Chapter 515 - 4 vs. 4
"Alright, now that we've all been properly introduced—a toast."
"""Cheers!"""
Following the extremely quiet lead of our host, the ones who filled the room with boisterous voices were the three men: the particularly high-spirited Goldow, myself, and Uni.
Sora-san, the very embodiment of grace; Nia, who grows quieter the more people there are; and Helena-san, who I couldn't imagine ever letting loose and causing a ruckus—the women raised their glasses with their own respective expressions, joining in demurely.
As for Irori, who had separated himself from the circle of guys, he responded with a calm "Cheers," a refreshing smile gracing his handsome face, his voice just as smooth. Damn pretty boy.
In any case, with all the invited guests gathered together, the curtain had officially risen on our “trip.”
In the lounge that had once again become our party venue, the table was laden with an endless, diverse festival of dishes that stimulated both curiosity and appetite. From classic, orthodox cuisine to eccentric, original creations, there would be no shortage of things to accompany our drinks or conversation.
Though we were meeting for the first time in real life, everyone here had shared intense moments with someone else in the context of the “battlefield.”
Even the sole exception, the artisan Nia, seemed to have met everyone in the virtual world… so while the degree varied, it didn't seem like anyone in the assembled group felt any major tension.
—So, for now.
"Here you go, Goldow. As promised, I shall fulfill my duty."
"Oh, much appreciated."
Seeing the General Commander down his glass of wine the moment we toasted, I grabbed a bottle and slid over to his side. The setup allowed for either standing or sitting, but he had already taken a seat and settled in…
"Hmm, in that case, it's not quite ‘pouring a drink,’ but—"
I stood diagonally to the right of his seat, held the bottom of the bottle with my right hand, and tilted it smoothly toward his empty glass. The key was to maintain good posture and look as cool as possible.
"Well now…? You look surprisingly skilled at that."
"I am honored by your praise."
After finishing the pour, I raised the bottle and, fully committing to the “role,” replied with a shamelessly cool, straight face. He returned it with a single, amused grin.
It was just some impromptu foolery, but I was glad the “customer” seemed to approve. It appears the skills I cultivated during my time as a part-time warrior haven't faded yet.
I wasn't in a waiter's uniform but my own plain clothes, but I hope he'll forgive that—
"What's with that? Where'd you learn that trick?"
"Part-time job in high school. Worked at a kinda fancy restaurant where they drilled all sorts of things into me."
I gave a simple answer to Uni, who had come over, amused.
"High school… which means…"
"Oh, he's an eighteen-year-old college freshman. So young, right?"
Irori casually joined in, and a conversation table of four guys was formed in an instant.
"Heh… I should probably ask, but is it okay?"
"My age? Yeah, whatever."
Irori was probably checking if it was okay that Uni had just casually leaked my personal info, to which I gave an equally casual, "Don't mind me."
He had already asked me beforehand while I was helping in the kitchen, “Is that info okay to share?” and besides, anyone could tell just by looking.
"I see… eighteen. Three years younger than me, huh."
"Wait, weren't you twenty?"
"I was, until about half a month ago. My birthday's in May."
"Oh, huh… I see… interesting…?"
I questioned the discrepancy with the profile I'd looked up online once, and the answer was extremely simple and clear. I obviously hadn't touched that kind of personal information.
Wait, should I? Get him a birthday present or something. He has helped me out a lot in total…
"…I know exactly what you're thinking, but don't get any weird ideas. It's creepy."
"You're one to talk. Keep thoughts like that to yourself, will you?"
"If I don't say it out loud, I'm afraid you'll go off the rails in some weird way."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. If you're going to be so blunt about that, be blunt about your scheming and whatnot too. I'm never letting myself get played by you again."
"Hah, rich coming from the guy who thoughtlessly throws the whole world into chaos just by being himself."
"Says the guy who had a hand or two in starting that whole mess in the first place???"
And so, as we continued to trade one light jab after another,
"—I've thought this ever since that time you got played, but you two get along really well."
"Of course they do. These two were already getting along the same day they beat each other up."
Hearing these unsolicited opinions from the sidelines was making me uncomfortable, so I decided to sheathe my sword for now. To be honest, I'm aware that we get along pretty well, but it's just plain embarrassing when other people point it out.
"Ahem… anyway."
"Oh, he's blushing."
"You're kinda like that in the virtual world too, y'know. Got a cute side to ya, or somethin'—"
"AN-Y-WAY."
I forcefully brushed off the teasing, but the two older guys just cackled at me—wait, that makes me the second youngest in this group.
I knew it already, but at eighteen, I'm a total novice by Arcadia's standards…
"It's a bit late to be asking this now that we're all here, but… I get Goldow being here because of Helena-san, but how did you end up getting invited to a Southern Faction retreat, Irori?"
I just let it slide when I first heard he was coming, but now that we're face to face, it feels a bit unexpected… well, it's just my own personal image of him.
For some reason, I'd always thought that despite Irori's sociable exterior, he wasn't the type to be interested in this kind of gathering.
"Oh, that's simple. I invited him. Been doing it since last year."
The answer came quickly from Goldow, who had already drained his glass again.
"He's calmed down a fair bit now, but not too long ago—especially for a while after he first became a ranker—he was so reckless it made me worry just watchin' him."
"That's enough of the exposé. Don't go talking about people however you please."
"Whoa, there…!"
Just then, Irori reached out from the side, snatched the bottle from my hand, and began sloppily refilling the General Commander's glass.
I almost laughed at his method of silencing him, but seeing Goldow hastily steadying his glass from the rough pour, it seemed to be effective enough.
Well, I get the gist of it.
"You invited him out for a change of pace, something like that?"
"…And you don't need to read into it. Just leave me alone."
What's the big deal? A boss who looks out for you is a rare find. You should treasure him.
It was a rare sight, or maybe not so rare. I glanced at Irori's uncomfortable expression and briefly considered whether to press on or back off—
"—Geh, hey, you! Who lets out killing intent in the middle of a party?! Don't scare me like that!"
"My apologies. It seems we have a junior here who doesn't know how to treat his senpai properly, you see?"
"What do you mean, killing intent? Can you stop casually using your game skills in real life?"
"The kid who can sense it is just as nuts. Looks like your sharp senses are alive and well over here, too."
"Anyway, you guys really do get along. You should both treasure such a priceless friend—whoa, that's some amazing synchronization. Is it possible to make the exact same face at the same time?"
"I'm jealous. A male friend you can be completely yourself with is a surprisingly rare thing."
"Hey, hey, knock it off! Stop teasing us like that, it's making my skin crawl!"
"Indeed. Don't use this as an opportunity to mock us."
Well, that's that.
The direction of the conversation was incredibly frustrating and embarrassing, but—I'm grateful that it seems we can get along just fine in the real world, too.
For the next week, it looks like there won't be a dull moment.
First up, the men's side. In my personal opinion, at mixed-gender gatherings, the men tend to proactively stick together in same-sex groups. If you disagree, please keep it to yourself.