kscans

Chapter 251 - A Change in the Air

"—……………………Okay."

It's a little past thirty-one hundred hours—no, it's not that the endless cycle of respawning has driven me mad.

The virtual time runs 1.5 times faster than reality, so it's a perfectly normal time, just before 9:00 PM in the real world.

Having given up on the adjustment work that had seen me blown to bits by the Ruby Bullet Rabbits countless times… or rather, having reached a state of enlightenment through resignation, I let out a detached mutter.

"Impossible."

There are things people can do if they try, and there are things they can't do no matter how much they struggle.

In other words, what's impossible is impossible. The current state of my half-collapsed skill build is not a problem that can be solved by my personal player skill alone.

Fortunately, my friends list has grown significantly thanks to the Four Pillar War. And since most of them are top-tier players, I can probably expect a piece of advice or two.

So, for now, I'll put my aerial mobility, which has been effectively sealed, on hold. In the worst-case scenario, if I stay on the ground, [Hare Real] won't misfire… and I'll figure out how to handle any unreasonable demands if and when they actually happen.

—And so,

◇【H&N】Talk Room◇

【Haru】: Hey Nia-chan

【Haru】: I need a bit of your time, you busy?

【Haru】: Let me know when you're free

――――――――……

――――――……

――――……

What is going on with her… The talk room's settings let me see if a message has been read, and even though all my messages have been marked as read, I haven't gotten a single reply.

Her friends list shows her as online, and no matter how busy she is, she should be able to send a word or two back with a quick thought command—

"Hm?"

Should I just be puzzled, or should I be worried? As I tilted my head, the system sound for an incoming message finally arrived.

【Sora】— 'I'm waiting at the usual place.'

It wasn't the 'reply' I was expecting, but the sender was another important person I was waiting for.

I wonder, is the usual place the same one I'm thinking of?

What kind of expression will she have on her face when we meet, she who had watched over me during last night's madness?

As I pondered these things, I felt my cheeks naturally relax into a smile… Not wanting to keep my partner waiting, I jumped into the dungeon's teleport gate to rush to her side.

◇◆◇◆◇

—Maybe I should just feign illness and run away.

Having logged into the virtual world to fulfill the previous day's promise, Sora was the very picture of restlessness.

Without having to arrange it, she had naturally made her way to their usual tavern in the Istia district as a meeting spot.

Fortunately… or perhaps I shouldn't say that, but there were no other customers, so no one was giving her strange looks as she stood there, too fidgety to even sit down.

The elderly NPC owner was thankfully pretending not to notice, but she was aware that under normal circumstances, her behavior would have immediately earned her a concerned, "Are you okay?"

She didn't know what kind of face to make when she saw him.

To see the person who, in the span of a single day, had become arguably 'the most famous person in the world right now.' Her partner, who had run and run until he had finally reached a place so far beyond her grasp.

Knowing him, she had imagined he would pull off some amazing feat that would surpass all her expectations—

—but reality had betrayed even that prediction and soared to the heavens.

All day today, it felt like she had heard his name everywhere she went. On the way to and from school, inside the school itself, everyone's conversations, regardless of who was speaking, were about 'last night.'

And the 'core' of that topic was, needless to say,

"…………—"

The word she whispered never formed into a sound.

She couldn't get a grip on her emotions, couldn't even read her own heart. She didn't know what the biggest feeling inside her was right now.

Confusion? Elation? Anxiety? All of them seemed right, and none of them seemed right. The only thing she could say for sure was that, in the end—

""――――――――""

—there was no way to know the answer other than to see him face-to-face.

Her breath caught in her throat as the young man who pushed open the tavern door met her eyes. She couldn't even tell what kind of expression she was making, and as she fought the urge to look away, he—

"Good evening, Sora."

—smiled at her, just like always, and to Haru—

"G-Good eveni—"

—her feet moved before her mouth did, as if pulled by a powerful force.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—Woah…"

"Oof?"

Just as we exchanged greetings, I caught Sora's avatar as she charged at me full-tilt. To have closed the distance without me sensing her approach, even after my training with the Sword Saint, that was quite the impressive rush.

I caught her shoulders with both hands to absorb the momentum, but my body still swayed as her head bumped against my chest. I should probably praise my VIT: 0 self for not falling over.

"Huh…? Ah, uh, eh…?"

What on earth just happened? I looked down to see the same question written all over her face… Sora-san, didn't you just smack your forehead hard against the [Crimson Red Ruby] under my clothes? Are you okay?

"Uh… what's wrong?"

I called out to the seemingly confused Sora and gently pushed her shoulders to create some distance—to push, to push, push… some distance…

"Sora-san???"

"N-no…! This isn't me, something's strange…!"

She wasn't moving away—in fact, she was pressing her body even closer. I gave my partner a bewildered look, which was more of a 'Could you please not?' kind of look, but all I got back was a voice filled with equal confusion.

On top of that, she grabbed my clothes as if to say 'I won't let you go,' making it impossible for me to forcibly pull away. Another five centimeters up and she would've had me by the collar.

That might have actually been better for hiding my embarrassment, I thought, my mind escaping into nonsensical tangents as I gently patted the head below me to calm the panicking Sora.

I was honored that this level of physical contact was permitted between us, so… I watched the girl, who flinched for a moment but then allowed my patting while tilting her head at her own actions—

"…………Ah, a table for two, please."

—and gave a forced smile to the owner, who had been staring at us from the side while wiping a glass, holding up two fingers.

The elderly NPC, who rarely showed any expression, just snorted and gestured to the tables as if to say, 'Help yourselves.'