kscans

Chapter 523 - Disguise

"—Ah... Um, good morning!"

"Oh, you're up early. Good morning, Sora-chan."

It was before six in the morning. Uni, who had turned down the travelling old man's invitation two hours prior, was preparing breakfast in the kitchen when the youngest of the group, a black-haired girl, was the first to arrive.

Compared to her 'young lady' look from yesterday, her simple blouse and skirt gave off a slightly more casual impression—but even so, her inherent 'elegance' couldn't be hidden.

One had to wonder what prominent family she hailed from... but then again, in Arcadia, a game that required a three-million-yen invitation ticket as a minimum condition, people like the children of celebrities were hardly a rarity.

It wasn't something that piqued my interest beyond playful curiosity. What concerned me more than her background was the fact that she was still lingering, looking like she wanted to say something even after we had exchanged morning greetings.

"Is something wrong?"

I was talking to a girl six years younger than me. Though I was often told I had a baby face, as a grown man, I tried to ask her gently so as not to frighten her.

At that, the girl, who seemed not so much shy as someone who was so considerate of everyone that she became overly reserved with people she didn't know well, showed a clear fluster in her expression, and then—

"U-um... —Please let me help...!"

—she bowed her head, looking as if she had just summoned every last ounce of her courage.

Seeing that, Uni understood that Iris's 'threat' from yesterday was still very much alive in her mind... and he let out a small sigh.

"Okay, I'd be happy for the help. While we're at it, let's clear up your misunderstanding, just like I did with your partner."

He'd already confirmed her skill when she had proactively helped with the cleanup yesterday.

He would use this communication opportunity that she had initiated to deepen their friendship and completely dispel the unwelcome image of being a 'scary older brother.'

◇◆◇◆◇

"—And so, today's breakfast is presented by Sora-chan. It's a girl's home cooking, so you guys in particular better savor it."

"""Yeah!"""

After six o'clock, once the morning prime time, or sunrise, had passed and the fish had stopped biting as frequently, we spent another hour or so casting our lines. With me continuing to be the only one hauling in fish, we finally packed it in and returned to the villa, where we were greeted by the indescribable scent of a Japanese morning.

"Um, I only helped out later on, so..."

"She's being modest, but I'd only gotten as far as washing the rice, so she was the main one who handled everything from the menu onwards."

"""Yeah!"""

"P-please don't raise the bar so high...!"

All eyes were on her—us guys included, as the group gathered from inside and out. Sora-san, who had apparently produced this modest yet impressively atmospheric Japanese breakfast, was shrinking in her seat next to me in embarrassment...

But there was no way the people in this room, all of whom were older than her, wouldn't praise a fifteen-year-old girl who had woken up early to diligently make breakfast for everyone.

"So Sora really was Sora-san..."

With me leading the charge, of course.

Both her accomplishment and the situation itself made me want to say something like, 'She'll make a great wife,' a cliché yet extremely explosive remark, but I managed to swallow it.

"To be able to do this at her age... She'll make a fine wife someday."

But Gossan picked up on my thought and said it for me, kicking off a flood of praise from the older members of the group—that is, everyone except Sora.

"No joke, her skill is at a level where she could open her own restaurant. It was the right call to let her take the lead instead of just having her help out."

"...If Uni is saying that much, then she must be the real deal. I'm not very good at it myself, so perhaps I should try to learn from her as a fellow woman."

"If Mom saw this, she'd be thrilled and call her a perfect little Yamato Nadeshiko..."

"...This is... a battle I can't win."

See? Sora-chan is too strong, it's cheating, it's cheating.

As for Sora-san, who was being showered with a flood of praise that was 99.9% positive—though I didn't quite understand what Nia was saying at the end—

"Ugh... I-I'm honored..."

—she shrunk down in embarrassment, though she didn't seem entirely displeased.

"—Right, there's somethin' I've been wantin' to ask..."

As we were enjoying a breakfast that I couldn't help but praise as being worthy of a fine restaurant, not just in appearance and atmosphere but in taste as well, Gossan, who was moving his chopsticks with a care and slowness that belied his large frame, spoke up.

His gaze was directed at—the princess, who had already finished her meal, tearing through it at a pace that left the other seven of us in the dust, though she had been eating slower than usual, perhaps to savor the first home-cooked meal of a new acquaintance.

I tilted my head, wondering what this was about...

"Ah... well, that. If it's okay to ask, I've been wanting to ask since yesterday too."

"Yes... It's Iris, so I'm sure she has her reasons, but..."

The two from her faction followed up as if they understood, and even Irori wasn't tilting his head in confusion like me, asking "What are you talking about?" He just calmly sipped his miso soup with a composed look.

Judging by the fact that he had just asked for seconds, my partner's Japanese cooking had easily pleased the Blonde Samurai's palate—

Anyway, he must have gotten some kind of 'confirmation' from gauging Ashe's expression. The three of us—me, Sora, and Nia... no, even Sora and Nia looked like they had a faint idea of what was going on, leaving me as the only one out of the loop.

Having received her unspoken permission to ask, Gossan opened his mouth.

"Why are you still in disguise when you're on vacation with only close friends around?"

"...Hm?"

Ashe, who had been relaxing with some post-meal tea, gave a reaction that was hard to read, but my mind was a complete blank.

Disguise? What disguise? As the mysterious word left the General Commander's mouth, I looked at her again, but she was in a simple shirt and pants, just like yesterday, with her long black hair swaying—her usual self—

"...Um, Haru. I don't mean to assume, but..."

Noticing me tilting my head in confusion, my partner next to me spoke up.

"Have you... never once looked up Iris-san—Alicia White-san...?"

"Eh? No way, of course I have..."

"I mean Alicia-san in the real world."

I have not. The moment I shook my head, I was hit by an estimated six gazes of sheer disbelief.

I mean, come on! She may be famous, but searching for an 'acquaintance' online feels kind of rude, and a little creepy, doesn't it!?

"You see, Iris-san has appeared in the media for interviews and such in the real world as well, and—"

"Sora, I'll take it from here."

Iris cut off my partner's explanation and raised her left hand.

On her slender white wrist, a silver bracelet gave off a modest shine—come to think of it, I'd never seen her without it in the real world.

"As for 'why,' there isn't really a profound reason for it..."

It was an extremely simple, unadorned bracelet. The moment Ashe undid it with a soft click,

"—...Huh???"

Like the sky whitening at sunrise, or as if a spell had been broken.

Her black hair turned white... a brilliant, pure white, similar to the silver-blue of her virtual avatar. As I stood there, stunned by this magic trick—

"Half of the reason was... simply because I missed the timing to reveal it, I suppose."

—her garnet eyes, which had also changed color from black, were staring at me.