Chapter 689 - Entry
And so, with only five days remaining until the main event—that much time is but a fleeting mote of dust, blown away in the blink of an eye as one travels between reality and the virtual world.
If anything, having plans scheduled so close by, combined with the long-vacation magic where a single blink can make a day disappear, made time feel like it was moving at hyper-speed.
In other words, before I knew it...—
"...You okay?"
"Y-Yeah, probably, I think, maybe, I guess..."
"Doesn't sound like it."
Mid-September. It was a Sunday weekend, just before 10 a.m. on a day that felt like the end of the world.
Less than ten minutes remained until the designated gathering time. Alicia, who had come to my room to check on me, proved to have a sharp eye, as I was, true to form, a complete mental wreck right before the main event.
She'd let out a small laugh the moment I opened the door, but this was no laughing matter for me.
It was too late now, but it was inevitable, something I should have seen coming. I'd managed to push it out of my mind until today, but this time was different.
In a few moments, I would be stepping out onto a stage in the real world—albeit as a projection of my consciousness, not my physical body—before tens of thousands of people. The thought of it... honestly, just...
There was no way I wouldn't be nervous.
"It might not be much of a comfort, but that's how it is for everyone. Even among the eccentrics known as the Title Holders, there's no one who can step onto a grand stage without fear from the very beginning."
"...Do you get nervous too, Alicia? Like a normal person?"
"Of course. Before a big stage, my body always trembles."
Want to check? she asked, spreading her arms. I just offered a wry smile in response to her playful gesture.
"And you're sure more than half of that isn't just the thrill of battle?"
"Turning it into that is something you're better at, I should think—here."
As I tried to brush things off and resign myself to my fate, Alicia's arms captured me anyway. In my weakened state, I had no means of escape.
She gently but firmly secured my head.
"I can't lie down with you, but I'll be right next to you the whole time. Isn't that reassuring?"
A gentle warmth whispered by my neck, coaxing me.
"My mind's away, but my body's at home, huh? I guess you're right about that."
This earnest encouragement from my 'neighbor,' coupled with a mounting sense of embarrassment, helped me find a sliver of resolve, though it felt more like desperation.
I was dangerously close to a state of mind where I might just snap, but at this point, maybe that would be a relief.
"And on your other side, you'll have a cheering squad of a boisterous shut-in and her guardian."
I forced a lighthearted remark. A strained smile formed on my face, while a serene one appeared on Alicia's. Even now, my mental state was far from stable...
"It's almost time—if you're still feeling anxious, I can give you a good luck charm."
"...I'm terrified of what might come flying my way, so I'll pass."
"Heehee, what a shame."
As much as I wanted to dawdle forever, time, unfortunately, waits for no one.
Besides, trying to soothe a mind that couldn't be settled over days, weeks, and months in just a few last-minute moments was a fool's errand.
So, I just had to brace myself.
"Well then, I'll see you on the other side, Haru."
"Yeah, on the other side."
I saw Alicia off as she returned to her room, and the moment the door closed, I slapped my cheeks with both hands—ow, too hard, that really hurt.
Aware of my extremely jittery state, I cursed myself for being an idiot. I walked through the living room, down the hall, and into my bedroom, where I snatched my phone from the bed.
'Do your best.'
With that single line of encouragement from my partner, who was staying home, etched into my heart,
"Huuuuuuuuh—haaaaaah—... 'Personal Sequence.'"
Lying down in the mechanical ark, I whispered the activation key for the special mode.
And so, as the lid of the [Arcadia] pod closed without a sound, a familiar string of text flickered to life.
"Drive on."
My consciousness drifted off to sleep in my real-world home.
—And the place I awoke was—
"Been half a year since I've seen this..."
An endless expanse of pure white.
It was even whiter than the training rooms at the war-time bases, a sight that would have seared my eyes in my physical body. It was the same view I'd seen when I first dove into the virtual world.
This was a virtual space like a waystation, one you could only enter by using a keyword during startup, and normally had no reason to visit. Looking down, I could see the same clothes I'd been wearing in the real world before I went to sleep. Right now, I was here as Haru Kasuga, not Haru.
And besides me, who had arrived in this space between dreams, there was one other thing in the white void.
It wasn't the large full-length mirror from the initial startup... but a small, elegantly designed envelope floating in the air before me.
Well now, the theatrics were just as I'd been told.
If that's the case... then so be it!
"Bring it on, you pumpkins, potatoes, and what have you...!"
Steeling my resolve and hyping myself up, I grabbed the envelope with enough force to crush it. As if on cue, the seal broke on its own, and a light like a letter spilled out—
A tickling sensation at my neck clearly told me that I had changed from myself into Haru.
And then, a single thought as I glanced down at my 'attire.'
"—...Hah, I probably look hopelessly out of place in this."
The next moment, the 'white' that filled the space opened up.
"—Welcome! To the stage where reality and the virtual world intersect!!!"
As the presence of many people nearby and a vast multitude in the distance became apparent, a familiar, high-energy voice announced our 'welcome' and the 'opening' of the event.
Trying to steady my breathing, which felt like it was about to stop, I awkwardly looked around while bathed in blinding lights and a roaring wave of cheers... This was the center of the stage.
Surrounding me and the other men in suits and women in dresses—all of us dressed for the real world—was a massive stadium and a great sea of people.
"—..."
Wait, not about to stop, my breathing's actually—
"—Yo, kid. Even you're shakin' in your boots, huh?"
"—Stand up straight. Don't make a fool of yourself right at the start."
"Ogg-hah?!"
—stopping, I thought, as a cold sweat broke out. But in that instant, BAM!!! and THUD!!! came from my left and right, as my back was slapped and punched, forcing my breath back into my lungs.
As for who did it, I didn't even need to ask...
"Keh... Hey, you...! Why did you punch me instead of just slapping...?!"
"I figured it wouldn't be balanced with Goldow if I didn't."
"Your STR is over 500, higher than his, you bastard!!!"
Both had hair of different shades of gold. One was a giant of a man with golden hair standing on end like a lion's mane, and the other a young man whose silky blond hair was so perfectly styled it was annoying.
My faction-mates, the [General Commander] and [Peerless]—two of my seniors, both looking impossibly good in their suits.
"Ahaha, look at the boys being dumb again. Never gets old."
"They get along so well."
Next, the tiny pair of the [Left Wing] and [Right Wing] came scurrying over from somewhere and delivered a series of harmless punches to my stomach.
"I was like that last year, too. But you'll get used to it in no time, senpai."
My junior, [Undying], appeared out of nowhere and patted my shoulder, acting so much like his usual self that I wanted to ask if he was being serious.
"Heehee... That kind of reaction is actually seen more favorably, you know."
"...Just do what you have to do. Don't get so worked up."
The older sister of our faction, [Scorching Heat Gaze], exuded her usual mature confidence. Even the hand-to-hand combat instructor, [Twin Fists], who rarely had his eyes open, offered his own encouragement.
With the exception of [Screen], who stood aloof some distance away, and the [Sword Saint], who had yet to appear on stage, this was the earnest encouragement from all my seniors.
I was moved to tears by their friendship and concern. And yet,
And yet, even more than that... I don't know, what is this?
Ever since my seniors started gathering around me, the pressure and heat of the cheers had undeniably and explosively intensified. It sounded less like a crowd and more like the grand chorus of an army of hardcore fans, which was just confusing.
"...Ah, well, yeah. I guess that's how it is..."
Maybe I don't need to force myself to think of this as a 'different world.'
Like watching a sports game, like attending a concert, the people who gathered for this crazy spectacle may not all be the same, but... at the very least, the vast majority of them,
"The virtual world and the real world... they're not so different, are they...?"
At least, in this place.
They were all just like me, people who had pushed aside the boring stuff and flocked here for a single purpose: to get hyped and have a blast. They were all my kind.