Chapter 630 - Interlude
"—And here we go again, folks! It's time for the virtual world of Arcadia's grand festival, held every four months! The eleventh! It's time for the Foooour Pillaaar Waaaar!!!"
"We're less than thirty minutes from the start! Let's get this party started with our usual pre-show, the [Quad War Before], or [Q.W.B.]!!"
"And your host, as always, is me! Nonomi Mikan, also known as Nonomi, [Colorful Beauty], Third Seat of Vestol, the Western Faction!!"
"Alright, less than twenty-six minutes to go! Minus commercials and all that, we've got less than twenty minutes, but seriously, as always, there's just too much to talk about and not enough time! Why is this show always stuck in a thirty-minute slot?! What's the deal, Mr. Producer!!!"
"Putting that aside, let's start with the basic info! The Four Pillar War kicks off tonight at 8:00 PM real-world time and runs for a total of four hours until midnight—"
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"She's even more hyped up than usual."
"I love Nonomi-chan~"
Gathered in the spacious home theater was a group of four university students. The words they exchanged in front of the information program displayed on the large screen were, coincidentally, the same as they had been once before.
"This time, it's not even a question of what to watch for! Centered around the perpetually trending Acrobat-san, we're expecting an excitement level that surpasses even the last event—"
"To think that the random Ninth-ranker from last time is now the Fourth-ranker everyone knows, huh."
"His rise to prominence was insane, but his progress is just as insane. That's our hero for you."
"The fact that he still has nothing but room to grow is, frankly, a little crazy."
However, four months had passed.
Everything was vastly different from that time in the past… and both inside and outside the screen, the friends saw the present with transformed relationships, gazes, and words.
"As for me, by some miracle, I've connected with him and am now friends with the star himself! How about it, everyone? Are you jealous? Are you jealous of me, who has been saved by the real Haru-chan in person, gotten yelled at by him, been scolded by him, and even received a look of utter exasperation?! Of course you are!!!"
"She's really going wild…"
"I love how the 'too much to talk about' problem is mostly just Nonomi-chan's rampage—but anyway… Kae-de-chaaan?"
"Wha-What!? What is it, Shoko-chan?"
Beside her ever-lively childhood friends, Kaede, who had been looking at her phone while smiling fondly and hugging a cushion, let out a yelp as Shoko began to pester her—just like that one time before.
"What's with the secret chat, Manager?"
"I-I'm not having a secret chat. It's already thirty minutes before the event, he's not in the real world anymore…!"
As Shoko was instantly convinced by that, Kaede let out a silent sigh of relief—but in that unguarded moment, her best friend next to her committed an act of betrayal and snatched the phone from her hands.
"—That's right. It seems the correct phrasing isn't 'is having a secret chat,' but 'was having a secret chat.'"
"Aaaahhhhh…!"
At the words of Mizuki, who had acted with the privilege of being practically family, the young Miss Shijo blushed faintly and panicked. Immediately, her new (provisional) best friend launched a follow-up attack with a wicked grin—and while the girls were having their fun…
"It's the same as always, but… being the only guy is tough, isn't it, my friend?"
Automatically excluded from the girls' playful banter, Toshiki spared a thought for his friend, who was constantly tackling a similar, yet far more difficult, 'only guy' situation.
"Now then, it's predicted that almost all the ranked members from each faction will be participating in this war. There are points of interest everywhere, but it seems the public is most interested in what kind of moves the Sword Queen will make against the Acrobat—"
There was little time left.
The world's eleventh virtual grand festival was about to begin.