Chapter 187 - The Coming Day, in the Virtual World
She was troubled.
There was no doubt that 'he' was the one at fault this time. It was the perfect moment to be genuinely angry with him.
And yet...
"Arms, up."
"Yeah."
As she made the final adjustments to the accessories she'd rushed to prepare, Nia found herself incredibly flustered, her eyes darting to the young man's face as he obediently followed her instructions.
He's down. Utterly and completely dejected.
It wasn't obvious in his expression or his voice, but being exceptionally sensitive to such things, she could read it all without fail.
"Any discomfort here?"
"None. It's fine."
There it was, deep within the tone of his voice. His usual artlessness—that unguarded quality—had faded. And on top of that, he wasn't trying to meet her gaze.
He was like a child, scared of being scolded again.
It had only been a day since yesterday's incident. They'd reconciled and she'd even received a gift of apology, but... she knew she had scolded him mercilessly, so perhaps it was inevitable that things would be awkward.
Still, the young man's—Haru's—state was a bit unexpected. She had assumed that, being him, he would wake up with a carefree look on his face, regardless of what he was feeling inside.
"For the pendant, do you want a string or a chain?"
"Either is fine. I'll leave it to you."
And this was the result.
It was painfully obvious that he was walking on eggshells, so careful not to upset her that his usual lighthearted banter was out of the question.
"Alright, and with that, it's done. It's a rush job, but I think it's not bad—"
The moment she said it, she regretted it. Calling it a rush job... it was true, but there was no need to say it out loud.
"You really helped me out. Thanks."
As expected, he was good at smoothing things over like that. Pretending to brush off Nia's unnecessary comment, Haru flashed a perfect smile—
"Mmph, ngh...?"
That smile thoroughly annoyed her, and she impulsively reached out and pinched both his cheeks. Haru, naturally, looked confused... but when she glared straight at him, he flinched and averted his gaze in a way that was all too easy to read.
What's with that? Why are you acting like this now?
"Hey."
"Wha' ish if? I mean, wha' are you doin'..."
"You're not used to being genuinely scolded, are you?"
"..."
—It must have been a direct hit. When she cut right to the point without holding back, 'just like always,' Haru's eyes widened in shock for a moment before he guiltily averted his gaze again.
I thought so. Having had a similar experience herself, she could somehow read his inner thoughts.
She'd seen Sora-chan scold him before, but in her case, it was more like playful banter than a real scolding.
Well, she didn't intend to press the issue. What she wanted to say was, ultimately—
"I hate that. Stop it."
She just didn't want him to hide the parts of him she'd come to like.
"That...?"
As Haru tilted his head, rubbing his freed cheeks, it was Nia's turn to look away.
"Why are you walking on eggshells around me? I hate that kind of thing, so it'll just make me even angrier, you know."
"Ehh..."
"...I thought you'd take it straight, like always, so I didn't hold back yesterday. So, just be your usual self."
She walked over to a shelf and rummaged through it meaninglessly.
"...—I like you better... when you're your usual, unreserved self, crashing into me head-on."
She regretted it a second after the words left her mouth.
That was so out of character for me. Aware that she was blushing all the way up to her neck, she hid the skin there by pretending to fiddle with her hood.
A predictable silence filled the air, along with a sense of bewilderment from behind her. She couldn't possibly turn around, so she couldn't even prompt him for a reply—
"—My bad. Thanks."
Just as Nia was about to curl up into a ball, his words, mixed with a wry laugh, reached her back.
From the sound of his voice, the sense of unease she'd felt since they met today had been wiped away. Realizing her own face had relaxed, she truly couldn't turn around anymore.
"Ngh... Hmm! Very well! —Now then, come on! You're busy, aren't you? Get going, get going!"
"You're kicking me out seconds after a moment like that...?"
"Nia-chan is busy too! And don't worry, I'll be cheering for you from the real world tonight!!"
"Whoa, what, what's with the sudden—Ah, yes! I'm leaving, sorry for the intrusion!"
Without turning, she grabbed a raw gemstone and held it up as if about to throw it. She sensed him hastily turning on his heel behind her—
"...Umm... what are you trying to do?"
It was no wonder Haru let out a confused voice as he was grabbed by the back of his shirt while opening the door. Even Nia didn't know what she herself was trying to do.
But, for now, at least.
"I'll be... cheering for you."
"O-Oh."
"Show me something cool, you hear?"
"...Hah."
She had to convey the important things without joking around.
And when she did, see—
"Leave it to me."
This boy, who hadn't stopped moving forward since the day they met... would surely show her something truly amazing.
A little short.
I guess you're starting to figure it out by now, right?