Chapter 253 - The Unveiling
A social gathering where regular players and title holders mingled… even so, a certain degree of separation was necessary to maintain a minimum level of order.
The venue was generally divided, with the general players in the main hall and the Ten Seats members in a special section on the second floor, connected by an open atrium.
Apparently, it wasn't a strict rule, but it was an unspoken agreement that only rankers were allowed on the second floor.
Therefore, for any interaction, the rankers would descend to the floor below, and once they were down there, all formalities were dropped—this had become the established custom over the past three years.
However, that was just the general rule. If someone received an invitation from a member, there was no problem with them entering the upper floor.
Thus, without a second thought—or rather, dragged here against her will—Sora was, as usual, behind me… except this time, that wasn't the case.
"Hey, hey, Sora-chan, you should try this!"
"Here you go."
"Ah, tha… thank you so much…"
In the center was a large table laden with various snacks, with several table sets scattered around it. My partner was seated at one of them, her eyes wide as she was being relentlessly doted on by two little ones.
Seriously, I don't know why, but they've taken a massive liking to her.
Mi-na, the red one, was bustling around, pushing all sorts of mysterious food and drinks on her, but Ri-na, the blue one, had taken it a step further. Despite having just met, she was casually occupying Sora's lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Going by their avatar appearances alone, they could almost pass for an older sister and her twin younger sisters. The sight itself was purely and utterly heartwarming, but—
Somehow, the difference in their respective titles… or rather, their positions, you know?
"No, no, no, I told you, you don't need to be so formal."
"You can just call me by my name."
"Eh, ah… um, well…!"
Even for a genius girl acknowledged by the Sword Saint herself on first meeting, Sora, who had yet to even make a public appearance, was, for all intents and purposes, a regular player.
Surrounded by the high-ranking 'Eastern Wings,' she looked so flustered it was almost pitiful. And those two… just how fast were they trying to close the distance?
It was especially unexpected to see Ri-na, who was usually the calmer one, acting so out of character. Did she fall in love with my angel at first sight? If so, I guess it can't be helped.
…And so. What was I doing, abandoning my partner like this?
"Look, I'll say it as many times as it takes, there's nothing shady going on here."
Back straight, sitting in seiza on the floor.
With a thoughtful weight placed on my lap for good measure, I was being subjected to a punishment of so-called “affectionate” teasing. I kept receiving rescue signals from Sora's direction, but I was the one who needed saving.
With the exception of the duo engrossed with Sora, the rest of the members were pretty much all gathered around me.
Irori and Goldow were enjoying this, not even trying to hide their smirks.
Tetra, my senior and junior, had a transparently amused look behind his poker face.
Hinayo-san was the only one who looked slightly apologetic, but that didn't stop her from continuing the “interrogation” out of curiosity.
And Genkotsu-san had bailed early to participate in an arm-wrestling tournament on the first floor.
Damn it, I have no allies…!
"Okay, let this be the last time—I met Sora on my first day in the virtual world. We bumped into each other in the Istia starting area forest, formed a party, and just kept going with the flow. We shared all sorts of harrowing experiences like secret raid bosses and hidden area bosses, and through it all, a sort of, you know, irreplaceable partner-like bond started to form, or maybe it didn't, and then the partnership contract was just a natural progression, which brings us to now… The end."
I hadn't told a single lie, and there was nothing more to tell. My audience didn't look convinced in the slightest, but I didn't care.
"That’s, uh… how do I put it…"
"What a pair of miracles and absurdities…"
"I'm aware. But well, that's the whole story."
Replying curtly to the wry-smiling Hinayo-san and Goldow, I quietly rolled the jet-black mystery ingot I was holding to the side. It felt like it weighed around two hundred kilograms, but for my STR: 300 self, it was light as a feather.
I stood up and headed toward my partner, who was being swarmed by the little ones.
No matter how much I was teased, I was the only one Sora could rely on here since she didn't know anyone else… Standing beside her chair, she visibly relaxed with a look of relief.
I'm not going to leave you alone for long, so don't you worry, okay?
"So, with that, this is my partner, Sora-san. Once again, on behalf of both of us, it’s a pleasure to meet you."
"Ah… Y-Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you…!"
As we bowed our heads together to mark the end of the topic, the response was a few scattered, perfunctory claps. I don't mind the casual vibe; it's quite nice, actually.
"Okay, okay! It’s a pain to be all cautious and beat around the bush, so can I just get straight to the point and ask something?!"
Just because I'd finished explaining how we met didn't mean the Q&A session was over. Mi-na, who had retrieved her partner from Sora’s lap, energetically raised her hand. There was only one answer.
"No."
"Okay, got it!—So, are you two actually dating?"
"Heueh?!"
"I figured as much, but do words not work on you???"
Apparently, the right to refuse the question never existed in the first place.
I was prepared to be teased and had an answer ready, but while I was fine, Sora’s face instantly turned beet red, much to the delight of everyone around us.
That said, we were both aware that people would see us that way. From the beginning, we had both agreed to a contract on the understanding that ‘we’ll just clear up any misunderstandings as they come.’
Therefore—
"Sorry to disappoint, but we're not a couple. Sora and I became partners with the understanding that we wouldn't get into that kind of thing, so spare us the speculation."
As I stated this curtly, Sora nodded furiously in agreement—and fortunately, there was no one here who would press the issue any further.
"Hmm… So you’re just really, really good friends, huh?"
And the one with the most incomprehensible air, the red one, was this understanding. As expected of the players of Arcadia, who, despite it being an online game, are full of decent people, and even more so, those who stand at its pinnacle and are constantly in the spotlight.
"Yeah, that's right. We're just ridiculously, insanely close friends."
—Which means, the problem isn't with them, but with us.
Alright, Sora-san, blushing right there is not helping. Your innocent reaction to my words is adding points to the infinitely cute category, but we’re going to be teased endlessly, so cut it out, okay?
As I sent this thought to her via our usual telepathy,
"Tch…—!"
What I received in return was a disciplinary strike, as if to say, This is your fault!