kscans

Chapter 316 - When Three Men Gather, Fists Fly

"Sora-chan! You're so cute! I'm Rinne, it's nice to meet you!"

"N-Nice... p-please... pleased to meet you...!"

Our awaited party members arrived, introductions were made, and Sora-san, who had apparently passed muster with the eighth-ranked member of Nortalia, was now being endlessly flustered by her energy. As I watched this unfold—

"Spit it out. You're really datin', aren't ya?"

"We're not."

"Don't gimme that crap. Actin' all lovey-dovey without a care for who's watchin'."

"It's not love, it's trust."

"Who ya callin' a tora? It's Tiger☆Lucky, I told ya."

"Master, he didn't mean tiger. He said 'trust,' as in reliability."

—And so, the three of us men engaged in a conversation of remarkably low intelligence. Meanwhile, the number of onlookers around us continued to grow.

It was only natural for four rank-holders to draw attention just by loitering in a place like this... but the two of them seemed completely unfazed.

As expected, they're veterans in that regard. It seems my partner and I are the only ones unsettled by the stares.

...As for Rinne-chan-san, she's so engrossed with Sora that she hasn't even noticed her surroundings.

"Well then—let's get to it, shall we?"

The words, cutting through the excitement of the girls nearby, were not sudden or unclear—

"Huh? H-Hey, wait, wait...! In the middle of the city like this, you—"

"No waitin'. This is payment upfront. I expect ya to keep your promise."

Cutting me off, Torakichi pulled his weapon from his inventory, a grin spreading across his face.

His demeanor practically screamed, 'I welcome the attention'... this festival-loving fool.

The give-and-take for this expedition.

As a condition for serving as temporary party members and guides, the seventh-ranked member of Nortalia, the [Great Tiger] known as Torakichi, demanded one thing—a rematch with me.

And not just any rematch.

"Come on, draw your 'katana.' I won't let ya hold back like last time."

...Apparently, he desires to see my Kesshiki Ittoryu, which is beyond my full power.

"Yeah, but... if you saw the archive, you should know, right? That thing is a self-destruct move that, at best, can only force a draw—"

"Ah, ah, I don't need your excuses. If I lose, you win. That's good enough. Now draw!"

"Why? If this is a serious rematch, then it's meaningless if it's not a contest of skill—"

—right? I hesitated to use [Trickster of Zenith], which is not a means to win, in a 'duel' meant to simply decide a victor. To my hesitation,

"What's with all the mumblin'...? Don't tell me you're scared of losin' while usin' the [Sword Saint]'s techniques?"

—that utterly transparent taunt landed squarely.

"Ah, h-hey... Master, that kind of provocation is—"

Haaah...

Heeeh...

Huuuh... so you're gonna say that?

I see, I see—you better be ready, you damn tiger.

"Hey, Maru II-shi."

"Eh, ah, yes, what is it?"

"How do I send a duel request?"

"...U-Umm, well."

Well now... what a wonderfully chuunibyou—how stylish.

"That's about it... but, um, please don't mind him? As you know, he's the kind of person... or rather, tiger, who lives on nothing but impulse and momentum."

"Okay, okay, don't worry, it's fine... Now then, 'In the name of our goddess, Istia,'"

As I gave Maru II a refreshing smile for his follow-up, I smoothly switched my train of thought—it's your turn, come on out, partner.

"'I challenge you to a duel.'"

I thrust the tip of my deployed [Everquartz, White Crystal Sword of the Sky] at the [Great Tiger] and recited the keywords his disciple had just taught me.

In that instant, a window opened before the man, who was watching me with amusement—a careless backhand punched 'Yes,' and a familiar pale red barrier deployed.

The player-versus-player 'Duel System'... I see, it's the same kind of thing as the [Engage] used in the Four Pillar War.

Considering both are powers of some 'goddess,' it's only natural they'd be similar.

"Whoa, they actually started."

"Huh, wha... Haru, what are you doing—"

Ignoring the voices of the girls from the peanut gallery, two idiots glared at each other.

Maru II-shi joined the girls with a wry smile.

—And then there were the walls of people (the gallery), buzzing with excitement over the sudden event.

"Uh, um, excuse me! Is it okay if I record this and upload it to the archive later?! I think a ton of people besides us would want to see it—!"

"Be my guest."

"Go ahead."

"Th... Thank you so much!"

I've been told to give the fans what they want. You can record a friendly little scuffle like this as much as you like.

—Anyway,

"If you're going to apologize, now's your chance."

"Hah, like I would. And your weapon's wrong. Draw your 'katana.'"

"Make me."

"Hah—... Seriously, what a cheeky brat— [Acrobat]!"

"Bring it on, Torakichi!"

"IT'S TIGER☆LUCKY, YOU MORON!"

It was like a repeat of the other day.

Once again, our respective anger (?) fueled our engines, and we kicked off the ground with enough force to gouge it—

Three minutes later.

The result, displayed on the fighting-game-esque HP bars projected above the circular field, was—

""—Damn it all!!""

Winner: [Great Tiger], Loser: [Acrobat].

But we both spat out the same words at the same time, our unabated voltage causing us to snap at each other.

"The hell, man?! Why didn't you draw your katana! And 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, what was that?! You were holding back too, weren't you?! You've got no room to talk, Torakky!"

"WHO THE HELL IS TORAKKY!?"

"W-Whoa, whoa, Master... Acrobat-san, you calm down too—"

As Maru II-shi, ever the long-suffering one, stepped in to mediate between us, I took a moment to reflect on the fact that I had gotten a bit too carried away—

"Hah! You're up next, Maru. Against this pathetic version of him, you'll get a win easy."

Click.

"—'In the name of our goddess, Istia'..."

"Huh? H-Huh...?! H-Hey, wait a minute, why me too?!"

"'I challenge you to a duel!'"

Two minutes later.

"—A-Agh!!"

Winner: [The Ever-Changing], Loser: [Acrobat].

Why is every single one of you holding back a trump card?!

"Haaah, how boring! It's pathetic to lose twice in a row while trying to look cool and being stubborn!"

"Um, Master, really, that's enough. He said he's not in top form because of his build being messed up..."

"Well, I guess so, huh? It's pretty pathetic to be stubborn, try to look cool, and then make excuses!"

Snap.

"[Construction]..."

"Oh?"

"Ah..."

Come, [Samidorizuki]—activate [Trickster of Zenith].

"'In the name of our goddess, Istia'..."

"Finally... Get ready, Maru. A monster is coming."

"Yeah but, why me too?!"

"'I challenge you guys to a duel!'"

If I lose, you win—a man doesn't go back on his word, right, [Great Tiger]?!

"Kesshiki, Itto—!"

"YEAAAH, BRING IT ON!"

"BUT! WHY! ME TOO—?!"

Twenty seconds later.

"—ALRIGHT, I WIIIIIN!!"

"DAAAAAAMN IIIIIIT!!"

"I can't even follow it with my eyes..."

Winner: [Acrobat (Me)], Losers: 'The Tiger and his Disciple'.

It seems even the vow of [Trickster of Zenith] can't defy the 'goddess's' system.

As the field vanished upon the conclusion of the duel, our reduced HP and equipment durability were restored. In accordance with the system that resets all status changes, including the cooldowns of skills used in the duel, the threads of mana that would have eventually claimed my life quietly faded away.

It seems this is less a serious dueling feature and more a casual function used for practice or fun. You gain nothing, but you lose nothing—a convenient system.

That aside—

"A two-to-one record for each of us, making me the overall winner. Any objections?"

"Gnnn..."

Ignoring the roar of the excited crowd, I declared victory based on the rule Torakichi had proposed. He groaned in frustration, but surprisingly, offered no rebuttal.

"My, my, I'm impressed... When you've finished your adjustments, would you be willing to face me again? Since our styles are similar, I'd love to exchange some ideas."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. I'd be happy to. First, let's register as friends—"

"— How long are you going to stay here...?!!"

"Alright, alright, let's get going, boys!"

"Whoops."

"Ow!"

Perhaps I was still riding the high from the battle.

My arm, which had been ignoring the immense attention, was suddenly grabbed by a small hand that shot out from the side, and I was forcefully pulled away.

Maru II, whose ear was grabbed next to me, let out a yelp. Two-thirds of the men who had caused a ruckus in public were being escorted away—

"Hah, lost again... —Alright, sorry folks, but we've got places to be, so the festival's over! Have a great day, see ya!"

The last third of our group, the eldest, declared an end to the festivities with a cheerfulness that contrasted sharply with his earlier antics, signaling the crowd to disperse.

With the lively voice and the buzz of the gallery at my back, I replayed the long-overdue, mischievous fun in my head. 'Ah, that was fun,' I thought, quite pleased with myself.

And my partner, who was dragging this foolish boy by the hand—

"Really... honestly...!"

—seemed to be utterly unable to keep up with the boys' antics.

Her cheeks, puffed out and bright red with embarrassment, showed that she was very much displeased.