Chapter 126 - Not Yet
—The stars of the show and the countless spectators had vanished from the selection match arena. Left behind with a single girl, Lotta was utterly at a loss.
As a man with a beloved wife and child in the real world, he was long past the age of losing his composure just because he was alone with someone of the opposite sex.
In fact, he was confident he could strike up a casual conversation and keep it going for an hour or so—but that was only if the other person was in a normal state.
After the curtain fell on a match that had stirred a deep excitement within Lotta himself.
He imagined it must have been a series of shocks for her, watching her partner suddenly become a ranker… but even so, for a while, she had maintained her composure.
That composure shattered the moment the young man who had achieved a stunning victory vanished from the arena. The girl—Sora—sank into her chair with a barely audible breath.
Since then, she had remained perfectly still, her hands pressed to her chest as if holding something in, her face hidden. It had to have been at least twenty minutes now.
—Should I suggest we wait in the dressing room?
Sora’s state was such that he hesitated to even speak. And so, Lotta naturally took a seat a short distance away, gazing up at the sky—the artificial blue projected onto the different spacial ceiling of the underground castle, Ruvalest.
He wasn’t watching over the girl, merely providing her with silence.
“—…Um…”
Which was precisely why the small voice that reached his ears surprised him.
He turned his gaze calmly, careful not to reveal his inner thoughts. The girl, who had been looking down all this time, had lifted her head and was looking at Lotta with an expression of both embarrassment and apology.
“I’m sorry, for being silent for so long…”
“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about me.”
As Sora bowed her head, he smiled and shook his head. She didn’t press the matter, simply saying, “Thank you.”
—She’s a clever girl. He thought so, to an admirable degree.
This girl had probably perceived Lotta’s consideration and his inner thoughts, and had chosen silence with a full understanding of it all.
And now, she accepted his words at face value, offering her thanks directly and without unnecessary fuss.
All of this was to be expected—if she weren’t her age, that is.
Due to his line of work, Lotta could get a rough read on a player’s real-life self from their mannerisms and aura.
That other boy was strange enough, but… well, it was almost laughable how perfectly suited they were for each other.
“Um…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing—in any case, I’m glad you seem to have calmed down.”
And he had no intention of prying any deeper.
Perhaps she had read that unspoken intention as well. Sora offered a modest smile, as if to convey her gratitude—
It was at that moment, several long minutes after being told to wait, that the blue light of a teleportation returned.
◇◆◇◆◇
“Sorry, Sora! I kept you waiting!”
The moment the teleportation finished, I spotted my partner for the first time in what felt like ages. I rushed over and bowed my head to a stunned Sora, who was blinking at my sudden appearance.
“I wanted to come see you right away, but the conversation got a little long…”
After that, the discussion had continued, mainly revolving around what to do with me… but to sum it up, I was released after being given a single ‘proposal’.
Including that, there was just too much to talk about, what with becoming a ranker and all—
“—Haru, please calm down.”
“Ah… right.”
As I fumbled, wondering where to even begin, a small hand reached out and gently took hold of mine.
Somehow, it was a feeling I had grown completely accustomed to. The girl’s gentle warmth seeped into me from my right hand, soothing my restless heart.
“…First of all, congratulations. Your match was absolutely incredible.”
“…Yeah, thanks.”
“It was wonderful,” Sora said, her smile radiant… and ah, I don’t know, it felt like all the tension had finally melted away.
“Haru…?”
Suddenly feeling drained, I slumped down right where I stood.
“Haha… I guess all the tension just left me…”
As I spoke, I managed a weary smile. Sora, whose hand was pulled downward as she remained seated, looked surprised but didn’t let go.
I had been worried about her expression, one I’d never seen before, ever since I left the arena, but…
“Fufu… You did so well.”
—I suppose I was just relieved.
Relieved that the partner who welcomed me back was smiling just like she always did.
I’ve really got it bad, huh… I didn’t know whether to laugh or not.
“Haru.”
After hesitating for a moment, as if deciding whether to pull me up, Sora instead slid off her chair and knelt down in front of me.
At the sound of my name, I looked up and met her amber eyes, which were gazing at me gently.
“Becoming a ranker all of a sudden… what have you done? At this rate, there’s no way I can ever catch up to you.”
“From the bottom of my heart, I’m thinking the same thing. What are the evaluation criteria? Is this game bugged or something?”
“Unfortunately, not a single bug has been found in Arcadia since its launch. And your new title was quite fitting, I thought.”
“I’d actually like to file a complaint about the ‘Acrobat’ title.”
“Please reflect on your own behavior before you do. When you started hopping around in the air, everyone was just dumbfounded.”
“Hey, it wasn’t a joke! I was desperate!”
“…I know. It was wonderful.”
“Sora-san? You’re not hiding that smirk very well.”
“You’re imagining things. You’re the one who’s smiling, Haru.”
“Tch… you’ve gotten good at this, Sora-san…!”
“I’m the partner of someone who became a ranker out of nowhere, you know?”
She squeezed my hand, and her words stopped.
“…If I’m not at least this strong, I can’t keep up.”
I could see that faint hint of color in her eyes again, and…
“…………Sora.”
“…Yes.”
“…Are you okay?”
It was intensely frustrating that I couldn’t allow myself to ask anything more than that.
But Sora, who seemed to read my heart completely, smiled as if that was exactly what she wanted.
“I’m okay—because you made me your partner, Haru.”
“…I see.”
In the end, we were two of a kind.
No matter how much our hearts connected, no matter how much we touched or held each other—we would never cross the line drawn by our contract.
Even holding hands so freely like this was the same.
It was a sign of trust we could only share because we were certain neither of us would ever ask for more—
Honestly, we both already understood each other’s hearts.
That’s precisely why we don’t step any further.
“We’re partners, after all.”
“Yes, we’re partners.”
That alone was something we kept from each other—we, who both carried our own troublesome ‘somethings,’ had decided this together when we joined hands.
Because what Sora and I wanted was simply a ‘partner’ to walk through this world with.
“So—this isn’t the kind of content you’re looking for.”
I said, shooting a sharp glance over—Lotta, who had been holding his breath with a pained expression on his face, let out a massive sigh at my words.
“Oh, come on… even I’ve had my fill—what are you two, something more than lovers but not quite lovers? Is this what happens when trust goes so far it steamrolls right over romantic feelings?”
“Shut it, you bystander—thanks for staying with Sora. And for the support.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome. In more ways than one, I got to see something pretty special.”
He teased me back, then—Lotta stood up from his seat and looked straight at me with a smile.
“Haru—it’s been a great honor to witness your rise firsthand. As a fan, I’ll be looking forward to the future exploits of our newest title holder.”
“Please, just stop—you’ve helped me out a lot. I look forward to working with you again, Lotta.”
When I finally returned a smile, the first person I’d met in these selection matches grinned happily—
“Well then, I’ll be off—make sure you take good care of ‘her’.”
Leaving that loaded comment behind, Lotta vanished in a flash of teleportation light.
That bastard, I know he meant that in a completely different way…
“…………Sora-san?”
“……………………………………Yes.”
I turned my eyes to my partner, who stood frozen, head down, still holding my hand.
Seeing the steam practically rising from her head, I didn’t need to imagine the state of her face.
“By the way, I knew he was watching from the start.”
“—…Y-you should have told me!!!”
From the beginning, I was the one who said, “Let’s be careful in front of other people,” and this time, Sora was the one who had reached for my hand.
Conclusion: I am not at fault.
As I tried to soothe Sora, who was now teary-eyed and hitting me with light taps, her face bright red, I thought to myself.
This is fine for us. This is how it should be.
Even if we don’t know what the future holds—at least, for now, this is enough.
The two of them seem to be carrying some burdens, but please watch over them.
・The other day, I was able to achieve first place in the genre-specific quarterly rankings. To all the readers who have continued to support me, and to all the new readers who have discovered my humble work, my deepest, deepest thanks. I will continue to do my best to deliver as much of my story as I possibly can.