kscans

Chapter 499 - The Lucky Clan

On the day of the PvP video shoot, Parfait and her group went to the base of the clan "Fight☆Club."

The members consisted of Parfait, Natsu, Chris, Ginny, Cynthia, and Xenobia. Rick was working behind the scenes in another location, Abel couldn’t make it due to work, and Wilnel, although she had managed to clear her schedule, had to deal with the work that had piled up as a result and tearfully informed them that she couldn’t participate.

Today was a clan-wide event day, so many players had come to hang out at the base.

Although the clan "Fight☆Club" was small, it was large enough to have a base in the Spirit Country, so while it couldn’t compare to the area around the World Tree, many people had gathered.

The majority of them were looking forward to the PvP videos, as that was the clan’s main focus. Of course, there would be a real-time video stream, but many people preferred to see it in person within AFO rather than just watching a video, so they had come to the event venue.

However, the fact that Parfait would be participating had not been made public. It was being treated as a secret for now. The reason for the large crowd was also due to the major clans that Rick had invited.

The strongest major clan, "Bandit Clan," the maidens with a weakness for sweets, "Knights of Sweets," the cat worshippers, "Cats are God," and the dinosaur lovers from "Cretaceous" were also present.

Only Highway Star couldn’t make it due to a scheduling conflict, but even so, more people had gathered than there were members of "Fight☆Club," and they were all waiting for the event to begin.

A large stage had been set up in the center of the base, with many chairs arranged in front of it for the audience.

Parfait and her group were about to wait there for the event to start, but they noticed someone exuding an unusual aura.

A player in crimson armor was sitting restlessly at the edge of the audience seating. It seemed others found them strange as well, as no one was sitting in the surrounding chairs.

They were wearing a helmet that concealed their face, so it was impossible to tell who it was. However, upon seeing the woman in a black Gothic Lolita dress standing behind them, Parfait understood everything.

The woman in the Gothic Lolita dress was wearing a rose-like mask that covered her eyes, but from any angle, she was unmistakably Rosalie. That being the case, the person in the crimson armor was undoubtedly Lunaria.

She was sitting with her legs neatly together, her hands clasped on her lap, hunched over and darting her eyes around restlessly. Parfait hesitated, unsure if she should approach her.

First of all, she didn’t know why she was here. She had thought Lunaria would be watching on video, but then Xenobia, who had come with them, trotted over to her.

After exchanging a few words, Lunaria turned to face Parfait’s group and gave a small wave. Parfait and the others gave a slight bow in return.

When Xenobia came back, she let out a sudden sigh.

"She came incognito, apparently."

"Ah, I see. But is she really incognito?"

"She said her face isn’t showing, so it’s fine, with full confidence."

She seemed to be standing out more than blending in, but apparently, it wasn’t a problem. She had apparently greeted the clan leader, Break, through Rosalie, who strangely said his face had been twitching.

"Is Rosalie-san here as a bodyguard?"

"Lunaria-chan is shy, so she has trouble on her own. And she’s here to keep her in check if she goes berserk…"

"She goes berserk…?"

"Well, not exactly berserk, but when she gets excited, there’s a high chance she’ll try to start a PvP match."

Rosalie’s scythe apparently had a skill that could temporarily amplify her STR, which was how she could stop a rampaging Lunaria.

Wondering if that was really okay, Parfait saw Break walk onto the stage.

"Thanks for coming to our clan’s event today. We don’t have much to offer, but please enjoy yourselves."

The audience cheered at his words.

"Our main thing is matches, but we’ve got other stuff too. Let’s save the matches for last and enjoy some music first!"

With that, Break took out an electric guitar-style instrument called a Big Rock. Behind him, about five men and women in similar attire and sunglasses walked onto the stage.

And the performance began.

Parfait wasn’t an expert on music, but she could tell it was a famous rock song. She couldn’t comment on the technical aspects, but seeing him play with such enjoyment was enough to get her own excitement up.

When it came to music, Natsu was the expert, so Parfait looked beside her, but Natsu was gone.

"Where’s Nat-chan?"

"She said she had something to do and slipped away."

That’s what Chris said, but it was unclear why she had slipped away. Parfait suspected she might be calling Ruth, the object of her unrequited love.

As she was thinking about that, Break’s song ended. The majority of the audience gave a standing ovation. Parfait also stood up and applauded.

Amidst the applause, Break walked off the stage. Someone else took his place, and it was Natsu in a black Gothic Lolita dress. She was wearing a black rose eye patch, and had perhaps put on makeup, as her skin was pale and her lipstick was black. She looked terrifying enough to encounter on a dark street.

"Huh? What’s going on? Chris-chan, do you know anything?"

"I haven’t heard anything, but isn’t she going to perform a song?"

"Since when…?"

"Believe it or not, Natsu-san’s outfit was prepared by me and Cynthia-san!"

Ginny said, and Cynthia nodded in agreement.

"She didn’t want to change her military uniform, so we prepared another outfit and overlaid a new design on top of it. Kuuuh! Just as I thought, Natsu-shi is also a beauty na! My heart has been drooling ever since I saw her zo! Jururi!"

"Cynthia-chan, calm down. And hide your true self."

Parfait understood she was getting excited, but the gap between her appearance and her behavior was so extreme that it was confusing the people around them.

While this was happening, music started to play. Natsu took the microphone and opened her mouth.

Let’s be together in the next life, you said.
Such a person as you is a berserker.
What are you saying, my dear?
This life is just fine, isn’t it?
I will follow your path.
Even if it is a path of madness.
Let us fall together.

Now, please listen.
Valhalla Lunatic Road.

Everyone was dumbfounded, and Parfait was no different.

"What was that?"

"Isn’t that a spoken introduction? Natsu said it’s common in enka."

As Chris explained, Natsu raised only the little finger of her right hand, which held the microphone. Then she clenched her left hand into a fist.

"Wiiith youuuuu, Iiii swooooore, at Yggdraaaaasiiil—"

"Ah, this song."

"It’s Natsu’s original song. She made a lot of changes to the title and lyrics, but I guess it’s finished."

"Come now, Parfait-san, Chris-san, let’s use these to cheer for her!"

Ginny took out colorful fans and happi coats and handed them to Parfait and the others. The fans had "Natsu Love" written on them and were decorated with glitter, and the backs of the happi coats had "Natsu Life" written on them.

"Um, this is a bit…"

As a young lady, Parfait wanted to decline, but Cynthia was even wearing a headband that said "Natsu is the Best," had put the happi coat on over her dress, and was cheering with all her might. Moreover, her fan seemed to have a light stick function, as it was glowing. She was so boisterous, you’d never believe she was an introvert.

Parfait had thought Chris was on her side, but she put on the happi coat over her maid outfit without a second thought and was waving the fan with graceful movements.

She had no choice. Parfait resigned herself to her fate, put the happi coat on over her nun’s habit, and waved the fan. And she joined in with the cheers.

The song had lacked excitement at first, but thanks to the full-throated support of Parfait and her friends, cheers began to rise from the surrounding crowd, and now it was a huge success.

No one besides Parfait’s group knew the song, but many people seemed to be captivated by Natsu’s beautiful voice with its enka-style vibrato, and everyone was cheerfully joining in with the cheers.

When the song ended, Natsu closed her eyes and turned to the side. She slowly raised the hand holding the microphone to the heavens, and with a halo of light, red rose petals swirled up on the stage. It was a vampire emote called "Ecstatic Blood."

Another standing ovation. Apparently, the choice of emote for a song or performance was a matter of taste, and people around them were saying that was high in artistic merit.

Glancing over at Lunaria, Parfait saw that she was also clapping softly while seated. Rosalie, standing behind her, had her hand on her chin and was looking like a hunter who had found her prey. It was hard to tell if her target was Natsu herself or her clothes, but since it was an original Gothic Lolita outfit, Parfait decided it was probably the clothes.

Natsu left the stage, but the songs and performances continued, and after a few more acts, Break took the stage again.

"I’m glad to see the place has warmed up. Now, for what you’ve all been waiting for—what the?"

Break looked up at the sky. Following his lead, everyone else looked up as well.

Despite it being daytime, a giant moon was floating in the sky.

"Kukuku, the moon knows everything…!"

A familiar voice echoed, and a small black dot appeared in the center of the moon, gradually growing larger. Eventually, it became a black moon.

"Hey, hey, you’ve got to be kidding me. They’re coming to an event this small…?"

Break’s voice was filled with annoyance, and from the crowd, words like "Seriously?" "Haven’t seen them in a while," and "An AFO-certified clan!" could be heard.

Parfait and her friends had no idea what was going on and were looking puzzled when Xenobia gave a wry smile.

"Ah, maybe Nat-chan let it slip?"

"M-me? What about me?"

Natsu, who had just returned after changing back into her usual military uniform, also didn’t understand the situation and asked Xenobia.

"Well, there’s a clan that crashes events, you see. They usually crash Kiss of Death’s events, but they also show up uninvited to player-hosted events that are getting a lot of attention."

"What a troublesome clan. But what does that have to do with me?"

"The name of that clan is ‘The Whale That Drinks the Moon and Its Merry Friends.’"

"…That name is…!"

Ignoring the shocked Natsu, a world announcement echoed.

"A Stampede has occurred in the Spirit Country. The Whale That Drinks the Moon has begun its invasion with its friends. Please engage and repel it. I repeat—"

Natsu froze as if time had stopped. But she quickly snapped out of it.

"That’s my mother! And she’s being treated as a Stampede!? Why!?"

"Because they crash events. Oh, but it does liven up the event. That’s why the organizers also call them the Lucky Clan."

"That’s no consolation at all…!"

Immediately after, four lights shot up behind Break on the stage. Inside the lights, people were standing. Parfait could only see their silhouettes, so she couldn’t be sure, but based on the information so far, she had a good idea.

It was Natsu’s mother, Noat, her friend Parsha, and her retainers, Blanc and Noir. Just like Lunaria, who was applauding, Parfait wanted to ask what these adults were doing.

A figure that looked like Noat stepped forward from the light. It was undoubtedly Noat, wearing ancient Greek-style clothing and a butterfly mask that covered the upper half of her face, just like Rosalie’s. The glitter on the mask was sparkling.

"To think you would try to have fun without me, how ridiculous. Now, bow down before my song…!"

The remaining three took out violins and began to play while dancing. Noat raised the little finger of the hand holding the microphone, and a smug look that was visible even through her mask appeared on her face.

Parfait gently patted the back of Natsu, who had covered her face with both hands and curled up in her chair.