kscans

Chapter 427 - The Screening

"—Yes, I understand."

I'd had some business to attend to at my family's home, so this dinner was the first time we'd seen each other in two days. After the young man finished his somewhat solemn 'talk,' I gave him a simple 'Understood,' and I could feel his bewilderment.

It's so easy to tell what he's thinking that I can't help but smile.

"Did you think… I would be jealous?"

"Uh… I thought I might get an earful, maybe."

In our time together, she has shown hints of sulking on rare occasions, so it's not particularly strange for him to think that.

It's Arcadia's first official event, held over several days. To be honest, it's not that I don't feel envious of the person participating with him, but—

"If it's Nia, it's fine. Make sure you escort her properly."

There was no falsehood in the words I spoke.

I accepted it so naturally, and as I met his surprised gaze, I, Iris, who had, as usual, finished my meal a step ahead, did my best to smile.

It wasn't because I was forcing it, but simply because I was aware that my conscious smiles were still stiff.

"She's an 'artisan.' If it weren't for an opportunity like this, she wouldn't get to spend much time with you in the virtual world. You should prioritize her."

"That's… well, that's true."

"You said you wanted to take it easy for a while, so I already thought one of them would be a good fit. I saw Sora get invited by Lux, and I figured if she accepted, it would most likely be Nia."

I knew the [Traveler] had taken a liking to both Haru and Sora, and his unpredictable actions were just business as usual.

It could be said that things unfolded as they were meant to.

Again, I do feel envious. But I shouldn't direct raw jealousy at her. If I were to do that, then I, who made all sorts of advances first, would deserve to be on the receiving end of a storm of jealousy from Nia.

So this time, it's her turn. That's fine—but,

"If you feel any guilt over this,"

"Ah, yes… then?"

Just as I told Nia not to hold back with me, that, in turn, means that I, Iris, also…

"You can make it up to me as much as you want."

"…………R-Roger that."

Within the bounds of 'fair play,' I have no intention of holding back either.

◇◆◇◆◇

After dinner with Ashe, where I saw her for the first time in two days, my 'report' went surprisingly smoothly, and I felt a certain sense of relief.

However, that didn't mean my worries were gone. In fact, the various points of unease that had surfaced over the past few days were, from a personal standpoint, matters that required urgent resolution.

After dealing with my other concerns through my report and promise to 'make it up to her'… I dove on once again to sort through my thoughts.

—And then, several hours later.

"…………………………Uh, what are you doing?"

Sunk into the large sofa that had recently been added to the clan room's common area, I was met with that question from Tetra, who had just logged in.

Seeing an acquaintance lying on their back, staring into the void without moving a muscle, it was a perfectly normal reaction.

As for me—

"Nghh…"

I had been remembering, remembering, for hours on end.

I was so immersed in the footage of my own 'memories'—far too vivid to be called mere recollections—that a weak response from the depths of an indescribable sensory swamp was all I could manage.

This must be what it's like to be half-dreaming.

"What's wrong with you? Are you sick or something?"

I expected him to give me a 'what's with this guy' look and just walk away, but at times like these, my junior-senpai shows off his caring, gap-moe side.

Though his face screamed 'what a pain,' Tetra peered at me from over the back of the sofa. I tried to convey 'I'm fine' with just my gaze—

"…………What? Staring at me with those vacant eyes is just creepy."

Apparently, our bond of telepathy wasn't strong enough for that to work yet.

"Ah… I'm fine, really. I'm just being hit with a sense of fatigue and loss of reality comparable to watching a fast-forwarded movie for two or three days straight, that's all…"

"Can you really call that 'that's all'? What have you been doing, seriously?"

He was exasperated, but it couldn't be helped; it was necessary.

—Yes, it was necessary.

Thanks to it, I think I've realized a lot of things.

Exchanging words with someone slowly brought my consciousness back to the surface. I slowly sat up. My own room was still completely empty, so I had just been here, but as it turned out, Tetra serving as my alarm clock was rather convenient.

Otherwise, who knows how long I would have remained lost in my 'memories.'

"…Wait, you're going somewhere in that state?"

As I stood up and began to summon my rabbit daggers, boots, and other equipment, the boy shot a perfectly reasonable retort my way.

Well, you see—

"…………I'm just going to go cool my head for a bit. I'm heading on a long trip north, so if you need anything collected again, I'll take requests."

If I were to thank him for being my alarm clock, he'd probably just tilt his head in confusion. So I phrased it as if it were an afterthought, asking if he needed anything. Tetra, never one to hold back, answered.

While wearing a dubious expression, he tapped away at his system keyboard, and as always, a message filled with a mercilessly long list of material names was sent over.

…I'll try my best with about half of them.

"Alright, I'm heading out for a bit."

I gave a half-smile as I glanced at the list, then turned on my heel with a casual wave—

"—Senpai."

Called to a halt, I turned back to meet his black eyes.

"Are you okay?"

The question he posed was likely one of 'confirmation,' different from mere 'concern.'

From an outsider's perspective, I'm aware that I must seem suddenly strange. Therefore, fully aware of that, I offered a smile and said,

"Yeah, I'm okay."

In a way that, even to my own ears, sounded like I had broken free.

I simply stated my true feelings and left the clan room.