kscans

Chapter 423 - An Accumulation of Emptiness

"So, what's your verdict on your first experience with the [Sword Saint]?"

"I thought I was going to die."

"Well, you did die, to be fair."

The clock was turning towards evening. As we walked through the crowds that were beginning to swell before prime time, my companion and I engaged in a pleasant post-mortem.

"It's not my place to say, but that woman doesn't use thought acceleration either, you know."

"How is it possible to parry a thousand swords with one hand while dealing with someone moving at the speed of sound… with just a single katana?"

I know, right? And for the record, I haven't reached the speed of sound yet. Even if I play every card I have, my absolute maximum instantaneous speed is just over four digits in kilometers per hour.

If I went that fast, even I probably wouldn't be able to handle it raw.

"Anyway, setting the sparring match aside, that 'game of tag' is incredibly effective for improving avatar control. You combine physical training and combat sense conditioning in this virtual world, forcing you to think about every part of your body as you move, which lets you overhaul all your fine motor skills."

And as it happens, I have received a master's license for that particular training from Ui-san. Its only drawback is that you need a partner, but she's free to use this partner of hers as much as she likes.

—As I explained all this,

"Haru, you're really something else."

"Hold on, why did I just get scolded?"

A blank stare followed by a sidelong glance, accompanied by a rare—or maybe not so rare—hint of condemnation.

Wait, what? Don't tell me she thinks I have ulterior motives, like wanting to touch her? Even I would obviously consider some sort of… consideration for that… Sora-san?

My partner picked up her pace ever so slightly, and I hurried to catch up.

Dressed in our stealth cloaks, two small figures walking in a strange single-file line. We drew plenty of stares, but no one could yet identify us by voice alone.

And even if someone had recognized us and called out, I doubt I would have paid them any mind—because,

Over the past few days… or rather, lately. A tiny, trivial sense of wrongness that had been slowly building up, as I watched the small back hurrying ahead of me.

It had finally accumulated to the point where I could no longer ignore it, and was beginning to show its face.

◇◆◇◆◇

—In the end, I think I managed to pass it off as a joke.

I think I was able to gently and carefully deflect my partner's concerned worries, and part ways with a beautiful smile.

And now.

The girl, swallowed by self-loathing, couldn't bring herself to get up from her mechanical bed.

"…………,……"

Over the last few days, her control over her emotions had been even worse than usual. She knew the cause, but she didn't know why she couldn't suppress it.

No, she did know that, too. But she couldn't understand it.

Her own heart was a blurry mess.

"………………………………………………I… hated… it…"

To sort through her thoughts, she let the words that were foremost in her mind spill out.

When she saw his face, she was happy.

When he invited her to go somewhere, she was happy.

When he agreed to her request without a second thought, she was happy.

But after that.

The moment it was no longer just the two of them, she had thought, I hate this.

And from then on, all this time—

Pretending nothing was wrong, pretending to be a good girl, the plastered-on smile was so unbearably painful she couldn't breathe.

It's growing.

She can no longer look away.

The lid she once placed on her heart has long since vanished.

Suddenly, touched by a normal, everyday act of kindness. That alone was enough to make the reins of her emotions slip from her hands like a fool.

'It' wouldn't stop overflowing.

She thought that simply fighting alongside him as his partner, standing proudly by his side, would make it fade. She thought she could be satisfied with that, that she could convince herself it was enough.

The reality was the complete opposite. Every time they ran together, every time they swung their swords side-by-side, these unwanted feelings would inevitably grow. Unwanted emotions would pile up.

It wasn't just those two; every gaze of affection directed at her partner—all of it,

"—"

She whispered a name.

The 'name' she must not forget.

In that instant, the heat vanished… and what filled her body in its place was a chill that made her heart creak, and a futile remorse with no destination or meaning.

Just like her heart, her bed detected a creaking movement, and the canopy opened. The girl sat up quietly, no words on her lips or in her mind—

She threw on a coat and left the room, as if fleeing from the ark of dreams.