Chapter 706 - One Guest, Coming Right Up
『—And we have a winnnneeeeer!!! The victor of the fourth match, the first round of D-Block, is the [Long Legs & Full Auto] pair!』
"Oh."
"That's about what I expected."
And just like that, the first program—which had been scheduled to run from eleven to twelve with four ten-minute matches and five-minute intervals—came to a close. Thanks to a few things wrapping up early, we had about ten minutes to spare before noon, but regardless, we had reached a stopping point.
The pair that claimed victory in the final match of the opening round for each block had avatars with a subtle, unified blue theme: Fuji-san, fourth rank of the Southern Faction, and Record-shi, eighth rank.
The fourth match, a Southern Faction affair through and through with the opposing [Knight & Heroine] tag, turned out to be… well, how do I put this? It became the first clear-cut accident match of the tournament.
After all, it was a combination of perfect synergy versus the absolute worst synergy.
On one side, you had what the announcer called a truly vicious pair. [Full Auto]-sama had the ability to multiply the already overwhelming number of attacks from [Long Legs]-dono, who wielded the power of his Narrator's Armament. It was a ridiculously broken combo.
On the other, you had the [Knight]-sama, who drew power from having someone to protect behind her, paired with the exquisitely incompatible [Heroine]-dono, who would shake the very ground as she charged ahead of everyone else.
It’s true that Fuji-san is a versatile character who can synergize with anyone, but that aside, the result was a clear demonstration of the latter pair’s utter lack of synergy.
Even so, the fact that the two women held out for nearly five minutes against the absurdly compatible blue duo was, I suppose, a testament to their skill. But since they were from the same faction, they already knew each other's moves. It would have been difficult to stage a sudden comeback when the advantage was so clearly defined.
In any case, after the match, we parted ways with the [Thread-Weaver & Sound Armor] pair and were sent back to the waiting room, just the two of us.
Inside the instanced space, which felt twice as large as before, my partner and I were leisurely resting our minds and bodies—or rather, our minds and spirits—while watching the match. My thoughts were—
"Record-san is insane when he gets serious…"
"He is. In a one-on-one fight, he's one of the top five mages in Arcadia right now."
Putting aside [Full Auto] for a moment—with an ability that casually doubles his partner's firepower, he belongs in the rule-breaker hall of fame—[Long Legs]-dono, whom I'd fought briefly during the Four Pillar War, was absolutely monstrous.
The number of water magic types he used wasn't just ten or so. The way he relentlessly laid down a series of cards perfectly suited to the situation, all while weaving his incantations without the slightest hesitation, was so flawless it was almost robotic. He was another kind of full-auto.
On top of that, his meticulous control over the spells he cast and his coordination with the barrage produced by his Narrator's Armament, [True Theory: Branch Staff Silencing Hymns], and its ability, [Endless, Doll of Atonement], were perfect down to the last detail.
...And watching all that, one thought bubbled up from the bottom of my heart.
"I… I wanna do that, too…!"
"My, what a cute thing to say all of a sudden."
To be honest, I was completely captivated.
I mean, come on, that was the very picture of a 'mage.' How could he be so cool?
"Well, setting aside how cute my tag partner is…"
"Please don't tease me like that, it's embarrassing."
Combined with the fact that I'd missed my chance to change back and was still in my transfigured body, politely nibbling on cake, I admit the optics might be a bit strange. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't say it out loud—
"If we're following the program, our Eastern Faction is up first. Are you okay?"
"……………I'm… o… kay…"
"Haru-kun?"
"No, um, I'm fine. I'm used to it by now… actually, no, not at all, not even a tiny bit, but I've steeled my resolve. Or rather, I'm starting to calm down out of resignation…"
What were we talking about? The 'job' scheduled for later.
Only those who have finished their matches are called in to be on-air personalities, but that isn't the only opportunity to liven things up.
This grand festival lasts until night, so of course, there are break times. The first one is the lunch break, scheduled right after this for two hours from twelve to two…
And that's when we've been summoned.
It's an insane plan where each faction gets rounded up and given thirty minutes to shoot the breeze, answer questions, and generally just chat.
Of course, it's broadcast on the big screens at the venue and streamed live into living rooms all over the world. Again, I've reached a state of resignation, but this is true entertainment for an external audience, a whole different beast from the Four Pillar War where I could just enjoy myself without caring about 'outside eyes.'
In other words, no matter how I struggle, the stomachache is inevita— ping —What???
"Huh? Wh-what, what's—what is this?!"
"W-What is it? What's wrong?"
And then, with just ten minutes to go before that hellish event, just as I was trying my best to calm my heart and go with the flow, on the verge of enlightenment…
It was probably a feature exclusive to this event. An icon I'd never seen in the virtual world before, a receiver icon… signaling an incoming call, appeared before me.
""………………""
After exchanging a look with Hina-san, who was tilting her head at the icon blinking in front of me—I cautiously, tentatively, tapped the floating symbol.
『—Ah, hellooo? Haru-san? It's me, me, me!』
A very casual, very familiar voice echoed through the room… a voice I had, for today at least, become more familiar with than anyone else's. The voice of a friend.
And that voice, terrifyingly, frightfully, dreadfully, was perfectly synchronized with the MC on the screen, who was beckoning with her hand—
『Could you spare just a little of your time?』
She was calling me.