Chapter 196 - Shattering the Mood
"Since ya never show yer face, I figured ya were some shy type, but ya got quite the personality, don't ya?"
"Thanks, I guess. I do try to decide how to act based on who I'm dealing with, you know."
Aggressive and straightforward. Dislikes roundabout things, prefers high-energy people over intellectuals—the above is an excerpt from his character bio on an info site.
In short, he's the kind of person who makes you wonder why he isn't in Istia. I figured he'd appreciate it more if I adopted an equally aggressive stance, so I took a chance and tried a provocative line… and just as I expected, that seems to be the kind of guy he is.
Though his tone suggested he wanted to chew me out, his face didn't show a single shred of animosity towards me.
The young man, clad in a flashy outfit of a black leather suit and a tiger-striped bomber jacket, ran a hand through his spiky brown hair while twirling a black-lacquered long spear with one hand.
"Hah, so ya did yer research, eh? Which means…"
With a sharp clang, he caught the spear that had been spinning into a black circle. [Great Tiger] bared his canines and shot me a sharp grin.
"That claim of 'I can win' wasn't a joke, was it?"
In that instant, a wave of pure fighting spirit washed over me—seriously, why did this guy join Nortalia? He's more Istian than most Istians… Wait, what's an Istian?
Anyway, there was only one answer to that question.
"Yeah, that's right—I'm coming at you to win."
The distance between us was about five meters flat. Suppressing the wry smile that crept onto my face at his personality, I returned a genuine grin and drew my blade with a clear ring—the crimson dagger of [Rabbit Dagger: Parabellum].
An unusual dagger, its blade tapering from the middle to the tip like a stiletto.
Seeing it, [Great Tiger]'s gaze simply sharpened, showing no sign of scorn or question.
"Nice piece ya got there."
"Right? Not giving it to you."
Even as we traded lighthearted jabs, my skin could feel the air changing.
This is a battlefield. My opponent is the 'enemy'—so no matter how fun he seems, there's no reason to continue a lengthy conversation.
"Seems like we could get along. Let's talk again after this is over."
"I'd be honored. My pleasure—Istia's Ninth Seat, [Acrobat], Haru."
Thanks to intensive training in controlling my 'inner' and 'outer' force output, combined with the effects of skills like [Rabbit Run] that convert small movements into large ones, my avatar no longer needs to take a 'stance.'
My right hand, holding the dagger in a reverse grip, hung loosely at my side. To an observer, I probably looked completely relaxed, which might make some opponents think I was looking down on them, but…
"Nortalia's Seventh Seat, [Great Tiger]—I'm T(・)i(・)g(・)e(・)r(・)☆(・)L(・)u(・)c(・)k(・)y(・)."
The young man glaring at me—Tiger Lucky—was on full alert, not a single opening to be seen… showing… wait…
"…………Eh?"
Huh? Wha? Um, eh—… Say what now???
"Tiger… what?"
"The hell? Don't ruin the mood. I'll say it again, so listen up."
Yeah, please do. There's no way his player name could be something that completely demolishes his hardcore image like that—
"Nortalia's Seventh Seat, [Great Tiger]—I'm T I G E R ☆ L U C K Y!!"
"WHY?!!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WHY'?!"
I mean everything!!
"That's my line! You're killing the mood! Why did you suddenly swerve into a name for a children's TV character?! If you're a lucky tiger, something like Tora-kichi would've been fine!"
"No way, ya idiot! It's Tiger, Star, and Lucky! How cool is that?!"
Where did the star come from?!
"Ugh, I don't even care anymore…! I'm not gonna let you ruin the first major climax of my debut with a gag!—Let's go, Tora-kichi!!!"
"I TOLD YOU, IT'S TIGER☆LUCKY, YOU DUMBASS!!!"
The shouts we exchanged were a far cry from the mood-filled taunts of just moments before.
Fueled by our respective, albeit different, furies, we both revved our engines and kicked up a massive spray of water—and the black-lacquered long spear and the crimson crystal dagger clashed head-on.
Sorry for the wait. I had to cut it here, so it's a bit short… so, I'll post another one later today.