We enjoyed my mum's cooking for a while before I finally got the courage to broach the question. There was a sudden silence as everyone turned to stare at me. There was even a clink as my mother dropped her spoon. Wait, wait, why are you guys all looking at me like that? Did I really say something crazy? Didn't I just ask them whether I could go to Japan for a holiday? Masa already agreed to let me stay at his house since his sister was studying overseas and her room was empty. Or did I forget to mention that?

My mum coughed and finally said, "Well, you're old enough to decide for yourself, and Masahiro seems like a nice young man, so..."

"Wait," interrupted my dad. "She's far too young for this! I won't allow it!"

"But dear—“

"No means no! They've only just met today, so how do we know if he's really a good guy?"

Masa's ears were turning red for some reason while I tilted my head in confusion. What were they so worked up about? Maybe they didn't understand the entire situation? I couldn't tell them about the portals, of course, but perhaps they would understand if I explained my travel plans more clearly. I attempted to do so, and my dad finally relaxed a little. Masa still looked a little uncomfortable though.

"How long would you be staying here in Malaysia, Masahiro?" asked my mother to change the subject. "We have more than enough rooms so you're welcome to stay in our house as long as you like."

"Thank you for the invitation, Mrs Tan, but I will be leaving after two more days," said Masa with a bow. "If you allow Rynn to visit Japan, my parents and I will certainly show her the same amount of hospitality you've shown me."

My mum smiled at him while my dad still looked a little unconvinced. Oh well, hopefully he would come around after getting to know Masa a bit more. We finished dinner and sat in the living room to watch some TV and chat. I usually spent the time surfing the net and gaming at this time, but ever since I started "gaming" in Shyi'eld, I had been too tired to do anything but bathe and sleep once I got home. Masa must have been the same, as he was politely trying to hide a yawn as he talked with my parents.

It didn't escape my mum's notice. "Oh dear, you must be tired out after all the sightseeing," she said, standing up. "I'll have the servants prepare a guest room while you take your bath."

Masa thanked her as he picked up his backpack and followed the butler to his room. My dad's eyes followed him, and once the young man was out of sight, he turned to me and asked, "What's so good about him?"

I tilted my head. "He's calm and sensible, and helped me out in a pinch," I replied. "That's why I chose him—“ —to join my party, I added mentally. Plus he was the only other player I had met so far. Of course, I wasn't a total idiot, so I had an inkling of what my parents were worried about. However, I figured that this was less frightening than finding out their daughter was in another world risking her life almost every day.

My dad looked disgruntled, but didn't say anything else. We continued watching TV for a while, then I called it quits and went back to my room to bathe and sleep. I would do some packing for my Japan trip tomorrow and take Masa to a nearby forest park to do some bird watching. My mum had suggested a bird park or zoo, but it turned out he wanted to see only wild birds and proposed going to a nature park instead. Unlike Singapore, Malaysia's nature parks were less well maintained and I mentally prepared myself to face hordes of mosquitoes and leeches. Their presence meant I had to wear long sleeves and trousers, which I was loathe to do in the tropical heat. Levelling in the cool forest of Shyi'eld was far better than this!

Come to think of it, there hadn't been any blood-sucking insects there. Was the climate too cold for them? I hadn't looked too closely, but I assumed that other than ants, the usual bugs and worms existed there too. From wondering about the insect life, I went on to thinking about whether I had seen birds there, which brought me to Masa. As cliched as it sounded and with his love for birds, it wasn't impossible that a bird had lured him into Shyi'eld. He could have just gone back through the tunnel once he found himself in a strange place, but he didn't. And he even took the swords and packed supplies for a protracted stay there.

He wasn't a gamer, so the levelling might not have interested him as much as being able to see new species of birds. But was that enough for him to risk his life fighting monsters and such? Apparently so… Well, having magic might be a bonus too. Oh! That reminded me that I hadn't seen him cast any magic yet so far. I had to ask him to show me something once we went back.

My parents hadn't exactly given their permission yet, but I was hopeful that they would in the next few days. Being their only daughter, they were strict and yet also indulgent towards me, especially in things they felt were good for my education. I liked to think I wasn't much of a spoilt brat, but I could be too stubborn for my own good sometimes.

I got out of the shower in a t-shirt and pair of shorts, patting my hair dry with a towel. I always missed the heater when I was in Shyi'eld. One day I was going to figure out some way to have a hot shower there too.

There came a knock on my door, and my heart rate couldn't help speeding up.