kscans

Chapter 886 - Area-of-Effect Attack: 100% Hit Rate

—So, then.

Well, there's really only one thing I can say.

"That's ridiculously brutal…"

In so, so many ways.

The banquet hall, instantly dyed in her 'radiance', was completely in the palm of the girl's small hand. In the midst of the frenzy that sent a pressure-like force rustling through my bangs—whether it was an exaggeration unique to the virtual world or not—a clear, sweet singing voice like transparent chocolate pierced the uproar and reached my ears.

I'd seen her in videos and stuff, so I knew about it, but hearing it in person is surprising.

Ri-na, or rather, Ri-na Amaba-san. I thought she was the downer-cool type, but when it comes to 'singing,' she goes all-in on orthodox cuteness.

"Aah~… it's been so long since I've heard Ri-chan's angel voice live. My ears are melting~ She's a real angel, it's so unfair, how can anyone compete with that? Her voice quality is just cheating…"

And there was one person with a completely lovey-dovey expression, making me worry if it was okay to show that in public, muttering words tinged with jealousy, perhaps from the perspective of a former colleague.

"Uwoah… a real idol's actual live performance… Eh, cuuute…"

Where had her earlier pout gone?

Now she was just staring blankly, her mouth agape. As she's basically a shut-in, she's probably on my side of things; another person was just watching with wide eyes, completely overwhelmed by her first real stage performance.

"…Yeah, it's a good song. I quite like it."

And then there was our little kitten, listening intently to the 'sound' with an expression that made me see phantom cat ears standing at attention, offering her positive critique from who knows what perspective.

An audience of over a hundred… for a top idol, that much pressure was probably nothing. Standing confidently on stage, she sang, she danced, and she flashed a smile that was the very embodiment of the word 'charm.' This was the result.

If even three members of the same gender could be captivated in seconds… well, you know. The guys were, quite literally, instantly annihilated. It was inevitable. It had to be.

It couldn't be helped. Even I, who was stubbornly keeping my heart flat and watching, was finding my heart rate getting unpleasantly high.

…Well, no, it's that thing.

In my case, it's a bit… special, or to be blunt—

"…………………………………………She's looking over here way too much."

It wasn't just a fleeting glance; our eyes were basically clashing constantly. She wasn't even trying to hide the special treatment. It was a complete and total snipe.

No way.

No way I can handle this.

She's a bona fide idol. Of course she's cute.

Just recently she started spouting nonsense about 'brother' and 'sister,' and just as her character was already going haywire, she drops this massive gap-moe bomb on me. Of course I can't handle it.

That's enough to make anyone lose their mind—

"You're really cursed with women, aren't you?"

"Hearing you say it so bluntly really hits hard, so please spare me…"

Perhaps with all the guys engrossed in the stage, the demand for food had lessened. Before I knew it, our head chef, who had been working tirelessly, was standing beside me.

"…………Arcadia's 'meals' don't have the standard support effects you see in games. However, I took pride in the fact that we could provide a buff in a way separate from system-based effects."

"There's no doubt about that. You should be very proud."

In this world, boosting player morale is, without exaggeration, the strongest enhancement effect of all. So naturally, ultra-delicious food is nothing less than a kind of 'enhancement item' for Arcadia players.

…I won't play dumb and ask what he's suddenly talking about. Seeing the look of utter defeat on Tetsu-san's face as he gazed at that 'radiance', I could easily guess his next words.

"But well, against this… I'm completely beaten."

I didn't think some half-baked words of comfort would help, nor did I think he was looking for any. So, as my eyes met the light blue ones once again, I offered a wry smile.

"Well, hmm…"

With the conviction that the morale-boosting buff cast upon the super-hyped guys was, in truth, a thing with a more insane output than any grand magic—

"Tonight's raid should be pretty easy, I guess… huh?"

—I returned a single affirmation, and that was that.

And then, the break in the 'sound' that suddenly arrived lasted only for a moment. In any case….

"—Next. [Ri-ot]."

The secret live performance, overflowing with the tyranny of charm, had only just begun.

---

Short chapter. I'm not regretting that I should have combined it with the previous chapter. Forgive me.

[Ri-ot] is Ri-na-chan's exclusive solo song. The composition's image is something like 'The Tyranny of Cute' or 'A Lethal Dose of Cute,' a destructive up-tempo piece. Not cute aggression, but aggression cute.

Composition: Yu Misaki. For a song I made, I'm quite fond of the unusually rough tune. Lyrics are still unfinished. Write the main story.

※The following is unnecessary information, feel free to skip.

I, Yu, had a period where I was quite serious about 'music,' and I've carried that over as a hobby and still play around with composing.

So, I do stupid things like combining it with my main hobby, novels, to create songs for the story, but it's really just for my own personal enjoyment, so there are seriously no plans to release them. Sorry, forgive me, Arcadians.

I was surprised by how many people said they'd like to hear them.

If the heavens and earth are overturned, I might or might not whimsically release a single phrase. Don't get your hopes up and wait for about a hundred years.