Chapter 254 - Outside the Celebration
◇[H&N] Talk Room◇
【Haru】: Hey Nia-chan
【Haru】: I wanted to borrow a bit of your time, are you busy?
【Haru】: Let me know when you're free~
————————————————……
——————……
————……
How much time had passed since that first message arrived?
Even though she knew she couldn't reply, she couldn't resist opening the chat. He had to have seen the ‘read’ receipt. Was he mad at her for essentially ignoring him?
No matter how many times she spun these thoughts in her head, her situation didn't change one bit—
"…I can't do this anymore."
A weak complaint, one she had uttered countless times, escaped her lips.
Open, close, open, close… Tracing the same endlessly repeated actions, she stared daggers at the chat window before closing it and slumping onto her desk in defeat.
"—'I can't do this anymore' is my line."
A soft voice poked at the indigo mess that had become one with the desk—but while the tone of the voice was gentle, the words themselves were laced with as much sharpness as possible.
"How much longer do I have to play babysitter for a lovesick maiden (lol) who’s just going to mope and hide away? As you know, I'm a pretty busy person."
"But…!!"
Flashing an angelic smile while radiating an aura that could make a crying child fall silent was—Archiver Mitsueda Hiyori, also known as Hiyodori, a regular player from the Western faction.
Responding with a textbook whimper was a certain artisan player who was currently getting swept up in the public's attention against her will.
"Just send him something, anything. You could just say 'Can't right now' or 'Maybe later' to buy some time, right?"
"No way! I can't! He’s messaging me so normally, it's insane! He needs to realize his position! I don’t get it…!!"
"I'm the one who doesn't get what's so hard about replying to a chat. And you're one to talk, Nia-cha. Make up your mind, are you going to cry, get angry, or smirk?"
"I'm not smirking!!"
"Look in a mirror."
While she could understand the feelings of her friend, who was caught in an endless, dizzying frenzy, being made to deal with this constant whining was getting old.
No matter how much this friend occupied the “top priority slot” in Hiyodori's life, annoying was still annoying, and frustrating was still frustrating.
"It can't be helped! What kind of situation is it when the guy you're interested in becomes a worldwide celebrity overnight?! That's not a scale you should have to deal with for your first crush!"
"I've heard that dozens of times… and are you really admitting it's your first crush now?"
Nia choked on the interjection for a moment, letting out a small "Mgh!"—but the hesitation was, as expected, only momentary.
"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! I LIKE HIM, SO WHAT!?"
"Whoa…"
True to her words, she seemed to have thrown all embarrassment to the wind.
Slamming her fists on the desk as she screamed her feelings, her face was flushed a deeper shade of red than ever before as she panted for breath.
"I like him! Yeah, I do! I mean, how could I not? It’s impossible! He’s got the looks and a personality I like, he’s easy to get along with but also considerate, he’s kind, and did I mention I like his looks?! On top of that, he’s super strong and a ranker, and he was so cool yesterday! He was so cool, wasn't he?!"
"Y-Yeah, he was amazing."
Overwhelmed by her explosive outburst, Hiyodori scooted her chair back with a wry smile. She said she likes his looks twice, she thought.
It was true that by real-world standards, he was a handsome young man… but this was the power of love at first sight. She really did have a type, Hiyodori realized, now convinced.
"But that’s all the more reason, isn't it? Now that you've admitted it, you have to be smart about how you act so he doesn't end up hating you."
"Act…—… There's nothing to act on…"
Just as quickly as it had swelled, her anger deflated in an instant. Nia slumped back into her chair and hugged her knees as if to sulk—
"We're… completely out of each other's leagues now…"
After declaring that, she buried her face in her arms.
"……………I haven't seen that in a while."
"…Shaddup."
It was the classic 'I'm upset' pose from her childhood, one everyone has.
This time, with a fond 'what am I going to do with you' smile instead of a wry one, Hiyodori stood up and approached her curled-up friend without hesitation.
They had been friends for over ten years. She knew that pose wasn't one of rejection, but one of wanting to be coddled.
She gently stroked Nia's spiky, indigo hair, which was different from her real-world self—and Nia, also without hesitation, leaned into her friend standing beside her.
"You were a ranker too, Nia-cha, so it's not like you're out of his league, right?"
"Being a ranker in the West is completely different from the other factions…"
"From a ‘regular person’ like me, it doesn't seem all that different, though."
Even as she said that… Hiyodori, as a veteran player, understood that her friend's words weren't entirely off the mark, regardless of actual skill.
The rankings in the Western faction, Vestol, were different from the other factions, which were based on absolute individual strength. Theirs was more like a 'seasonal ranking' that was almost completely refreshed at regular intervals.
Aside from those who consistently maintained their positions like the current top three, simply having your name on the list didn't put you on the same level as rankers from other factions.
And on top of that, there was last night. Her words ‘out of each other’s leagues’ might not be an exaggeration… but still.
To think about their respective positions and put the brakes on her own feelings—
"—You've gotten serious about him, haven't you?"
"Tch—…"
"That’s great. I'll support you."
It's precisely because you're thinking of the other person, not just yourself.
And to think of stepping aside for their sake—that’s something you can only do when you care more about them than you do yourself.
"Hey, Nia. If you want to give up, I think that's fine. But…"
—But you’re probably so head-over-heels that you can’t give up that easily, right?
So much so that you'd curl up and hug your knees like a little kid.
"If you decide you're not giving up and you're going to really go for it, I'll cheer you on with everything I've got."
"……………………"
For a few dozen seconds, she simply let her friend comfort her in silence.
"…If I get serious…"
Still hiding her face, Nia's murmur was much more fragile than Hiyodori had expected.
"…I'm… that, you know?"
"…Yeah, I know."
"It’s not just about our positions… it’s just, you know…"
"Yeah."
"It’s going to be tough… in a lot of ways…"
"The one who gets to decide that is him, not you, right?"
It was a conversation between two people who shared a certain “secret.”
And even with that mutual understanding—Hiyodori's words to her friend suffering from her first love remained unchanged.
"I get it, but—even with all that insecurity and anxiety, if you still can't give up on him easily… doesn't that just mean he's worth it?"
"………………"
"If that's the case… I think it’d be a waste not to try."
Her head lifted just a little, and her indigo eyes peeked out. When Hiyodori met her gaze, Nia quickly looked away out of embarrassment, as always.
But—
"………………You don't think he'd be put off?"
"I wonder. And are you planning on leading with that?"
"W-Well… you can't just drop that on someone later."
"Hmm… Why not just make him fall for you so hard that it won't matter?"
"I can't do that…! Besides, f-fall for me… I don't think he's even aware of me in that way…"
"No way, that can't be true. You need to recognize your own charms, Nia-cha."
"It's easy for you to say…!"
But whenever she found something she couldn't give up on, she would always whine and complain, but she would never quit.
It was because she understood that part of her friend so deeply that—
"Oh, fine, fine, I get it. Just reply to him already, will you?"
"Ugh… wh-what do you think I should say…?"
"………………"
"Hey, don't give me that annoyed look! You said you'd support me!!"
—Even if this “first love” was fraught with more than its share of difficulties.
From the very beginning, the option of not pushing her friend forward had never existed.