kscans

Chapter 969 - Similarly Shaken

“—Alright, well, I guess that’s it for today…”

“Mm. Good work.”

“Thank you for your time. Good night.”

With their farewells exchanged, two types of keys—three in total—were brought out.

One was the Portal Pass held by the rankers, granting direct access to the top of their faction’s war-time base. The other was the Home Key to their organization’s headquarters, given to every player who joins a clan.

“Okay, see ya later!”

And with that, I watched the three of them—one heading to the throne room of the Southern Faction, the other two to the clan home of the Eastern Faction—disappear in the light of teleportation… —

“………………”

Alone now, the blue-haired girl left behind in her atelier slowly lowered the hand she’d been waving.

She held it there. One second, two, three… and after more than ten seconds had passed.

“…………—Nnnnghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…???”

The emotions she had been bottling up, feigning composure until that very moment, finally burst forth. Ni-na clutched her head, let out a bizarre cry, and collapsed into a squat on the spot.

—Wanna come to my parents’ place?

“N-N-No, no, no, no…!”

That wasn’t it. My memory was embellishing his words like crazy. He hadn’t said it with the casual, flippant air of a guy who could smoothly invite a girl home. Not at all.

To be blunt, he had been an absolute mess of nervous fumbling, which was just plain cute. Whether he realized it or not, that side of him—the one he sometimes even showed the Princess—was just unfair—

“That’s not the point…!”

More importantly.

There was something much more important.

“His mother…?! Wh-Wha— It’s so sudden…!!!”

—Uh, you’re coming, right…?

If I had to confess to someone, anyone, I’d say I was completely swept up in the moment. Then I was dragged along by Sora, who answered immediately as if she’d made up her mind, and Iris, who nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, barely batting an eye.

I’d gone along with it too, putting on a face like it was perfectly normal, but if I were to be completely honest, I hadn't been able to follow the conversation by even a single millimeter.

I barely even remembered the brief discussion about scheduling that came after. I was in a state of utter chaos.

—His mother… Wait, his mother? He calls her ‘Mom,’ ‘Mother,’ and ‘Ma,’ his naming sense is all over the place, but that’s not important right now, I’m going to meet his parents?! Why?! An apology? What for? If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me! I’m so, so sorry for constantly troubling your son to the point where he barely has time to breathe!! Wait, what kind of person is his mother? He said something like, “Once she makes up her mind, she doesn’t back down,” so is she the strong-willed type? Didn’t he also say something about “being made into one of the departed”? Huh? Will I even make it back in one piece? Huh—

“I’m scared…!!!”

Utter chaos, indeed.

No, I didn’t know anything yet. Nothing had even started. The as-yet-unseen mother of the man I loved… and his father, who I would presumably be meeting as well.

It was incredibly rude to let my imagination run wild and cower before these phantoms I’d created. I couldn’t face this battle with such a weak mentality. It didn’t matter that this was sudden, that I hadn’t wished or hoped for it. There was no escape.

I had to calm down… —And having reached that conclusion.

“H E L P M E , H I Y O - C H A N . . . ! ! !”

The name the blue-haired girl called out was, naturally, the only one that came to mind.

◇◆◇◆◇

“—…”

It had become a habit over the last four years or so. Leaving her avatar on the throne that had become her designated spot, she awoke from the virtual dream. For a few dozen seconds, she remained still.

Her mind, which was unusually slow to process… or more accurately, was spinning uselessly in circles, preventing any real thought from taking place, remained resting on the mechanical bed.

“………………Haru’s… mother.”

Blinking her garnet eyes, the princess of the virtual world remained in a dreamlike state even after waking.

I’ll go—in truth, it was a word that had simply tumbled from her lips, pulled along by Sora who had taken the lead. Even the great Alicia White was no omniscient prophet; when faced with the unexpected, she, too, could be shaken.

It was so sudden. It truly took her by surprise.

…However.

“………………Yeah.”

She recalled his hesitant, stumbling, almost endearing state… yet, pushing through his nervousness, he had woven his words with determination and resolve.

It wasn’t sudden. It wasn’t out of the blue.

For him, it must have been something he had been thinking about, all by himself, for a very long time.

And that meant.

“Mm…”

It was for none other than them.

And so—fueled by the warmth in her cheeks and the light in her heart, the invincible princess rose from her bed. There was… without a doubt, only one thing to do.

“…Sometime before the end of the year, huh.”

As always, it was time for a staring contest with her jet-black schedule.