Chapter 530 - The Lady-in-Waiting
—And so, an hour after Helena-san and I coincidentally encountered each other on the beach.
"Ah, yes, that's it. That's exactly it. He's always, always intentionally playing the part of someone who just wings it. He's a sharp man, yet he pretends to be carefree."
"Ah, well, that's just role-playing, isn't it? The gap between when he's joking and when he's serious is just too wide… It's not quite 'playing the fool,' but something similar."
"It's a bad habit he had even before he set foot in the virtual world. The face he shows in his private life and at work are like two different people. He's always been like that… When I was a child, I never would have dreamed that my father was a responsible adult in a position like the head of a company."
"Hahaha… you mean he's even worse when he's only with family?"
"He is even worse. What little dignity he has shatters into a thousand pieces."
"Goldow…"
—And so on, and so forth.
Somehow, or rather, we just clicked in a strange way, and neither of us could stop talking. Right now, the hot topic was 'a daughter's complaints about her father,' but it wasn't like we'd been on that subject the entire time.
I talked about myself, she talked about herself, we talked about someone else… for some reason, the conversation never died down, and there was no end in sight.
It was already the dead of night. I knew I should probably head back and get some sleep, but,
"Still, it's a strange coincidence… or is that an exaggeration? It's possible my father might have crossed paths with yours at work somewhere."
"Nah… we might be in the same industry, but the scale and positions are too different. It's unlikely."
This time, the conversation shifted to the common ground between our fathers, and once again, we were poised to continue. It was Helena-san who brought it up this time, but in terms of who initiated the next topic, we were about even.
It wasn't quite that we 'got along,' but what was it?
The common ground between Helena-san's father, Goldow, and my father, Haruka Ayumu, was that they were both involved in the construction industry.
However, while my father is an architect at a small-to-medium-sized company, Goldow is the former head of one of the top five companies in the country. They're on completely different levels.
My father is an ordinary corporate warrior, incomparable to Helena-san, who once worked as his secretary. If they were spoken of in the same breath, his flea-sized heart would probably burst.
Of course, as his son, I genuinely respect him. A working man's back is a cool thing to see.
—And for some reason, my unusually loose tongue ended up saying all that, too. As expected, she gave me a fond smile, but I didn't mind.
"You respect your father, so does that mean you're interested in his work?"
"Nah… not really. I respect my mother just as much, after all."
"Then, is it flowers?"
"If I said yes, you'd think I was joking, right?"
Her follow-up question touched upon a typical university student's dilemma. I dodged her half-joking second question, and in return, I received a soft chuckle.
'Flowers' refers to flower arrangement, which is my mother, Haruka Rin's, profession.
Honestly, I've never had more than a 'parent's job' level of interest in either of them. In fact, to begin with…
"It's embarrassing to say, but I've never seriously thought about my future career path."
In middle school, I was a mental wreck. In high school, I was constantly dealing with that. And now, my university life is this. What was the 'dream for the future' I wrote about in elementary school?
I have a vague feeling it was something like 'I want to be like someone,' but I've forgotten.
"Realistically, what do you think? The idea of leaving the virtual world someday and becoming just some ordinary person… honestly, I feel like that's already going to be difficult…"
I'm not going to get sentimental now, and besides, looking back on things won't shake my now-stable mental state.
I'm probably imagining that Helena-san was watching me quietly for a few seconds.
"…You're right. We have already become 'someone,' recognized by ourselves and others. I wouldn't call it boring, but unlike the real world, which has a limited color palette—we've done so in the virtual world, which is overflowing with vibrant colors."
In my case, it's Yotsuya Development, but there's the realistic reason of money provided by sponsors, client companies, and other huge backers. On top of that, there's the mental reason of the constant fulfillment, both internal and external, that comes from succeeding in that world. These two reasons are gradually changing my heart.
Even if we rankers are exceptionally special, the change that Arcadia, the other world created by [Arcadia], has brought to the way people live is immense.
There are probably countless people, myself included, who feel they can't go back.
"I'm the same. Just between you and me… there are nights I can't sleep, wondering what will happen when this 'dream' finally comes to an end."
"…I see. So, I take it tonight was one of those nights?"
"Well, who can say?"
She played dumb, but she probably had no intention of hiding it. With a somewhat lonely expression and a sad dip of her brows, the [Lady-in-Waiting]—really, she was so unlike that 'Queen'—
For some reason, without hesitation, I decided to touch upon a sense of incongruity I'd been feeling for a while, and spoke without thinking whether it was rude or impolite.
"…The southern faction's strategist and the 'Princess's' right-hand woman, the 'Queen'—by any chance, was that a title Helena-san gave herself?"
"…………"
"Of course, I mean before it was recognized by others and became an official title… Not that you called yourself that, but more like you intentionally spread the moniker."
Her serene black eyes stared at me. We held each other's gaze for several seconds without blinking, with the gentle sound of the waves as our background music. Then, a sigh. And a smile.
"You have the face of an ordinary boy, but you are a frightening person."
"I'm not scary, I'm a harmless younger man."
After another joke, Helena-san suddenly sat down on the spot. It would probably be boorish to say, "You'll get sand on your clothes…"
"Why… is it even necessary to ask?"
Might as well, I thought, and sat down beside her. She waited for me before asking her question. It felt presumptuous to launch into a smug explanation of my reasoning right after being called scary, but…
If I was going to hesitate, the time for that was long past.
"Well, for one… Helena-san in the real world is quiet, but she has a gentle aura, a sense of humor, and she's a kind person. She's so different from the stoic [Lady-in-Waiting] in the virtual world in so many ways that it was pretty obvious it was role-playing."
The other reason was even simpler.
"And besides, you absolutely adore Alicia, don't you? Enough to orchestrate a get-together for the southern faction just to help a lonely princess make friends."
"…………"
Before we left for the trip, Alicia had mentioned that 'Helena originally planned it.' At the time, not yet knowing her true personality, I had found that odd.
That the sharp, intelligent, and seemingly embodiment-of-rationalism [Lady-in-Waiting] Helena would propose something as extroverted as a 'real-life offline meeting.'
In my mind, a scenario where Alicia made an unreasonable request and Helena struggled to accommodate it seemed more plausible. Or maybe Goldow had pulled some strings.
But after actually meeting her in person and speaking with her, I wasn't certain… but I thought there was a fifty-fifty chance.
"So, it was a choice between two possibilities: either you enjoy playing the queen role, or you snatched the role of queen for someone else's sake."
It was just a possibility. A gentle, intelligent, and considerate person—and from what I'd heard, someone deeply devoted to Alicia White. I just thought, as a playful guess, that there might be a story like that behind it all.
Which is why, when I first spoke, I was only at the 'maybe' stage, but…
"…………As for her expression, Alicia still has that artistically expressionless default face, even now."
"That's an incredibly rude thing to just come out and say."
"Three years ago… she wasn't as calm or composed as she is now. Her mysterious silence could be mistaken for 'unfriendliness,' and her icy beauty for 'intimidation.' The world just didn't know Iris well enough yet."
"…………"
I couldn't keep up the witty retorts, so I just listened in silence.
"She was worthy of the title [Sword Queen] even back then, but the people looking at her weren't ready. That's why… a substitute was needed. Someone to take on the image of a strict and sharp person in her place, title and all."
She affirmed my reasoning and continued to speak cheerfully, seemingly unconcerned.
Was she unconcerned for now, or had she been unconcerned even then? As a newcomer who had only just met her, I couldn't tell. But—
Just like that [Heavy Tank], who had offered thanks for his 'master' as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Perhaps I inherited it from my father. Fortunately, it seems I had a talent for acting as well—and I've found myself enjoying my other self more than I expected."
"…Wow, I just respect that whole relationship, honestly."
It seemed the 'loyal retainers' of the Southern Faction were, without a doubt, the real deal.
As I sat there, dumbfounded, thinking they were like modern-day knights, Helena, the sharp Queen of the South, showed me a gentle, soft expression with a natural smile.
"Haru-san."
"…Yes?"
From the atmosphere, I somehow knew what words were coming next, and my hesitation was audible in my voice. It was utterly pathetic, but I couldn't help it—
"Please continue to look after our princess from now on."
"…I-I shall do my utmost, staking my life upon it…"
Because the weight of expectation and responsibility in her words was so heavy that I could barely keep myself from crumbling into dust, body and soul.
Surely a 'knight' doesn't suit me, the [Acrobat].
I've pretty much written all the necessary events.