kscans

Chapter 188 - A Special Person

The sensation of shifting from the real world to the virtual one was something she had grown quite used to.

The girl awoke on a bench by the roadside in a Safe Area, right beside a transfer gate. She looked up at the night sky, already blanketed by a myriad of stars, and stretched her arms out wide—

“Ah…!”

Remembering the recent and significant reduction in the defensive properties of her attire, she quickly dropped her arms. She knew that by the standards of Arcadia’s fantasy-esque world, a slightly flashy outfit was nothing to worry about, but…

What’s embarrassing is embarrassing. In the real world, she’d never worn clothes that exposed her shoulders and underarms like this.

Fortunately, a look around revealed no one in the vicinity—

“Ah, uh…”

There was.

Her eyes met those of two male players who had been glancing her way. The girl—Sora—scrambled to her feet, desperate to avoid any possibility of being spoken to, and quickly left the spot.

She understood all too well that her appearance attracted the attention of the opposite sex.

While looks weren’t as heavily emphasized in the virtual world as they were in reality, they were still a factor in how people were judged.

Here, too, a striking appearance naturally drew others in.

But I don’t want to think about that right now.

Walking briskly down the well-kept road built by players, the girl shook her head, forcing the entanglements of the real world—which she had only just managed to put a pin in—from her thoughts.

When it came to negative things, she was good at suppressing her emotions. She was fairly certain ‘he’ hadn’t noticed how much she’d been struggling internally these past few days.

And that was for the best.

She didn’t want to bring those kinds of things into this world.

“……”

Unconsciously, Sora whispered his name without a sound, completely unaware.

She wanted to see her partner, and soon.

◇◆◇◆◇

“...Is something wrong?”

To Sora, he had somehow become a symbol of freedom itself.

When she had rushed over, he was already at their meeting spot… but what was with that expression? He seemed lost in thought, a look she had rarely seen on his face.

“Hm… I’m not really sure myself.”

The face that turned to her was—perhaps—one of bewilderment.

“It’s just, lately, she’s… no, it hasn’t just been lately, has it…?”

“...?”

His quiet muttering to himself was, in a way, very unlike him—unlike Haru.

Was it selfish of her to want to see his usual face right now?

…Was it selfish to want him to look at me, his partner, standing right beside him?

“...Good evening, Haru.”

“Oh—good evening, Sora.”

That’s why she consciously put on the brightest smile she could muster—and though he tilted his head, he turned his eyes to her.

He’s looking at me.

From the day they met, he had always seen her, Sora, and no one else.

“...Something good happen?”

“Yes, just a little something.”

In response to her answer, Haru brushed it off with a simple, “I see.”

It wasn’t that he was uninterested. She knew he was watching over her without prying. It was almost like he was an older brother.

The way he treated her like a kid, like a little sister, was both frustrating and comforting at the same time.

If she could just accept it and let herself be more pampered… things might become a lot easier, but—Sora wasn’t enough of a child to be that selfish.

So… this was her limit.

She sat down next to him on the bench and captured the edge of his hand where it rested—his pinky finger.

“Sora-san?”

“It’s nothing.”

She pretended not to hear him mutter something about… people watching.

They were near the bustling area in front of the Great Bell Tower, with a massive event just around the corner. She had no intention of reaching out any further than this, so she hoped he would just let it be for now.

“The main event is about to start. Are you sure you don’t need to focus?”

“Well, yeah… yeah…? …Ah, whatever.”

It seemed her diversion had worked—…though she knew he was just letting himself be diverted.

“It’s not so much about focusing… They told me not to come until the last minute, to just relax and do whatever.”

“Until the last minute?”

“Yeah, something about making a grand entrance ten minutes before it starts.”

Was that… really going to be okay?

“Aren’t there any briefings or anything…?”

“We went over all that yesterday… Basically, they just want me to be able to move like I always do, without getting nervous.”

“They’re asking for the impossible,” Haru said with a laugh.

“Honestly, this is nothing like the selection matches… I’ve come full circle, and now I can’t even tell if I’m nervous or not.”

“Well, I think… that’s understandable.”

This was a stage where, quite literally, the eyes of the entire world would be upon him—and he was about to step onto it with a major ‘role’ to play.

How could anyone possibly prepare for that?

If she were in the same position… would she have the composure to smile, even if it was just for show, like her partner was doing now?

“...You really are special, you know.”

“Hm?”

She knew he wouldn’t miss a small whisper, so her words were barely a murmur in her mouth. When Haru tilted his head, unable to hear, Sora let out a soft chuckle.

“Haru.”

“What is it?”

“Just be your usual self. When I can’t stand beside you, I’ll be watching over you—just like always.”

“...Yeah, well. That’s reassuring.”

“Make sure you show everyone how cool you can be.”

“Now that’s pressure.”

“You’re Ui-san’s disciple, so you have to do your best, you know?”

“That’s the kind of pressure I was really talking about…!”

“Hmph… So your master is a higher priority than your partner?”

“Sora-san?”

“That’s so mean. I’m going to tell Ui-san.”

“W-wait, wait, let’s talk about this. You of all people should know that’s not what I meant—”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘that’ or ‘this.’ Explain yourself properly.”

“Why the sudden switch to selfish mode???”

Though he wore a wry smile… he, of all people, had surely read her intention to ease his tension.

As Sora feigned a sulk, Haru, in turn, feigned an attempt to appease her—and as he focused on their conversation, outside of his awareness, she poured all her feelings into the pinky she held.

May my partner be able to display his power to its fullest.

May my partner—my special person—be able to enjoy this unparalleled grand stage…

To his heart’s content.