kscans

Chapter 266 - Quits

"—Just as planned. Let's go."

"Leave it to me."

In the parking lot of the hideout-office, camouflaged as a multi-tenant building, Chitose, who had been waiting in the car, started the engine at his employer's command.

"I'll ask just in case, but are you sure about this? Leaving them alone together so suddenly."

Glancing at Togo in the rearview mirror, Chitose saw that his expression was, unexpectedly... no, just as expected, serene.

"It's too late for that now, isn't it? They've already spent a much denser time together in reality. The time for making a fuss has long since passed."

It can't be helped now—he says, feigning reluctance with a sigh, but such deception is, as he says, 'too late' to work on Chitose.

"You've grown quite fond of him, haven't you?"

At first, he had frowned with a mix of confusion and various other emotions. But as he followed the two of them on their 'adventure' day by day—albeit only the parts 'she' allowed him to see—Chitose knew that the emotion in his eyes had changed.

"............It's not a matter of fondness, I'm simply grateful."

As someone who knew a part of the circumstances they—Yotsuya—were dealing with, those words, which seemed to come from the heart, resonated with him quite a bit.

"When he—when Haru-kun is by her side, that girl can just be herself... I would only bless it, I have no intention of getting in their way."

"...I feel the same way—but Sora-chan's real troubles start from here, don't they?"

"That is a problem that cannot be helped."

On this matter, Chitose and Togo's opinions were in perfect agreement. The two adults, knowing the young man's nature from his 'past'—

"The real-life Haru-kun will be a much tougher opponent than the Acrobat in the virtual world."

"...I have no doubt that's true."

—let out sighs with indescribable expressions, anticipating the turmoil that lay ahead.

◇◆◇◆◇

—That old man, Yotsuya Togo, had the nerve to leave us two alone and make a dashing exit.

He whispered something in each of our ears so only we could hear, then gave a big smile and said, 'I'll leave the rest to you young people.' I never thought I'd hear such a cliché line in my entire life... and the words he left for me were also a huge problem. I'm starting to have no idea what's going on in his head.

—And so, as we were left alone in a flash, there was no one but us to move this situation forward.

On top of that, Sora-san has frozen up again, so I can only rely on myself.

"For now... shall we sit?"

"Y-Yes...!"

I called out to her, and while watching her, I returned to my original seat—and right after I sat down, I felt one side of the sofa sink, and I nearly looked up at the heavens.

"—............Sora-san."

"Yes...?"

"Why are you next to me?"

"————W-Wha, m-my...!? No, that's not—!"

She shot up and quickly retreated. Her face bright red, the girl took a good distance, then started performing a strange pantomime, her eyes darting around frantically.

There's no doubt that if we were in the virtual world, her pupils would be spinning and smoke would be rising from her head.

"—...Hk, ah... R-Right! Tea! Coffee! Shall I make some for you?!"

"Pfft...!"

"Hk............Uuu..."

Her extreme panic was so adorable that I couldn't help but burst out laughing. As Sora collapsed from the continuous damage, I apologized with a 'sorry' and requested coffee, and the girl, her face still red, turned away and left the room.

She didn't abandon me; she probably just headed for the kitchen like Natsume-san had—and with that, I finally had a moment to breathe.

"..........................................This is insane."

In front of Sora, I had been pretending to be my usual self, but my mind was currently being battered by the biggest storm in its history.

What was so insane?—Well, for starters, I had honestly thought Sora was older than me.

I knew the data that the average age of [Arcadia] players was in their late twenties, and the ratio of student players was less than ten percent. That was part of the reason, but not all of it. Although I had felt a certain childlikeness or innocence in her from time to time, her demeanor and speech were so calm that I thought my perception was just being influenced by her girlish avatar.

And yet... wait, she's definitely younger than me, right? First of all, she's wearing a uniform. A blazer with a refined, calm design, and a distinctive bright skirt with a yellow check pattern. It was the uniform of some high school I'd seen a few times since moving to Tokyo.

High school student? Sora-san was a high school student...??? I had thought she might be a university student heiress like Kaede, or even a capable office lady...!!

And more than anything else—

"........................"

Swallowing the words that were about to escape my lips, I collapsed onto the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.

That's impossible. That's a foul.

—The fact that her appearance was the same in reality is a crime-level forbidden card.

Having seen countless beautiful women and girls in the virtual world, I had begun to feel a certain level of immunity. Today, it was proven that my immunity to the opposite sex was limited to the virtual world.

I mean, it's insane... when you think about it calmly, what kind of divine face can be judged as a beautiful girl with both black and blonde hair without any sense of incongruity???

Honestly, I was just as surprised as when I first met Iris. Sora-san has the kind of combat power that would make any idol run for the hills...

No, calm down... if I panic and go wild here, all the trust I've built up will be for nothing. Since we've had this miraculous encounter in reality by some twist of fate, I want to build a casual relationship with my one and only partner in both worlds.

Right, think of it the other way—if she's such a celestial beauty, then I won't have to worry about getting the wrong idea. I just need to remind myself each time that our looks are completely mismatched. Otherwise, I'd probably be a nervous wreck in seconds. No doubt about it.

"............—The case of my partner being way too cute in real life, too."

The raspy whisper that finally escaped me dissipated before reaching the ceiling—and to its echo, which sounded like the title of some fictional work, I added a dry laugh.

It seemed the encroachment of fantasy would show me no mercy.

◇◆◇◆◇

"————Nnngh...!!"

During the free time while the water was heating up—letting out an indescribable 'cry,' a girl's figure could be seen gently headbutting the refrigerator.

If she wasn't careful, her complaints about a certain person (her father) would become endless, so while keeping her lips sealed, Sora desperately willed the heat lingering on her cheeks to 'go away.'

Fiancé—the discussion about the fake engagement had been going on for some time.

The endless marriage proposals, the way people looked at her, were nothing but terrifying for the girl. It was supposed to be a 'breakthrough' that she not only agreed to but had even wished for herself—but.

"I didn't hear about this... something like this...!"

In the first place, she wasn't even supposed to meet the 'other party.' The plan was for a trustworthy person her father had chosen to take on the role, and they would become a temporary shield without even meeting, just a relationship in name only—that was supposed to be the promise.

That's why today, when she suddenly received a message saying 'I'd like you to meet the fiancé candidate,' she had been truly angry, even as she replied with 'I understand.'

On the way here, she had complained endlessly to Itsuki, who had come to pick her up, and once she arrived at the office, she had even resolved to put on an iron mask and respond with an uncharacteristic act of rebellion.

And yet—

When she opened the door, 'he' was there.

His hairstyle was different, he was wearing glasses, his eyes were not black but a gentle chestnut brown. But he was the same.

His face, his voice, his smile—

"—Hk..."

Apologizing to no one in particular with a 'I'm sorry,' she opened the refrigerator and crouched down.

If Itsuki saw her, she would probably be scolded for 'wasting electricity' or 'being unladylike.'

But if the cold air pouring over her didn't cool her head down a little—she didn't think she'd be able to face her partner (Haru) again.