CH 226

Data.216 – Old Bowman, Forget Time

The battles were 30 minutes…

The battle had been so ferocious that I had forgotten all about that rule.

Well, even before the battle, it wasn’t something I put much thought into.

After all, none of our battles, or the others we watched, had ever continued until the time limit.

And yet, it was because of this rule that we won.

The great black boomerang would have shredded the clock tower that even I’m Arrow couldn’t scratch, and I would have been cleaved into two.

Just a few seconds more… No, just a fraction of a second longer, and we would have lost the battle…

If I had died, then the remaining players would be 1 vs 1.

And then it would be sudden death, where the battle would continue until one player died.

If that happened…then the result would be obvious.

“While we did win, it doesn’t really feel like it…”

When the battle ended, so did my fall.

I was now floating lightly in the air.

I would have to wait for Charin’s warp in this state.

Just floating here…

‘Now, the surviving players will be warped back to the waiting area!’

After we were warped back to the waiting area, we were greeted by the passionate cheers of the spectators.

However, I couldn’t rejoice in the same way as previous battles.

But since it would be rude to ignore them, I smiled back.

We were just saved by the rules of the game…

That was my conclusion.

As players, we weren’t anywhere near her level… Well, that was going too far. But there was clearly a difference in ability.

If it was 1 vs 1, I wouldn’t win even if I fought her 100 times.

But a win is a win, and it was a rule that was in place from the beginning. So this was no different from real sports. So there was no need for me to feel so small…

Though, that didn’t change the fact that I felt conflicted about it.

Could I really go into the final battle in this state…?

“Ah, there you are. Hey, Necoco! Hey, old man!”

The person who was calling to us was…Macoco Strange!

I had assumed she was a cool and stoic person, so I didn’t think she would meet us as soon as the battle was over…!

“Wh-what did she want…”

“Ah, it sounds kind of strange when I say it out loud, but it’s been a while since I enjoyed playing so much that I forgot about the time.”

“Ah, huh…”

She seemed very different all of a sudden…

She used to have this enlightened look about her, and had been mostly serious during the battle. But now she was laughing.

It wasn’t the laugh of a dry, mysterious woman, but of a carefree girl.

“Had I known that there was so little time left, I would have attacked with fewer breaks in between and killed you all.”

She said it so nonchalantly…!

“But I doubt that I would have been able to remember. It was so fun fighting you both, and you kept me pretty busy.”

“You’re being modest… You looked completely composed the entire time.”

“Really? Well, I’m not all-powerful, so I was actually quite frantic, you know? I think that my facial muscles have slackened recently, so it just doesn’t show on my face.”

“…Really?”

“Really, really. I don’t like having to deal with you when you disappear, Necoco. While I can still sense your presence a little, it’s scary when you can’t see your enemy. Also, I was surprised with your shooting sensibilities, old man. Most players would start missing once I apply pressure with my boomerangs. But your accuracy remained on point. Some people say that I’m a monster, but I think that if anyone is a monster, it’s you.”

“Ahaha. Hehehe…”

I had no idea if she was joking or…

And so I didn’t know how to respond…!

But even if she was joking slightly, I didn’t think she was lying.

She clearly felt threatened by Necoco’s invisibility, and my shooting ability as well.

Perhaps we had been pushing back more than we thought.

Well, she still pushed and punished us even more…

In any case, my impression of Macoco Strange had changed.

She too was just someone who liked games.

She just happened to also be very good, and loved boomerangs.

“Aunt!”

“What!?”

“What!?”

Necoco had been silent up until now, but she suddenly raised her voice. And so both Macoco and I were surprised.

“Wh-what is it, Necoco?”

“I…what did you think of my playing?”

“I was surprised. You’ve improved a lot since the last time we played together. I think you’re actually better than me when it comes to making quick decisions?”

“Re-really!?”

“…Sorry, I was exaggerating a little.”

“I see…”

“I do wish that I could say that. But, it would be rude to twist the truth as well…so I take it back. It’s true that you’ve grown, but you haven’t caught up to me yet. You need more experience.”

Well, that was no surprise…

The two of us were still losing.

And I’m sure that Necoco knew this as well.

Still, she seemed a little shocked to hear it so bluntly. And she looked a little depressed.

Macoco became frantic when she noticed this.

This aunt and niece were…pretty awkward.

“No, I should not be saying such things when I’m the loser here! That was just my personal opinion. Besides, you proved that you have the better party. So have more confidence…okay?”

“Okay…”

But saying we had a great party was not that encouraging for Necoco.

We had won in spite of being weaker than her. It was because of the whole party and the rules that we were saved.

In a way, Necoco’s plan to hold back Macoco had failed.

After all, both Anne and Satomi had been killed…

Now that I had heard what Macoco had to say, I was feeling better about having won, but Necoco felt differently.

But it was no good for her to be so gloomy now.

After all, we had to…

“Hmph. There’s no reason to be so sad just because you lost to me. Of course, I am stronger than you! You can’t beat me so easily!”

The aunt…was saying something again…!

“If I was someone who you could catch up to with just a little effort, then you wouldn’t have looked up to me in the first place, would you? Look…it’s awkward for me to say this, but….you look up to me because I’m so much stronger…”

“…Hehehe, that’s right. You’re not the kind of person that would lose to someone like me!”

“Ye-yes! I won’t lose!”

“But didn’t you know? There are other reasons that I look up to you as well.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Like that!”

Necoco said as she flung her arms around her aunt.

Macoco hugged her back, but she had a puzzled expression.

Well…this was a relief, at least.

Perhaps it was because the person in front of me was not as special as you’d think after hearing how they talked about her in the virtual occult.

Those kinds of rumors really were unreliable…

“Were you surprised? That’s the real Macoco.”

“Wh-who said that!? Where did that voice…”

“Below! Look down!”

“Woah!?”

When I looked down, I saw Vera Velvet.

While she was quite short, it was quite rude to not notice her at all…

“Old man…! You’re not as dense as I thought!”

Vera gave me a thumbs up.

She seemed very happy for some reason. And since she complimented me, I wouldn’t apologize.

“So, what do you mean that’s the real Macoco…”

“Macoco was never as cool as some think. She was more loud and cute. However, after the AUO incident, she stopped playing games for a while and became closed off… She seems cheerful now, but up until the fight, she looked like she had left her heart somewhere far away.”

“And so she’s back to her old self now?”

“It looks that way. I haven’t seen Macoco laugh like this in a long time! The battle with you two must have been very fun for her! Wounds from a game can only be healed with a game!”

As for me, I hadn’t been able to enjoy it like that. But I didn’t mind hearing that someone else had fun.

If anything, I should feel proud?

But leaving that aside, something smelled occultic…

What was this about being hurt after the AUO incident…?

“…It’s better if you don’t ask, old man.”

“I-I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s on your face! But you have another battle to fight, so you shouldn’t be thinking about other things! Take the win first! The Ghost Guild must win! I’ll be rooting for you!”

Vera said what she wanted to and then left.

Perhaps she just wanted to share the joy of seeing the old Macoco Strange again with someone.

But that was a surprise.

Anne usually jumped in whenever there was talk of something occultic… It was when I thought this that I noticed that Anne was talking to a member of the other party. Achile Alstar.

I didn’t know what they were talking about, but when they were finished, Anne had a satisfied expression on her face.

I usually wouldn’t ask about what two women were talking about, but since I was so curious this time, I took the plunge.

Her answer…was an occultic one.

“When learning of the unknown, I think that you do lose a sense of romanticism. However, knowing something can lead to a new unknown. If you don’t know, then you won’t know that you don’t know. And so I will continue to pursue, and not be afraid of learning. And so I am able to love the new neighbor.”

“…What the hell…”

That was the only thing I could say.

No, I had an idea of what she meant, but I could not think of the right answer.

Still, it looked like the two had become friends.

She had fought Achile during the battle, and it was nice when something like that could lead to a friendship!

When I thought of it like this, I felt that everyone looked more happy now than when we first met.

The atmosphere…was that of a happy ending.

Satomi and Core had reconciled, Necoco was now closer to her aunt, and Anne made a new friend.

As for me…well, I wasn’t satisfied yet.

Well, I’m sure that once the battle started, the others would all feel the same.

The most important thing still remained.

The tournament to decide the strongest party in NSO…the final battle!

If we win, the glory and great prize money would be ours…!

Of course, our opponent was the strongest guild, VRHAR!