Chapter 1038 - Time, Moment by Moment
Night turned into day, and a full cycle passed. It was the evening of January 10th. In other words, the day for the post-Four Pillar War celebration, which had been scheduled for after the New Year.
It was exactly 7:00 PM in real time.
A grand festival like the previous one, with over a thousand people from all four camps, was a special occasion made possible only because Frontier, which was already being recognized as the second player district, was empty before its opening. It was only possible because they didn't have to worry about selecting a venue for such a large crowd.
Therefore, this time it was camp-based, as per tradition. Even so, it was an undeniable festival with over three hundred people in total... but the place they were meant to gather was the war base's entrance hall.
It was an exquisite space for a close-knit celebration. I don't know how many times I've attended a party here.
I thought I was getting used to this kind of atmosphere...
"... Kakkakka! Well, you were more popular than ever today, weren't you?"
"If you were watching, you should have helped me..."
I had attended with a fairly light heart, but after nearly two hours of hellish pampering, I had finally run out of energy and was dying in a seat meant for rankers on the second floor.
As usual, the Great Tiger general, who made no effort to hide his elementary school boy-like excitement when it came to festivals, came over to bother me, but I had no energy left to respond.
It wasn't that I was forced to perform in a karaoke contest, a human whack-a-mole, a hundred-man duel, or a Clown performance. This time, it was just...
"I guess this kind of thing is the most effective against you, isn't it?"
"Only a hard-boiled narcissist would stay unfazed by that..."
I had simply been praised too much.
As soon as I entered the venue, I was caught in a whirlpool of three hundred comrades. From then on, I was unable to escape a deluge of cheers, praise, compliments, and both blessings and curses.
Setting aside the last bit, which was half-joke and half-anger about how I could show off such a confession of love in a public space broadcast to the whole world.
"Well, it just means you showed them a 'good sight.' Stand tall."
A large hand dropped onto my head, which was slumped on the party table. I let the Great Tiger scruff my hair as a sign of affection, and only a sigh escaped my mouth.
"No, it's fine, but... I wish they'd show some moderation..."
"... You're one to talk about moderation!"
"Guh!"
The impact from behind crushed even my sigh.
I didn't need to be told who the culprit was. I knew... but it was no good. If I released Ninefold Shadow-Woven Gauntlet in this condition, my control would be a mess and a storm would break out.
Therefore, the best move was to swallow my irritation and stay still. Even if I didn't pass judgment myself, if I just counted to one, two, three seconds...
"You've gained some dignity, but you've still got a long way to go! Big bro... gueh."
Yes, the sentence was carried out.
I didn't need to look up to know. My self-proclaimed little sister, who showed a mysterious possessiveness toward only a specific individual, had likely been dragged away by her half-hearted partner.
Both of them had things I could criticize.
The Red one: you've already got a partner, so stop being so clingy with other guys.
The Blue one: you're already acting like that in front of others, which is quite something.
"It's nice, the banter of youth. Makes me feel old."
"You're still young, Old Man."
"Stop with the 'Old Man.' Seriously. Mi-na's been trying to make that a thing lately..."
Well, as I said, my HP was zero, so I'd leave those things to my future self...
"... So? What's up with you two? Hmm?"
"That's also a super old-mannish way of getting involved, Gassan..."
My priority right now was how to counter our general, who looked like a middle-aged man but acted like an elementary schooler.
Gassan pointed his gaze at my partner, who was forming a peaceful sisterly space with my original master, Itsuki, who had helped out during the White Throne era.
In the middle of the four-sister group, which now included the Red body-press culprit being dragged by the scruff of her neck and the Blue sister-police dragging her.
Naturally, the one who caught my eye the most was the angel's smile...
"You've been acting a bit stiff lately, haven't you? Is everything okay? Hmm?"
"Tone it down, Old Man. You're reaching a really high level of annoyance, seriously."
To think that even the Old Man had easily picked up on the fact that Sora-san was clearly trying not to look at me. It must have been quite obvious.
Since he said "lately," he must have seen it before, but the fact that he brought it up meant that right now it was especially noticeable... well, it couldn't be helped.
Last night's events had apparently been quite effective, and she had been acting quite suspiciously when we met today.
Needless to say, she was super cute. Of course, I don't regret it.
"Well... things happen. Even to young people."
However, since Ashe had told me to keep it a secret, I couldn't share the details. I felt a bit of guilt for keeping things from my camp family, but...
"Things happen, huh?"
I wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or not. He gave me a blunt, grinning face, and that helped alleviate some of the guilt...
"... I don't care about your personal relationships, but is the conquest okay?"
"Ugh, he's here."
"... What do you mean by 'he's here,' Junior?"
The number of targets I needed to counter increased. He should have been kidnapped for an acapella singing contest, but he must have survived. This Blonde Samurai.
He pulled out a chair and sat down next to me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I gave Irori a half-glance that asked, "Who gave you permission to join us?" but the peerless handsome man smoothly ignored it.
"Well?"
"Huh?"
A smooth staring contest followed. Gassan was laughing heartily beside us.
"... I'm not worried. Ashe and Tora-kichi are both geniuses with a mix of theory and intuition. They'll master the coordination in no time. They're incredibly reliable."
"I'm not worried about that. I mean you two..."
"I told you, no need to worry. You know Sora and I are super close."
It wasn't like it just slipped out of my mouth. But while a secret is a secret, I thought it was okay to be a bit open about our affection at this level.
My basic mentality has become like that lately, but my words caused...
"Oh?"
"I see?"
The two men looked like they had realized something. ... But based on everything we've been through, I can state with certainty.
It's fine. They look like they've realized something, but they definitely don't understand anything.
I know. Setting aside my past self who had a broken self-perception, I know that I'm not a dense character or a complete idiot right now.
Both Irori and Gassan are complete hopeless cases when it comes to romance.
"Well, if you say there's no problem, then there isn't."
"As your master, as long as you don't embarrass me, I don't care."
When I tried to avoid the subject, they backed off immediately. It was a mystery why this intuition didn't apply to romance... but...
"The Door is completely out of my hands. I've left it to Iris and Helena... so do your best. I'm counting on you."
"Sure thing."
"... Putting that aside, Haru. That sword..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I've been feeling your intense, passionate gaze for a long time. Did you think I wouldn't notice? I'll show it to you later."
"Hey, who would..."
"By the way, where did Ui-san and Tetra go? I know Gen is winning arm-wrestling matches and Yura-choro is absent as usual, but I haven't seen them at all."
"... Tetra vanished the moment it looked like she'd be forced to sing in my place."
"Ah."
"Master is... resting a bit. She said she was slightly overwhelmed by the crowd and told us not to worry."
"Oh dear."
... ... ...
... ...
...
And so, it was certain.
While things were rowdy, peaceful, calm, or dramatic, time continued to fly by without stopping.
Night turned to day, day turned to night, and as the numbers added up...
The moment for the Door to open was literally just around the corner.