kscans

Chapter 798 - That's One of Our Own

Despite being thrown for a loop by the cast of colorful characters and the perfect punchline, my round of greetings with the 'big shots' was now complete. My friends list had suddenly grown much longer, but that was something I was genuinely happy about, and I hoped we could all get along from here on out.

And with that, on to the next one.

"Yo, Lotta. Long time no see."

"I wouldn't say that. We just saw each other at the Four Pillar War."

Even so, that was two weeks ago.

It still felt like it had been a while. When I spotted my friend and waved, the handsome young man with ash-blond hair walked over, a friendly smile on his face as usual.

Today, he was dressed in a more swordsman-like style. He wasn't wearing the priest's robes for his current main job as a support class, but rather the red-themed light armor that I remembered so well.

And at his hip hung a single longsword, its scabbard radiating a palpable pressure. It was the same look he had when we first met, during the preliminaries for the Four Pillar War before last.

—Incidentally, the target of this raid, Green Connect, corresponds to the Western Faction, Vestol.

This meant that the 'ranker slot exemption rule for former rankers' unfortunately didn't apply to Lotta, who belonged to Istia. He was only here to provide support, and there was no way he could join the actual raid.

Considering how perfect his abilities would be for this, it was a real shame.

"The Triangle Duo, I was lucky enough to watch it at the venue. It was truly magnificent."

"Thanks...—Lucky? Wait, you mean you got in the normal way?"

"Of course. If you want to go as a fan of someone, you have to do it fair and square."

"That's why it feels so strangely intense coming from you."

And so, the passion of the self-proclaimed '[Acrobat] Fan Number One' was as fervent as ever. If he'd managed to display not just luck but super-luck to win the high-stakes lottery and get into the venue, then he must have enjoyed himself immensely.

"Well then?"

"Ah. This way."

With that, my chat with my friend came to a neat and tidy end. With a major event right around the corner, neither of us had time to spare, so we had to move things along quickly.

After leaving the gathering of western artisans, I followed Lotta, who had sent me a message beforehand saying, 'There's someone who wants me to introduce you.'

"Oh...?"

The figure at our destination was the complete opposite of what I had imagined.

"Ah, hello."

And so, the 'woman' who had spotted me offered a soft greeting.—I mean, seriously, the voice that entered my ears was so gentle I foolishly thought my head might turn into a balloon and float away.

An impossibly light and airy voice.

A lovely avatar that was neither large nor small, as if packed with feminine softness. Beneath her long, fluffy blond hair, which was just as soft as her voice, her eyes shone a deep blue.

If I had to describe her in one word, it would be...

"Nice to meet you. My name is Hiyodori."

"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you..."

...sunshine. She had a very warm, comforting feeling about her.

"I'm so happy. I've been wanting to meet you. Though I know it's a bit audacious for a general player like myself."

As she spoke, the fluffy lady approached, ignoring Lotta who stood by as if to say, 'Go on, mingle.' I was feeling a slight sense of bewilderment for various reasons, but...

Well, I could at least shake the hand of a woman I was meeting for the first time. The ever-watchful supervisors in the distance probably wouldn't get angry at me for that—

"Nfuu..."

"..."

"Nfufuu..."

"..., ...? ..."

"Nfufufu-fuu..."

What is this?

She wouldn't let go of my hand, and just kept staring at me with a soft, beaming smile... No, her voice... no, her whole aura felt strange.

Not strange, but... familiar.

"—Teeen."

"Huh?"

"Niiine, eiiight."

And then, a mysterious countdown began. With each passing second, her voice subtly changed, and the sense of familiarity grew stronger, accompanied by a certain feeling.

And so, as the sense of 'kinship' intensified and the countdown reached the halfway point of "fiiive,"

"Wait just a minute..."

"..."

Half exasperated, half horrified, I rubbed my temples with my free hand and let out a bitter groan. The unfamiliar yet familiar woman broke into a familiar grin—

"Alright, you pass. We'll call it a close one, shall we?"

"That's impossible. That's some kind of skill at this point...!"

Her acting skills were truly terrifying.

Sure, looking back, there were hints like her player name. But her performance was so perfect that I couldn't have possibly guessed from that alone.

Her voice, her way of speaking, her expressions, and even the aura she projected.

It was simply a matter of Mitsueda Hiyori-sama's role-playing being so exceptional that it could completely deceive even me, someone who interacts with her fairly often.

"By the way, this is a secret over here, so shhh. I'm just Hiyodori-san, a general member of the [Mirage Workshop], with absolutely no connection whatsoever to a certain someone."

"Ah, right... You're pretty amazing, in a lot of ways."

This was a complete and utter defeat. She said it was a secret, but I wouldn't doubt it if she told me she had managed to keep it a 'secret' from everyone.

Now that she mentioned it, it made sense, but if she hadn't, I seriously would have never noticed.

"By the way, my close friends and acquaintances affectionately call me 'Hiyo-chan' or 'Hiyohiyo.'"

"The fact that no one's figured it out even with a name that close is even more incredible..."

"By the way, my close friends and acquaintances affectionately call me 'Hiyo-chan' or 'Hiyohiyo'!"

"Yes, yes. A pleasure to meet you, Hiyodori-san."

"So stubborn!"

You like that kind of distance, don't you?

And, I see. It all made sense now—not just Sora-san, who had been glancing over from a distance, but also Nia, who hadn't looked this way at all while mingling with the artisans.

To think there was a hint hidden there as well...—

"I don't know what on earth you're talking about, and I didn't hear a thing."

""Whoops."

A voice rose from beside us. We both quickly shut our mouths, though in Mitsueda-san's case, it was likely a deliberate act of risk management.

She was, after all, speaking to the former ranker [Insighter] and right-hand man of the [General Commander]. I had enough trust in him not to carelessly divulge someone's personal information.

"Our time is limited for now. He must be getting tired of waiting, don't you think, Hiyodori-kun?"

"...Hmm? Wait, the fact that you're acquainted with Lotta suggests you're not a general player even in the virtual world."

"I think he's more likely so nervous he's thinking, 'I hope they never come,' actually."

And so, my muttered retort was completely ignored. She flawlessly slipped back into her role-play in less than a second, smiling softly as she said,

"Well then, please come this way."

...and began to lead me and Lotta somewhere.

After following her for a short while, we arrived at a spot away from the bustling crowd of players preparing for the big event, in the shadow of a grove of trees.

"—Ah..."

"Oh."

I spotted a lone figure. Lurking in the shadows was someone clad all in black... no, all in navy blue.

A picture-perfect Japanese 'ninja' was standing right there.