kscans

Chapter 126 - Not Yet

—In the selection match venue, where the stars of the stage and the multitude of spectators had vanished, Rotta was left alone with a single girl, and he was utterly at a loss.

He had a loving wife and children in the real world, so he was no longer young enough to lose his composure in a situation as simple as being alone with a member of the opposite sex.

In fact, he was confident enough to strike up a conversation without feeling awkward and make small talk for an hour or so—but that was only if the other person was in a natural state.

After the match, which had stirred up a deep excitement even in Rotta himself, had concluded.

Her partner, whom she had been watching over, had suddenly become a Ranker. It must have been a series of shocks for her... but for a while, she had maintained her composure.

That composure crumbled the moment the young man who had achieved a major upset vanished from the venue. The girl—Sora—sank into her chair with a barely audible breath.

Since then, she had remained still, her hands clasped to her chest as if holding something in, her head bowed. It had been about twenty minutes now.

—Should I suggest we go back to the waiting room and wait?

Sora's state was such that he hesitated to even speak to her... so naturally, Rotta sat in a seat a little ways away, gazing at the sky—at the artificial blue sky projected in the alternate space of the underground castle, Ruvalest.

He wasn't watching over the girl, but simply providing her with silence.

"—...Um."

So he was surprised by the small voice that reached his ears.

He turned his gaze calmly, so as not to betray his inner thoughts... and the girl, who had been looking down all this time, had lifted her head and was looking at Rotta with an expression of embarrassment and apology.

"I'm sorry, for being silent for so long..."

"It's fine. Don't worry about me."

He smiled and shook his head at Sora, who bowed her head, and she, without further argument, replied, "Thank you."

—She's a smart girl. He thought so, with admiration.

Rotta's consideration, his inner thoughts... this girl had probably understood them all correctly and chosen silence.

And she could accept his words honestly, and thank him directly without any unnecessary fuss.

All of this was normal—if she weren't her age.

Due to his profession, Rotta could roughly grasp the real-life aspects of the players he met from their gestures and atmosphere.

That other boy was strange enough... but really, he couldn't help but laugh at what a perfectly matched pair they were.

"Um...?"

"No, it's nothing—for now, I'm just glad you seem to have calmed down."

And he had no intention of asking any deep questions.

Perhaps she had even read that unspoken intention completely. Sora smiled faintly, as if in thanks—

It was at that moment, after several dozen minutes of being told to wait,

that the blue light of teleportation returned.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Sorry, Sora! I made you wait!"

As soon as the teleportation finished,

I rushed over to my partner, whom I hadn't seen in several dozen minutes, and bowed my head to Sora, who was looking at my sudden appearance with a blank expression.

"I wanted to see you right away, but the conversation got a bit long..."

After that, the discussion mainly about my treatment continued, but... in conclusion, I was released after receiving a 'proposal'.

Including that matter, there's just too much to talk about, what with becoming a Ranker and all—

"—Haru, please calm down."

"Tch... ah, yeah."

As I was flustered, wondering what to talk about first, a small hand reached out and grabbed mine.

Somehow, it was a sensation I had grown quite accustomed to. The girl's gentle warmth seeped into me from my right hand, as if to soothe my restless heart.

"...First of all, congratulations. The match was amazing."

"...Ah, thank you."

"It was wonderful," Sora smiled happily... and ah, I don't know, I feel like all the tension has finally been released.

"Haru...?"

Somehow, my strength gave out, and I sat down on the spot.

"Haha... I guess I'm just drained..."

As I said that, I gave her a tired smile. Sora, whose hand was pulled down as she sat in her chair, didn't let go, though she was surprised.

I had been worried about her expression, which I had never seen before, ever since we left the venue...

"Fufu... you must be exhausted."

—And I must have been relieved.

To see my partner, who had welcomed me back, smiling as she always did.

I must be pretty far gone too... I don't know whether to laugh or not.

"Haru."

After hesitating for a moment, as if wondering whether to pull me up, Sora got off her chair and crouched down in front of me.

I raised my head at the sound of my name and met her amber eyes, which were looking at me gently.

"To suddenly become a Ranker, what have you done? At this rate, there's no way I can catch up, you know?"

"From the bottom of my heart, I'm thinking the same thing. What's this 'evaluation criteria'? Isn't this game bugged?"

"Unfortunately, Arcadia hasn't had a single bug found since its service started, you know. Even the naming sense was spot on."

"I'd rather protest the whole '[Acrobat]' thing, though?"

"Please reflect on your own behavior before you say that. When you started hopping around in the air, everyone was stunned, you know?"

"Hey, it wasn't a joke, I was desperate!"

"Tch... I know, it was wonderful, you know?"

"Sora-san? You're not hiding that half-smile very well."

"It's your imagination. The one who's smiling is you, Haru."

"Kuh... you've gotten good at this, Sora-san...!"

"I'm the partner of someone who suddenly becomes a Ranker, you know?"

She squeezed my hand tightly, stopping my words.

"...If I'm not at least this strong, I can't keep up."

Her eyes seemed to have a faint hint of that color again, and

"...Sora."

"...Yes."

"...Are you okay?"

I felt so frustrated with myself for only being able to ask that much.

But Sora, who probably understood my heart completely, smiled as if that was what she wanted.

"I'm okay—because you, Haru, made me your partner."

"...I see."

In the end, we're two of a kind.

No matter how much our hearts communicate, touch, or connect—we will never cross the line drawn by our contract.

Even holding hands like this, without hesitation.

It's a sign of trust that we can exchange precisely because we are certain that neither of us will demand more—

We both honestly knew each other's hearts long ago.

That's why we don't step further.

"We're partners, after all."

"Yes, we're partners."

That was the one thing we both didn't know—we, who both had our own troublesome 'something' to deal with, decided to hold hands like this.

Because what Sora and I wanted was just a 'partner' to walk this world with.

"So—this is not the content you're looking for."

As I said that, I turned a sidelong glance—Rotta, who had been holding his breath with a pained expression, let out a huge sigh at my words.

"No, really... even I'm full—what are you two, more than lovers, but not quite lovers? Is it like your trust has gone so far that it's trampled over romantic feelings, or something?"

"Shut up, you heckler—thanks for looking after Sora, and thanks for the support."

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. I got to see something good too, in many ways."

After teasing me with a playful tone—Rotta stood up from his seat and looked straight at me with a smile.

"Haru—I'm very honored to have witnessed your rise firsthand. As a fan, I'll be looking forward to the further success of the new Title Holder."

"Please, don't—I owe you for a lot. Let's keep in touch, Rotta."

When I finally returned his smile, he, the first person I had met in this selection match, smiled happily—

"Well then, I'm off—make sure you follow up with 'her', okay?"

Leaving behind some unnecessary words, Rotta vanished in a flash of teleportation light.

That bastard, he definitely meant that in a different way...

"...Sora-san?"

"...Yes."

I looked over to see my partner, who was looking down and stiffening, still holding my hand.

Seeing the steam rising from her head, I didn't even need to think about what kind of expression was on her face.

"By the way, I knew he was watching from the start, you know?"

"—...Please tell me that sooner!!!"

I had warned her to "be careful in public" from the start, and this time, it was Sora who had initiated the hand-holding.

Conclusion, I'm not at fault.

As I comforted Sora, who was patting me with a teary, bright red face, I thought.

We're fine like this, we're fine like this.

Even if we don't know what the future holds—at least, for now, we'll stay like this.

---

They both have their own issues, but please watch over them.

- The other day, I was able to achieve first place in the quarterly genre rankings. I am deeply, deeply grateful to all the readers who have continued to support me, and to all the new readers who have discovered my humble work. I will continue to do my best to convey as much of the story as I can.