Chapter 555 - Behind the Glamour
"—Alright, then. And with that, I'd like to begin the interrogation of the 'defendant'~"
"I object—"
"No objection here~"
"None."
"Uh, um... yeah. None, I guess...?"
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the most intense battle of his life. This was the morning after the day he had spectacularly conquered the [Shadow-Infested Arena].
I'd planned on coming over anyway, but after receiving what was essentially a summons, I showed up at the Shijo residence only to find myself in this mess. Pinned on both sides by the childhood friend duo, Toshiki and Shoko, my escape route mysteriously blocked, I was being cornered by the full assembly of my friends.
My attempted objection wasn't even considered; it was met with a deadly serious and unanimous dismissal.
Currently, about two hours had passed since we'd all gathered—which meant they had already watched the source footage of my 'latest work' on repeat, over and over, in the 'workshop'.
Well, since the combat speed was so insane from start to finish, the video itself was short. It was the kind of thing you could get through quickly... however.
"Okay, I'm just gonna get straight to the heart of the matter... Um, hey. You two aren't actually dating, right? You're still in the 'making your move' phase, something like that, right???"
While it might have been short in length, the content was clearly not something they could just skim over. Envisioning the impending avalanche of questions, I let out a simultaneous sigh and wry smile. That's where you're starting?
It was a big, theatrical sigh. I let a faint glimmer of hope show, a silent plea for them to spare me—and yeah, no, of course not. I knew it was useless.
"Well, I mean, it's just..."
"I was thinking this during the [White Throne] fight too, but aren't you two a little too in sync? I mean, your partner is on another level too, but you've literally been together since you started the game, so that makes sense... but how long has it been since you met the Princess?"
"Umm... I first met her at the end of April, during the Four Pillar War, so... about a month and a half, I guess."
"And you haven't been spending every waking moment together during that time, right?"
"Well..."
I gave a vague answer, unable to mention that we lived in the same building.
Still, A-she is a busy person, so it's not like we've been spending every waking moment together since I moved in. So technically, I'm not lying.
Reality aside, the number of times we've met up in the virtual world can still be counted on two hands. Reality aside.
If I told them we eat dinner together every night... I don't even want to imagine what would happen.
At the very least, Shoko, who had taken the lead in grilling me, would become even more unmanageable. I decided to keep my mouth shut for risk management's sake.
"You know, it's fine. I kind of figured the Princess was the type to go all-in with a super direct, full-steam-ahead approach, so that's fine. I was shocked that she was so aggressive even with the recording on, and it was so cute and precious that I almost died from the sheer wholesomeness of it all, but it's fine."
"You're talking faster than I've ever heard you, Shoko-san."
Also, if you're going to play the role of interrogator, I wish you'd stand in front of me instead of right next to me. Why do I have to take all these questions in just my right ear?
"That part is fine, okay! It's the teamwork!! You guys are way too in sync, it's insane! What is it?! Are you already at the point where you can read each other's minds?! Huh?! Are you, like, destined for each other?! Are you!!? Tell me!!!"
"Hey, Toshiki. Your childhood friend is bugging out harder than ever. Do something."
"Shoko's pretty much always like this when it comes to real romance. Just give up and spill it."
"Dammit, you're on their side too...!"
It felt like she was about to grab me by the collar. Before I suffered any more unwarranted damage, I figured I should string together some excuses—at least, ones I was allowed to talk about—to placate her raging spirit.
"Th-The teamwork thing is... we're just similar types, I guess? Our fundamental 'playstyles' are exactly the same, so we can kind of guess what the other person is going to do."
"Similar types?"
"The 'go all out and do whatever you want' type."
"Ahhh..."
I answered the question Mizuki had interjected from the side, and next to her, Kaede let out a sound of understanding. This wasn't some excuse; it was an indisputable fact, so I needed them to accept it, just as she had.
It's a different kind of telepathy than what I have with Sora... How do I put it? It's like, I know I'd want to do a certain thing in a certain situation, so I can be pretty much certain that A-she will do the same.
The reverse is also true. The reason she can match my movements so perfectly is probably for the same reason.
...Of course, I'll keep it a secret that we've been having frequent late-night bonding sessions centered around analog (and digital) games.
After getting completely destroyed in versus games the first and second time, we've switched to co-op play and have been getting along great. That might have something to do with our improved teamwork.
Although, our neighbor from the other side has been dropping in to play recently, too.
"Oooh... right, ahh, so that's how it is... Hmmm, oh wow, I kinda... kinda really like that... Damn, I can totally ship that..."
"Hey, childhood friend."
"Shoko's pretty much always like this when it comes to real romance. Just give up and spill everything."
"Stop using canned responses. And I'm not trying to run away, so don't grab my arm."
It wasn't like she was seriously restraining me, so a light tap was all it took to brush her hand away. I slipped out from between the pair and retreated to my own work chair.
Even though I'm the one being supported, I'm still part of the group, so the Shijo family has been kind enough to set up a desk for me in their workshop. I hardly ever have a chance to touch it, and I doubt I'll ever use it in the future... but well, I'm genuinely happy about it.
This, too, is a place where I belong.
"...Looks like the romance front has settled down, so now it's time for the combat front. May I?"
With Shoko apparently lost in some personal fantasy world, the next person to raise their hand was—of course—the purebred Arcadia otaku who had been practically vibrating with excitement.
"First, and most importantly, I want to hear the details on those last two 'trump cards.' In as much detail as you can possibly give. As much detail as possible."
"Why did you say it twice?"
This one was also showing signs of bugging out.
Maybe I should ask Kaede-san for help? She managed to reboot herself after crashing faster than anyone when she first saw the video two hours ago and now seems to be maintaining her composure.
"Yeah, well, I don't mind... Okay, let's start with the 'magic.' I'm planning to release all the info on it anyway, so feel free to ask whatever you want."
...The moment I said that, Mizuki's eyes lit up in a way that was easy to see.
It probably wasn't a reflection off her glasses.
"Starlight Magic, [Lightning Gale]—even if the immobile casting inherent to Starlight magic is a restriction that amplifies its effect, it's still way too powerful. There has to be a major drawback."
"Yeah, you're right."
One so major that, like that 'cursed object' of mine, I'd rather not use it if I can help it.
"The huge amount of luna it costs as a catalyst for a grand magic spell is whatever. The real problem is the aftermath—no, it's not just tough, it's a huge pain in the ass."
The price for using [Lightning Gale] is, in a word...
"For a period of time proportional to its activation time, all of my skills are sealed."
"...A period of time proportional to its activation time."
"Yep. One day for every second. So for this last fight, that's about a week."
Exactly seven seconds would mean one week, and the maximum effect time of thirty seconds would mean a month. For that duration, my avatar becomes completely unable to use any skills.
I'm no master swordsman, so that's obviously a fatal flaw. On top of that, [Trance] is also considered a 'skill' that isn't listed on my status, so I can't even revert from my female form until the penalty period is over. Doubly fatal.
However, 'Recall,' which has transcended the framework of a skill and has become ingrained in my avatar as an 'ability,' has managed to escape the seal. That's the trick behind how I was able to pull the [Shadow-Sewing Ritual Dagger] from my inventory after the magic wore off.
"So right now... or rather, my avatar is currently in an unprecedented state of weakness just from the magic's drawback alone. Any real game progression is on hold for another week."
"Hah... but even without skills, you can still move around to some extent, can't you?"
You don't get it, Toshiki-kun.
Sure, I could probably manage with just my base stats—
"But that's no fun, is it? I'm the type who wants to go all out and do what I want to do."
"...Ah, right, right. You just said that, didn't you?"
And so, because [Lightning Gale] effectively robs me of the time I can enjoy the game to the fullest, it qualifies as my 'trump card of last resort.'
But still, there's no denying that the invincible hero-time feeling is insanely fun. I'm sure I'll give in to temptation and find opportunities to use it from time to time.
—And, it goes without saying...
The real problem child is the other one.
"Might as well reveal the 'sword's' secret while I'm at it. The price for using the Type-Zero Magic Power Manifestation Armament, [Atiomart -Sakura=Memento-], is... a temporary reduction and locking of my level."
"Ah."
"Oof, wow."
"...I see."
"Oh, dear..."
Seeing my expression, they must have guessed the extent of the reduction, as all four of them reacted with looks of pure sympathy.
So, yeah. The truth is, the drawback from the 'magic' is basically swallowed up by the one from the 'sword.' Or rather, when I use them at the same time, the magic's penalty effectively becomes null...
My level will return after the penalty period is over, and it's merciful that I don't have to re-level, but still...
The power of the sakura, which drains 'magic' from its enemies and 'life' from its host...
"...means I'm forcibly stuck at Lv.1 for ten days. It's a real pain. Honestly, I wish it would just cut me some slack."
My 'legs,' which are always racing to get ahead of everyone else, are being forced to pay the ultimate price.