kscans

Chapter 127 - What Are Your Plans from Now On?

"—...Ahhh! Now that we've left the venue, what a sense of relief...!!"

"Fufu... really, you must be exhausted."

A few minutes after I somehow managed to calm Sora down,

we left the selection match venue, [Ruvalest], and were walking together through the streets of Istia.

"...You seem to be okay, right?"

Sora, who had been smiling at me as I stretched my body with all my might, looked around and murmured in a small voice.

In the direction she was looking, there were players passing by without paying any attention to us—well, the person walking next to me is that, so... it's only natural to be wary of prying eyes.

"That El-Gran outfit is pretty conspicuous, after all."

Once I change, it's a different story.

I put on the outfit from Kagura-san, the [Series Lounge No. 39], which I had been wearing until this morning, and swapped out my hand and foot equipment from the [Meteor Serpent] set to the [Desert Moray] set, which I had kept from being disposed of.

Then, I removed the [Ruby Rabbit Hair Ornament] and let my hair down, and I felt like I had managed to change my impression quite a bit. The ends of my hair tickled my neck.

Come to think of it, so 'lounge' just means loungewear? I hadn't paid any attention to the name, so I didn't realize...

"So, um... in the end, what's going to happen to you now, Haru?"

We were just walking around aimlessly, but my future plans were actually quite clear.

I was already prepared to explain everything to Sora, who was peering at me from the side.

"For now... my selection match is over at this point."

She looked surprised when I said that, but she must have expected it to some extent. Her face also showed a hint of understanding.

"You're a Ranker now... so you've already shown the best possible result... is that it?"

"That's about it. And for now, they want to keep my existence as hidden as possible."

That being said, several thousand Istia players already know about me... but they still want to keep the information given to the public to a minimum and maintain the appearance of a 'hidden ace'.

"Does that mean you've already been given the right to participate in the Four Pillar War?"

"Yeah, that's what I need to talk to you about."

Just as I was thinking that, the perfect question came up, and I shared with Sora the explanation I had received at the 'Round Table'.

I was happy to see that she looked slightly displeased when I mentioned my 'lack of skill', but the clever girl quickly understood the general situation.

"I see...—So, fufu... 'training', is it?"

"It makes you laugh, right? 'I'm going to go train,' so seriously."

We both laughed at the fictional feel of the words, but the situation was dead serious, so we couldn't just laugh it off.

"So—sorry. For the next half a month until the war starts, I won't be able to move freely."

That meant it would interfere with our activities as partners. Even though I had no other choice, I had an obligation to apologize—

—Sora-san, you were about to reach out your hand just now, weren't you? Well done holding back.

"Tch... Ah, you don't have to apologize. You've become a Ranker, so please fulfill your duty properly, Haru."

Sora, who must have realized that I had noticed her hand movement, turned away to hide her blushing cheeks and lightly tapped my arm instead of holding my hand.

As I smiled at her adorable way of hiding her embarrassment, the girl said, "Jeez!" and gave me another tap, looking even more embarrassed.

"Um... I'll still be busy for a while, too. It might be rude to say this, but it might have been for the best."

"You say that, but you get lonely easily, Sora-san."

I got a little carried away and, after saying it, thought, "Oops," and checked her reaction—

"...I do feel lonely, but I also feel proud."

Along with her murmured, honest words, the small hand that reached out again grabbed my sleeve for a moment before letting go.

Sora, whose face was still flushed, lifted her head and glanced at me slightly,

"Please show everyone just how amazing my partner is."

And then—she gave me a rare, mischievous smile.

Needless to say, I, who had suffered a fatal wound of some sort, spent the next few minutes awkwardly.

"Well then, I'll be off."

"Ah—sorry, okay? Even though you cleared your schedule for the whole day..."

After enjoying a walk together for a dozen or so minutes, we had to part ways for now, following my completely filled schedule.

Honestly, I really wanted to go on an adventure with Sora after so long... but with this dizzying, lightning-fast development, I had suddenly become a 'person with responsibilities'.

I couldn't just do whatever I wanted right away—

"Really, don't worry about it—I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

At least it's a relief that Sora-san is in a genuinely good mood.

As soon as the second half of the tournament was cancelled, I had insisted on clearing my schedule for tomorrow, no matter what—all for a date, an adventure with my precious partner.

Sora-san, who hasn't been able to hide her happy expression since she readily agreed to my invitation, is just too cute.

"Should we make a pinky promise?"

When I held out my pinky,

"That's embarrassing, so no!"

she replied with a cheerful voice. She's too cute, it's dangerous.

"Well then, see you tomorrow. ...It might be difficult, but please try to rest as much as you can, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks—I'm looking forward to tomorrow too."

When I smiled back at Sora, who had once again discreetly tugged on my sleeve, she gave me a ticklish smile before logging out of the virtual world.

"...I don't know anymore."

Am I okay? I feel like I'm already so fulfilled in so many ways... eh? I'm not going to get arrested for some crime all of a sudden, am I?

"No, this is no time for stupid thoughts..."

I have a packed schedule, let's get moving.

I called up my friend list from the system window and linked two names to send a message.

Needless to say, the recipients were the two artisans.

They both seem to be still logged in, but I wonder if they have time—

"Oh."

As it turned out, the replies from both were quick.

I sent them a message saying that my schedule had opened up for various reasons and that I wanted to meet them again to thank them... but huh, their replies are quite contrasting.

'I can tell you've been up to a lot again. Just put me on the back burner for now and take care of your other business. Good job, you did well.'

That was from Kagura-san.

No, really, she's so considerate... you're so cool, sis. I'll continue to support you with all my heart.

—And well, as for the other one...

"...Haha."

'Come to the atelier! Right!! Now!!!'

I couldn't help but laugh at the reply from Nia, which was so like her.

The contrast, the gap with Kagura-san... honestly, I don't dislike her straightforwardness either.

"Right now, huh... alright, you got it!!"

I pushed off with my legs, which were loaded with skill boosts.

I might as well make it a summoning RTA. I'll surprise you by showing up at lightning speed, so you just wait, you indigo girl.

---

They're starting to figure it out, but they're reading the room and pretending not to know.