Chapter 1000 - Let there be light
────[Mako] Artifice, activate.
"Are you sure you don't want to switch to your magic crafting form (Haru-chan)?"
"If you're okay with this visual right now, I don't mind either way."
Now, nearly four years since the service began...
It has been concluded from a vast amount of data that the amount of mana one possesses has absolutely no bearing on the quality of work produced through Mako technology, the comprehensive creative foundation of Arcadia.
Magic crafters universally invest points into their Mind (MID) stat simply to secure enough MP for their work, and as little more than a good-luck charm.
Yes, in the end, what's important is the feeling.
"Just shut up and watch."
Skill, talent... when it comes to this, to Mako, I'm embarrassingly mediocre, but...
"Right now──── I can pour every last bit of my emotions (resources) into it."
This virtual world makes the human heart into 'power' far more readily than the real world does.
In the aquamarine gems that gaze at me silently and directly, a cheeky-faced version of me is reflected. He, in turn, laughs innocently, as if he couldn't care less about what others think────
The blue, azure, and indigo light inherited from none other than her... from [Milmarinus], fills the space with a brilliant glow. The 'form' of that light, having changed over time, is...
"............Stars."
It was something similar to, yet distinct from, the puzzle of utmost precision that Nia manipulates freely at her fingertips. It was rougher, more unconventional, as if it could expand endlessly into the distance────
"It's a planetarium..."
"Well, the needlessly grand feeling, regardless of my actual skill, is pretty much my style, right?"
Rings of indigo light intersecting in layers, countless white points of starlight floating about.
Together, they form... a dreadfully exaggerated, crude, and pathetic, yet undeniably captivating, brilliantly shining map of celestial orbits.
"Nia."
"...Yes."
Now, at its center.
"I love you."
I give you now the answer from that day.
"...Tch!"
Upon our overlapped palms, the bracelet, which had been emitting a faint light, now houses a point of brilliance.
"I love your eyes. Both the aquamarine ones here and the green ones there are beautiful. They're always restlessly looking here and there, always, always sparkling. They're always so dazzling to look at."
As many as you want,
"I love your voice. In the real world and in the virtual world. Your voice has helped me and supported me time and time again. ...Whether it was sound or text, I could always hear you."
As much as you want,
"And... how do I put it──── I love your heart. The way you fell for me, how you're clumsy but try so hard, how you've always been so devoted, sometimes cheeky, and on rare occasions, even the annoying parts... well, I guess that goes both ways, but really, all of it."
There's no way I could ever run out of things to say, so I'll keep going forever.
"────I love you so much, Nia. I'm completely hopeless."
"────...Tch!"
She doesn't look down. The gems—her eyes—that continue to gaze at me warp slightly, gathering tears.
A jolt to my chest. I lower my gaze to find aquamarine right before me.
Our overlapped hands are now intertwined, held between our bodies. From the gaps between our fingers, which have naturally laced together as if defying gravity, a 'light' with a strengthening pulse shines through.
".................."
"..., ...Tch!"
Listening to the sound of her precious breathing, I gaze at the top of her head before me. With nothing else to look at, I found myself staring at her cute cowlick, but to my dismay, my own vision began to blur.
────Artifice control? To hell with that.
I'm slamming her with 'love' from the best seat in the house. It can just get its fill on its own.
An outrageous act. It wouldn't be surprising if all the aspiring 'Weavers' in this virtual world cursed me for it... but this is fine. I'm sure I couldn't do any better than this.
With that conviction, I continued to hold onto this irreplaceable warmth, and then the moment came.
◇You have acquired a Special Title◇
・ 'Weaver of Legends'
A simple, almost brusque system message, just a single line.
By the time it scrolled past the edge of my vision, the light had already faded.
"............Nia."
"............"
"Nia-chan."
"............Mm, ...yeah."
I gently pat her head with my free hand.
At that, Nia vigorously wiped her face on my clothes with a sniffle before pulling away.
""────...""
Together, we opened our joined hands.
"..................Heh, haha...! Ahh, how embarrassinggggg."
"............You're right. Just how much do you like Nia-chan, I wonder?"
In that moment.
Understanding the 'result,' we both exchanged weary smiles.
"Well, I guess............ about this much?"
I gestured to the undeniable masterpiece in my palm. The newly born 'Terror Armament' in this virtual world────no, that seems to be wrong.
It was not an armament, but what they call a 'Terror Ornament.'
"..................────You want me to stay by your side forever?"
"If I may be so bold."
Nia gave a single, deliberately forced smile.
"...Like I said earlier."
She clutched the bracelet────[Prologue: Mele-a Lumina (The Love Guide of the Shining Indigo)]────adorned with a jeweled figure of a small rabbit, its form woven from two lines, one indigo and one white, connected by a single red thread that held a shimmering light.
"It all depends on how hard you try, you know? ────Haru-kun."
With the smile that made me fall for her, she continues to charm me, again and again.
Let there be light upon the foolish and precious path of love.
Chapter 1000. Congratulations, Arcadia.
10/31. Happy birthday, Nia-chan.
And with that, Chapter 5, Section 7, comes to a close.