kscans

Chapter 406 - Strategic My-Pace

"—It's not that special, really."

As usual, it was lunchtime, side-by-side.

In response to my 'confirmation' after returning from the tribunal hosted by my friends, a certain princess showed a bland reaction, as if to say, "Is that all?"

As always, with one adult watching us with amusement while also serving our meal… the Ashe in question was operating as normally as ever.

"Someone asked me in an interview what my family calls me, and my answer from back then just took on a life of its own. I never said anything about allowing it or not; people just arbitrarily turned it into a taboo on their own."

"Ahh…"

That's what she said—and, well, yeah, that sounds plausible.

She's a person who is seen not just as an idol but almost as a divine figure by the entire world. It's not a stretch to think that a single anecdote or piece of private information could cause fans to make a big fuss and create their own mysterious rules.

"…But."

"Hm?"

Her following tone pulled my attention, and as our eyes met, I foresaw the future a few seconds ahead and built a makeshift barrier in my mind, bracing for impact.

"You are the only person in the world I have ever asked to call me that. So… when you say it, it is undoubtedly special."

Of course, my flimsy defensive wall was easily pierced. The fact that it came with a sidelong glance and a smile made it a hundred percent intentional, no deliberation needed.

"—Well, no matter what you do, it's going to cause a stir."

It was by no means a lifeline for me, who had taken a fatal blow and fallen silent, but Chitose-san spoke up as she approached, a tray with after-meal coffee in hand.

"In terms of timing for it to become public, I think this was the best possible moment. It's a situation where an unprecedented number of 'incidents' are about to break out."

"That's, well…"

"Although, there's no doubt that the attention will be overwhelmingly focused on you two."

"…That's also, well…"

The fame and attention surrounding the [Sword Queen] is, without a doubt, the highest in the world. There's plenty of competition—the defeat of the 'White Throne,' the Four Pillar send-off, the unlocking of the world event, the mysterious countdown, the super rookie—but honestly, the outcome is clear.

The truth of my more-than-just-a-simple relationship with Ashe will undoubtedly attract a special level of attention and interest, even amidst the chaotic uproar that's about to ensue.

"…You don't think I'll get stabbed or anything, do you? I'm being serious."

"You don't need to worry. I will protect you."

Her immediate response was so cool, and it inspired an absurd amount of reliability and trust, but is that really the issue here?

"And I'll answer you with equal seriousness: you can leave matters of your personal safety to us without any problem. Even if a hitman were to be sent after you, it would be resolved before you ever knew anything about it."

"What kind of organization is Yotsuya Development, really?"

Even though we're talking about the real world, I can't keep up, just like in the virtual one.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—And that's the gist of it. Looks like things are going to get noisy again, which is a pain."

"…You know, Haru, you're starting to get used to this, one way or another."

And so, after a drive, we were back in the virtual world of Arcadia.

When I finished reporting everything to my partner, who I'd met up with in the clan home for the first time since yesterday, she responded with a mix of exasperation and admiration.

Well, these past few months have been a whirlwind of one dense event after another, one incident after another, to the point where it feels like I've lived a whole other life.

It's only natural that I'd develop a strange sort of courage, or rather, a 'whatever happens, happens' mentality.

That said, I'm still a long way from having a mental fortitude of steel like Ashe. It's not like I don't have anxieties and whatnot; more than half of it is just me putting on a brave face and turning a blind eye.

"Well, right now, it's more about you than me, Sora-san. To be honest, I have no idea how big of a festival this will turn into."

"…I wonder if the archive footage could just conveniently not show me."

Her slipping out of her usual polite speech suggests that was probably a thought to herself. As my partner stared off into the distance with a faraway look, I gave a wry smile and told her that was impossible.

Every ranker who participated… well, I can't predict what Lux will do, but in addition to them, many of the general participants are sure to upload their footage today or tomorrow.

One of the conditions for participating in a 'Colored' raid is accepting that. Since we went into the battle with our privacy settings turned off, it was a foregone conclusion that our 'faces' would be exposed to the whole world.

One fortunate thing is that while Sora's facial structure is the same as her real one, she's drastically changed her hair and eye color, and her hairstyle is completely different too. At a glance, she looks like a different person.

Come to think of it, the fact that I recognized her without a doubt when we first met in the real world is probably the weird part. Even if the face of 'Sora' becomes known to the world now, the risk of her being identified in real life probably isn't that high.

Worst-case scenario, that mysterious organization, Yotsuya Development, will do something about it.

Considering her doting father, the company president, didn't stop Sora from participating in the raid, it's not hard to imagine that they can, in fact, do something about it.

"Well, let's just try to be chill about it, like it's mostly someone else's problem. If you worry about every little thing the public says and thinks, you'll just get a stomachache, seriously."

"…Spoken from experience, I take it?"

"Exactly. Which is why I've decided on a policy of escaping reality by focusing on housing in the clan home for a while."

I put on a deliberately over-the-top show of support, and while she does show some weakness and anxiety, I'm not actually that worried.

Her 'guardians' will do everything in their power to handle any real-world problems with their outrageous security, so there's truly no need to 'worry'—

"—Then I'll join you."

"Alright, let's do it. We've got plenty of funds. For starters, let's make the common area so sparkly that it'll make a certain shut-in (Tetra) cringe."

"That's fine, but… um, what did you have in mind, for example?"

"Hmm… let's see, how about a disco ball for starters?"

"Haru is hereby banned from buying furniture on his own."

"Wait, time out, I was obviously joking, please forgive me."

—Because this partner of mine is more than reliable enough in the mental department, too.