Chapter 432 - Since That Day
Acting on a leak from my 'accomplice,' I lay in wait in the clan room. My partner, who had registered her home point here, appeared soon after.
I was lounging on the sofa, trying to act casual, when my eyes met with the girl who had just logged in amidst a flash of blue light—and I took it all in.
"Hey. 'Good evening' is a bit early, I guess."
"...And 'good afternoon' is a bit late, isn't it."
Looking at her now, her expression was plain as day. And so was my own foolishness for pretending not to see the changes that should have been just as obvious. All of it.
But none of that mattered right now.
"......Um... this is sudden, but a skill of mine..."
"Ah, that."
She must have gotten a system notification as soon as she logged in. I smiled reassuringly, trying to calm the surprised look on her face.
It was almost certainly about Telepathy. That skill seemed to be treated in a special way; it had the alarming feature of disappearing if our hidden 'Affection' stat dropped below a certain value, so it was no wonder she was shaken.
But there was no need to worry.
I knew exactly why that skill had disappeared.
"I'll explain that later... but first, there's something I'd like you to help me with. Do you have a moment?"
I asked her with my usual, casual tone, just as I always had. No matter what she was feeling, no matter what she was holding in her heart right now—
"Yes, that's fine."
—I knew Sora would just smile beautifully and nod.
◇◆◇◆◇
"......................So, um... where are we?"
"Who knows...?"
"What do you mean, who knows...!?"
We had relocated to a vast, nameless plain somewhere in the Garden of Divine Creation. I had simply charged ahead in search of a quiet place, so naturally, there were no enemies in sight, only the sound of a gentle breeze.
As for other players... well, the chances of running into someone were probably pretty low.
I had carried Sora and flown here at top speed using [Rocket], after all. Even with a population in the seven digits, considering the ridiculous size of the main fields, the player density outside of towns was negligible.
Worst case, if someone did show up, I'd just politely ask them to leave—by telling them we were in the middle of an important conversation.
"It's 'something I'd like you to help me with,' see? I never said we were going anywhere in particular."
"Oh... well, okay."
"Thanks. Alright, here."
Thanking Sora, who had accepted my explanation despite her floating question mark... I took out two crude lumps of iron from my inventory.
"...? Um, what are those?"
"Feels nostalgic now, doesn't it?"
I held one in my right hand and offered the hilt of the other to her—it was something that, despite my nostalgic words, we had been using up until just three months ago.
It was an [Iron Straight Sword], price: exactly one thousand luuna.
My partner tilted her head, clearly confused. But I'm sorry to say, there was no grand 'intention' behind this.
Really, this was just something I felt like doing, and I wanted her to go along with it.
"No skills, except for the passive ones that activate automatically. No magic. Just this one weapon, and no special effects from armor or other equipment, got it?"
"Um, wait, Haru?"
"It's the continuation."
Yes, even though it was only a few months ago, it already felt so nostalgic—
"It's the continuation of 'that day.' I wanted to see my student's growth for myself."
"............"
That time when we only had eyes for each other.
That time when I tried to act cool and taught Sora the basics of the sword.
That time when we were both just completely lost in the fun of it all.
"................—Really."
"Yep."
I can tell she's bewildered.
I can tell she's troubled.
I can tell what she's thinking.
"...For real, then."
"Yep."
And I feel like I know what she's hiding behind that complicated smile.
"I'll be coming at you for real, so don't you dare get upset when you lose, okay?"
"Look at you, talking big now. I love it."
We were so close we could touch, a distance that could be reached with an outstretched hand.
A distance that was by no means appropriate for a sword fight—and yet, facing each other, without a moment's hesitation, we simultaneously,
""Haaah—!""
—unleashed the iron swords we each held and brought them crashing down upon each other with absolutely no mercy.
Sparks flew, steel screamed, and a 'force' incomparably greater than that of those days erupted—sending a resounding 'word' echoing across the lonely plain.