Chapter 107 - The Usual Two
"Now then... about what's next, Haru."
"How can you be so calm in this situation...?"
Right in the middle of the unceasing cheers, Rotta started talking business with a perfectly cool expression. I was unnerved, but he just laughed and said, "I'm used to it."
Which means he's experienced this kind of situation enough to get used to it—this guy... he must be a high-ranking veteran player, mustn't he?
"For now, I was thinking we could move to another location and I could explain the main matches of the selection tournament... How does that sound?"
"Is that also part of your duties for 'the Committee'?"
"Half of it is, but the other half is just me being meddlesome. If my guess is correct, I get the feeling you're less familiar with the ins and outs of this world than most people."
Ah... looks like he's figured a few things out.
At the very least, he's probably realized his misunderstanding about my "three-year charging period." His offer seemed to stem from genuine kindness towards a rookie.
"In that case, I'd appreciate the lecture, but..."
"It's settled then, let's go—"
I nodded at his words, but as Rotta started manipulating the system window again, I called out, "Hold on a sec," to stop him.
I was grateful to have him explain things to me right away, but I had someone with me that I couldn't just leave behind...
"There's a girl who came to the venue with me to cheer me on. I want to see her first. Can we meet up after we part ways for a bit?"
I glanced over and found her still in her spot at the corner of the women's section.
She was surrounded by a group of very excited ladies. Overwhelmed by the massive cheers, Sora was practically glued to her spectator seat.
"Oh, in that case, just bring her along."
"Are you sure?"
"I said half of it was me being meddlesome, didn't I? I'm not acting according to official duties, and there aren't any strict rules like that anyway. No one's going to complain about an outsider or anything."
I see. I'd been bracing myself because of the grand-sounding name, but it seems it's not some overly bureaucratic organization.
"Well then, I'll take you up on that... Um, what should I do?"
"She's in the spectator seats, right? Can you have her come down?"
"Yeah—wait, what? You want me to bring her out into the middle of this crowd?"
That... sounds like a pretty high-difficulty mission for Sora-san.
"I don't have the authority to teleport anyone unless they're on the stage—now hurry up, hurry up. If we stay here too long, your fans might come stampeding in."
That sounds terrifying.
—Fine, I guess I'll just have to go and sweep her off her feet.
"Can you get ready to teleport us out immediately?"
"Leave it to me."
I snorted at Rotta's theatrical bow, turned on my heel, and took a strong leap on my second step.
Seeing me suddenly jump towards the audience seats, the cheers, which had been dying down, turned into a murmur of confusion—
"...Ah, your hand, my lady."
"Hehueh...?!"
I landed on the railing of the spectator seats above the outer wall. When I offered my hand, the girl who had been slumped in her seat let out a bewildered cry.
It must have been a reflex in this sudden turn of events. She lifted her small hand as prompted, and I caught it—then pulled Sora's whole body up and into my arms.
It was a full-blown princess carry, as if to show off to the entire audience.
"Eh........................—!!??"
It had been a while, but Sora's face turned beet red with enough force to look like steam was coming out of her head.
And as for the female players around us who witnessed this spectacle, their eyes went wide, and—well, yeah, that was expected. Thanks for the high-pitched cheers, ladies!!
Now, to be honest, I'm feeling a little hyped myself.
I mean, come on, wouldn't you be?
After rampaging to my heart's content and being declared the undisputed winner of the preliminaries, it's only natural that my emotions are running high enough to indulge in a little mischief, right?!
I flashed a charming smile at the crowd of female players who were squealing and closing in with a barrage of questions, then leaped over the railing and back down to the arena floor.
I hurried over to Rotta before Sora could come to her senses and start struggling—
"Quite the showman, aren't you?"
With a smirk on his infuriatingly handsome face, the 'Observer' whistled, looking highly amused.
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"Haru."
"Yes."
"I need you to say you're sorry."
"I'm so sorry!!"
True to his handsome word, Rotta had swiftly teleported us from the preliminary venue to a small, simple room that looked like a waiting area.
—And now, here we were: Sora, hugging her knees in anger on one end of the long bench, and me, prostrating myself on the floor from the opposite end.
Rotta, sitting in a chair across the table, was laughing amusedly, but that humiliation was a trivial matter. The top priority was to get back into the good graces of my partner, whose mood I had ruined with my foolishness...!!
"You've been getting carried away lately, haven't you, Haru? Just because I've been a little lenient, you think you can get away with anything, don't you?"
"Well... this time, I guess I just got caught up in the moment."
"I was the one caught up in it, and it was no fun at all! You need to reflect on your actions!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Hey, Rotta, even I have my limits, you know. If you keep treating my pathetic state as a source of amusement, I won't hold back, veteran or not.
I have a feeling I wouldn't stand a chance, but I'm not backing down!
"Haru!"
"My sincerest apologies!!"
My foolish thoughts during my prostration were read, earning me another scolding.
Damn...! Even though she can't see my face, her ability to read me is steadily improving...!!
"Honestly... just when you were showing me how cool you could be, you go and act like your usual self."
"I'm really, truly sorry, okay?"
A few minutes later, after I apologized one last time to Sora, who had finally calmed down, I was at last granted a "I suppose it can't be helped." Seriously, what an idiot I was... Just as Sora said, I must have been getting carried away.
Even though we're official partners now, that doesn't change the fact that it's all over if she gets tired of me. I need to remember to exercise some self-control from now on—and as I was genuinely reflecting on my actions, I felt a soft touch on my hand.
"See, now the atmosphere is all weird, isn't it?"
Sora, who had shifted her position and was now sitting next to me, pouted and looked away.
"I wanted... to congratulate you properly."
As she mumbled this, her hand rested gently on mine, as if to convey the words that had become difficult to say—
"............Ah—"
That... That's just... devastatingly cute.
She must be aware that she just looks like she's sulking. The faint blush on her cheeks just made her look all the more adorable—
My gaze shifted, only to land on a ridiculously smug grin that was breaking apart a handsome face.
"—Are you two always like this?"
"Gah—!!??"
At the sound of Rotta's voice, who had chosen this moment to speak, Sora jumped with a start and, leveraging her avatar's agility, retreated at high speed.
As she hid at the far end of the bench, covering her face with both hands and practically fuming, I shot a glare at the grinning face, partly to hide my own embarrassment.
"Hey, you were deliberately hiding your presence, weren't you?"
"I think you two are the incredible ones for completely forgetting about the person sitting right in front of you and creating your own little world."
Damn it... This veteran has quite the personality.
"I mean, really, it was like watching some kind of content, you know? Like, 'Now serving the ultimate sweetness.'"
"Could you not treat our personal moments like some kind of content?"
It was infuriating to have provided him with such amusement, but anything I said now would only be adding to my own embarrassment.
For now, I'd ignore Rotta, who was still watching us with an amused look... and focus on helping my utterly mortified partner recover.
The protagonist has always been like this, but Sora's been getting just as bad lately, hasn't she.