Chapter 788 - Istia's Usual Chaos
…Anyway. The happy news was all well and good, but that obviously wasn't the main topic.
Of course not.
Do you know what day this is? It is the hallowed eve before the battle, the night before the largest-scale conquest in the virtual world: the raid on Green Connect. And so—
"Ah—! Well…! Whatever, the point is tomorrow! Right…!"
Goldow, having somehow clawed his way back from being non-functional, tried to rally the troops, but sadly, he lacked any shred of his usual authority.
His forced cheerfulness was painfully transparent, making him look less like our General Commander (Goldow) and more like a weary old man (Ossan) run ragged by the whims of the younger generation.
Goldow gets along well with Irori, but it's a well-known fact that he dotes on the two little ones even more.
Which means…
"Mhm, you okay, Papa? Are you that shocked?"
"Hey, stop it. You, stop. Don't call me Papa, just stop…!"
Well, under normal circumstances, he would have handled the red one's (Mi-na's) casual teasing with ease, but now look at him. Still reeling from the shock, he was flustered in a way I’d never seen before.
Perhaps he was feeling like a lonely grandfather watching not his daughter, but his granddaughter leave the nest. I hope he stays strong.
"I dunnooo? When you have such a cute reaction, it makes me wonder what I should dooo. I'm almost tempted to give you a shoulder ru—"
"Hey, Haru!!! How are you doing over there!!!!! Huh!!?"
"Whoa, you scared me! What kind of escape tactic is that, gramps…"
"I'M NOT A GRAMPS!!!"
At any rate, we couldn't just keep messing around like this with the ten seats (minus one). Even though we’d prepared as much as we could, it was still… you know?
Before the big event, we should at least try to get serious, just a little.
"As for us, well, we're managing somehow. Natsu-senpai was ready from the start, and Nia worked about ten times harder than I expected, so… Sorry. Don't glare at me."
"Every single one of you, always teasing…—I see. Well, no news is good news. As long as Iris wasn't saying anything, I wasn't particularly worried."
So, I offered a little help to get us back on track.
What's terrifying is our faction's ten seats. I, who the world has apparently dubbed with the dishonorable title of 'Head Acrobat,' am somehow considered one of the sane ones here. That's how crazy this place is.
Lately, even Hina-san has started to accept the fact that she's pretty much an Istian now, so from here on out, I'm resolved to actively look out for the General Commander's gastrointestinal health.
"It's tough to ask, since I'm the one who requested your cooperation… but let me confirm, as the one sending you out as our faction's representatives. Are you combat-ready?"
And so, the words he threw at me were the same ones I had been thinking yesterday.
In the end, even though we flew nonstop for two days, our total training time was only about twenty hours… which was, of course, far too little.
So I just honestly stated the impression I had come to.
"No problem. Our three-person cell will function without a doubt."
No wishful thinking, no optimistic observations. Just the fact I believed in.
"Hah, is that so. As expected of the little lady of Aquamarine. She's got guts."
In response, a cheerful smile. I had no way of knowing what the 'as expected' was referring to, and it was probably best not to ask.
And then, next.
"No problems here, either."
Just as Goldow's gaze shifted, Tetra spoke up without waiting for the question.
"To be honest, the two of us will ultimately depend on Kanata, but…"
As he said that, my all-black junior (senior) glanced my way for some reason.
"Well, it'll be fine. While the original was away, he's gotten even more of an acrobat's flair to him."
"What are you talking about?"
"I see. Then there's no need to worry."
"What are you talking about???"
Unable to hold back, I rapid-fired my retorts—'What kind of conversation is this?'—only to see the number one seat, three spots away, Ui-san, let out a quiet, graceful chuckle.
Was it because she knew the extent of junior number two's growth, which I was still unaware of, or was she simply enjoying the sight of me being teased? It was a mystery. The fact that I unconditionally thought, 'I'm glad she seems to be having fun,' just proved what a dedicated disciple I was.
And so, next.
"Alright, then… Ui."
"Yes."
The General Commander's gaze naturally turned to her. To his ‘friend,’ who, following the recent Triangle Duo, had decided to step onto the public stage after a years-long absence.
He looked at her, they met each other's eyes… and after a few seconds.
"Hah, it's foolish of me to even worry."
"My, what a thing to say."
Vivaciously, gracefully. They exchanged laughs that were polar opposites, and that was that.
"Go have fun."
"Yes, I'll do my best."
"Do your best…—No, I see. ‘Do my best’ is, well, not exactly wrong, is it."
No one interrupted with a tactless remark… except for one person. I, the last one to receive an amused look from the General Commander, probably had the right to glare back.
And finally.
"Irori."
"Yeah."
Alright… should I say 'On your marks' or something?
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
The final one of the four rankers that Istia was sending to conquer Green Connect. A stare-down began between the invincible samurai, one half of the duo that dropped the opening salvo, and Pa—the General Commander.
It looked like a standoff where neither would yield, but in reality, all of us spectators were convinced that Goldow was being unilaterally crushed. At the end of this silent exchange was…
…of course, one winner and one loser.
"…—Mi-na, give him a shoulder rub."
"Hey."
"You got it, leave it to me!"
"Hey, wai—you bastard, Irori—You're on the teasing side too now?!"
A one-hit kill from a stare-down.
The finishing move was… what would you call this? A tiny-tot bomb? I didn't understand it at all, but from the looks of it, it was devastatingly effective against old men. Good for them.
In any case, since the convener of the meeting, the [General Commander], had been completely bugged out, the ‘pep rally’ devolved into a chaotic mess that couldn't be brought back to order… But I suppose there was no need for a meeting at this point anyway, and in terms of relieving tension, you could probably call it a success.
So, for now, I guess my take-away should be.
"What is this?"
A single, weary word. That should be a fitting summary.