kscans

Chapter 89 - The Need to Change My Image

I was led into the darkness of a room with the lights still off.

Judging by the large desk that looked like a workbench and the various unidentifiable tools scattered about, this room was, just as I'd imagined, the main workshop.

"...Hey, that's enough. Let go of me."

"Hmm? Are you embarrassed to have an older sister clinging to you?"

Who's the older sister here? I wasn't so lacking in resistance to women lately that I'd be swayed by some strange, pretty-faced—

"Just stay like this. I told you this was important."

"Tch..."

There it was again. That voice.

Frustratingly, the gap between her tones always left me speechless. I guess I'm just a teenage boy, after all...

"Now then—I don't want any excuses or lies. Answer me honestly."

"What in the world is going on..."

Seriously, this woman did nothing but drag me around at her own pace.

With a sense of half-resigned frustration at being so flustered, I shot her a glare. From within my arms, Nia's eyes were already looking straight up at me.

"You... that avatar... it's just your real self, isn't it?"

"————"

The words she threw at me were from somewhere far beyond my expectations.

Her question cut so directly to my real life that my thoughts froze completely, and I stiffened.

"I'll say it again. Excuses and lies are pointless, so don't bother."

As she spoke, she lifted her free hand—the one not holding my arm—and tapped her own indigo eyes.

"My Anima is telling me so. This isn't a question; it's a confirmation."

"N-No way... your eyes? An Anima that can—"

"It's not some crime-like effect that can snatch real-world information, okay? But it can tell that your avatar is your actual self."

Could such a thing be possible? The fact that I couldn't outright deny it was a testament to Arcadia's quality, I suppose.

"...What's the point of this question?"

"You might not believe me, but it's out of kindness."

Kindness, after creating this tense atmosphere? As I eyed her suspiciously, Nia shot me a look of exasperation in return.

"From what I've heard, you're planning on entering the Four Pillar War, right?"

"That's the plan for now."

"With that face?"

"What's my face got to do with it!?"

Seeing me bristle, wondering if she was trying to pick a fight, she let out a sigh of resignation. "Oh, for goodness' sake."

"You really don't get it, do you? Didn't Kagura-san just recently explain that Arcadia is a huge deal in the real world, too?"

"...Yeah."

"Every time there's an event or new information, it becomes news. The whole world is obsessed."

"Right."

"It's not just 'right.' The Four Pillar War is the biggest festival in all of Arcadia. You need to think carefully about the scale of attention it draws."

"That... is..."

What's with this girl's sudden personality change? That carefree thought lasted for only a few seconds. Every word Nia spoke was undeniably true—and seriously, am I an idiot? This is no time to be taking it easy.

In other words, this is what she was trying to say:

—Are you really going to be okay showing that face to the world?

"Um... if I may ask something unrelated."

"Go on."

"The Four Pillar War... is it, uh... one of those things? Where the footage is broadcast all over terrestrial TV..."

Arcadia's top rankers are treated like professional athletes. That unbelievable piece of common knowledge, which I'd just learned from Kagura-san, flashed through my mind.

And so, to the question I timidly posed, Nia's answer was:

"Oh, absolutely. On the same scale as the Olympics, you know."

It was a reply on a scale far beyond my imagination, and it hit me right in the gut.