kscans

Chapter 254 - Outside the Celebration

◇【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

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How much time had passed since that first message arrived?

Even though she knew she couldn't reply, she hadn't been able to resist opening the chat. Now that she'd left him on read, effectively ignoring him, would he be angry with her?

She thought in circles, but nothing about her situation changed—

"…………I can't do this anymore…"

The words that slipped from her lips were the same meaningless complaint she had uttered countless times before.

Open, close, open, close… Repeating the infinite cycle once more, she glared at the chat window before closing it and slumping powerlessly onto her desk.

"—'I can't do this anymore,' is my line, you know."

A soft voice came from the side, poking at the blue-haired girl who had become one with the desk—but while the quality of the voice was soft, the words themselves were laced with as much sharpness as she could muster.

"Just how long do I have to play babysitter to a lovestruck maiden (lol) who's just holing herself up and moping around? As you know, I'm a pretty busy person."

"But…!!"

With an angelic smile and an aura that could silence a crying child, the Archiver, Mitsueda Hiyori—also known as the West Faction player Hiyodori—loomed over her.

In response, the artisan player who was now caught up in the whirlwind of public attention let out a textbook whimper.

"Just send him a reply, anything. You can just say 'I'm busy right now' or 'Maybe some other time' to buy yourself some time, right?"

"I can't! There's no way! He's messaging me so normally, it's crazy! He needs to realize his own position, I can't understand him…!!"

"I'm the one who can't understand what's so hard about replying to a chat message, and you're just as bad, Nia-cha. Make up your mind, are you going to cry, get angry, or smirk?"

"I'm not smirking!!"

"Look in a mirror."

She understood the turmoil her friend was in, trapped in this endless frenzy, but being made to listen to her endless complaints was getting to be too much.

No matter how much this friend occupied the 'top priority slot' in Hiyodori's life, what was annoying was annoying, and what was frustrating was frustrating.

"It can't be helped! The guy I have a crush on became a global celebrity overnight! What kind of situation is that?! The scale is way too big for a first crush!"

"I've heard that dozens of times… Are you really admitting it's your first crush?"

At the interjected jab, Nia choked for a moment, "Mgh!"—but the hesitation was, as expected, only for a moment.

"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! YEAH, I LIKE HIM! WHAT ABOUT IT!?"

"Wow…"

Just as she said, it was as if she couldn't care less about being embarrassed anymore.

Slamming her fists on the desk, she screamed her feelings, her face flushed as red as it could possibly be as she panted for breath.

"I like him! Yeah, I do! It's impossible not to, it can't be helped! His face and personality are my type, he's easy to get along with, considerate, and kind, and his face is my type! And on top of that, he's super strong, a title holder, and he was so cool yesterday! He was cool, wasn't he!!?"

"Y-yeah, he was amazing."

Taken aback by her explosive outburst, Hiyodori leaned back in her chair and chuckled. 'She said 'his face is my type' twice,' she thought.

It was true that by real-world standards, he was a handsome young man… but this was the power of love at first sight. She really must have been into him, Hiyodori thought with a nod of understanding.

"But that's all the more reason, isn't it? Now that you've realized your feelings, you have to act carefully so he doesn't come to dislike you."

"A-act… ……………………There's nothing to act on…"

Just as quickly as she had puffed up, she deflated. Nier slumped back into her chair and hugged her knees, pouting—

"We're completely… out of each other's league now…"

—and with that, she buried her face in her arms.

"……………………It's been a while since I've seen that."

"…Shut up."

It was her go-to pose when she was down as a child, a classic that everyone has.

This time, with a smile that said 'You can't be helped' rather than a wry one, Hiyodori stood up and walked over to her curled-up friend without hesitation.

They had been friends for over ten years. She knew that for her, that pose was not a sign of 'rejection,' but of 'wanting to be pampered.'

As she gently stroked the vibrant, spiky blue hair, so different from her real-life hair—Nier, in turn, leaned against her friend without reservation.

"You were a former title holder too, Nia-cha. It's not like you're out of his league, right?"

"The West's titles mean something completely different from the others…"

"From the perspective of a 'regular player' like me, it doesn't seem that different, though."

Even as she said that… Hiyodori, as a veteran player, if not in terms of skill, understood that her friend's words were not entirely off the mark.

The rankings in the West Faction, Vestol, were different from those of the other factions, which represented absolute individual strength. They were more like a 'seasonal ranking' that was almost completely reset at regular intervals.

For those who managed to maintain their rank repeatedly, like the current top three, it was a different story. But simply having your name on the list didn't put you on the same level as the title holders of other factions.

And on top of that, there was last night's event. The words 'out of his league' might not have been an exaggeration… but still.

To put the brakes on your feelings because you're worried about your respective positions—

"—Have you gotten serious about him?"

"—…"

"That's great. I'll support you."

It's because you think not only of yourself, but of the other person.

And to consider stepping back for their sake—that's something you can't do unless you care more about them than you do about yourself.

"Hey, Nia. If you want to give up, I think that's fine. But…"

—But, surely, you're too infatuated to give up that easily, aren't you?

So much so that you'd curl up and hug your knees like a child.

"If you're going to get serious and not give up, I'll cheer you on with everything I've got."

"……………………"

She remained silent for a few dozen seconds, leaning against her.

"…………If I get serious…"

Still with her face buried, the voice Nier let out was much more fragile than expected.

"…I'm… that, you know?"

"…Yeah, I know."

"It's not about our positions or anything… It's just, you know…"

"Yeah."

"It'd be tough, in a lot of ways…"

"The one who gets to decide that isn't you, it's him, right?"

It was a conversation between two people who shared a certain 'circumstance.'

Understanding and acknowledging that—Hiyodori's words to her friend, suffering from her first love, remained unchanged.

"I get it, but—even with all those insecurities and anxieties, if you still can't give up that easily… doesn't that just mean he's worth it?"

"………………"

"If that's the case, then I think… it'd be a waste not to try."

Her head lifted slightly, and her blue eyes peeked out. When Hiyodori met her gaze, she immediately looked away shyly, as always.

But—

"……………………You think he'd be put off?"

"I wonder. And are you planning on leading with that?"

"W-well, yeah… I can't just spring that on him later."

"Hmm… Why not just make him fall for you so hard that it won't matter?"

"I can't do that…! And besides, f-fall for me… I don't even think he's aware of me in that way…"

"No way, that can't be true. You need to be aware of your own charms, Nia-cha."

"Even if you say that…!"

But whenever there was something she couldn't back down from, she would always complain and whine, but she would never give up.

Because she understood that part of her nature so deeply—

"Ah, alright, alright, I get it. Just send him a reply already, will you?"

"Ugh… wh-what do you think I should say…?"

"………………"

"Hey, don't give me that annoyed look! You said you'd support me!!"

—Even if this 'first love' was fraught with more than its fair share of difficulties.

The option of not giving her a push was never on the table to begin with.