Chapter 523 - Disguise
"—...Ah, um, good morning!"
"Well now, you're up early. Good morning, Sora-chan."
It was before six in the morning. Having turned down the travel-happy old man's invitation two hours prior, Uni was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when the first person to show her face was the youngest, a black-haired girl.
Compared to yesterday's 'quintessential' young lady look, her simple blouse and skirt gave off a slightly more casual impression—but even so, her natural 'elegance' couldn't be hidden.
One could only wonder which noble family she hailed from... but then again, in a world like Arcadia, which demanded a three-million-yen invitation ticket as a minimum requirement, children of celebrities and other such individuals were hardly a rarity.
It wasn't enough to pique his interest beyond simple amusement. What was more concerning than her background was the fact that she remained, seemingly wanting to say something even after their morning greetings were done.
"Is something wrong?"
She was a girl six years his junior. Though he was often told he had a baby face, as a grown man, he made an effort to ask gently so as not to frighten her.
In response, the girl—who seemed not so much shy as someone who was so considerate of everyone that she became overly reserved around unfamiliar people—let her expression flicker with obvious anxiety, before...
"U-Um... —Please let me help...!"
...she bowed her head, looking as if she had just mustered up every ounce of her courage.
Seeing this, Uni understood that the 'threat' Iris had tossed out yesterday was still very much alive in her mind... and let out a small sigh.
"Okay, I'd be happy to have your help. Let's clear up your misunderstanding while we're at it, just like I did with your partner."
He had already confirmed her skill when she had proactively helped with the cleanup yesterday.
He would take this communication opportunity that had come to him to deepen their friendship and completely dispel the unfortunate image of the 'scary older brother.'
◇◆◇◆◇
"—And so, today's breakfast is presented by Sora-chan. It's a home-cooked meal from a girl, so you boys in particular better savor it."
"""Yeah!"""
After six o'clock, with the morning's prime fishing time past sunrise now over, the fish had become less responsive. We'd cast our lines for another hour or so, with me continuing to be the only one racking up a catch, before we packed it in and headed back to the villa. What awaited us was the indescribable aroma of a Japanese morning.
"Um, I only helped out later, so..."
"She says with such modesty, but all I'd done beforehand was wash the rice, so she was the main one who handled everything from the menu onwards."
"""Yeah!"""
"P-Please don't raise the bar so high...!"
All eyes, including ours—the group of boys—and everyone else who had gathered from inside and out, were fixed on one spot. Sora-san, who had apparently produced this modest yet impressively atmospheric traditional Japanese breakfast, was shrinking in her seat next to me with embarrassment...
But there was no way the people here, all of whom were her seniors, wouldn't praise a fifteen-year-old girl who had woken up early to diligently make breakfast for everyone, right?
"So Sora was truly Sora-san after all..."
Starting with me, of course.
I managed to swallow the cliché yet highly explosive comment, 'She'll make a great wife,' that almost escaped my lips, given both her accomplishment and the situation.
"To be able to do this at her age is incredible... She's going to make a fine wife, this one."
But Gossan picked up that sentiment in my stead, kicking off a torrent of praise from all the older members—that is, everyone except Sora.
"No joke, her skill is good enough to open a restaurant. It was the right call to entrust it to her instead of having her just be an assistant."
"...If even Uni says so, then it must be the real deal. I am not particularly skilled in this area myself, so perhaps I should learn from her as a fellow woman."
"If Mom saw this, she'd be thrilled and call her a little Yamato Nadeshiko..."
"...This is... something I can't quite compete with."
'See? What did I tell you? Sora-chan is too strong, it's not fair, not fair.'
I have no idea what Nia was saying at the end there, but Sora-san, bathed in a flood of praise that was 99.9% positive, was...
"Uu... I-I'm honored..."
...shrinking with embarrassment, though she didn't seem entirely displeased.
"—Now then. There's somethin' I've been wantin' to ask for a while..."
As we enjoyed a breakfast so good I couldn't help but praise it to the heavens, wondering what fancy restaurant it came from, Gossan, who was eating with a surprising slowness and care that belied his large frame, spoke up.
His gaze was directed at—the princess, who had already finished her meal, having torn through the other seven of us, though at a slower pace than usual, perhaps because she was carefully savoring the first-time home-cooked meal.
Hmm? I tilted my head, wondering what he was on about...
"Ah... yeah, that. If it's okay to ask, I've been wanting to since yesterday too."
"Yes... knowing Iris, there must be a reason for it, I'm sure."
The two from her faction followed up as if they knew what was going on, and Irori, too, wasn't tilting his head in confusion like me, but was calmly sipping his miso soup with a composed look.
Judging by how he'd just asked for seconds, it seemed my partner's Japanese cuisine had easily impressed the Blonde Samurai's palate.
Anyway, he must have been 'confirming' something by gauging Ashe's reaction. The three of us—me, Sora, and Nia... no, even Sora and Nia looked like they had a faint idea of where this was going. Leaving just me in the dark...
Gossan, having received unspoken permission to ask, opened his mouth.
"Why are you still in disguise when you're on vacation with just us?"
"...Hm."
Ashe, who had been relaxing with some post-meal tea, gave a complicated reaction that was hard to read, but my mind was a canvas of question marks.
Disguise? What? The mysterious word that came from the General Commander made me look at her again, but there she was, in a simple shirt and pants combo just like yesterday, with her long black hair swaying—her usual self.
"...Um, Haru. I hope this isn't the case, but."
My partner next to me must have noticed my confused head-tilting, and called out to me.
"Have you... never once looked up Iris-san—Alicia White-san...?"
"Eh, of course I have, I'm not that..."
"About the real-world Alicia-san, I mean."
I haven't. The moment I shook my head, I was hit by what felt like six stares of utter disbelief.
I mean, come on! No matter how famous she is, searching up an 'acquaintance' online feels kind of rude and a little creepy, doesn't it?!
"You see, Haru, Iris-san has appeared in the media for interviews and things in the real world, and—"
"Sora, I'll take it from here."
Iris cut off my partner's big reveal and raised her left hand.
On her slender white wrist, a simple object gave off a faint shine—come to think of it, it was a silver bracelet I had never seen her without in the real world.
"As for 'why'... there's no particularly grand reason for it..."
It was an extremely simple, unadorned bangle. The moment Ashe undid it with an audible click,
"—...Huh???"
Like the sky whitening at sunrise, or as if a spell had been broken.
Her black hair turned to white... a white similar to her blue-silver in the virtual world, shining with a brilliant purity. As I stood there, stunned by this display of magic...
"Half the reason was... I suppose I simply missed the timing to show you."
Her garnet eyes, which had also changed color from black, were staring at me.