kscans

Chapter 953 - Summoned Follower

"—…Haru?"

"…Yessh."

"Could it be that you haven't slept?"

"Well, if you're asking if I slept or not, I technically did sleep, yes."

"So you didn't sleep."

No, I really did sleep.

By snatching moments between lectures, and employing my friends as alarm clocks—and so, from Sunday until today. Having pulled an all-nighter in between, I found myself here on Monday evening.

"Honestly… staying up late is bad for your health, you know?"

"I have no excuse."

As usual, we were in the clan home. Accepting the reproachful glare from my partner, who saw through my lack of sleep the moment we met, I returned her gaze, checked her complexion, and said one thing.

"Speaking of which, Sora-san, have you fully recovered from your overeating?"

"…Tch…!"

And thus, a single strike of divine retribution.

Sora, her face turning red, brought down a merciless fist (by her standards). My avatar shuddered. If this were me in real life, or if I didn't have the shock resistance of the 'ring' on my left hand, I might have been seriously incapacitated for a while.

Perhaps my counterattack was a bit too sharp. The reason I hadn't seen Sora on her day off yesterday, the day after we'd hung out with our friends on Saturday—

Was because she was in bed after eating too much grilled meat, which for a young lady, is…

"I-I told you, I told you it wasn't a big deal—!"

"Come on, don't be embarrassed. Shoko was laughing about it today, said she 'seriously died from the grease yesterday.'"

"What are you laughing at!"

"No, Shoko-san was the one laughing, wait, stop, I'm sorry."

In any case, if she was this energetic, her condition must have returned to normal…—Apologizing for my lack of delicacy, I parried the flurry of light blows that had begun, while secretly adjusting my own mental state.

This was because I felt like I was still dragging along some of the events of last night that Sora didn't know about, and an unnecessary attempt to hide my embarrassment was coming out. That was probably the reason for my ill-advised comment.

"Honestly, really—…? Um, besides the lack of sleep, is something… else the matter?"

And the one who could read things like that in an instant was none other than my partner.

What with the camaraderie between guys and the late-night high, I'd spewed out all sorts of things about my infatuation last night. As if to embody a fraction of the 'cuteness' that had erupted from me then, Sora-san tilted her head, and I…

"It's nothing. Come on, let's go."

"Huh…? Oh, y-yes…!"

…took her hand and quickly started walking.

Our destination was—

◇◆◇◆◇

"—…Mm. So far, it's just as we predicted."

Key Tree Maze, hundredth floor.

Five of us had gathered after being contacted beforehand: me, Sora, and Iris, who had just let out a quiet murmur. As for the other two…

"—Alright, all that's left is…"

The top ranker of the West.

"—The last slot, I suppose."

And the second ranker of the North. Both of them leaders of their respective factions.

And so… me from the East, Enra-shi from the West, Iris from the South, and Jin-san from the North. Plus, my partner Sora-san filling the partner slot.

That made five slots. With a selection based on yesterday's theory, five of the sigils on the floor lit up.

It was a simple puzzle to begin with, but it was safe to say this confirmed it. One person from each of the four factions, plus one 'partner,' and then one more 'someone' made six slots.

Eighty percent of the keys—the challengers who would open the door on this floor—were gathered here, with only the unconfirmed 'someone' remaining. And so, the verification moved to the next stage.

"So, should we just summon them now?"

"Wait. If we're right, something might happen the moment the sixth slot is filled."

"True. We should probably leave the floor for a bit."

Nodding at the sound reasoning that came in response to my quick confirmation, the five of us trudged out of the great hall.

A floor where the boss has been defeated becomes a complete safe zone, not just the boss room but the entire dungeon leading up to it. This was no exception for the hundredth floor; since we'd defeated that pseudo-god statue, it had become nothing more than a peacefully silent maze.

Of course, on other floors, the boss would respawn and enemies would start popping up again if you moved forward or back—but for now, we could calmly check the answer to our theory.

With that… although I had given a slight heads-up.

"Haru, if you would."

"You got it. …I'll say it again, everyone, be careful not to get overwhelmed, okay?"

After confirming that the light from the sigils outside the great gate, which remained open and frozen in time, had disappeared, I nodded at Iris's request and repeated my warning.

"………………"

Perhaps because she'd heard the particular details at our clan's debriefing, Sora-san was openly wary, bracing herself just a little. That was fine.

"When you put it like that, it actually makes me look forward to it…"

Enra-shi seemed to be enjoying himself, just as his words suggested. It would be interesting to see how the reaction of Jin-san, standing next to him with his eyes narrowed in a similar fashion, would change.

Iris would be expressionless. No doubt about it—well then, here goes.

"──────────"

Without a word, I called out a single 'name,' one blessed with a bond we shared.

And thus, somewhere far away, a clear, high-pitched ringing of a bell echoed in 'someone's' mind.

A bond exists, a will exists, a call is made… and with the world's (system's) approval, a miracle occurs. A light of transfer, a guide, an invitation, reaches this side.

[Meltraction (Guiding Door of Bonds)]—a power similar to the partner skill [Meltraction (Path of Bonds)], capable of leaping across distances and dimensions. However, this was a one-way door, capable only of 'summoning.'

It was a rare, truly special skill granted only to the supremely lucky players who had managed to 'register an NPC as a friend.'

…Well, now that the gate has opened, there's no doubt that 'he' has accepted.

So here he comes. Three, two, one…

"────────MY DEAR RARE ONE!!!!!!!!!"

At that moment, a massive roar erupted from beyond the gate, causing four people to jump.

Sora-san, who was the most surprised and reflexively hid behind me; Enra-shi, who involuntarily broke his trademark arm-crossing pose; Jin-san, whose narrowed eyes widened to mere slits; and Iris, who, with a dead-serious expression and probably unconsciously, had summoned her 'sword' into her hand.

Four people, four different reactions. Just as I had imagined. Ignoring their various responses—

"I am overcome with joy at your summons!! I, Kendy, have hastened to respond to your call—ah, but today it is you, my lord! That form, too, is overflowing with kingly dignity, like the sun that burns my very eyes—!!!!!!"

"Yes, yes, glad to see you're doing well…—Anyway, this is the friend I mentioned. Lord Kendy, of the Thousand Memories. A pleasure to meet you all."

Coupled with my own calm introduction of the blond, blue-eyed knight who had just appeared,

"Oh, what's this—Are these your companions!?"

In an instant, the scene was dyed in his comedic color.