Chapter 188 - A Special Person
The transition from the real to the virtual was a sensation she had grown quite used to.
On a roadside bench in a Safe Area, near a transfer gate, the young girl awoke. She looked up at the night sky, already blanketed by a tapestry of stars, and stretched languidly—
"Hh...!"
Remembering her recently acquired, rather defenseless attire, she quickly dropped her arms. She knew that by the standards of Arcadia's fantasy world, a slightly flashy outfit was nothing to worry about, but...
Embarrassing was embarrassing. In the real world, she had never worn clothes that exposed her shoulders and underarms like this.
Fortunately, when she looked around, there was no one in sight—
"Ah, uh..."
There was.
Her eyes met with two male players who had been glancing her way. The girl—Sora—hastily stood up and left, wanting to avoid any possibility of them speaking to her.
Because she understood all too well that her appearance attracted the eyes of the opposite sex.
In the virtual world, looks weren't considered as important as in reality, but they were never completely removed from the factors by which people were judged.
In this world, too, a striking appearance naturally drew others in.
—But right now, I don't want to think about that.
As she walked quickly down the neat road paved by players, the girl shook her head, pushing the shackles of the real world—which had finally reached a stopping point—from her thoughts.
When it came to negativity, she was good at suppressing her emotions. She was sure 'he' hadn't noticed how much she'd been struggling inside lately.
And that was fine.
She didn't want to bring those kinds of things into this world.
"...—"
Sora didn't realize that she had unconsciously called his name in her mind.
She wanted to see her partner soon.
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"...Is something wrong?"
At some point, the young man had become what Sora could only call a symbol of freedom.
When she had rushed over, he was already at their meeting spot... but what was it? He seemed to be spacing out with an expression she had rarely seen before.
"Hmm... I don't really get it myself."
The look on his face when he turned around was—perhaps confusion.
"Lately, they... no, maybe it's not just lately...?"
"...?"
The way he muttered to himself was, in a way, truly not like him—not like Haru.
Is it selfish of me to want him to show me his usual face right now?
...To want him to look at me, his partner, right here beside him?
"...—Good evening, Haru."
"Ah—Good evening, Sora."
That's why she consciously put on the best smile she could muster—and though he tilted his head, he turned his eyes toward her.
—He's looking at me.
Ever since the day they met, he had only ever seen her, Sora, and no one else.
"...Did something good happen?"
"Yes, just a little something."
To that, Haru replied with a simple, "I see."
It wasn't that he was uninterested. She knew he was watching over her properly, without prying. It was almost like he was an older brother.
Being treated like a little sister was frustrating, but at the same time, it was comforting.
If she could just give in and let herself be more coddled... maybe a lot of things would become easier. But Sora wasn't enough of a child to be that selfish.
So... this was her limit.
She sat down next to him on the bench and captured the edge of his hand—his pinky finger.
"Sora-san?"
"It's nothing."
She pretended not to hear his murmur about... people watching.
They were right by the bustling area in front of the Great Bell Tower, abuzz with activity before a massive event. She had no intention of taking it any further than this, so she hoped he would just let it slide for now.
"The main event is starting soon. Is it okay for you not to be focused?"
"Well, yeah... yeah...? ...Ah, whatever."
Her diversion seemed to have worked—though she knew he was just playing along.
"Focusing, I guess...? I was told not to come until right before, to just relax and do whatever."
"Until right before?"
"Yeah, something about showing up ten minutes beforehand like some big shot."
That... was that really okay?
"Isn't there a strategy meeting or anything...?"
"Well, we went over all that yesterday... The point is for me to not be tense and to be able to move like I always do."
"They're asking the impossible," Haru laughed.
"Honestly, this is on a whole other level from the selection matches... I've come full circle and now I can't even tell if I'm nervous or not."
"That's... well, I think that's understandable."
This was a stage where, in a very literal sense, the eyes of the entire world would be on him—and he was about to step onto it, entrusted with a major 'role'.
How could anyone prepare for something like that?
If she were in his shoes... would she be able to maintain the composure to smile, even if it was just for show, like her partner was doing now?
"...You really are special, you know."
"Hmm?"
She knew he wouldn't miss her quiet words, so she kept her murmur just soft enough. When Haru tilted his head, unable to hear, Sora simply let out a small, knowing smile.
"Haru."
"What is it?"
"It's just like always. When I can't stand beside you, I'll be watching over you—just like always."
"...Yeah, well. That's reassuring."
"Make sure you show me something cool, okay?"
"That's a lot of pressure."
"You're Ui-san's disciple, so you have to do your best, you know?"
"Now that's the real pressure...!"
"Hmph... So your master's priority is higher than your partner's?"
"Sora-san?"
"How cruel. I'm going to tell Ui-san on you."
"W-Wait, wait, let's talk about this. You know that's not what I meant, Sora, you can read between the lines—"
"I don't know anything about this or that. You need to explain yourself properly."
"You've suddenly switched into selfish mode, huh?!"
Even as he smiled wryly... he, too, must have clearly read her intention to ease his tension.
As Haru played along with Sora's feigned pouting, taking the bait to placate her—while his attention was on their conversation, she poured her feelings into the pinky she held.
May my partner be able to show his full strength.
May my partner, my special person, be able to enjoy this unparalleled grand stage—
With all his heart.
Get your sugar fix in now... Once the war starts, there won't be room for stuff like this.
Well, I don't know. Maybe some sweetness will occur from a distance.