kscans

Chapter 555 - Behind the Glamour

"—Alright. With that, we will now begin the interrogation of the 'defendant'."

"Objection—"

"No objections."

"None."

"Uh, well… yeah. None, I guess…?"

It was, without a doubt, the most intense battle I'd ever had. The morning after the day I proudly conquered the infamous [Shadow-Infested Arena], this was the situation.

I had intended to come anyway, but I had received a summons I couldn't refuse. When I showed up at the Shijo residence, I was greeted by this. Held in place by the childhood friend pair, Toshiki and Shoko, with my escape route mysteriously cut off, I found myself cornered by my assembled friends.

My attempt to raise an objection was completely ignored, not even deemed worthy of deliberation.

Incidentally, about two hours have passed since we all gathered—which means they've already watched the 'master copy' of my latest work on repeat in the 'workshop'.

Well, since the combat speed was insane from start to finish, the video itself is short. So it makes sense that they could get through it quickly… however.

"Okay, let's get right to the heart of the matter… Uh, so. You're not dating, right? You're still in the approach phase, or something like that, right???"

Even if it was quick to watch, the content was apparently anything but quick to process. As I envisioned the mountain of questions that was about to come crashing down on me, I couldn't help but let out a wry smile and a sigh at the same time. "That's where you're starting?"

It was a big, exaggerated sigh. I let a faint hope seep through that maybe they'd take pity on me—ah, nope, of course not. Knew it, knew it.

"Well, I mean, it's sort of…"

"I thought this during the 'White Throne' battle too, but aren't you guys a little too in sync? I mean, your partner is on another level too, but she's literally been with you since you started the game… How long has it been since you met the princess?"

"Uhm… I first met her at the end of April during the Four Pillar War, so about a month and a half ago."

"And it's not like you've been inseparable that whole time, right?"

"Well…"

I couldn't bring myself to say, 'We live in the same dormitory,' so I gave a vague answer.

That being said, Alicia is a busy person herself, so it's not like we've spent every waking moment together since I moved in. So I'm not lying.

Reality aside, the number of times we've met in the virtual world can still be counted on two hands. Reality aside.

If I were to say, 'We have dinner together every night'—I wonder what would happen.

At the very least, Shoko, who has been leading the charge in grilling me, would probably become even more unmanageable. I'll keep my mouth shut, considering the risks.

"You know, um. It's fine. I kind of figured the princess was the full-throttle, straight-to-the-point, charging-forward type, so that's fine. I was shocked that she was so proactive despite being recorded, and the whole thing was so cute and precious I almost died from the sheer wholesomeness of it all, but that's fine."

"You're talking faster than I've ever heard you, Shoko-san."

Also, if you're going to play the lead interrogator, I'd appreciate it if you moved to the front instead of staying at my side. Why must I endure this questioning with only my right ear?

"That part is fine, but—! The teamwork! You guys are way too in sync! What is it?! Are you guys already at the level where you can read each other's minds?! Huh, what, are you soulmates?! Are you!!? Huh!!!"

"Hey, Toshiki. Your childhood friend is bugging out harder than ever before. Do something."

"When it comes to real romance, she's always like this. Give up and spill the beans."

"Damn it, you're on their side too…!"

At this rate, she might just grab me by the collar. I should probably make some excuses within a reasonable range to calm her raging spirit before I suffer some unwanted damage.

"R-regarding the teamwork, that's… we're similar types, or rather, our fundamental 'playstyles' are exactly the same, so we can kind of guess how the other will move by instinct."

"Similar types?"

"The 'go all out and do whatever I want' type."

"Ahhh…"

When I answered Mizuki, who had interjected from the side, Kaede next to her let out a sound of understanding. This wasn't an excuse but a clear fact, so it would be a problem if she didn't accept it, one way or another.

It's a different kind of telepathy than what I have with my partner (Sora)… It's like, how do I put it? I feel like, 'This is what I would want to do now, so Alicia will probably do the same,' and it almost always clicks.

The reverse is also true. The reason she can match my moves perfectly is likely the same.

…Of course, I'll keep it a secret that we've been engaging in some late-night analog (digital) gaming sessions quite frequently.

After getting trounced in competitive games in the first and second rounds, we've been enjoying some harmonious co-op play, so that might have something to do with the improvement in our teamwork.

Although recently, our neighbor from the other side has been crashing the party sometimes.

"Ehhh… I see, ah, so that's how it is… hmm, wow, I… I kind of like that… That's awesome, I can totally ship that…"

"Hey, childhood friend."

"When it comes to real romance, she's always like this. Give up and spill everything."

"Stop with the catchphrase. And I'm not going to run away, so stop grabbing my arm."

It's not like they were seriously restraining me, so a light tap was enough to brush them off. I slipped out from between the pair and retreated to my own work chair.

Although I'm on the receiving end of the support, as a member of the group, the Shijo family has prepared a desk for me in their workspace. I barely have a chance to touch it, and it's doubtful I'll ever use it in the future… but well, I'm genuinely happy about it.

This too is a certain, definite place where I belong.

"…Since the romance part seems to be settled, now it's time for the combat part. Is that okay?"

And so, with Shoko seemingly sinking into some personal fantasy swamp, the next person to raise their hand was—the genuine Arcadia otaku, who had been fidgeting with an undisguisable level of excitement.

"First, and foremost, I want to hear the details of your two final 'trump cards'. As much as possible, as detailed as possible. As detailed as possible."

"Why did you say it twice?"

I sense signs of a bug in this one too.

Should I ask for help from Kaede-san, who, after being the first to be knocked out by the video two hours ago, has somehow rebooted and is now maintaining a calm demeanor?

"Well, I don't mind at all… Alright, let's start with the 'magic'. I'm planning to release the full details anyway, so feel free to ask anything."

…The moment I said that, Mizuki's eyes lit up noticeably.

It probably wasn't a reflection from her glasses.

"Star-Attribute Magic [Lightning Gale]—even if the unmovable chant, a characteristic of star-attribute magic, acts as a shackle that amplifies its effect, it's still too exceptional. There must be a significant drawback."

"Yeah, you're right."

A really big one, on par with that 'cursed object', to the extent that I'd rather not use it if I can help it.

"The large sum of money (Luna) taken as a catalyst for casting grand magic is whatever. The tough part is what comes after—no, not tough, more like a pain."

The drawback that occurs after using [Lightning Gale] is, simply put…

"For a period proportional to the activation time, the use of all skills is sealed."

"…A period proportional to the activation time."

"Yep. One second equals one day. So this time, it'll be a little over seven days."

Seven seconds flat for a week, and the maximum effect time of thirty seconds for a month. My avatar becomes unable to use any and all skills.

I'm no master swordsman, so needless to say, it's a fatal flaw. In addition, [Trance] is also treated as a 'skill' not listed in the status, so I can't even revert from my beautiful girl form until the drawback period is over. Doubly fatal.

Incidentally, 'Recall', which has transcended the framework of a skill and has become ingrained in my avatar as an 'ability', has escaped the seal. The trick to being able to take out the [Shadow-Sewing Ritual Dagger] from my inventory after the magic was dispelled lies there.

"So right now, my… well, my avatar, is in a state of unprecedented weakness due to the magic's drawback alone. Proper game progression is on hold until a week from now."

"Hah… But you can still move to some extent without skills, can't you?"

A comeback like that flies from Toshiki, but you just don't get it, my friend.

Sure, I could probably move a bit with my base stats alone—

"That's no fun, is it? I'm the type who wants to do what I want to do with all my might."

"…Ah, right, right. You just said that, didn't you?"

And so, [Lightning Gale], which effectively robs me of my time to enjoy the game to the fullest, is classified as a 'demon card I'd rather not use if possible'.

But well, there's no denying that the hero time, with its maximum invincibility feel, is insanely fun. I'll probably give in to temptation and use it from time to time in the future.

—And, it goes without saying.

The real problem child is the other one.

"While we're at it, I'll reveal the 'sword' too. The drawback that manifests after using the Zero-Type Mana Evocation Manifestation Armament [αtiomart -Sakura=Memento-] is…—a temporary reduction and fixation of my level."

"Ah."

"Oof, wow."

"…I see."

"Oh my…"

Seeing me express all sorts of emotions without hiding them, they must have guessed the 'extent' of the reduction. All four of them reacted with expressions of sympathy.

So, yes. In reality, the 'magic's' drawback is swallowed up by the 'sword's', or rather, if you use them at the same time, it effectively becomes null…

When the drawback period ends, my reduced level returns, and the fact that there's no need to re-level is a mercy, but—that's a separate issue.

By the authority of the cherry blossom, which drains 'magic' from the enemy and 'life' from its host,

"For ten days, I'm forced to be Lv.1. It's seriously tough. I honestly wish I didn't have to deal with it."

My 'legs', which are always rushing ahead of everyone else, are being made to pay the ultimate price.