kscans

Chapter 775 - Three Stars in the Twilight Sky

—And so, a few minutes later. After my senpai shared all sorts of information, making up for the drawn-out suspense from my direct superior, the General Commander, it was settled.

"I see… Yeah, that makes sense why they'd pair us up."

"It's a reasonable decision."

Me, the [Acrobat], and the [Thread-Weaver], two of us. I now had a firm grasp on the purpose and benefits of deploying two valuable rankers together.

If I had to say, the core of the strategy was the [Thread-Weaver]. In other words, what was required of me was to act as the fastest transporter.

That meant there was one thing the two of us needed to do before the day of the raid.

"Well, that's the gist of it… —So you can stop with the jogging now."

To get this prickly kitten of a senpai perfectly and thoroughly accustomed to my legs.

Our other scheduled 'companion' was one thing, but the crucial part was getting her to withstand a long-distance, high-speed rocket delivery without fail.

It's been proven that even rankers generally get sick from this, with the only exceptions being the absurdly powerful number-one rankers of the East & South who bear the title of 'Sword.' Both Tetra, who is technically an agility type, and Kanata, who isn't a ranker but is known as Acrobat No. 2, are prime examples.

So, well…

"That's fine and all... but, you know. I might need a moment to, uh, mentally prepare myself."

Her demand to press on quickly because time was short wasn't wrong, but was it just my imagination, or did she seem a bit lacking in the resolve department?

"Stop saying annoying things and just fly already."

I tried to subtly address my concerns, but the prideful kitten simply swatted my arm lightly. And she still seemed extremely uneasy.

I was uneasy, but—

"...Roger."

It was an order from none other than my senpai. As her junior, I could only obey… no, that's not it. This wasn't born from some mischievous desire to get a rise out of the kitten.

"—Alright then, brace yourself."

It was a step taken without mercy or compassion, born from my trust in the potential of my great predecessor.

"Mmh, nyu...?!"

I immediately stopped my mid-air walk from [Talaria Record]. Naturally, my legs lost their power to tread the heavens, and after a few moments of playful emptiness, they began to fall, maintaining their inertia.

My posture suddenly broke, my vision destabilized, and just as naturally, a sound one step short of a scream escaped from my arms—but unfortunately for her, nothing had even started yet.

Here we go, Nacchan-senpai. Ready, three, two, one… Go!

"[Rocket]."

"—Tch, khh…!"

The roar of an endlessly violent, explosive thrust that belied its name of 'walking the heavens.'

When it became a part of [Rega-Lielta], the activation sound effect was removed, granting it a mysterious stealth, but its output remained terrifyingly unchanged.

Its thrust, calculated based on my agility stat, was equivalent to a fifty percent increase in my actual AGI value when compared to simple running. When the effects of my various mobility enhancement skills were added, my total speed would easily surpass the instantaneous maximum velocity of an AGI stat over 500.

Needless to say, it was a speed range that no sane player would have ever experienced.

…And so.

"As expected of you, senpai. You've got guts."

She gasped, but in the end, there was no scream.

Without shamelessly clinging to me for dear life, she calmly wrapped her 'threads' around her own body and fastened herself to my avatar. Her composure was commendable.

So, as I kicked off the air a second and third time, I offered her a sincere compliment, only to receive a glare that seemed to say, 'Don't underestimate me.'

Very well, then let's get to the main event.

"Okay. In that case—as requested, I guess we'll stop jogging now."

"Eh?"

Oh my, why the surprised look?

Even though I was using my passive skills, I was still far, far from my best. This pace, to be frank, wasn't even a 'jog'…

"Now then, Nacchan-senpai…"

"Ah, eh? W-wait a—"

"I recommend you zip your lips until you get used to it."

Surely, you of all people should know this, right?

[Desperate Crimson], activate. Buff up.

Furthermore, ignite [Rocket], [Ignition], and [Matoi] in parallel.

Outer Force Output 'Kai' Critical Convergence—Release.

And so, in the next moment, a human body carrying precious cargo casually broke the sound barrier, leaving a trail of light across the sky along with a massive explosion and shockwave.

Then, trailing behind like a banner…

It goes without saying that a genuine scream colored the sky.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—It's not like I was underestimating you."

"Uh-huh."

"I mean, come on, I've seen it. On video and with my own eyes, many times."

"Right."

"I even did some prep work, like floating in the air for a long time, or dropping myself while suspended by threads. I won't deny I was a little arrogant, thinking I could adapt."

"I see."

"But, well. In the end, it didn't work, so I have to admit it—I was definitely still underestimating you somewhere. And you are, without a doubt, completely insane."

I see… I see now.

"Is that so… Well, Nacchan-senpai. While I have to respect your ability to pull off such an earnest and mysterious smug face, your voice and body are trembling so much that it kind of undermines your dignity—"

"Sh-shut up! Don't look at me, you idiot! Idiot, idiot! Stop it with this human rocket nonsense, I thought I was going to die, I'll get you back for this!"

"Seriously…"

And well, that was pretty much her review after our full-speed sprint. A few minutes after we transitioned back to a leisurely stroll through the air, the kitten who had caught her breath seemed to be full of energy, which was great.

In all honesty, at that speed, even my partner Sora-san would close her eyes and cling to me, so all things considered, she did amazingly well. As I said, her body and voice were trembling, but to only be in that state after surviving the first run was worthy of further praise.

So, yeah. That's right.

"Now, now, don't get so angry you start meowing."

"I'm not meowing!"

My fun little teasing… or rather, the playful banter to celebrate the formation of our partnership, would end here.

"Come forth, Sapphire."

"Huh? What—"

In response to my call, 'night' danced across the twilight sky.

The Subjugated Beast, its jet-black body adorned with countless stars, scooped up its master and the indignant senpai, then… with a look of utter delight, it flapped its massive wings.

"Wha, eh, woah…"

Knowing how diligent she was, she must have been aware of Sapphire. However, the reaction of someone who witnesses this majesty in person is always the same.

Even for a ranker, that holds true.

As if her anger from moments before had been completely blown away, the kitten stared at the massive back carrying them and let out a small voice. Seeing this, I, her master, gave a small smile.

I gently set down the body I had been holding all this time, and without words, telepathically gave Sapphire the order for a scenic flight, 'fly slowly.'

"You need to get used to this, too, not just my legs. We'll try out top speed again later… but for now, until you've calmed down."

It's not like I wanted to be mean and scare her.

"Once again, please enjoy the wondrous sky."

As I said that, I plopped down on the dragon's back, a place I was all too familiar with.

"...You really aren't cute. You're like an elementary school boy."

"What's that supposed to mean? Elementary schoolers are cute."

"No, you're supposed to deny it. …Idiot."

With her usual merciless complaints, she plopped down as well… and just as mercilessly, without a hint of hesitation, used my body as a convenient backrest.

"………………Well, this isn't so bad."

Immediately, her voice, now with a hint less trembling, sounded faintly cheerful.