Chapter 315 - Confirming Normal Operation
The morning after my soul-crushing experience of being a sandbag, beaten to a pulp by the gaming princess in a way that cannot be retold without tears.
Without even a moment to savor the freedom of the weekend, I launched Arcadia and dove into the virtual world. The safe area was bustling with players, even this early in the morning.
This was the scene in a corner of the city where I'd gone for a meetup; I could only imagine what the central area looked like. As expected of the other world rumored to never drop below seven-digit concurrent users.
The real-world time was exactly seven o'clock. I wondered what the ratio of early birds to all-nighters was.
"—…Mmm, fwaa."
As I was blankly watching the flow of players, an utterly adorable voice reached my ears from beside me—my partner was letting out a delicate yawn.
She's so cute. A high-purity dose of 'healing' seeped into my recently wounded heart, shattering the cheap pride I held as a light gamer.
"It's been a while, starting this early."
At any rate, if she noticed me staring, a scolding would be imminent. I averted my gaze and spoke to her.
"It's been a while, and it's also a first. To decide to spend the entire day adventuring like this."
Sora replied in a voice that was somehow more 'dazed' than usual.
Are you sleepy? You're so cute it's killing me. Should I give you a [Rocket] to the face to wake you up?
"I'm looking forward to it."
As she said that, she offered a smile so sweet it could melt steel, and I promptly died.
My own arbitrary interpretation that this might be one of those 'too excited for the field trip to sleep' situations backfired, doubling the damage—
"Ehehe…"
Ah, whatever, she seems to be in a great mood, so who cares.
Worst-case scenario, Sora-san can just take a nap while we're on the move… but wait, does sleeping in the virtual world even count as actual sleep?
Judging by Genkotsu-san, it seems possible to sleep, but—
"Ngh, mmm—I-I'm sorry, I was spacing out a little…!"
Then, as if she'd just slapped her own cheeks, Sora's voice gained a core of clarity.
She must have been aware that she was acting a bit strange. The girl began to poke at her faintly red cheeks, as if to hide her embarrassment.
What is this?
Is today's theme 'overload on cuteness'???
I humbly suggest that you restrain yourself, as the casualty count today will likely not be limited to just me—
"Oof."
"Stop thinking weird things… and, um, please make sure you get in between them, okay?"
Even though I was certain I wasn't making a goofy grin, Sora, who could now read my foolish thoughts as if it were second nature, poked me in the side.
Landing a clean side-attack with her slender fingertips, the girl stared at me with an anxious expression, as if to impress the point upon me.
"I know, it's fine. The three of them—"
No, wait, I don't really know one of them.
"...well, I don't know all of them, but you don't need to worry about the two guys."
"Um, you see, from a normal person's perspective, the mere fact that they're rankers is—…"
I cut off her expectedly timid remark by proudly pointing to myself.
My unspoken message was, 'If you're going to say that, I'm a ranker too.' Her only reaction, unfortunately, was a withering glare.
Jokes aside, and also refraining from commenting on whether the 'Daughter of the Yotsuya Family' could be considered a normal person… I really don't think she needs to worry about status or anything.
Why? Because, reluctantly, in the current Arcadia—
—It's the Acrobat.
—Crown.
—The Acrobat is here.
—The girl next to him is that…
—So that's the rumored partner.
…as my ears picked up the voices of passing players. Sora, too, was no longer in a position to be called 'just another player.'
It started at the victory celebration, which turned into her debut. Since then, she's always been by my side, soaking up the spotlight, so it was only natural.
Her face was already known by countless players, and with nightly rumors spreading online, her recognition as 'the Acrobat's partner' was growing.
To this fact, I could only say one thing.
"Sorry about this."
Even though I knew it was unnecessary, I couldn't help but say it.
Every player in this world has passed through Arcadia's screening process.
They possess a certain level of decency, so she wouldn't be subjected to the kind of rude stares one might give a spectacle—but it was a fact that she would draw unavoidable attention.
Being looked at couldn't be helped.
If you see a 'celebrity,' it's only natural to use it as a topic of conversation with the person next to you.
It was something we had to accept, the price of fame—however, it was obvious that Sora was not fond of that sort of thing…
Well, what was also obvious was—
"It's mutual, you know."
—the answer that would come back.
She clasped her hands behind her back, after they had hovered in the air for a moment, unsure of where to go.
Maintaining a distance of half a step, my partner smiled serenely by my side.
It was nothing complicated.
To fulfill the promise we made that day, to 'protect each other.' The one who chose to be by my side was none other than she herself—
"…………………………Hey, you think they're dating?"
"Hmm… I wonder………… I'd say it's about eighty percent certain, right?"
"The atmosphere is SOOOOO good…!? And this early in the morning…!"
""—………………""
Three presences, three figures, three sets of unreserved stares, and three voices that made no attempt to be concealed.
This was beyond a simple lapse in awareness. Why hadn't I noticed them when they were standing right in front of us?
—Why hadn't I, or Sora, noticed until they were this close…!!
My body froze solid, then began to tremble, and finally—or rather, lastly—I tore my gaze away from my partner, who had started to emit 'smoke,' and slowly turned my face forward.
It wasn't like we had been exchanging particularly lovey-dovey words. However, looking back, I couldn't deny that we might have been giving off a certain vibe—
An exasperated face.
A troubled face.
And a smile sparkling with curiosity.
Seeing these easily predictable expressions, I felt a cold sweat break out along with my shame.
"Oh, you finally noticed—yo, Haru, long time no see, since the Four Pillar War!"
"Ahaha… it's been a while."
"Hey there! Good morning!"
Tiger Star—no, Torakichi, Maru II, and Rinne…-san? -chan?
The faces of the 'enemy' I had various run-ins with during the 10th Four Pillar War, where I, the Acrobat, made my debut—the three rankers from the Northern Faction, Nortalia.
To these members, whose lineup was not just luxurious but overwhelmingly powerful, who had agreed to party with me for today's 'expedition'… I, before even offering a greeting, for my very first words, said:
"—Please forget what you just saw…!!"
With a heartfelt plea, I bowed my head at the maximum speed my agility would allow.
And in that moment, the other party in question—
"It's not… It's not like that… It's not like that…!"
—was frantically flustered, trying her best to convey that it was all a misunderstanding to people she had just met.
If you're going to be all lovey-dovey whenever you get a chance, that's what you get.