kscans

Chapter 623 - Like Master, Like Disciple

"—Alright, now that the greetings are done and everyone's settled down... can we move on?"

"I am so sorry..."

"Switch gears quickly and cleanly. That's my motto."

"...! I'll keep that in mind!"

Ignoring the sharp, stabbing gaze from my side that screamed, "You're just saying whatever, aren't you?" I declared the introductions successfully (?) complete and moved on to the next step.

"And now, it's quiz time."

"Haru?"

"No, I'm not messing around, I'm not. I'm actually trying to do this seriously, setting things up in order so it's easy to understand, so please stop with the deadpan look."

I swear I wasn't just going with the flow, but when an outsider with a shallow relationship is involved, Sora-san becomes extremely serious and responsible, and the pressure was on.

You have to approach your work with sincerity. I know that—hey, Kanata-kun, what do you mean by letting your cheeks relax while watching your senpai get scolded?

"Well, it's that. A quiz, or rather, a way to align our understanding, or my personal theory, or the bottom line, or the truth I want to present first... anyway, there's one thing I want to ask."

"Um... yes, what is it?"

It wasn't a particularly big question. That's why—

"Kanata, what do you think is the 'most necessary ability for a light warrior?'"

"The most necessary... Evasive ability, I suppose?"

—I had no doubt that Kanata's answer would match the one I considered correct.

"Correct. Well, 'correct' is relative, everyone has their own opinion, but I'm talking about the bottom line. Evasive ability, survival ability—whatever you call it, don't die. That is the foundation and the ultimate goal of a light warrior."

That's what I believe. I don't intend to act as the representative for all light warriors, but since I hold a place among the rankers with that creed, it should have some credibility.

"Light warriors are easy to kill. That's why they can't afford to die. And a light warrior who doesn't die is super strong—sorry, I just made that up on the spot, my apologies."

Having a deadpan supervisor next to me really keeps me on my toes.

"No, um, I get it. That's the very definition of truth, isn't it?"

And having a devoted, serious, and intelligent junior is a blessing. I can't keep showing them my uncool side. It's time to act like a proper senpai.

"Exactly. In the end, a light warrior who dodges every attack and kills the enemy without dying is, at this point in Arcadia, the strongest... or so I believe. It's a common saying in action games that 'fast is strong,' and it's even more true in VR, where you have to track your opponent with your own eyes from the midst of battle."

"That... makes sense. In general discussion about PvP, it's even said that between players of different speed tiers, 'the faster one will almost always win.'"

In reality, someone who is slower will likely be unable to do anything against someone faster. At best, they can only pray that their homing skills or auto-activating counter skills will hit.

The reason Arcadia isn't full of speed-focused light warriors is, by now, obvious. The technical skill requirement is absurdly high, so even if you want to do it, you can't.

However, if you have the talent, there's no reason not to aim for 'the strongest.'

"So, Kanata-kun."

"Eh, y-yes...?"

Rejoice. In my opinion, you are without a doubt a talented individual.

I, the 'Acrobat,' who has been embarrassingly praised by many strong individuals for having 'talent,' will give you my wholehearted seal of approval.

Player Kanata is one of us.

"Let's finish it in the remaining week or so—'Kanata, the Absolute Evasion Light Warrior.'"

"...............Yes?"

"I'm sorry, this is my serious face..."

My choice of words doesn't matter. The training time is limited, not abundant, but fortunately, the best possible environment is right here.

Or rather, she's right here.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Sora-sensei."

"You don't seem very serious... —No, yes, I understand."

She peered into my heart with suspicion, but must have been convinced that I was approaching my coaching role with utmost seriousness. Retracting her pressure and her quips, my partner nodded and her magic began to glow.

"Well then, um... Kanata-san."

"...! Yes. Um, if possible, no honorifics... at least, please no '-san.' As the one being taught and receiving help, I'd like to maintain a clear distinction."

And so, Kanata made a request to Sora as his name was called. It was probably mostly a pretext; the real reason was likely that being spoken to with honorifics by 'the Acrobat's partner' was just... weird for him.

"S-So... ah... um... —Kanata... kun...?"

Sora dropping the honorifics entirely would have been a shock, so this was the expected landing point.

A beautiful girl shyly trying out his name, and a beautiful boy nodding with a satisfied smile. The picture they made was incredibly heartwarming, and that was all well and good—however,

"Now, then... um... —It won't hurt even if it hits you, so please don't worry."

The next moment, with a single thought from the girl,

"Schwert Kreis."

The peaceful scene was dyed in 'swords.'

A familiar sight brought a sense of intimacy, an unfamiliar one, a sense of awe. Kanata naturally held his breath as a chain of sand-dust swords deployed, threatening to fill the training room.

He was apparently a fan of Sora's, which meant he had definitely seen the archive of the 'White Throne' subjugation battle. He should have known about the magic swords created by [Cradle of Sword-Craft], but seeing them on video and seeing them up close were two different things.

I get how you feel, I really do. Makes you want to laugh and say, "Which final boss are you?"... but if you freeze up in surprise here, the road ahead will be tough.

Because the Sora of today has left her past self far behind.

"—Ruby, if you please."

In response to her call, a small starlit shadow emerged from the girl's own.

The little fox leaped onto her shoulder, playfully rubbing its body against its master's cheek—and at the same time the 'red star' on its neck, the source of its name, glittered, it vanished, dissipating like mist.

It vanished and became three tails.

Tentatively named the 'Possession' form. It was the special ability of the little fox, Ruby, the Stardust Beast, Lim, that Sora had subjugated, and it was a problematic ability that had accelerated her already broken power level even further.

And to this...

"Trance."

When Sora-san's own four tails were added, the ultimate form that surpassed even a final boss was revealed.

White fox ears. Four white tails, three black tails, for a total of seven. If she were to reveal this to the public, it would surely cause a Maiden of the Scales Big Bang, a style overflowing with cute components. However, I knew from deep experience that in terms of performance, it was not cute in the slightest.

So Kanata, this is no time to be captivated. Get fired up, okay?

"...And so, as you've probably guessed, you'll be doing evasion training against this. The swords are made to be soft, so it's true that it won't hurt if you get hit. You can relax."

"Eh, ah... Huh, no, um, there's nothing relaxing about this!"

"By the way, the control of the sand swords is now in the hands of that little fella from earlier."

"What was that?"

"I had her set it to a pseudo-random mode that even Sora-san can't fully predict. So don't worry, it probably won't become a cakewalk where you just memorize the patterns."

"But I'm telling you, there's nothing relaxing about—"

"It's fine, it's fine. I'll be doing it with you, so use my movements or whatever as a reference."

"You're going to make movements that can actually be used as a reference, right...!?"

While we were frolicking, the master who had entrusted control of the magic swords to her servant quietly moved to the wall and sat down gracefully—in other words, that was the line.

The entire vast training room, right up to the walls, was the stage for our training.

From a distance, my eyes met her amber ones. Sora looked at me, then at Kanata, then back at me with a face that seemed slightly troubled and hesitant, and then—

"Alright, let's try dying for a bit, shall we?"

"How is that word spelled!? Are you sure it won't hurt when it hits!?"

At the very last moment, she cast a final, apologetic, sympathetic gaze at Kanata, and

"—Hk... W-Well then! Let's begiiin!"

With the cutest possible cheer, our fun little hell began.

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An ideal training environment where a devoted fox girl watches over you. How enviable.