Chapter 30 - The Invincible Concept of an Innocent Beauty
"The next time you do something like that, I'll start to hate you."
"I deeply regret my actions, yes, ma'am."
After landing at the bottom of the cliff without a scratch by making full use of my weapon-stepping, I was, as expected, treated to a lecture from Sora-san while sitting in seiza.
Since I was the perpetrator, there was nothing to be done. I had resigned myself to being a groveling apology bot, and after finally being granted a pardon, I rose to my feet.
"Good grief… Still, this fog is incredible."
It was the same as when I visited yesterday, an unusually dense fog where you couldn't see more than a few dozen centimeters ahead. Seeing it for the first time, Sora was on high alert, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
And since she had just been scolding me, she was still putting on an 'I'm angry' face, but it seemed her anxiety was winning out, as she refused to move far from my side.
"There shouldn't be any enemies, so you can relax for now. But like I said before, the final destination is dangerous, so I need you to be prepared."
"I-I understand…"
She shrank back, her eyes darting around nervously like a small animal. I watched her with an amused smile and started walking to lead the way, and Sora quickly scrambled to follow.
"It's amazing you found a place like this…"
"Less 'found' and more 'got completely lost.' I fell off the cliff and struggled out of desperation, and it just so happened to work out."
"…Well, I suppose if you can fly, or rather, jump through the air, it would work out somehow."
Unfortunately, I hadn't yet learned mid-air maneuvering at that time, but confessing to even more reckless feats would only earn me a blank stare. Not that it would be much different from the look I'm already getting, which seems to say she's looking at something strange.
"I don't think I'll understand even if you explain, but… how in the world are you jumping like that?"
"Ah, well… to put it simply, by taking advantage of the momentary coordinate lock on an object that occurs right after a weapon switch with Quick Change—"
Along the way, I explained the mechanics of my mid-air jumps to a skeptical Sora, who kept shooting me sideways glances—
"Oh, I know about that. It's the growth weapon quest that all players experience, right?"
"Huh, so it's famous… wait, hold on, a growth weapon? What's that? That old man never once mentioned—"
As I was explaining the details of my current quest, Sora provided me with some new information—
"………………"
"…Look, it was an accident. I had no idea I was doing something so out of the ordinary."
I let my mouth slip and ended up being forced to confess the whole story of the 'Forum Flame Incident,' earning me an indescribable expression—
—And so, about ten-odd minutes later, we returned to the city safely.
………………Huh? Oh, yeah, that's right. We came back in one piece. Well, maybe 'respawned' is more accurate than 'came back'—
"—Haru-san! Haru-san!! What was that, what was that!! It was so big! It was white and it was big!! Amazing, it was a dragon, it was so amazing and awesome!!!"
…Yeah, what is this? This kid's bugged out in a way I didn't expect.
After that, as planned, Sora and I had our first encounter with that thing—the Tsarkalv of the White Throne—but ever since, Sora-san's excitement has been completely off the charts.
Of course, we were both obliterated and respawned, but it seems her sense of elation hasn't faded even after her virtual body was crushed to bits.
Since that thing's appearance is rather biologically horrifying, I expected her to be scared or frantic, followed by a lecture. I never imagined I'd get this kind of reaction.
"Uh… S-Sora-san. Please calm down a bit."
We were at the fountain plaza, the default starting point, so of course, there were a lot of people around.
If it were 'me, respawning alone, spewing curses about my cause of death,' I'd only attract a momentary glance at best. But when it's a beautiful girl avatar with a beautiful girl's voice getting all worked up and excited, it's a different story.
—We're being watched. A lot.
Also, Sora-san, isn't your sense of personal space bugged? When she gets excited, this girl gets really worked up and way too close.
"I know what that is! I knew it!! That! That's a Colored Monster!! One of the most famous pieces of endgame content in all of Arcadia—"
"Okay, okay, that's enough, miss, please come this way. We're in public, you know, let's move somewhere else."
It's not that I'm a shy boy who can't handle being looked at. It's just that Kagura-san warned me to keep a low profile for a while, so the timing is simply bad.
It's definitely not because I felt a sense of danger from the male players who were looking at me with faces that looked like they were about to flip me off, but I hurriedly led the still-hyper Sora away from the plaza.
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"……………………I'm sorry you had to see that unsightly display."
"Nah, compared to me, you're fine, relatively speaking."
Compared to the guy who bugs out every time he fights, she's perfectly normal.
And so, we found ourselves back on the cliff road. Having regained her composure in the beginner area, devoid of other players, Sora was now huddled up, looking away to hide her embarrassment.
No matter what a beautiful girl does, it's never unsightly, only cute, but there's no point in explaining such universal truths to her.
"Come on, let's pull ourselves together and get back to clearing the area."
"Ugh…"
Putting aside the boss battle, the path here is a playground for ranged attackers. I'll have her take the main attacker role with her bow to her heart's content and make her forget all about her embarrassment.
I'll seal away my mid-air maneuvers and dedicate myself to being her tank and guard—though my durability is still at base level. A fragile body that will crumble with a single touch, at your service.
Clutching her shortbow and steeling herself with a "Right," I set out onto the cliff path for the second time to escort my cute partner.