kscans

Chapter 346 - An Indigo Harmony

The Sword Queen, a.k.a. Iris, a.k.a. Alicia White, a.k.a. Ashe-san, never hesitated or delayed in any of her actions.

Having conveyed what she needed to convey and said what she wanted to say, the princess, who had completed her friend registration with Nia with an undeniable force—

"Well then, see you."

—left with a single, simple utterance, swiftly departing using a 'Key.'

It was the same type of ranker-exclusive teleportation key that Goldow had entrusted to me. The destination it connected to was likely, or rather, undoubtedly, the 'Southern Throne.'

And so, Nia and I were left behind, at first letting out a breath as the storm passed, then staring into space—that was the story from a few minutes ago.

Now that the source of her rigid tension, the reason she had been acting like a borrowed cat in her own room, was gone….

"I demand an explanation."

"Too close, too close, too close."

Well, it was bound to happen, I suppose… I pushed back Nia, who was pressing in on me after cornering me on the sofa, but of course, she wasn't about to let me escape, standing before me like a guardian king.

"Since when?"

"Since when what?—Oof, hey, stop…! Hey, wait, calm down, stop it…!"

"Since, when, have, you, two, been, so, chummy?!"

I hadn't been playing dumb, just asking for details, but a cushion was slammed into my face, followed by a rain of thwack-thwack blows.

"Th-the day after the Four Pillars… no, the day after that. She contacted me, and it's been since then…"

"And you were already like that back then?"

"Yes."

"That's real love… a straight-up beeline…………"

"Ah, and… whoa, careful!? Hey, stop, seriously…!"

And after our exchange, I reflexively caught the main event mass bomb that came flying at me, protecting myself. Of course, it wasn't a fist or a punch, but her own body.

This looks bad in a hundred different ways. I will now commence the merciless removal operation—

"Just for ten seconds………… I'll count it as one of your dates…"

"…, …………"

Her voice sounded somewhat lonely, and that alone—was enough to stop me from pushing away her slender body, which was merely leaning its weight against me, not even hugging me.

I was thoroughly disgusted with my own weakness of will.

—Alright, ten seconds.

"Hup!"

"Wha—!?"

I sprang up from the sofa, lifting her body that had been pressing against me through the cushion, spun once on my heel, and released Nia back onto the sofa.

As a finishing touch, she caught the cushion I tossed at her and turned to me with her cheeks puffed out, her face full of dissatisfaction.

"What the heck! You're supposed to just grab me there! Nia-chan would have had zero problems with that, you know!?"

"Are you an idiot?"

Don't underestimate the reasoning of a healthy young man; it's as thin as ice.

"By the way, what did you mean by 'count it as one of your dates'? I just let it slide, but have you been secretly racking up some kind of stock without my knowledge?"

"Of course. Even after subtracting that one, I've still got well into the double digits."

"Oh really… How about a stroll through the sky? The stars are beautiful and romantic at night."

"What's the speed?"

"About five hundred kilometers per hour."

"Like hell I'd go!!!"

Well, that's a shame—anyway, I'm glad to see you seem to be in better spirits than I expected.

"Hmph… what a hmph… calling her Ashe, using a nickname and all…"

"That was practically forced on me, forgive me. That one, if you just call her by her regular name, she'll ignore you like it's the most natural thing in the world, you know? She's more selfish and does whatever she wants than you are."

"Ehh… that's kind of surprising—Who are you calling selfish and does whatever she wants!"

"You're aware of it, aren't you?"

"I A M , B U T ! !"

Not that it really matters to me.

I've already resolved myself to face all of it, head-on.

"…It's not fair, a special nickname."

"Even if you say that… if there's something you want me to call you, I will."

"……………………………………What's a nickname for 'Nia'?"

"Don't ask me???"

Whether I shorten it or add to it, I have a feeling there's no way to avoid it sounding silly… As I was thinking something slightly rude, Nia, with her cheeks still puffed out, mumbled something under her breath.

"……Then, Lilia."

"What?"

Where did that come from—

"My name."

"…………………………Ah, eh… your real… name…?"

As I froze at her sudden self-introduction, Nia gave a clumsy nod. Don't just drop personal information on me without any warning….

And what's with that face? Stop it, don't look at me like that…!!

"Hey… I'm telling you for your own good, back down. You know your usual pattern is to make me say your name and then self-destruct, right?!"

Besides, you can't just use a real name as a nickname—that perfectly valid point was completely ignored. She just wants me to call her by her name at this point, I knew it.

"C'mon, you're a guy, what are you getting all shy for! Hurry up and say it, say it now! Preferably in a slightly nonchalant, whispered tone!!"

"Are your desires on full display or what!? H-hey… don't come closer, what, you wanna go?! Fine by me, you bastard, bring it on!"

—Five minutes later.

"I told you to stop, Lilia."

"Ugh…"

"I'm used to it now, but how about you, Lilia?"

"Fuguu…!"

"What's wrong, Lilia? Are you okay, Lilia? Your face is red, Lilia?"

"B-…Bully!! There's a bully here!!"

"In Japan, we call this karma, Miss Liliania Vroubeli."

"Stop using my full name…!"

By the way, when I asked if it was a common name in Russia, she said her mother named her after a princess from a fairy tale she liked.

Liliania, huh… which means 'Nia' was probably the nickname to begin with.

I wonder what she's trying to accomplish, this adorable princess who lives up to her name—

…Well, even I am not so caught up in my role-playing as to spout such cheesy lines.

So, for now, let's just…

"So… I'm going to pop over to Kagura-san's place for a bit. You wanna come, Lilia?"

"Just get out of here already!!"

"Whoa, you really put your all into that push."

Now that we've had a good bit of fun, maybe it's time for a reset.