kscans

Chapter 625 - Habitual Night Owl

"—Huh, seeing you at this hour is rare. What are you up to, senpai?"

"So, self-proclaimed junior number one appears."

It was past midnight, after one in the morning. Some time had passed since I had parted ways with the dead-tired Kanata and the sleepy Sora. It was the witching hour, and I was, as usual, occupying the sofa in the clan home's common space when the other half of the two-person Azure Sky Clan, besides myself, showed up.

"...I know the circumstances, but if you call me that again, I'm going to slap you. It's kind of annoying."

As always, Tetra was a complete night owl, and even in the dead of night, his sharp tongue was in top form. I let out a wry smile at the thought of my two contrasting juniors, but he returned it with a nonchalant expression, seemingly unconcerned.

"Besides, senpai, why are you always relaxing here? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having your own room?"

"My room only has a bed and a rack for displaying my retired equipment..."

"You're overflowing with money, right? You should buy some furniture to make it more comfortable. Because of you, even Sora-senpai has started to space out over here when she's alone."

"How cute. As expected of my partner."

"...Could you really stop with the lovey-dovey talk when it's just me lately?"

Even if you say so.

He complains this and that, but he casually sits down on the sofa across from me, not next to me, and clearly intends to keep me company. He's a junior who has opened up to that extent.

He knows everything anyway, so there's no need to put on a front with Tetra.

"............"

"Stop staring at me. It's embarrassing."

"Don't say weird things on purpose with that appearance. Your Magic Craft is getting pretty good. For two months, that's a nice pace, isn't it?"

It's said that the MID stat probably doesn't directly affect the intricacies of Magic Craft work, but for both MP efficiency and just the mood of it, wanting to do it with higher magic power is the nature of a gamer who believes in jinxes, or rather, human nature.

Therefore, when I use the Magic Craft skill, I'm basically in my alternate form. I'm used to it by now, but... in the beginning, even Tetra had a hard time making eye contact with me when I was in this form.

Should I be exasperated at how my appearance gacha turned out, or should I be amused by the surprisingly cute and innocent side of this boy—

No, I'm the last person who should be talking about innocence.

"Well, I'm already under the care of a top-tier artisan... I'm still practicing diligently, but whether the day will come when I actually have to put my skills to the test on my own is an eternal mystery."

"It might never come."

"If that's the case, then that's fine by me."

To begin with, my main goal is to be of some use in that regular event.

"Alright, I'm going to concentrate for a bit, so wait."

"Yeah, yeah, do your best. ...By the way, did you know that not breaking your crafting formula while in conversation is actually an advanced-level technique? Not bad, senpai."

"Don't try to distract me so obviously...!"

In the palm of my hand. I began to put the finishing touches on my 'practice,' which had gradually been upgraded from the boar tusk of before to now handling low-quality gems.

Arcadia's Magic Craft process varies from artisan to artisan, but for now, my process... or rather, my work scene, is very similar to my teacher's, Nia's.

The countless magic circles that expand from the material as a base, forming a sphere. Nia, who rotated them one by one with a kashari kashari sound, called it a 'puzzle,' but my image is a little different.

Making the information of a 'thing' that exists freely and whimsically float up—spinning it, layering it, arranging it, swapping it, removing it, combining it............ and creating a path.

The moment a magical 'hand' passed through the completed, straight path, the magic circles that composed the formula vanished in a particularly strong flash of light.

And what was left was a small accessory.

"Mmmmmm... sub-par."

I picked it up and gave my critique. It was a single, orthodox-shaped ring.

The gem used was a 'diamond,' but it was a low-quality item, incomparable to the monster on my left middle finger, my matching ring with my partner—Perdia Eternity, the Earth-Sworn Star that Dreams of the Azure Sky.

To begin with, even if it's a diamond, it's a normal diamond. The stone, about the size of my pinky nail, would be worth a fortune in reality, but in this fantasy world, a simple gem with no special properties or abilities is synonymous with a pebble.

"Well, it is sub-par. But that's exactly why I think it's impressive."

Then, Tetra snatched the ring from my fingertips and offered a surprising and incomprehensible comment. I tilted my head, wondering what he meant, and the boy held the ring up to the light.

"Even though the things you're making are still mediocre, you've firmly established your own formula—as expected, senpai, your self-contained thought process is genius-level."

He said something like that, which was probably his way of complimenting me, but I was at a loss. I'm sorry, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

"...No, I don't think you can call it my own formula, probably. This is, at best, just an arrangement of Nia's 'puzzle.'"

"What are you talking about? Yours is completely different from Milmarinus's. Clumsy or rough aside, it's a completely different thing. Why don't you ask her yourself? I think she'll slap you."

"Is everyone trying to slap me or something?"

My interest was piqued by the mystery he presented, so I tried to ask another question while making a retort—but it seemed tonight's time was up.

Just like a whimsical cat, Tetra placed the ring on the table, hopped off the sofa, and started walking away with a casual wave of his hand.

"I don't mind the small talk, but I'm not about to play teacher. See you."

He says that, but what a tsundere.

"Yep, see ya. ...If you keep staying up late, you won't grow taller."

My added teasing remark was casually brushed aside with another flick of his hand... The boy touched the entrance door of the home, which also served as a transfer gate, and vanished in a blue light.

"............Haa, honestly."

How old is that self-proclaimed kid, really?

I'm in no position to talk, but among the rankers of all factions, it's rare to find someone with as little real-world information as Tetra. He certainly has a childish side, but more than that, there are times when I can't help but think, "Is he older than me?" and that thought lingers in my mind.

In my extremely limited memories of youth, there was no high school boy who could read the room, be considerate, have the courage of an adult, and be so logical and calm in his thinking.

If we're talking about that, Sora is much the same, but... truly, in many ways, the virtual world is a strange place. But that's beside the point.

"Time to go, I guess."

The scheduled time was 3:00 AM, real-world time.

The meeting place wasn't that far, so I could get there in a flash if I ran... but since the other party seemed scary when angered, I decided to act with plenty of time to spare.

Surprisingly, unexpectedly, and surprisingly again, this was an invitation from them.

I couldn't let this opportunity slip by. I had to aim to become good friends.