Chapter 775 - Three Stars in the Twilight Sky
—And so, a few minutes later, after my senior had shared all the necessary information, making up for all the dramatic build-up from my direct superior, the Lord Commander…
“I see… Yeah, that makes sense. I can see why they’d want to pair us up.”
“It’s a reasonable decision.”
Me, the [Acrobat], and the [Thread-Weaver]. I now had a solid grasp of the purpose and merits of deploying two precious ranker-level assets together.
If anything, the [Thread-Weaver] was the linchpin, the core of the strategy. In other words, what was required of me was to act as the fastest deliveryman.
Which meant there was one thing the two of us needed to do before the day of the raid.
“Well, that’s the deal, so…—you can stop with the gentle jogging now. It’s fine.”
It was to get this prickly kitten of a senior of mine perfectly and thoroughly accustomed to my speed.
Our other scheduled “companion” would be fine, but it was crucial to get her to a point where she could withstand a long-distance, high-speed rocket delivery without issue.
It’s been proven that even rankers generally get motion sick from this, with the only two exceptions being the freaks from the East and South who bear the title of “Sword.” Tetra, who is technically an agility-type, and Kanata, the second-coming of the Acrobat who isn’t a ranker, are no exceptions.
So, well…
“I get that, but… I should probably, you know, mentally prepare myself a little.”
Her demand to get things moving quickly because time was of the essence wasn’t wrong, but is it just me, or does she seem a little unprepared for this?
“Stop being annoying and just fly.”
I tried to subtly assuage my concerns, but the proud kitten-sama simply swatted my arm lightly. Which only made me more anxious.
I am anxious, but—
“…Roger that.”
It’s an order from my senior. As her junior, all I can do is obey… no, that’s not it. This isn’t born from some mischievous desire to get one over on her,
“—Alright then, brace yourself.”
but rather, from my trust in the potential of my great predecessor. A single step, with no need for mercy or restraint.
“Ngh, nyu…!?”
I immediately stopped the aerial walking of my [Talaria Record]. Naturally, my legs, having lost their power to tread on the sky, flailed for a few moments before I began to fall, maintaining my inertia.
My posture suddenly broke, my vision destabilized, and, as expected, a sound just short of a scream came from my arms—but unfortunately for her, nothing had even started yet.
Here we go, Nacchan-senpai. Ready? Three, two, one…!
“[Rocket].”
“—Hh, gghh…!”
The roar of a blast of propulsion, so violent it betrayed its name of “sky-walking.”
When it became a part of [Rega-Lielta, King of the Radiant Rabbit], the sound effect on activation was removed, giving it a mysterious stealth quality, but its output remained terrifyingly the same.
The thrust, calculated based on my agility stat, is equivalent to a fifty percent boost to my base AGI when running. Add the effects of my various mobility-enhancing skills, and my total speed easily surpasses the instantaneous maximum velocity of someone with over 500 AGI.
Needless to say, it’s a speed zone that no normal player has ever experienced.
…And,
“As expected of you, senpai. You’ve got guts.”
She gasped, but in the end, there was no scream.
She didn’t even cling to me desperately, casting aside all shame and pride. Her composure, coolly wrapping her threads around her body to lash herself to my avatar, was worthy of praise.
So, as I kicked off the air a second, then a third time, I offered her a genuine compliment. In return, she shot me a glare that screamed, ‘Don’t underestimate me.’
Very well, then let’s get to the main event.
“Okay. In that case—just as you requested, let’s stop with the jogging.”
“Eh?”
My, what’s with that surprised look?
I may have been using my passive skills, but I was still in my base state. This pace, frankly, wasn’t even a ‘jog’…
“Alright, Nacchan-senpai…”
“Ah, eh? W-wait a secon—”
“I recommend you keep your mouth shut until you get used to this.”
Surely, you of all people should know, right?
[Desperate Crimson] activated, buffs up.
[Rocket], [Ignition], and [Matoi] all fired in parallel.
Outer Force Output ‘Spin’—Critical Convergence—Release.
And then, in the next instant, a human body carrying a passenger casually broke the sound barrier, scattering a massive sonic boom and shockwave as it drew a single streak of light across the sky.
And following that, as if trailing behind…
It goes without saying that a genuine scream colored the sky.
◇◆◇◆◇
“—It’s not like I was underestimating you.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I mean, I’ve seen it. On video and with my own eyes, many times.”
“Right.”
“I even did some prep work, you know? Floating in the sky for a long time, hanging myself with threads and letting myself fall… I won’t say I wasn’t a little arrogant, thinking I could adapt.”
“I see.”
“But, well. In the end, I couldn’t, so I have to admit it—I was definitely still underestimating you somewhere. And you are definitely insane.”
I see… I see now.
“Is that so… Uh, Nacchan-senpai. I have to say, I respect you for being able to pull off that serious and mysterious deadpan look right now, but when your voice and body are shaking like that, it kinda lacks authori—”
“Sh-shut up! Don’t look at me, you idiot! Idiot, idiot! Enough with this human rocket act! I thought I was going to die! I’ll get you back for this!!!”
“Seriously…?”
And so, that was more or less her impression after our full-speed sprint. A few minutes after we transitioned back to a leisurely stroll through the air, the revived kitten-senpai seemed to be in high spirits, which was quite nice.
In all honesty, at that speed, even my partner Sora-san would close her eyes and cling to me, so all things considered, she did great. As I said, her body and voice were trembling, but to be in that state after her first time is commendable.
So, yeah. That’s right.
“There, there, don’t get your fur in a bunch.”
“I’m not a cat!!”
This amusing teasing of my senior… or rather, this celebratory banter for our new partnership, should probably end here.
“Come out, Sapphire.”
“Huh? Wha—”
In response to my call, the ‘night’ danced into the twilight sky.
The Tamed Beast, its jet-black body adorned with countless stars, scooped up its master and his indignant senior, then… flapped its great wings, looking thoroughly pleased with itself.
“Wha, eh, whoa…”
Knowing her diligent nature, she was surely aware of Sapphire’s existence. But the reaction of someone seeing this majestic form in person is always the same.
Even for a ranker, it was no different.
As if her anger from moments before had been completely blown away, the kitten stared at the massive back carrying them and let out a small voice. Seeing this, I, her master, smiled.
I gently set down the body I’d been holding and, without words, telepathically gave Sapphire the order for a leisurely scenic flight, saying, ‘Fly slowly.’
“You need to get used to this one, not just my own speed. I’ll have you experience top speed again later, but… for now, until you’ve calmed down,”
It’s not like I was trying to be mean and scare her.
“Enjoy the sky once more.”
As I said that, I plopped down on the back of the ‘dragon’ I was so used to.
“…You’re really not cute. You’re like a grade-school boy.”
“What’s that? Grade-schoolers are cute, aren’t they?”
“No, you’re supposed to deny it. …Idiot.”
She grumbled her usual merciless complaints, then plopped down… just as mercilessly, without any hesitation, using my body as a convenient backrest.
“…………Well, this isn’t so bad.”
Her voice, the trembling now slightly faded, sounded faintly amused.
Nacchan is great.