Chapter 127 - What Are Your Plans from Now On?
“—…Aaaah! Finally out of that arena… what a relief!!”
“Fufu… You really did work hard.”
A few minutes after I somehow managed to calm Sora down.
Having left Ruvalest, the Phased Underground Castle where the selection matches were held, we were now strolling through the streets of Istia together.
“…………Are you, alright?”
Sora, who had been smiling at me as I stretched my body with all my might, glanced around and whispered softly.
Her gaze fell upon the other players passing by, none of whom were paying us any mind—well, given who I was walking next to, it was only natural for her to be cautious of drawing attention.
“That El-Gran set does stand out quite a bit.”
But once I changed, I was golden.
I’d swapped out of the Kagura-san original I’d been wearing all morning—back into the [Series Lounge No.39]—and changed my hand and foot gear from the [Meteor Serpent] set to the [Desert Eel] set I’d been holding onto.
Then, by removing the [Crimson Rabbit Hairpin] and letting my hair down, I felt like I’d managed to change my look quite a bit. The ends of my hair tickled my neck.
Wait, so ‘Lounge’ literally just means loungewear? I never paid any attention to the name, so I didn’t even realize…
“So, um… what’s going to happen to you now, Haru?”
We were just walking aimlessly for now, but my plans for the immediate future were actually quite clear.
I already had an explanation ready for Sora, who was peeking up at me from my side.
“For now… my run in the selection matches is over.”
She looked surprised at my words, but she must have anticipated it to some extent. A look of understanding crossed her face as well.
“Because you became a ranker… right? You’ve already shown a result that can’t be topped… is that it?”
“That’s about right. Also, they want to keep my existence under wraps as much as possible for now.”
Of course, thousands of Istia players already knew about me… but they still wanted to minimize the information released to the public and maintain my status as a “hidden gem.”
“Does that mean you’ve already earned a spot in the Four Pillar War?”
“Yeah, that’s what I need to talk to you about.”
Her question was perfectly timed. I shared with Sora the exact explanation I had received at the Round Table.
To my delight, she couldn’t quite hide a faint look of displeasure when I got to the part about my “insufficient skill,” but the clever girl quickly grasped the overall situation.
“I see…—And so, fufu… ‘training’?”
“It’s kind of funny, right? Saying something so cliché like, ‘I’m off to train.’”
We both chuckled at how much it sounded like something out of a story, but given the circumstances, it was dead serious, so we couldn’t laugh for too long.
“So—I’m sorry. For the next half-month, until the actual war begins, I won’t be able to move around freely.”
That meant it would interfere with our activities as partners. Even though I had no other choice, I still felt obligated to apologize—
—Sora-san, you were just about to reach out your hand, weren’t you? Good job holding back.
“I-it’s not something you need to apologize for. You’ve become a ranker, so please fulfill your duties properly, Haru.”
Sora must have realized I’d noticed her hand’s movement. She turned away to hide her blushing cheeks, and instead of taking my hand, she gave my arm a light tap.
Her adorable attempt to hide her embarrassment made my cheeks soften, and she gave me another tap, looking even more flustered as she said, “Jeez!”
“And… I’m still going to be busy for a while, too. It might sound bad, but this might have worked out perfectly.”
“You say that, but you get lonely easily, Sora-san.”
I got a little carried away and, after letting that slip, I thought, “Oops,” and glanced over to see her reaction—
“…I might be lonely, but I’m also proud.”
With those honest, whispered words, her small hand reached out again, grabbing my sleeve for just a moment before letting go.
Sora lifted her face, still faintly flushed, and glanced at me.
“Go on and show everyone just how amazing my partner is.”
And with that—she gave me a mischievous smile, a rare sight for her.
Needless to say, I, who had just suffered a critical hit of some kind, spent the next few minutes in a state of awkwardness.
“Well then, I’ll be going now.”
“Yeah—sorry about this, okay? After you cleared your whole schedule for today…”
After a pleasant ten-minute stroll together, it was time for us to part ways for now, in accordance with my now-packed schedule.
Honestly, I really wanted to go on an adventure with Sora, just like old times… but I was the guy who had suddenly been thrust into a “position of responsibility” through a dizzying, high-speed series of events.
I couldn’t just start doing whatever I wanted right off the bat—
“Really, please don’t worry about it—I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
At least Sora’s genuinely good mood was a small comfort.
The moment the second half of the tournament was canceled, I had insisted on having tomorrow off, no matter what—all for the sake of an adventure (a date) with my precious partner.
Sora, who has been unable to hide her happy expression ever since she agreed to my invitation, is just too cute for words.
“Should we make a pinky promise?”
When I offered my pinky,
“No, that’s too embarrassing!”
She replied with a cheerful voice. Too cute for words.
“Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow. …It might be difficult, but please try to get as much rest as you can.”
“Yeah, thanks—I’m looking forward to tomorrow, too.”
When I smiled back at Sora, who had once again modestly tugged on my sleeve, she gave me a bashful smile of her own before logging out of the virtual world.
“…………Man.”
Am I going to be okay? I feel way too fulfilled right now… like, huh? I’m not about to be arrested for some crime all of a sudden, am I?
“No, this is no time for dumb thoughts…”
My schedule’s packed. Gotta get moving.
I pulled up my friend list from the system window, linked two names, and sent a message.
Needless to say, the recipients were my two artisans.
Both seemed to still be logged in, but I wondered if they were free—
“Oh.”
Sure enough, the replies came back from both of them at lightning speed.
I had explained that I was free for now due to various circumstances and that I wanted to meet up to thank them again… and huh, their responses were quite contrasting.
‘I figured you were up to a mountain of trouble again. You can worry about me later, so just go get your other stuff sorted out. Good job, you did well.’
That was from Kagura-san.
Seriously, she’s so considerate no matter what… She’s so cool. I will continue to support her with all my heart.
—And well, as for the other one…
“…Haha.”
‘Come to the Atelier! Right!! Now!!!’
A laugh escaped me at the very Nia-like reply.
The contrast with Kagura-san, the sheer gap… honestly, I didn’t dislike that straightforward part of her either.
“Right now, huh… alright, you got it!!”
With my legs loaded with skill boosts, I kicked off the ground with force.
I might as well make it a summon RTA. I’m gonna get there at lightning speed and surprise you, so you just wait, indigo-haired girl.