Chapter 316 - When Three Men Gather, Fists Fly
"Sora-chan! You're so cute!! I'm Rinne, it's nice to meet you!!"
"I-It's a plea… Plea-pleased to meet you…!"
After the long-awaited arrivals and introductions were over.
While watching Sora-san, who had apparently earned the approval of Nortalia's eighth-ranked member, flail about endlessly under the sheer force of her personality—
"Spit it out. You're actually dating, aren't ya?"
"We are not."
"Don't gimme that crap. Acting all lovey-dovey without a care for who's watching."
"It's not love, it's trust."
"Who're you callin' a tiger? It's Tiger ☆ Lucky, I told ya."
"Master, he's not calling you a tiger. He said 'trust,' it means faith or confidence."
—and so, the three men engaged in a conversation of remarkably low intelligence. As we did, the gallery of onlookers began to grow.
It was only natural for four rankers loitering in a place like this to attract attention… but the other two seemed unbothered, acting completely natural.
As expected, they were veterans in that regard. It seemed we were the only pair feeling restless under all the stares.
…As for Rinne-chan-san, she was so engrossed with Sora she wasn't even looking at her surroundings.
"Alright, fine—in that case, let's get to it, shall we?"
Ignoring the excited women nearby, the words tossed out weren't entirely out of the blue or unclear—
"Huh? H-hold on, wait…! In the middle of the city, you—"
"No waiting. This is the prepayment. I'm gonna have you keep your promise."
Cutting me off, Torakichi pulled his weapon from his inventory, a grin spreading across his face.
His demeanor screamed, 'I welcome an audience'… this festival-loving fool.
It was the give-and-take for this expedition.
The condition that Torakichi, Nortalia's seventh-ranked [Great Tiger], had demanded to act as a temporary party member and guide was—a rematch with me.
And not just any rematch.
"C'mon, hurry up and draw your 'sword.' I won't let you hold back like last time."
…So, it seemed he desired a taste of my Kesshiki Ittoryu, which for me was beyond a full-power effort.
"Yeah, but… if you saw the archive, you should know, right? It's a self-destruct move that at best can only force a draw—"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't need the excuses. If I lose, you win. Now draw!"
"Why would you say that? If this is a serious rematch, then it's pointless if it's not a contest of skill—"
—or so I argued. I was reluctant to use [Trickster of Zenith], which could never be a means to win, in a 'duel' meant to simply decide a victor.
"What's with all the complaining…—Don't tell me you're scared of losing while using the [Sword Saint]'s techniques?"
—And with that, a perfectly straightforward taunt landed.
"Ah, w-wait, Master, that's not the right way to taunt him—"
Haaah.
Heeeh.
Huuuh… so you're gonna say that, are you?
I see, I see—you'd better be ready, you damn tiger.
"Hey, Maru II-shi."
"Eh, ah, yes, what is it?"
"How do you send a duel request?"
"………………Um, well, you see…"
Hoh, I see… so this is how it is. What a chuunibyou-esque—wait, this is pretty cool, huh?
"That's all… but, um, please don't mind him, okay? As you know, he's the kind of person… or rather, tiger, who lives on nothing but whim and momentum."
"Okay, okay, no need to worry, it's fine… Now then, 'In the name of our goddess (Istia).'"
I flashed a refreshing smile at Maru II as he tried to smooth things over, then seamlessly switched my line of thought—it's your turn. Come on, partner.
"'I challenge thee to a duel.'"
I thrust the tip of the deployed [Alv Stella] at the [Great Tiger] and recited the keywords his disciple had taught me.
In that moment, a window opened before the guy who was watching me with amusement—and as a careless backhand punch smashed the 'Yes' button, a familiar crimson barrier materialized.
The player-versus-player 'Duel System'… I see, it's the same type of thing as the [Forced Engagement] used in the Four Pillar War.
Considering both are the power of some 'Goddess,' it makes sense they'd be similar.
"Whoa, they actually started."
"Feh, wha… Haru, what are you doing—"
Ignoring the voices of the women from the sidelines, the two idiots glared at each other.
Maru II-shi joined the ladies with a wry smile.
—And a wall of excited people formed, the gallery for this sudden event.
"Uh, um, excuse me! Would it be okay if I recorded this and uploaded it to the archives later!? I think there are a ton of people besides us who'd want to see this—"
"Be my guest."
"Go ahead."
"Th…! Thank you so much!!"
I was told to be generous with the fan service. A playful private bout like this can be recorded as much as you like.
—That aside,
"If you're going to apologize, now's your chance."
"Hah! Like I would. And your weapon's wrong. Draw your 'sword.'"
"Make me."
"Tch… You really are a cheeky one—[Acrobat]!!"
"Bring it on, Torakichi!!"
"IT'S TIGER ☆ LUCKY, I TOLD YOU, YOU MORON!!"
It was like a repeat of the other day.
Once again fueled by our respective anger (?), our engines roared to life, and we kicked off the ground with enough force to gouge the earth—
Three minutes later.
Projected in the air above the circular field, the fighting-game-style HP bars, which screamed 'DUEL,' indicated the result—
""—Damn it all!!""
Winner: [Great Tiger]. Loser: [Acrobat].
But we both spat out the same words at the same time, our unresolved voltage causing us to immediately get in each other's faces.
"Don't screw with me! Why didn't you draw your damn sword?! On top of that, you've lost your edge from before! Are you looking down on me, you idiot?!"
"Shut up, I've got my own stuff going on! And what about you?! You were holding back a trump card, too! You've got no room to talk, Torakky!!"
"WHO THE HELL IS TORAKKY!?"
"N-Now, now, Master… Acrobat-san, you calm down too—"
Then, Maru II-shi stepped in between us as we heated up, playing the role of the long-suffering mediator. Seeing that, I reflected that I had gotten a bit too carried away—
"Hah! You go next, Maru. Against this pathetic version of him, you'll score an easy win."
Snap.
—"'In the name of our goddess (Istia)'…"
"Huh? Haaah!? W-wait a second, why me too?!"
"'I challenge thee to a duel,' ya hear me?!"
Two minutes later.
—"D-Damn it all!!"
Winner: [The Dictionary]. Loser: [Acrobat].
Every last one of them is holding back a trump card! DAMN IT ALL!!
"Haaah, how boring! It's pathetic to see you lose twice in a row while being stubborn and trying to act cool!"
"Um, Master, really, that's enough. He said he's not in top form because of some build issues…"
"Well, I guess so, eh? Being stubborn, acting cool, and then making excuses on top of that… it's starting to get a little pitiful!"
Click.
"[Construction]…"
"Oh."
"Ah…"
Come, [Samidorizuki]—[Trickster of Zenith], activate.
"'In the name of our goddess (Istia)'…"
"Finally… Get ready, Maru. A monster is coming."
"Yeah, but why me too!?"
"'I challenge you both to a duel'!!"
If I lose, you win—a man doesn't go back on his word, right, [Great Tiger]?!
"Kesshiki, Ittou—!!"
"YEAAAH, BRING IT OOON!!"
"But! Why! Me too—?!"
Twenty seconds later.
"—HAH, I WIIIIIIN!!"
"DAAAAAAAAAAMN IIIIIIIT!!"
"I can't even follow it with my eyes…"
Winner: [Acrobat (ME)]. Losers: 'The Tiger and his Disciple.'
It seemed that even the pact of [Trickster of Zenith] couldn't defy the 'God's' system.
As soon as the match ended and the field vanished, our reduced HP and equipment durability were restored. The system reset all status changes, including the cooldowns of skills used in the duel, and the threads of magic that would have eventually claimed my life quietly faded away.
It wasn't so much a serious duel as a playful feature used for PvP practice or fooling around. A casual system where there was nothing to gain, but also nothing to lose.
That aside—
"Two wins and one loss for each of us. My overall victory. No objections, right?"
"Gnnn…"
Ignoring the roaring crowd, I took advantage of the rule Torakichi had proposed and declared my victory. He was groaning in frustration, but surprisingly, he didn't argue back.
"Well, I'm thoroughly impressed… Could I ask for another match sometime, once you're all tuned up? Since our styles are similar, I'd love to exchange some ideas."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. I'd love to. For now, let's register as friends—"
"—How long are you going to stay here…!!"
"Alright, alright, time to head out, boys!"
"Whoops."
"Ouch!?"
I must have been getting carried away in the afterglow of the fight.
Before I knew it, I was ignoring the immense amount of attention on us when a small hand shot out from the side, grabbed my arm, and began to tug me along forcefully.
Maru II, who had his ear pulled next to me, let out a yelp. Two-thirds of the men who had caused such a ruckus in public were being hauled away—
"Hah, lost again…—Alright, sorry everyone, but we've got plans, so the festival's over! Have a great day, see ya!"
And the last of the trio, the eldest, who remained behind, made a cheerful declaration, a complete shift from his earlier goofing around, and signaled for the crowd to disperse.
With the cheerful voice and the buzz of the gallery at my back, I savored the long-overdue, mischievous fun and thought, 'Ah, that was fun,' feeling quite pleased with myself.
And the partner who was pulling this foolish boy's hand—
"Honestly… honestly…!!"
—as if she couldn't keep up with the boys' antics.
Her cheeks, puffed out and bright red with embarrassment, showed that she was very much displeased.
Afterward, the two of us apologized for getting carried away.