Chapter 691 - Loading
“—And that's it for me...”
“Oh, honestly. Pull yourself together, will you?”
And so, ten minutes later, in the waiting room.
After the pairings, which had proceeded smoothly amidst the unending roar of the crowd, were announced, and Nono-san, who'd been the consummate professional from start to finish, wrapped things up with a cry of 'Let's have some fun!!!'.
At the same time the tournament brackets were randomly generated, just like the pairings, we were each transported to an instanced space... a spacious, comfortable room filled with luxurious amenities.
Naturally, that's when my string snapped.
I staggered over to a bed-like sofa, collapsed onto it, and recited my death poem, only to receive a gentle scolding from the tag partner who had teleported with me.
I know. I know.
But just for a moment, just for a second, please let me relax…—and then,
“—Ahaha. We both ended up with some fresh-faced partners, didn't we, sis?”
But there wasn't just one other person who'd come with us.
As I lay there, dead to the world, I heard a familiar voice affectionately call Hinayo-san 'sis' while looking over at me and her own partner, who was collapsed on another sofa.
“You're right. This might be an exciting matchup for the audience, but for the participants themselves... Well, I suppose we should make sure to properly support them—right, Rinne-chan?”
“Of course!”
It was none other than the number one ball of energy, the Southern Faction's eighth-ranked [Berumail], Rinne. She's the instructor who, along with Gen-san of [Twin Fists], taught me hand-to-hand combat.
And she and her partner are our opponents in the first match.
Now, as for her partner...
“—Everyone's absolutely insane, I don't get it... How is everyone so calm after that, I don't get it... I just don't get it...”
Across the table—which, unlike our get-togethers in Arcadia, was laden with real-world hors d'oeuvres, snacks, and all sorts of drinks.
...was the South's seventh ranker, [Thread-Weaver] Natsume, collapsed on the sofa just like me.
She was, in every sense of the word, just like me. Having become a ranker just this year, she was naturally a newcomer to the Triangle Duo, which is held every September.
In other words, she was a fellow first-timer at a real-world event. I don't know her full backstory, but I doubt everyone has some outrageous background like being a former pop idol, like Mi-na, Ri-na, or Nono-san.
So, yeah, her reaction made perfect sense.
I'd noticed she was freaking out just as much as I was during the opening, but seeing a kindred spirit in the same state didn't bring me any comfort whatsoever.
I wonder if Nacchan-senpai noticed how [Great Tiger] was acting. If she had, I'm sure her opinion of him would have skyrocketed, just like mine did.
“There, there, Natsume-chan. It's okay, your senpai is here for you. There, there.”
“Don't just pat my head like that...”
Ignoring Rinne, who had started fussing over the kitten-like senpai letting out a faint voice that could have been a complaint, embarrassment, or a whimper.
“Hmm... Perhaps I should follow her lead?”
“Please don't...—Alright, up I go.”
Taking her teasing joke as my cue, I forced my dead body upright with sheer willpower.
I'd been thrown into a waiting room full of women as the only guy; if I didn't get my act together, I wouldn't be able to face the people who came to mind.
Right, that's it. Like Gen-san said, all that's left is to fight. I'll just have to count on my usual tendency to tune out the surrounding chaos once the real thing starts. Please work, for real, I'm begging you.
“But man... this festival really is a completely casual affair, huh?”
“It is. So you really don't need to feel any pressure about the fights themselves.”
From the looks of it, those two didn't seem to be particularly close friends to begin with. The pair consisted of Nacchan-senpai, who was being completely overwhelmed by Rinne's unstoppable social skills and protesting in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
The fact that we were put in the same waiting room as our opponents says it all.
“Is this basically telling us to discuss how to make the match exciting with our enemies?”
“I suppose it's more of a 'do as you please' situation. But, you're right... it might be important for the sake of entertainment to decide on some ground rules—things that are off-limits.”
“Off-limits?”
“Things that, if they were used against us, would leave us completely helpless.”
In other words, an agreement to avoid an instant-kill, lightning-fast finish.
That made sense. From the audience's perspective, it would be nothing short of a tragedy for a match they were so full of anticipation for to end in a matter of seconds.
So we're meant to draw a line in order to have a fun fight.
“Exactly. So, you two, anything you've got?”
Being this close, we could naturally overhear each other's conversations. Rinne, who had at some point majestically placed her kouhai's head on her lap for a pillow, called out to the two of us, but...
““Hmm...””
“...Figured as much. Sheesh, you Eastern Faction folks are really something else.”
The [Berumail] and [Thread-Weaver] pair. In terms of matchups, they both have insane abilities that give them an advantage over me, but I can't think of anything that would be an instant kill.
That's not me being conceited enough to think I can handle them alone; it's based on the premise that I'm tagging with my all-too-reliable partner next to me.
Ri-na mentioned it too, but the combination of me and Hinayo-san isn't just a good matchup, it's a nasty one. So there's no helping it. To be honest—
“Ah, well...”
“Nyufufu. You can just say it, you know? That you don't think you can lose.”
They're seasoned veterans of the battlefield, too. It's not like they can't analyze our relative strengths. I gave a troubled smile back at Rinne's cheerful declaration... and then,
“—Seriously. Having this as my only junior has to be a bug...”
Had she snapped out of it, or had she simply reached a state of resignation? The girl lifted her head from her senpai's lap and shot me a sidelong glare with a sorrowful mutter.
“You're not cute at all. Give me back my expectations for what a 'kouhai' should be.”
“Huh...?”
I wasn't sure how to respond to such a sudden comment... but, well, yeah. Now, I think I kind of understand how she feels. Now that I've been blessed with the good fortune of having a 'cute kouhai' like Kanata look up to me.
So, yeah, I guess—alright.
“Now, now, don't be like that. Let's get along, Natsume-senpai.”
“What? Don't just call me by my name so casually.”
“Alright then, Nacchan-senpai.”
“Why'd you get even more familiar!?”
I guess I'll just have to do my best to figure out how to be this 'cute kouhai' she wants.
—...Right, I think it's about time.
While we were deepening our friendship by horsing around, a screen suddenly lit up in mid-air.
It was a comfortable distance from the table. The floating display showed the dome stadium, now empty since we'd withdrawn to the waiting rooms.
The time was around ten-thirty in the morning. With about half an hour until the first match at eleven, it was still too early for the viewing window in the waiting room to activate.
“...? What's this?”
Nacchan-senpai tilted her head, not because she hadn't been told about the viewing system beforehand, but because Rinne and Hinayo-san, who had both experienced the Triangle Duo before, had tilted their heads just before she did.
Why had the display lit up before the first match?
It was quite the 'surprise'—one that a certain someone's disciple already knew about. The kitten-senpai who'd been freaking out alongside me was one thing, but the other two must have noticed, right?
The hint had already been given.
Now, then... Why didn't the [Sword Queen] and the [Sword Saint], the 'Strongest' and the 'Supreme,' who both bear the name of the 'sword,' make an appearance at the opening ceremony?
The answer would appear on the screen in a few seconds.
Block A: Seed [Peerless & Castle Lord] | First Match [Adamant & Undying] vs [Poet & Cloud-Hider]
Block B: Seed [Wolf Pack & Heavy Tank] | First Match [Great Tiger & Twin Fists] vs [General Commander & Free Form]
Block C: Seed [Screen & Spiller] | First Match [Acrobat & Heat Gaze] vs [Berumail & Thread-Weaver]
Block D: Seed [Left Wing & Right Wing] | First Match [Long Legs & Full Auto] vs [Knight & Heroine]
The winners of Block A and B will face each other in the semifinals, as will the winners of Block C and D.
The winners of those matches will proceed to the finals.
I tried to explain this in the main text, but it got extremely annoying, so I'm putting it here in the afterword. I'll reveal other minor rules as they come up, so please don't worry about them too much.
Also, the order of the pair names is based on the lottery, so it has no special meaning.
The seed slots were also chosen randomly like the tournament bracket, so they have no special meaning either.