Chapter 982 - Meanwhile: At the Eastern Round Table
"────Yo. Sorry to keep you wai… huh…………?"
The soft blue light of teleportation, accompanied by a sound effect like a session of bells and wind chimes.
Having mastered the grace of a system familiar to every Arcadia player, the great man known as Goldow the General Commander arrived at another deeply familiar, special place, and…
"…………………………………………What are you all doing?"
The people he was waiting for were there… that was fine.
But upon sensing the presence of people at his destination, he raised a hand and called out, acknowledging his late arrival. A few seconds later, with a charming gesture that belied his intimidating appearance, he tilted his head and blinked his eyes.
And so, the scene reflected in the eyes of the Eastern Faction's second-in-command was…
"Ooh, hey there, Goldow! G'day to ya!"
"Thanks for your hard work."
Three little ones, lined up in a row.
It wasn't just from the perspective of Goldow, whose avatar in this virtual world stood over two meters tall. Anyone would have basically classified this trio as 'small beings.'
There was the red girl (Mi-na), who tossed out a casual greeting without even looking his way, and the blue girl (Ri-na), who, despite her usual sleepy and listless expression, properly turned and bowed her head.
And then, sandwiched between them,
"Good evening. You're right on time, you know."
Was a woman who, though petite, normally exuded none of the 'childishness' or 'innocence' one might expect. She responded to Goldow's "Sorry to keep you waiting" with a smile and a gentle correction.
None other than his own superior────the current number one, Ui the Sword Saint.
…Well, then. If she herself was returning his greeting with a nonchalant, composed expression,
"Well… if you're okay with it, I guess it's fine…"
He had no idea what led to this situation, but she had probably used a cosmetic magic item to play around.
He didn't even feel the need to comment on the sight of the world-famous Sword Saint letting a couple of kids do whatever they pleased with her uncharacteristically long hair.
They're as close as ever. That's great.
And so, he decided to put aside the trivial matter that had confused him upon arrival────
"Man, Ui-chan is seriously cute with long hair! Don't you think so too, Goldow?!"
"Huh?"
────…He couldn't just put it aside. Why, you ask? Simple.
"Well, I guess… it's not bad? The guys will probably like it."
"You're a guy too, Goldow!"
"I'm more of an old man than a man at this point. Don't expect some charming response from me."
Because he had no choice but to indulge the playful antics of the 'daughters' he had become hopelessly attached to, whether it was through words or a physical tackle.
Then, from the corner of his eye.
"Ufufu… Talking about fashion with Goldow might have been too much of a mismatch, I suppose."
Though her tone was brusque, a habit ingrained over many years, her voice and expression were completely that of a doting old man. Watching Goldow from the side, the 'big sister' of the Eastern Faction, the only one who would laugh so amusedly, was Hinayo.
In other words, a total of four people, including her.
"What are you all doing, all gathered here? Having a girls' night?"
The general laughed as he looked over the assembled flowers of the East, and the person he was waiting for… the one he himself had summoned from among this group, the gray-haired girl, once again offered a gentle smile.
"When I came to the Round Table, Mi-na-chan and Irori-kun were here."
"And then Irori-rin logged out for some business, and Ri-na-chan was summoned in his place!"
"Being treated as a substitute is irritating."
"And then, just at the right time, Hina-chan logged in, so—"
"They called, so I came."
"…And that's what happened."
And so, a relay of storytelling washed over him peacefully, their speaking styles so completely disjointed it was hard to tell if they were in sync or not. For now, all he could say was…
"You guys are close, huh… Not that I'm complaining."
It was, to a frightening degree, just heartwarming.
The faction's atmosphere had always been good thanks to a certain embodiment of energy, but lately, they had all been showing an extra level of camaraderie.
"Fufu… My apologies. You said it wasn't anything particularly important, so I took the liberty of assuming it would be alright if we weren't alone."
"Ah, it's fine. It's just a little notice, that's all."
The old man was just watching them, a happy grin on his face.
As he said, it wasn't anything important, so the notice could wait.
"Oh? You're not joining in?"
"Hey, you. How am I supposed to join in on that…?"
Thus, he remained on the edge of the lively gathering, his lips curved into a smile.
While the Sword Saint sat in the first seat, smiling and looking fluffy as the fifth and sixth rankers did as they pleased with her hair, he took a seat next to Hinayo, who was in her own seventh seat.
That seat also belonged to another 'small one,' Tetra, but all ten of the great chairs at the Round Table were equally king-sized. They easily accommodated Goldow's massive frame.
"You're already part of the girls' night. Why not go all the way and switch sides?"
"Give me a break. I told you not to tease me."
The adult group exchanged words while watching the peaceful antics.
To Goldow, Hinayo was now like a daughter too, but thanks to her calm demeanor and behavior, he treated her differently from the twins (who weren't twins).
In fact, their relationship was quite similar to the one he had with his actual daughter, Helena.
…He felt the same familial affection for the guys, but starting with Genkotsu, all of them were too eccentric and quirky to feel like 'sons.'
So, perhaps it was just his own paternal bias, but the 'daughters' among the ten seats were especially dear to him.
Once, he'd gushed about it to Helena, who had bluntly shot him down with, "That's disgusting," sending him to bed for two days. He would never speak of it to anyone again.
"Goldow?"
"What is it?"
"You look like you want to join in, you know?"
"I'm not joining in. I'd get reported."
"Ufufu… Trying to hold back, are we? Father."
"Hey, seriously, stop it! I told you to stop teasing me…!!!"
He'd just have to accept being teased about his expression while secretly enjoying the happiness as his reward for the daily grind.
────And so, while the pathetic old man with the doting-father face was being toyed with by Hinayo in the back.
"Mmm… The straight style is just too powerful…! I wish it were more fun to mess with…!!!"
"I like the chignon. It's unexpected."
"I mean, of course she's super cute with anything, but still!!!"
"Fufu…"
"And she doesn't even get embarrassed. No matter the hairstyle, no matter how much we praise her, that smile never wavers. She's strong."
"Yeah, no good! Hah! ────Yeah, I knew it, I knew it! To seriously make Ui-chan blush, you need our disciple big bro here—yep, I knew it!!!!!"
"Fu… …? Uh, um, what? What was that about, why bring up Haru-kun there?"
"Speaking of big brother, he praised the live show today."
"Ugh, there it is! The seamless gushing about her 'brother.' That's all you ever talk about lately, Ri-na-chan!"
"Mi-na-chan? Um…"
"He praised Mi-na's dancing, too."
"If that's the case, I'll allow it! Disclose the exact wording!!!"
"He said it was 'insane.'"
"Yes, yes! ────Huh, just one word? Two syllables?! I mean, I get that it's praise, but what does 'insane' even mean? Isn't there more? Like, 'Mi-na-chan was super cute' or something!"
"Hmph."
"Did you just scoff at me?! Hey, did Ri-na-chan just scoff at me?! That's a first in my life, being treated like that!?"
"Mi-na-chan…! Um…!"
"Ah, right, right. Speaking of that natural-born super-charming guilty big brother—"
The conversation among the three, colorful and lively, moved on.
"He's back home visiting his family right now, isn't he?"
The matter of the absent troublemaker, the newest member of their family, was now officially on the table.
It was a father chapter, followed by what was practically another father chapter.
Be that as it may, the 'Meanwhile' segment will continue.