kscans

Chapter 688 - In the Midst of Youth

—And so, when it comes to inviting family, my parents are naturally followed by them.

"So, I have four tickets right here."

"A god is among us…"

"Nozomin, you're a true saint…"

"…If you tried to get these legitimately, the odds would be way worse than dozens to one…"

"A-Are you sure about this…?"

As usual, we were at the Shijo residence. Even though I’d told them about this beforehand, now that the actual tickets were in front of them, my friends were trembling, whether in jest or seriousness.

With my parents passing, Nagomi-san had told me to invite as many people as I wanted, but in the end, I only invited a total of six.

This group from university… actually, all of them are from the university.

The others were the university's own chairman, Kunori-san. Figuring I owed him for all his support, I brought him the tickets and my story, and he accepted them with pure, unadulterated joy.

I was a bit concerned about whether it was appropriate for him to accept something like this from a student, but he quickly replied with utter conviction, saying, "On the contrary, it would be a grave offense to refuse a kindness from you."

As always… it’s in moments like these, when I’m dealing with that madam, that I’m most aware of how ridiculous my standing in the world has become. I hope he and his husband, who is also a huge fan of the virtual world, have a wonderful time.

Incidentally, Nia refused the invitation with a classic shut-in move, insisting, "Too many people. Impossible." Her friend, Mitsueda-san, declined with a classic guardian move, stating, "I have to stay home and watch with the shut-in." To be honest, I saw that coming. It was the expected outcome.

—Anyway, back to the matter at hand.

"Alright, here you go. Don’t lose them before the event."

""Okay!""

"Thank you."

"Whoa… Wow… So this is the legendary…"

My childhood friends replied with the pure, energetic spirit of elementary schoolers. Mizuki took hers with a hand that trembled ever so slightly despite her calm voice. And the young lady of the Shijo house accepted hers with her voice and hands shaking in reverent awe.

It’s the same every time, but am I just imagining things, or is Kaede by far the most down-to-earth and, well, normal one in this group?

Or perhaps, precisely because she wasn't raised in a sheltered bubble, she understands the value of things more deeply than others.

Either way, she has a wonderful personality. I hope she stays just the way she is. At the same time, a mischievous thought bubbled up, but I held it back—

"By the way, the Sword Saint-sama will be there, so look forward to it."

—Or I tried to, but my mouth had other plans. What a shame.

Well, it wasn't exactly a secret, and I was planning on telling them anyway, trusting in this group's discretion and considering the… various risks.

But dropping it on them so suddenly was probably a bit too much of a prank.

"…Huh—?"

"Nozomi-kun?"

"Sorry, it just sort of… slipped out…"

Next to Kaede, who had let out a mosquito-like squeak before shutting down completely, her best friend sighed and shot me a glare. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.

"So, uh, I’ve already told this group about the Azure Sky Clan, so I’ll just say it… My master joined our clan a little while ago."

"""What???"""

Whoa, a three-person sync.

As for the unresponsive Kaede… it's fine. She's probably, most likely, definitely still breathing.

"She'll be making more public appearances from now on. There’s a chance I might ask you to help with editing videos featuring Ui-san, so just be prepared for that."

"What do you mean, ‘be prepared’? Seriously?"

"Seriously. We've already gone on a few adventures together as a clan."

"No way… Seriously…?"

Though not to the same extent as Kaede… then again, it’s no exaggeration to say that every Arcadia otaku is a fan of the Sword Saint to some degree. Seeing Toshiki and Shoko’s reactions, I cautiously glanced over at the true fan—

"…Sh-She's crying…"

"…The shock was too strong. It’ll take her a little while to recover."

As her best friend started to cry beautiful tears while still frozen, Mizuki-san naturally pulled her into an embrace. Witnessing this beautiful display of friendship between two lovely university students, I felt a pang of guilt, but when our eyes met through her glasses, she offered me a wry smile instead of a reproachful look.

"As you can guess, it's her usual condition—tears of joy. Don't worry about it. As for the videos, I'll be waiting in anticipation. With very, very high expectations."

"…I’ve actually already recorded a few, so I’ll check with Ui-san and the others."

"Please do."

I have no intention of publicizing the clan, but a few videos could probably be passed off as a collaboration between members of the same faction. The plan was always to release the “private party” videos eventually.

I’ll have to think about the timing, but saying “yes” now wouldn’t be a lie.

And so,

"Well… it can't be helped. If you hadn't told her beforehand, Kaede-chan might have actually fainted from the surprise at the venue."

"Ah, I see… Yeah, you're right. A little preventative medicine was probably necessary."

That was exactly it.

Toshiki and Shoko were being pretty blunt, but this particular quirk of the young Shijo lady was a well-known fact within the group, so she wouldn't object even if she heard them.

Thus, the ticket distribution ended… well, not without incident. After a break of a few dozen minutes for the hardcore fan to recover, it was time for tea.

The table for five was adorned with the usual fragrant tea and sweets. However, the latter wasn't the usual high-end confectionary found at the Shijo residence…

"Seriously, Nozomin. Seriously, aren't your specs a little too high?"

"You're the first guy friend I've had who just casually bakes a cake. What is up with you?"

"It looks professional… Did you learn this at your part-time job, too?"

"Nah, this one's my dad's hobby. I got infected after helping him out since I was a kid."

It was none other than the chiffon cake I baked yesterday. One of the two I made had already been devoured by the residents of the Yotsuya dorm; this was the other one.

"Really…? You were so skilled. You looked like a pro."

That was from Kaede-san, who had been watching me prepare the whipped cream in the kitchen earlier.

I was just whipping it with a whisk, but she stared at me with such impressed eyes that my back started to itch.

"Anyway, stop talking and just eat. It's embarrassing and uncomfortable when you build up the expectations like this. Super embarrassing."

""Okay!""

"You guys are really close, huh?"

I made a perfunctory jab at the ever-energetic pair and took a bite from my own plate… Yep, it’s… good. A very familiar taste.

My friends started to eat one after another. Their reactions were…

"Ngh… A guy our age made this? Seriously…?"

"This is so good it's starting to make me angry…"

"Delicious. This is the kind of thing you'd want to eat regularly."

"…Are you sure you're not a professional?"

It seemed to be well-received by everyone. All's well that ends well—

"Oh, Nozomin! I have a question. My curiosity is killing me, can I ask one thing?"

"Hm?"

Just as I was about to completely relax, Shoko, who had been trembling in a way that made it hard to tell if she was moved or crushed, shot her hand up.

When I turned to her, she steeled herself as if about to say something difficult, biding her time… and then—

"They say you get prize money at the Triangle Duo, right?"

She dropped a topic that was, indeed, probably difficult to bring up with a friend—or perhaps, precisely because we were friends.

"Ah…"

I instantly understood the direction of the conversation and let out a noncommittal sound. Looking around, I saw no blaming voices or gazes, only a shared expression of awkwardness and curiosity.

Yeah, I get it.

If our roles were reversed, I'm not sure I could've suppressed my own curiosity. For Shoko, the group's number one curiosity connoisseur, holding back was probably impossible.

"Hey, uh, it's not like I want to know the exact amount or anything gross like that! It's just, you know, like a social studies field trip, wondering about the scale of it all."

"I get it, I get it. I totally understand how you feel, so don't worry. You don't have to panic like that."

Again, I’m the same way.

So… I guess whispering the scale of it wouldn't hurt.

"Oh, uh, yes!"

I beckoned her over. She scurried closer, looking surprisingly startled, and I gave her a wry smile. As a reward for the hero who bravely trampled over awkwardness in her martyrdom for curiosity, I whispered a rough summary of the very real “reward” into her ear—

And a few dozen seconds later.

"…H-Hey, what's going on? Just how much—"

"You're better off not knowing. You won't be able to come back."

"…I think I get the picture. Well, no, I don't get it at all, but I get the picture."

"Ahaha…"

And so, a stunned Shoko and three other horrified friends were born. The whole scene was so absurd it was almost amusing… Ah, right, one more thing.

That cake you’re all eating? It was made, in small part, with meringue personally whipped by the one and only Sword Queen.

Well, it's probably best to keep that little surprise to myself.