kscans

Chapter 91 - An Angel by Comparison

Since we'd both updated our home points the last time we parted, Sora's current location, having just logged in, was near the transfer gate that also served as my respawn point.

It was one of the many gates scattered throughout the Safe Area, located near the back alley where we had escaped from our overwhelming welcome party.

There were no notable landmarks nearby, and it was a bit unclear why it had been placed there. But for that very reason, foot traffic was sparse, which was convenient for me as I was trying to avoid attention.

"—Hup, there!"

Since many of the buildings were taller than one might expect in a fantasy setting, rooftop acrobatics had recently become my trend for staying out of sight.

It wasn't far from the Mirage Workshop's base, so I took the most direct route without hesitation and rushed to Sora's side in under five minutes.

"Eh..."

As I made a flashy landing and skidded to a stop from the rooftop with a SHRAAA!, Sora-san jumped in surprise, then gave me a look that said, "What is this person doing?"

"You should try it sometime, Sora. I guarantee you'll get hooked."

"I-I'll pass..."

With a final wry smile, the girl, who had been away for a couple of days, broke into a happy grin upon seeing my face.

"Good morning, Haru-san."

"Morning, Sora. It's been a couple of days."

◇◆◇◆◇

"Haru-san, you look a little different."

"Urk... Yeah, I guess it's noticeable."

Almost immediately after we exchanged greetings, she commented on my hair, which had changed in both color and style. To be honest, I'd been most anxious about showing this look to Sora, so I was at a loss for words.

There's a part of me that whispers, Isn't this fine for a fantasy world?, but the fact that my face is still my real one is the problem... I can't shake the prejudice that only handsome guys can pull off tying their hair back and have it be considered fashionable.

"There were... unavoidable circumstances..."

"...?"

I gave a self-deprecating smile to broadcast my negative self-perception, and Sora tilted her head with a puzzled look.

"I think it suits you. It's wonderful."

"A straight fastball...?!"

A genuine smile with no ulterior motives (at least, that's how it looked to me), followed by honest words with no ulterior motives (at least, that's how they sounded to me).

The dark clouds of doubt in my heart, which the words of two artisans couldn't dispel, were being blown away by Sora in a matter of seconds.

"Isn't it weird for a guy to grow his hair out and tie it up?"

"...? Um, I don't know about in general, but..."

Sora seemed bewildered by my frank question, but she stared at my new look for a moment, then—

"At the very least, it suits you, Haru-san. I think you look cool."

—she told me with a soft smile, looking as though she didn't harbor a single shred of doubt.

—Yeah, I get it. I lose.

Sora is so much of an angel that I couldn't care less about the ponytail on the back of my head anymore.

In fact, if Sora says it's so, I'm convinced it must be true. Nia-chan, nice producing. Seriously, good job.

"Thank you very much."

Suppressing my cringe-worthy ego, which was on the verge of blushing, I turned my face away to thank her. Naturally, this angled the ponytail I'd just tied toward Sora—

"Wow...!"

It was only natural that the [Crimson Rabbit Hair Ornament] attached to my hair caught her eye.

Beyond its exceptional effects as a piece of equipment, this piece of jewelry, adorned by a skilled artisan's hand, also had outstanding visual appeal.

True to the creator's proud words, despite the cute rabbit motif, it had an exquisite design that didn't look out of place on a man.

Given that this unique item was radiating a majestic glow, it was no wonder Sora let out an involuntary cry of delight.

"H-Haru-san! What is that, what is it? It's so beautiful!"

"Whoa, calm down. I'll explain everything."

While soothing the girl who, as usual, was getting closer in her excitement, I urged her to move away from the transfer gate area, which had a small but steady stream of people.

As Sora followed me—or rather, stuck close behind me—the nape of my neck tickled slightly from her gaze.

Trying to hide the smile creeping onto my face at the sight of Sora's sparkling, curious eyes, I began to recount the series of events to her as she begged for an explanation.

—Yes, that's right. I told her everything. The whole story.

It took about two minutes for those sparkling eyes to cloud over.

"The [Spiral Crimson Tower]... I know it by name, at least. The three unconquerable dungeons are a topic of conversation that even non-players know about, you know?"

"Y-Yes, so it would seem."

"And you did it in two days... Two days, was it? I see."

"Well, technically I cleared it today, on the third day—ah, yes, never mind!"

Seeing me shamelessly cast aside my pride and defer to her, Sora-san let out a familiar, resigned sigh.

I'm sure if Nia saw me right now, she'd tease me relentlessly.

An image of the artisan pointing and laughing at me appeared in my mind, and I silently vowed a baseless revenge against her.

"But, I see... The first-clear reward..."

Her voice seemed somewhat dejected, so I turned back, putting thoughts of the indigo-haired girl aside.

Sora, who had been staring intently at the [Crimson Rabbit Hair Ornament], looked up at me and smiled shyly when our eyes met.

"It's so lovely, I was thinking it would be nice if I could get one too... but if it's a unique item, I guess it can't be helped."

Ah, about that...

"I still have my share of the loot from the [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King] fight, so if it were tradeable, I wouldn't mind giving it to you."

I said it from the heart, but I already knew what Sora's reaction would be.

"I would never accept something like that. That material was of no use to me anyway, so having it used for your equipment is the best outcome, Haru-san."

When we discussed what to do with the [Withered Fragment of the God-Wedge Armor], she had looked at me with the same admonishing eyes.

Even after the material I received was transformed into [Prologue: Wedge Fragment Singing of Eternity (Angalta)], the fifth Terror Armament in Arcadia's history, Sora had celebrated for me as if it were her own achievement when I told her.

She seemed to want the hair ornament, as she was looking at it with envy... but it was precisely because she was that kind of person that I felt no hesitation in giving her anything I could.

—And so,

"Alright, then let's at least go get you something similar."

"...Huh?"

If Sora wanted something, there was no reason for me not to give it my all.