Chapter 57 - The Other Protagonist
To say she was on pins and needles would be an understatement. Every move, every action, was a dance with death against a monster that could kill in a single blow. Watching her partner's grand performance, Sora's heart had squeezed in her chest more times than she could count as he narrowly managed to stay alive.
Whenever she faced situations like this, she would tell herself over and over, "This is just a game," but the realism of the information flooding her virtual senses was so immense that Sora couldn't simply laugh off the scene before her as mere play.
If, in the next moment, Haru were to fall prey to the greatsword, Sora was certain she would scream.
"Ngh…!"
What was frustrating was her own powerlessness, her inability to do anything but watch.
Thanks to Haru's constant support, her negative feelings about using [Spectate Yell] had faded considerably… but still, the restriction that prevented her from participating in battle was unbearable.
Her own skill forced her to be a spectator. And the fact that even if she used everything else she had, she couldn't be more useful to him than that skill—the fact that she had accepted it as a fact, was what infuriated her the most.
"Even though…"
Even though we finally got to fight side-by-side.
The sensation of the [Cradle of Sword-Craft] asserting its presence in her clenched right hand seemed to mock her, fueling her sense of helplessness.
She knew she had gotten carried away with her long-awaited ability to fight, but at the same time, she had been confident that "with this, I can be of help."
Seeing Haru's face, for once looking envious of her, had made her happy to be in the opposite position for a change—so, what was this current situation?
…I don't want this.
The thought, slipping out unbidden, sent ripples through her timid heart.
In the end, she hated that all she could do was watch over him.
She hated that she had accepted that no one but him could face this opponent.
And she hated, more than anything, that somewhere in her heart, she was relieved that these things were true.
"I want to be by your side… not just support you."
Her own place, a question posed to her by the magic crafter who had made her ring just the other day.
"I want to stand next to you… and fight beside you…!"
Sora's voice, weaving those thoughts once more—
◇ Skill has Evolved ◇
—drew forth a single, inorganic, emotionless system announcement from the world.