kscans

Chapter 187 - The Coming Day, in the Virtual World

—She was troubled.

There was no doubt that he was in the wrong this time, and it was a moment where she could have been genuinely angry.

...There was no doubt, but.

"Raise your hands."

"Okay."

As she made the final adjustments to the extra accessories she had rushed to prepare, Nia kept stealing glances at the young man who was obediently following her instructions, her heart in a turmoil.

—He's down. He's really, really down.

It wasn't obvious in his expression or voice, but she, being particularly sensitive to such things, could read it all.

"Does this feel weird?"

"No. It's fine."

See, deep down in his voice, the usual innocence, that unguarded feeling, is faint. And he's not really trying to meet her eyes.

It's like he's a kid afraid of being scolded again.

It was just yesterday. They had made up, and she had received her 'apology gift,' but... she was aware that she had scolded him without mercy, so perhaps it was inevitable that things would be awkward right after.

It was inevitable, but the young man's—Haru's—reaction was a bit unexpected. She had assumed that, being him, he would have a cheerful expression by the time he woke up, regardless of how he felt inside.

"Pendant, string or chain, which do you prefer?"

"Either is fine. I'll leave it to you."

And this is how he is.

As if his usual lighthearted banter was out of the question, it was painfully obvious that he was being thoroughly careful not to upset her.

"Alright, this should be it. It's a rush job, but it's not bad—"

She regretted it the moment she said it. It was a fact that it was a rush job, but there was no need to say it out loud.

"This is a huge help. Thank you."

As expected, he was good at smoothing things over. Brushing off Nia's unnecessary comment, Haru smiled beautifully—

"Ngh, mmph...?"

That was so infuriating that she reflexively reached out and pulled his cheeks. Haru, of course, looked bewildered... but when she glared at him straight on, he flinched and averted his eyes.

—What's with that? Why are you acting like that now?

"Hey."

"Wha ish it(What is it)? An' wha(and what), are you doin(are you doing)..."

"You're not used to being genuinely scolded, are you?"

"..."

—It must have been a direct hit. When she cut straight to the point without any intention of playing along, Haru's eyes widened in shock for a moment, and then he looked away again, looking guilty.

That's what she thought. She had a similar experience, so she could somehow guess how he was feeling.

She'd seen Sora-chan scold him, but in her case, it was more like playful banter than a real scolding.

Well, she had no intention of digging deeper. In the end, what she wanted to say was—

"I don't like it. Stop it."

She just didn't want him to hide the part of him that she had come to like.

"That...?"

Holding his freed cheeks, Haru tilted his head. This time, it was Nia who turned her face away.

"Why are you being so weirdly considerate? I hate that kind of thing, so it'll just make me angrier, you know."

"Ehh..."

"...I scolded you without holding back yesterday because I thought you'd take it straight on, like you always do. So, just be your usual self."

She rummaged through a nearby shelf for no particular reason.

"...—I like you better when you're your usual self, when you're not afraid to clash with me."

She regretted it the second it left her mouth.

That's so out of character for her. Aware that she was blushing up to her neck, she hid the skin of her neck by pretending to fiddle with her hood.

From behind her, a sense of bewilderment was followed by an inevitable silence. She couldn't possibly turn around, so she couldn't even prompt him for a reply—

"—My bad. Thanks."

A voice, mixed with a wry laugh, reached Nia's back as she was about to curl up.

From that tone, the awkwardness she had felt since they met today was gone... Realizing her own face was softening, she really couldn't turn around anymore.

"Ngh... hmmph! Very well! —Now then, come on! You're not free, are you? Get going, get going!"

"You're kicking me out seconds after this...?"

"Nia-chan isn't free either! Don't worry, I'll be cheering for you from the real world tonight!!"

"Hey, what, what's gotten into you all of a sud—AH, YES, I'M LEAVING, PARDON THE INTRUSION!"

Without turning around, she snatched up a gemstone and held it up as if about to throw it. Behind her, she sensed a hurried retreat—

"...Um... what are you trying to do?"

As he was opening the door, Haru, whose back was being pinched, let out a bewildered voice. It was no wonder. Even Nia didn't know what she was trying to do.

But, for now.

"I'll be cheering for you."

"O-Oh."

"Show me something cool, okay?"

"...Hah."

She had to convey what she needed to say without joking around.

And when she did, see—

"Leave it to me."

This boy, who hadn't stopped moving forward since they met, would surely... show her something truly cool.