Chapter 509 - The Person Inside
Time marched on while I painstakingly tried to regain my composure after having my emotions completely short-circuited by a certain princess. Before I knew it, the day had reached the edge of evening.
Around dusk, which meant…
"—Hey, hey. It's been since the Four Pillar War, hasn't it? How've you been?"
"Ah… Can't complain, I guess."
"Haha, you say that. But you're always the star of the show whenever there's some kind of commotion."
Just as Alicia had said, it was time for one of the invited guests to arrive.
His hair was neatly styled and looked soft to the touch, and his large eyes held a boyish innocence. Both were a warm shade of brown, and though the color was different, my impression of him was the same as the last time we'd met: he was just like a 'puppy'—or he would have been, except…
"So, let's start over. It's nice to meet you, [Acrobat]-kun. Is it okay if I call you Haru?"
The eyes that met mine were nearly at the same height, and the outstretched hand I could take without a second thought was not that of a boy, but of a young man.
His voice, however, was just as boyish as it was in the virtual world… though it was a little high for a man.
"Please, call me whatever's easiest. As for you… what should I call you?"
"Uni is fine. Great to meet you, Haru—to be honest, I've really been wanting to meet you."
Even the hand I shook lacked the delicate feel of a boy's. All in all, the Southern Faction's second-ranked player, the 'little Heavy Tank' of the virtual world, was—
"…You seem pretty close to my age, so I'll just ask… how old are you?"
"Hm? I turned twenty-one last month."
"So you're three years older."
In the real world, he was older than me—a bona fide adult.
Well, for a game avatar, this should have been the norm. But in my case, my first, second, and third encounters had been with people who looked exactly or almost exactly like their online selves…
"So that makes you eighteen? Whoa, I had a feeling, but you really are young—oh, and don't bother with the formal speech now. We're old rivals who didn't hold back, after all."
"About that… I was quite the handful back then…"
"Eh? Ah, hahaha! That trick attack of yours completely got me. We didn't have anyone in Istia who fought like that, so I was totally off guard."
"It was fun, so don't worry about it," he said, and it seemed he wasn't holding a grudge. I'd figured the possibility was next to zero from the start, but seeing his genuinely carefree smile was a relief.
—And then…
"Uni."
After getting a message from Alicia that he'd 'arrived,' the four of us had gone to the entrance to greet him. He'd immediately approached me the moment he saw my face, showing his interest. He must have been waiting for my first contact with the [Acrobat] to conclude.
Now that we'd reached a stopping point, our host, who had been hanging back, stepped up beside him and spoke his name.
"Heya, Iris. I'm here for my annual visit."
"Mm. Use the kitchen as you like."
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver every year. Well, you can expect some great food in return. As always, I'll take as many requests as you want."
"Okay. I'm looking forward to it."
They were the two oldest members of their faction, both top-rankers. From the outside, it was a casual, easy exchange between two people who knew each other well. That's what I thought as I watched, but for a split second, a complex expression flickered across Uni's face. What kind of emotion could have caused that?
At the very least, it didn't look like anything negative.
But I didn't know him well enough to read any deeper… so I figured it was best not to worry about what I couldn't understand.
"Now then—are you two young ladies Haru's 'partner' and [Milmarinus], I take it?"
As Uni's interest shifted to the two girls standing stiffly behind Alicia, I stepped aside to get out of his way and put a stop to my useless thoughts.
Sora was a little nervous, and Nia was very nervous. Though both seemed a bit tense, Sora's expression appeared slightly more relaxed.
Alicia had told everyone about Nia's 'voice' situation beforehand, so she was probably just nervous about meeting someone new face-to-face.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sora. It's an honor, Uni-san."
'A pleasure to meet you. I'm Nia. Nice to meet you.'
"Right back at you both—in the real world, that is. We've met plenty of times in the virtual world, haven't we, Nia-san? Why are you more nervous than Sora-chan?"
'Shut up. I've never been to an offline meetup befoooore.'
"Haha, what's with that? Oh well. It's nice to meet you both."
He was, for lack of a better word, a man who smiled without a hint of malice. For his height, he had a rather boyish face, giving him a unique atmosphere that was a perfect blend of childlike and mature.
Nia's nervousness could be chalked up to real-world shyness. Sora's composure, on the other hand, was likely a product of her experience—a skill she'd developed as the heiress of the Yotsuya family. In that sense… it might have been a kind of self-defense mechanism, even if she didn't see it as a guard.
In the end, neither of their nerves lasted more than thirty seconds.
What I'm trying to say is that his ability—or rather, his talent—for effortlessly easing their tension with just a word or two and a smile was truly remarkable.
"Anyway, I'm tired from the long trip, so I'm going to rest a bit. Is my room the usual one?"
"Mm. Up the stairs, third room on the right."
"Okay. Well then, I'll be excusing myself. Oh, and if any of you have food you dislike, let me know later. I'll take requests for things you want to eat from anyone, not just Iris."
With that crisp farewell, Uni left us with a wink that suited him ridiculously well and a wave, then headed off towards his room.
Just as they'd both said "as always," it was clearly a familiar relationship and a familiar situation for them. While Alicia stood there with a composed look that said, "This is perfectly normal,"…
"I don't know… He's definitely a good guy, like, his 'good person' aura is on full blast, but…"
'I get it. There's just… something about him. An eccentricity oozing out.'
"I don't think Uni would want to hear that from you two."
"Ah, haha…"
Nia and I offered our rather rude, unsolicited opinions as we watched the back of the adult man, so different from his virtual avatar.
Then came a sharp, deadpan retort from Alicia, and a customary troubled smile from Sora. Well, anyone who'd earned a spot in the top forty of the virtual world was bound to be eccentric in some way, big or small…
"Alright, I'll go tell him later that I can't stand seaweed."
'I can't do natto.'
"…………"
"Sora, is there anything you dislike?"
"Um… it's not that I can't eat them, but I'm not a big fan of mushrooms…"
"…What a coincidence. I also dislike them, just a little."
In any case, I was happy to welcome someone who seemed like we could get along with and have fun together.
According to our temporary instructor, Alicia, I'd have more free time than I expected. I figured I might as well actively seek him out for a chat when I was bored.
Sora-san… especially dislikes shiitake, enoki, and button mushrooms. It's not that she can't eat them.
Alicia… generally just 'dislikes' them. However, she will absolutely not eat nameko mushrooms. Death.