Chapter 91 - An Angel by Comparison
Since we had both updated our home points the last time we parted, Sora, who had just logged in, was near the transfer gate that also served as my respawn point.
It was one of the many transfer gates set up throughout the Safe Area, located near the back alley where we had escaped from our overwhelming welcome party.
There were no notable landmarks around, and I wasn't quite sure why it had been placed here. But for that very reason, there were only a few people passing by, which was convenient for me, as I was trying to avoid attention.
"—Hup, there!"
Since many of the buildings were quite tall for a fantasy setting, rooftop acrobatics had recently become my trend for staying out of sight.
The distance from the [Mirage Workshop]'s base wasn't far, so I took the shortest route without hesitation and rushed to Sora's side in less than five minutes.
"Ehh…"
As I made a dramatic landing from the rooftop with a loud skid, Sora jumped in surprise before giving me a classic deadpan stare that screamed, What is this person doing?
"You should try it sometime, Sora. I guarantee you'll get hooked."
"Uh, I'll pass…"
With a final wry smile, the girl who had logged in after a day's break beamed happily upon seeing my face.
"Good morning, Haru-san."
"Morning, Sora. It's been a couple of days."
◇◆◇◆◇
"Haru-san, you look a little different."
"Guh… Well, yeah, I guess it's obvious."
Almost immediately after we exchanged greetings, she commented on my hair, which had changed in both color and style. To be honest, I had been most anxious about showing this look to Sora, so I found myself at a loss for words.
Part of me whispered, It's a fantasy world, so it's fine, right? But my real face being the same was the issue… I couldn't shake the prejudice that tying your hair back and looking stylish was a privilege reserved for handsome guys.
"There were… unavoidable circumstances…"
"…?"
As I smiled self-deprecatingly and showed my negative self-perception, Sora tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face.
"I think it suits you. It's lovely."
"A direct hit out of nowhere…?!"
A sincere smile with no hidden meaning (at least, that's how it looked to me), followed by honest words with no hidden meaning (at least, that's how they sounded to me).
In a matter of seconds, Sora blew a hole through the dark clouds in my heart that even the words of the two artisans couldn't dispel.
"Isn't it weird for a guy to grow his hair out and tie it up?"
"…? Um, I don't know about in general, but…"
Sora seemed bewildered by my honest question, but after staring intently at my new look for a moment—
"At the very least, it suits you, Haru-san. I think you look very cool."
—she said with a soft smile, her expression holding not a single shred of doubt.
—Yeah, okay. I get it. I lose.
Sora-san is such an angel that I don't even care about the little tail on the back of my head anymore.
In fact, if Sora says it looks good, then it must be true. Nia-chan, nice producing. Seriously, good job.
"Thank you very much."
Suppressing the creepy part of myself that was about to get genuinely flustered, I turned my face away and offered my thanks. Naturally, this motion turned my freshly-tied tail toward Sora—
"Wow…!"
The [Ruby Rabbit's Hair Ornament] attached to my hair naturally caught her eye.
Its performance as a piece of equipment was exceptional, of course, but the ornament, embellished by the hands of a skilled artisan, also had outstanding visual appeal.
True to the creator's proud words, despite its cute rabbit motif, it had an exquisite design that didn't look out of place on a man.
Since it was a unique item radiating an aura of distinction, it was no surprise that Sora couldn't help but let out a cry of admiration.
"H-Haru-san! What is that, what is it? It's so beautiful!"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down. I'll explain everything properly."
While soothing the girl who, as usual, was getting closer in her excitement, I urged her to move away from the transfer gate area, where a few people were still passing by.
My neck felt a little ticklish from Sora's gaze as she followed me—or rather, as she deliberately moved behind me to get a better look.
While trying to hide the smile creeping onto my face at the sight of Sora's sparkling, curious eyes, I began to explain the sequence of events to her as she eagerly pressed me for details.
—Yes, that's right. I told her. I told her everything.
It took about two minutes for the sparkle in her eyes to cloud over.
"The [Spiral Crimson Tower]… I know it by name, at least. The three unconquerable dungeons are a hot topic that even non-players know about, you know?"
"Y-Yes, so it would seem."
"And you did that in two days… Two days, was it? I see."
"Technically I cleared it today, on the third day—ah, yes, never mind!"
Seeing me shamelessly cast aside my pride and act subservient, Sora sighed with a look of resignation I had become all too familiar with.
I could only imagine that if Nia saw me now, she would tease me relentlessly.
An image of the artisan pointing and laughing at me appeared in my mind, and I silently vowed an unjustified revenge. Just you wait, you little…
"But, I see… The first-clear reward…"
Her voice sounded somewhat dejected, so I put thoughts of the indigo girl aside and turned back to her.
Sora, who had been intently gazing at the [Ruby Rabbit's Hair Ornament], looked up at me and smiled shyly, her eyebrows furrowed.
"It's so lovely, I was thinking it would be nice if I could get one too… but if it's a unique item, I guess it can't be helped."
Ah, about that…
"I still have my share of the loot from the [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King] fight, so if it were tradeable, I wouldn't have minded giving it to you."
I said that from the bottom of my heart, though I already knew what Sora's reaction would be.
"I would never accept something like that. I didn't have any use for those materials anyway, so the best thing is for you to use them for your equipment, Haru-san."
She'd given me the same admonishing look when we were discussing how to handle the [Withered Fragment of the God-Wedge Armor].
Even after the material I ended up receiving was transformed into the [Prologue: Wedge Fragment Singing of Eternity (Angalta)], the fifth Terror Armament in Arcadia's history, Sora had been wholeheartedly happy for me as if it were her own achievement when I told her.
She seemed to have her own desires, as she was envious of the hair ornament… but it was precisely because she was that kind of person that I wouldn't hesitate to give her anything I could.
—And so,
"Alright, then let's at least go get you a similar one."
"…Pardon?"
If Sora wanted something, there was no reason for me not to give it my all.
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