Chapter 516 - 4 vs. ④
"—My, what can I say… they seem to be having fun."
After watching the boisterous exchange among the men for a while, the one who murmured was the eldest of the women, Helena the [Lady-in-Waiting].
It wasn't just the subtle differences in her facial features. From her voice to her very presence, she was different from the “Queen of the Southern Faction” in the virtual world; the aura she carried was gentle.
Aside from Iris, who knew both sides of her well, Sora and Nia, who were meeting her for the first time in reality, seemed a little perplexed by her demeanor.
I hope they can warm up to her—I offered a small prayer in my heart.
"With a 'normal boy' joining the group, it might be easier for them to be more boisterous than usual."
I recalled the state of last year's “trip,” which had been comparatively calmer. As I picked up her words and replied, Helena offered a small, sincere smile as if in understanding.
"Special in his normality… I see. He certainly is a rare type for a ranker."
I wouldn't go so far as to say they are all eccentrics, but those who deviate from the norm and rise through the ranks in that world tend to have their quirks, big or small. A person like Haru the [Acrobat], who is, for the most part, a normal person in his thinking, is in fact a very precious existence.
Well, again, for the most part.
"Haru is Haru, though. He's not exactly normal in his own way, you know."
"Well, that's to be expected. A simple, normal boy wouldn't be able to boldly show his face to the entire world and throw down the gauntlet to the [Sword Queen]."
"It was cool."
"Fufu, I doubt you were thinking that at the time, were you?"
"…I don't know. It feels like so long ago now."
Every time I recall it, the scene from that day grows more brilliant. With each passing day, with every time we meet, with every word we exchange—with every moment I fall more in love with him.
My feelings grew so large so quickly that perhaps I can no longer clearly remember the emotions I felt back when I wasn't paying attention to that brilliance.
"…………At first, I was certainly bewildered."
Perhaps my voice, tinged with burgeoning emotion, gave something away. Helena gazed intently at Iris, then let her cheeks soften into another smile.
"I'm so glad you were able to fall in love, Iris. Looking at you now, my heart no longer aches—but well, now is now, and…"
Her brow furrowed in a troubled manner, her expression shifting to a wry smile as her gaze turned to them.
"It seems your difficult trials are far from over."
The two girls standing beside the girl she was meant to protect as the faction's leader.
"I never thought my first love would involve the ‘threads’ getting so frayed and tangled either."
In many ways, they were in the same boat. Gazing at her two love rivals, who she sensed were also experiencing their first love, Iris returned a simple agreement.
"This too, is, how should I put it… once again, a very peculiar situation."
"………………"
"Ahaha…"
Listening to the conversation between what was effectively a master and servant, the two girls who had been fidgeting as the topic shifted gave, unsurprisingly, a rather awkward response.
Nia averted her gaze awkwardly, while Sora laughed, at a loss for what to say. Including Iris, none of them could dispute Helena's words.
Not only was it a situation where three people simultaneously harbored feelings for one man, but on top of that, there was the even more abnormal state of affairs where none of the three could bring themselves to feel hostility toward the others.
To be honest, Iris was starting to get a little troubled herself—she just didn't know what kind of stance to take with them anymore.
"…………Sora and Nia are both very good girls."
I'm not sure what I was trying to say myself… but as Iris tried to gather her thoughts, a single, soft sentiment slipped from her lips.
It was a statement spoken almost without intention. Iris herself was surprised by what she'd suddenly said, so it was no wonder that the other two girls wore matching expressions of “Huh?”
But well, this was a good opportunity.
Sooner or later, they would need a time and place to make their intentions clear to one another.
"Yes… that's right. Sora's purity, Nia's earnestness, they're both so wonderful and charming. They're supposed to be my rivals, yet I find the devoted feelings they have for Haru to be so precious."
"…It's almost as if you're acknowledging and cheering for your love rivals."
As I laid bare my honest feelings about the two of them, Helena offered a somewhat exasperated comment—but it couldn't be helped.
That was because it was the truth. In other words,
"—I might think of you two as ‘precious.’"
The moment I said it aloud, the word seemed to settle perfectly into my chest.
"I love you, Sora and Nia."
"—………………Heh, eh…!?"
Whoa whoa whoa, stop! What is this all of a sudden? Where is this conversation going!?
Struck by the sudden “confession,” the two girls, who were of the same gender, blushed as if a fire had been lit within them. Thinking “how cute” in a detached sort of way, the invincible princess continued on, having come to her own conclusion.
"Because I, too, see you both through Haru's eyes. It's only natural for me to cherish the people my beloved holds dearer than anyone else in the world."
"Wha, heh, aeh…?”
Hey, Sora-chan, what is this situation???
"I-I don't know…!"
Though a different breed from the boisterous men at the other table, the women's table had suddenly started hurtling in a completely different direction. Two were terrified, one was bewildered, but the one who serenely went her own way continued on, fully aware of their agitation but unstopping.
"So, yes—no matter how tangled our relationship becomes, I will likely… never come to dislike either of you. You are precious to someone precious to me."
Of course, the fact that she personally felt affection for them only strengthened that—and so, having reached her own conclusion, her own understanding, and her own satisfaction, Iris stood apart from the others.
"Eh…?"
"…………"
Having been bombarded with words like “love,” “dear,” and “precious” by the [Sword Queen], the two girls were left speechless, flushed with a heat they couldn't place.
"…Haaah. She truly is one of the Whites, this girl."
The [Lady-in-Waiting], who knew the nature of the famous family well, let out a great, exasperated sigh—and yet, as if she found it all amusing, a faint smile touched her lips.
The women's side. The [White] Family—a family of connoisseurs. Or perhaps, a demonic family that charms all, regardless of race or gender.