Chapter 99 - I Wasn't Told About This x2
The next day—the morning of the Four Pillar War selection match.
The three of us, myself and the artisan pair, gathered at our usual hangout, the Istia tavern.
Of course, I had told Sora about my whirlwind decision to enter the Four Pillar tournament, and she said she had cleared her schedule for today and tomorrow to come and cheer me on.
I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce her to Kagura-san and Nia, so I naturally invited her here as well—but we arranged for the three of us to meet up a little earlier.
The reason was a small surprise... well, you know. I just wanted to show off my new look after it was all finished—
"Nia-chan."
"Hee hee, what is it?"
"You're a genius."
"But of course!"
After slipping on my new attire, I admired my avatar's reflection in the large full-length mirror Nia had taken out of her inventory—and then gave a wholehearted thumbs-up to the one who had tailored it.
Its overall color scheme was white and blue. The name of this outfit, inspired by a blue sky with flowing clouds, was—[El-Gran Series: Top] and [El-Gran Series: Bottom].
The black full-length inner suit I received as a bonus was apparently on the house. I'll gratefully make use of that as well.
First, the top. The overall silhouette was that of a short hoodie with three-quarter sleeves and a hem that reached halfway down my back.
Its most distinctive feature was the slightly oversized hood. This hood, which could be pulled down low over my eyes, was not just an accent; it also had a gimmick that was quite useful for me.
Next, the bottom, also three-quarter length. Though not quite cargo pants, they had a slightly loose and easy-to-move-in design.
There was a sash-like decoration on the back, but it was half-effect, a nice feature that meant it wouldn't physically get in the way.
It was also designed to perfectly accommodate my brand-new sword belt, and it was in perfect harmony with the sheath of the [Rabbit Dagger: Parabellum] hanging at the back of my waist.
The intricacy of the decorations scattered throughout.
The magnificent sense of unity from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
And the perfect color scheme of white and blue, derived from the two types of feathers.
It made even my plain-looking self stand out—there was no other way to describe it than a magnificent piece of work.
"Can I say something super cringey?"
"Hmm~?"
"I think I look pretty cool right now."
Whoa, I just uttered a self-compliment that would normally give me goosebumps, yet my mental state is completely unshaken. Is this the power of a god-tier outfit...!
"It's not cringey, you look cool! As expected of Nia-chan, she gets it!!"
This time, I couldn't bring myself to rebuke Nia, who was getting carried away twice as much as usual.
A sense of euphoria I had never felt before, not even when I first put on my middle or high school uniform back when [Arcadia] hadn't been released, was filling me up.
I think it's because this outfit truly suits me.
My first-ever custom-made piece—a masterpiece of an outfit tailored just for me by the indigo-haired girl currently getting carried away spinning around me.
...Yeah, I'm definitely in her debt.
"Nia."
"Feh?"
Called by name in a serious tone, Nia stopped moving as if caught off guard.
"I really, really like this—thank you."
To my own surprise, a natural smile escaped my lips. Come to think of it, this might be the first time she's seen this expression and heard this tone of voice from me—
"Th-... th-that's... um—I-I'm honored..."
For some reason, Nia's face turned red, and she looked away as if to escape.
"...? What's—"
"—I think it suits you too. Not that it's a case of the clothes making the man... but you know."
—wrong? As I was about to ask, Kagura-san cut in, slapping me on the back. When I turned around, she had a rare, mischievous grin on her face.
"No, I'm honestly surprised. Even more so that this is just a side gig for her."
"Nia's got an outstanding sense of design. The reason I was vague about the price of the outfit I gave you before is largely because her creations have become a brand in their own right."
"Seriously..."
Well, yeah, seriously. I've just been shown indisputable proof, so I have no more doubts about Nia's skill—which brings me to my next point.
"Hey, about the price for this—"
I turned back to ask, but... huh? I couldn't spot a hint of indigo anywhere in my field of vision.
Hmm? I thought, looking around—Nia had, at some point, shrunk down and was hiding behind Kagura-san.
"Eh, what's wrong?"
"...I-It's nothing."
It didn't look like nothing... but well, her strange behavior wasn't exactly new.
"Um, how much will this cost? Sorry, but I don't have enough on me right now, so I'll have to sell some materials to pay for it—"
If I sell off the super-rare material, [Ruby Rabbit Demon Horn], which hasn't been released to the public yet, it should be enough to cover the cost.
Rabbit hunting in the [Spiral Crimson Tower] is now a piece of cake for me. For a certain reason, I have no particular intention of monopolizing the material, so I have no hesitation in releasing it to the world—
"I-I don't need it."
—or so I thought... eh, you don't need payment? Why???
"No, really... I can't possibly accept something of this quality for free."
"I-It's fine! I made it because I wanted to in the first place... and, um, it was meant to be a show of support..."
Nia cut off my natural protests, her words trailing off into a mumble.
"So, you know...!"
Nia peeked out from behind Kagura-san's shadow, pressing her hand against her very red cheek as she whispered.
"You complimented me... so that's enough..."
"...I see."
...Well, you know? When you react so obviously, even I start to feel a little embarrassed.
Kagura-san's stamp of approval, her surprisingly shy nature—I remembered it now.
In other words, she got flustered because I complimented her seriously, unlike my usual teasing—the thought that she had a cute side to her was, I have to admit, rather unexpected of me.
"W-Well... whatever. I'll just consider it a debt, so if you ever need anything, just let me know, okay?"
I'll help with whatever I can. I sounded pretty arrogant for a rookie, but Nia, who had retreated behind Kagura-san again, nodded her head up and down.
Our eyes met again, and Kagura-san gave me a silent smile that seemed to say, "She's pretty cute, isn't she?" I returned an ambiguous smile without saying a word...
—It was at that moment that the tavern door quietly opened.
"G-Good morning...?"
Perhaps because I had told her beforehand that there were people I wanted her to meet. A girl with flowing golden hair appeared, peering cautiously into the tavern.
"—Eh..."
"—Hah..."
"Ah..."
The gazes of the three women, meeting for the first time, intersected. Kagura-san and Nia let out voices of surprise, while Sora's was one of understanding.
And a split second later, Sora's gaze shifted to me—
"...Good morning, Haru."
"Morning, Sora."
I exchanged greetings with Sora, who was still embarrassed to say my name without an honorific—and in the next instant, I was grabbed from two directions and dragged into a corner of the shop.
"Hey, what—what are you doing!?"
"Haru!?"
I was terrified, Sora was surprised. Ignoring our shared confusion, the two artisans who had apprehended me cornered me with an intense wall-slam.
"Whoa, too close—"
"Haru-kun, what in the world is that all about?"
"Hey, excuse me? Nia-chan didn't hear anything about this?"
"You kept saying 'partner, partner,' but you never once said your partner was a girl, did you!?"
"What's with that girl, she's ridiculously cute, you know? Hey, do you get it, she's ridiculously cute!?"
"I just figured it was a guy friend with a similar energy, since he's keeping up with your ridiculous pace, Haru-kun!"
"I don't think that's okay! No, I really, really don't think that's okay at all!!"
Without even a moment to interject, I was bombarded by a furious verbal assault from the two artisans.
In the corner of my eye, a bewildered Sora was blinking in confusion, but I probably had a similar look on my face.
"...!"
"Hic...!?!"
Nia, who had me by the collar, whipped her head around, and Sora, who was the target of her gaze, recoiled in fear.
Don't move like something out of a horror movie! Where did the demure Nia-chan from a moment ago disappear to?
"U-Umm... Sora-chan? Was it?"
"Y-Yes!"
It seemed that even the indigo-haired girl wouldn't go completely wild on an innocent, beautiful girl like Sora right off the bat.
With voices laced with mutual confusion, they seemed to be sizing each other up as they made their first contact.
"Um, are you this thing's... partner? Companion? Am I correct in assuming that?"
Who are you calling a thing?
"Um, yes...!"
Though confused by the sudden, bizarre turn of events, Sora was a serious and good girl. Standing straight with a tense expression, the girl bowed her head with all her might.
"I am Haru's partner... my name is Sora! It's a pleasure to meet you...!"
"Eeeh!?"
"Partn...!?"
"What is it this time..."
The two of them, who had cried out in shock at Sora's introduction—or rather, at one part of it—were now starting to stab me with glares that were getting more intense by the second.
Kagura-san, who had let out a high-pitched voice I had never heard before, was glaring daggers at me, and the speechless Nia was looking at me as if I were her parents' murderer.
What is this? What are you two feeling?
Is it really so wrong for a plain-faced, mediocre jack-in-the-box to have formed a partnership with an angelic beauty like Sora?
...Actually, I'm starting to feel like I might be guilty. If I were a third party looking at myself, I would almost certainly sentence myself to hell—
"...Sorry, Sora-chan, can we borrow your partner for a bit?"
"Eh, um..."
"It'll be over in a second, so could you just wait here for a little while?"
Nia pulled on my arm, which she was holding as if to ensure I wouldn't escape, and tried to drag me towards the back of the shop. And Kagura-san, with a gentle smile I'd never seen before, offered Sora a chair.
Sensing with a strange intuition that resisting would lead to no good, I let myself be dragged away by the indigo-haired girl—and let out a lone sigh at my helpless situation, knowing for sure that this would not be "over in a second."
Are you guys sure this is what you should be doing right now???