kscans

Chapter 110 - I Like It

"Well then, I'll be taking my leave here."

Sometime after we viewed the names of the title holders, Lotta, who had returned to the waiting room with us to provide some additional explanations, stood up.

"Thanks for everything. You were a huge help."

"I had to explain the seed situation anyway. And I got to break the ice a bit with a promising super rookie, so it was a win for me too."

Although he showed a teasing side, he was, without a doubt, a "good guy." When he naturally extended his right hand, I returned the handshake without hesitation.

"Unfortunately, I won't be in the main tournament... but I'll be there to cheer on my new favorite, so you'd better believe I'll be watching."

"Haha, I'll do my best not to make a fool of myself."

We released our hands, and he then offered his to Sora.

"Sora-chan, thank you for joining us as well. It's a true honor to meet such a promising 'swordsman.'"

"N-Not at all...! Thank you for explaining so much to us!"

They also exchanged a pleasant handshake. "Well then," Lotta said, manipulating a window. With a gesture that was infuriatingly smooth, he sent a wink our way, and friend request windows popped up in front of us.

Without a second thought, we both tapped YES, and our fourth friend was added to our friend lists.

"Well, I look forward to working with you both from now on."

"Yeah, you too."

"It's a pleasure."

After exchanging greetings once more, Lotta began to leave the waiting room via teleport—or so I thought, until he seemed to have an idea and paused with a thoughtful expression.

"Sorry, just a little suggestion. Since you'll both be watching Haru anyway... if you're okay with it, Sora-chan, would you like to cheer him on with me?"

"Huh...? H-Huh?!"

The suggestion was directed not at me, but at Sora.

It wasn't a huge surprise to me, but it was still a somewhat unexpected offer, so I glanced at Sora to see her reaction.

Suddenly put on the spot, Sora was flustered, clearly unsure how to respond.

"There's a special area for staff like me, separate from the general spectator seats. You can't just do whatever you want, but inviting a single guest is no problem at all."

"I-Is that... um, is that really okay...?"

"The general seating can get pretty packed for the high-profile matches. It'd be a huge problem if Haru couldn't focus on his match because he's worried about his cute partner."

That would indeed be a huge problem.

If, by some terrible twist of fate, Sora were to get caught in a mosh pit of rowdy guys, I'd probably end up throwing my weapon at them instead of my opponent.

Sora glanced at me as if seeking my opinion, and I gave her an unhesitating nod.

"I think you should take him up on his kind offer."

If she's going to watch me do my best, I'd rather she have a front-row seat.

"Then, um... may I join you?"

"Of course. I have a little errand to run, so I'll be leaving for now... but I'll send a remote transfer request right around the time Haru gets sent to the arena."

"Okay, thank you very much!"

Lotta's gaze on the ever-polite and well-mannered Sora was a gentle one. I get it, my friend. No man could help but feel a protective instinct toward this girl.

"By the way, Haru."

"Yeah?"

"Just so you know, I'm a married man. So you don't have to worry about us being alone together, okay?"

This guy—!!

"Ah, um, that's not...!!"

"That's the last thing I'm worried about. Now get back to work, Mr. 'Observer.'"

I had a feeling he was probably popular, so it wasn't a surprise.

As Sora started to panic, having keenly picked up on the meaning of his words, I gently placed a hand on her head to calm her down.

With my other hand, I shooed away Lotta, who was giving me another one of those smirks that didn't suit his handsome face.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Hmph... Lotta-san is so mean. After saying he was sorry for teasing me."

Several seconds after Lotta disappeared in a flash of teleportation light with a final "See you later," Sora, who had calmed down surprisingly quickly, was now expressing her indignation at someone other than me for a change.

Watching this rare sight with a smile, I glanced at the UI clock in the corner of my vision.

Lotta had told me a little while ago that the first preliminary round was over, and if things were on schedule, the second round should have already begun.

Unlike the first round, the second consists of one-on-one matches with opponents assigned by the 'committee.' So, as a rule, it shouldn't take too long.

As for the main tournament that follows, the system apparently handles the bracket assignments and match starts at lightning speed. Before long, a tournament bracket should be sent to me, and then I'll be whisked away to the match venue.

With a selection tournament of ten thousand participants crammed into just today and tomorrow, it's obvious things have to move at a breakneck pace to finish on time.

"So, Sora-san."

"Yes?"

I pulled my thoughts back to the present and looked beside me. Sora, who was looking up at me, had already returned to her usual gentle smile. She probably wasn't genuinely angry, which I already knew, but—

"Um, well... first off, just to be clear, I don't dislike this at all, but... I have to ask."

There's a problem, you see. Though it's not really a problem.

"Okay, so... this, uh... hasn't it become a habit?"

As I spoke, I lifted my left hand—and along with it came a small hand that had been discreetly holding my fingertips, who knows since when.

"—————————...Eh?"

Sora, who had been looking at me blankly as if to say, "What is it?", suddenly froze. This is... I had a feeling, but was she really doing it unconsciously?

I mean, lately, Sora has been initiating hand-holding more often, or rather, I've noticed my hand being taken here and there...

And just now, she had grasped my fingertips so naturally, as if there were nothing strange about it, which confirmed my suspicion. This girl has developed a habit of holding my hand, hasn't she?

""...""

I understand that our relationship might look ambiguous to others, so I thought it might be best to point it out rather than just let it happen... Ah, here it comes. In three... two... one—

"——————...!!??!?!"

Just like when Lotta teased her earlier—no, with an incomparable intensity, Sora's face turned beet red, and a puff of smoke, large enough to be a little concerning, erupted from the top of her head.

She was so flustered that she couldn't even let go of my hand or create distance, frozen solid in place. As she stood there, her eyes darting around wildly and her bright red face trembling, I had no idea what to say.

"...P-Please... let me... explain..."

"Y-Yeah, of course..."

Witnessing Sora in what was undoubtedly her most broken state ever, I felt a little intimidated but forced myself to speak in a gentle voice, mindful of her fragile mental state.

Um, hey... shouldn't you let go of my hand? Why are you squeezing it even tighter—

"Um, I... I've always... liked holding hands, ever since I was little."

"R-Right."

"With my mom, and my dad... and... my little brother."

"Yeah."

"I always wanted to hold someone's hand, so much that it sometimes caused them trouble."

Sora's voice gradually began to calm down. Her face was still a pitiful shade of crimson, and the small hand clinging to mine was still trembling slightly.

"So, so, um... when I trust someone, or get attached to them... w-when I let my guard down around them, I still have this habit of unconsciously reaching for their hand."

"I get it."

I knew she was still trying to say something, but I cut her off and squeezed the hand that was intertwined with my fingers.

"...!"

"I told you I don't mind, right? If you have a cute habit like that, then there's nothing to be done about it."

In other words, this was just another sign of Sora's trust in me.

Simply put, it made me happy. For the sake of such a sweet partner, I would gladly uppercut any ulterior motives into oblivion without a second thought.

"My hand is always free for you. I hereby present my precious partner with a permanent free pass."

Alright, I tried to act cool, but did it work? Ah, it seems it did.

She kept her head down so I couldn't see her expression... but her other hand came to rest on top of mine, which was still holding hers.

"...Haru."

"Yeah?"

The warmth in her voice... yeah, I'll just pretend I didn't hear it. If I get embarrassed too, I won't be able to accommodate her 'habit.'

"I... I really do like it. Holding hands with someone like this."

"...For both our sakes, let's be careful in public. When it's just the two of us, you can borrow my hand anytime."

After giving a simple nod, Sora remained still for a while, just holding my hand.

"Um, I really wanted to say it properly, so I'll say it now."

She lifted her still-flushed face, and her slightly trembling amber eyes met mine.

"...Congratulations on clearing the preliminaries. You were amazing, Haru."

"———...Haha."

The unexpectedness of it all made me laugh out loud.

I looked away from Sora, who was tilting her head in confusion, her cheeks still red.

What am I going to do about this? No, seriously.

My partner is so cute, I think I'm going to lose my mind.