Chapter 619 - Meeting
Eating is an essential life-sustaining activity for humans, but depending on how you approach it, it can also be a truly restful time that helps to order the mind.
Whether you enjoy a meal quietly alone or boisterously with others, each has its own merits and preferences. I, for one, have spent most of my life leaning toward the latter.
Though both my parents worked, they were good at choosing their jobs, so it was rare for them to come home late, even when I was young. The habit of gathering around the table as a family for breakfast and dinner twice a day has made me the type who feels more settled when 'conversation' is part of the meal.
So, to be honest, the current, even more lively environment is a welcome one.
During my all-too-brief time living alone, the tastelessness of eating three meals by myself had left a part of my heart feeling rather cold—
That said, while I welcome the liveliness...
"So, how are you two doing? Are the preparations for the eleventh event going smoothly for your factions?"
"Secret."
"Are you seriously trying to casually ask for inside info when the red and white teams are sitting at the same table?"
"And one person is being left out~"
It happens more often than I'd call 'occasionally.' When a certain chef joins the conversation without even sitting with us, the fun might be there, but the tranquility fades, so in terms of healing, it's not to be trusted.
Barring any errands, it's been a while since it became normal for us to share our evening meal. The three residents of the Yotsuya dormitory—who had somehow fallen into the habit of ordering the same thing—were each enjoying a salmon and ikura seafood oyakodon, and each had their own unique reaction to the question.
Ashe coolly deflected the sudden teasing, I casually brushed it off, and Nia playfully sulked. Our personal chef and Yotsuya's deputy representative, Kazuharu Chitose, who has thoroughly warmed up to all of us, looked pleased with the varied yet not-so-varied responses.
On a side note, if you were to rank the three of us on our chopstick skills, the one who's purely Japanese—me—would somehow come in last. These young ladies' table manners are just too elegant.
"Seeing your confident attitudes, I'll assume things are going well. Setting my position aside, I'll be looking forward to the end of the month as a spectator."
"Good luck with your work."
"The title you're 'setting aside' is a little too big on a global scale."
"Hey, Kazu-san, more tea over here~"
Three people, three different responses. Any hint of reservation or tension has long since vanished from our relaxed interactions. The relationships among the dormitory residents, despite all the other stuff going on, are extremely good.
Lately, we've even taken to dragging Madoka-san, who tends to hold back saying she'd be in the way of the young folk, to have the five of us eat together. When that happens, Chitose-san—or rather, her son, Kazu-san—gets visibly flustered and buggy, which, I'm sorry to say, is quite a sight to see.
Actually, I'm not sorry at all. He's usually the one doing the teasing, so he can let us youngsters tease him back for a change. Madoka-san seems happy despite her reservations, so he should be a good son to her.
It's not like some idiot son is causing his distant parents worry on a literally global scale or anything.
"By the way, Ashe, I can't tell you the details, but just a heads-up. I've got something I can't miss almost every night until the main event, so just keep that in mind."
"...? Mm, got it."
If you watch her closely, she doesn't seem to eat particularly fast, yet as always, she's somehow finished before anyone else. The princess, who has now permanently adopted 'white' as her color within the dormitory, gave me a small nod as I dutifully reported to her, and then...
"Training?"
"This report is just a courtesy between housemates. I can't be giving detailed information to the enemy."
When I deflected her question, which she asked with a deliberately cute tilt of her head, she let out a small smile.
"I'm looking forward to it, too, so do your best."
"Ah, yes..."
That was, in all likelihood, a playful attack directed at her undeniable 'enemy.'
It goes without saying that the 'expectation' directed at me from Her Majesty, the [Sword Queen], was exceptionally effective in the sense that it sent a chill down my spine.
◇◆◇◆◇
"Good evening! Once again, I'm looking forward to working with you!"
"Hey, good evening. And once again, try to relax, okay?"
The day moved on. After dinner, just before nine in the evening, I met up with Kanata in one of the 'Castle's' training rooms. He was ready for another round of 'work,' for which I could only say, "Good job on your shift."
Seeing him snap into a perfect, formal bow, full of energy and showing no signs of fatigue, I couldn't decide whether to be genuinely impressed or to let out a wry smile at the heavy respect I was sensing.
"Alright then... um, how much time do you have?"
"I can go until morning!"
"That's not okay at all. Realistically?"
"I can go for about an hour after midnight!"
"Okay. So that's five or six hours in this virtual world."
That was more than enough time for a day's training session. If we were going to seriously train the ins and outs of being ultra-high-speed warriors—kindred spirits in that regard—our concentration probably wouldn't last that long anyway.
Alright then, for starters...
"Okay, Kanata, take a seat."
"? Yes, sir!"
It wasn't that I was going to show him an example, but I plopped down first and patted the floor beside me. Kanata tilted his head but complied, and with that, phase one was complete.
"Before we start training, we're having a meeting. A conference, if you will."
"A conference?"
"Yep. We need to decide what we're going to train, how we're going to do it, and what our 'goal' is."
I, of course, have no experience being a proper teacher in Arcadia, and from what I've heard, Kanata isn't used to being taught by someone either.
In that case, just trying things haphazardly is bound to produce no results.
"'Runner,' okay. 'High-speed warrior,' okay. Now, let's decide on our ideal. How are we going to become a 'runner' who can mow down both enemies and pillars?"
"M-Mow down..."
I knew I was talking big, but it was intentional.
He's being entrusted with the undeniably crucial role of a runner. If he doesn't develop awareness and resolve by feeling the pressure now, he'll struggle during the actual event.
This I know from experience. I struggled with it four months ago, too.
"You don't have to aim for perfection. You're coming in through the general admission, so you have revival rights. You can choose a style where you accept that and aren't afraid of accidents."
"Wouldn't that... look pathetic to the viewers?"
"Not a chance. If you go into it with that as your established role from the start, both your 'opponents' and the 'audience' will recognize your intent and your strengths."
To begin with, the moment you earn the right to participate in the Four Pillar War, you're viewed through a filter of 'envy.' As long as you don't make a complete fool of yourself, you can assume the public will be kind—
"In fact, you have to assume that. Otherwise, you couldn't handle being broadcast worldwide."
"Ah, haha... Understood. Acro—... Senpai. So even you get nervous, huh?"
"Of course I do. I'm fundamentally a coward—wait, what? Senpai?"
I detected a mysterious word during our meeting, which was also meant to ease his tension. I tilted my head in a gesture of "What?" and Kanata, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, tilted his head back.
"Since 'Master' and 'Sensei' are out, I couldn't think of any other respectful way to address you, since I'm the one being taught... and calling you by name feels too presumptuous."
"You don't have to be that respectful. What's this 'presumptuous' stuff? Just call me Haru."
"Calling you by name is too presumptuous."
"Seriously...?"
Oh, give me a break. What is going on in this virtual world? As if having a self-proclaimed junior (who's actually my senior) wasn't enough, now I've gained a junior (who's actually my senior) who's presumably an older working adult?
What, is this a trend? Or are they just messing with me?
My number of kouhai (who aren't actually kouhai) is growing.