Chapter 798 - That's One of Our Own
Despite being thrown for a loop by the cast of colorful characters and the shocking finale, I managed to finish my greetings with the 'big shots.' My friends list has suddenly grown again, which I'm genuinely happy about, and I hope we can all get along from now on.
With that done, it was time for the next thing.
"Yo, Lotta. Long time no see."
"I wouldn't say that. We just saw each other at the Four Pillar War."
Still, that was two weeks ago.
It really had been a while. When I spotted my friend's face and gave him a wave, the refreshing, handsome man with flaxen hair walked over with his usual good-natured smile.
Today, he was dressed more like a swordsman. Instead of the cleric's robes for his current main job as a support class, he wore the red-themed light armor I remembered so well.
And at his hip hung a single longsword, emanating a palpable pressure from within its scabbard. It was the same look he had during our memorable first meeting, in the preliminaries of the Four Pillar War before last.
—However, this time, the raid target, 'Green Connect,' is aligned with Vestol.
This means the 'former ranker slot exemption rule' unfortunately doesn't apply to Lotta, who belongs to Istia. He's only here this time to provide various forms of support, so no matter what, he can't join the actual raid.
Considering his abilities would be a perfect fit, it's a real shame.
"I was lucky enough to watch the Triangle Duo in person. It was truly splendid."
"Thanks… Wait, lucky? What, you mean you got in the normal way?"
"Of course. If I'm going to attend as a fan of someone, I have to do it fair and square."
"That's what makes it feel so intense."
Well, it seems the passion of the self-proclaimed '[Acrobat] Fan #1' is as unwavering as ever. It's not just luck but super-luck to win the lottery for a ticket with such insane odds. He must have really enjoyed himself.
"Well then?"
"Ah. This way."
With that, my chat with my friend came to a neat end. With a major event right around the corner, neither of us had time to spare, so we had to move things along quickly.
After leaving the gathering of western artisans, I followed Lotta, who had messaged me earlier saying, 'There's someone who wants me to introduce you.'
"Oh…?"
The person waiting for us was the complete opposite of what I had imagined.
"Ah, hello."
The woman, who had also spotted me, greeted me with a gentle voice. —Seriously, the sound that entered my ears made me think my head might turn into a balloon and float into the sky… That's how ridiculously,
Fluffy her voice was.
Her avatar was neither large nor small, but a lovely form that seemed to be packed with feminine softness. Beneath her long, fluffy blonde hair, her eyes shone a deep blue.
If I had to describe her in one word,
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hiyodori."
"Ah, hi. Nice to meet you too…"
Yes, sunshine. That's it. A really warm, comforting feeling.
"I'm so happy. I've been wanting to meet you. I know it's presumptuous for a general player like me, but still…"
As she spoke, she approached me, ignoring Lotta, who stood by waiting as if to say, 'Go on, mingle.' I was feeling a bit bewildered for various reasons, but…
Well, there was no harm in shaking the hand of a woman I'd just met. The ever-watchful supervisors in the distance probably wouldn't get angry over something like this—
"Nfuu…"
"…"
"Nfufuu…"
"…, …? …"
"Nfufufuun…"
What is this?
She held onto my hand, refusing to let go, and just stared at me with a constant, fluffy, beaming smile. I felt a sense of unease from her face… no, her voice… no, her entire aura.
Unease… or rather, déjà vu.
"—Teeen…"
"Huh?"
"Niiine, eiiight…"
And so began a mysterious countdown. With each passing second, her voice subtly changed, and the sense of déjà vu intensified, bringing with it a certain feeling.
That sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger until the count reached the halfway point, "Fiiive…"
"Hold on a minute…"
"…"
Half exasperated, half horrified. I rubbed the bridge of my nose with my free hand and let out a weary groan. The unfamiliar-familiar woman broke into a familiar grin—
"Aaaand you pass! Let's just say you made it in the nick of time."
"That's impossible. That's got to be some kind of skill…!"
The terrifying art of an actress.
Sure, looking back, there were hints like her player name. But her acting was so perfect that such a small clue was nowhere near enough to even begin to guess.
Her voice, her way of speaking, her expression, and even the aura she projected.
It was simply a matter of Mitsueda Hiyori-sama's role-playing being so exceptional that it could completely fool me, someone she interacts with fairly often.
"By the way, this is a secret over here, so shhh. I am Hiyodori-san, a general member of the [Mirage Workshop], and I have absolutely nothing to do with a certain someone."
"Ah, right… You're, uh, pretty amazing at this."
This was a complete and utter defeat. She said it was a secret, but I wouldn't doubt it if she told me she'd managed to keep it a secret from everyone.
Now that she pointed it out, it made sense, but if she hadn't, I seriously would never have noticed.
"By the way, my close friends and acquaintances affectionately call me 'Hiyo-chan' or 'Hiyohiyo.'"
"The fact that no one's figured it out even with a name that close is even more incredible…"
"By the way, my close friends and acquaintances affectionately call me 'Hiyo-chan' or 'Hiyohiyo'!"
"Alright, alright. Nice to meet you, Hiyodori-san."
"So stubborn!"
You like this kind of distance, don't you?
I see. It all makes sense now. While Sora-san had been glancing over from a distance, Nia's attitude of completely ignoring us while mingling with the artisans was now perfectly understandable.
To think there was a hint hidden there as well—
"I don't know what on earth you two are talking about, and I haven't heard a thing, but…"
""Whoops."
A voice rose from beside us. We both snapped our mouths shut in a panic, though in Mitsueda-san's case, it was likely a deliberate risk management move.
After all, this was the right-hand man of the [General Commander] and the former ranker [Insighter]. I trusted him enough to know he wouldn't carelessly spout someone's personal information.
"Our time is limited for now. I'm sure he's tired of waiting, don't you think, Hiyodori-kun?"
"…Hm? Wait, the fact that she's friends with Lotta means she's not a general player even in the virtual world, right?"
"I think he's probably so nervous he's thinking, 'I hope they never come,' though."
And with that, my muttered comment was completely ignored. In less than a second, she had slipped back into her flawless role-play, smilingふわふわas she said,
"Well then, please come this way."
She began to lead Lotta and me somewhere.
After following her for a short while, we arrived at a spot away from the bustling crowd of players preparing for the big event, in the shadow of a grove of trees.
"—Ah…"
"Oh."
My eyes fell on a lone figure. Hiding in the shadows was someone dressed all in black… no, all in navy blue.
A picture-perfect Japanese ninja was there.