kscans

Chapter 630 - Interlude

"—And we're back again! It's time for the virtual world of Arcadia's grand festival, held every four months! The eleventh… Four Pillar War!"

"We're less than thirty minutes from the start! Let's get this party started with our usual pre-show special, 【Quad War Before】!!"

"Your host, as always, is me! Nonomiya Mikan, also known as the Western Faction Vestol's third seat, [Colorful Beauty] Nonomi!"

"Less than twenty-six minutes to go! Minus commercials and all that, we've got less than twenty minutes! Seriously, same as always, there's way too much to talk about and not enough time! Why is this always a thirty-minute slot?! What's up with that, producer?!"

"Anyway, let's start with the basics! The Four Pillar War kicks off tonight at 8 PM and runs until midnight, for a total of four hours—"

◇◆◇◆◇

"She's even more hyped than usual."

"I love Nonomi-chan."

Gathered in a spacious home theater was a group of four university students. Watching the information program on the big screen, they exchanged words that were, unexpectedly, the same as they'd said once before.

"This time, it's not even a question of what to watch! Centered around the eternally trending Acrobat-san, we're expecting even more excitement than last time—"

"The ninth-ranked rookie from last time is now the fourth-ranked star everyone knows about."

"His rise to prominence was insane, but his progress is even more insane. That's our hero for you."

"The fact that he still has nothing but room to grow is, frankly, a little crazy."

And yet, four months had passed.

Everything was vastly different from that day in the past… Both on the screen and off, the friends, their relationships, their gazes, and their words had all changed color as they watched the present unfold.

"And yours truly miraculously connected with him and is now friends with the star! How about that, everyone, aren't you jealous? Aren't you jealous of me, who has been gallantly saved by, gotten angry at, been scolded by, and even received exasperated looks from Haru-chan in the flesh?! I bet you are!"

"She's really going for it…"

"I love how the 'too much to talk about' problem is mostly just Nonomi-chan going wild—anyway, setting that aside… Kae-de-chaaan?"

"Wha-what?! What is it, Shoko-chan?"

Beside her as always were her lively childhood friends.

Kaede, who had been looking at her phone on top of a cushion she was hugging while smiling fondly next to her best friend, let out a yelp as Shoko, once again, teased her just as she had before.

"What's with the secret meeting, Manager?"

"I-I'm not having a secret meeting. It's thirty minutes to the start, he's not even here in the real world…!"

Just as Kaede mentally sighed in relief at Shoko's instant acceptance, her best friend betrayed her, snatching the phone from her hands.

"—That's right. It seems 'having a secret meeting' is incorrect. 'Had a secret meeting' is the right way to put it."

"Ah, ahhh, ahhhh…!"

At the words of Mizuki, who had acted with the impunity granted to someone practically family, the young lady Shijo blushed faintly and panicked. Immediately, her new (provisional) best friend launched a follow-up attack with a wicked grin—and while the girls were having their fun,

"It's the usual, but… being the only guy is rough, my friend."

Automatically excluded from the girls' playful banter, Toshiki spared a thought for his friend who regularly took on the far more difficult challenge of being 'the only guy.'

"Now, it's expected that nearly every ranker from each faction will be participating in this war. There are countless points of interest, but the public's attention seems to be focused on what kind of move the Sword Queen will make against the Acrobat—"

Only a little time remained.

The world's eleventh virtual grand festival was about to begin.

"Also, I'm overwhelmingly on Team Harunia—ahem*, excuse me."