kscans

Chapter 268 - Another Fine Day

"Well then, um... I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later."

We were in the ground-floor parking lot of a small, two-story office building.

I averted my eyes from the surreal sight of a maid gripping the steering wheel as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and exchanged a temporary farewell with Sora, who was peeking out of the rear passenger window.

The "fake engagement" was something we had both agreed upon, but everything was happening far too quickly. Neither Sora nor I were mentally prepared to transition from deepening our bond in the virtual world to doing the same in reality just yet.

So, for today, we decided to part ways for now.

Her school uniform on a weekday afternoon told me she had likely slipped out during her lunch break, so she would be heading back.

As for me, while it wasn't an emergency, a certain 'big job' had come up, so I'd be skipping my university classes. When I called Kunori-san to let him know, he somehow ended up persuading me to take the whole week off.

He said something along the lines of, 'Don't worry about trifles like attendance days or credits. Just take your time and get settled until things stabilize.'

It was… how do I put it? While I was truly grateful for the consideration, it made me feel the presence of a certain kind of "power" I'd rather not think about.

Well, that aside. After warmly seeing off Sora, who was giving a small wave, I got into the other car that was waiting nearby—

"Thank you for your help."

"Of course, my pleasure."

I bowed my head to Chitose-san, who was in the driver's seat and would be looking after me. Apparently, he was going to help me with my 'big job'…

"Alright, shall we head straight to your apartment for now?"

"That's fine, but… what about all the paperwork and procedures?"

Considering how the university had responded, I could already guess the answer… but when I asked just in case, Chitose-san smiled as if it were obvious—

"Of course—someone other than you will take care of all the tedious details."

"...Yes, sir. I'll leave it to you."

And there it was. Seriously, this over-the-top VIP treatment was making me tremble.

If that was the case, I'd leave all my real-world troubles to Yotsuya-sama, who had offered to be my 'shield'… and I would simply do as I pleased and fulfill my 'duty'.

In other words, the 'big job' I needed to handle immediately was—

"Ah, but… the big stuff, like the refrigerator and washing machine… two of us won't be enough for those."

"We've prepared the latest models of all appliances, but would you like to swap them for your personal favorites?"

"No, thank you, I'm quite alright."

It had been just under two months since I started living alone.

In the blink of an eye, I was 'moving out' of my beloved castle (my room), which I had just started to grow fond of.

◇◆◇◆◇

"If you say another word, I'm going to get angry."

"Oh, how scary. So, what did you think of meeting your knight in the real world?"

"I-tsu-ki-san?"

She knew full well this wasn't a situation where a request like 'please just leave me be' would be honored. As always, her threat, which carried no real weight, was casually brushed aside, and Sora hugged the bag in her lap to block Itsuki's gaze from the rearview mirror.

"There's no need to be so angry, is there? It was all for the best, wasn't it?"

"That's why I'm so flustered…!"

"Hee hee, so you admit it was all for the best?"

"Hmph… I'm done with you!"

She was being teased—but Sora knew it wasn't just that.

Still, her heart just couldn't keep up. That was the real reason she'd made the decision to return to school, even though she didn't truly feel like it.

She just needed a little time to cool down and collect herself before they spoke again in the virtual world.

By doing so, they could go back to being their usual selves… That's what they had told each other as they parted with a 'see you later'.

Therefore—

"Next time, I'll be truly angry. So please, leave me alone."

Sora turned her head away with a huff and fixed her gaze out the window, a clear sign of her continued resistance. However, against the woman who was like an older sister and knew her so well, such a pose of anger—

"My, my, how frightening. You must be glad he wasn't some much older man, hmm?"

"I-TSU-KI-SAN!!"

—was utterly useless, a fact she had already resigned herself to inwardly.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—...Are you serious?"

"I'm serious. Don't think of it as a loan; feel free to use it as you please."

Several hours after returning to my room and beginning the task of sorting what to keep and what to toss, I found myself standing utterly dumbfounded before an unbelievable sight.

I didn't have many belongings to begin with, so the moving preparations were finished in a flash. I'd been told they had prepared all the necessary appliances and furniture, so I had no lingering attachment as I bid farewell to the cheap items I'd bought under the motto 'if it works, it's good enough'.

As a result, my luggage consisted of just small items, including clothes and daily necessities.

To be honest, I only worked directly for about thirty minutes. The rest of the time, I just killed time outside while my [Arcadia] console was being transported from my old room to the new residence.

I found myself with free time around two in the afternoon… and since I had somehow missed lunch, Chitose-san invited me to a little get-together for just the two of us.

—Anything you'd like to eat?

—I'll leave it to you.

And so I left it to him.

The result was being taken to a sushi restaurant where the prices weren't listed on the menu, and I, naturally, did my best impression of a cat on a leash.

…Just kidding, of course. Thanks to our mutual efforts—no, thanks entirely to his monstrous communication skills, I had completely warmed up to him over a single lunch.

Before I knew it, my guard was down, my hesitation was gone, my formal language was gone…

To think he could get me to speak casually to an older man without even citing the 'protocol among rankers'… he was no ordinary person. It definitely wasn't because I was won over by the taste of non-conveyor-belt sushi.

Anyway, that aside.

"I mean… I think about five of me could live here… don't you?"

The space spread out before me was a ridiculously huge living and dining room. I wasn't even sure how many tatami mats it was. I'm not kidding; the floor space of the kitchen alone looked like you could live a full life in it. The layout was just insane.

"Better than being cramped, wouldn't you say? If cleaning becomes a hassle, you can just hire a service."

"A cleaning service???"

What was that, some kind of spell from another world?

Incidentally, this place was, in and of itself, a different dimension of a luxury apartment.

"Um, the rent is…"

"Do you think I'd make you pay? If you'd like, I could even have the apartment gifted to—"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!!?"

This makes no sense…! This is beyond VIP treatment…!

"W-wait a minute. Forgive my rudeness, but this is starting to sound shady, even for the great Yotsuya. You're seriously not going to ask me to do anything weird, right?"

"Well, at the very least, I doubt you'll get a request any weirder than 'become my daughter's fiancé' on the day you meet."

"Yeah, but… I'm going to be receiving a 'contract fee' on top of all this, right? And all that's required of me is to play a game…"

It was just too convenient for me. To the point where it was terrifying.

"I understand how you feel, but you'll have to accept it. At the same time—by placing yourself in an appropriate environment, you need to build your self-awareness."

"Self-awareness…"

"Yes, self-awareness. The world is demanding that you be that way."

"……………………"

It's making me dizzy, honestly.

"…I'll do my best, bit by bit."

"Please do. We'll provide you with our full support."

How grateful I am… I'll have to trust that confident expression, which shows not a hint of reservation, and rely on him completely.

"Now then—following our director's lead, we'll save the difficult conversations for another day. I'll contact you, so Haru-kun, you should focus on resting your mind and body while trying to get used to your new environment."

"Got it…"

After I replied in a hoarse voice, he offered a smile and a light 'see you' before departing—

"……………………"

Left behind in my ridiculously spacious 'new home,' I stood stunned at the entrance to the living room.

What is this massive space? You could probably play futsal in here.

"Easy for him to say 'get used to it'…"

I didn't have the right to refuse for security reasons, which is understandable, but I wish they had shown a little restraint and found a place more suited to my station…

—An appropriate environment.

—The world demands that you be that way.

Again and again, I'm swept away by a great wave while my heart struggles to keep up—

"…Well, for now, I guess."

The most immediate priority was unpacking my few cardboard boxes and other luggage.

First, to put away the items I'd taken from my old refrigerator, I squared off against the stupidly large, sparkling new one.