Chapter 364 - White, Slowly Stained
"—Huh. So you guys ended up making your own clan after all?"
"It was the most comfortable and simplest solution."
"Simple? Isn't it a little late in the game to be playing the non-confrontational card?"
"Don't make me sound like some kind of troublemaker... Sure, I don't mind a bit of a ruckus, but that doesn't mean I go out of my way to start one, you know?"
"Right. Okay, left hand up."
"Are you even listening to me???"
For a while now, I’d been exchanging words with Nia as she busied herself with my outfit, making what she called “final adjustments.”
The topic had shifted to the clan I’d recently hinted at, but her attitude was as salty as ever while she worked. I couldn't help but think, You’re the one who brought it up... but the skill with which her hands moved, never pausing, was so cool that I swallowed my complaint.
Artisans have it so easy. It’s the same with the Boss and Kagura-san; they have this impressive air about them that just shuts down any minor complaint about their unreasonable behavior—
...Well, maybe it's just that I have a certain admiration for 'professionals.'
People who are masters of their craft are just genuinely cool.
"Mmm... I think that's about it. Try twisting your body around a bit. Does anything feel off?"
"Nope. It feels so natural it's almost unnatural."
Apparently, the automatic fitting function like the one in those lounge clothes requires a bit of the item's ability resources. So, it’s standard practice, not just for hardcore players, to have combat gear personally optimized like this each time.
I once thought Nia was the type to 'put the finishing touches on during the hand-off,' but... it turns out that wasn't unique to her; it was just common sense.
"Aaaand... for the finishing touch!"
Then, for what felt like the umpteenth time, the blue amulet was fitted into the deliberately empty pedestal on my chest.
One hundred percent premeditated.
As she did it with a ridiculously happy and delighted smile, there was no doubt she'd calculated exactly how I would react.
"...Hehe."
"Don't you 'hehe' me... Haven't you been laying on the 'cute' a little too thick lately?"
"I dunno. It's your fault for having a weakness for it, isn't it?"
It's not that I have a weakness for 'cute,' it's that I have a weakness for you... Saying anything more would just dig my own grave. I'd better retreat from this line of conversation.
"By the way, are you sure you want to keep the Purify effect for dispelling status ailments?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks."
Ever since I heard the full story about her 'eyes,' I’ve treasured the [Agaphanthus Amulet] with even greater gratitude. It wasn't just 'fine'—honestly, it was such an absurdly powerful trump card that I could say with certainty, 'there's nothing better.'
The most troublesome thing about incapacitating status effects like Stun is that, once you're hit, you can't do anything to help yourself.
That’s just how it is; you can’t move. While you might get a heal from an ally, the greatest strength of those effects is that the victim can't recover on their own.
So, having an [Agaphanthus Amulet] that could brush it all away with a single, instantaneous mental command, without any lag... As Alicia said, it was just plain broken.
My durability has improved a bit recently, but considering my frequent self-damaging actions, I could never claim to be 'tough.'
My build has a high chance of instant death if an accident happens when I charge in. This amulet is undeniably one of the reasons I can slam the accelerator without fear.
—And when I showed hesitation at monopolizing an item that so many players would kill for, the lady herself, after everything was revealed by Iris, was the one who shot me down. 'If you even think about returning it, I'll smack you,' she'd said, leaving no room for argument.
...Getting smacked I could handle, but having her sulk would be unbearable. So, my only option was to 'gratefully accept.'
"Still, of all things, you had to end up with 'water' magic, too... You might even be able to use Purify yourself eventually, you know."
That aside, Nia seemed to have a different kind of anxiety now that I'd awakened to the same magic attribute as her.
Since she herself was completely inept at combat, she might understand the demand for her abilities, but perhaps it was difficult for her to imagine just how huge the actual benefit was.
"Setting aside whether I can even learn healing magic... even if I could use it myself, this thing's position is secure."
First of all, I’d never have time to chant a spell when I actually needed it.
It might be different for something like a 'Poisoned' status, which I've never experienced, but for a solo player, getting hit with a movement-impairing effect is an instant game over.
And because those effects would normally be an instant game over, the benefit of this amulet allows me to pull off the most heinous, unfair, surprise counterattacks imaginable.
Its effectiveness against monsters is unknown, but in a PvP fight, I wouldn't be surprised if I got called out for cheating or using some kind of criminal move.
—And so, when I explained its usefulness in painstaking detail, partly as a way of showing my daily gratitude, Nia’s expression softened into a look that was anything but displeased.
I was sure she'd be wearing a smug look in about two seconds.
"H-Hmph... W-well, it's no big deal...!"
See? There it is. Cu—... what a predictable girl.
"—Okay, if you notice anything else, bring it to me right away. If it's an emergency, you can contact me in the real world, too."
"The after-sales service is so thorough, it's very reassuring."
After finishing up the new outfit adjustments and sharing information, it was just about dinnertime. It was time for both of us to log out, so parting ways was the natural course of action.
Her words were certainly reliable... but should I take comfort in an artisan telling me to 'contact her anytime,' or should I feel guilty for making a girl wait by having her say 'contact me anytime' so casually?
For that matter, should I even feel guilty at all?
If that guilt was just a form of self-preservation or self-satisfaction on my part, would it be more 'sincere' to just brazenly continue interacting with her as I have been?
...I have no idea.
There's still so much I don't understand—
"Hm? What's wrong?"
For some time now, she hasn't tried to hide even a shred of her straightforward affection.
Even for a difficult guy who can't even handle a normal romance... the way she looks at me hasn't changed either—and because of that,
For that reason, if there's one thing that has changed within me...
"A week from now."
"Huh?"
"That thing. The day of the decisive battle."
"...Ah, wha... seriously, already?"
"Yeah. We've finished selecting the personnel and coordinating schedules, and everyone's motivation is high. No point in dragging it out, they said."
"Haaah... I... see. Whoa, wait, my heart's starting to pound, this is crazy..."
"I've been feeling a little restless ever since I heard, too."
"I see..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Um... is that it?"
"...It's the end, I guess... or rather, things will wrap up for a bit after that."
"Uh, huh...?"
—Yeah, well, that makes sense.
I was trying to do something I wasn't used to, and my own mind was pretty much a blank slate, so it's probably asking too much for her to understand what I'm getting at...
"What I mean is... after a week from now, as a sort of milestone, my schedule will finally clear up for a bit."
"Clear up..."
"Regardless of whether we succeed or fail, there will probably be a break, some time off to say 'good job for now' or something..."
"Time off..."
"So, uh..."
I know I shouldn't be thinking this way, but on this particular matter, being as clumsy and inept as I am, I can't help but think 'what if.'
What if... yes, what if—
"Once I have that free time, I won't use it as an excuse to refuse or run away anymore... is what I'm trying to say."
If only one girl had confessed her feelings to me.
Would I have been able to avoid saying something so damn pathetic and passive?
Would I have been able to face her head-on and ask her out on a date myself?
"...Um, so."
"...Sorry, I know what I'm saying is messed up."
Unable to look at Nia's stunned face, I averted my gaze and unconsciously scratched my head. Ugh, my pathetic behavior is leaking out all over the place.
"Choosing one or the other, or both... considering everything, me asking you out right now would be out of line, right? I mean, the current situation itself is already out of line, but—"
"Hey, um. How about we just calm down for a second?"
Seeing me panic endlessly, even Nia let out a genuine, wry smile.
She took my hand, as if to reset our parting conversation, and with a playful "Hup!" she tossed me onto the sofa.
This is, to put it mildly—
"I'm being incredibly pathetic right now..."
"Some people might see it that way, maybe?"
Isn't it obvious to everyone...? As I lifted my face with that self-deprecating thought, what I saw wasn't a look of exasperation or disappointment at my pathetic display.
To her, the man who might look incredibly pathetic to some people was someone she was just looking at happily.
"You know..."
"Yes?"
"When the person you like, so out of character and clumsily, is thinking about you with everything they've got..."
"..."
"There's no way I'd think it's pathetic."
"...First it was guilt, now I think I'm going to die of shame."
I couldn't meet the gaze of Nia's eyes as she crouched in front of the sofa and looked up at me—it was just too, too bright.
"The Princess said it too, right? It's not like anyone's at fault. If I can be a little selfish, I'd rather you not go out of your way to create a villain."
"That's a difficult thing to ask..."
"Besides, from my perspective... and I think the Princess feels the same way..."
She tugged on my sleeve, and my gaze was naturally pulled along with it. When our eyes met, her expression was still the same.
"Getting confessed to by two people at the same time, that's not normal, is it? I don't really want to put it this way, but if we had to say 'who's the victim,' I think it's you."
"Hey, you can't be serious..."
"Of course, I'm not a perpetrator either! If we absolutely have to point a finger, then it's gotta be 'fate,' right? You should curse your own fate!"
"..., ..."
"And what's more, one of them was love at first sight! Impossible to predict or avoid! How do you like them apples!"
"...Your face is bright red, you know."
"Sh-shut up...!"
Her inability to stick the landing is so very her—or at least, that's what my past self would have thought.
But the me of today can read her correctly. I can see with enough clarity to laugh at the pot calling the kettle black that Nia is choosing her words carefully for my sake.
"So, anyway... what I'm saying is, you're overthinking it. It's not like you're two-timing anyone, and right now is our approach time, isn't it?"
I wasn't intentionally looking down, but a gentle tap on my forehead made me raise my head.
"Have you forgotten who put you in the position of having to choose? —And I, for one, am proud to say I don't feel a shred of guilt about it."
Her slender fingers hesitantly brushed my bangs aside... and in my newly cleared vision, her large, sparkling aquamarine eyes were vividly reflected.
Reflected—and I just thought.
"I... I don't have time to be thinking about stuff like that right now."
As I listened to those words, which were so terribly sweet to me,
"All I'm thinking about is how I'm going to make you fall in love with me."
If only the name occupying my mind was just one.
"So if you have time to think about complicated things, just fall for me already—which is why I'd like to book a date with you right now!"
Even if I couldn't escape my passive stance, just waiting would be insincere.
So at the very least, I had to show a more proactive attitude... or so I thought. But that half-baked idea was magnificently shot down—
She's telling me to forget all that and just look at her.
"...Nia."
"What is it?"
"You're too close. Don't use the confusion to try and get in some extra skinship."
"What's the big deal? It's not like it costs you anything!"
"It does! It costs me a lot of things, mentally...!"
That's why, with each passing day, I think about it more and more.
I have to be able to give an answer soon—not out of a sense of duty, but...
"Hey, creator, stop playing with your own creations."
"Well, I was just thinking I'm a genius... Hey, can I take a picture?"
"No."
"Aww... seriously, aww...!"
Because from the bottom of my heart, I want to be able to give an answer.
The countdown begins, for various things.