kscans

Chapter 426 - The Promise

"—Wait, so what? You don't have a partner right now?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

As always, we were in the middle of fine-tuning the new outfit after I had put it on.

The conversation naturally shifted to the upcoming event, and in the course of it, Nia learned that I had been dumped by my partner. She blinked her eyes in surprise.

"In that case, what about your other clan member?"

"Well, apparently he's already got someone…"

"Oh, my."

Being poked here and prodded there, sometimes tugged on forcefully, all while making small talk to pass the time—I've gotten used to it. It's best to just surrender myself to the tailor's whims, since moving carelessly will only get me scolded.

"Well, but you should be able to find a partner in no time. Your friends list is like a who's who of famous people, right? Why not just send messages down the line?"

"Yeah… I guess so."

The reason my words are so hesitant on this matter… is obvious, isn't it? It seems I'm more simply down in the dumps than I thought.

This isn't good. It means I had just assumed that being by her side was a given.

"What's with that face? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. This is my 'what should I do' face."

She probably knows it's a lame excuse, but Nia-chan isn't the type to completely ignore a clear 'don't touch this' signal.

Her indigo eyes stared at my face for a moment, then quickly looked away.

"Okay, right hand up."

"Aye, aye."

For a while after that, the fitting continued in silence as the conversation died down.

…I've started to realize lately that when this girl goes silent, it's usually because she's hesitating to say something.

So I, too, was torn between feigning ignorance or prompting her to speak—but when our eyes met, I felt like I was being urged to say something, and I decided to open my mouth.

"So, are you participating in the event?"

"Uh, well… that's, well, yeah. I mean, aren't most players going to participate? The concept is that it doesn't matter if you're a combat or non-combat class, right?"

"That's the gist of it. In fact, if the production-class players don't join in, it'll probably be a three-night, four-day hell of nothing but camping out."

Participants will be randomly teleported to a super-massive field that serves as the event's stage—however, it's been said that adjustments will be made to allow for the formation of certain groups.

In other words, it's presumed to be designed so that players who are randomly grouped together can meet up and coordinate.

Since we'll be thrown into an unknown field and expected to survive, it's a given that there will need to be people with skills other than combat.

Apparently, there's a special rule for the event where you'll become incapacitated if you don't eat or sleep, just like in reality. There are also restrictions on what items you can bring, so it's almost certainly a system where you have to 'figure out what you need on-site.'

"Everyone at our workshop is making a big fuss too. The guys are getting super excited, saying things like, 'Let's build a castle in the event field!'"

"What, that sounds fun."

A castle from scratch in just over three days… well, I guess the artisans of this world could probably pull it off? It would depend on the environment over there, though.

—In any case, since she nodded, Nia must be participating too. And if she's looking at a currently partner-less me with something to say… well, I can pretty much guess what it is.

"…………"

As if she were trying to swallow her words, I watched her move a little more hastily than before.

I thought about it quietly, thought about it—

"You did make a reservation, didn't you? Now that I think about it."

"Huh, ah… wh-what?"

When I spoke again, Nia reacted as if she were taken aback by my sudden remark.

"We talked about it, didn't we? 'Once the raid is settled…' and all that."

"Th-that… yes."

In the end, we never decided on a specific date, but it's a fact that I promised her a 'second time.' Yes, I promised—which means I've already given her the okay.

In that case,

"A survival adventure in another world probably doesn't count as a date, huh?"

"………………Is this okay?"

It's not a matter of it being okay or not; I'm just fulfilling a promise.

"I'm sure you know this, but I have no idea what's going to happen over there. It's not impossible that we'll end up going our separate ways after a series of twists and turns."

"…………But you'll still, um… stay with me, as much as you can, right?"

"Well, yeah. As a combatant, I can at least be a bodyguard for an artisan."

"…………! ……………………J-just… a sec… time out."

Squeeze… Nia crouched down as if shrinking into herself, held her head, and froze. What kind of emotion prompted her to suddenly imitate an armadillo was perfectly clear from the expression I saw just before.

And because it was perfectly clear, I, too, felt awkward.

I'm doing something I'm not used to. I'm inviting her instead of my partner. I'm trying to justify it with a promise—the self-deprecating words kept welling up, but I forced them all down with a 'shut up, I don't care.'

How long has it been since I thought I'd made up my mind? It's about time I graduated from just being swept along and being passive.

"………………The princess."

A muffled voice came from my feet. Still curled up in a small ball, Nia kneaded her face with her hands and whispered in small fragments.

"I thought the princess might want to team up with you, too…"

"Probably, but if she was serious about it, she'd come at me with a direct proposal on the same day."

I don't know for sure, but as far as I know, that's the kind of person Alicia White is. Besides—

"I'm the one who invited you. If she has any complaints, I'll take them."

"Ehh…"

At the very least, it's not something Nia should worry about.

"Anyway, I'll tell Ashe myself, so you really don't have to worry… I mean, I haven't even gotten your answer yet."

"What answer? There's no way I'd refuse…! What is wrong with you…!!"

"Hey, stop poking my shin. And get up already, how long are you going to stay crouched down?"

As I spoke, I pulled the indigo-colored ball up, revealing a flushed, grinning face. It was a goofy grin that was only borderline acceptable because she was so good-looking.

I thought she would immediately get embarrassed and look away… but her eyes, which were restlessly shifting with agitation and other emotions, remained fixed on me.

"Um… a-are you really sure? Is this okay? If you want to adventure like usual, I'll definitely just be dead weight, you know?"

"If that's the case, then I'll adjust. I was thinking of taking it easy for a while anyway. It might be nice to relax and enjoy some non-combat play for a change."

"Ehh… really and truly?"

How many times does she need to confirm? I've already told her multiple times.

"I don't dislike spending time with you just messing around. Having a blast with a craft-focused life in an unexplored land together sounds… genuinely fun, I think."

"………………………………………………I-in that case… um…"

Why on earth am I the one in the position of admonishing and persuading her? I held back a wry smile and continued to meet her gaze. Nia blinked slowly, as if to calm the turmoil in her heart, and—

"Th-thank you, I'd be happy to…"

She bowed her head deeply, almost fearfully.

As I gazed at the top of Nia's head, who had just performed a mysteriously formal bow, I debated for about five seconds whether or not to take a screenshot of this very moment—and then snap, I took one.

As expected, Nia started getting mad, asking, "What are you taking a picture of?" As she scolded me… having successfully neutralized the atmosphere as intended, I calmly and quietly transitioned into a formal sitting position.