kscans

Chapter 712 - Second Round

"—Oh, hello. Looks like everyone's here."

And so, after slurping down a certain illustrator's recommended cup ramen that cost a little over two hundred yen, and after a dizzying series of world-hops—virtual in reality, then reality in reality, then virtual in virtual—I passed the time chatting with my lonely partner and finally returned to the stage of my duties.

Through the special startup sequence, the re-login automatically delivered me to a room. This was Waiting Room Part 2, where the participants of the next match were gathered. Which meant three faces were looking at me.

My partner, Hina-san, and our opponents in the second round of C-Block, the seeded team [Screen & Disperser]. Of the two, the ever-amiable [Disperser], Tonic-shi, gave me a little wave, while [Screen], Yurayura-shi, glanced at me and then indifferently looked away…

Well, that was just them acting in character, as I'd come to expect from my brief interactions with them.

"That was a brilliant display of new moves in the first round. Looking forward to the second."

"Ah, thanks. Likewise."

Ignoring the latter, who was operating in their usual brusque mode, the refreshingly handsome man in a hero-suit-like outfit spoke to me casually—somehow, for a ranker, he seemed to lack any particular quirks, or rather, the lack of them was a defining feature of this gentleman.

I wondered if it was just a facade, or if he was like this all the way through.

…Anyway, putting that aside.

"Uhm… is something wrong?"

I sat down next to my partner on the sofa and asked the older woman, who had been observing me with a meaningful expression ever since I arrived, what she wanted. She smiled mischievously.

"Somehow, you seem a bit more relaxed, don't you?"

She said something that sounded like she'd seen right through me. In response, I tilted my head and feigned ignorance with a 'what could you possibly mean' pose…

"You look significantly more refreshed than you did before the break—did you get some energy from your cute partner?"

"I plead the fifth."

She had hit the nail on the head with the undeniable truth, and all I could do was turn my face away and play dumb. I'd been told this before, but am I really that easy to read? —Putting that aside as well.

It was almost 2:00 PM, meaning the second program was about to start. There was really only one thing we, who were gathered in this room, needed to talk about for now.

"So, what's our plan for the second round?"

That would be a meeting to decide how to draw the line between serious fighting and performance to liven up this entertainment match… or so I thought, as I brought it up.

"Even if you ask what our plan is…"

"Right?"

As Tonic-shi agreed with Hinayo-san's words, they both turned their eyes to the lone silver figure. And, of course, I added my gaze to theirs, making it three.

The person receiving all eyes but their own noticed the attention and scowled in annoyance, but didn't go so far as to ignore us, dutifully opening their mouth.

"…As you know, I can't hold back. You guys just adjust on your own."

"That's what I thought."

"Figured as much."

"Makes sense."

And so, it was something we had all known beforehand. When the one and only [Screen] is involved, the content of the match boils down to how the other three, exposed to an extraordinary power, will maneuver.

How will Hina-san and I resist? And how will Tonic-shi perform alongside it? The director of the stage was already decided, so in the end, it all depended on the performance of the actors—us.

And the crucial point in considering how to perform is—

"By the way, which one are you planning to lay down?"

—which of the three rules he or she wields will be chosen. When I asked lightly, Yurayura-shi glanced at me again with a disinterested look.

"You can pretty much guess, can't you? Against you guys, there's no other choice."

They threw back a reply that was the very antithesis of straightforwardness, just as expected. It was a refreshing display of contrariness, but personally, I didn't dislike it, as it was almost easy to understand.

Though it wasn't a direct answer, the reply was within my understanding—indeed, against me and Hina-san, that one would be the only choice. It hadn't been hard to predict.

However, the difficulty of overcoming it, even knowing what it is… considering the tag-team matchup, it was a huge problem—

Just as our meeting concluded in seconds with the unanimous decision that 'there's nothing to discuss,' a screen deployed in the air announced the time.

And then,

—Heeeey, it's time! Your stomachs may be full from lunch, but your hearts are still hungry, I bet! Let's get hyped for the middle act!

—the re-energized host's voice echoed, declaring the resumption of the program.

◇◆◇◆◇

After a transfer, I entered the stage for the third time. The stage was the same, the cheers were the same, the only thing different was the opponents across from me—one was a faction member, the other, less than an acquaintance.

"Hah… What should we do?"

"What indeed."

Having won the first round of A-Block, the [Adamant & Undying] tag team advanced to face the third-ranked pair from the South and East, [Peerless & Castle Lord]. We had a meeting in the waiting room… well, one of us was sound asleep, so it was less of a meeting and more of an exchange of words, but in the end, the conclusion was the same.

In short, how in the world were we supposed to break through their defense?

"Tetra, you don't have another trump card hidden away like in the first round, do you?"

"I'm not some special case, you know. I can't just pull out ultimate moves one after another. What about you, Auerin-senpai? Don't you have anything? We could get completely shut down and lose instantly here."

"Ngh… I do have something, but, hmm…"

Seeing his partner's reluctant expression, the boy didn't tilt his head in confusion… instead, being all too perceptive, he let out a small sigh.

"Do you want to win?"

"Huh? Of course I do."

"Right—then let's do it. The lamest thing would be to regret not trying later."

"…You know, my impression of you has completely changed since we teamed up."

In response to Tetra, who had declared his intent to 'move full speed ahead' without hesitation, Auerin gave him a look mixed with surprise and admiration.

"Alright then, let's do this—[Trance]."

With that key word, he changed his form.

His attire remained light armor. In contrast to his slightly smaller frame, his amber hair grew long, tied up in a waterfall-like ponytail… His now slender right hand reached for the hilt of the greatsword on his back.

And so, seeing his partner showing a clear 'will to win,'

"Mm… what do you need?"

"MP and cover. Infinitely."

—the boy who received the terse reply nodded and followed suit.

"Okay, then—[Clad Form (Trance)]."

Along with the cheers for Auerin, another set of inevitably embarrassing cheers rained down, but he ignored them all. And so, the [Undying], who had sprouted the 'ears' and 'tail' of a pitch-black 'cat' that suited his all-black attire, said with a cool expression… an expression that, to those who knew him well, was half-desperation,

"Well, let's just see what we can do."

"Alright, let's make this fun."

—and together with his partner, he steeled his resolve and faced the 'enemy.'

—And there, at the end of their line of sight.

"…[Castle Lord]."

"…Nngh."

"Are you awake?"

"…Nn-hmm…"

"You're awake, right?"

"Mm…"

"I'll take that as a yes. I'm counting on you, really… I'm counting on you."

"Uhn…"

"Could you at least open your eyes?"

"Nn-hnn…"

"Gah… She's beyond my control…!"

Their tag-team synergy was beyond excellent, to the point of being unfair. However, in terms of their personal natures—diligence and sloth—their compatibility was catastrophic. The two 'enemies' were still unable to properly communicate, even at this point.

And so, the first match of the Triangle Duo's second round began.