「それにしても、ユーミルさんは元からとして先輩も一気に有名プレイヤーになりましたよねぇ。よいしょ」
「おわっ! そ、そうだね......」
「変わった呼び名ですよね! 確か――」
「本体だね、うん......」
「リプレイ見ましたよ! グループ最終戦は手に汗握って――どうしたんですかハインド先輩? そんなに落ち着かない様子で」
「そんなの......シエスタちゃんが俺の膝の上に乗ってるからだろうが! 二人とも止めてくれよ、周りからの視線が痛いっ、刺さるっ!」
無理矢理降ろして席に座らせると、三人は同時に片手を後頭部にやって舌を出した。
そんなところばっかり息ぴったりなのが納得いかねえ......。
その上、三人とも元気が有り過ぎて一人で対応するのがしんどくなってきた。
そろそろ誰か来てくれないかな......。
「......」
と思っていたらフードの付いたローブを着た、怪しい人物が俺達の前に立った。
そのまま無言で腕組みをし、暫く動かずにいたのだが――俺が何も言わずに黙って見返していると、プルプルと震え出した。
何か言えよ、反応しろよ、という隠し切れない感情が表へ漏れ出している。
はぁ......。
「ユーミ――」
「じゃーん! なんと私でした!」
我慢できなかったのか、俺が言い終わる前にユーミルがローブを脱いで姿を現した。
様子を窺って黙っていたリコリスちゃんとサイネリアちゃんが、その姿に瞬時に笑顔の花を咲かせる。
「「ユーミルさん!」」
そのままキャッキャッとじゃれつき出したので、放っておくことにした。
椅子に深く座り直し、やや長く息を吐く。
やっと負担が分散したぜ......。
直ぐにすすっとシエスタちゃんが寄ってくるが、一人ならまだなんとかなる。
「先輩先輩、どうしてユーミルさんはローブなんて着ていたんです? あれってアバター作製の時に受け取れる、姿を隠すための物ですよね?」
「ああ。あいつ、俺なんか比較にならないくらい他のプレイヤーに周知されてるからさ。騒ぎにならないように念のためだよ、念のため。それと迂闊なことをしないように、目立つのが苦手な人に付き添ってもらってたはずなんだけど......」
「目立つのが苦手......先輩、その人ってもしかしてあそこに居ませんか?」
シエスタちゃんの指差した先を辿ると......。
ユーミルと同じ様にローブを着た人影が、俺達の席のやや後ろ――通路で雑談している迷惑な団体プレイヤーに阻まれ、通れずにオロオロしていた。
「せ、セレーネさぁぁぁぁんっ!」
どうにかそのプレイヤー達を押しのけてセレーネさんを救出すると、手を引いてそのまま元居た席まで連れてくることに成功。
三人娘との簡単な自己紹介を緊張しながら交わしたセレーネさんは、それが終わると暫し座席でぐったりとしていた。
「お疲れ様でしたセレーネさん。ユーミルのこと、ありがとうございました」
「い、良いんだよ。私から言い出したことだし」
騒ぎにならなかったところを見ると、どうやら上手く移動してきてくれたようだ。
最後の最後で、ユーミルが俺達を見つけて駆け出したせいで取り残されたみたいだが。
「それと、本当に大丈夫ですか? 三人も初対面の人間が居て、その上ミツヨシさんも後から来ますけど」
「年下の女の子なら何とか......それとミツヨシさんはとても落ち着いた感じだったし、二度目だから多分大丈夫」
――おお、セレーネさんが人見知り改善に向けて頑張っている。
ちなみに「私に遠慮せずにフレンドの人を呼んで」と言い出したのは彼女の方からだった。
「ユーミルさんの鎧を作ったのって、セレーネさんなんですか!?」
不意に自分の名前が聞こえてきたことで、セレーネさんが少し緊張した様子を見せる。
どうもユーミルの防具について、三人で話しているようだ。
「うむ。セッちゃんは一流の鍛冶師だぞ! 鎧について詳しく聞きたければ、本人に
ねるといい!」
「デザインも素敵ですよねえ......あの、セレーネさん。お話を窺っても宜しいですか?」
サイネリアちゃんに呼び掛けられ、セレーネさんはびくりと肩を震わせつつ返事をした。
そのまま鎧について色々と質問されたり褒められたりで、おっかなびっくりだがきちんと受け答えが出来ているようだった。
良い傾向......だな、うん。何故か多少の寂しさも感じるけれど。
「先輩、娘を嫁にやる父親みたいな顔になってますよ」
「嘘!? って、どういう顔だよそれ! 見たことあんの?」
「親戚のオジサンが、娘さんの披露宴で同じ表情をしていました。そっくりです」
えええ......というか、どうしてもシエスタちゃんは俺をオッサン扱いしたいらしい。
何度も言われると本当に老け込みそうだからやめてほしい、切に。
その後、残りの三人の内ミツヨシさんが最初に合流。
女性ばかりの面子を見て「華やかだねえ」と感想を漏らすと、瞬く間に場に馴染んで雑談の輪へと加わった。
続けてトビが、最後にリィズが到着したわけだが......。
「......?」
リィズは到着するなり、俺の隣に座ったシエスタちゃんをじっと見たまま動かない。
事前にこういう子達が来ると言ってあったはずなのだが......。
そして何を思ったのか、シエスタちゃんに向けてビッと指を差して一言。
「アウト」
「ちょっと待てリィズこっち来い!」
セレーネさんの時も大概だったが、初対面でこれは余りにも失礼すぎる。
さすがのシエスタちゃんも少しムッとした顔になった。
皆から少し離れた位置にリィズを連れて行ってお説教し、改めて最初からやり直し。
「......失礼しました。初めまして、ハインドさんの妹のリィズです」
「へえ、妹さんですか。ふーん......なるほどぉ......」
「ね、ねえサイちゃん。二人ともなんか怖くない?」
「う、うん。どうしてだろうね?」
そのまま挨拶を交わし、二人の内心はともかく表面上は何も無かった。
但し席順は変更され、俺の両隣はシエスタちゃんとユーミルからトビとミツヨシさんへ。
こうした方が良いと言って割り振ったのはミツヨシさんで、「ハインド君の人間関係は酷いな!」とげらげら笑っていた。酷い......のか?
そうこうしている内に、初戦に出場するプレイヤーが舞台に現れた。
トーナメント一戦目から、優勝候補が堂々の登場である。
「あ、来た来た! うおーっ! 兄貴ー!」
「トビ君、ノリノリだな。兄貴?」
「ああ、俺達は前に彼に会ったことがあるんです。それ以来、こいつ傭兵アルベルトのファンなんですよ。フレンド登録もしているし」
「なるほどね。でも、賭けるのはハインド君たちなのか」
「それとこれとは話が別! でござるよ!」
大剣を背負った筋骨隆々な大男と、同じく大斧を背負ったツインテールの少女。
あれがフィリアちゃんか......二人の姿に、満員になった闘技場内は大歓声だ。
それとアルベルトの兄貴、俺達が売った剣をまだ使っているようだった。
あの群を抜いた攻撃力なら、今回のイベントで持ち替えなくても破壊力は現役だろうけれど。
それはあくまで重量と扱いにくさを考慮に入れなければ、の話ではあるのだが。
そして対面に見える一部せり出した貴賓席には、各国首脳であるNPC達が来場しているそうだ。
残念ながらここからでは姿がほとんど見えないが、皇帝陛下や女王様、他の国の元首や王も勢揃いということらしい。
近くに座れたプレイヤーがスクリーンショットを公開してくれることを期待しよう。
さて、視線を舞台の上に戻すと......。
「相手は盗賊エドワードと弓兵アイリス......軽戦士と弓術士のコンビか。トビとミツヨシさんと一緒だな」
「それにしても、思っていたのと違って実況の類は無いのでござるな......これだと予選と一緒では?」
「いや、待て。貴賓席の様子が変だぞ?」
ミツヨシさんがそう言った直後、貴賓席から赤い影が宙へと飛び出した。
そのまま勢いよく舞台に着地。
何事もなかったようにすっと立ち上がったその人物は、言うまでもなくグラド皇帝その人である。
あの真っ赤な姿は遠目でもそうそう見間違うことはない。
ざわめく闘技場内を制すように、そのまま皇帝は大きなジェスチャーと共に口を開いた。
『諸君! トーナメント最終日の残りの七試合、余自ら審判を務めることをここに宣言しよう! ......言い換えれば、これ以上ない特等席ということでもあるのだがな』
その冗談交じりの言葉に、観客席からささやかな笑いと賛意を示す声が上がる。
張った声は通りが良く、コロッセオの端々まで届いているようだった。
『ふふ、羨ましかろう? まあ、そんな見える景色の違いはあれども、今宵の我らの願いはただ一つ――血沸き肉躍る、熱き戦いの観戦であろう! さあ、共に宴を存分に楽しもうぞぉぉぉっ!』
直後、それに負けない様な爆発的な歓声が巻き起こった。
その興奮が冷めやらぬ内に、皇帝は続けて宣言。
『準々決勝第一試合、傭兵アルベルト・フィリア対盗賊エドワード・弓兵アイリス......始めよっ!』
両コンビが、皇帝が手を振り下ろす合図と共に一斉に動き出す。
――しかし、無情にも決着は一瞬だった。
慎重にヒット&アウェイを狙うエドワードに対し、アルベルトは開始直後から一切の
エドワードが慌てて牽制に一撃入れるものの、ヒットストップ耐性によって突進は止まらず、そして――
「う、わぁっ!?」
「おおっ!?」
俺達の目の前に、細身のエドワードの体が激しく叩きつけられた。
不可視のフィールドにぶつかり、そのまま血飛沫と共にずるずると落ちていく。
地に着いたエドワードが再び動き出す気配は一切なかった。
唖然とした表情のまま視線をアルベルトに戻すと、大剣を振り抜いた体勢のまま静止している。
どれだけ強く踏み込んだのか、足の周りには大量のヒビが走っていた。
「こ、これは驚いた......生で見ると、彼の凄まじさが改めて良く分かるな......」
「重戦士の重量補正があるとはいえ、尋常な振りの速さじゃなかったですね。それも、あの馬鹿デカい剣を......本人の筋力の賜物か......」
「軽戦士でクリティカル込みとはいえ、通常攻撃一発で即死でござるか......拙者、寒気が......」
さっきまで元気に応援していたトビもこの調子だ。
女性陣からは言葉も無く、会場も異様な空気に包まれている。
アルベルトはそれ以上何もせず、フィリアがアイリスを追い詰めて試合が終了した。
『――それまで! ......大会コンセプトを覆す圧倒的な個の力、見せて貰った! 勝者、傭兵アルベルト・フィリアコンビ!』
[That being said, senpai, you sure have gotten really famous quickly thanks to Yumir-san. There we go.]  (Siesta)
[Whoa! Y-You are right...]  (Hind)
[You even got a weird nickname right!? If I remember correctly it was...]  (Lycoris)
[True Self, yup...]  (Cineraria)
[We watched the replays! My hands got sweaty during the group finals...what's wrong, Hind-senpai? You are looking all restless there.]  (Siesta)
[That's...obviously because Siesta-chan is sitting on top of my lap!! Both of you stop her, the stares I'm getting from our vicinity hurt, they are piercing me!]  (Hind)
When I set her down against her will and made her take a seat, the three of them placed a hand behind their head and stuck out their tongues.
I can't really accept just how in sync they are at times like these...
On top of that, since they were that cheerful, I got tired from dealing with them alone.
I wonder if someone will come soon...
[...] 
As I was thinking that, a suspicious person wearing a hood and a robe stood up in front of us.
Like that, she stood with her arms folded and didn't move for a while but...since I stood there without saying a word and just looking back at her, she began to shake.
Say something, at least react, those kind of emotions were leaking from her.
Hah...
[Yumi-] (Hind)
[Tadah! Who would have thought? It was me all along!]  (Yumir)
She probably couldn't hold back anymore, Yumir took off her robe and showed herself before I could even finish saying it.
The moment they saw her, Lycoris-chan and Cineraria-chan, who were just looking at the situation, smiled like blossoming flowers.
[[Yumir-san!!] ]  (Both of them)
Like that, they started getting loud and having fun, so I left them to their own devices.
After sitting down again in my seat, I let a big sigh out.
Finally, a weight has been lifted from my shoulders...
Siesta-chan quietly approached me right away, but I should be able to deal with one of them.
[Senpai senpai, why is Yumir-san wearing a robe? Those are the robes that you get when you create a char and are used to conceal your identity right?]  (Siesta)
[Besides, in order for her to not do anything stupid, she was supposed to be accompanied by someone that didn't like standing out but...]  (Hind)
[A person that dislikes standing out...senpai, isn't that person over there?]  (Siesta)
I followed where Siesta-chan was pointing at...
The person wearing a robe just like Yumir, was far behind from our seats...since her path was being obstructed by players chatting, she couldn't pass through and was panicking.
[S-Selene-saaaaaaaan!!]  (Hind)
Somehow, I was able to push all those players aside, rescue Selene-san and managed to return to our previous seats.
After exchanging some basic introductions nervously with the 3 girls, Selene-san sat limply on her seat.
[Good work out there, Selene-san. Thanks for bringing Yumir here.]  (Hind)
[I-It's fine. I'm the one that suggested it.]  (Selene)
Since it doesn't look like there's been an uproar, it seems like they were able to move around well.
But it looks like at the end, Yumir saw us and broke into a run, which ended up with her being left behind.
[Are you fine? Having 3 people you've seen for the first time here, Mitsuyoshi-san is also going to come later though.]  (Hind)
[I'm sort of fine with girls younger than me...besides, Mitsuyoshi-san looks like the calm type and it's the second time we'll meet, so it'll probably be fine.]  (Selene)
...Ooh, Selene-san sure is working hard to improve on her fear of strangers.
By the way, the one that said [Don't mind me and invite your friends.]  was her.
[The one that made Yumir-san's armor was Selene-san!?] 
Having her name called out suddenly, Selene-san showed signs of feeling nervous.
It seems like they were currently talking about Yumir's defensive gear.
[Umu. Secchan is a top class blacksmith! If you want to hear about it in detail, you should go ask the person itself!]  (Yumir)
[Hyaih! G-Go ahead!!]  (Selene)
[The design is also beautiful...so, Selene-san. Would it be fine if we talked to you?]  (Cineraria)
Having been called by Cineraria-chan, Selene-san's shoulders trembled as she replied.
Like that, they asked questions about the armor and praised her. While she was really nervous, she was able to properly reply to their questions.
It's going...well, yup. For some reason, It feels kind of lonely.
[Senpai, you are making the face of a father sending his daughter to wed.]  (Siesta)
[You are kidding! Wait, what kind of face is even that!? Have you even seen it?]  (Hind)
[An uncle of mine made that same face when he was at his daughter's wedding. It was exactly like yours.]  (Siesta)
Eeeeh...to begin with, it seems like Siesta-chan wants to treat me like an old man no matter what.
If I'm being told it over and over, I'll really start getting old so I wish she stopped, really.
After that, Mitsuyoshi-san was the first one of the remaining three to appear.
When he saw that the lineup was full of girls, he let out a [So glamorous.]  and in a blink of an eye, he was already part of the group and participating in conversations.
Then it was Tobi and the last one was Riizu but...
[...?] (Siesta)
Riizu arrived and without moving, she stared at Siesta-chan, who was seated next to me.
I'm pretty sure I told her these girls were coming beforehand though...
Then, as if she had thought of something, she headed towards Siesta-chan and said one word while pointing at her.
[Out.]  (Riizu)
[Wait a moment Riizu, come over here!]  (Hind)
It was the same as that time with Selene-san, but it was far too rude for a first meeting.
As expected, Siesta-chan looked a bit offended.
I took her to a place a bit far from there and after giving her a sermon, I had her do it again from the beginning.
[...I apologize. Nice to meet you, I'm Hind-san's little sister Riizu.]  (Riizu)
[Eh, so you are the little sister. Fuun...I see...]  (Siesta)
[H-Hey, Sai-chan. Aren't those two a bit scary?]  (Lycoris)
[Y-Yup. I wonder what's going on?]  (Cineraria)
Like that they exchanged greetings and, leaving aside their inner thoughts, nothing happened on the surface.
However there was a change in the seating order, on both of my sides, instead of Siesta-chan and Yumir, it changed to Tobi and Mitsuyoshi-san.
The one that said it was better that way and assigned the positions was Mitsuyoshi-san, who said [Hind-kun's human relationships are terrible!] , while laughing. Are they...terrible?
Meanwhile, the first participants appeared on the stage.
The favorites made a grand entrance in the first battle of the tournament.
[Ah, he's here!! Uooooh!! Aniki!!]  (Tobi)
[Tobi-kun sure is in high spirits. Aniki?]  (Selene)
[Ah, we met him before. Since then, he's been a fan of Mercenary Albert. He has him in his friend list too.]  (Hind)
[I see. However, isn't he betting on Hind-kun?]  (Selene)
[This and that are different matters! Degozaruyo!!]  (Tobi)
A big muscular guy carrying a big sword and a twintailed little girl carrying a big axe.
So that's Philia-chan huh...seeing both of them, the entire venue started cheering excitedly.
And it seems like Albert Aniki was still using the sword we sold him.
If we are talking about that strength he had when he pulled out the sword, even if he didn't switch weapons during this event, it should still hold more than enough destructive power.
This is just me talking about the weapon in terms of weight and how hard it is to handle though.
On the other side of the stage there was a section with seats for the nobles, it seems like that's where the NPC leaders of each nation are seated at.
Unfortunately you can't really see them from here, but it seems like the emperor and the queen, alongside all the rulers of each nation are lined up there.
Let's hope that the players that are seated close to them will share screenshots of them later on.
Well then, let's turn our eyes back to the stage...
[The opponents are Thief Edward and Archer Iris...a duo of a Light Warrior and Archer. The same as Tobi and Mitsuyoshi-san then.]  (Hind)
[That being said, it doesn't seem like there's not going to be a live coverage of this...isn't this the same as the preliminaries?]  (Tobi)
[No, wait. Isn't the situation at the royal seats weird?]  (Mitsuyoshi)
Right after Mitsuyoshi-san said that, a red silhouette jumped out from the royal seats.
Like that, it vigorously landed on top of the stage.
The being that stood there as if nothing had happened, was none other than the emperor of the Grado Empire.
There was no way to mistake that deep red figure even from this distance.
As if to calm the commotion that was taking place in the venue, the Emperor opened his mouth along with a big gesture.
{Ladies and gentlemen! I'm declaring here and now, that the one that will judge the 7 last matches of this tournament will be none other than me! ...In other words, you could say that there's no seat more special that this one.}  (Emperor)
In reaction to those words said in jest, the audience let out some laughs and some people voiced their agreement with him.
The voice was transmitted really well, it reached every part of the colosseum.
{Fufu, I bet you guys are jealous! Well, even if the scenery we see is different, we only have one wish tonight...that is for our blood to boil and our flesh to throb, that is, to watch some intense fights! Well then, let's enjoy this feast to our heart's content!!}  (Emperor)
Immediately after, loud cheers that didn't lose in volume to him resounded throughout the venue.
Following that excitement, the Emperor said the following words.
{First match of the quarterfinals, Mercenary Albert*Philia vs Thief Edwards*Archer Iris...begin!!}  (Emperor)
Both duos started to move at the same time as the Emperor's hand was lowered.
...However, the match was cruelly decided in an instant.
Against Edward, who was aiming for a hit and run tactic, Albert ran towards him without hesitation after the match started.
Edward got flustered and tried to keep him in check by landing a hit, but thanks to the hit stop resistance, he couldn't stop his charge and then...
[U-Uwah!?] 
[Ooh!?] 
In front of our eyes, Edward's slender body was struck violently.
It collided with the invisible field and like that, along with a splash of blood, the body slowly fell down.
Edward, who was on the ground, didn't show any signs of moving again.
While dumbfounded, I returned my sight back to Albert, and he was standing still in the posture after having swung his large sword.
I wonder just how strongly he swung that, there were a large amount of cracks around his feet.
[T-This is surprising...watching it live, you can see again how uncanny that is...]  (Hind)
[Even if there's the weight correction for Heavy Warriors, that wasn't the speed at which you'd usually swing that weapon.
[Even if it was a critical hit against a Light Warrior, for him to die in a single normal attack...I, I'm getting chills...]  (Tobi)
Even Tobi, who was cheerfully cheering for him until a while ago, was left in this state.
The girls didn't utter a single word and the venue was enveloped in a strange air.
Albert didn't do anything else, Philia cornered Iris and the match ended.
{...That's it for the match! ...I was shown overwhelming strength that went against the concept of the tournament! The winner is the duo of Mercenary Albert*Philia!} (Emperor)
VRMMO no Shien Shokunin ～Top Player no Shikakenin～
ＶＲＭＭＯの支援職人　～トッププレイヤーの仕掛人～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/vrmmo-no-shien-shokunin-%ef%bd%9etop-player-no-shikakenin%ef%bd%9e/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Slice of Life
Adventurers Beautiful Female Lead Blacksmith Brother Complex Calm Protagonist Childhood Friends Clan Building Cooking Crafting Curious Protagonist Dense Protagonist Elemental Magic Fantasy Creatures Game Ranking System Gamers Hard-Working Protagonist Healers Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Love Rivals Male Protagonist Misunderstandings MMORPG Ninjas Possessive Characters Priests Siblings Siblings Not Related by Blood Sword And Magic Virtual Reality Younger Love Interests Younger Sisters
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4014ds/
二階堂風都