Chapter 777 - Re: Lined Up in the Night's Silence
"—Alright, see you later. Don't be late."
"Underst—wow, that was fast."
Before I could even reply, my senior was engulfed in the light of teleportation and gone. A somewhat lonely silence now filled the home that had been so lively just moments before.
Now that we'd shared all the necessary information, we couldn't afford to waste time. Everyone had their own preparations to make, their own tasks to complete. And so, Clan [Azure Sky] quickly dispersed, each member diving into their own work.
My master was off to some otherworldly training, seeking to reach new heights by combining the benefits of equipment and skills she had never used before with her own power.
As for Tetra and Kanata… apparently, Kanata was getting help from Tetra with training to master his new armaments, so the two boys headed off somewhere together.
And as for Nacchan-senpai, she'd be on standby for about an hour, since I had a little something to take care of. A sudden errand had come up after I checked a certain message, and she had graciously agreed to wait. If I was late, I'd probably be a dead man.
…And so.
The reason I wasn't rushing off to my "errand," but instead remained frozen on the sofa in the common area, wrapped in silence… was very simple.
"She was fast, too…"
"…"
As soon as Nacchan-senpai left the space—the instant the presence of anyone other than themselves vanished—my cute partner had clung to me as if drawn by a magnet.
This was the same Sora-san who, until a moment ago, had been giving me the cold shoulder and glaring daggers at me, putting on a tsundere act that, while not quite on the kitten-senpai's level, was still quite something.
It was a strange situation, but it had been pretty much like this for the latter half of our trip yesterday and today, so I'd gotten used to it. All I could do now was accept it.
She's aloof in front of others… or rather, she keeps a slight distance, and then the moment we're alone, she's like this. It was an extreme version of her usual pattern, but there was one distinct difference.
"…"
This. Sora wasn't saying a single word.
Even the way she clung to me was a little different. It was a revolution that drew a clear line from her usual lovey-dovey mode… And what drew that line? What else but the sheer destructive power it had on my mental state.
Her hand reached out as usual, but this time, it was different. It was just a light caress against mine. The weight she rested on my shoulder was also much lighter, more reserved. It was an unchanging distance that had definitely changed, one that forced me to guess at the various emotions swirling within her.
And then, the finishing blow.
"Sora-san?"
"…Yes."
"…Hmm… haha, still no good, huh?"
When I leaned in to look at her averted face, forcing our gazes to meet… she would invariably look away with a shy, adorable motion.
In other words,
She's way too conscious of me.
She's way too cute.
And I'm a dead man walking.
"…It's your fault, Haru."
"You're right. I stand corrected."
And so, the reason for this change was painfully obvious. As I suspected, that incident had been a little too stimulating for an innocent fifteen-year-old girl.
She's been getting better little by little, so all I can do is sincerely and solemnly accept her, along with my crimes—and silently watch over this girl as she begins to search for the appropriate distance to keep with a "man."
I will also remain silent about the fact that even this is far from an "appropriate distance." It's truly, truly too late for that now; there's no way I could ever push Sora away.
All in all, this was undoubtedly a good change.
As for the suspicion that I've just dug my own grave, I've already resigned myself to clawing my way out even if I can't breathe, so it's not a problem.
"Anyway."
Mustering my courage, I slipped free from her light yet absolute grip and stood up, giving my partner's head a soft pat with my free hand. Her sad sigh of protest was super effective against me, so I sincerely wished she would stop, but this was a virtual avatar, so I didn't have to hold back.
"Whoa, w-hey…!?"
Furthermore, we had no time. While my clanmates were all working hard, we couldn't just be creating our own little lovey-dovey world. Deliberately ruffling her silky hair to break the mood was a necessary evil, and I was sure I'd be acquitted.
And so,
"Let's go. Nacchan-senpai is one thing, but we probably don't want to keep the other party waiting, either."
"O-Okay…!"
With that, I pulled my partner to her feet with a flourish and we headed out of the house.
As for the criminally cute someone who immediately chased after me and grabbed my hand again as if it were the most natural thing in the world… well, I suppose I can turn a blind eye to a little overtime.
◇◆◇◆◇
And so, a few minutes later, after a long-distance jump via the [Alv Portal], we arrived in the city of [Frontier], the second player hub after the [Safe Area].
The public opening, which had been repeatedly delayed, was now officially set for after the [Green Connect] raid. The countdown had begun for this place to be filled with countless people.
Now, with the city so complete that the scarcity of early-access players felt almost unnatural, we stood in a quiet corner of it, a place I had visited before…
"—You wait long?"
"…No. Didn't wait."
We exchanged a similar conversation to the one we'd had before, and the 'silver' that shone quietly in the night's darkness looked at me. It looked, blinked once, twice, and after a few seconds…
The beautiful person's gaze shifted from me, and they—he or she—looked up at the sky.
"Enjoy your vacation, you damn cheeky junior?"
"You bet. I'm in top form, thanks to you, you damn troublesome senior."
"…"
"You bet. I'm in top form, thanks to you, you slightly troublesome senior."
"If you're just gonna correct yourself, don't say it in the first place. Idiot."
Sorry about that. It just slipped out, I thought, swallowing the lighthearted banter. I had planned to be more respectful this time, considering our last encounter, but the [Screen] before me seemed so calm, so much in a good mood, that it made me abandon any unnecessary reservations.
As a junior, and as a person, I hesitated for a few seconds on whether or not to apologize for my rudeness the other day, and in the end…
"I'm sorry. For talking so big."
I ended up offering a sincere apology.
And, without even looking at me, just hearing my voice, they…
"Hah."
A light, almost soft laugh echoed in the silence.
"That's not it, is it?"
"Yeah. Of course, that's not it."
I'm glad they understood—that my words were by no means an apology for challenging their selfishness with my own, for having the audacity to kick it right back at them.
"Because I couldn't make you say it was 'deathly fun,' unfortunately."
That was the grand declaration I'd made at the very beginning of our battle. A declaration that, after a fierce and winding fight, I ultimately failed to fulfill.
It was the one small regret I carried from that battle.
"…"
The 'silver' gaze descended from the sky and looked at me again. The one eye visible through their hair looked at me as if observing something utterly ridiculous, and then…
"—How old are you?"
"…Eighteen. Almost nineteen in about six months."
To the [Screen]'s completely unexpected and cryptic question, I answered truthfully, without much surprise or hesitation.
It was, needless to say, a complete breach of etiquette. In a virtual world where protecting one's real-life information is arguably even more crucial than in old-school online games, asking a player for their real-world profile was absurdly rude.
But, just as I had casually let it slide…
"I see. …I'll be twenty-four at the beginning of next year."
…I had a feeling they were willing to let a few things slide with me, too.
"Well then, my apologies as well. Sorry for lecturing a kid like an immature adult."
"Don't call me a kid. I mean, I know I am, but when someone else says it, it's just plain insulting."
"What, you're self-aware? You're smarter than I thought."
And so, unexpectedly.
I couldn't possibly say we understood each other yet. I had no way of knowing what emotions led them to make that expression now.
And that's why, unexpectedly.
"—Haru."
That smile, which I felt like I was seeing for the first time, was so clumsy it was almost heartbreaking.
"That fight with you… it might not have been deathly fun, but I did enjoy it a little."
"…Well, I'm glad to hear it."
For some reason, I couldn't look directly at them. It was my turn to look up at the sky.
A gentle spring.