kscans

Chapter 31 - A Proposal for a Sulking Girl

"Ugh... That was a disaster..."

"Hey, now. A standard party in Arcadia is six people, right? It's no wonder we struggled when we took it on with less than half that number."

About two hours after we set out to conquer the [Cliff Road of the Sky Bridge], we were back in the Istia district. After a hard-fought battle, Sora, who was knocked out by the flock of Great Winged Birds, was completely exhausted.

In a corner of the tavern that was becoming my usual spot since Kagura-san showed it to me, the girl sitting next to me was slumped limply over the counter.

On top of that, even though we managed to win in the end, she seemed displeased that I had coolly provided backup after she'd struggled so much.

"I've pretty much given up at this point... but you're a fraud, Haru-san. No beginner is like you."

"Aw, you're making me blush."

"I'm praising you, but I'm not praising you."

As I suspected, it seemed the number of those things that appeared was proportional to the number of challengers. This time, it started with four, but two more were added over time, eventually turning into a hellscape with a total of eight of them dancing wildly.

I sealed away my giant hammer and played the role of an evasion tank, holding back on my attacks. But the fact that I managed to dance for several dozen minutes in a kill zone where one wrong move meant instant bird food... well, even I think I'm a little crazy.

If someone were to show me a recording from a third-person perspective, I probably wouldn't think it was a beginner who had just started three days ago.

"I want to fight up front a little too, it's not fair..."

She glanced at the shortbow slung over her back and sighed sorrowfully. Her pouting glare was quite a sight to behold, but I knew she was genuinely sad, so it was hard to tease her.

Sora is surprisingly aggressive, or rather, she's been eager to fight since we first met. But the close-quarters combat she desires is... unfortunately, on hold, because she can't seem to break the fatal habit of closing her eyes when she swings a weapon up close.

She herself has half given up on it, which I can guess from the fact that she's been obediently building her stats for a magic-based build...

"............Hmm."

I watched Sora from the side as she continued to sip at a drink that didn't quench her thirst, her gaze fixed on the contents of the cup she held with a slightly sulky expression.

According to my own philosophy, she should just ditch the path that doesn't suit her talents and forge ahead on one where she has room to grow. But I understand that not everyone can make such a clean break.

Furthermore, Arcadia is a game. Since it's for entertainment, no one can blame her for ignoring her strengths and weaknesses to push through with what she's bad at.

If anything, she might need to consider not being a burden to her teammates in a party, but for now, the only one in that position is me.

So, when it comes down to it...

"—Sora, can I see your current stats for a second?"

If I'm okay with it, then there's no one to blame her.

When I finally spoke up, Sora, who had been making a strange face at the virtual drink she was probably tasting for the first time, tilted her head slightly before obediently saying, "Go ahead," and making her stats visible.

In games like this, a person's stats are usually treated as important information, but is it because she trusts me as her partner, or is it just because she's a beginner and doesn't know any better...? I'll choose to believe it's the former.

Now then, her stats, on display for the first time, were—

――――――――――――――――――

◇Status◇ Name: Sora Lv: 27
STR (Strength): 40
AGI (Agility): 40
DEX (Dexterity): 40
VIT (Vitality): 50
MID (Mind): 100
LUC (Luck): 50

◇Skill◇
・Light Magic Aptitude
《Heal Light》

・Shortbow Aptitude
・Archer's Calm Breath

・《Spectate Ale》
・《Observer's Eye》
・Healer's Precept
――――――――――――――――――

"...Hmm."

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

For several dozen seconds, I stared at the window from top to bottom, scrutinizing it. Seeing me, Sora looked a bit tense, as if she were being graded on something.

――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇ Name: Haru Lv: 35 (10)
STR (Strength): 30
AGI (Agility): 230
DEX (Dexterity): 110
VIT (Vitality): 5
MID (Mind): 5
LUC (Luck): 10

◇Skill◇
・All Weapon Aptitude
《Quick Change》
《Weapon Dart》

・Embodied Protection
・Heavy Attack Manipulator
・Accel Tempo
・Boar's Heart
・Acrobatics
・Jumble Step
・Carry Running
――――――――――――――――――

By the way, these are my current stats. She probably has no idea that I'm inwardly thinking, Wow, my stats are so unbalanced it's hilarious.

Yeah, no. Her stat distribution is like a model student's, perfectly fine. This game, unusually for an MMO, generally recommends a balanced build.

Anyway, her high MID is due to her being a magic type, but it's still early days, so she can easily fix it. The Mind stat also affects magic resistance, so it should be recommended for non-pure mages to get it as well.

"Sora, it's a bit late to be asking this after we've come this far, but—you want to try aiming for a switch to close combat?"

"................Huh?"

Although she had been sulking, she must have given up on the matter herself. The proposal, which must have seemed sudden to Sora, made her amber eyes widen in surprise.

"B-B-But... But I have that habit..."

"Well, it'll definitely be a challenge, but if we train thoroughly, you should be able to fix it, right? It's not like there's some psychological reason for it, it's just an unconscious habit, isn't it?"

That's what she said herself, and it's not something she would lie about, so it must be true.

"That's true, but..."

We've tried training several times before and it ended in failure, so she probably doesn't have much confidence. It's understandable, but that's no reason to give up.

"I'm the one helping, so you can decide, Sora. It's simple: do you want to try it or not?"

When I prompted her by shaking my cup, Sora opened and closed her mouth, looked up and down, and after a good thirty seconds of agonizing...

"............I want to try my best."

I nodded at her answer, drained the contents of my cup, and stood up with a flourish.

"Alright, let's go. As the one who started this, I'll take full responsibility and see you through it to the end."

I cut off Sora, who looked like she wanted to say something, with an intentionally theatrical speech, tossed the payment for two to the owner behind the counter, and held out my hand.

...Whoa, nice catch without even looking. Just as expected of a fantasy world, you never fail to deliver.

"Sora, did you see that? As expected of Arcadia, it lets you experience all the clichés—oh, you don't need to worry about being considerate and all that. We've been through that song and dance enough already, right?"

"............Honestly."

After an indescribable expression, Sora's face broke into a troubled smile, and she hesitantly raised her hand. Taking that as permission, I took it. I led her out of the tavern and made a beeline for the transfer gate.

—Yeah, well. Even I get embarrassed when I try to act all cool like that.

What demand is there for the blushing face of an average guy...? Burdened by a shame that not even a dog would eat, I walked ahead of Sora, feigning composure.

We both pretended not to notice the vaguely awkward atmosphere hanging in the air.