Chapter 528 - Iris and Sora
"Keep your eyes straight ahead. Focus on the target."
"S-Sorry…"
"Don't tense up. Just focus a little on keeping your elbow steady."
"Yes…!"
"There's no need to feel pressured. No need to be nervous. It's just like throwing a paper airplane."
"A paper airplane…!"
"Exactly. It's just a simple game. So relax… and, now."
"Hh…!"
Following her instructor's gentle and thorough guidance, Sora relaxed her right arm and swung. As her arm moved from the elbow, she kept the 'paper airplane' analogy in mind and let the dart fly…
"Ah… amazing."
It was pure beginner's luck. Her first throw ever, while not particularly forceful, drew a perfect parabola and stuck right in the center of the dartboard.
Surprised at her own success, the girl couldn't help but murmur in awe—
"Nicely done. Very good."
"Eek…!? U-Um, you see…!"
Spoken at point-blank range, almost directly into her ear, the quiet voice sent a tickle across her skin and through her hair. Finally reaching her limit, Sora let out a yelp and squirmed away.
"T-Too close…! You're really, really close, please forgive me…!"
"…Sora, your face is beet red."
"That's your fault, Iris-san…!"
In a corner of the spacious recreation room, which felt nothing like a basement, they were far removed from the rowdy shouts of the men. It had been about ten minutes since Iris, noticing Sora's interest in the professional dart set, had offered to teach her.
Iris, who apparently played as a personal hobby, was knowledgeable, and her coaching was wonderfully easy to understand. The problem… was her sense of personal space.
"The first time is the most important. If you can cement a successful experience with the ideal form, you can build your foundation along with your confidence—"
"I heard you, I get it…! Thank you so much…!"
Iris's arms were wrapped around her without a hint of restraint; it was practically an embrace. Her presence was close, her voice was close, and if Sora turned her head, she'd be face-to-face with a beauty so staggering it could make her dizzy.
At this level, gender was a triviality. She was being driven mad by this white-haired enchantress. Heeding the alarm bells ringing in her confused mind, she tried to create some distance, only to see Iris's garnet eyes blink in surprise…
"…I knew it. You two really are alike. You both have such cute reactions."
"Y-You're one to talk…! You were teasing me, weren't you!?"
She protested to the white-haired princess, who let out a soft chuckle, but it was sadly having no effect. Sora couldn't, for the life of her, imagine a future where she could break that composure.
This was a real problem. The more she got to know her, the more she felt she couldn't possibly win.
She had no intention of losing, nor would she ever admit defeat. And yet, that fighting spirit alone would never be enough to secure a victory.
To capture a partner as a woman, she needed to surpass her in at least one area—in charm, she had to beat this invincible princess.
The task felt so immense it made her dizzy, but she wasn't in a position to complain.
And that is why—
"…Heh heh… care for a match? I'll give you a handicap."
"Hah! I-I'd love nothing more…!"
She was being toyed with, but she had no time to be flustered.
—Twenty minutes later.
"Uuuuugh…!!!"
"…Sora, I'm not just being nice, you put up an amazing fight. For a beginner, that was a shocking score. You don't need to be so down."
"A loss is a loss…!"
"R-Right… yes, I suppose…"
Shaking with the frustration of her spectacular defeat, the loser was being comforted, somewhat hesitantly, by a winner who, for a remarkably rare change, seemed a little flustered herself.
She had called them two of a kind, but now a suspicion arose that the girl might be even more competitive than her partner. The sight of it was enough to make the one and only Alicia White show a flicker of unease.
And then,
"Hey Sora-chan, Sora-chan, wanna play me next? We're both beginners, but I'm confident I'll get totally crushed. I'm willing to swallow my pride and ask for a handicap, even."
"Just as Iris said, I was also surprised watching you. I heard you weren't very athletic, but perhaps this is a hidden talent?"
Having amiably watched the communication between the two lovely girls, the two older women stepped in to offer their support, and in an instant, the 'Console the Youngest' committee was formed.
The result was an overwhelming sense of shame blooming in the young girl's chest.
Why am I being so childish and sulky? Sora immediately cringed, composing her face into a comically prim expression… which, in the eyes of the older women, only made her seem all the more 'adorable.' That the other three had to hold back their fond smiles is another story.
In any case—
"Um… that was fun, so I'm going to practice. Please let me have a rematch someday."
"Of course. I'll look forward to it."
If she could at least fix her expression, her feelings would eventually follow. To be honest, her mind had been in turmoil because there was just one little thing that had been bothering her, and that, combined with an undeniable sense of impatience, had sent her emotions spiraling.
And it was all because, ever since their 'study session' after lunch, her partner (Haru) had been acting incredibly, deliberately cheerful, as if to hide something.
In other words, it was all his fault. She decided to spin that flimsy excuse into a pretext to be pampered later.
"Nia-san, if you're interested, shall I teach you?"
"Oh, what should I do? Maybe I'll take you up on that?"
"Leave it to me. I was the one who originally taught Iris how to play darts—though I was quite astonished when it became a full-blown 'hobby' for her and she surpassed my skill in less than a year."
"Oh, wow."
While Sora was composing herself, Nia and Helena paired up and started a new game of darts, as if trading places. Then, Iris sidled up to her again…
"She's a former professional darts player, you know."
"Huh…!?"
The casually uttered words made her let out a bewildered yelp.
"She was active for a few years, then quit for various reasons. Despite what she says, if she weren't just playing for fun, I wouldn't stand a chance against her."
This unexpected revelation made Sora do a beautiful double-take. She turned her gaze in astonishment toward the woman who, like a reenactment of their own session moments ago, was now sticking close to Nia and coaching her.
Now that it was mentioned—or rather, now that she pictured it—if Helena herself were to hold a dart with that sharp, cool expression of hers, it would surely 'suit' her perfectly.
As a girl who tended to admire 'cool women,' Sora's favorability rating for Helena suddenly skyrocketed. Iris watched for a moment with a fond smile as Sora began to stare at the woman with sparkling eyes, before—
"Sora. I'd like to talk with you for a bit, if that's alright."
"Hweh…? Y-Yes, ah, of course! What is it?"
Iris gestured toward a nearby bench as she abruptly changed the subject.
Sora followed her gaze and saw that Iris's relaxed, playful mood from before had shifted… to something a little more serious.
A prickle of caution.
Because, they were, in effect, rivals in love. No matter how friendly they were, that incredibly delicate relationship remained unchanged.
On top of that, Sora still hadn't performed her 'penance' with Iris like she had with Nia. She had planned to get it over with last night, but an unscheduled, forced session of atonement in the form of a body pillow had thrown her plans off course.
Thus, Sora had a reason to tremble when told 'we need to talk' with a serious face.
Thus, tremble and be wary as she might, Sora had no option to refuse.
Thus, the young girl was led by her rival and sat obediently on the bench—
"So, um… what did you want to talk about?"
"Mm. About you, as a magic swordsman."
"Yes—… huh?"
"To put it simply, I want to know what you're doing and how you're controlling that ridiculously unconventional 'Anima' of yours. I've been wanting to ask you about it in detail for a long time."
"Um… huh?"
"To be honest, I'm terrible at external control via thought manipulation. I can do it, but it's very imprecise. And… Sora, of all the players I've met, you have exceptionally precise external control skills, so I was hoping you could tell me if you have any personal tricks."
"…………"
What came pouring from Iris's lips was, no matter how she looked at it, all about the game. Sora never knew what to expect, but…
"Honestly, I've rewatched the footage from the subjugation battle many times just to see you. It's frustrating to admit, but—your magic swordsman is incredibly cool."
"………………………Eh…?"
Why was the [Sword Queen] herself suddenly asking her for lessons?
"The truth is, I wanted to do something like that, too."
"Eh… Um, eh…………"
Why was she, without any warning, being looked at with such admiration by the one and only [Iris]?
"If I could, I'd want to trade my 'sword' for your 'sword.'"
"I think that would be a bad idea for a whole lot of reasons, really."
Alicia White was known for her glass-like, expressionless face… and yet, right now.
Deep within her garnet eyes, which seemed to sparkle just a little, Sora could see a phantom vision of an expression so utterly innocent, it made her think that Iris was the one who was just like 'him'—
"…………You're both so unfair, you know that?"
"…?"
Having earned a sigh from someone younger, the older girl could only tilt her head like a child.
Fundamentally, within the story, she is a fantasy (Arcadia) geek without peer.
—Bonus: 'Iris and Helena, Three Years Ago'—
"…Helena, you're too close."
"The first time is the most important. If you can cement an ideal successful experience with the ideal form, it will lead to 'later' as you solidify the correct foundation along with your confidence."
"I understand, but."
"Then, once more. It wouldn't be strange for someone like you to be able to hit a white horse while humming a tune. I look forward to your future."
"A white horse…?"
"Iris, eyes straight ahead."
"…Mm."