Chapter 1051 - ........................
"...Can you even sleep? In two senses."
I muttered that to myself about an hour after the interrogation.
We were still at the mountain of rubble. Since we were taking a grand rest, the best thing would be for everyone to fully recover their spirits. It would be best to sleep if possible, but...
Looking over, I saw a tiger leaning against a large piece of rubble, breathing steadily.
He wasn't just closing his eyes; I could tell his consciousness had sunk deep. I couldn't help but feel half-appalled and half-impressed in two senses. He could actually sleep in this situation, and apparently, the special specification for sleeping from the Starry Paradise event was in effect.
In Arcadia, the action of sleeping originally had two meanings.
First, falling asleep.
The player's consciousness enters a state of complete sleep. If that condition is met, the dream machine [Arcadia] automatically performs a logout and sends the user back to reality.
After that, a restful sleep that rivals any luxury bed is guaranteed. That is a well-known fact today. It's not uncommon to hear stories of people who no longer have beds in their homes, logging into the virtual world just to sleep.
Second, falling asleep... the same word, but a different meaning.
This doesn't mean logging into the dream world in a physical sense, but rather logging out of the dream world in a gaming sense.
Like I usually do, it's a way to switch worlds in a natural and least sensory-taxing way using bedding items that serve as respawn points.
The difference from the first is simple: just change the logout function on the bed settings. The difference is whether you sleep and stay asleep or sleep and wake up. Both have almost zero sensory burden on the player.
...And so it was.
In short, until recently, it was impossible to stay asleep while remaining in the virtual world. No matter how peacefully someone looked, if their login status could be confirmed, it was all an act... that was the common sense of Arcadia, with very few exceptions.
Then, there's no need to even mention the third. It's the special realistic specification from the limit-acceleration event, Starry Paradise.
I look at Tora-kichi. It's an unexpectedly quiet sleep for him, as he slumbers peacefully while clutching his black十文字 spear.
Again, there's no doubt he's completely asleep... but at the edge of my vision.
His Status bars (HP and MP) were still gray, but the names in the party interface weren't grayed out, indicating he was online.
It was exactly the same state as during the Starry Paradise event.
However, the hunger that existed there hadn't visited us even after nearly fourteen hours. It's great to be able to move without eating, but it feels like a lingering discomfort...
"He's really something, having such mindless guts... even though he was shaking with nerves during the Traduo. For a tiger."
"I don't know what for a tiger means, and you're not one to talk."
A single reaction to my words. Looking to my side, I see indigo.
Nia was sitting right next to me, resting against the same large piece of rubble. Since we were in the sight of others, she kept a distance of about thirty centimeters.
"You can sleep too. If you can."
"Well, I would sleep if I could..."
While the sleep state was like the event, the situation was completely different. The fact that Nia, who must be tired, had her eyes wide open was proof. While she felt fatigue, if asked if she was sleepy, she wasn't. It would be difficult to put out the fire of consciousness without a sleepiness debuff in this peculiar situation.
""........................""
The two of us stood side by side, vaguely gazing at the sky of the other world.
Ashe was still bombarding Kendy-dono with questions, and Sora was listening intently with strong interest.
""........................""
So, there were no eyes currently on us. ...That must be why Nia shifted her weight as if deciding whether to stand up, but she stayed in place.
I couldn't help but smile. How cute.
Then, I was caught smiling and she looked at me with half-open eyes.
"...!"
I crushed the thirty-centimeter distance and went to meet her.
Given our height difference, her head was roughly at my shoulder level. Since we couldn't sleep, it would be easier to have more things to lean on, and a man's shoulder would be much better than hard rubble.
"........................ Everyone's here, though..."
"Well, it's a necessary duty to console our most tired non-combatant."
"........................ The camera..."
"It's not a live broadcast. I'll edit it thoroughly, so don't worry."
With this group, no one would immediately complain about me pampering Nia. As for later, I just had to work hard.
The camera... the video recording that had been running continuously since the start of the conquest... well, that would be fine, so there was no need to worry.
Currently, all functions were lost from proper equipment.
That meant even Nia-chan's hat to hide her face, which she used to avoid being recognized, wasn't working.
But it was as I said.
"There's not a single person here you can't trust. Tora-kichi has zero personal archive activity, so he's not even recording in the first place."
"T-That... makes sense..."
"What's with that reaction?"
Don't worry, just rest.
Then, Nia, who had recently been sounding more and more like a certain someone, leaned her weight tentatively and modestly against my shoulder.
Then, ten seconds.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes or so.
"........................ Hmm... earlier."
Apparently deciding it was difficult to sleep like a tiger, she cut off the quiet breaths she had intended to use as a substitute for sleep and spoke with her eyes closed.
"Hmm? Earlier?"
"Hmm... Alistia-san?"
"...If you're going to say I didn't do enough..."
"It's not that."
I reflexively braced myself, thinking she was going to tease me for fun, but she laughed. The vibration of her laughter traveled through my shoulder, and it was extremely ticklish in many ways.
"Somehow, after you cornered her, she suddenly started backing away, right?"
"What a way to put it... well, yeah. What about it?"
I wondered what she wanted to ask.
"Why?"
It was a simple thing. She just wanted an explanation of the previous battle.
Her way of saying it and asking it was so childish... or rather, she was letting her guard down... so my own cheeks felt loose.
I was glad her eyes were closed, and I tried to keep my face straight as I thought.
"Ah, well, it's a simple story... Hide and Seek."
"Hmm...?"
"You know the Sword Saint training method, right?"
"Hmm... ah... some kind of really, really tough game-like thing."
"Well, you're mostly right."
The Sword Saint style "Hide and Seek"... while it focuses on Spartan physical training in the virtual world, its ultimate goal is the peak of reading the opponent.
And the technique cultivated by that is so effective it's almost unfair...
"It's the same as that. It has a great affinity with my Gift. I memorized all of Alistia-san's movements and habits, and crushed every path she could take, including the sway and start of every step."
"Crushed..."
"Master says it's more effective the stronger the opponent is. Actually, when I do one-on-ones with Ui-san lately, we both end up unable to move... it's like that."
"........................"
"And the name given to that technique is Zero Blade: [Mukyoku]... I asked if it meant a sword dance instead of footwork as a joke, and I got scolded."
"........................"
"Ah, so it has nothing to do with quick-draw techniques. That's just a temporary measure I adapted from my Hibachi style."
"........................"
"Anyway, that's why. Since I was confident I could surpass her in momentary speed if I poured in the Kai I'd been simmering for twelve hours, I just had to corner her and induce a charge... it was easy to match a spec level of around 50."
"........................"
"But honestly, Ashe and Tora-kichi are the MVPs, not me. Seriously, what's with those two? Establishing a real game of wits against superhumans with almost base specs..."
"...Couldn't you do that too if you tried?"
"What? No way, I'm missing the fundamental experience. I can't do it unless I watch and learn. Those two, who can respond instantly on their first try, are definitely strange."
"........................ Hmm... I see."
And so it went. Even though I provided the explanation she asked for, Nia opened her eyes and directed a gaze at me that was... well, like she was looking at something suspicious.
"...Even after hearing the explanation, I don't really get it..."
"Hahaha. Well, that's fine. We have different specialties. ...Ouch, what was that for?"
"Nothing. I'm just a beginner when it comes to fighting anyway."
"Why are you pouting? Was there anything to pout about?"
When I laughed and said I knew that, she pinched the back of my hand for some reason.