kscans

Chapter 882 - With Indigo, Into the Blue

"—Alright, nice fight. Any questions?"

"Isn't your stamina insane?"

"I am forged in the fires of daily training, you see."

Who knows how much time had passed, but at long last, the final spar was over, and the newcomer meet-and-greet came to a close. I struck a joking muscle pose, which earned me a round of applause that left me feeling a bit embarrassed. Leaving the rest of the proceedings to my friends from the first event...

"Alright, time to get to work."

That was recreation. From here on out, it was my duty.

I waved to everyone who was politely offering their thanks and headed off without hesitation in one direction, following the gaze that had been fixed on me whenever it had a spare moment.

And at the end of that path was, of course...

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go."

"And who might you be talking to?"

"To my very own exclusive artisan, of course, who's playing dumb even though I told her beforehand."

Among the women gathered amiably at the large tree-stump table, I brushed past Nono-san's playful teasing. I offered my hand as if to a princess, and a pair of indigo eyes blinked in surprise.

Seriously, why is she surprised?

"W-Wha, huh, is it okay to go now?"

"You were watching, weren't you? It's over."

I took the hand of the dazed-looking Nia-chan and pulled her to her feet, hearing a thoroughly unenthusiastic "Kyaa~" from beside us.

Well, let's just ignore the orange-haired girl who's living life on a whim today as well.

Natsume-senpai was probably up to some mischief of her own, pulling on a thread connected to who-knows-where with a look of utter indifference.

And then, when I turned my eyes to the quiet Ri-na...

"...? Have a... good trip?"

Perhaps she wasn't in a clingy mood right now, or maybe she was being considerate enough not to get in the way. My little sister gave a small, listless wave to see me off.

Each of the three was being considerate in her own way.

It gave me a strange feeling, but I've gotten quite used to receiving that kind of meddling. I'm no longer the type to get embarrassed over every little thing.

"Alright, we'll be back by dinner."

"Okay-dokie! We'll whip up a real feast for you! Well, Ittetsu-kun will!"

"Tell the chefs I'm looking forward to it."

There's an ironclad rule for escaping situations like this. Namely: 'smoothly,' 'casually,' and 'crisply' move the conversation along with all due haste.

And with that, let's go, Nia-chan. Heave-ho.

"Better close your mouth, 'kay?"

"Huh? Ah, whaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!"

[Rocket] activated. The spot where I had been standing a moment before vanished faster than the blink of an eye.

With a movement that was utterly natural and left no room for complaint, I had scooped up my companion. She was, of course, screaming in my arms, but she'd probably stop crying in about three seconds—

"Hey!! I told you no more sudden Rockets, didn't I!!??"

Correction, she stopped in two. She's gotten quite tough.

"I mean, even if you say that... If I'd put on some long, drawn-out departure ceremony, we'd have been absolutely showered with lukewarm gazes from all directions, you know."

"What's more important, your sense of shame or Nia-chan's heart!!!"

"The former would inevitably affect the latter anyway..."

Incidentally, the 'heartbeat' synchronization in Arcadia works from the real world to the virtual one, but there's no reverse import. It's another one of their mysterious technologies, but it means there's zero risk of the emotional impact we feel here putting a strain on our real hearts, so it's safe.

And so, setting Nia-chan's guaranteed-safe heart aside...

"More importantly, I need you to get to work, too."

"Mmph, you changed the subject again... Yes, yes, I know."

When I nudged her serious side... the non-combatant who had likely become the most accustomed to super-high-speed maneuvering in the virtual world floated two stars in the sky.

[Truthnight Aquamarine]—it was still far from nighttime, but the power of her clairvoyant eyes, which could see through any material substance, knew neither day nor night.

Combined with her telescopic vision that easily surpassed a spyglass, when activated at high altitude, Nia's eyes could see to the very edge of the horizon, and that wasn't a metaphor.

In other words, our pre-arranged "job" was...

"Alright, I'll just run around randomly. Let me know if you spot anything."

"I'd really prefer you didn't run around randomly at the speed of sound... Mmm, roger that."

A long-range, wide-area survey, coordinating our respective abilities—my leg power and her sight.

In short, it was the start of a grand mapping operation to, among other things, investigate whether there were any other player groups within a potentially interactive distance.

For the record, I have no map-making skills, neither in real life nor in the game system, so the plan is to commission a proper technician to create it later. With my 'memory' and Ri-na's help, it shouldn't be too difficult—

"...What are you doing?"

So, while it was work, it was a relaxed kind of work. Not much different from a walk, really.

Therefore, a bit of fooling around was perfectly fine, but I had to wonder. What was the meaning behind this slender finger that kept poking my cheek?

I asked with my eyes, but the glowing indigo orbs were fixed not on me, but on the distant scenery.

"Mmm... mmm, I dunno. Seeing you acting all confident as a 'ranker' like this..."

"Yeah."

And so, ten seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty.

Without any particular emotion on her face, I waited for her leisurely voice to continue, but all that came was the feeling of her fingertip on my cheek. As I zipped through the sky, I had no intention of rushing her... nor did I feel the urge to.

Just the two of us, as if we were alone in the world, yet amidst the bustling wind.

"Heh, what is it?"

"Haha, I wonder."

We both laughed, in a way that was a little out of character for us.

I realize in these fleeting moments that we're changing, little by little. And so we exchanged smiles that might have been just a touch more mature.

In so many ways, we've come so far.

Leaving behind the embarrassing sentimentality that always arrives without warning, abandoned in the middle of the sky. We just keep flying, further and further on.