Chapter 286 - Viewing Party
"Since we're doing this, I can't afford to look pathetic, no matter what happens—so be ready for me to come at you with enough force to shut you down completely."
"Hey, here it comes!"
"It's coming! It's totally coming!"
"…Please, I'm begging you, just stop—"
"—Let's begin… shall we?"
""—Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!""
"…"
"It's okay. You were legitimately cool, so don't worry."
"Ah, haha…"
If I had to describe this disastrous "present" in two words, there's only one phrase for it.
Public. Execution.
Projected on the large screen was a video—more specifically, a 'super-hyped idiot' in that video, which the duo of Shoko and Toshiki were watching with explosive excitement.
Mizuki, while feigning support, was actually glued to the screen, not even sparing a glance for my crestfallen self.
In contrast, Kaede, who was diligently refilling my tea to help me distract myself with food and drink, seemed to be my only saving grace…
…if only because her turn was already over.
The next day.
To be more specific: the day after I was introduced to the great 'Yotsuya Development' through my university, entered into a contractual relationship with its representative, had a real-life encounter with my partner from the virtual world, found out she was an actual rich young lady with whom I was now in a fake engagement, moved into a luxurious mansion straight out of another world, received a date invitation from my personal artisan in the virtual world, found a moment of peace on an adventure with my reunited partner, was then ambushed by an 'incarnation of fantasy,' got hit on with an unexpectedly full-power approach by the world's princess, escaped back to the virtual world completely battered, and was slightly saved by my senpai (junior).
What kind of "yesterday" was that? Give me a break.
In any case, while my mental state was a mess, the situation had settled down for the time being… or rather, I'd been given some time to calm down.
Setting aside my personal issues for a moment, regarding the contract with Yotsuya, I received a call from Mr. Togo around noon telling me to 'stand by for a while.'
He said he would handle all the necessary communications and procedures, including greeting my parents, within the week. In other words, he was telling me to 'get my head straight' in the meantime.
Honestly, I was grateful for the reprieve.
Thanks to that, I was able to make time to connect with my friends, who had been worried about me, and give them a report on what I could talk about. But still.
"It's about time—for the grand finale!"
""Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!""
"Nozomi-kun."
"What is it?"
"Which one is the real you?"
"That's not it! My tension just goes haywire over there in the virtual world…!"
Eventually, even Mizuki started teasing me head-on, leaving me with no escape.
The only one left was the young lady Kaede, who had already grilled me with questions right after we met up this afternoon and was temporarily 'satisfied.'
Though still a bit awkward, she had unleashed her irrepressible passion for the Sword Saint upon me, and it goes without saying that I suffered a near-fatal wound right from the start. Please refrain from your overly passionate fantasies about our master-disciple love.
Anyway, I get how you all feel, but… aren't you guys skipping class again? Are you sure that's okay?
Being teased like this is part of the 'necessary cost' of the mental salvation I'm getting, so I won't call you out on it.
This was my second visit to the Shijo residence, ostensibly for the purpose of 'cheering me up.'
Seriously, I'm so grateful I could cry—including the fact that this has now snowballed into a Four Pillar War archive viewing party!
"Pierce them—[Caladbolg, Spiral Brilliance Spear]!!!"
Agh… Come on, agh… I know calling out your special moves is common in Arcadia because it boosts their power, but still, agh…!
"Hey, Nozomi?"
"…Yes, what is it?"
"That spear, was it made from materials from 'Rabbit Heaven'?"
"It was."
"So it's player-made, right? Can they really be packed with that many functions?"
"Ah… He said he pushed the material's properties to their limit and cut down the durability as much as possible. Then he dumped all the leftover resources into fun features. The dagger's the same."
"Seriously? Man, that crafter is something else."
"If the durability is cut to the limit, why doesn't it break after all those clashes?"
"That's the special property of the rabbit horns. Their durability locks in place above a certain speed."
"What? Isn't that insane?"
"—Nozomi-kun."
As I rattled off answers to the pair's questions, someone tugged on my sleeve from the side. I turned to see Mizuki looking at me with a rare, troubled expression.
"All that information you just shared like it was common knowledge… you're the insane one. If you took that to the right people, it would be valuable enough to sell for money."
I wondered what was wrong, only to be admonished like that.
That being said, it's not like I take the value of my build information lightly. I can understand why Mizuki would be concerned, but—
"I plan on releasing the [Spiral Crimson Tower] info soon anyway, so I don't mind giving my friends a little sneak peek."
"…You're going to release it?"
"I am. I never intended to monopolize it in the first place."
I made that decision definitively when I asked Kagura-san to sell the [Ruby Rabbit Demon Horn] on the market. If I were only selling one or two secretly, I could turn a blind eye to the poor victims, but it's a different story if I'm going to supply the materials widely.
I can't just go around distributing those flawed materials on a large scale with a straight face…
"And as a little teaser, I'm also planning to upload a walkthrough video of the [Spiral Crimson Tower] to the archives eventually, so look forward to it."
"For real?!"
"Whoa, I can't wait!"
Go ahead and get your hopes up. I plan on delivering it in first-person perspective, so brace yourselves.
"Um… is that okay? I thought player builds were top secret…"
Kaede's point was valid, but that's not a problem either… or rather, to be blunt, rankers need to be 'seen' to some extent.
It's better to be 'a strong person whose mechanics are somewhat understood' than 'a completely incomprehensible strong person,' because that way you gain more understanding and support from those around you. That's actually something my master recommended to me during my training a while back.
And well… if my priority is 'conquering the game,' then if sharing my build helps even slightly improve the overall player skill level, it benefits me in the long run.
"—So that's the gist of it. Don't worry."
"If Ui-sama says so, then it must be right!"
"Too close, too close."
She's the same as ever, this Sword Saint-loving young lady.
"Hey Nozomin, is it really true you don't have a thought-acceleration skill with that? You don't have some super unique skill you're hiding?"
"I don't. In fact, I'd gladly offer up my useless super unique skill for a normal thought-acceleration skill. Seriously."
"Hey, hey, how does that dagger fix itself after being broken or shattered? Does it have auto-regeneration?"
"Correct. But the repair function isn't on the blade; it's on the sheath—"
"Then what about that over there—"
"What's going on with—"
As I answered the barrage of questions from an engrossed Shoko and Toshiki… I happened to meet Kaede's gaze and noticed she was watching us with a happy expression.
"What's up?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking… it's nice that this came true."
Seeing her smile bashfully, I tilted my head for a few seconds, wondering what she meant—and then it clicked.
"…Some idiot had no plans of his face being revealed, so he never imagined it would turn into a public execution. At least, not back then."
"Ah… you remembered?"
It was something that happened on the day of the Four Pillar War, when we all got together for lunch.
Toshiki had suggested we 'get together and watch the archives'… honestly, it would be a lie to say I remembered it clearly, but—
"I'm glad we could all get together again, too. Though this is honestly doing some major damage."
I let out a wry smile at the sight of the "Acrobat" rampaging across the screen.
"When all is said and done… this feels the most like normal life. It's calming."
Even with the slightly fantastical element of one very rich young lady present, our relationship as 'school friends' was still an ordinary one.
"…Want a refill on your tea?"
"I'll take one—wow, as expected of a young lady. Quite the skillful pour."
"But of course. I am a young lady, after all."
We joked around with our strange exchange, laughing for no reason.
When I declared 'question time is over' to the two who were watching us from the side with smirks on their faces, the power dynamic instantly reversed.
And as I flaunted my dominance over the two of them, Kaede was getting teased by Mizuki next to me. Ah, this is so damn peaceful.
I can only thank my lucky stars that I'm so blessed with good people… and of course, that includes the four of them, who have shown me they'll remain my friends.
"From the bottom of my heart, good game—"
"Heah?!"
"Hot, hot, hooooot!!!"
"—…"
"The sudden gags are a big plus in my book, Nozomin."
"You have these moments of being weirdly cute. Are you even aware of it?"
"It is a trait that could lead to popularity."
"F-fufu…"
Sigh… Maybe I should just go home.
And yet you're grinning, protagonist-kun.