kscans

Chapter 488 - Dragon and Tiger

"—and then deciding to start up the game right away… Yeah, that's not exactly a virtuous move, is it?"

After parting ways with Alicia, who left the room saying she had another errand to run, I finished breakfast in ten minutes and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, drove on.

The request I received from Yotsuya was to 'conquer the most difficult content.' As a result, what should have been self-improvement for my own gaming satisfaction has now been given the grand justification of being 'work,' which is a very, very bad thing.

It's not that I dislike studying, but… when an invincible virtual world is placed on the same level of 'things that must be done,' the competition is just too steep—

Ah, but that just sounds like a lame excuse, doesn't it?

If you want to laugh at my weak will, go right ahead. I'll be right there pointing and laughing at myself, too.

"Alright, up we go."

My room in the clan hall is still a lonely space with only one object in it. I sprang up from the bed—my only piece of furniture, which also serves as my respawn point—and in mid-air, I executed a triple axel, kicked off the ceiling, then the wall, and landed on the floor in a sharp, clean motion.

Okay, good to go. My movements were a little less sharp, probably due to some lingering fatigue, but the avatar's condition was a step short of excellent, sitting at a solid 'not bad.'

Although, my right arm is still dangling uselessly, just like before.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Oh? Hey, morning!"

"Yeah, yeah, morning to you, too."

Lately, whenever I walk through town, more and more players have been casually calling out to me… or rather, greeting me.

Some, like the male player just now, are energetic and loud. Others offer a reserved wave or a simple nod. The reactions vary, but the emotions I can feel from them are all positive…

Well, it seems like I'm being accepted, which honestly makes me happy. Though it does come with a side of embarrassment.

Anyway—

Floating in my vision is a window displaying three messages. I'd received them all while I was logged out, and the arrival times were all within about thirty minutes of each other.

The first was from my precious partner.

【Sora】— "I'll log in this afternoon."

Extremely concise. But since we'd already promised to meet the day after the event, the message conveyed more than enough. Message received and understood.

We did exchange our real-world contact info again on that day, but I still haven't gotten a single email or message from the 'Sora-san' over there.

I wonder if she feels some mysterious sense of shame about real-world interactions.

The second was from my dear master.

【Ui】— "Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Thank you for your hard work during the event. Last night… although for us, it was four days ago, you missed your sword maintenance. If you would be so kind, please show me your face tonight so we can exchange stories of our travels.   Ui"

Her triple-decker greeting is so formal it's endearing.

And how her katakana looks so… katakana in text form.

And how you don't really see people signing off with their names in game messages.

And how I'm pretty sure I told her it's probably not a good idea to use her real name, my dear master—There were plenty of odd parts, but the content was a hundred percent heartwarming and nothing less.

I'll be sure to keep my evening free.

And the third message was from a very unexpected sender.

【Tiger☆Lucky】— "Yo. Hit me up when you've got a sec."

I opened my friends list and checked who was online.

Among all the names listed, one vibrant string of characters stood out with overwhelming presence, glowing as if to obnoxiously announce, 'I'm here!'

◇◆◇◆◇

"So, what's this about? A challenge?"

"What're ya sayin' with yer arm all danglin' like that? What happened to it?"

"Just in the middle of some… loan payments. It'll be back to normal in about thirty minutes, though."

I dashed over to find the person waiting for me sprawled out heroically on the ground, dressed in his usual flashy tiger-print fashion, letting out a massive yawn.

I wonder what the official name for that pose is. You know, the one you see in living rooms all across the country when someone's lying on their side, propping their head up with one arm while lazing around watching TV.

Perfect Relax, the Embodiment of Sloth, maybe? Anyway.

The designated meeting spot wasn't in the city, but a corner of a field. Not just anywhere in the [Garden of Divine Creation], either—it was the Plains of the Horizon. Ah, the nostalgia.

His intention was probably less about making it easy for me, an Istia member, to get here, and more about the convenience of securing a private instance nearby.

The Fool Boars were just munching on grass and berries. As long as players didn't go on a rampage, this idyllic plain was one of the most peaceful areas in Arcadia.

"So, what did you need? Oh, and morning."

"Yo, mornin' to ya."

Exchanging belated greetings, I followed his completely tension-free example and plopped down on the grass with a stretch.

With only one working arm, I lost my balance and tumbled over to the right. Just a little bonus comedy for the morning.

"Eh, it ain't nothin' major. Just wanted to swap info on how the event went."

"Huh… I have no problem with that, but why me?"

"'Cause I knew for a fact you'd be the one pullin' the most interestin' stunts, obviously."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a sign of trust or a jab."

From the way he's talking, it sounds like I'm the first person he's contacted. The thought that he might actually like me is… a little ticklish.

"Well, whatever… Info swap? Okay, you're on."

"Alright! Then first, on the count of three, let's compare our [Stardust Beasts]. I'm guessin' you managed to tame one too, obviously?"

"Stop with the 'obviously.' Don't treat me like some guaranteed-to-clear-every-fun-event being. I mean, I don't mind comparing, but…"

Seeing the strangely proud look on his face, I figured he must have tamed some incredible [Stardust Beast]. In terms of incredibleness, my 'servant' would also be categorized as extraordinary, but this guy, despite his playful—no, hilarious—name, is a ranked player in the Northern Faction.

A tiger? Is it a tiger?

If the great Sir Tiger here managed to tame one of those great tiger boss-types that appeared in our raid… that would be both fitting and hilarious. I'd congratulate him with a hearty, 'Well done, Tiger Lucky!'

And so…

"Alright, here we go! On the count of three!"

"Man, you're really into this—Come on out, [Sapphire]."

"Come forth, [Tiger☆Star]!!"

I thought I heard a somewhat indescribable name, but I maintained my poker face with an iron will, completely ignoring it.

I was sitting down, completely relaxed, while Tiger Lucky had jumped to his feet and was striking a triumphant pose. From the shadows of these two contrasting figures, a 'starry sky' overflowed.

'Wings' spread wide, stirring the wind.

'Legs' stomped the ground, sending out a tremor… or not.

Probably scared off by the presence of one of them, the nearby boars fled at top speed. In the midst of it all, we revealed our respective 'Tamed Beasts' and stared silently at each other's starry apparitions—the silence lasted for a little over ten seconds.

"Wha—… a dra, a dra—"

"Huh… a do—"

And so, our memorable first reactions were exchanged.

"—IT'S A DRAGON?!?!!"

"—it's a dog…"

They were delivered with perfectly contrasting levels of excitement.