Chapter 658 - The After-Party (Extra Large)
After the last Four Pillar War and the battle to defeat the [White Throne], not to mention the world event, [Starry Paradise], I’ve experienced my fair share of “banquets” in the virtual world.
So I was starting to get used to the raucous celebrations with hundreds of people… or at least, I thought I was.
“This scale is way beyond an ‘after-party,’ isn’t it…?”
“It’s a… a festival, isn’t it…?”
As dusk fell into night, my partner, who had thoughtfully called in the evening assuming I’d be tired, was naturally invited along. We made our way not to the ‘Castle’—
—but to the city. To the land of [Frontier], built in the ‘Outside,’ scheduled to be unveiled soon. This was the stage for the after-party of the 11th Four Pillar War, a day late.
It made sense, of course. As massive as each faction's castle was, there was no way their grand entrance halls could accommodate nearly a thousand people.
Three factions of three hundred people each, plus the rankers and their invited guests, made for a massive gathering of over nine hundred. The sea of people filling the countless large tables arranged outdoors was as packed as a real-life festival with its rows of food stalls.
I was dumbfounded, and Sora’s murmured words next to me hit the nail on the head. As usual, there were separate tables for the general players and the rankers, but the sheer energy of the crowd blurred any real distinction.
Just a few minutes in… or rather, I had arrived right on time with Sora, but it seemed the party had been going on for a while.
All over the place, ridiculous festivities were already underway, creating a scene of delightful chaos.
There were no winners or losers, just everyone praising each other’s efforts, fondly recalling the most chaotic battle to date, and chattering away boisterously. It was truly peaceful, and absolutely wonderful.
Now then…
“Sora, I’m going to step away for a bit. You okay?”
I couldn’t just ignore the countless gazes that had been fixed on me since I arrived. I turned to my partner—and the trio she was with—and asked.
“There he goes again, playing the guardian. Just go show your face already.”
“Leave the bodyguard duty to us.”
The first response came, as if by right, from the little ones clinging to Sora. Waving their comments away with a casual ‘yeah, yeah,’ I sought a reply from the girl herself.
“Um, yes. I’ll be with Mi-na-chan and the others, so please don’t worry.”
This was her third banquet, too. Now that she was getting used to it, Sora was displaying a courage that belied her girlish appearance. I probably didn’t need to worry.
She wasn’t just putting on a brave face; she gave me a soft smile. I smiled back, raised a hand, and turned towards the table where the rankers were gathered. Not Istia’s, but…
“—Well now, the prince has finally arrived.”
“I told you to stop calling me that, Ume-san.”
From the moment I entered the venue, insistent gazes had been beckoning me over. Come here, come on, over here. It was none other than the head table of the Southern Faction, Sotalm.
And so.
“Putting on my ‘public’ face, I am [Acrobat] Haru. It’s a pleasure to formally make your acquain—”
I attempted a grand greeting… but was cut off mid-sentence. A hand grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and unceremoniously shoved me into a seat. The culprit, of course, was none other than…
“We’ve already fought, right? No need for all that tedious stuff now.”
…the lady [Heroine], a perfect embodiment of boldness that defied her appearance.
…And while I didn’t mind that, per se.
“Wh-why are you sitting there…!”
“Don’t ask me…”
I had only been slammed down at the end of the long bench, but my senior, who I’d wound up right next to through no fault of my own, flinched and complained as she scooted away.
I wonder… [Thread-Weaver], Natsume-san, is glaring daggers at me. Did she come to hate me after I tricked her on the battlefield?
“—Oh, Haru. Don’t worry about it. Nat-chan’s just shy.”
“Yeah, yeah. If you mostly ignore her, she warms up to nice people pretty quick.”
“She’s basically a cat, a really simple one at that. You’ll win her over in a heartbeat, Haru-kun.”
“Wha—n-huh!? Hey, wha—!?”
My minor concern was blown away by a rapid-fire exposé from her three friends: [Heavy Tank] Uni, [Adamant] Auerin, and [Full Auto] Fuji.
Natsume-cha—Natsume-san, slammed her mug on the table and shot to her feet, fuming, but a glance at her profile told me everything I needed to know.
I see, so that’s how it is.
Alright, leaving Nat-chan-senpai to it, I suppose I should talk to someone else. I was starting to feel a little bad for him.
“Yo, Kanata. How’s it going? Did you get some rest?”
“S-so-so…”
My junior wasn’t mingling with the boisterous general members, nor was he invited to the Istia table as a semi-insider. For some reason, he was huddled at the Southern table, and I turned my attention to him.
It was easy to guess the situation here, too. After Ume-san shoved me into my seat, she had naturally plopped down right next to Kanata… and seeing how close they were, it was pretty obvious what was going on.
“My junior seems to have caught your eye.”
“After he got the better of me so brilliantly, how could he not? Kanata has potential. You’d better train him well.”
“You can count on it. He is our rising star, after all.”
I was ninety-nine percent sure Ume-san had abducted him.
“Anyway, you need to do something about your equipment, and fast. Your Anima is fine, but your weapon… it’s not bad, but it’s not enough.”
“Y-you think so…? It’s technically grade 30 or higher…”
“You think something like that can get through my defenses? Go find something worthy of you.”
“Worthy… Um, I’m very grateful for your assessment, but…”
“Still, you’re a lot more reserved than you were on the battlefield. I don’t mind the gap, but I prefer the fierce you.”
“I-I’m, uh, fl-flattered…”
“By the way, that dagger you used for a moment, was that Kagura’s—”
“...Hmm.”
It’s good that they’re getting along.
But still, Kanata-kun. A beautiful woman is getting all up in his personal space, yet he just seems flustered, not embarrassed. Impressive…
“See, Auerin? When Haru makes that face, he’s usually thinking something stupid.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“The kind of stuff you usually think about, Auerin.”
“What’d you say, you bastard, Uni?!”
“Ahaha.”
“It’s not funny, you four-eyed schemer!”
…I knew it, but the Southern faction gets along really well. That’s nice to see.
And next to him, the shy kitten-senpai continues to fidget.