Chapter 148 - The Figure of Adoration
"—It has to be the first Four Pillar War! I can't even count how many times I've rewatched the archives of you, Ui-san!"
"That brings back memories. I still didn't have a full understanding of this world back then. Looking back now, everything I did was so clumsy. It's quite embarrassing."
"Not at all! Every single moment was beautiful and cool... It was the first time I was ever so captivated by something that I was at a loss for words...!"
"Being praised to that extent... is honestly a little overwhelming. Thank you, Sora-chan."
"H-Hwah—...!!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got you..."
Three years—or more accurately, two and a half. For all that time, the Sword Saint had been a figure of admiration for her, someone she'd only seen in videos. Hearing Ui-san call her "Sora-chan" was apparently a critical hit.
I catch Sora as she periodically stumbles back to me after taking lethal damage, soothing my near-death partner for what feels like the umpteenth time in this short period.
Look, I'll be honest. The first time she hugged me, or rather, clung to me, I was obviously embarrassed and all that.
But you know what? When she keeps coming back and forth this frequently... not every few minutes, but every few dozen seconds... she feels less like a girl and more like a small animal.
Like a timid little dog in an unfamiliar place who runs away from its owner, only to come scrambling back a second later. Sora's current state is an almost perfect match for that.
Her face turns beet red, and she clings to me to hide it, letting out muffled noises like "Hauu" or "Fuguu" as she goes down for the count. And it's been my job to calm her—or rather, to coddle her—for the past several dozen minutes.
Even the way Ui-san looks at us is starting to shift from that of a boy and girl to something more like an older brother and his young little sister...
"So that avatar is your real appearance, then."
"Yes, that's right. I came to this world so that I could wield a sword as myself."
"Everything you say is just too cool..."
"Fufu... You mustn't tease me too, Haru-kun."
As for me, I've had so many embarrassing moments on display that I've just decided to own it and become invincible.
As a result, the two of us have been taking turns looking after Sora, which has created a strange sense of teamwork. While my partner reaches her critical limit, I feel like Ui-san and I have managed to get just a little bit closer.
While Sora was eagerly telling Ui-san why she admired her so much, I got to hear all sorts of things about her, too.
It's not like I was eavesdropping from the side. I got permission to listen in—or rather, Sora begged me to stay.
It was clearly a favorite spot of Ui-san's. When the two of them sat down on the veranda she'd guided us to, I asked if I should step away to give them some space, but Sora immediately grabbed me.
It wasn't that I was thoughtlessly going to leave two people who'd just met alone.
I'd gathered that Sora's admiration for the [Sword Saint] was something she'd held even before starting Arcadia... that was the main reason.
Inevitably, touching on that subject ran the risk of getting into Sora's real-life circumstances. So, I figured I'd ask first...
—I don't care about any of that, just please hold onto me so I don't run away.
That was, word for word, what Sora-san herself said.
Overwhelmed by her amber eyes, which were filled with a sense of grim determination—that's how I ended up sitting next to them, listening to their conversation from start to finish.
And in that conversation, boy, did the real-life info come out...
—Though it was all Ui-san's real-life info, not Sora's.
Her real name is Matsukaze Yui. She's the granddaughter of a Mr. Matsukaze Kiyoshiro, who runs a small swordsmanship dojo in a town far from the city.
The dojo's style is called Matsukaze Ittoryu, a practical school of swordsmanship.
Although it's called practical, she said its forms are actually more defensive, with a philosophy that emphasizes self-defense and mental discipline.
The dojo itself has been open for forty years, but since Mr. Kiyoshiro is the founder, it's not a style that has been passed down through generations.
Mr. Kiyoshiro himself is said to be an extraordinary swordsman, and while the school is young, its name is apparently widely known.
...I thought this was another case of my ignorance, but "widely" meant within the world of swordsmanship, so I'm safe. I can't be expected to know about modern swordsmanship schools.
He is apparently a robust gentleman who, despite being nearly seventy, shows no signs of slowing down and can be found cheerfully thrashing his young students.
I couldn't hide my twitching smile, and the memory of Ui-san uncharacteristically scrambling to add, "He's a very kind grandpa, usually!" is deeply ingrained in my mind.
And you know what's so memorable about that? The word "grandpa."
It sounded so incredibly natural, like she's used to saying it, which leads me to suspect that Ui-san is a total grandpa's girl...
No, the combo of this personification of gentleness and her grandpa is a forbidden card...! The sheer wholesomeness is infinite; I'd never be able to stand up again...!!
...Anyway, Ui-san—Yui-san—had been close with her grandfather since she was a little girl and had become completely enchanted with the idea of 'wielding a sword.'
However, Yui-san (age seven) at the time was exceptionally small, even compared to other children, and apparently struggled to even swing a child's wooden sword.
She had no choice but to wait until her body grew... and though she couldn't touch a sword, she wanted to be near them, so she diligently helped out at the dojo for—a full twelve years.
But the heavens did not grant her the gift—a 'body' capable of wielding a sword.
She didn't grow taller, nor did she build muscle. Her motor skills were good, but her body was so frail that any overexertion would easily make her sick.
Light practice swings were fine. But with that, she couldn't even begin to chase after the 'grandfather's sword' she had admired for so long...
And it was then that the virtual world—[Arcadia]—opened a new path before her.
A second body, different from her physical one.
Digitized physical abilities, where congenital differences didn't matter.
And a world where, in a sense different from reality, she could wield a sword for the sake of wielding it.
Before her, a path had been closed off in reality, but another had been shown—and it was none other than her 'grandpa' who jumped at the chance.
He laughed off the expensive price of the hardware, saying it was a bargain, and sent his granddaughter into the virtual world... Matsukaze Yui became [Ui], and firmly grasped the destiny that had forsaken her in reality—and thus, a single [Sword Saint] was born in the world of Arcadia.
I mean... that's... she's a total protagonist.
If I heard the full details, this could be a success story worthy of a book... and it turns out, while she didn't write it herself, it actually has been made into a book.
Which means all of this is public information.
All in all, she's just too dazzling in every way, so I can see why Sora would 'admire' her—but I still didn't have the full picture.
Because from here, Sora's side of the story comes into play.
Sora herself omitted the details, so I don't know the full story. But I should have a general understanding.
In conclusion, it seems their circumstances in the real world were similar. It's not that Sora also aspired to be a swordswoman in reality or anything like that.
Their common ground was that they both suffered from the disadvantage of being born with weak bodies.
And though the forms were different—they both had faced 'something' difficult to recover from.
Sora didn't say much.
But... the girl who smiled, cried, and got angry right beside me, who was now so overjoyed to finally meet the person she admired...
She saw a small figure who, as if to spite reality—wielded a 'sword' with all her might in a virtual world, long before she was ever called the [Sword Saint].
And in that moment, once, she was truly saved.
Well, what do you know. This one was a protagonist, too.
I mean, of course she is. I, her partner, know the entire path Sora took to get here, chasing after the image of her idol.
"—Fuguu...!"
"...Yeah, yeah, I've got you."
Leaving one pensive boy behind, Sora once again flees the conversation between fellow protagonists and clings to me without fail.
I couldn't help but let out a laugh as I unconsciously reached for the girl's head—I hesitated for a second, then ended up patting her head as if she were a child.
To be honest, she probably doesn't have the luxury to worry about me right now. Sora accepted my hand without any particular reaction, still muttering "Muu-muu" as always.
I don't know the full story, and I have no intention of asking. But right now, this girl, who must have had 'something' that made her need to cling to an idol...
I was happy, all on my own, to see her so relaxed.
The style of just dropping hints and moving on.