kscans

Chapter 960 - Surrounded by the Glimmering Forest

And so.

After flying all this way, a leisurely stroll makes the morning pass in a flash. Next comes noon, and it's only natural that players living in the real world require sustenance.

When an immediate retreat to a safe zone isn't an option, how does one rest during an expedition in Arcadia, the world's only full-dive virtual reality game? Well… it’s just as I learned during that trip with the tiger master and his disciple.

We post a watch and take turns logging out. A straightforward strategy with no twists.

"""——————"""

"…"

And yet, there are three sleeping faces around me.

The feature where your avatar remains on the field when logging out in a non-safe zone is probably debatable, but the incomprehensible technology on display alongside it blurs any objections.

Their consciousness—or rather, their very souls—have departed, yet they look for all the world as if they’re simply ‘sleeping’… It’s a little creepy, if I’m being honest.

Their chests rise and fall gently. If I listen closely, I can hear their quiet breathing. The fact that their eyelids sometimes flutter is just taking it too far, leaving me with no choice but to laugh in exasperation.

In these quiet, absentminded moments, whenever I notice these minor abnormalities, I’m struck by a feeling of waking up inside a dream. It makes me wonder—where in the world am I?

"————…What’s with the angsty look?"

"Gah, you… scared me."

A voice suddenly spoke from right beside me, and my head, which had been drifting from the time of day and the post-meal lull, shot back up from the twilight of embarrassment. I glanced to my side.

"Hehe. What a rare expression."

A pair of indigo eyes, now wide awake, were looking at me with the same complete lack of tension as ever. Her fluffy Nia-ness was in full effect. Well then, there was only one thing to say.

"Hey, you guys. Why do you treat me like a pillow as if it’s the most natural thing in the world?"

When I returned from my own quick lunch break, which I’d taken first, the girls had approached me one by one as if it were a matter of course, leaning against me before logging out.

Nia was on my right, and Asche on my left. Sora-san, arriving last, hesitated before settling onto my lap.

Seriously, all of you, get a grip. Don't underestimate the self-control of an eighteen-year-old. It's paper-thin.

"Huh? Because… it’s natural…?"

"Don't give me that confused look when no such 'natural' thing exists."

"Got it."

"I didn't tell you to snuggle up to me with a big smile, either!"

"————…I'm back?"

"And now there's more of you!"

Just as I was dealing with that, Asche returned, and my left arm was promptly claimed. C'mon, I could still act cool if it were just an empty shell that looked like her, but how am I supposed to keep my composure with the real deal here?!

"Ah… Hey, I've been thinking this for a while, but isn't that cheating?"

"It is not cheating."

"Even for a short distance, a pure teleportation skill is incredibly rare."

"Don't just brush it off with a straight face."

As usual, I'd activated [Flash Traveler] for a non-negotiable escape, but if I keep using it for such ridiculous purposes, the skill itself might start to hate me. I hope it'll forgive me, since I rely on it as a trump card in serious situations.

And with that…

"……………………Mmm…————Huh? Wha-nya, wha…?!"

"Ah, welcome back, Sora-san. Alright, everyone's here."

"You're the one brushing it off with a straight face now."

"Nia, that's a straight face born from a hundred percent embarrassment."

"Even I can tell that much."

"Everyone's here!!! Let's get started on the afternoon session!!!!"

"U-Um! First…! Please put me down…!!"

I couldn't just drop Sora-san, who had woken up in my arms, so our peaceful real-world break came to a safe and sound conclusion…

Well, in the sense that we weren't attacked by any external threats, it was peaceful.

"Haru."

"What?"

"Me next."

"Huh? Is that how this works? Then after that—"

"This isn't a rotation system."

"I said, please put me down! Honestly!!"

…And with that concluded, let's resume our adventure.

◇◆◇◆◇

Thus, about an hour had passed since we resumed our exploration of the crystal forest.

"Ah…————I think… I might have… found it…?"

"Seriously?"

Thanks to Nia's ‘eyes’—whose continuous activation and duration had been trained to a level incomparable to before—we navigated around the lizard threats while searching for our true objective, the ‘shining beast,’ enjoying a leisurely stroll filled mostly with idle chatter.

It's not that it never happens, but it's rare for the four of us to spend such a long time together, so even if we didn't find anything, I was thinking this was nice in its own way.

It was then that the twin eyes of the [Milmarinus] caught sight of something.

I instinctively reacted in a hushed voice, clapping a hand over my mouth as I stopped and concealed my presence. As usual, Sora and Asche, flanking me from behind, also held their breath…

"Um, sorry. It's still really far away, so you probably don't have to be that careful…"

"""…"""

The three of us exhaled simultaneously, each feeling a little embarrassed in our own way.

Well, putting such trivial matters aside.

"Ahem… So, what's it like?"

Right now, the top priority was to identify what Nia had spotted. So I asked, and she kept her gaze fixed on a single point, likely peering through objects into the far distance—

"What's it… like………… Mmm… Hmmm, uhhh…………?"

For some reason, her voice trailed off as if she were at a loss.

"————Mmm………………………………a rab…bit…???"

"Is it possible to ask a question with that much uncertainty???"

She described what it was like with a complete and utter lack of confidence.

"W-Wait… um, you know what I mean, right? The super sparkly thing."

"Well, yeah. Sayaka-san described it as a 'dazzling beast of light.'"

"Like, pika pika?"

"Yeah, that's it. All I heard was that it's a beast that's basically a mass of light."

"Right, so, um…————It's going… pika pika…"

"Is there anything else???"

"There's nothing else! I don't know! What is that thing? I'm the one who wants to ask!!!"

"Sorry, sorry, don't get mad."

Well, for now, it seemed incredibly difficult for her to describe.

"…It's a mass of light, well, yeah. But is it a ‘beast’? To me, it just looks kinda, sorta like a ‘rabbit,’ and it’s all shimmery…"

"Amorphous, you mean?"

"Mmm… Or rather, it has no outline?"

At any rate, it was incredibly difficult to describe. Asche, who had interjected, was also tilting her head, clearly unable to process it with just that information.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure if it's an enemy… Did the Saintess actually ‘encounter’ it? Did she see it up close?"

"Ah, no. Apparently it was more like she just happened to catch a glimpse of it from a distance."

That was while she was exploring the [Shogen-no-Mori] with a large contingent. In other words, a large number of people, including Sayaka-san, saw it at the same time, so while its identity is unknown, its existence is confirmed.

"Hmm… Well, players have good eyesight. If they saw it with their own eyes, I guess it's unlikely they were mistaken………… So, what do we do? Want to get closer?"

"Is it moving?"

"It's perfectly still. Hasn't moved an inch since I found it."

Though she did add that it was shimmering… Well then.

"Let's go take a look."

"Mm, okay."

"You two okay with that?"

"Okay."

"Yes."

For now, I suppose we'll go and have an audience.

---

Setting aside the wild Yurayura (a different species),

The first volume of the manga adaptation is released today. I feel like the manga is so far out of my hands that it feels even less real than a book release, but it seems it's actually happening. How amazing!!!!!

As I've been promoting on my author's Twitter, the manga artist, Haseao-san, has released a rejected illustration of a super-cute maid Sora, which is happy in a double sense. Go burn it into your retinas right now.

And you'd better cheer for her, all you Arcadians. Haseao-sensei is also a hardcore Arcadian, which means she is one of your comrades.

I'm counting on you all!!!!!!!!!!