Chapter 616 - Far, Far Away, to the Other Side
I wasn't surprised, nor did I panic.
What I realized afterward was that the reason I couldn't react was because—while I had anticipated this might happen, I had no intention of avoiding it or running away, and had therefore let down my guard.
""—...""
Our gazes met, one from above, one from below. Just like before, her golden hair cascaded down like a silent waterfall, brushing against my cheeks and neck. It was very ticklish.
"..., ..."
The soft breath of the partner who had pinned me. It contained a faint hint of confusion.
Her actions were likely half impulse, half reason. She probably hadn't expected me to be caught without any resistance, and now she herself seemed unsure of what to do next.
So like Sora. When a small smile escaped my lips, she pouted just a little.
"...That's not fair."
Just two words. But those words falling upon me were more than enough.
—Keeping it a secret isn't fair.
—A surprise gift isn't fair.
—And that relaxed look on your face... that's not fair, either.
"...Did you know that even in a virtual world avatar, your heartbeat is the same as in reality?"
Because she could read me, I responded with equally ambiguous words that perhaps no one else would understand.
As I spoke, I poked the small left hand resting on my chest as I lay beneath her... the very hand that I had presumed to give a ring to.
—I'm not exactly calm over here, either, you know.
Deep within the avatar. A virtual heart that, whether it physically exists or not, beats with an undeniable rhythm that cannot be seen.
Sensing that rhythm she couldn't ignore,
"That's not fair...!"
To my partner, who had apparently reached the same conclusion, I, unable and unwilling to move, could only return her gaze with the same smile as before. I looked up at her flushed face, which held an indescribable emotion—a mix of anger and bewilderment that I alone could perfectly understand.
I held up the other ring, the one remaining in my hand, before the eyes of the girl looking down at me.
"Sorry that it's just 'data' from a world of dreams. But that's why... I'll add some words to it."
Confirming that she had picked up the ring as if touching something fragile,
I offered my left hand, trying to look as cool as I possibly could.
"I swear to the 'Moon,' that we will be together always."
"—...!"
A special bond that we had promised anew never to let go of, even as our relationship changed.
To my one and only partner—with whom, I am embarrassingly convinced, I had a fateful encounter—and to whom I swore we would see the end of the world together.
"You really... are unfair...!"
This was the Dream we had raised high in the world of dreams we believe to be our other reality.
—And so, after that.
Sora placed the ring on my left hand, and our matching equipment was successfully restored... and up to that point, everything was fine.
"—...What are you two doing, being so openly lovey-dovey in the common area?"
""Gah-!!!!!!!!!!""
"Well, you see, I was just... atoning for the sin of trying to act way too cool..."
Until our night-owl clan member—my senior and junior—logged in.
In other words, for several hours, skipping right past dinnertime.
I was held captive by my partner, who had entered her most intensely clingy mode ever... Needless to say, my reason and other faculties were worn down to a record-breaking low.
————————————————————————————————
・[Perdia Eternity (Earth-Sworn Star Dreaming of Azure Skies)] Accessory: Ring *Locked, Untradeable
A pair of rings imbued with the breath of a sleeping dragon and the blessing of the earth.
The great power has no thought, no will, and no last wish; the soul of its bearer is its only guide.
O, border-crossers, you who gaze upon the far, far distance, do not let go of that hand.
・Six status bonuses—STR/AGI/DEX/VIT/MID/LUC—can be toggled at will.
Bonus value +50. When fighting alongside the designated partner wearing the other ring, the bonus value is doubled.
・Grants strong resistance to physical and earth attributes, as well as impact effects.
・Special Enhancement Effect: Everless Diamond (The Eternity of Bonds Connecting Heaven and Earth) — Can be activated at will when fighting alongside the designated partner. Both users' MID and MP are integrated and shared. Duration: 88 seconds.
————————————————————————————————
◇◆◇◆◇
"—Hmm... Not nervous at all. You're every bit the 'big shot' I heard about."
"Uh, well... I'm honored."
Though this was their first meeting, his face, voice, and aura were more familiar than those of a distant acquaintance—he was a celebrity. Standing before the man himself, the General Commander of the Eastern Faction, had his attitude been a bit disrespectful?
So he thought, but fortunately, the face of the great man observing him with interest held only positive emotions. Just as he'd heard, his personality seemed to match his reputation.
In that case, being 'frank' was likely the best course of action.
"I am nervous, of course. I'm just not showing it on my face."
"Well, that makes you a big shot in a different way."
This man, for whom speaking frankly was likely the best way to earn his favor—judging by this, he could reply with a hearty laugh that seemed to boom with amusement.
A famously peculiar laugh. Hearing it in person for the first time, he swallowed a bit of awe, while keeping his face as impassive as ever.
"So, um..."
Just yesterday, he had received a notice from the 'Four Pillar Operations Committee' that was less like good news and more like a massive bombshell. Hit with a sudden summons from the faction leader today as well, the player known as Kanata asked his question while concealing his own chaos and confusion.
"General Commander-sama, for what reason have you summoned me personally?"
"Ah, right. Business before pleasure. My bad, my bad."
From his cheerful demeanor since they'd met, it was unlikely to be for a negative reason. However, even for someone as accustomed to pressure as Kanata, there were limits.
The General Commander of Arcadia's Eastern Faction was a true 'big shot' on a level that couldn't be dismissed, even considering his status in the real world.
Before his carefully constructed composure shattered and he exposed his pathetic state, he wanted the reason for his summons explained as quickly and concisely as possible—
Not that the man had read Kanata's mind, but.
"Alright, I'll get straight to the point. I had a look into you, and you don't seem like the type who's good at team battles. Your build, for one, but also on a personal level, you seem to struggle with 'cooperating' with multiple people... am I wrong?"
The blade that cut in was unexpectedly sharp and swift.
Did he guess wrong?
Faced with the Four Pillar War, where 'cooperation' was key with few exceptions, he had unexpectedly been made a member. The words that would likely follow were easy to imagine.
And there was a not-insignificant chance they would be disappointing for Kanata... for example, that he was unsuitable and his participation was being canceled—
"So, to put the right person in the right place—you're gonna be a runner."
"Huh? ... Er, um, yes?"
—or so he thought.
The order he was given, however, was something he couldn't quite comprehend.
"A runn—huh... Um, isn't that the [Acrobat]'s role?"
"Yeah, so run with him. Well, not exactly 'with' him. We're going with a two-runner system. It's not like that's a rare strategy, right?"
In the Four Pillar War, a runner was a key player who determined the course of battle—a point getter. They were the star players who ran around the battlefield labyrinth, destroying the other factions' 'Pillars' to rack up points.
But recently, the title of 'runner' in the Four Pillar War had become a synonym for a certain individual—and to be told to run alongside that person was too great a role for him.
The conversation had taken such an unexpected turn that his carefully crafted composure vanished in an instant.
This is a joke. They don't need me when they have him, he thought.
It was a statement that elevated 'him' to the heavens more than it put himself down, and Kanata was about to voice it as an unconscious objection—but then.
"So, get that Haru fella to train you—you two are kindred spirits, after all. I'll let him know. You've got a ton of potential, but we can't just throw you into the main event as you are—"
His mind went completely blank at yet another outrageous statement from the General Commander's mouth.
"—Is such an outrageous thing even—I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY, SIR!!"
Tossing all semblance of calm to the wind, Kanata grabbed hold of the General Commander with his free hand.
"Oh, uh... right. Well, do your b—"
"I'LL DO MY BEST!!!!"
"R-Right..."
Shaking the great man—who boasted more than twice his own mass—both physically and mentally, Kanata took a bold step toward the object of his distant admiration.
As time passed and bonds deepened, the protagonist shed his 'newcomer' status in both name and reality.
And with that, the fourth chapter of this tale comes to a close.