kscans

Chapter 569 - Time Passes

—The virtual world, Arcadia.

Humanity's first and only complete virtual reality technology, a manifestation of dreams, fantasies, and aspirations made real in the modern age. It was another world, acknowledged by the world.

I first wanted a ticket on a whim more than three and a half years ago.

I started working as a member of society and began saving up two years ago.

My desire to 'get to the virtual world as soon as possible' exploded into a burning passion two months ago.

And finally, I took my first step inside last month.

The faction I chose was, of course, Istia. I was well aware it was a fanboy move, but as a huge fan of a certain player, there was no way I'd even glance at another faction.

Together with my girlfriend, who had also been saving up for Arcadia, I began my virtual world life as a member of the combative Eastern Faction… and well, let's just say I went through a lot.

With the help of NPCs and veteran players, I somehow managed to clear the tutorial, the [Trial Spheres of Partition], four days ago. The 'adventure,' which made me wonder "Is this really a tutorial…?" more times than I can count, was, in a word, absolutely amazing.

Furthermore, a 'Festival' just happened to start right as I was about to get going for real.

With an endless supply of fuel for my roaring motivation, I, a rookie, strode confidently into the streets of Istia, a city I thought I had grown accustomed to—

"SOMEONE HEEEEELP MEEEEEEEE!"

Caught in a massive tsunami of players that would put even that infamous 'pressure-cooker welcome party' to shame, I found myself being swept away somewhere, screaming a desperate plea for my life.

Screams and cries were echoing from all over, so it seemed I wasn't the only poor soul in a similar predicament. Even for the Eastern Faction, the veteran players were supposed to be gentlemen and people of good sense… I wonder if the festival has driven them mad.

The problem wasn't that the current was so violent it would knock you over, but rather that its orderly intensity made it impossible to disrupt the flow and go against it.

At this rate, there was no hope of reuniting with my partner, who had been swallowed by the waves and separated from me in an instant. Just as I gave up on breaking free and resigned myself to being carried along…

Fwip.

Without any warning, my body floated up.

No, it wasn't that I floated up—

"—Bite your tongue. Be quiet."

—it was that 'someone' had pulled me up.

I couldn't understand the situation, nor what it meant. My mind, gone completely blank, barely registered the single arm wrapped around my stomach, holding me, and the human tsunami receding far below.

And this incomprehensible stroll through the air ended in just a few seconds.

"—Whoa, that's amazing…! I mean, seriously… um, um, um! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. Don't worry about it…"

I landed on a rooftop with no impact whatsoever. While I stood there, stunned into silence, my partner, who was already there, was talking with 'someone'.

That 'someone' was a young man, probably, wrapped in a mouse-gray cloak. He turned to me and…

"Hahaha… Man, what a disaster. I figured it would be a shame to let a lady get caught in that mess, so I rescued your girlfriend first."

He pointed to my partner, her face flushed with excitement.

"Then she told me she got separated from you, so I had to fish you out too. I went at it pretty hard, are you okay?"

Beneath the hood pulled low over his eyes, a kind, good-natured smile played on his lips.

"Ah… huh…? Y-Yes. My avatar is fine…"

"Glad to hear it. Well then, I've told your girlfriend a relatively safe route… The festival isn't going anywhere, so take your time and get there safely."

With a simple "See ya…" the young man left behind a brisk farewell—and a voice I had heard so many times it was practically burned into my ears.

"…Hey, um…"

"Yeah…! Yeah…!!"

"We might die tomorrow…"

"Might just…!!"

The young man, with a hint of white and blue peeking from the hem of his gray cloak, soared gracefully through the sky… and then, in the blink of an eye.

He vanished into the far distance.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Oh, look who it is. The celebrity has arrived."

"Honestly…"

"Haru-kun…"

"Kid… you've gotta be kidding me."

"—…Eh, what, what is it? Did I do something wrong???"

Upon returning from my duty, I was met not with words of praise but with four pairs of meaningful stares. Setting aside the amused little one, the troubled and exasperated looks from the three older members suggested I'd messed up somehow, and I couldn't ignore it.

"Not wrong, exactly, but…"

The seventh-ranked member trailed off, looking like it was difficult to say.

"Some things about you never seem to change."

The third-ranked member tossed a critical remark my way. And then—

"There's nothing to say. We sent you out to handle minor troubles… not to cause a commotion yourself, Acrobat."

A sigh. The second-ranked member sank heavily into his chair at the Round Table and looked up at the ceiling.

Hmm… hmm… I think this calls for a formal apology on my knees. Yes, it does.

"…If you would be so kind as to inform me of the specific charges…"

I sat primly on the floor, and no sooner had I spoken than a system window flew before my eyes. Irori had thrown it. I quickly scanned its contents—it was a forum, buzzing with reports of [Acrobat] sightings from all over today, filled with the voices of those he had 'saved'.

"…No way… How did they know?"

"Hey, big bro, are you actually, like, fundamentally an idiot?"

"'Actually'? He was a basic idiot from the start, wasn't he?"

"Haru-kun…"

"Even so, you've been takin' it too easy lately, haven't ya? Lettin' your guard down?"

They were having a field day at my expense, but hold on.

"No, um, my stealth…! I was wearing a hide cloak, and I was careful not to be seen when I was flying—"

"You might not have any detection skills, big bro, so you wouldn't know, but that stealth cloak isn't all that powerful, you know? It's just a perception jammer that makes it hard for people to notice you. People who can see, can see you just fine. What Tetra-kun and Momo-chan have is on a whole other level, okay?"

"No… way… Wait, hold on. But I've walked around town wearing this and no one's ever called out to me or caused a fuss—"

"There's no way the gentlemen and ladies of Arcadia would make a scene over a player who's wearing a stealth cloak and clearly stating, 'I'm being incognito,' now is there?"

"The community's too damn wholesome…!!"

If I've been making such a fool of myself, I wish someone had told me sooner—but I couldn't very well shift the blame and disgrace myself further. I cursed myself for so leisurely believing my disguise was working.

Well, yeah… no matter how much I hide my face, if I fly, it's game over, huh…

"Well… that part of you is rather endearing, though."

"It's better to be a little clueless. The world likes you better that way."

I'm not sure if Goldow and Hinayo-san's words were meant as a follow-up or what, but they stung.

"Enough. Let the idiot be… actually, we can't, so just listen from there."

"Yes, sir…"

Irori's words were merciless, but having been crushed by Mi-na's recitation of the facts, I no longer had the right to retort with a joke.

"Entries for 'participants' are closed, but as expected, the number has exploded since last time. This one's going to be the longest yet."

"Well, we saw that comin'."

"It's because certain people got everyone fired up beyond all reason."

"…"

As all eyes turned to me again, I could only offer silence.

It wasn't just that existing players' motivation was up; the wave of new players, which had settled down after three years, was heating up again. The teasing about that had been repeated ad nauseam over the past two months.

"In any case, it's not a bad thing for the festival to be lively. It means more trouble, but let's get fired up, you guys. Haru. You too, stop sulking."

"Your turn won't come for a while, but once the preliminaries start to wrap up, the duties will come flooding in. Snap out of it and be prepared."

"That much… you can count on me for."

The speed at which I can switch gears these days is a strength I can now openly boast about.

"—Alright. Senpai, help me with some final adjustments."

"Yeah, sure thing, kouhai."

"Don't get too into it and burn yourselves out!"

With the little one's teasing at my back, I waved and activated the teleport to the training room with Irori. I might have stumbled at the start, but I just had to make up for it from here.

Two months have passed since that day—the day the newcomer known as the [Acrobat] conquered the second unconquered dungeon and was truly acknowledged by the world.

Today is the 11th Four Pillar War Selection Match.

I'll give it my all and fulfill my duty as a title holder.

"It feels like four whole months have passed since the last one, huh…"

"…To me, it feels like it was only four months ago."

I recalled that nostalgic day when I entered as a newcomer and a challenger.