kscans

Chapter 447 - Friend, Good Friend, Best Friend

Parfait logged into AFO in a state of considerable exhaustion.

The night she had invited Wilnel to her home, Ronios had immediately contacted her father, Hayato, and arranged to come the very next day, which had led to a problematic situation.

It was fine for Ronios and Wilnel to come. She had invited them herself, and her parents had told her to do so, so there was no problem. The problem was that many members who were wary of Ronios had come to the shop.

From the Libra Foundation came Ney and Jolth. From the Pisces Foundation came Parsha, Blanc, and Noir. And from the supervising Foundation, Lunaria and Xenobia arrived. As their guards, Chris’s parents, Gil and Silva, were also present.

These people had come to protect Parfait and the others, wary of Ronios, but then people from completely unrelated Foundations, who had somehow caught wind of it, also came.

They were from Leo, Aquarius, Sagittarius, and Scorpion, and what’s more, they were the heads or next in line.

It would have been one thing if they had come incognito, but they brought large entourages, causing a temporary uproar in Colony "Frontier" and becoming the talk of the neighborhood, with rumors spreading about what kind of meeting was about to begin.

It was just a matter of coming for coffee and a chat, but it had turned into a gathering on the scale of a war about to break out, and Parfait heard from Ney that the cleanup had been a huge task.

The biggest problem was that the Foundations that knew nothing about this had flooded Ney with messages saying, "You absolutely have to invite us next time."

Ronios, the root cause of this situation, was in a good mood the entire time, happily chatting with Hayato and Esha while drinking her coffee. Even from Parfait’s perspective, she looked happy, and Ronios had even asked Parfait about school.

Wilnel’s parents, Cremola and Harrington, were also there and gave her a large quantity of sweets, saying, "Please take care of our daughter." Although they were from a Foundation, the two of them ran a confectionery company so famous that even Parfait knew of it.

Afterward, Parfait invited Wilnel to her room, and they had a casual chat, but Wilnel had not expected so many Foundation members to gather either and had expressed her respect in a slightly misguided way, saying, "As expected of Ronios-sama…!"

As for Parfait, her only impression was, "Are Foundation people really this free?" Later, on the evening news, commentators and experts offered completely off-the-mark opinions about the meeting, and she repeatedly retorted in her mind, "They just came for coffee."

It had been a very trying day, but she had school the next day. After a session of studying, which she was not very fond of, she had finally logged into AFO.

And when she went down from her room to the cafe on the first floor, Wilnel was gracefully drinking tea at a table.

"Wilnel-chan, welcome."

"Parfait-san, thank you for yesterday. It must have been quite a difficult time for you."

Wilnel, who was offering words of sympathy, did not seem to have had a difficult time at all. Her skin was glowing, even in virtual reality. It was probably natural since she was young, but she looked full of energy.

"Yeah, well, it was a lot of trouble. I didn’t expect so many people to come."

"Nearly half of the Foundations were there. Ronios-sama was in a good mood because of it, and she even declared to the other Foundation members that I would be the next head."

"I don’t think our shop is the place to do that."

That sort of thing is supposed to be done at the conference hall of the Central Management Bureau, "Central," on Earth. It was the kind of thing they taught you in school. But for some reason, yesterday, it had been done at her family’s cafe.

"Ronios-sama also said she was sorry about that. However, she cheerfully said, ‘I got carried away and said it,’ so I don’t know if she’s truly repentant."

Just saying she was sorry, Parfait’s opinion of Ronios dropped. It was not that high to begin with, but between yesterday and Wilnel’s current remark, she was truly a free spirit, which was nothing short of exasperating.

"It seems the other Foundation members were also eventually scolded by Ney-sama. She told them not to come when they weren’t invited."

"But I wonder why so many came. Is it because of Ronios-san’s influence?"

"They probably thought there was a good deal to be had."

"A good deal?"

"Among the Foundations, Libra, Gemini, and Pisces are said to be on good terms, or rather, the three of them often do business together. This AFO is one example."

"I think I’ve heard that before."

"Moreover, the head of the supervising Foundation, Lunaria-sama, was also there. The other Foundations were probably wary that they were having a secret meeting to start a new business, or rather, they were trying to get a piece of the action."

Foundations have numerous subsidiary companies. There are many joint ventures between companies, but it is rare for Foundations themselves to team up for business. However, it is not unheard of. Looking at past examples, such ventures involved astronomical sums of money.

Naturally, the profits were also huge, and whether or not they could participate was no exaggeration to say it would determine the future of the Foundation. It was not that a Foundation would disappear, but if they fell behind, a gap would form between them and the other Foundations.

The Foundations were supposed to be equal under the supervising Foundation, but at present, Libra, Gemini, and Pisces were a cut above the rest. It was only natural for a Foundation to take measures to prevent the gap from widening any further.

Wilnel explained this to Parfait.

For Parfait, it felt like a completely unrelated story, but she found it a little interesting to know that was how things were.

In any case, Ronios seemed to be satisfied, and she said she would not be meddling for a while. However, Ney, with a serious face, told her that this might happen again about once every six months to a year, so she should be prepared.

If it was going to be such a big deal, she had no intention of inviting them, but if she did not invite them, they would likely do various things anyway, so next time they would have to do it more secretly or change the location.

The real-world response was over, so she could finally concentrate on the AFO event. There were many other things she wanted to do, so Parfait decided to think positively, that one troublesome matter had been taken care of.

"Fuhahahaha, I have arrived!"

"Oh, Nacchan, welcome."

"Indeed, my friend. It seems you had a trying time yesterday. I sympathize."

"The ones who had it the worst were my dad and mom. Compared to that, I wasn’t so bad. I was just chatting with Wilnel-chan."

"Still, I’m sure it was difficult… Hmm, Wilnel. You were already here."

"Hello, Natsu-san."

Wilnel greeted her politely. Her expression was stiff, but it was clear she was trying to get closer.

"Hello… Kukuku, Wilnel! Parfait may be my friend, but it is too soon for you to befriend me!"

"And why is that?"

"The path I walk is a thorny road stained with darkness… One who cannot walk the same path is no friend of mine!"

Wilnel was slightly taken aback, but she quickly stood up from her chair, pressed her right hand to her chest, and extended her left hand towards Natsu.

"Even if there are thorns on the path stained with darkness, I shall crush them underfoot. Even if my own blood remains, it will be a signpost for the next. Staining the darkness with the red of blood is the path by which man obtained the power of domination…"

This time, it was Natsu who was taken aback. As for Parfait, she could only think, "What are you talking about," but Natsu, who had been taken aback, smiled mischievously.

"I see, as expected of a human of ‘Eternity,’ for the ‘Harbinger of Death’ to be a ‘Fool’s Song’ is truly daunting…!"

"It is nothing so grand. Compared to the ‘Ten Commandments of the Soul,’ the ‘Lost Thirteenth Deadly Sin,’ it is but child’s play…"

Parfait realized. This was the "Noble Game." A dangerous game of stringing together meaningless words to compete, one that led straight down the dark side. Parsha of the Pisces Foundation and Natsu’s mother, Noat, often played it.

The one who got embarrassed or was moved by the other’s words lost. For Parfait, who was at a sensitive age, the secondhand embarrassment was so intense she wanted to log out.

However, the match seemed to have been decided quickly, as Natsu started laughing.

"From this moment on, Wilnel is my friend! Let us master the dark side together!"

"No, no, I only dabble in the dark side. To be honest, I only learned ‘Poems of Light and Darkness’ as part of my studies."

Parfait thought she was being taught something more dangerous than brainwashing education. She became a little worried if the Foundations were okay.

"Um, Wilnel-chan, why are you learning something like that?"

"It is essential knowledge for negotiating with the Pisces Foundation. Parsha-sama has a unique tempo, and it is rumored that you can be made to sign a strange contract before you know it."

"So it’s true that Parsha-san is the true head of Pisces…"

The head of the Pisces Foundation was Parsha’s brother, but it was said that Parsha was the de facto head. She was said to only manage Colony "Museum," but the companies that Parsha was involved in were all doing well.

She invested in the arts, or rather, in subculture, and there were rumors that more than half of the Foundation’s income came from it. Orchestra Brunhilde, and Alvie of the band Kiss of Death, who sang in all genres, had sold-out concerts everywhere.

Parsha was apparently pushing hard for Natsu’s mother, Noat, as well, but Noat did not hold concerts and only uploaded music videos to a video streaming site. It was said to be quite profitable.

In any case, Natsu and Wilnel seemed to have become friends normally. Natsu was surprisingly shy around new people, so Parfait had been worried if it would be okay, but she was relieved that this would not be a problem.

"Everyone’s early."

This time, Chris arrived.

"Huh? Wasn’t it your gym day today?"

"The gym was closed due to the aftermath of yesterday’s commotion. I have the day off today, so I came here."

She did not know what kind of aftermath had caused the gym to close, but she was happy that they had more time to play together. As Parfait was about to say a word of welcome, Wilnel bowed her head.

"Chris-san, I apologize. The cause of yesterday’s commotion was the Gemini Foundation. I apologize on behalf of Ronios-sama."

"Don’t worry about it. I’ve had to skip the gym many times before. In any case, have you already become friends with Natsu?"

Natsu and Wilnel were standing close together. It was a distance that would normally be unthinkable for Natsu.

"Wilnel has one foot in the dark side. Therefore, she is my friend…!"

Chris, whose selling point was her calm composure, had a slight twitch in her face. It quickly returned to normal, but there was no mistaking that she had made a slightly disgusted face.

Amidst this, Wilnel was staring intently at Chris. Chris seemed to have noticed and tilted her head.

"What is it? Of course, I have no objection to becoming friends. However, I believe that friendship is not something you can be told to form."

"No, I apologize for being rude. You have a wonderful core, Chris-sama. While I’m being rude, may I?"

Wilnel said this and touched Chris’s upper arm. It was not a massage, but rather as if she was checking something, and everyone except Wilnel had a curious look on their face. When that was over, Wilnel let out a cry of surprise.

"Since this is virtual reality, I don’t think it’s your real condition, but you have wonderful muscles. Not just hard and heavy muscles, but springy, or rather rubbery, supple muscles are quite difficult to build."

Chris, in a rare display of excitement, said, "You understand!"

"That’s right, muscles are profound. I don’t just want a strong body. To obtain muscles that could be called the ultimate art, it’s not enough to just do strength training. You must pay attention to everything from food to sleep, and even your breathing… The muscles that are created in this way are the supreme existence…!"

(It’s been a while since I’ve seen this side of Chris-chan…)

Parfait, who had been with Chris since she was a child, had seen her in this state several times before. It was age-appropriate, you could say, but the gap with her usual self was so large it was almost scary.

"I see, so the ideal form would be someone like Ingrid-san, the clan leader of Bandit?"

"Exactly. Those muscles are wonderful. I would love for her to teach me everything from her training methods to her diet."

Ingrid had apologized to Parfait via voice chat. She had apologized for being easily defeated by Ronios, even though she had been hired as a bodyguard. She said she was going to retrain, and she was apparently doing various things in the real world as well.

That was fine, but the two who were excitedly discussing muscles already looked like friends. It was a conversation that made one think she was skilled in winning people over, but Parfait thought this was also part of the Foundation’s education.

Wilnel’s knowledge was not wide and shallow, but wide and reasonably deep. Parfait thought that was why the conversation could continue. Yesterday, when they were chatting in her room, she had shown off a wide range of knowledge.

However, she had said, a little sadly, "It’s just knowledge." She had been so happy when Parfait had said, "Why don’t you start putting it into practice now?"

"Hello. Oh, Wilnel-chan, you’re here too… Whoa, a real ojou-sama is here! I can absorb nutrients I’ve been lacking… This place is a jewel box…!"

"Hello, Ginny-san."

Wilnel was a little taken aback, but she gave Ginny an awkward smile. Parfait thought that it was still difficult for her to smile naturally, and then Wilnel said "Ah," as if she remembered something.

"I read Heart-Pounding Pandemonium, which you recommended."

"Your thoughts! I need your thoughts! It will determine whether we become enemies or allies from now on, Wilnel-chan!"

"Let’s see… I suppose my favorite is Ashley-sama. The ‘my little kitten’ nickname is definitely a moe point. I want to kidnap him. Or rather, I want to make him submit and see his frustrated face."

"...Wilnel-chan, you were my soul’s best friend all along…!"

Some rather disturbing words about Ashley had been uttered, but before she knew it, Wilnel and Ginny had become best friends. The problem was Rick, who looked like Ashley, and Parfait braced herself, thinking there might be some trouble ahead.