kscans

Chapter 968 - Absolute Order

────And so, after that little episode, night fell.

"Sora-chan, Sora-chan. Can you try gripping this for a sec?"

"Huh? Yes, um… okay?"

We regrouped after everyone had finished dinner.

The usual members—me, Sora, and Iris—had made our way to Nia’s atelier. As soon as the four of us were assembled, the workshop’s owner pulled something out and offered it to Sora.

"Squeeze it. Just give it a good squeeze, that’s all you need to do."

"O-Okay…"

It looked like a simple piece of plain white cloth. Not something as proper as a handkerchief, but truly just a scrap that looked like it had been hastily cut out.

At a glance, it was just ordinary ‘cloth’────but on closer inspection, it had a strange, hard-to-describe luster. Sora took the mysterious fabric and, as instructed, gave it a firm squeeze…

"Hyeh…!"

""Whoa.""

The sound she made was just short of a shriek. Iris and I, watching from the side, let out dumbfounded exclamations, not really understanding what was happening.

And then,

"Hmm, looks okay? Rises up fast, and the shape is stable…"

Nia muttered to herself as she tapped the band of light that had materialized around Sora’s right hand, the one gripping the cloth, making a hard, clinking sound.

She observed it up close for a few seconds.

"…………Is this…"

"Yeah, probably…"

From the light—that is, from its familiar radiance—Iris and I had figured out the general nature of the ‘cloth,’ and our exclamations of confusion turned into sounds of admiration.

Honestly────one amazing thing after another, she was really something.

""Atiomart.""

"Nyeheheh, you figured it ouuut?"

"………………"

As Iris and I correctly identified the item, Nia flashed us a smug, triumphant look, which in turn earned her a deadpan stare from Sora-san at point-blank range.

Furthermore, that deadpan gaze slid over and struck my face as well.

"…Um."

"Yes?"

"How long are you going to keep up this surprise charade?"

"My thoughts exactly."

At that point, I figured it was time to reveal the plan that was already painfully obvious.

"Sora-san’s gear upgrade. Your old equipment just can’t keep up with your specs anymore, so we decided to get you some new stuff, at least unique-grade."

"…I understand that, but why did you have to keep it a secret?"

"Well, it’s a rehash, I guess?"

"A rehash? It is not! Please stop making surprise-pranks a regular event!"

And yet, the original ‘prank’ was from about six months ago. In fact, it was impressive that she had managed this long without any major issues… but I suppose that was natural.

Her gear was a no-holds-barred collaboration between `The Flame Artisan` and `Milmarinus` to begin with, so it was already high-end spec from the start.

────But even so.

"Her `[Dress of El-Clelia]` is fine with just a few tweaks, but her hand and feet gear, you know. Even Kagura-san has been saying for a while, ‘I wonder when she’s planning on upgrading’ and stuff."

"I-Is that so…"

Nia was mostly right.

Her `[Dress of El-Clelia]`, which had special abilities nearly identical to my `[Sakura Hanaori]`, was fine to keep as her main outfit. But the `[Meteor Serpent]` series for her hands and feet was seriously outclassed.

Kagura-san’s craftsmanship was perfect, but the grade of the materials was now insufficient.

…So, that was the gist of the situation, but I was still genuinely surprised. Or maybe I shouldn’t have been?

"First ‘Sakura,’ then ‘Rain’… what’s next?"

"Hmm? Oh, that."

When I thought about it, there was no way that person, `The Flame Artisan`, would hold back on a technique he had gone to the trouble of mastering. If he was going to make something ‘interesting,’ it was only natural that he would incorporate it into everything he could.

Which meant that the true identity of this ‘cloth,’ the key to Sora-san’s new equipment, was…

"────`Tears of the Sun`, he said."

"T-Tears of the…"

"…Sun?"

"Here we go with another one of these incomprehensible items…"

It was a drifter of time, holding secrets from the virtual world’s distant past.

The foundational stage of a magic-manifestation weapon, containing a `Lost Echoes` artifact.

◇◆◇◆◇

And so, a dozen or so minutes later.

"────Alrighty, that about covers it, I think. You okay with all this, Sora-chan?"

"Yes, um… I’ll leave it to you. Thank you for doing this."

"I have been entrusted! I’ll coordinate with Kagura-san right away and get started, so just wait. It should be done in three or four days, so… well, look forward to it!"

"Y-Yes!"

We spent some time discussing the details of her new equipment. Iris and I chimed in from the side here and there, and all in all, it was a productive conversation.

It seems it’s going to be a joint project between Kagura-san and Nia, which I’m honestly looking forward to. I have no doubt that some ridiculously amazing piece of gear will be the final product────

And with that.

"Look forward to it… and with that, I guess that’s… everything… for today… right…?"

"…Mhm. I suppose… so."

Nia started, and Iris nodded. It was a rare sight, for both of them.

Nia is usually the type to blurt things out, either sharply or casually, and then get flustered or confused. For her words to trail off, her speech the complete opposite of crisp, was not unheard of, but it was rare.

And then there’s Iris. It’s rare for her to yield the floor to someone else and simply nod in agreement. Unless there’s an expert present who surpasses her, like with the magic crafting just now, she has a habit of taking the lead… so it’s usually her who says things like this.

And finally, one more person.

"Uh, um…"

My partner, fidgeting beside me. They were all different, yet reading their feelings was all too easy────because, after all, I felt the same.

Today,

"Was fun, wasn’t it?"

I said.

"…It was. Heh heh."

"Mhm…"

Two verbal replies came back.

"…………"

And one, by hand.

Whether consciously or not, Sora-san grabbed the hem of my clothes, her expression much the same as Nia’s and Iris’s────………………Perhaps, surely, I think.

There’s a not-insignificant chance that my own wishes are mixed in with this thought, but.

"…………Haha."

This right now, it was only because I happened to be the one closest to her.

If Nia or Iris had been next to her, I think Sora would have reached out just the same.

"………………Suuuu────…haaah."

I let a smile slip, then took a deep breath. My obvious posturing, as if to say ‘I have something to say,’ naturally drew their gazes.

Amber, azure, and garnet. Each color held its own thoughts.

As I took in the dazzling eyes of all three of them… preparing my resolve was something I'd done long ago. What I sought today wasn't that, but confirmation, so there was no room to hesitate.

────So, take the step.

"…There’s something I need to talk to you three about."

I think my nervousness was probably showing.

Perhaps because of that, the moment I spoke, the shoulders of two of them trembled.

Sora and Nia.

"………………………………Ah, uh, wh…at…"

Honestly, I get it. If I were in their shoes, I’d be freaking out too. That’s why I returned a smile to Nia’s voice, which sounded almost like a faint cry.

"I have a pretty good idea what you’re thinking, but that’s not it. Calm down."

"Ah, it’s not, huh…………"

Right, it’s not. Not right now, anyway.

However,

"Calm down, and… ah, but, I am planning on saying something that will probably surprise you, so I’d like you all to brace yourselves a bit. Okay?"

At least, for me, this wasn’t exactly a ‘casual conversation.’

When I laid out my words like a safety measure… the “three esteemed ladies” who had naturally lined up before me in a three-on-one formation looked at each other, and then…

"""…………"""

They quietly adopted a listening posture.

…It’s strange for me to say after telling them to brace themselves, and I know it’s mostly just my own perception, but the pressure was so intense that if I let my guard down, a weird smile might take over my face.

So, the best solution was probably to just get it over with and confess without dragging it out.

Alright, let’s do this. Three, two, o-one────…!!

"So, um… hey, ……………………………………………………"

Get a grip, you idiot! Are you scared?! Speak clearly!

"Sometime, before the end of the year, it doesn’t matter when."

"""…………"""

"If possible. That is, if it’s at all possible, you know? Your schedules, or, well, what should I call it. If… your… ‘free time’ happens to align, then if it aligns, this is a proposal of a possibility, is what this is about."

"""………………?"""

"………………………………────"

Of course I'm scared. From a normal perspective, this is insane────but then again, the whole situation has been insane for the last six months, so of course it is!!!

If that’s the case, then a man’s gotta have courage (whatever happens, happens)!!!

"────…………I’m, uh, going home, to my parents’ place."

"Huh?"

"…Mhm?"

"You what?"

"…………I’m planning on going home to my parents’ place once before the end of the year, you see."

"…To your parents’ place."

"Going home."

"A plan…"

"And so, you see. A while… ago? My mom… that is, my esteemed mother, mentioned that she’d like to say hello to you young ladies, and told me to bring you with me once, or something like that… and…"

"Your mom…"

"Your mother."

"‘Esteemed mother,’ he says."

"And, um… it’s because the situation is so unique, she wants to apologize as a parent for the chaos her worthless, idiotic son has created, that’s her stance… I think…"

"""…………"""

"My mom, when she gets an idea like this in her head, she absolutely won’t bend, you see… If I don’t somehow accomplish this mission, I’ll probably go home and never return────no, well, that doesn’t matter, that’s not what I meant…!"

"""………………"""

Deep breath.

There are facts I can share now, and intentions I cannot.

So, all I could manage to put into words was one last syllable.

"……………………………………………………Will you… come… with me?"

The answer, as it turned out.

"────I’ll go."

"────I’m going."

"────Wait, we’re going, right…?"

"……………………Yes. Then, um, let’s coordinate our schedules…"

I’m sure a large part of it was them just getting swept up in the moment.

I’m sure of it… but well, it was the answer I had expected.

---

And so, the countdown to the main event of the seventh arc begins.