kscans

Chapter 669 - Iiiii

"Alright, so there you have it. Now that we're officially a five-member team, I'd like to briefly align our future direction as the Azure Sky clan."

For now, the discussion had settled down. So, moving on to the next topic, I took the liberty of taking the lead, and one, two, three, four pairs of eyes turned toward me.

Including the not-tiny-but-still-small Kanata, the four members lined up on the sofa were, for some reason, all quite petite. Yet, with an innocent young lady, a strangely mature boy, the Sword Saint (?), and a serious junior (dog), their types were all over the place.

Add to that me, apparently known as the 'Acrobat-brain' out there, in my transformed body, and you have the makings of a compact clan rich in personality.

…Somehow, we've gathered a group with a high concentration of feel-good vibes.

As for our total combat power, though. This is way beyond just a small, elite force… I thought, swallowing a smile as I looked at the four members packed so compactly onto the sofa.

"…See, I still think you should be the leader, Haru."

"Well, it's not unusual for the head and the facilitator to be different people."

Sora-san's complaint, accompanied by a fixed stare, was fielded by Tetra, who, with his surprisingly caring nature, smoothly mediated the situation. It was a familiar and heartwarming sight.

"Anyway, with Tetra leading the charge, we've kind of become a 'gathering of solo players.' So, the basic direction is that everyone is free to do as they please, and we won't be calling for frequent clan gatherings. But, any objections, raise your hand."

Hmm, no hands raised. Excellent.

"That said, we've come together by chance. It would be lonely for me if we were just members in name only, so I'll be actively reaching out to you all, not as a clan, but as me. So be prepared. Of course, you all shouldn't hesitate either… At least when it comes to me, anytime—Ui-san, what is it?"

As I continued speaking, my eyes fell on the Sword Saint, who had a hand to her mouth and was letting out a seemingly amused smile. She smiled gently and said,

"Oh, I'm sorry. I know it's not directed at me personally, but it's just so novel to hear you speak so casually to me, Haru-kun, that I couldn't help it…"

"ALRIGHT, FROM NOW ON IT'S POLITE SPEECH ONLY."

"Oh my… what a shame."

"What kind of flirting are we being shown here?"

With Tetra's tired retort as a closing remark, I brought the conversation back on track.

"Ahem, so, feel free to contact me anytime. As for everyone else, let's keep our communication switches ON, though you don't need to make a special effort. Again, it's a precious connection, and I'd like for us to get along if possible."

And so, that was the policy, or rather, the mindset.

"Next up, it's not something we'll be involved in as a clan, but it's a topic that concerns the majority of our members… about the upcoming event."

The people involved were three, including myself. The topic shifted to the semi-official real-life event that has been held in mid-September for the past two years, the 'Triangle Duo.'

So, without further ado, I passed the baton.

"Alright, Tetra-kun, please explain the overview."

"Why me?"

Well, you see, I thought it would be more effective to have someone with actual experience explain it rather than someone who just has the knowledge… It's not because I'm embarrassed to speak with only a vague understanding, of course.

"Sheesh… Even if you say that, it's pretty much what everyone already knows—it's a fighting tournament held at an indoor arena in the real world, with a live audience. The ranker participants from the three factions, excluding the West, are randomly paired up to put on a show. That's all there is to it."

"You've participated, right, Tetra?"

"Just once last year. And I was out in the first round."

"Who was your partner, by the way?"

"The North's 'Cloud-Hider.'"

"A ninja pair, huh."

It sounds like they could pull off some crazy stuff if they clicked, but against other rankers, they'd probably struggle with a lack of firepower… which is likely why they were unfortunately eliminated in the first round.

"Sigh… From that question, I can tell you really only know the basics. Well, I guess I'll have to continue. Basically, the Tri-Duo is considered just for fun. Not just for us who are actually fighting, but the audience probably isn't expecting a serious battle like in the Four Pillar War either."

"It was originally requested to be held for that purpose, after all."

The voice of the Sword Saint, sitting across from Tetra and next to Sora-san, chimed in. Completely unrelated, but the sight of Ui-san sitting on a sofa is so out of place it's amusing.

"Ui-san, you participated the first time, right? I know that much."

"Yes. I made it to the semifinals, but I lost there."

It goes without saying who she lost to.

"The 'rankers' continue to achieve remarkable feats, most notably in the Four Pillar War… In response to the wish to see their brilliant figures up close, Yotsuya Development prepared the stage and held the triangle duo. Therefore—"

"""...triangle... duo..."""

I managed to hold it in, but her hiragana pronunciation was just too much. Hearing the slow-paced repetition, the Sword Saint, with a slight blush on her cheeks, cleared her throat once.

It, too, was a small and cute 'ahem.'

"Thinking that it was just for fun, I participated back then as well… but at that time, I hadn't yet reached the mindset I have now."

It didn't suit her, is what she meant.

However,

"So, now that you've reached it?"

"Yes—I am thinking of participating."

Next to me, Sora-san expressed her感動 with a silent tremor, but I felt much the same way. It's a feeling that can't be expressed with simple words like 'happy.'

"…………If the Sword Saint is participating, she'll probably be subject to special regulations, just like the Princess. As expected, even among rankers, her level is just too far apart."

"I will leave that matter to the event staff."

Whether she knew the feelings of those around her or not, she stated her intentions calmly and concluded. In any case, this means that all three rankers of Azure Sky will be participating.

What kind of clan has a majority of its members as rankers?

"But I see. If we can really approach it with a casual 'just for fun' mindset, then there's no need to spend extra time on special training or adjustments, right?"

"Wouldn't that be counterproductive? If anything, it seems like an event where people want to see the natural, individual styles of players without the responsibility of a team. And the random pairing regardless of faction is a plan completely geared towards entertainment, right?"

"That's certainly true."

So they just want to see something interesting. And all we have to do is have fun—excellent, that's my specialty.

So, as for the Tri-Duo, we'll just take it easy, in a good way…

"Okay, then one more thing. The massive event scheduled for September—"

Come to think of it, the time has finally come.

"Let's start discussing how we, as a clan, will move to conquer 'Green Connect.'"

With our eyes set on the second—no, the third Colored Monster.