Chapter 325 - On Break
"—So yeah, things are off to a smooth start."
"I see."
"The 'pilgrimage' part is done, so this afternoon we'll start hitting dungeons for real, they said."
"Mm."
"Still, for clearing normal places, this is some serious overkill. Tiger… [Great Tiger] was saying we could probably clear raids if they're easy enough."
"Right."
"………………"
"…………"
"Are you still mad—"
"I'm not mad."
◇◆◇◆◇
—And so, after a lunch break with Her Highness,
I returned to the virtual world a little early and awoke in a wasteland dotted with large boulders.
As my consciousness slipped away, my avatar, which had been leaning against the rock face, tried to rise… but I was frozen in place by the action-inhibiting penalty for relogging in a non-safe zone.
It was that 'groggy state' Sora had been in once. Come to think of it, this is my first time experiencing it myself. So this is what it feels like.
"—You're back."
"Yeah, thanks for keeping watch."
The voice from in front of me belonged to Tiger Lucky. He'd said no enemies spawned around here, but he had stayed behind just in case.
So, though he didn't say anything, I hurried back.
Because I had to rush through the lunch I'd been invited to, Iris was sliiightly displeased… but I promised to make it up to her, so I hope she'll forgive me.
A glance around showed that the others, each leaning against a rock, were all still 'asleep.' Looks like I was the first one back.
"I'll take over. Go on ahead."
"Alright, thanks."
After a brief exchange of words, he operated his window and closed his eyes. The strength drained from the young man's avatar.
He wasn't moving a muscle, but if you looked closely, you could see him breathing faintly. It didn't look like an 'empty shell' so much as 'asleep.'
"—Hff, ngnhaaa…"
The sleepy-eyed debuff icon that had been lit up in the corner of my vision vanished. I pushed my now weightless body up and stretched with all my might.
The sky I looked up at wasn't a pleasant blue, but a rather drab, reddish-brown.
And as I turned my head, what came into view was a massive tower, standing tall in the center of a stone circle whose stones were arranged in an orderly fashion. It was a dungeon located a short distance from the 'Green Connect' crater.
Its name was [The Tower of Four Sides]—yeah, the name gives absolutely no clue as to its nature.
Combined with its blatantly 'man-made' appearance—a perfect square made of black bricks—it was a rather eerie structure.
By the way, when I say massive, each side is only about five meters long, and it's maybe a dozen meters tall at most. But apparently, the interior is a separate dimension and is quite spacious.
The [Spiral Crimson Tower] was the same scale inside as it was outside, but I suppose that varies from dungeon to dungeon.
"—Hn… nnh."
As I was staring blankly at the jet-black tower, my ears caught a faint breath. I turned my eyes to see Sora, who had logged out next to Rinne nearby, slowly opening her eyes.
Ten, twenty seconds passed. The girl blinked a few times—and our eyes met.
"Morning."
"Good morning."
Her sleepy, just-woken-up face was infinitely healing. The guys would have been charmed for sure, and if Rinne had seen it, she would have fallen even deeper into the Sora-swamp… Oh?
After gently setting her senior's avatar, which had been leaning on her shoulder, back against the large rock, the girl stood up and quietly approached me.
My partner came right up beside me and sat down next to where I was sitting cross-legged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. We weren't touching, but it was still a little close.
"…What's up?"
"Nothing's up."
I see.
True to her word, she didn't say anything or even look at me. I joined Sora in gazing silently at something in the distance, my eyes turned toward the reddish-brown sky.
It was astonishing how the silence between us wasn't awkward in the slightest.
The key part is between us. I was absolutely certain that Sora didn't mind my silence either, which made me feel incredibly calm.
To think I could feel this way with someone I've known for less than three months.
Even now, it still feels strange whenever I think about it… and whenever I do, I can't help but let out a strange little laugh.
—And then,
"………………Were you watching?"
"…No, I wasn't."
Having that mysterious smile witnessed is just so damn embarrassing.
No peeking, young lady. Give me a break.
"Ah… right, Sora-san."
"Yes?"
I searched for something, anything, to talk about to cover up my embarrassment—
"……………………Are you having fun today?"
But all that came out was a desperate, on-the-spot deflection on par with 'nice weather we're having.'
Sora, who had looked at me blankly for a moment, then—
"Yes, very much."
—looked at me with amusement and gave me a soft, simple smile.
Another one tonight.