kscans

Chapter 511 - Meteor and Meteoric Iron: Real Side

"—Man, that's impressive."

"Stop murmuring like that, you're making me laugh."

Half to hide my embarrassment and half out of curiosity, I had ventured into the kitchen several minutes ago. After watching Uni cook for a while, just as I had with Sora at lunch, I let my thoughts slip out. The chef chuckled lightly as he continued to expertly fillet a large sea bream with swift, practiced motions.

When I thought of a man, an adult, who liked to cook, the one who came to mind was Kazuharu Chitose, our chef at the Yotsuya dormitory. He was a former professional who still honed his craft as a hobby, a master of his art. But Uni seemed to be of a different stripe.

From what he told me, if Chitose-san was a chef focused on ‘honing his skills,’ Uni seemed to prefer ‘researching cuisine.’ He was the type who enjoyed the process of thinking and creating for himself, rather than for the sake of serving someone else.

In other words, he was the kind of person who enjoyed cooking partly as a form of entertainment. A spacious kitchen all to himself, an unlimited supply of high-quality ingredients, and a ready audience to eat his creations—this gathering must be a dream environment for Uni.

To top it off, the people here were, in his words, all “discerning gourmands,” making it a perfect research ground from top to bottom. That's why he laughed and said that this was half the reason he came.

This year's trip had been moved up to June at Ashe's request, but he'd been the first to raise his hand for the annual July summer trip since it began three years ago, and had participated every year since.

However, it wasn't as if he was only thinking of his own benefit.

"Looks like it's going to be lively this year with more people than ever before. I'm excited to cook all sorts of things—and most of all, I'm glad to see our princess having fun."

He was probably going to let it rest and mature for a bit. He quickly wrapped the filleted fish in paper towels, placed it in the fridge, and then pulled out another fish.

Next up was… what is that, another type of bream? The color, pattern, and shape were different. Anyway, Uni continued his work with a smile, his voice carrying a sincerity that resonated deeply.

His consideration, built on a foundation of trust and camaraderie, was plain to see. It was easy to tell that the relationship between the two top-ranked members of the Southern Faction was a good one.

"She's loved everywhere she goes, huh."

I didn't know the Ashe from before we met—the [Sword Queen]. But there were things I could sense without knowing. So now, seeing her past through this, I felt a little relieved.

She may have been lonely, but she probably wasn't truly alone.

"That's right. She's a girl who was born to be loved, not just in the virtual world, but by people everywhere. She truly is—say, Haru."

"Hm?"

Uni stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me, another smile on his face. It wasn't his usual, endearingly casual one, but a slightly deeper expression, filled with emotion.

"You might have already heard this from someone else… but just in case, as her friend who's been by her side as the perennial second place, and as the senior-most member besides her, let me convey the consensus from the Southern Faction's top ten."

"…………"

"Thank you for making our ‘princess’ smile. You've accomplished something no one in the world could for three years—as one of the insiders who could only watch over her, I offer my gratitude. I hope you'll accept it without embarrassment."

…Telling me not to be embarrassed was a tall order. But since he was asking me to accept it as well, looking away would be incredibly rude, so…

"O-okay. Just this once."

"F-hahah…! Seriously, you'd never guess you were the Acrobat who made a spectacular debut and became famous worldwide from your true-to-life reactions."

I managed a deadpan expression and a stiff nod, which, as expected, made him laugh.

"Alright, that's enough of the serious talk… So, what's the deal? It's a well-known fact that Iris is hot for you, but has there been any progress since then?"

"A w-well-known fact…"

"Oh yeah, globally."

After a light laugh at my expense, he smoothly shifted the mood and launched into a topic I had more or less expected would come up.

To press the attack while I was still flustered—as expected of the Southern Faction's representative interpersonal tactician, the [Heavy Tank]. I honestly wished he'd cut me some slack, but that meant his ‘serious talk’ earlier was all part of his calculation, wasn't it?

He'd shown his sincerity first to create a situation where it would be easier for me to be sincere in return.

"Well, uh… there are my circumstances, and circumstances besides my own, and all sorts of things, so it looks like it'll take a while longer to give an answer…"

The problem with that was, when asked ‘what's the deal?’, I still didn't have any concrete words to reply with ‘this is the deal.’

The closer I was to her, the more I cherished her, and the more painful it was to tell the person asking about our relationship that the current situation was effectively ‘on hold’—

"Hmm… I see. Judging by your apologetic expression, I'm guessing you feel bad about putting it on hold…"

"…………"

He hit the nail right on the head, leaving me speechless.

"Let's see, for example—"

"Yes?"

"Let's say that right now, I get confessed to by the top one, two, and three most beautiful women in the world at the same time, okay? Now, what course of action do you think I would take?"

"………………Huh, uh, is… this a quiz?"

"That's right. Just give it some thought and answer."

The fact that he naturally used ‘three people’ as an example suggested that the world was indeed aware of the three arrows currently pointed at me. Anyway.

My mind was still a bit shaken, so my thoughts wouldn't move properly in the face of this sudden question. Besides, I didn't know Uni well enough as a person, so I could only guess at what he would do, just as he said, ‘at random’.

"Well… I think it's a choice of three: pick one, turn them all down, or put it on hold."

"If you're talking about clear-cut choices, it would come down to those. Here's a hint: I'm the type who doesn't like to procrastinate on problems."

"Then you'd either choose or refuse right away, I guess…?"

He probably wasn't looking for a definitive answer. He gave a single nod to my vague reply as he sliced off the fish's head and revealed the correct one.

"I'd run. Same day, full sprint."

"Huh…"

From my perspective, it was an unexpected answer. But Uni shook his head as if exasperated, not smiling, looking completely serious.

"I mean, think about it. Something like that is impossible, right? Trying to deal with it head-on is reckless in the first place. It's not something you can solve by worrying about it, nor is it something you can manage by playing your cards right, is it?"

"…………"

"I'd be sad if you got the impression that I'm a 'frivolous guy' right after meeting me, but I'll be blunt—absolutely not. I can't carry that much on my shoulders. That's just me."

"…R-right…"

"I'd feel bad for the girls. But you know, I think it would be 'easier' for me and for them to just resent the reality of three ‘I love yous’ happening at once and give up. Call it an unfortunate accident."

His opinion was honest and forthright to a fault. His straightforward words, which could hardly be called ‘thoughtless,’ swirled in the depths of my chest where they had landed with such force.

"So, well, what I'm trying to say is…"

As he spoke so smoothly, he finished filleting the second bream (?) and sent it to the fridge. Pulling out another large, different fish, Uni continued without pause.

"The fact that you're even trying to face this impossibly difficult miracle without running away… well, I don't think anyone can criticize you for it. Except, perhaps, for one of those rare individuals who has faced a similar miracle and stood their ground without fleeing."

—he concluded boldly, seemingly having no doubt in the personal theory he had just laid out.

"The fact that you're thinking about it so sincerely with an apologetic look on your face means you're doing just fine. You should have more confidence, maybe relax your shoulders a bit."

"……………………Is that… really, so?"

"I think so. I'll say it again, I would probably run away first. So, as a man, I at least respect you for that, Haru—and to show that respect, how about I make you one of your favorite dishes for dinner tonight? Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

I still hadn't answered his initial question that started this whole conversation, but perhaps he had taken the fact that I was ‘struggling with it’ as the answer itself.

As if to lift my spirits while I was still trying to process everything, Uni flashed that innocent smile again. After a moment of silence, I replied—

"Can I ask for dessert?"

"Oh, you have a sweet tooth? I love it, I love it. I enjoy baking, too."

Taking his words as a valuable opinion from a fellow man, I tucked them away in my heart and quietly put in my request in response to his kind offer.