kscans

Chapter 409 - Where All Eyes Gather

"There are a mountain of things to comment on, but one way or another, his endurance is just insane."

"That's not the kind of toughness you expect from someone who started a few months ago."

"Usually, you get tired after just ten minutes of high-speed movement."

"And in his case, it's super high-speed. It's ridiculous."

"That was impressive."

"Hmph."

"...Hey, you at the end. What was that scoff for?"

Somewhere along the way, the original reason for all this had been forgotten.

After a full round of 1-on-1s, the rules were changed to 2-on-1, and the objective became 'just beat up the [Acrobat] already.' Then, before I knew it, about an hour had passed.

After getting thoroughly beaten down, this was the reaction from the male rankers upon my release. Starting with Tetra, then Aurin, Fuji-san, and Gossan, I would have much preferred some heartwarming words of comfort instead of their exasperated faces and commentary.

It may be rude to say it was unexpected, but the only one to offer words of praise was Genkotsu-san, and my affection for him shot up in that moment.

As for Irori at the end, he just scoffed at me for some reason. I'll take that fight, you bastard. But I'm seriously exhausted today, so can we do it tomorrow or later?

Incidentally, the ones who beat me were the tag team of Lotta-san and Zou-san, who joined in after the rules changed.

I panicked when the [Insider]'s trump card stopped me in my tracks. In that moment of careless counterattacking, the Defense Captain's Anima was slipped in, leading to a reflect, a stun, and a follow-up for game over.

It was such a perfect, beautiful combo that I didn't even have a split second to activate the status-clearing effect of the `Agaphanthus Amulet`. It was a complete and utter loss. So frustrating.

"Well, now that your 'purification' is done, you can relax too. Let's take it easy."

"'Purification'... well, yeah, I guess..."

I swallowed the words 'what are you talking about' that were about to escape my lips... outnumbered as I was, I decided to adopt a humble attitude for now.

It wasn't just the guys; the women gathered at the next table were all giving me similar looks—that is to say, those uncomfortably warm and knowing gazes.

It was probably only a matter of time before the usual red-haired girl got involved. I should assume that the delicate relationship between me, Ashe, and Nia has been completely exposed.

Ashe used a special invitation for rankers to call Nia here, and Nia accepted and showed up. It seems neither of them has any intention of hiding it anymore.

As for the two of them, they were chatting amicably (?) at a slight distance. I could easily tell that Nia was the one being pushed around... but well, there was no hostile mood, so it was probably fine to leave them be.

As the one caught in the 'problem' between them, I'd prostrate myself in gratitude if they could just get along peacefully.

..................Nope, still can't stand this. In that case, Trance.

"Eh, what are you doing?"

"A desperate, all-out attempt to change the subject, I guess..."

I replied half-jokingly to the immediate jab from my junior-senpai, pulling the hood of the newly appeared [Cloak of the Hidden Rat] low to hide my face.

The other half of the truth was simply making effective use of my free time. If I had the time, it would be a waste to leave my MP full, especially for the sake of my new build plans.

And so—activating [Eyes Oculus].

Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty... and there we go, MP depleted, shop's closed.

"Hm? —Ah, so that's what's going on."

"You're surprisingly diligent, or should I say hardworking."

To anyone not in the know, my actions would seem utterly bizarre, but there was no one here who couldn't figure it out. They must have noticed the golden effect that lit up in my eyes under the hood; the Southern Faction's tag team voiced their understanding.

Thought acceleration skills are notorious for being MP guzzlers. If I put on a show of using Trance and then pointlessly firing off the skill, anyone would get the gist of it.

"...Senpai, that transformed body is full MID, right? Don't tell me you used up all your MP on that skill in like, five seconds?"

When I gave a peace sign in response to Tetra's exasperated question, the boy looked up at the ceiling, covered his ears, and declared, "I don't want to hear the detailed stats."

What a shame. It's a pretty unique and funny set of stats you could make a good story out of.

"Well, something like that... though, as you'd expect, there's no sign of a new spell popping up after just a day or so of this—bweck?!"

"Well, duh! MP training gives you, like, the tiniest bit of EXP!"

"Bit by bit, accumulation is key."

Just as I was about to pull out a potion to replenish my empty MP, the enemy attack I'd been waiting for arrived. Unable to bear the weight that had landed on my head, my frail, weak transformed body toppled from the chair and was crushed against the floor.

One voice came from above my head, the other from my side, which meant there was only one culprit. In that case, roar, my faithful right arm—

"Too weak, too weak!"

"Damn you...! L-let... go!"

The battle lasted two seconds. The victor was the scoundrel; the loser was me.

The right arm I'd twisted around to launch was easily caught mid-air, and no matter how much strength I put into it, I couldn't escape the grasp of what looked like a small girl's hand.

My next attack with my left was also restrained, and my hands were forced up in a humiliating surrender pose. To top it off, my MP was empty, so I couldn't even put up a decent fight.

Damn it all... maybe I should use [Construction] to drop a `Gravidon Hammer` and take us both down in a flattened, mutual destruction.

"Honeshtly, I can't imagine you as a rear-guard, big brother, but if you're interested in the path of a mage, then this great senpai—great senpai!—Mi-na-chan herself might not be unwilling to teach you a thing or two!"

"Ugh, you're soooooo loud!!!"

Your voice is too loud! Stop making a racket on top of my head, you little human bomb—

"Hmm? What's this, what's this? Har-kun, you wanna be a mage? In that case, I recommend becoming a Magic Fist user, just like me!"

"Now there's more of them...! Hey, stop it, don't—stop pulling it off, agh!"

And then, my cloak was mysteriously stripped off by the hands of a new reinforcement (Lux).

Naturally, what was revealed was my white hair and full figure—which is to say, the embodiment of my 'shame,' which had been thoroughly styled and made 'fashionable' by our respective exclusive artisans.

And then, in the next moment.

"""——————————"""

I sensed the gazes of everyone around me, who had fallen silent in unison, as well as the players who had been looking up from the noisy second floor, wondering what the commotion was about.

Not asking for help, just letting my gaze drift as I panicked over the situation, my eyes landed on... Nia's face, who was staring right at me, the center of all this chaos, though I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

The artisan, one of the culprits who did this to me, seemed surprised by our sudden eye contact. She blinked a few times, and then—

"Hmm... So beautiful."

—muttered a compliment I absolutely did not want, before mercilessly closing her eyes and putting her hands together in prayer.

Needless to say, one second later, I was abandoned and swallowed up by the next wave of chaos.

"...Should I help him?"

Watching the man she loved struggle as he was teased by the men and mobbed by the women, Iris, who was trying to maintain a composed expression with a champagne glass in hand, muttered under her breath, swallowing a small pang of jealousy.

"Nah, it's probably fine... ahem, I think he'll be okay."

In contrast, Nia's tension seemed to have been dispelled by the lively commotion. A glance at her profile revealed none of the emotions that mirrored those in Iris's own heart.

"..................Hehe."

Angry, flustered—watching him have fun while openly showing his true feelings, a small smile escaped her lips.

"...You're right."

Was she, like Iris, a master of the poker face... or was she so purely focused on 'only him' that she had no room for feelings like jealousy?

Either way, she was a formidable opponent—Iris thought, also looking troubled.

A faint smile touched her lips as she quietly tilted her glass.

---

The glass contains ginger ale.