Chapter 660 - A Cry of Grief
In any case, I could now say I had greeted the current rankers of the Southern faction.
It wasn't a complete round, since the third-ranked girl was fast asleep and the eighth-ranked, [The Poet], was nowhere to be seen, but I had made the effort to visit their table, so I’d kept up appearances.
With that, I'll set aside the curiously silent Ashe for the moment. My next destination was automatically decided—
Which is why I was planning on showing my face anyway, even if I hadn't been dragged there.
“—And with that, I present my absolute favorite, TADA!!!”
…and just like that, with a ‘tada!’, the scene switched from the Southern table to the Northern one.
Even while I was busy mingling with the Sotalm members, my troublesome fan had been making her presence known from the corner of my eye. The moment I stood up to answer her appeal, I was instantly caught.
An arm grabbed mine, and I was shoved from behind… once again slammed into a seat, just like Ume-san had done. I found myself face-to-face with five people.
One was a familiar friend, two were faces I recognized from last night, one was someone I’d fought against, and one was a complete stranger.
Including Rinne, who had dragged me here, there were six of them in total.
With the exception of [Great Tiger], who was likely off mingling with the general players, these were the current and former rankers from the Northern faction who had participated in the 11th Four Pillar War.
“...I am so, so sorry. Every single time, our idiot…”
“No, it’s, well, yeah. I’m kind of getting used to all this by now, so, yeah…”
As expected, the first to speak up was my friend from the last Four Pillar War and a fellow practitioner of a similar, ‘multi-weapon’ playstyle: [Versatile] Maru II.
Lately, it had become a ritual for him to apologize for Rinne’s unrestrained fan behavior every time we met. But, as I said, I was getting used to it, so he didn’t need to worry too much—well, alright. Maybe just a little.
If at all possible, I’d appreciate it if he could keep her on a bit of a leash.
Anyway, that aside.
“Good evening, Acrobat-kun. We both had a rough time yesterday, didn’t we?”
“Ah, yes. The same to you.”
The next voice was also expected. In place of the number one problem child and free spirit, this was the de facto leader holding the Northern faction together, their number two.
My, my, he was even more gentle and soft-spoken in person. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had cornered me with such a hellish assault in the final phase of last night’s battle.
…And now that the faction’s effective leader had spoken to me, it was time for Greeting, Part 2.
“I apologize for the late introduction after joining the ranks. Allow me to formally introduce myself… I am [Acrobat] Haru, a newcomer to the East. As someone with less than half a year’s experience in Arcadia, I hope to be in your good care, seniors—”
“Ahaha, you’re kidding me. What could we possibly teach you at this point?”
“If anything, I feel like I’m the one always learning from him…”
“The fact that it’s been less than six months is what’s beyond a joke!!!”
My sincere, bowing junior routine, honed by part-time jobs, was naturally cut short. [Wolf Pack]’s cheerful laughter was followed by a wry smile from Maru II and Rinne’s energetic voice.
Is it just me, or is the energetic girl even more explosively energetic than usual?
…But setting all that aside.
“—Jin. He’s greeting us. It’s only polite to respond.”
“Oh, you’re right. My apologies, Acrobat-kun.”
“Not at all… And, uh, you can just call me Haru.”
The one who smoothly interjected into the relaxed atmosphere was the former ranker, [Dog Whistle] Hagi-shi.
It wasn't that the acting leader lacked dignity, but he did have a slightly goofy air about him. The rumor that Hagi-shi was the one who kept him in line seemed to be true.
“Right then, Haru-kun. I’ll start—I’m Jin, rank two of Nortalia, [Wolf Pack]. You can call me whatever you like, but make sure it’s friendly, yeah?”
“Ah, okay. Then I’ll go with Jin-san.”
“And this here is my right-hand man, Hagi-kun. Call him Hagi-kun, with affection.”
“Why did you hijack my introduction?”
“What? You were just gonna stand there quietly, thinking ‘I’m not a ranker anymore,’ weren’t ya? If I didn’t poke you, you would’ve just kept silent.”
“I was going to introduce myself. Your help was not needed.”
—And so it seems the advance intel that this wolf-and-dog pair were close friends was also accurate. They had their own unique dynamic, but they seemed to be having fun, which was nice.
…And setting all that, and that, aside.
It was time to address the problem zone… that is to say, the one glare that had been fixed on me ever since Rinne pushed me toward the Northern table.
It was a glare that burned with such intensity it could draw tears of blood, a gaze that made no effort to hide its hostility. And next to him, another person was trying to calm him down.
Wondering what to do, I reluctantly shifted my gaze in their direction…
“……………………Rank ten, [Cloud-Hider]… Rickey.”
That was the one glaring. He had the appearance of a wanderer, clad in well-worn, earth-colored traveling clothes. A faded white muffler that also seemed to have seen better days was his trademark.
By Arcadia’s standards, where most males were tall, he was on the shorter side, but his face was not that of a boy or a young man. Beneath his short, marbled black-and-brown hair was the handsome face of a dandy, complete with a light beard.
“Whoa there—uh, I’m Tonic. Rank six, [Disperser]. Nice to meet you.”
And that was the one trying to placate him. He was dressed in a sleek, black-and-white outfit that looked less like a bodysuit and more like a hero suit. His marbled black-and-brown hair, a match for Rickey’s, was styled in a slightly longer, handsome cut. He looked like someone straight out of a live-action superhero movie.
I’d only caught a glimpse of them last night, so this was effectively our first meeting.
Therefore, while Tonic-shi seemed friendly enough, I couldn’t think of any reason why Rickey-shi would be glaring at me like this—
“……………………Hey, Acrobat.”
“Y-yes!”
—…I couldn’t, and yet.
Hearing his low voice, like the rumbling of the earth, I couldn’t help but worry that I had done something wrong without realizing it.
His voice was that heavy, packed with some kind of intense emotion.
The handsome man’s sharp glare made me unconsciously straighten my back… and then, the words that spilled from Rickey-shi’s mouth, as if a dam of emotion had burst, were—
“AREN’T YOU A LITTLE TOO POPULAR?”
“— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — …Excuse me?”
Honestly, I couldn’t process the meaning right away.
“Uh, ah… Rickey? I’m telling you for your own good, you should probably just stop right there.”
“Not content with a love quadrangle, you even have my, our, Rinne-chan…!”
“Um, I’m not your Rinne-chan, Rickey-san.”
“And you looked so friendly with Natsume-chan, Aika-san, and Ume-nee-san…!”
“Actually, I thought he looked more friendly with the guys, though.”
While I was frozen in a state of blank confusion, Rickey-shi’s “emotions” continued to simmer, undeterred by the retorts from Tonic-shi, Rinne, and Maru II.
I glanced over and saw Jin-san trying to stifle a laugh and Hagi-kun-san closing his eyes with a heavy sigh, as if to say ‘how embarrassing.’
And in that moment, I understood, more or less, what was about to happen… and in the next instant.
“—DAMN YOU, [ACROBAT]! WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU!!!”
Without hesitation, I relaxed, closed my eyes, and calmly accepted the torrent of his soul’s cry.
“IS IT YOUR FACE!? YOUR PERSONALITY!? THAT ‘CROWN SMILE’!? OR IS IT YOUR STRENGTH!? IF SO, I’M A RANKER TOO! TOP 30 SHOULD BE ENOUGH, RIGHT!? WHERE’S MY HEROINE!!! HUH!?!?”
I’d like to think that I managed to hold back, at the very least…
…from making a “what in the world is this guy talking about” face.