Chapter 426 - The Promise
"—Wait, so what? You don't have a partner right now?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
As usual, I was in the middle of final adjustments after trying on a new outfit.
The conversation naturally shifted to the upcoming event, and when Nia learned I'd been turned down by my partner, she blinked in surprise.
"Then what about your other clan member?"
"Well, apparently she's already found a partner too…"
"Oh, dear."
Getting poked here, prodded there, and sometimes yanked around while making idle conversation has become routine. Moving carelessly will only get me scolded by the master tailor, so it's best to just surrender to her whims.
"Still, you'll find a partner in no time. Your friends list is like a who's who of famous players. Why not just message everyone down the list?"
"Yeah, maybe…"
I can't help but be hesitant on this topic… It's obvious why, isn't it? It seems I'm more genuinely down about this than I thought.
This isn't good. It means I'd started to believe that having her by my side was a given.
"What's with that face? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. This is my 'what should I do?' face."
She probably saw through my flimsy excuse, but Nia-chan isn't the type to ignore a clear 'don't touch this' signal.
The indigo eyes that had been staring intently at my face for a moment quickly darted away.
"Okay, right hand up."
"You got it."
For a while after that, the adjustments continued in silence.
…I've started to realize recently that when she goes quiet, it's almost always because she's hesitating to say something.
So I debated whether to ignore it or prompt her to speak—and when our eyes met, I felt like she was urging me on, so I decided to open my mouth.
"So, are you participating in the event?"
"Uh, well… yeah, I am. I mean, won't most players be joining? The whole concept is that it's open to combat and non-combat classes alike, right?"
"That's the gist of it. In fact, if the production players don't join, it'll be a hellish four days and three nights of nothing but camping."
Participants are randomly teleported to a massive event field—though I've heard they make adjustments so that people can form groups to some extent.
This suggests that the system is designed to have players who are grouped together meet up and coordinate.
Since we'll be thrown into an unknown field and forced to survive, it would be impossible without someone who has 'skills other than combat.'
Apparently, there's a special rule during the event where you become incapacitated if you don't eat and sleep like in the real world. There are also restrictions on what items you can bring, so it's almost certainly a setup where you have to 'figure things out on-site.'
"Everyone at my place is making a huge fuss about it. The guys are all getting weirdly excited, saying stuff like, 'Let's build a castle on the event field!'"
"What, that sounds like fun."
A castle from scratch in just over three days… Well, I guess for the artisans of this world, it might not be impossible. It would depend on the environment over there, though.
—In any case, since she nodded, Nia must be participating. And if she's looking at me, a current loner, like she wants to say something… I can pretty much guess what's on her mind.
"…………"
As if trying to swallow her words, she's moving a little more restlessly than before. I watched her for a moment.
I thought about it, quietly, and then—
"We did make a reservation, didn't we? Now that I think about it."
"Huh? Oh… Wh-what?"
When I spoke again, Nia reacted as if she'd been caught off guard by my sudden remark.
"We talked about doing something… once the raid was settled, remember?"
"Th-that… Yes."
We never set a specific date, but it's a fact that I promised her a "second time." Yes, I promised—which means I've already given her the okay.
In that case,
"I guess a survival trip to another world doesn't really count as a date, huh?"
"……………… Are you sure?"
There's no 'sure' about it. I'm just fulfilling a promise.
"I'm sure you know this, but I have no idea what's going to happen over there. It's entirely possible that after a lot of twists and turns, we'll end up going our separate ways for the most part."
"…………Even so, you'll… stay with me as much as you can, right?"
"Well, yeah. I can at least be a bodyguard for a master artisan."
"…………Guh……………………………… J-just… a sec, timeout."
Squeeze… Nia crouched down, shrinking into herself, held her head, and froze. From the expression I saw just before she did, it was completely obvious what emotions made her suddenly start imitating an armadillo.
And because it was so obvious, I felt awkward myself.
I'm doing something I'm not used to. Asking someone out in place of my partner. Trying to justify it with a promise—insults directed at myself spring up one after another, but I grit my teeth and forcibly swallow them all.
How long has it been since I thought I'd made up my mind? It's time to graduate from just being swept along, from always being passive.
"………………The Princess."
A muffled voice came from my feet. Still curled up in a small ball, Nia kneaded her face with her hands and mumbled out a few words.
"I think the Princess might want to team up with you, too…"
"Probably, but if she was serious about it, she would've charged straight at me the same day."
I can't be sure, but the Alicia White I know is that kind of person. Besides—
"I'm the one who asked you. If there are any complaints, I'll take them."
"Ehh…"
At the very least, it's not something Nia should worry about.
"Anyway, I'll let Ashe know, so you really don't have to worry about it… or rather, I haven't even gotten your answer yet."
"What answer? There's no way I'd say no…! What is wrong with you…!"
"Hey, stop poking my shin. And get up, come on. How long are you going to stay crouched down?"
As I spoke, I pulled the indigo ball to her feet, revealing a flushed, grinning face. It was the kind of goofy expression that was only barely acceptable because she was so good-looking.
I expected her to immediately get embarrassed and look away… but her eyes, flitting about with confusion and whatnot, remained fixed on me.
"Um… a-are you really sure? Is it okay? If you want to adventure like you always do, I'll definitely just slow you down, you know?"
"If that's the case, I'll adjust. I was planning on taking it easy for a while anyway. It wouldn't be so bad to relax and enjoy some non-combat play for a change."
"Ehh… are you really, truly sure?"
How many times does she need to confirm? I feel like I've already said it over and over.
"I don't mind just hanging out with you. The idea of getting excited and messing around together with crafting in an unexplored land… honestly sounds like fun, I think."
"……………………………………………… W-well then… um."
How did this turn into a situation where I'm the one admonishing and persuading her? Suppressing a wry smile, I continued to meet her gaze. Nia blinked slowly, as if to calm the chaos in her heart, and then—
"I-I'd be honored to join you…"
—she bowed her head deeply, looking almost frightened.
As I gazed at the top of Nia's head from her inexplicably formal bow, I debated for about five seconds whether or not to take a screenshot of this surprising sight—and snapped one.
Predictably, Nia started getting angry, shouting, "What are you taking a picture of?" As she scolded me… having successfully neutralized the atmosphere just as I'd planned, I calmly shifted into a formal sitting position.