kscans

Chapter 715 - Backstage

"—Whoa, whoa… Uni's gone and leveled up his PvP skills again, hasn't he?"

"He's been training non-stop ever since his loss last time."

In the lounge where those who had finished their duties gathered, the room grew livelier as more people arrived after each match. The leader of the Eastern Faction and the figurehead of the Southern Faction exchanged words.

In response to Goldow's sincere admiration, Iris's expression remained as faint as ever… yet she couldn't completely hide an air of pride.

"He said he wants to get back at Haru, and that he'll absolutely get his revenge on [Peerless]—… This might have been a secret. Pretend you didn't hear that."

Ever since the tension that had bound her had loosened, the girl had begun to show these unguarded moments from time to time. Next to her, her friend, who was nothing like her in appearance or personality, laughed.

He too, ever since a certain point, had let go of his worries and laughed freely.

"Getting back at him is one thing, but he's already handed Irori plenty of losses, hasn't he?"

"The present is more important than the past. When it comes to competition, that's just how boys are, isn't it?"

"I don't know about that. Boys are complicated in their own ways, you know?"

"—Well, when it comes to him, that's pretty much spot on."

And so, another voice chimed in from behind the two. Auerin, who had joined the room after his match, joined the conversation and sat down next to Goldow.

"He said something like, 'You need to get used to that transformed body, right? I'll help you out.' That bastard. He used me, in my unfamiliar body, as a punching bag over and over again."

"—He did the same thing to us. 'It's your first time in the Four Pillar War, so you'll need to make some adjustments, right? I'll help you out.' He just used us for his own convenience."

Continuing on her senior's words, Natsume sat down on the other side, next to Iris, and began to vent her complaints about their great senior without reservation.

And then, both at the same time,

""Without a doubt, he's the most competitive person in our Southern Faction.""

—they sighed out their shared assessment of the boy who always wore a lighthearted attitude and a carefree smile. In response to the words of her faction mates, Iris let out a faint smile.

"More so than me, I wonder?"

—she asked playfully, and the two looked at each other.

"—Well, if you include the 'boy' part, I'd say Uni gets the prize, maybe?"

—the reply came not from them, but from behind them. A 'black' figure sat down next to Auerin, filling another seat on the long sofa in front of the screen.

"—From the outside, you'd never think he was like that."

"Kakka! You're one to talk, in more ways than one."

"Seriously. Your image has changed way too much recently, Tetra."

"Your junior's influence has been immense, hasn't it… Ah, was it junior, or senpai?"

And so, not taking a seat, another 'black' figure leaned against the back of the sofa behind Goldow—and next to the boy, who casually brushed off the teasing words of the three men, a knight in full armor stood tall.

"If we're talking about teasing, Natsume's image has changed a bit recently, too."

"Stop it, Aika. I'll tie you up."

"I thought you were a cute little kitten, but it seems your admiration for your 'mama cat' was stronger than I thoug—"

"I told you to stop!"

Ignoring the 'kitten' who had jumped up from the sofa and the armored knight who had started playing with her, the gazes of those watching the screen with relaxed expressions turned to the scene unfolding.

Four figures vanished from the screen—

"—Yo. Good work."

"…"

—and two new presences joined the room, one with a voice and one with silence, adding to the circle.

"Yo. Good work, Genkotsu, Tora."

As words of appreciation were directed at them, starting with Goldow, the [Twin Fists], who nodded silently without showing much emotion as usual, was one thing. But the [Great Tiger], who wore a complex expression of frustration, satisfaction, and relief at having finished his duty, was another.

"Haaah… I lost, I lost—Next time, I'll win."

"Heh. There's another competitive one right here."

He flopped down next to Yata and summed it up with his usual frankness. Auerin's laughter was not one of exasperation, but of admiration for his good-natured personality.

"Well, if anything, you guys put up a hell of a fight. For both you and Genkotsu, fighting together is actually a debuff, after all. It can't be helped against a PvP boss like him."

"…How did you know about that? I haven't made it public yet."

He shot a sideways glance at Goldow…

"Come on, it's obvious, isn't it?"

"Tora-kun's abilities are just too easy to figure out."

"He's the embodiment of 'simple is best,' after all."

"All his skills are just straightforward and violent."

—but he was immediately surrounded by a barrage of retorts. They say whatever they want, he thought, but since he knew it was true, he couldn't argue back. The [Great Tiger] fell silent, looking uncomfortable, as several smiles were directed his way. And so, as the lively scene shifted—

The time ticked by, and the actors appeared on stage.

"…Here they come."

—whose words were those? The chatter naturally died down, and the gathering of friendly acquaintances and friends transformed into a gathering of title holders. Their gazes were fixed on the screen.

[Acrobat & Scorching Gaze] vs. [Screen & Disperser].

More accurately, the co-starring of [Acrobat] and [Screen], a matchup that simultaneously held both 'expectation' and 'anxiety' at their highest levels,

"Well, let's see how this goes…"

—was about to begin, ignoring the voice that someone else had let slip.



◇ Meanwhile, in a corner of the room ◇

"How long are you going to stay huddled in the corner? Iris-sama, Aika-san, and Natsume-chan are all here, you know? You're missing your chance to communicate with the beauties!"

"Well, uh, wait. I'm waiting for the right moment, calmly."

"For someone who says they want to be popular, you're fundamentally bad with women, aren't you, Ricky-san?"

"I'm not bad with them…! I'm just shy…!"

"Just being the 'shy' type won't get you anywhere these days. If you don't show some manly spirit when it counts, finding a heroine is just a dream within a dream, you know?"

"That's why it stings, Rinne-chan…! Go easy on me with your sharp words…!"

"He's normal with Rinne, though…"

"You should praise my communication skills for that."

"You just get too close to everyone you meet. That's why you get pushed away everywhere."

"Huh? I don't get pushed away!"

"Your ability to perceive reality is just too low."

"Oh, what, are you trying to start a fight? That's what I'm talking about, you're so not cute, you childhood friend."

"…Could you two stop flirting in front of me?"

""Huh? Who would flirt with this person?""

"Ehh… I'll never understand childhood friends…"

And that's a scene of RinMaru + an extra.