kscans

Chapter 301 - The World Turns and the Road Continues

"…Okay. Let's leave the archive stuff at that, then."

"Yeah, got it. I'll pass it on."

"Right, thanks—sorry for leaving it all to you, but I'm counting on you."

"I'm happy to be of help, so there's nothing to be sorry about—Good luck with your adventuring—I mean, your work."

"…It's less 'work' and more just me having fun, you know."

—After watching him leave the lecture hall with an apologetic smile, Kaede also stood up. She glanced to the side and saw Mizuki and the others, who had been waiting at a distance, making their way over.

…She was grateful they had waited. But she would have been even more grateful if they'd put away those smug grins.

"Being the manager of a busy star must be tough, huh?"

"Oh, stop it… don't tease me, Shoko-chan. I'm just a messenger."

Deftly dodging Shoko's jab, Kaede fulfilled her 'role' by sending a message or two to her 'family.'

She really had no idea how it had happened—but before she knew it, the Shijo family had become the sponsor of the one and only Haru the Acrobat.

"You never know what's gonna happen, huh…"

"Relationally speaking, it was almost too convenient."

As Toshiki murmured thoughtfully, Mizuki stated the facts in a deadpan tone.

As for Kaede, who was supposed to be the closest party involved… she was still struggling to process that 'fact' she'd never known until now.

It was beyond surprising—to think that the 'Yotsuya' family was actually a branch of the 'Shijo' family.

Was it the 'Shi' connection? Honestly, she didn't even know where to begin with her reactions. And though they were originally a branch family, there was no need to state who held the upper hand now.

The Yotsuya family needed a front to support him, assistance for that support, and strict secrecy.

The fact that the Shijo family had agreed without question showed just how much the power dynamic between the two families had reversed. Of course, her parents… especially her mother, who held the real power in the Shijo family, had been overjoyed.

So overjoyed, in fact, that she'd all but ordered Kaede to devote herself to him, leaving no room for refusal. Honestly, what did she think her own daughter was?

…Not that she had any reason to refuse, though.

"—Sorry for the wait. Shall we go?"

Having finished her messages, she left the lecture hall with her waiting friends.

"I've gotta get good at editing quickly, at least."

"Well, it'll work out somehow. We've got a spartan teacher, after all."

"Fuka-san, man… I thought she was the picture-perfect gentle lady."

"She's always been uncompromising when it comes to her area of expertise."

Her university life had truly gone off the rails from what she had imagined. But the fact that she didn't mind it… perhaps she was just drunk on the situation.

—But still,

"Kaede?"

"It's nothing. My sister's waiting, let's hurry up and go!"

It would be a waste not to get swept up in something so unreal—

It felt like an inescapable truth that they, not yet fully adults, would cast aside their composure and start running, driven by desire and dreams.

The path suddenly laid before them was still shrouded in uncertainty, its destination unknown.

They had a mountain of things to do, all in the name of forming a team as soon as possible—so they could aid their 'friend' who was racing off into the distance.

◇◆◇◆◇

A few days after that. It has been a little while since Yotsuya's preparations were complete and a full-fledged support system for me was put into place.

There was the unexpected development of my classmate's family becoming my official sponsor, acting as a front for the Yotsuya family, who maintain a public stance of non-interference.

Along with that, Kaede, the daughter of the 'Shijo Group,' was appointed as my exclusive manager… or rather, messenger.

And then, when they asked me to name people close to me who could be trusted, I listed Toshiki and the others, which led to the incredible development of them being hired as my dedicated team, citing a need for personnel with quick footwork.

The Yotsuya family was doing some crazy things, but my friends were just as crazy for accepting with such gusto, practically biting at the offer.

I get it, and I understand that it would be rare for anyone to turn down an offer from the 'Yotsuya Development'—

…But well, I should just be grateful. Because they are handling all the real-world stuff for me,

"—Drive on."

I can focus solely on the virtual world.

"—How's this!"

"Yeah, yeah, Nia-chan, you're amazing, a total genius."

"Of course I am! Mmph…!"

I push away the indigo-haired girl who, not content with just spinning around me happily, tries to sidle up to me at every opportunity.

After visiting her atelier and equipping the items I received, I briefly scanned their details and nodded. As always, her work was magnificent; I had no complaints.

"What's with that… you could at least praise me a little."

"If you'd tone it down a bit, I might consider it…"

Ever since what happened the other day, Nia's no-brakes approach has left me completely overwhelmed. At first, I was a bit lenient, but her increasingly unrestrained behavior scared me into my current state.

Both Iris and Nia come at me with absolutely no restraint, making these days feel like poison for a young man like me. I have no choice but to defend myself to keep my sanity intact before I can even give an answer.

"Hmph… —Well, joking aside."

"What part of that was a joke?"

"I could take them back if you're going to keep complaining, you know?"

"I'm so sorry, please be serious."

I really can't win against her. Girls are strong….

"I've upgraded your necklace, and the ring on your left hand and the bracelet on your right are new. They're not quite high-end, but they're upper-mid tier, I'd say? In any case, I guarantee they're more than good enough for the front lines."

—And with that, I received the accessories she had crafted from the spoils of the [Great Rock-Eating Hive] that I had given her the other day.

I had officially switched from the placeholder [Magic Crystal Necklace] & [Heavenly Jade Series] to my proper equipment.

The necklace was a direct upgrade, retaining its original property of 'accumulating surplus MP during non-combat recovery to be used as a spare tank.'

It was crafted from a composite material created by fusing multiple types of crystal with high magic affinity—its name was the [Meigastral of Color].

The ring and bracelet followed the same concept of being focused solely on MID enhancement.

They were the [Ring of the Jade King] and the [Bracelet of the Jade King], respectively—a set of equipment crafted from a rare gemstone called [Elmeria Emerald], providing a total of MID+100.

The total boost was the same as before, but considering that my previous gear required a three-piece set bonus to reach that number, this was a solid upgrade.

Getting +100 from just two pieces was, by the standards Nia herself had told me before, even better than 'top-tier'… so naturally, I had no complaints.

"No joke, this is perfect. Thanks a lot."

"Mhm! And this is Sora-chan's share. Please give it to her."

"Thanks for that, too. Nothing I need to explain… right?"

"Right. They're basically the same El-Eme type MID-boosting accessories as yours. I made Sora-chan's magic crystal into a hair ornament instead of a necklace."

I received Sora's items directly into my inventory through the trade window she opened. My partner's El-Eme accessories were two bracelets and one ring—a three-piece set for MID+150.

With this, our base spirit stats are 650 for me and 700 for Sora—it's almost funny how our builds have turned out, considering neither of us are pure mages.

"Received and accounted for—so, what's the bill?"

"You brought the materials this time, so… hmm… how about this much?"

She said, flashing a peace sign in front of my face.

"What, two hundred million?"

"Are you an idiot? It's two million!"

"That's pretty affordable."

"You need to realize that your sense of money is completely broken."

Heh, heh… Well, besides the old man, I really only associate with top-level artisans.

In reality, I still have a surplus of cash with not much to spend it on. Weapon maintenance is necessary, but it's not like huge sums of money are flying out of my wallet all the time.

When it comes down to it, my three main weapons are just too good. The combination of an [Anima] with no durability, a Terror Armament, and a self-repairing rabbit short sword is just that effective.

On top of that, both Sora and I have fighting styles that, in their own ways, are hard to hit… so we don't need to repair our armor—or rather, our outfits—that often either.

"Next up is your clothes, I guess."

"Hm?"

"Clothes! That [El-Gran Series] isn't exactly high-end, you know. When you get some better materials, I'll make you a new set."

She said it so casually.

"Nah, I'm good. I like this one."

I replied just as casually, causing Nia to falter for a moment—ah, crap.

"I-I'm happy you like it, but…"

And there it is.

Ever since that day, Nia's switch to a romantic mood has become as sensitive as a touchscreen, not even needing a button press.

My choice of words just now wasn't anything special… but her delighted expression, a happy grin spreading across her face, was—

"W-Well—that's all for today then!!"

—for me, synonymous with the signal to retreat.

"Huh…? Hey, wait—"

Sensing her approach, I bolted out of the room, her lingering voice echoing behind me… but I mustn't be fooled.

No matter how much her earnest behavior tugs at my heart, she is now—

◇ New Message Received ◇

【Nia】— You owe me one. I demand a date.

"…,… Whether I run or not… huh."

—an invincible, love-struck heroine, determined to mess with me no matter what.

---

――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Title: Haru the Acrobat
Name: Haru　 Lv: 100
STR(Strength): 200
AGI(Agility): 250
DEX(Dexterity): 0
VIT(Vitality): 0(+50)⇒0(+150)
MID(Spirit): 300(+350)
LUC(Luck): 300

◇Skills◇
・Universal Arm (Gandharva)
《Construction》
《Flip Stroke》
《Whirlwind》
《Exchange Voltate》
《Greed's Precept》

・Water Magic Aptitude
《Aqua》
《Flood》 New!

・Active
《Reflect Blower》
《Breath Moment》
《Rocket》
《Floating Leaf》
《Fatal Leak》

・Passive
《Embodied Protection》
《Awakening Blow》
《Heavy Attack Manipulator》
《Adamant Sky Dash》
《Hare Real》
《Land Insulate》
《Floating Star》
《Trickster of Zenith》
《Dangerous Light, Fast Recovery》
《Cutting Body, Unyielding Advance》
《Guardian's Cradle》
《Mana Efficiency》

《Telepathy》

◇Arts◇
【Kesshiki Ittoryu】
《Flying Water》
《Striking Iron》
《Heavenly Snow》
《Withered Flame》
《Seven Stars》
《Blade Thunder》
　Secret Art: 《Bound Wind》
――――――――――――――――――

【An=Ru Galta (Hypothesis: Wedge Armor that Sings of the Royal Road)】
Terror Armament: Bracelet
VIT+100
　A fragment of heroic verse, bestowed by Angalta, the God-Wedge Sword-King, one of the wedges that enshrines a god.
　Having returned to its true form, the withered fingertip has acknowledged its bearer.
　The path forward is clear. At the end of that path, far in the distance, the desired gold surely lies.

【Meigastral of Color】
　As explained in the story, an accessory that can be used as a spare Mana (MP) tank.
　It requires a large amount of high-quality magic crystals harvested from the ants in the [Great Rock-Eating Hive], making it a reasonably expensive item… however, since 'MP expansion accessories' are practically essential gear for any build, it is a major item owned by almost all high-level combat classes.
　As seen with the protagonist's necklace and Sora-san's hair ornament, it can be crafted to fit any desired body part. Each player pours materials into their own to upgrade it, so the quality varies wildly. The protagonists' items are, as Nia-chan said, about 'upper-mid' tier.
　The highest-tier version currently confirmed can store the equivalent of a full MP bar for a player with 300 MID. The owners are a certain tiny duo.

※ A player's MP capacity is based on a 100% value with no points in MID.
MID:100 = 200%
MID:250 = 350%, and so on, increasing the maximum value.
Furthermore, natural recovery rate is also affected by stats, so the gap in total usable mana becomes even wider.