed. He'd get trampled and!— The bull suddenly stopped, groveling at the man's feet.

"There, there. Good bull." As they saw the madman pet the monster, everyone froze.

What?! How?! A few seconds later came the thunderous cheers. But more importantly, she was smiling, radiantly so.

The two left quickly, not minding the event organizers trying to recruit him or the crazed fans cheering him on.

They finished the day with plenty of noise complaints. At the hotel, he saw her passionate side, not that it was the first time. That's when he realized he may just have fallen…

In the morning, a chuckling Lilly spotted him as he returned.

"So, how was the coffee?"

"Delicious."

As if running away, Jack hurriedly connected to Infinite. But as soon as he spawned, he couldn't help but stare.

What the hell had happened while he was away?!