Vol.2 Chapter 37

“W-what an instant turnaround! Not only can her weapon shift into a scythe, but it can also turn into a spear! What kind of weapon skill does she possess and just how many weapons can she switch to?!”

As I sat there, hearing their thunderous applause even from this isolated room, my heart swelled with a mix of emotions. At that moment, I realized that this overwhelming feeling coursing through my veins was undeniably pride. Pride, like a warm embrace, wrapped around me, bringing with it a sense of fulfillment.

Is this what it feels like to be proud of someone’s accomplishment? You’ve really improved a lot, Aria. I think even I can’t move as fluently as you did with your weapon skill and how well you choose the perfect weapon for the given circumstances to suit your needs. The split decision-making skills to do what you did was nothing short of phenomenal. Above all, you found your own way of playing the game by accumulating all the things you learned and refining them to suit your own.

Yet, beneath the surface of my pride, I felt a twinge of sadness. It was that fleeting pang of realization that my role as her mentor already ended. I guess I have nothing to teach you anymore since you’re already this strong…

“We will be having a short break, but stay tuned for the finals to know who will be crowned as the strongest player in the U-20 league!” the caster’s voice brought me back from my melancholic thoughts.

It seems they have to prepare for the finals. I’m a bit disappointed since I’m quite eager to watch the finals, but I guess it can’t be helped. They need to set up the stage for the finale after all.

“You were really into it huh?” Liz, who was sitting next to me suddenly caught my attention.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked not sure what she was getting at.

“What I meant was that I see you making some interesting faces, I've never seen you this expressive. You really are rooting for Ria, huh? I'm getting quite jealous now." Liz teased.

“T-that's only natural. If you were fighting there, I'd also root for you. Also, don't tell me you're looking at my face instead of watching the match." I nonchalantly said as I tried to hide my embarrassment. What kind of faces was I even making?!

“Hehe, looking at your ever-changing expression gives me as much satisfaction as watching the match itself," Liz gave me a playful wink that made my heart skip a beat.

"There you go again with your lame jokes," she's been saying things like that recently and I'm sure she's just messing with me. "It was a good match. You should've paid attention to it." I changed the subject as I tried to calm myself.

"Hmm... Maybe, but I already know who will win," she with certainty. "I've had the chance to experience Ria's strength firsthand during our practice matches. I think the current her is impossible for her to lose to anyone in one versus one."

"I see... I hope you learned a lot from your practice sessions with Aria and Lucy."

"Oh, for sure! But what I'm really glad about is getting to know more about my idol straight from her protégé! You know what I heard from Ria? Turns out Yuusha may seem all distant and stuff, but deep down, she actually really cares about her guild a lot!" she gushed, showing her fangirling side.

"O-oh really? That's interesting," I replied noncommittally, not quite liking where this was going.

For her part, Liz seemed excited to share more about Yuusha's character, which is bad for me. "Ria told me that Yuusha never parties with anyone to complete the guild quests, but she specifically chooses the ones that are challenging for newbie guild members to handle on their own!" she exclaimed.

"Well, maybe she just wants to take on the harder quests for better rewards?" I immediately tried to downplay her overblown thoughts of my character.

Liz shook her head, disagreeing with my assessment. "No, I don't think that's the reason. Ria later found out from Celeste that Yuusha actually donates all the quest materials and resources she obtains towards improving the guild when it was just starting out!"

“W-whoah that’s great…” I tried to fake enthusiasm.

I mean, what else am I supposed to do? Hearing yourself getting praised by your friend even though she doesn’t know she was praising you kinda feels.. odd? I need to change the subject or something. When Liz gets talking about my old avatar, she usually never lets up with how enthusiastic she is.

“I know right!?” she exclaimed, happy to hear converging opinions about her idol.

In an attempt to divert the conversation from Liz's fangirling, I shifted my attention around the room, searching for an opportunity to change the topic. As I glanced around, I noticed Clarence engaged in a conversation with Chu, his demeanor void of any signs of sadness. It was surprising to see him seemingly unaffected by his recent defeat. I had initially expected him to be more heartbroken by the loss, but it appeared that he had managed to bounce back and regain his spirits. I felt relieved knowing that he had already found a way to cheer himself up.

“Hey Kat, are you listening?” sensing I was getting lost in my own thoughts again, Liz asked to confirm her audience’s attention.

“H-huh, y-yeah of course! It’s just, uhm, nature calls so… I'll be right back!” I quickly responded, expertly fabricating a lie to excuse myself from the unavoidable topic.

"Want me to come with?" Liz offered to accompany me.

I shook my head and replied, "No, it's alright. Just stay here and enjoy the post-match analysis. You know how I'm not a fan of going in the bathroom together."

“Alright… be careful…” she said as I successfully made my escape.

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As I made my way towards the hallway outside, I caught sight of one of the rooms designated for the participants. Glancing at the door, I noticed a label affixed to it that read ‘Paragons.’

“So, this is their room, huh?” I murmured to myself.

Having used the excuse of needing to go to the comfort room to escape the conversation with Liz, I realized that I didn't actually have the need to use it. Instead of wasting time walking around without purpose, might as well take this moment to congratulate Aria on her impressive performance since I’m already here. I also want to wish her the best of luck for the upcoming finals since I sincerely hope she wins the whole thing.

With that in mind, I veered away from the comfort room and made my way toward their room, ready to extend my heartfelt congratulations and offer my support to my friend.

“….”

“….”

“….”

I stood at the door for a while, hesitating. Now that I'm here... What should I say to her even? While Aria herself may not mind my presence, her teammates might view it differently, especially since our collaboration had already ended and we would be facing each other in the main tournament the following day.

Hmm… Should I just go back? No, Liz would get suspicious since I wasn’t away for that very long.

Contemplating what to do next when a sudden familiar voice caught me out of my musings.

"Oh! Are you here to congratulate Aria too? She did amazing, didn't she?" the lively voice exclaimed enthusiastically.

As I turned around, I recognized an acquaintance, a muscular individual with a cheerful smile. His… no… her eyes were filled with genuine happiness, almost as if she was encountering a dear friend—which, in a way, we probably were.

Seeing another person with her, my attention shifted to the other figure standing beside Celeste. Clad in enigmatic attire, he seemed to be in his mid-20s dressed in a large coat with his face mask on along with a complementary wide-brimmed hat to further hide his face. Sensing that my attention was on him he took off his mask to reveal a familiar face, a face I’ve seen a couple of times in the interviews on the pro scene.

"You know her, Calah?" the person in Celeste's company asked, curious about our connection.

"Hehehe... Hahahaha. Of course, I do," Celeste responded suspiciously, a mischievous tone in her voice. "Not only is she an important friend to Aria, but she's also quite recently become a close friend of mine, hehe."

Stop it, please! You're making it worse with the way you act!

Tactical sighed and Celeste’s display of immaturity. "Please excuse her… quirkiness… for a lack of a better word.”

"It's... it's alright," I responded in a barely audible voice. I’m already used to her antics so her acting like this doesn’t surprise me one bit.

“Hey, don't go calling me weird! Also, Novo here is one of the most hardworking players in our alliance so we are pretty close.” She gave me a knowing wink before continuing. She has been a tremendous help to our guild. More than you ever have."

Tactical's response contained a hint of defensiveness. "Sorry for being occupied with my preparations for professional matches."

"But you're not a pro anymore, so why not contribute more to the guild?" Celeste challenged him.

"I... I'll think about it," Tactical replied, his focus shifting towards me. He then directed his question at me. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Katherine, right?"

“You know me?” I said warily while glancing at Celeste. Did she already tell him about me? No, if that’s the case, this conversation would go a separate route from what is happening now.

"Yeah, there's been something I've been wanting to discuss with you," Tactical replied.

Curiosity piqued, I asked him. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"I'm sure you're already aware of who I am, considering you're playing CoA as well," he confidently stated. "I'll explain what I need your help with later. As a token of appreciation for your time, I'll even offer you an autograph."

I almost scoffed at him but thankfully held it back just in the nick of time. It seems that his tendency to be boastful remains unchanged. It’s quite nostalgic, really. It brings back a lot of memories of how self-assured he always is which brought a smile to my face.

"But before we dive into that, let's head inside first. I assume you're here to congratulate your friend for her win, right?" he continued, his gaze filled with understanding.

I nodded. Might as well use this opportunity to go with them. It might be a bit weird, but I do feel a lot more relaxed when I'm with these two. Especially since the rest of the new Paragons know them so they can take the brunt of the attention.

Celeste casually swung the door open without bothering to knock, much to Tactical's apparent exasperation. Despite his frustration, Tactical reluctantly followed her into the room. The carefree behavior displayed by Celeste starkly contrasted with the more reserved and cautious attitude of Tactical, brings back a whole lot of memories.

Without allowing myself to be distracted by nostalgic thoughts, I promptly followed Celeste and Tactical into the room where four individuals stared at us.

"Hello, everyone! How have you all been?" Celeste greeted cheerfully, bringing an air of positivity into the room.

Lucy, surprised by Celeste's unexpected arrival, expressed her excitement. "Celeste! You didn't mention that you were coming to watch the matches today! I thought I had to wait another day to see you!" Moving swiftly towards Celeste, Lucy embraced her in a warm and friendly hug, which Celeste returned. Their shared practice of jiu-jitsu made such close physical contact feel natural for them.

"I was wondering who I heard talking by the door. So, it was the two of you," Seer remarked, directing a nod towards Tactical.

Blitz, always quick to lighten the mood, added a playful remark. "And it seems you've brought one of our future opponents along."

"We happened to run into her by the door and noticed that she seemed hesitant to come inside. It seemed to me that she wanted to congratulate her friend on her win so I suggested that we enter together since she appeared a bit shy," Tactical explained, providing context for my presence.

The heck, Tactical! You never fail to amaze me with your perceptive nature, accurately picking up on what I was going through internally. But please don't share it with them in such a straightforward manner—it's a tad embarrassing for me!

“Katherine? You’re here for me?” Aria said with an unreadable expression.

“…Yeah, good job on your last fight. I never knew you were already this strong…” I gave my honest opinion, giving her a genuine smile in the process.

"N-naturally, I am Yuusha's one and only protégé after all, so it's to be expected," she responded, her gaze slightly averted. There was a hint of embarrassment in her tone, likely due to the context of our shared understanding that only she and I were privy to… and Celeste included, I guess.

We chatted for a little while longer (mostly Celeste and Tactical with the other Paragon members) until one of the staff came to remind Aria that the tournament would continue and she was needed on the stage.