kscans

Chapter 255 - The Party in Full Swing

【Nier】— 'I'm so sorry, tomorrow for sure!!!!!'

"Ngh."

As soon as I opened the message, its contents slammed straight into my brain, and a strange sound escaped my lips. It was fifty percent her usual style, and fifty percent relief that I had finally gotten a reply.

The fact that she had just assumed we would meet tomorrow without even checking my schedule made me feel like something was definitely off—

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing…"

Goldow, who had been leaning against the railing of the open atrium and watching the commotion below, tilted his head at my sudden utterance. I waved a hand as I closed the window, a wry smile spreading across my face internally.

Am I even going to be able to log in tomorrow?

All I had was a summons—or rather, an 'invitation'—and with no idea what Yotsuya Development wanted, I couldn't predict what would happen.

…The question of whether I should just show up in such a state was moot; the other party was on a level where concerns about trust were irrelevant.

I mean, they had the university chancellor personally contact me just to get a message to a single student.

Whatever my standing in the virtual world, in reality, I was just an ordinary citizen with practically no right to refuse, at least mentally—well, in the first place, as a player of [Arcadia], the option to ignore a request from Yotsuya was unthinkable…

"Hey, Goldow."

"Yeah?"

"She's an amazing singer."

A deliberately forced change of subject. As I leaned against the railing beside him, my gaze fell on the small girl standing on the stage below.

You're looking pretty good up there, Miss Red.

"As expected of a real-life idol, huh."

"Hah, all I ever see is her goofing around here, so it feels weird, doesn't it?"

Well, considering she looks like that in real life too, I guess I can see it… and with her twin-like partner, it's no wonder they're a popular duo.

Apparently, they've even performed at the Budokan. They're actual celebrities; my knees are shaking.

By the way, her partner, Ri-na, the 'cute one of the Twin Wings,' is once again on my partner's lap. Since Sora's shyness only lasts for a very short time after meeting someone, she must have gotten used to being clung to for over an hour now.

I can still see a hint of hesitation, but the sight of Sora doting on the little blue girl, looking somewhat happy, is already like that of sisters. I'm impressed she possesses both older and younger sister attributes.

"But still… nowadays, your standing in the virtual world usually takes precedence over any real-world position—how's it going on the other side?"

He tilted the mug in his hand and asked lightly.

Talking openly about real-life matters in a virtual world (a game) is a breach of etiquette—but his voice was so full of camaraderie and concern that such things didn't matter.

"…For now, I guess I'll just have to go with the flow."

"Gahaha! Well, that's how it is for everyone at first."

A hand slapped my back, and my avatar swayed violently.

I've been treated like this often, but thinking back, even from the very beginning—when we met in the arena where I fought Irori—I've never found this slightly rough impact unpleasant.

I stumbled but managed a vague smile in return, and Goldow, after draining his bitter drink, laughed heartily and pulled something from his pocket.

"—Here, take this."

"Huh?"

When I took it, I saw it was a small, folded piece of paper—

"Hey, this is…"

"Memorize it well, and then get rid of it. You're good at 'memorizing,' right?"

I looked up from the characters written on the opened paper, stunned, and the large hand came down on my shoulder again, patting it firmly.

"Well—if you're ever in real trouble, you can count on me, Haru."

With those words, he gave a wave and his massive back descended to the floor below. I watched in a daze as the charismatic giant was instantly swallowed by a wave of welcoming people.

I was left with a single, roughly torn piece of paper.

Written on it was his real-world contact information.

"…………Is it possible to be too cool?"

I honestly felt like I was about to cry. When you're feeling weak and someone offers you the perfect kindness, your tear ducts just…

"—Well, it's no wonder he's so popular, right?"

"There you are, you title-fraud samurai."

As usual, I shot a merciless side-eye at the blonde who had appeared beside me without a sound.

He might be trying to look thoughtful with two glasses in his hand, but the smug smile he's not even trying to hide puts him in the negative, that bastard.

"Good evening—how are you, Lord Fourth Seat?"

"Hmph—not bad, Sir Seventh Seat."

The sarcastic exchange was something we were more than used to. I curtly accepted the offered champagne glass, and Irori, who had taken the place of the now-third-ranked member, leaned his back against the railing in a relaxed manner.

"I didn't know the titles themselves could change."

"Still haven't done your homework, have you? This is the first time it's happened."

Rank #7, [Sword Protector]—now Rank #4, [Peerless], Irori.

In the Four Pillar War, after I left the stage, Irori's final achievements were the defeat of three title holders, including the [Heavy Tank], and the capture of the South Faction's base.

The new tactics he had unveiled, focusing on 'offense' rather than his previous 'defense,' had earned him a valorous reputation worthy of moving up in the ranks and changing his title—but there was just one thing that bothered me.

"Can I give you my honest opinion?"

"No."

"[Peerless] is just a bit too strong of a name, it makes me laugh."

"Do you want to be sliced to ribbons, Crown?"

I flinched at the immediate counterattack, and unfortunately, I was the one who faltered.

—'Acrobat (Crown),' 'Clown (Crown),' 'Magician (Crown)'… and 'He Who Usurps the Throne (Crown),' among others.

The nickname 'Crown,' born from the terrible reason that 'Kyoukugeishi is hard to say,' had taken on a life of its own, and the numerous ridiculous当て字 (phonetic equivalents) it had spawned were dealing a fatal blow to my psyche.

The worst one I'd seen was 'The New King Who Inherits the Crown from the Queen'—they were totally messing with me. Stop playing with my name!!

"Stop it, this pointless conflict will lead to nothing."

"You're the one who started it."

He chuckled at my immediate surrender, and true to his earlier words, he didn't seem to be in a 'bad' mood. As he watched Goldow and Mi-na's mismatched duo storm the stage below, Irori's expression was even calmer than usual.

"You didn't invite her?"

I asked suddenly, and his reply came not in words, but in a glance.

"I thought for sure you'd be escorting her."

I didn't need to specify 'who.'

"Hah, that's too great a role for me. Besides, Sensei isn't fond of noisy places."

"That's… well, I guess so."

If she did come, she'd probably just be smiling serenely as always, but in terms of whether it suited her nature or not, it would probably be the latter.

There was also probably the reason that if Ui-san showed up, the commotion downstairs would undoubtedly spiral out of control… It seemed more like the Sword Saint to want to avoid causing a huge scene because of her presence, rather than her simply disliking it herself.

"So, you should go see her yourself as soon as possible."

"Yeah, as soon as I can get in touch with her."

Unfortunately, my master still showed no sign of logging in. It was probably something in the real world, but it was unlikely I'd be able to see her today.

In fact, on second thought, the idea of a real-life Yamato Nadeshiko like Ui-san logging into a game every day was probably the more irregular thing—…huh?

"Are you being called?"

"…………No, I don't hear anything—"

"I R O R I i i i i!"

"G E T D O W N H E R E I R O R I!"

Yeah, you're definitely being called. It seems they've already chosen the next 'victim.'

"……………………"

"Go on, get down there. I'm sure a handsome guy like you is a good singer, too."

"You'll regret this… The next victim is you…!!"

Ooh, scary. But what he doesn't know is that thanks to my part-time job, I'm used to singing my heart out in front of large crowds.

As I watched the sorrowful back of the hakama-clad man descend the stairs, leaving a trail of resentment behind him—

"Hey there, senpai."

"Are you guys taking turns like a wanko soba challenge or something?"

Tetra had naturally slid into the spot next to me, and a tired smile, not quite a chuckle, escaped my lips.

Sora seemed to be having fun too, with Hinayo-san having joined her at some point to form a trio of beautiful sisters. I was grateful that they were getting along with my partner and I—

"Well… I don't really have anything to talk about, but are you interested in the 'Crown Kanji Ranking' I found online?"

"What the hell are you looking up, you got too much time on your hands?"

"Not really. If I had to say, I guess it's to vent my frustration at somehow being demoted back to Rank #9 (Ninth)."

"Don't take out your frustration on your senpai (kouhai)!!"

No, really, I'm so grateful, damn it all…!


――――――Ranker's Title――――――

◇First【Lawless Heaven】―――【Tengen】◇

◇Second【Sword Saint】―――【Ui】◇

◇Third【General Commander】―――【Goldow】◇

◇Fourth【Peerless】―――【Irori】◇ Rank UP!

◇Fifth【Left Wing】―――【Mi-na】◇

◇Sixth【Right Wing】―――【Ri-na】◇

◇Seventh【Acrobat】―――【Haru】◇ Rank UP!

◇Eighth【Scorching Gaze】―――【Hinayo】◇

◇Ninth【Undying】―――【Tetra】◇ Rank UP!

◇Tenth【Twin Fists】―――【Genkotsu】◇

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