Chapter 162 - Lesson One
"...Ssshhhhh..."
Morning. This guy exhaling a long, drawn-out breath like some weird breathing exercise in front of the mirror is by no means a suspicious person. This is the real-world "Me Ver. 2.0," decked out in full defensive gear.
I styled my hair, something I'd never once touched in my entire life (I couldn't stand the stickiness of wax, so I compromised with hairspray).
I put on non-prescription glasses, something I'd never once equipped in my entire life (I realized the oval-shaped ones I'd bought on my own looked horribly unflattering, so I wore the square, half-rim ones the store clerk recommended).
And with my non-descript shirt, non-descript pants, and a non-descript light cardigan to complete my background-character look, my reflection was—
"Who is this guy..."
The immense sense of wrongness staring back from the mirror—in other words, I could probably take this to mean my "disguise" was working to some extent.
In the end, I still hadn't managed to find out just how much attention my virtual self, Haru, had been getting.
Last night, after Goldow left, I hunted until just before 2 a.m. After gathering a decent amount of materials, I logged out and went straight to sleep.
Ultimately, I remained in the dark, and now, the morning of my departure had arrived.
With orientation and recreation over, my university life, lectures and all, was set to begin in earnest today—and I was filled with nothing but anxiety.
I couldn't even put into words what exactly I was anxious about, but I was anxious all the same.
It wasn't like my avatar had been broadcast to the real world in a major way yet, so I figured there was no way I'd be found out so quickly... but I couldn't help but imagine the what ifs.
On top of that, I was already feeling anxious and restless about the new environment of being a university student—!!
"Aargh! I don't know anymore! Who cares!"
I am the ninth-ranked member of Istia, the Acrobat!!
What do I have to fear from the nobodies of the real world?!
"If something happens, I'll run for it...! If something happens, I'll run for it...! Alright, let's go, real world! Bring it on...!"
...And so, looking like a complete mess that would surely make my acquaintances in the virtual world lose all respect for me, I turned the doorknob with grim determination and leaped out onto the field of the real world—!!
"—I'm not wearing my shoes!!"
Get a grip...!!
◇◆◇◆◇
"...Haru-kun? If you're not feeling well..."
"No, I'm fine... I've just been tossed about by the rough seas of society is all..."
Half a day later. After being so drained by the real world that I wasn't even sure which was my home anymore, I had returned in the afternoon and immediately logged in to visit the Sword Saint.
My exhaustion must have been impossible to hide, because after Ui-san graciously served me tea, she looked at me with concern.
I mean, seriously... I guess I'd really been unconsciously blocking out any related information until now.
Once I started paying attention, the world was absolutely flooded with information about Arcadia... and of course, among the virtual world topics being discussed everywhere, the name of a certain new title holder was mixed in—
"Ui-san."
"Yes?"
"Let's. Train. Please."
...It was still too soon for me to face it head-on.
Fortunately, I had something to do right now. If I just focused on desperately dodging the Sword Saint's blade, I'd soon be too preoccupied to worry about my frayed mental state...!!
My demeanor was clearly strange, but my eagerness to train must have gotten through. Ui-san tilted her head curiously, but then said,
"—Well then, let's start by warming up."
With a soft smile, she invited me to the training grounds.
"Parabellum—woah!?"
I abandoned the counterattack and threw myself into a full-on evasive maneuver. Flattening myself to the ground, I felt a presence close the distance in an instant, and an unseen slash grazed the tips of my floating hair—
"First Strike—"
"Ngh...!"
The longsword wavering before my eyes heralded the next fatal blow.
"[Flying Water]."
The first strike, a surprise attack delivered from straight ahead with no visible wind-up.
I began to react, but—
"—Alright, that's enough."
—I wasn't fast enough. The silver steel pressed against my neck stopped my movements... and I let out a deep breath, my body going limp.
"Dammit... I can't see it...!!"
This first strike is just too effective against me...! No matter what I do, I can't keep up...!
[Flying Water]—a lightning-fast sword strike unleashed from a relaxed, stance-less state. I'd gotten better at sensing it just before it happened, but by then, it was already too late to dodge. Honestly, it was impossible to deal with.
...Well, it wasn't just [Flying Water]. It was just particularly rough; all her other forms were just as fatal to me—
"One thing at a time. There's no need to rush."
"Haha..."
Rushing... yeah, I couldn't deny that.
At the end of the day, there was only half a month left until the main Four Pillar War event—
"...Alright, one more time, please."
In any case, it was too early to start complaining.
I stood up, bowed, and summoned the short swords into my hands again to show my resolve. But Ui-san, after a moment of thought, did the opposite. She sheathed her longsword and stored it in her inventory.
"Huh...?"
"We're starting to see the issues, so let's try something a little different."
As I tilted my head, she looked around and—just like yesterday—gave a single, crisp clap.
No system notification... but the change was immediately noticeable.
"Whoa, hey...!?"
The ground beneath me shook, a sensation like being lifted from below. Caught off guard, my footing became unstable—and embarrassingly, I had to be steadied by Ui-san, who had moved to my side.
"—Ah... s-sorry...!"
"That was my fault. I'm sorry for not warning you."
While I was taking critical damage from her smile at such close range, the center of the now-familiar white circular arena rose up with us on it, creating a small platform about five meters in diameter. And it didn't stop there; a bamboo fence emerged from the stone pavement, enclosing the area.
The result was a closed-off stage, the complete opposite of the open training grounds from before—
"Now then... Haru-kun."
"Y-yes?"
I replied, trying to hide my agitation while feeling a sense of relief as her warmth moved away.
One step, two, three. We were now at a distance where we might or might not touch if we reached out. The Sword Saint turned back, spreading her empty arms—
"—Lesson one. Let's play a game of tag in here."
Seeing my bewildered face, she spoke with an uncharacteristic hint of amusement.
Looking somewhat entertained, she delivered the first 'training' assignment.