Chapter 1028 - The Mismatched Trio Staying Up Late
For some reason, I'd expected we'd end up storming some dungeon.
The widely known fact that Ri-na has 'zero solo combat ability' is more accurately 'zero solo attack ability,' and on top of that, she's surprisingly belligerent...
Or rather, aggressive in many ways.
When she's cornered, she gets flustered and scared rather easily, but that's just a side effect of the pride she has in her position and power as one of the 'Eastern Wings.'
Fundamentally, she's not the type to back down from a fight. Just like Mi-na, she's a true Istian.
So, considering she had just tagged along on her own, there was no need to be considerate. Even if it had turned into a battle tour, she would have joined in as the third member without any issue.
And if they'd spoken many times before, Tiger Lucky would know that too. In that case, the battle junkie Tiger Lucky, true to his desires, would have made a beeline for the battlefield... and,
That's how I thought things would go.
"—............What's with this guy? Is he actually trying to be popular...?"
"What's that supposed to mean? You lookin' for a fight?"
"Is the simple-minded General Tiger image just a character he's playing?"
"Alright, I get it now. You're lookin' for a fight. I'm gonna beat you down, you idiot siblings."
We were drifting endlessly through the sea of stars on the back of a dragon, with no destination in mind.
It seemed like we were all fine with that, but then Tiger Lucky suddenly raised his hand, saying, "Actually, I know a good spot," and led us to a certain place.
Namely, a very nice spot.
"I mean, come on... right?"
"Mm...—It would be hard to find a better one. A perfect date spot."
It was as if we were in the night sky itself. No, the proximity of the lights was even more real than the real thing.
In a space that felt like being thrown into the middle of a vortex of 'stars' flying about and reflecting myriad lights, we teased the tiger with a mixture of exasperation and admiration.
Where were we? To put it simply, we were inside a flower.
"You're surprised, which means you didn't know about this either, Ri-na..."
"I didn't know about this. ...Not that I'm particularly knowledgeable about the fields, though."
As always, she occupied her usual spot in my lap. But right now, even I couldn't afford to be giving her half-lidded stares or deadpan expressions.
It was a gigantic crystal... or maybe an ore, or something else entirely, layered in countless folds.
It was a mysterious material that reflected the scenery like a mirror. The closest image would be a lotus flower, I suppose. In any case, it was a natural viewing platform of that shape.
In every direction, three hundred and sixty degrees, the stars of the night sky were projected.
The stars unique to the world of Arcadia, constantly moving, and perhaps as a byproduct of their interfering reflections, even elegant contrails were added to the display...
""................"
This was... well, I couldn't think of any other reaction besides 'amazing' or 'beautiful.'
We were both utterly at a loss for words.
"Hah, finally shut you up. Just be honestly impressed."
The smug-faced Tiger was using me as a backrest, sitting back-to-back with me. The thought that he was the one who silenced me was, for some reason, unconditionally infuriating.
But he probably didn't pick up on my own unreasonable petulance.
"Well, can't blame ya for not knowin'. We in the Northern Faction don't usually talk about these things."
He was simply in a good mood at the end of a journey.
My friend laughed with a voice that felt somehow refreshing.
"'These things'?"
So I, for the time being, reined in my inner brat and asked honestly.
"They don't become loot. They don't give experience. They don't affect your stats, skills, or titles. They're...—the treasures of adventure that you can selfishly keep all to yourself."
And since he replied with such a cool line...
"...Ri-na."
"...Yes?"
"I've perfectly 'memorized' this guy's smug look. Let's play it back for him later."
"Leave it to me."
"I'll beat you to a pulp, you moron siblings."
Teasing him like that is just proper etiquette between friends.
And so, for a few minutes...
"You know, I feel like Yura said something similar to that before...?"
Or maybe ten-odd minutes. Or several tens of minutes. We continued to drown in the sea of stars, occasionally exchanging meaningless, playful words.
Just as the sole girl (in blue) let out a cute yawn...
"'I don't intend to monopolize the information, but I'm keeping quiet following the code of senior travelers' or something... Hmm? No, his was different, wasn't it? Since there's something to gain from his."
Back when we weren't as close as we are now. Every single word is etched into my 'memory.'
—'It's not like I meant to monopolize it from the start. I just kept quiet 'cause it's a hassle and to follow the code of senior travelers'... or something like that.
That's what Yurayura had said, trying his best to look cool.
"Ah, Yura, huh."
It seems Tiger Lucky was familiar enough with the situation to get it just from that. The understanding tiger... must have looked up at the sky.
He bumped the back of his head against mine with a thud.
"—That idiot's Lux's disciple, ya know. I think he's got it right."
"Why?"
He said something so out of the blue that I couldn't help but respond in English.
"...You didn't know?"
"Uh, no, I did not know that???"
"Only the veteran rankers would know. And he's not the type to talk about it."
"That's true."
And so, it seemed that not only Ri-na... but all the veteran rankers were aware of this fact. In this place, I was suddenly the only one left out.
As I stared blankly... from my lap, following Tiger's lead, the veteran ranker (self-proclaimed little sister) who was now poking my chest with the back of her head looked up at me intently.
"What is it?"
"I thought you would have noticed, even without being told."
"Noticed what?"
"You've seen it, haven't you, big brother?"
"Seen what?"
She looked up, and I wondered what she was going to say.
"—Chantless casting. Lux-san and Yurayura-san are both masters."
Indeed, she pointed out a commonality that I should have noticed.
"................"
"And not just that. The way they use magic. The way they fight. Yura-san's is heavily arranged to be more of a martial artist style, but... you should be able to notice if you compare them accurately, right, big brother?"
And she was right.
Doing it now, I was finally, completely aware.
"A Magic Fist Fighter. Their fundamental fighting style is identical."
"Seriously..."
I have seen and 'memorized' both Lux's and Yura's fighting styles. Therefore, by replaying them perfectly in my virtual brain simultaneously, I could understand.
"Wait, seriously? Lux is Yura's master...?"
"That's how it is."
"Yeah. —Never mind Anima or Terror Armaments, there are other powers that come with being a ranker. It might not be surprising, but there aren't any 'rankers' without that stuff, right?"
And he was probably going to give me some additional explanation. I nodded at the kind tiger, or rather, Tiger ☆ Lucky-senpai's opening...
Somehow, he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Only our number one (Lux). A guy who's seriously strong with just magic, no support gear."
"Well, there's Record-san now, but... she's amazing even without her 'staff,' you know."
"True. But Reco wasn't around when he joined—"
There was definitely a hint of pride in his tone.
"In the past and even now, the strongest solo player with only magic has to be Lux."
He puffed out his chest, proud of his faction's leader.
What's with this guy? I had no idea. Is he secretly a huge Lux fan?
"...Well, if we're talking solo, then yes."
At any rate, Ri-na seemed to agree with Tiger Lucky's statement about 'pair supremacy' being a different matter. She nodded while subtly emphasizing the 'solo' part. Such a competitive Istian.
"And well... about Yura. When he was first chosen as a ranker, he was a full-on melee attacker. You know that much, right?"
"Yeah, I do."
Putting that aside, the explanation continued.
I knew what the Tiger-senpai had said. When I became interested in the [Screen] who had defeated the [Sword Saint], I did a little research on Yura.
[Screen] Yurayura's rise to the ranker list was sudden, from complete obscurity. The name of a 'stray' who had been traveling alone at his own pace suddenly echoed throughout the world.
As for what kind of battle style Yura had at the time... well, it was that. The climax of the Triangle Duo where he and I went at it, it was pretty much like that.
Apparently, the former [Screen] was like that, but without the magic.
"And well... it's that. I'll spare the details, but it was so sudden that not just he, but everyone around him was confused and bewildered. It wasn't like they were looking down on him, but..."
Then, after a slight hesitation.
"There was this nuance that it was all thanks to his broken Anima, ya know? Well..."
"Ah..."
Right, that makes sense.
"It couldn't be helped."
Just as Ri-na said, it couldn't be helped. It's something that every ranker has seen and heard, a 'couldn't be helped' that's unique to each of them but has the same meaning.
Even I, the [Acrobat], had all sorts of things said about me, and I could understand what Tiger Lucky, who was defending the public's opinion, was saying. That's what it means to become a topic of conversation, it really can't be helped.
But that's what made me deeply understand.
If it was the [Screen] I knew, that's what would happen.
"He snapped, didn't he..."
"Yeah, he did. He was furious."
"He didn't complain or argue, he just silently snapped."
And so, well, that's probably what happened.
"So, to shut them up, he decided to master 'magic,' which is almost completely based on player skill and doesn't rely on any 'special items'...—no, that's not it."
If it was the 'friend' I knew.
"To satisfy himself, to get to be smug about it all in his own head... and to do that, he even became a disciple of Lux, the strongest solo magic user... What an idiot."
"Yeah. He's an idiot."
"It's practically a disease."
We were all saying whatever we wanted, including me... but, you know. Don't look so helpless about it. Even if he is a hopeless case.
I think I've come to like him a little more. As a fellow twisted person.
"—That's why, even though their factions are different, I think he respects his master's style in his own way. And with his twisted personality mixed in, he probably keeps quiet about what he sees."
"A mix of protecting the wonder of discovery to prevent spoilers and a bit of 'serves you right'...!?"
And then, when showing gratitude to someone, it becomes a way for him to show his softer side as a 'thank you.' Damn, he's so messed up he's almost cute (lol)—
"And... well, whatever. We got way off track."
With the legend of Yurayura concluded, Tiger Lucky brought the conversation back.
"In short, it's the [Traveler's (Lux's)] style. Adventures are your own. The thrill of a first discovery shouldn't be stolen by anyone—not that he himself ever said it so grandly."
What was he talking about?
He was talking about the belief that had now become the entire Northern Faction's.
"We in Nortalia all naturally follow the light of our brightest star. That's how it is. That's why...—there are still tons of things like this all over the virtual world."
"Huh... Hmm........."
It's not bad. I think it's a good story.
The point that everyone is following Lux, which on the surface might only inspire anxiety and resignation, serves as a really good, unexpected accent to the episode.
So, what to do? —It's decided.
"So... is that like how we in Istia trample the Four Pillars with our conviction?"
"Hah? Don't lump us together, you damn battle junkies! Ours in the North is an aesthetic!"
"Said by the person, besides those in Istia, to whom 'you're one to talk' most applies."
"Right? And ours in the East is an aesthetic too, don't look down on it."
"Shut up! And why me, at least Uni is worse!"
"More importantly, Tiger. What is this thing anyway? Why is there a giant mysterious mirror object suddenly sprouting in the middle of an unremarkable grassland? Isn't that scary?"
"How should I know, you dumbass!! Who are you calling Tiger!?"
"...Ah, phew... I'm getting sleepy, for real."
"Yeah. If I close my eyes, I'll be out in a second."
"Are you guys for real?! Well, it is getting late, let's go home and sleep!"
""Awwww...""
"This...! What the..."
We laugh. We tease. We make noise and have fun. A night out with three friends is—
"Just what is WITH these guys!!!"
—best when it's just this casual.