Chapter 640 - The Spectators' Eyes
"—`[Ignition]`!"
"Whoa, yikes...! Nozomin shows no mercy...!"
"That guy's amazing, in more ways than one..."
Along with the image slammed onto the large home theater screen, the raw—or rather, truly genuine—spirit and roar from the speakers shook their eardrums.
Starting with a hidden technique he'd mentioned once before, then intercepting magic, maneuvering at super speed through countless obstacles, and following up a close-range assault with a single fist, he then unveiled a completely unknown and incredible technique.
Then, as if crushing the [Knight] with a monstrous war hammer he summoned wasn't enough, he pulled the trigger without a moment's hesitation in a merciless, murderous combo.
It was a deluge of highlights that made it easy to understand why the childhood friends, the group's usual reaction duo, cried out in admiration, and why the god-like being performing the 'real-time edited broadcast' of the Four Pillar War decided to rewind and replay the scene.
For the average person, who could only tilt their head and think "What's going on?" at the barely-there slow-motion, the replay was a much-appreciated consideration. Since time flows differently in reality and the virtual world, such edits are often inserted as a matter of course.
That's what a pseudo-live broadcast is all about.
As they watched the highlighted scenes in this retrospective format, the four friends tracking their friend's progress all wore the same expression.
Namely—
"When it comes to fighting, he shows no mercy even to girls... I love it."
"I could never imitate that gender-equal murder punch mentality. As expected of the [Sword Saint]'s disciple."
"It's one of Nozomi-kun's strengths that he treats it as a game more than the average person...—Kaede, are you breathing?"
"I am so...!"
—a beaming face, proud and overjoyed by the success of the young man who was their shared 'favorite,' their comrade, and their friend. It was an unspoken rule that when he wasn't around, their inner fanboy/fangirl souls were unleashed, and as usual, it always ended up like this.
"I thought he was in trouble against three opponents, but that was our [Acrobat]-sama for you. He's gonna get more fans, you know! He's totally gonna get more fans!"
"Well, with that appearance..."
The transformed body of 'Haru-chan,' whose beauty was lauded as rivaling that of the [Sword Queen] Iris, had an extremely positive impact on the public image of the [Acrobat], who had been saddled with a difficult topic in many ways shortly after his rise to prominence.
To put it simply, after the video of his conquest of the [Shadow-Infested Arena] was uploaded, the number of positive followers of 'Acrobat Haru' exploded.
Of course, this was partly due to the trust he showed with Iris during their battle, his equal and sincere approach, and his dazzling, exhilarating, and outstanding 'strength' that captivated all who watched... but still, 'looks,' the gateway to affection, are a big deal.
His real-life appearance... which the public was unaware of, had already garnered a certain level of popularity for its clean, well-proportioned, and approachable visuals.
But it was a fact that he lacked that one extra push, that impact that could steal your heart at first sight—and that face had magnificently filled that void.
No, it was more than just filling a void. A face generated by the 'Trans System Alpha's' completely random process... In other words, a true beauty that was artificial, yet not artificial.
In Arcadia, which was recognized as another reality, it had transcended the frame of a mere game avatar and become a real deal, worthy of bearing a realistic idol-like quality.
In short, the number of people who fell in love at first sight skyrocketed.
And once you developed a liking for that, his personality, which brought a smile to the [Sword Queen] and allowed him to build friendships with many Rankers in the blink of an eye, further boosted his reputation.
In addition, when the 'Princess,' in whom the world placed its trust, became head over heels for him without a second glance, the idea that he was a vessel worthy of the affection of multiple women became something people could just accept with a 'well, of course.'
And when that happened, countless people sank into the great swamp of the naturally charming [Clown].
And it was the same for the hearts of those who already liked him. His friends, who were praising his exploits to the high heavens in his absence, now all said the same thing.
—Men and women alike, it's only natural to fall for someone like him.
"By the way, it's hilarious how Nozomin barely uses magic or his gun in the end."
"Yeah, he pretends to be smart, but deep down, he's a total musclehead."
"'Charge in and go wild' seems to be his default thought process."
""But that's what's great about him.""
"I know exactly what you mean. The Acrobat's fights are all so satisfying to watch."
"...! ...! ...!!!"
Leaving the young lady of the Shijo family to stare at the replayed footage in silence with sparkling eyes, the three—the childhood friends Shoko and Toshiki, along with Mizuki—chatted animatedly, just as they always did.
Their hero, bathed in gazes a mixture of admiration and friendship, and hotter than the world's, was on the other side of the screen, in another world—and also, just as always.
With a dazzling smile and high spirits, he danced madly across the stage, faster and more nimbly than anyone else.
I was writing this thinking, "You guys are really hyping him up," and was a bit like, "Oh..." but on second thought, I feel like he's only ever achieved absurd accomplishments, so I decided it was fine.
By the way, this won't be relevant to the main story, but among the three university girls, the one most aware of the protagonist as a member of the opposite sex (a boy) is Shoko-chan. Not that it has anything to do with the main story at all.
Not that it has anything, anything at all, to do with the main story. She's cute.