kscans

Chapter 580 - The Aimless Wanderer

—Cheers echoed, the vibration of the air tingling against the skin.

The lively voices that reached the ears, the vortex of fervor that lit up the eyes… In a corner of the special viewing box, one person, wearing a sullen expression, let out another sigh for the umpteenth time at the sight they hadn't seen in months.

The glossy silver hair was cut in a neat, short style. But then, an unkempt fringe covered one eye, and the single exposed, sleepy-looking left eye was the color of a canary.

The tall, slender figure was clad in a silvery-threaded robe befitting a mage. But the open front revealed an inside that was more like a warrior's, a practical, unadorned battle garment that embodied utility.

The sharp, refined features were androgynous, making it hard to tell if they were male or female. Their grooming was a toss-up between meticulous and careless, and even their attire lacked cohesion.

Furthermore, the voice that escaped their lips was—

"—What the hell is that? My successor is insane…"

—a neutral tone that could belong to a young man or a woman with a slightly lower voice. As this person, he or she, broke their long-held sullen silence to speak…

"Huh? Yurayura-san, you haven't seen his videos or anything?"

"Still a hermit?"

Two girls popped their heads out from either side of the seat, calling out with the lack of reservation one shows to a close friend. In response, the beautiful person called 'Yurayura'—

"Haven't seen them. Yeah, I'm a hermit. I'm not interested, and you know it."

They made a gesture as if to shoo away their 'friends' in annoyance, their scowl a very clear 'I'm in a bad mood' signal.

However, they were not the type to be deterred by such a display.

"What's with that! We haven't seen you in forever, don't be so cold!"

"Hey, stop it… c'mon, don't cling to me, you brat…!"

The blue one brushed it off with their usual emotionless, placid face, while the red one, whose desire for attention had been stoked, began to pester them relentlessly.

Putting the former aside, Yurayura raised their voice at the latter, who was a direct and unavoidable problem—and from the side, another friend let out a poorly concealed chuckle.

"Don't just stand there laughing, do something about these two, old man! They won't leave me alone!"

"Nah. You look happy, so I figured I'd let you be."

"Huh? You don't mean me, right? This is a hundred-percent genuine look of annoyance."

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

Towards the [General Commander] who was laughing heartily, Yurayura—the former Tenth Seat of the Eastern Faction, and now, once again, the current Tenth Seat of the Eastern Faction, [Screen]—

"Ah, seriously, this just isn't my thing… Don't make me come back to this…"

—simply looked up at the ceiling of the special viewing box, looking utterly exhausted as the little red one shook them back and forth, muttering to themself.

◇◆◇◆◇

"So, what do you think? From your perspective, what's that Haru kid like?"

"Don't just assume we're going to continue this conversation, okay? I only came because you dragged me here out of some sense of obligation. I never once said I'd quietly shoulder the responsibility of being a Ranker again—"

"Haaah… that high-purity tsundere act of yours really hits the spot."

"Their style is still intact. Glad to see they're doing well."

"Hey, you two brats, that's enough."

Not long after watching a certain first match of the Four Pillar selection's latter half.

They had moved—or rather, been forcibly transported—to the Round Table. Yurayura maintained a curt attitude towards the three familiar faces, but they were so used to it that they paid it no mind.

It was always, always like this. Tiring, noisy, annoying—and yet, they never felt any malice, and before you knew it, you were swept up in their pace. It was impossible to deal with.

Every last one of them was a light-attribute type. They wished they would just leave a gloomy person like themself alone.

However, the one to truly resent was the 'world (system)' that had propped them up. The fact that they couldn't bring themself to hate these others who had been propped up alongside them… was truly, hopelessly frustrating, and the sighs just kept coming.

"Haaah… The Ninth… or is it the Fourth now? Well, I guess he's amazing. He's a simple genius, that one. Seems like he'd get along with you guys, personality-wise."

"The 'tsun' part was short, thank goodness."

"It's just an act."

"It's neither tsundere nor an act."

Brushing off the two brats who were saying whatever they pleased, Yurayura sent a look to the older man they called 'old man' but still held a measure of respect for, as if to say, "I've given you your answer."

At that, the General Commander… Goldow, stroked his chin and tilted his head—

"Rather than with us… I think he'd get along best with you, though?"

—he said, something completely incomprehensible. And so, naturally,

"Hah…? You've got to be kidding. Someone who's the epitome of positivity like him—"

"Ah, ah, you're as bad at reading people as ever."

"Clueless."

"Him, the epitome of positivity… Kaka, now that's a good one."

Just as they tried to object—what nonsense are you spouting—an avalanche of denials and jeers erupted in response.

It made no sense. It made no sense, but… for now,

"Hey, Ri-na, you're as bad as ever to me, you know that?"

To have the nerve to call them 'clueless.' Yurayura glared, but the girl with the title of [Right Wing] simply ignored it with a cool expression and retreated behind the General Commander.

It wasn't that she disliked them. It was just that she had a strange way of being attached to them, from the very beginning.

"Well, you'll see if you spend some time with him. You're finally back, so you should look after him as his 'senpai.'"

"He's still just a rookie, after all," he added, as if he knew everything. Following him,

"I mean, today, he's obviously super stiff."

"His nervousness is showing. He's overthinking it."

"Huh…?"

And so, the three 'seniors' shared their impressions, leaving the one person who didn't understand, Yurayura, behind. Their comments were directed at none other than the junior who was supposed to have been their 'successor,' the [Acrobat]—

Yurayura thought of the young man who had met his challenger with a refreshing smile, who had skillfully goaded and fired up the crowd, who had concluded the battle in a satisfying manner, and who had filled the arena with an explosion of cheers.

They thought of the rising star they had yet to meet face-to-face, even after returning to the Ten Seats after a long period of wandering.

To Yurayura, who had thrown themself into the conflict of the East solely to seek individual strength for the sake of traveling the world alone, 'battle' was a means to an end, not entertainment.

Whether it was PvE or PvP, their heart had never once been stirred by it.

That was the main reason they felt the title of a Ranker in the Eastern Faction, Istia, where a 'flair for battle' was demanded more than in any other faction, was 'unsuitable for them.'

—But still,

"…I have no idea what you're all talking about, but…"

Their lack of interest was, ultimately, only in 'battle.'

It was endlessly tiring, noisy, and annoying to be around them—but they were also envious of the qualities they lacked, and they were seniors whom they could genuinely respect as people. If they were going to be so openly concerned about someone…

"Well… I guess I'll stick around and watch today's matches, at least."

It's not like their emotions were dead, so a normal level of curiosity would naturally well up. When they muttered this with a sigh, with the nuance of 'just to kill some time,'

"See? We didn't even have to try and persuade them, and this is the result."

"It's just their style."

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

—another avalanche of affectionate teasing and jeers erupted at once, and the one being teased snapped back, as usual… One had to wonder which side would be the first to wave the white flag of exhaustion.

Even for someone who didn't know them, the answer was likely easy to guess.