Chapter 250 - The Atmosphere
"—……………………Okay."
It's a little past thirty-one o'clock—no, I haven't gone crazy from the endless respawn hell.
It's the perfectly normal in-game time, which runs 1.5 times faster than reality, making it just before 9 PM real-world time.
I've decided to call it quits on my adjustment work, which has probably gotten me blown up by the Ruby Bullet crew more times than I can count… or rather, I've reached a state of enlightenment where I've just given up, and I let out a Zen-like mutter.
"Im-possible."
There are things humans can do if they try, and things they can't do no matter how much they struggle.
In other words, what's impossible is impossible. My current situation, with my skill build half-collapsed, isn't a problem that can be solved by my personal player skill alone.
Fortunately, my friends list has grown significantly thanks to the Four Pillar War. And since most of them are top-tier players, I can probably expect a piece of advice or two.
So, for now, I'll put my aerial mobility, which has been effectively sealed, on hold. In the worst-case scenario, if I stay on the ground, [Hare Real] won't misfire… and I'll figure out how to deal with any unreasonable demands when and if they're actually made.
—And so,
◇[H&N] Talk Room◇
[Haru]: Hey, Nia-chan.
[Haru]: Got a minute? Are you busy?
[Haru]: Hit me up when you're free.
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————……
What is going on with her… The talk room's feature lets me know if messages are read or unread, and even though all my pings have been marked as read, I haven't gotten a single reply.
Her friends list shows her as logged in, and no matter how busy she is, you'd think she could pop off a quick word or two with thought control—
"Hm?"
Should I just be curious, or should I be worried? As I was tilting my head, the system sound for an incoming message finally arrived.
[Sora]—'I'm waiting, at the usual place.'
As it turned out, it wasn't the 'reply' I was expecting from that person—but the sender was another important person I was waiting for, no doubt.
I wonder if 'the usual place' is the one I'm thinking of.
What kind of expression will she have on her face when we meet, after she must have watched my crazy antics last night?
As I pondered various things, I felt a natural smile spread across my face… and in order not to keep my partner waiting, I hurried and jumped into the dungeon's transfer gate.
◇◆◇◆◇
—Maybe I should just fake an illness and run away.
Having logged into the virtual world to fulfill the promise from the day before, Sora was the very picture of suspicious behavior as she entertained such useless thoughts.
Without any prior arrangement, the place she naturally found herself heading to as a meeting spot was the usual tavern in the Istia district.
Fortunately… though whether she should call it that was debatable, there were no other customers, and no one gave her strange looks as she stood there fidgeting, not even taking a seat.
Thankfully, the elderly NPC owner was turning a blind eye, but she was aware that she was in such a state that anyone else would have immediately asked, "Are you okay?" with a dubious tone.
She didn't know what kind of face to make when she saw him.
To the person who, in the span of a single day, had become arguably 'the most famous person in the world right now.' To her partner, who had run and run until he had finally gone somewhere she felt she could no longer reach.
Knowing him, she had thought he would surely surpass her imagination and achieve something astonishingly great—
The reality, however, betrayed even that expectation and soared high into the heavens.
All day today, she felt like she'd heard his name everywhere she went. On the way to and from school, inside the school, the topic of conversation among everyone, regardless of who it was, was 'last night.'
And the 'core' of that topic was, needless to say,
"…………—"
The words she whispered didn't form a sound.
She couldn't get a grip on her emotions, couldn't even read her own heart. She didn't know what the biggest feeling inside her was right now.
Confusion? Elation? Anxiety? All of them seemed right, and yet none of them seemed right. The only thing she could say for sure was that, in the end—
""—""
—there was no other way to know the answer than to meet him like this.
Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes met the young man who pushed open the tavern door. Unsure of what her own expression looked like, Sora fought the urge to turn away. Oblivious to her turmoil,
"Good evening, Sora."
—Haru smiled at her, just like always. In response—
"G-good even—"
As if pulled by a powerful force, her feet moved before her lips could.
◇◆◇◆◇
"—Whoa…"
"Oof?"
As we exchanged greetings, I caught Sora's avatar as she charged at me full-tilt. To get past my guard without me noticing, after all that training with the Sword Saint-sama, is quite the impressive dash.
I caught her by the shoulders with both hands to soften the impact, but my body swayed as her head bumped against my chest. I should probably praise my VIT: 0 self for not toppling over.
"Huh…? Ah, uh, wha…?!"
What on earth is going on? I looked down and saw only a question mark on her face as well… Sora-san, didn't you just slam your forehead right into the [Crimson Red Ruby] under my clothes? Are you okay?
"Uh… what's wrong?"
I called out to the seemingly confused Sora and gently pushed her shoulders to create some distance—to crea, create, cre… some distance.
"Sora-san???"
"N-no…! This is wrong, it's weird…!"
She wouldn't budge—in fact, she was pressing her body against me with more force. I shot my partner a look of bewilderment, or rather, a look that said, 'Could you please cut it out?', but all I got back was a voice filled with just as much confusion.
On top of that, she grabbed my clothes as if to say 'I won't let you go,' making it impossible for me to forcefully pull her away. Another five centimeters up and she would've had me by the collar.
That would've been easier to laugh off my embarrassment—I thought, my mind wandering nonsensically. I patted the head below me to calm the panicking Sora down.
I was extremely honored to have the confidence that this level of physical contact was permitted… so as she flinched once but then let me do as I pleased, I watched the girl who was tilting her own head in confusion—
"…Ah, two of us."
—and held up two fingers to the bartender, who was staring at us from the side while polishing a glass, offering him a polite smile.
The elderly NPC, who rarely showed any expression, just snorted and gestured to the tables in the tavern as if to say, 'Help yourselves.'