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The next day would be the 30th of July. Awoken at 7:30 by a loud alarm. I thought of the piece of the alarm clock that my sister had given me that I had broken. I couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic. This was completely because my swimsuit bag had knocked the clock onto the floor, and it broke last night.
This alarm clock was given to me by my little sister on the day that I decided to go to study at the City of God Academy. I was given this gift with these wishes:
「Big brother won’t be lonely with this, even when you are alone, and you’ll be able to wake up when I’m not there.」
Every time I see this clock, I would think of my sister’s pure smile. After our mobile phones were confiscated, this alarm clock was the only thing to remind me of my family.
…I guess I’ll go to the school store to buy some glue after school. As long as it’s fixed, my heart full of homesickness would ease a bit.
After making the important decision of what to do after school, I got out of bed, changed my clothes, and left my room.
In this school, the students dined in a place called the「Restaurant Floor」. It was a two-storey building built between the boys’ and girls’ dormitories. Shops were on the first floor, and a cafeteria on the second.
After the Closed-in School Campus Game had started, the cafeteria was only open at three set times each day. These slots were 「7:00 – 8:00」 , 「12:30 – 13:30」 and 「18:00 – 19:00」. We would go to the cafeteria during those time periods, and choose our favorite food to eat from a buffet-styled arrangement.
If you go over the set time periods, then you would be mercilessly kicked out of the cafeteria, and the food would be confiscated. Being able to eat was your own responsibility, so it would suck if you overslept. If you really couldn’t take it anymore, then you could only go to the store to buy some snacks for calories.
Immediately after going out of the dormitory, I squinted from the dazzling rays of sunlight. It was probably because the air was quite dry, so it didn’t feel very hot.
From exit of the staircase to the cafeteria on the second floor, more than half of the 200 seats were taken. I held a plastic meal tray. There were about fifty different dishes placed in the middle of the cafeteria. I followed my instinct and picked my favorite foods: chocolate croissants, pasta, fried chicken nuggets and roasted beef.
After filling my plate with high calorie foods, I started wondering about where I should sit. Usually I would eat with Yuki, but I couldn’t see her anywhere today. Normally at this time, she would already be at the cafeteria. Did something happen? Also , what was she chanting last night? Could it have been that she felt sick?
…Now that I think about it, I still haven’t told Kujyo about the laptop and research data that was in the underground room…
As I was reminiscing about what happened last night, I suddenly remembered. After calmly considering the situation, I thought that it was a mistake that anyone would hate. Although being scolded severely is making me scared, I should immediately rush to her and tell her about it if I saw her.
Scanning the cafeteria, I immediately spotted Kujyo’s figure. She always sat at the farthest spot, near to the wall. It seems that this had already become her habit.
Separating myself from the crowd, I walked towards Kujyo.
“Hey, Kujyo. Good Morning.”
“—What. Oh, it’s Yagumo. What can I do for you?”
Kujyo poked at the salad and looked at me with a bored expression. I felt a little suffocated. I first put my plate on the table, then sat across her.
“Actually, I came here to apologise to you.”
“…This is my first time being greeted and immediately apologised to right after. So, what are you apologizing for?”
“Um, I hope you don’t get angry after hearing it—”
“That’s impossible.”
“I haven’t even said anything, yet!?”
“It should be clear. Even if it’s something not worth getting angry at, I’ll still get angry. It would always end up like that whenever you come talk to me.”
“Our relationship is simply terrible!”
“Stop rambling and quickly get to the point. What a waste of time.”
“Isn’t that too unreasonable!?”
While holding in the unpleasant feelings from being scolded before even getting to the topic, I told her what I saw yesterday in the underground room.
“…Basically, what you’re saying is that there’s a huge bookcase in the underground room with lots of documents. And there was also a laptop on the table, right?”
Kujyo showed a scary expression, glared angrily at me.
“B-but, the laptop didn’t have a power cable, so it couldn’t be turned on at all, right?”
“Even if it’s like that, why didn’t you tell me yesterday? Maybe there’s crucial information on the sacred sword and demonic blade in there!”
“I’m really sorry. I was only thinking about the sword that we had found yesterday.”
“Hmph. Then after finding out that the sword was a fake, you should’ve thought about reporting this information to me.”
“Even if you say that, you didn’t ask me about the details of the underground room.”
“What did you say?”
“S-Sorry…”
I Involuntarily retorted. I could only only apologise non-stop now.
“…However, if Kujyo feels like it’s necessary, I could go retrieve the laptop and the data right now.”
After giving my own humble opinion, Kujyo seemed very unhappy and shook her head.
“We can’t. If we skipped class, then the third years might find out. Also if we don’t handle it right, the situation on the underground room would be exposed. If we want to retrieve the documents, the best time would be after school.”
“However, if I just use , I could make one of my selves go to class, while my other self skips class and goes to the underground room.”
“—I see, there was that method.”
Kujyo slapped her leg, she seems to have accepted this suggestion.
“Then, can I leave the matter of the underground room to you?”
“Of course.”
After getting my reliable answer, Kujyo smiled with satisfaction. It seemed like I had finally succeeded in restoring my reputation.
“Good morning you two!!”
I turned back towards the energetic voice. Yuki stood there full of happiness. Her plate was filled with vegetables.
“Can I sit here?”
She sat to my left before I could even answer. The whole atmosphere of the table seemed to liven up.
However, after Kujyo meaningfully scanned Yuki with a meaningful eye, she quickly stood up.
“I’ve finished eating. I’ll head to the classroom first. I’ll have to trouble you with the matter concerning the documents.”
Kujyo searched her bag for a flashlight while talking and threw it to me. It should be useful in the tunnel.
In the end, she still had some salad left over on her plate. Kujyo quickly left the table. There was still some of time before we had to go to class. However, she had always liked working alone, so I wasn’t extremely mindful about it.
“…It’s really rare, you eating breakfast with Elena.”
I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but I always felt that Yuki looked at me with a piercing gaze. Being stared at by such a gaze, I would still feel a bit flustered, even if I had done nothing wrong.
“No, actually, I just remembered that there were many files and documents stored inside that underground room. After I told her, she scolded me like usual. However, because I said that I would go retrieve it immediately, I seemed to have already received understanding.”
“O-oh, so it’s like that…Because of what happened last night, I thought that Ryu and Elena would definitely have a fight.”
“—Huh? Me?”
I shrugged, thinking she was joking. However, Yuki actually had a very serious expression.
“…Actually, what happened last night was actually a very big blow to me. I didn’t know that Ryu saw Elena in that way…It’s obvious the person always next to Ryu is me…”
Yuki put her head down. She muttered in a barely audible voice to me.
…Eh, what did those words she just said mean? 「What happened last night」 should be me sexually harassing Kujyo last night, right? However, this didn’t have anything to do with 「It’s obvious the person always next to Ryu is me.」
…Could Yuki be thinking that since we’re always together, if I wanted to sexually harass someone, I should be doing it to her?
—No, that would be unthinkable. That pure Yuki would definitely not be one of those people who take pleasure in being sexually harassed.
…I’ll first put aside the unclear significance of her words. Last night, Ryuji’s sexual harassment could be considered a downright accident. In order not to make the same mistakes, it would be better to clearly explain it.
“…Um, Yuki. I already explained yesterday. Ryuji’s confession to Kujyo in the science classroom was all because of the side effects of .”
“Side effect?”
“Yes. You know how my personality and Ryuji’s are completely different, right?”
“Yes. Ryuji is a little more stupid.”
“That’s right, and what’s even more annoying is that he’s a super aggressive pervert. Kujyo said it yesterday, 「Could it be that you have split personality and they become separated into their own bodies」. Actually, that’s basically what happens. After activating Ryuichi and Ryuji, who have two completely different personalities appear. Ryuichi’s personality is closer to mine. In other words, Ryuji and I have completely different ways of thinking, so I wouldn’t want to be held accountable for his stupid actions.”
“…Ok…”
“You can’t accept it?”
“Yep, I can’t accept it at all.”
“I see…”
I tried very hard to explain, but it still didn’t work…
“…Um, then just let me confirm something. Ryu, you don’t plan to keep trying to get close to Elena, right?”
“That’s right. Don’t mention in the same sentence with that idiot.”
“Oh, so it’s like this…Although I still can’t fully accept it, I do feel a bit relieved.”
Seeing Yuki relieved and putting her hand on her chest, I could not help but smile.
“You’re such a bizarre person. Why would you feel relieved?”
“Huh!?…T-that way this matter is all better!! It has nothing to do with Ryu!!”
“W-wouldn’t it be better to say this matter only pertains to me?”
“So noisy!! Actually, I regard Elena as the opposite sex. If Ryu becomes competition, then I would feel very frustrated!!”
“Hm—As I thought, Yuki really isn’t good at lying.”
“That’s not true, and I’m telling the truth!”
“So, so, rather than treating him/her as the same ‘sex’, I’ll treat him as having different ‘last name’!”
“Then I’ll treat her as someone with a different last name, instead of the opposite sex. ”
“Isn’t that how it is for everyone normally?”
“Now that you say, you’re right!…Ryuu-kun even though you can’t see the characters, I’m amazed that you could figure out I was talking about ‘gender’ vs ‘surname’.” ***
“I could guess anything you’re thinking. I’m the one who you said is always with you when you said 「It’s obviously the person who’s always next to Ryu is me」
“C-can you stop repeating other people’s embarrassing phrases!!”
Yuki blushed, and kept hitting my left shoulder.
“Really! Topics that make people embarrassed shall end here! —A-anyways, Ryu. What I wanted to tell you before was to at least eat some vegetables.”
She pointed at the very unbalanced breakfast in front of me. Yuki very stiffly changed the subject.
“I always thought that Ryu doesn’t eat enough vegetables.”
“Huh? No, no. Could it be that you check the food that I chose every time?”
I half-jokingly asked her, but she gaze was very serious.
“Of course I would look. I look at it very carefully every morning. So Ryu, you have to be constantly aware that your life is being monitored.”
“I-I always feel a little bit scared…”
“That’s right. How about I help you choose your meal next time? I’ll be your nutrient manager.”
“O-oh…”
Looking at Yuki’s plate that’s filled with vegetables, I couldn’t resist making an irritable sound.
“…If I left it to Yuki, what food would you chose for me.”
“Ah, that. First, it would be the red-bellied snake that makes people full of energy.”
“Red-bellied snake!? The buffet menu has that!?”
“There’s also live turtles.”
“There’s definitely no turtles on the menu, right!? I’m not lacking so much energy that I would need to eat this kind of thing, right!?”
“Right, it is because Ryu is a herbivore. A herbivore doesn’t eat vegetables is weird. It’s a fatal contradiction.”
“It is troubling that you described me that way.”
“So, in order to resolve this contradiction, it’s necessary to intake a sufficient amount of red-bellied snakes and live turtles. If we could stay alone in a small room after you have eaten, then that would be even better.”
“Why!? What would you do with the energetic me!?”
“Huh!? T-to…to wrestle?”
Yuki, who turned completely red, replied in shy whisper.
…That was unfortunate. I had basically no knowledge on wrestling, but do men and women really wrestle each other? Also, wrestling is quite exhausting, but do we really have to eat red-bellied snakes and live turtles?
My head was full of questions, but I just had a feeling that if we kept on talking about this topic, it would lead to a bad outcome, so I just faked a smile and moved on.
***Note: Gender and Last name are pronounced the same way and written similarly.
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After I finished eating, Yuki and I separated. I returned to my room to retrieve the sword and my bag, then I set off towards the science room at the east branch of the premises. Because normally, nobody would go to the east side at this time, I thought that I would definitely be suspected if I was caught by a third year. I couldn’t help sweating all over.
I tiptoed down the empty hallway, finally arriving safely in front of the science classroom. Fortunately, up until now, I didn’t come across anyone. I immediately activated , sending the me who was holding the flashlight into the science classroom. The Ryuji, who was outside, rushed to back to class.
I entered the password on the control panel. I then entered the hole while turning on the flashlight. After getting used to it, I found the channel breezy and surprisingly comfortable.
Finally coming to the end of the secret passageway, I then pressed the same button as I had yesterday, which activated a mechanism to make the floor disappear. I then dropped down, but made sure that my heart was ready, so that I wouldn’t drop the flashlight this time.
——But almost at the same time as the floor opened, I noticed something very strange. The ceiling lights were somehow all on. Yesterday, when we left, we had already shut them off——
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Yagumo Ryu.”
The person who had gotten to the underground room before me said when I had just landed.
I instantly recognized voice, and went into battle mode.
“Kito, why are you here?”
“Heh, you seem to be very surprised. I didn’t wait here for nothing.”
Kito stood astride in the middle of the room, ignoring my question and sneered.
“If you were thinking of coming to investigate the data here, then it’s really a shame. Because this morning, the laptop and all of the information had already been confiscated.”
“What……!?”
Looking around, the bookshelf had already been swept clean, and the laptop on the desk was gone.
This was too unlucky. Just because of this tiny difference, all the stuff had been taken away.
…….No. No matter what, this timing is way too coincidental. The morning right after we cracked the code, the third years immediately followed.
“…… Could you have deliberately let us go?”
“Oh~ your head works fast. That’s exactly it.”
Seeing Kito’s indifferent smile, I instantly understood everything.
“Then, basically, Kujyo getting the information related to the sacred sword from the library were all just part of the third year’s trap.”
“You’re quite keen. You’re completely correct. However, this was originally only the librarian committee chairman’s idea. We had already noticed this laboratory before, but we couldn’t find the exact location. So, we advertised the rumor of a sacred sword and demonic blade. We then put the information into the library’s books, and waited for a kouhai that could solve the puzzle to appear.”
After having said that, Kato raised his right hand, and pointed towards the direction of the science classroom.
“You guys didn’t notice that there was a surveillance camera on the ceiling of the science room, right? It’s been disguised as something like a fire alarm. If it isn’t dismantled, it definitely won’t be found. So, we heard everything that you guys talked about here last night, loud and clear.”
“……….”
We lost badly. When I heard Kujyo had went to the library to gather information, I should have immediately have raised my alertness level.
“…… Basically, you didn’t continue chasing us last night because you wanted to let us go meet with Kujyo at the science room?”
“That’s right, it’s just as you said. … Although I want to say that, it was really just a coincidence. The glass that you hit me with all pierced my wrist. It wasn’t the right time to chase after you. Because I thought you guys would immediately go back to the dorms, I called it a day and went to the infirmary to pull out the glass.”
While recalling the pain from last night, Kito used his left hand to hold the right hand exposed by his T-shirt. It seemed like there’s no more injury now. The healthcare members probably used their abilities to cure it.
“……Uh, we troubled you on that.”
“Rest assured. I definitely won’t let you go for that.”
He glanced at me without hesitation. I should quickly change the subject.
“Since there are security cameras in the science classroom, you guys noticed that Kujyo was sneaking in there a long time ago.”
“Of course, Kujyo Elena could possibly help us decipher the code. So, we gave her freedom to do anything while monitoring from the side. Well, we just didn’t expect too much.”
“However, last night we successfully opened the entrance to the underground room.”
“We were a little bit careless. When we found of about it, you guys were already heading back. Fortunately, you guys only took away a sword, so we immediately rushed here and took away all the data.”
“………”
Once again, I greatly regretted that I didn’t bring out the documents. If I took it away yesterday, this would have preempted the third years.
“By the way, I can tell you one thing. The reason I was waiting here is because one of my companions overheard you guys’ conversation at the cafeteria. Why didn’t you find a private place to talk about something so important.”
“………Um.”
Now that I thought about it, we were careless from the beginning of our operations yesterday. Originally, we wanted to begin before the third years, but we were just playing into their hands.
…… I always make this kind of stupid mistake, and yet I talk about beating the third years……
“——Ok, spoilers end here. We should get to the main topic now.”
Kito said with an oppressive tone as he walked towards me. His height of one hundred and eighty meters paired with his body full of muscles. This kind of oppressive aura simply isn’t a joke.
“I don’t have to say more, do I. Your conduct yesterday clearly violated the rules. It must be punished.”
“Breaking the rules or whatever was just decided by the third years I bet.”
“Hmph, you have the nerve to say that when you snuck into the school at night.”
“I don’t want to be told that by the people who placed us under house arrest.”
“That’s true, but I must fulfill my duties as a disciplinary member. I also want to return the favor for what you did to my right hand last night.”
“…… Are you trying to make every effort to punish me?”
“That’s exactly right, or are you saying you want all the disciplinary members to beat you black and blue?”
“……….”
In this situation, I obviously didn’t have the guts to say 「This abuse is lynching, right?」. I should stop resisting. It would be better to give in obediently.
However, if it’s ends like this, why did we desperately try to run away.
“Looking at your expression, I’m guessing you’re not going to try and resist, right?”
“Of course not. How could I make such a suicidal act as to the disciplinary committee my enemy.”
“I see. It’s such a shame that you are so sensible.”
“Is that so?”
Does he really want to beat me up that badly.
“……Anyways, Yagumo. Before I punish you, I need to ask a favor of you. I hope you can give me the sword that you got from the underground room.”
“……Huh? The sword?”
“Yes. It’s like you guys said yesterday. That sword could be the key to finding the location of the sacred sword or demonic blade.”
“…..What if I say I don’t want to give it?”
“We obviously won’t make you give it to us for nothing. Last night you broke into the school and hindered the disciplinary committee’s duties. According to rules, you and Nanami Yuki are supposed to be punished for ten days. However, if you hand out the sword, I can cut it in half. Just five days is enough. Also, Kujyo Elena is supposed to have three days of punishment, but I can lessen her’s it by one day. Just two days are enough.”
“……….”
The exchange that I was offered gave me a headache. All the information in the underground room was taken up. The only thing we have left that contains clues to the sacred sword and demonic blade is this sword. How could I give up the sword just for the benefit of having my punishment halved.
Even though I said that, I definitely didn’t want to stay in the punishment room for ten days based on the current situation. Also, looking at the tough measures the third years have been making in the past couple of months, they could find a suitable reason such as 「retrieving equipment that have been taken out without permission」 while we were imprisoned in the punishment to obtain the sword.
——And, I also want to try to prevent getting Yuki and Kujyo thrown into the punishment room as well.
“…… Kito, how about this?”
After thinking about it, I gave him a proposal.
“After school, I’ll have a duel with you.”
“——What! A duel!?”
“That’s right. If I win, I would like you to forget our violation of the rules yesterday.”
Kito mockingly shrank his shoulders towards my proposal.
“Although I don’t know how you came up with dueling, it does seem like a good idea. ——But, it would be good to hear beforehand. What happens if you lose?”
“For twenty days, starting today, I will stay in the punishment room. Of course, I will also hand in the sword from the underground room.”
“——Oh.”
Kito’s expression changed.
“Don’t underestimate the punishment room. If you lose, then you would be stuck in a pitch dark room that doesn’t even have windows for twenty days. Towards the students who are put in there, nothing edible will be provided other than drinking water. Knowing this, can you easily say such a thing?”
“I’m not casually saying this. I said it because I have confidence that I can win.”
Even though I made this kind of bluff, I didn’t have a plan. It was because even if I was to be locked inside such a punishment room, I have confidence in using to escape the punishment room. Also, if I just made either me or Ryuji stay in the punishment room, then the discipline committee would definitely be unable to find out. If I disguise myself, I could definitely eat all the snacks that I wanted outside!
After I indifferently came up with my strategy, I continued speaking.
“I heard that people only need water to survive a month. Even if I’m under imprisonment for twenty days, I still shouldn’t die.”
“…..Hmph. I can only assume that your brain has problems.”
Holding his arm, Kito sneered with disdain. However, I couldn’t cower here.
“So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to accept these conditions?”
“Wait for a minute. This is indeed a fascinating proposal, but there is a bigger premise. Disciplinary committee members can’t turn a blind eye towards the violation of the school rules——”
“It wouldn’t be a problem if you won. Not only did you not let go of the rule breaker, but you also gave him double the punishment. Not only that, you can even get your hands on the sword. Or, are you scared of losing to me?”
“That’s obviously using provocative tactics on me.”
“Because of what happened yesterday, I guess you don’t find me very pleasing to the eye, right? The glass that pierced into your arm yesterday hurt badly, right?”
“Although it causes a lot of anger, those two things are completely different matters. I will not mix duty with our private matters.”
“………..”
Kito is actually such an exemplary person. I thought that if I put it this way, he would have definitely taken the bait.
If that was the case, then I would have to desperately gamble on this.
“Ok, I understand now. If you don’t accept this proposal, then I guess I’ll just have to destroy the sword immediately.”
After hearing what I said, Kito’s face contorted. It seemed like I hit a nerve.
“You know what I can do, right? Actually, the sword is in the classroom. So, if you refuse to fight me, I’ll have the other me, who’s in the classroom, immediately break the sword.”
“……….”
“I could use telepathic abilities with my other self. It would be better to say that my other self is completely ignoring class and keeping his eyes peeled for any new developments. Even if you want to retrieve it immediately, you definitely won’t make it in time.”
“……Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
I looked back with a provocative gaze towards Kito, who towered above me.
After a while, Kito pretendingly sighed and scratched his head.
“Ok, I get it. I’ll just accept your challenge.”
“That means you agree to have a duel with me, right?”
“How many times do you want me to say it, so annoying.”
Kito waved his hand like he was driving away flies.
“Oh, that’s right, Yagumo. You look like you haven’t dueled before. Did you know there are a few rules in the closed-in school campus game. The student council president should have already explained what would happen on April 28th.”
“…..Ah, I seem to remember something of the sort, but I’m not clear about the specific details anymore.”
“Firstly, you have to ask for a duel in advance. You can’t ambush. Secondly, without a particular reason, you cannot duel outside of the school campus.”
Kito started reciting the rules of dueling. I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but Kito seemed to have a smug look on his face.
“Thirdly,the duel must be under the supervision of the health committee chairman.”
“If the health committee chairman is there, then wounds could be treated immediately even if someone was seriously injured during the duel.”
“That’s right. However, if you accept treatment, then you’re basically admitting defeat.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Fourthly, battles will generally last until one side admits defeat or loses consciousness. However, if one side is seriously hurt, the supervisors will determine if there is any danger with continuing the fight. That would also immediately determine the winner.”
“I guess that’s to prevent people from battling to the death.”
“That’s right. There are some other rules, but only these four pertain to this duel. The rules would subtly change for each duel pertaining to the opponent. If you get the chance, ask someone else to explain to you. ——Also, let me handle the application for this duel.”
“That would really be appreciated.”
“Then I will confirm one more time. The results of this duel will determine whether you are pardoned or punished. Is there really no problem with this?”
“Of course not.”
After getting my confirmation, Kito took out his student handbook and briefly recorded what we talked about earlier.
「If Yagumo Ryu wins: he will be pardoned for all of his punishments.」
「If Yagumo Ryu loses: starting today, he will be locked up for twenty days and will give the sword he found in the basement to the third-years.」
“Let me say this beforehand. This time it’s a special case. Don’t think this will happen again.”
“Mhm, obviously there isn’t a problem with that, Kito. However, where you wrote 「if Yagumo Ryu wins」, could you also add 「Nanami Yuki and Kujyo Elena’s punishment will also all be pardoned」?”
“…..Huh? I obviously can’t allow that. There was no such condition when we discussed earlier——”
“I guess I’ll destroy the sword.”
“——Ok, fine. I got it. I really lost big on this one.”
“Thank you very much. I always knew Kito would be able to do it.”
“Shut up, you low life pretending to be like other people who protect girls.”
“It’s not only to protect them because they’re girls, but also because they’re my friends.”
“Hmph, kill yourself.”
“How could you talk trash about me so frankly?”
“Ah, that’s right. Changing the subject, I have a couple things to add about the punishment room.”
“Right after you pretend like nothing happened and changed the subject!”
“I think you should know without me telling you. To Exceeds, the lock on doors is nothing other than a decoration. So, anyone who enters the punishment room will all receive an order to not escape the room with Kirihara’s .
“——Huh?”
“However, seeing the way you boasted of your amazingness, you definitely shouldn’t have considered anything cowardly like escaping.”
“……T-that goes without saying. It’s really annoying. I definitely didn’t think of a strategy like going outside to eat snacks until I’m full.”
“I also think that way. You really have such a manly spirit. I’m really thankful for that. I’m really looking forward to our duel after school.”
As Kito said that, an evil smile appeared on his face.
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“——So, that’s why I’m going to duel Kito.”
A period of time elapsed. It was now first period’s break. I lifted , and I told Yuki and Kujyo, who were in the classroom, about the negotiations I had in the basement earlier.
“……I can only say that you’re too hasty.”
Kujyo said coldly with a complex expression and her arms crossed.
“It really is commendable that you want to prevent having me thrown into the punishment room, but you have basically no chance of winning.”
“Nope, Elena. How dare you curb his enthusiasm in one of the few instances where Ryu has vigor? I support you, Ryu.”
“Seriously Nanami, you’re spoiling Yagumo too much. …..Having said that, I don’t detest reckless guys. Even though you’ll lose badly, good luck.”
In response to Kujyo’s insincere support accompanied with a half-smile, I retorted like this.
“Heheh. It’s a pity, Kujyo. I shouldn’t lose this match.”
“Oh? Could it be that you have some sort of countermeasure?””
“Ah. It’s just like you said. Yuki used on Kito’s right hand last night. So, immediately after the battle begins, I’ll let Yuki activate and throw large amounts of glass shards just like yesterday. I don’t even have to do anything and Kito will be unable to fight.”
This is the trump card that I’ll use in the duel with Kito. The sly Ryuji would never provoke in a situation that has no chance of winning.
On the other hand, Kujyo frowned after hearing this countermeasure.
“That strategy is too petty.”
“However, we would definitely win.”
“You say it like this, but isn’t this completely relying on outside factors?”
“You can call it whatever you want. As long as we win, it wouldn’t matter.”
“…..Um——”
At this moment, Yuki suddenly interrupted with a very sorry appearance.”
“I’m sorry to tell you that ’s mark resets whenever I sleep…… So, if you want to use it on Kito again, I would have to touch him again.”
“……Huh? Are you serious?”
“Mhm, completely. So, the strategy of using on Kito is completely unworkable.”
“……….”
This was an unexpected obstacle.
“…..Uh, then let’s look for opportunities of approaching Kito before school ends and think of whatever way we can touch him…..”
“Our opponent isn’t stupid. He will definitely be alert of Yuki who’s on your side. It’s probably very difficult to even approach him.”
“………”
Kujyo’s remarks made me speechless. I was in a state of despair.
“Yagumo, don’t be so depressed. We’ll see you after you come out of the punishment room twenty days later.”
“You already determined that I’ll lose.”
“You don’t have any other battle plans, right? Or are you saying you’ll terminate the duel?”
Kujyo scornfully shrugged.
“I don’t really care much. I was already prepared to enter the punishment room.”
“——Hey, hey, Kujyo. You’re wrong about me. I definitely won’t run away.”
I declared to Kujyo, who didn’t have any faith in me.
“The me that took pride in avoiding unsure battles died because of Kuyjo’s words yesterday. Now take a good look at the reborn me”
“——Hmph. You can really talk. Judging by your incessant chatter, you must have thought of other strategies to defeat him, right?”
“Of course.”
“Interesting. If you can really defeat Kito, then I’ll give you a reward.”
Just as Kujyo said that sneering, the bell for the second class started ringing. The gigantic TV in front of the room started playing a recording. The class began.
We immediately returned to our seats and took out our math notebooks. Because there are surveillance cameras on top of the TV, it will catch everything going on in the classroom and transfer it to the third years. If you weren’t seriously studying, then you’ll be taken to the punishment room by the disciplinary committee.
The ringing ended, and the teacher on the TV started lecturing.
……Ok.
I’m already forced to a dead end. What should I do now?
I can’t turn back having told them these things. I can’t see any hope in defeating Kito. However, I don’t want to be suspended for twenty days. Knowing this, I should have confirmed the effects of earlier……
I had a sad expression as I was troubled with this. Although I still like math, this isn’t the time to study.
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After sixth period ended so did the school day. I carried the sword from last night and walked with Yuki and Kujyo to the main entrance (the sheath made of rope, which held the sword, was all made for me by Yuki during breaks).
I couldn’t believe how calm I was. I couldn’t get it off my mind this morning. However, as it got closer to the duel time, I actually became more relaxed. I already gave up. I’ll just let whatever happens happen!!
As we were walking on the small path that led westward, we went down a series of concrete stairs covered with lush green grass and arrived at a sand covered playground. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. It looked like the duel wouldn’t be cancelled due to rain.
When we arrived, Kito was already there, sitting. It seemed like he wanted to be prepared to duel at a moment’s notice, so he did preparation exercises.
There was no one else around other than Kito. I couldn’t help myself from taking a breath of relief. In order to have the supervisors gather before the battle begins, notices would always be posted at the main entrance beforehand.
After the closed-in school campus game started, there would be a lot people watching every single battle due how rare they were. However, because the third years were always the overwhelming winners, the number of students who came and watched became less and less.
Moreover, this battle was completely unrelated to the closed-in school campus game. It was a battle between a B class and a C class. Only Kujyo and Yuki were here.. I’m really thankful for this because I was going to lose really badly.
“——Yo, Yagumo. You have to work hard today.”
I suddenly heard a voice behind me. I instinctively turned my head around. A beautiful girl dressed in white appeared before me. There were red lines on her skirt indicating that she was a third year.
Her waist length hair was tied up with bright red accessories, and the plumpness of her chest could match that of Yuki’s. However, what was more striking was that she left her white cape, which was worn on top of her uniform, drooping on her shoulders. It was clear that she showed less skin than other girls, but this kind of drooping fashion was actually slightly more erotic.
Her name was Shiranui Himeka, a S class Exceed. She served as the health committee chairman, who is one of the Game Masters of the closed-in school campus game.
“Have we met before? I think I met you when you sent one of your classmates to the health center during Golden Week. However, you left without saying anything to me.”
“…..Yes, thank you very for taking care of him that time.”
“Shucks, it’s just the health committee’s responsibility. If I use my . Treating wounds only takes two seconds.”
Shiranui said confidently as her dark black hair swayed gracefully.
“As long as you have me supervising, you don’t need to show any mercy for your opponent. Enjoy the battle to your heart’s content.”
“……Ok.”
I reluctantly answered as I walked towards center of the campus. I wasn’t in the mood to chat with the Dominators at the time.
“——In that case, I’ll go all out.”
I told myself as I activated .
Ryuji and I split, side by side carrying the sword in its scabbard. After activating , doesn’t only make a copy of myself but also my clothes and accessories.
However, if this didn’t happen, there would be a naked person every time we split. That would be a big problem.
By the way, the items added by wouldn’t disappear even if I dropped it before I cancel the ability. For example, if I used , a $10,000 bill would become two bills. That way you could buy things worth $20,000. This ability was literally made for breaking the law.
“You seem to be ready.”
Kito said to me as he got up after finishing his stretches. Ryuji and I simultaneously nodded our heads.
“Alright, then let’s get started.”
Kito shouted with a very imposing manner. A few seconds later, fireworks started, which meant the start of the battle.
The white smoke rose up extremely high, and the loud sounds of explosion resounded in the air.
Seconds later, Kito lowered his body and started to charge up. He probably wanted to make himself enormous like last night.
Ryuji and I took aim and sped towards him. As we ran towards the motionless Kito, we pulled out the sword. We were going to pierce him from the upper-right in one go.
The reason was simple for using quick attacks at the beginning of the battle. If someone wanted to beat Kito, their best chance would be before he became a giant.
——However, in reality, it wouldn’t be as successful as I imagined it would be. Kito already saw through my intentions. He enlarged his right arm in an instant and swept horizontally with tremendous force. Ryuji and I were hit and sent flying backwards.
Fortunately, the attack earlier didn’t do us much harm. It was probably because it was a sudden counter-attack, so there wasn’t much power put in.
We immediately adjusted our formation. Ryuji and I put a little more distance between us.
“——Kito. From what just happened, we can clearly see that you’re ability has a huge weakness.”
While paying attention to Kito’s movements, I said this, which made him shudder.
“It would be better to call it a limit rather than a weakness.”
“Limit? What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
As he said that, I reminisced about what happened last night. When we encountered Kito in the vicinity of the school campus, he only made his right arm enormous. There was no sign of him chasing us during the time he was making his whole body gigantic.
“You probably can’t make your whole body gigantic in an instant. To achieve gigantism, it would take somewhere around ten seconds. During this time, you’ll be completely vulnerable.”
After hearing me point out his weakness, Kito made a wry smile.
“How surprising. You deduced that just from our encounter yesterday.”
“I am very observant.”
“Hmph, but my right arm can instantly become gigantic.”
“That’s true, but this is a lot easier to fight against compared to a complete giant.”
“So, you decided not to wait until I turn gigantic?”
“That’s right, but it would be better to say that I took this opportunity to engage.”
While I was pretending to chat with Kito, Ryuji launched a surprise attack from behind.
“——Eat this!!”
However, Kito’s enlarged his right foot and jumped away with an unbelievable amount of force from where he was.
“That’s a pity. I saw your other self moving with my peripheral vision.”
“I knew from the beginning that trick wouldn’t work. ——However, it could still be considered a small success since I know your feet can get bigger now as well.”
“While analyzing my ability, you’re planning on slowly forcing me into a corner.”
“Do you think that’s improper?”
“No, actually I think it’s a great strategy. ……Anyways, have you heard any information about from other people?”
“What do you mean?”
“Stop playing dumb. When I activate , there’s another effect. Do you know what it is?”
“……….”
I probably already guessed what Kito wanted to say. While and are completely different classes, there are some similarities.
——It’s that 「you can add more of yourself」.
“To answer the question from earlier, it should be 「when you activate , anything you touch will also become huge」, right? Otherwise, your uniform would have been ripped into shreds when you turned gigantic last night.”
“You have very good observation skills. You can even deduce this when you use it.”
While talking, Kito put his hand down his jacket’s front pocket, seemingly trying to pull something out.
“Actually before the battle, I picked up all the medium sized rocks around the area.”
“——Could it be you!”
“Ah, that’s exactly right.”
Kito held a small rock while making his right hand gigantic. During the moment I spaced out, he threw the rock in his hand, which was around thirty meters, towards Ryuji.
——That’s not right, it was no longer the size of a stone. It was a boulder.
“Eat a blow from my right fist as well!”
The moment he said that, Kito had already threw his giant fist at me.
The giant right fist came at me, and countless rocks flew towards Ryuji. I hesitated for a moment. I then finally canceled , which made me disappear.
After, my body suffered the impact of numerous rocks. The sharp stones pierced my skin all the way to the bones. My head started feeling a little dizzy.
“——You aren’t the only one who learnt from last night’s battle. As long as you cancel , you can avoid one of them from being attacked. So, if I want to attack you, I have target both of you at the same time for it to work.”
Kito proudly said to me, as I fell on the ground.
Although I avoided a fatal wound, both my elbows hurt so much that I couldn’t lift them up. Because I wanted to protect myself from the rocks, I got this wound instead. I questioned whether I should keep fighting.
“——AHHHHHH!!”
I shouted as I stubbornly got up. I finally stood up.
However, after I adjusted my posture, Kito had already turned into a giant.
“……Ok. I’m completely ready now. Let’s start this battle again!”
Kito’s roaring voice came from above. He had already lifted his gigantic right foot to flatten me.
Predicting where he was going to land, I desperately tried to jump away from there. An unbelievably enormous shoe flattened where I just stood at.
The ground shook violently, the area rumbled, and sand flew everywhere. Because there was such a huge gap in strength, I was flabbergasted.
Now Kito’s foot was the size of my whole body. If I was stepped on, it would completely KO me.
Cold sweat dripped from my forehead. Looking at the situation, there was no chance of winning.
——Then, I should take this opportunity to run away.
I put the sword back into its sheath and swiftly ran towards the school building. The sand obscured Kito’s line of sight. There were a couple seconds that he couldn’t find me.
“——Hey, wait Yagumo!! Where are you going !?”
“I’m sorry! I really have no chance of winning, so I’m running away!”
“You’re giving up way too quickly!! Don’t run away so openly!!”
“A great man once said that if the situation is too desperate, running away is the only logical way out!”
“That’s Sun Tzu! Under the circumstances that you have no countermeasures, running away is really a good idea! However, I’m not going to let you get away!!”
Because I assumed Kito would shout angrily as he ran towards me, I hadn’t thought he would just jump towards me. His body flew like a bullet and landed in the empty parking lot, easily getting ahead of me. Because of the huge impact, the asphalt surface cracked, and black debris flew everywhere.
However, I already knew that he would get to the school building before me. So, I activated , then Ryuji and I each ran in opposite directions.
“——!! What an annoying ability!!”
After Kito hesitated, he grabbed for me with both hands.
However, I immediately canceled and disappeared from his huge palms. In a hair’s breadth, I once again used , and we once again went in opposite directions.
I wouldn’t say anything about crossing swords, but I was super confident in my ability to run away!
I finally arrived at the wide open window that faced the corridor. This way I could successfully escape into the school building. I could finally be at ease——.
Just as I was finally calming down, Kito used his giant right hand to get into the building by breaking the window next to me. Even though I barely managed to avoid his fist, the scattered sharp shards of glass still pierced my face and hands.
“……Yo, Yagumo. We meet again.”
From the other side of the window, Kito stared at me with his giant eyes..
My heart was seized by fear, all I wanted to do was escape this place as soon as I could. However, my feet wouldn’t move as if they were frozen in fear. Also, the passage leading into the school was completely blocked off by his giant arm..
“Did you think running into the school, would force me into returning to my normal size? That’s really unfortunate. Even in my current state, I could still play hide and seek with you.”
“……D-does the disciplinary committee randomly sabotage school buildings?”
“Don’t worry. Even if the whole school was destroyed, we can restore everything by asking any member from beautification committee to fix it.”
“I see. That’s true.”
“Even if it’s me, destroying the school still distresses me. So how about it? Want to obediently come out?”
“……I got it. I surrender——”
“You’re not the type of person to say that.”
Kito sneered and clenched his left hand tightly. It seemed like he still wanted to punch the front of the school one more time.
This is the longest I can keep Kito’s attention on me. After deciding this, I canceled and combined with Ryuji.
Actually, when Ryuichi was buying time, Ryuji had already entered the school building from another entrance.
“Yagumo!! Where did you go!!”
The howling of Kito came from the other side of the building. As if the sound of his roar was chasing me, I quickly ran up the stairs.
As I was running up the stairs, I heard the sound of shattering come from all of the windows in the school building. It seemed like he started from the first floor and didn’t miss a single window. What a scary thought.
“I found you!!”
I heard Kito’s yell, then the window in front of me broke. The brutal punch of the giant was coming towards me.
The front of my body suffered the blow from the huge fist. I was sent flying backwards, down the stairs.
“Hahahahahahaha!! At this time, there’s no one left in the building!!!! It’ll be easy as pie for me to find you, no matter how much you run around!! ”
Kito shouted with a grim smile.
On the other hand, I, who was injured in an instant, laid on the hallway of the third floor. I checked how badly I got hurt.
Being hit by the huge fist, made my face and solar plexus ache endlessly. Not only that, the shards of glass that flew towards me caused me to become covered in blood.When I fell downstairs, I severely injured my back and waist. Of course, being hit by rocks on both arms didn’t help either. If I was in an RPG right now, my HP would be in the single digits. I have long passed the yellow bar. I would already be in the red bar now.
——But, I definitely won’t give up!!
I activated lying down. After, I appeared within a three meter range, which was in the hallway of the fourth floor. I then deactivated my ability, and created another self in the three meter range once again.
Although I nearly died, I finally succeeded in reaching the roof. …… Then again, it would have been better if I did this from the start…….
Although the numerous wounds crippled my body, I still desperately stood up even though I could barely walk.
I dragged my leg to the edge of the roof. The fireworks used for signaling the start of the match was carelessly put there. It seemed like I could use it to attack.
“Hahaha, you’re finally willing to come out of the school.”
Just as I reached the edge of the roof, Kito met my eyes. His forehead was around the size of the roof. Only after standing at such a high place did I personally feel how massive my upperclassman had grown.
“So, what do you want to do? If you jump from there, you might be able to hit my head with your sword?”
It might have been because he hit the front of my body that made him seem very happy, or it might be from seeing my crippled body, which made him already convinced of his victory.
“……You’re right. As a last prank, to risk my life just to hit you doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”
As I said that, I canceled , which made the Ryuji in the hallway of the fourth floor disappear.
——This was my last chance. If this attack fails, the only place I’ll be going to is the punishment room. Moreover, the sword I got from the basement would be taken away.
I continued onward without considering the state I was in, I grabbed the railing and activated .
After, my consciousness moved above Kito’s head. Although my view didn’t change much, being in the air made the scenery under my feet completely different.
However, the biggest difference was when I appeared above his head, Kito was overshadowed by an enormous shadow.
“——What!?”
Kito looked up, shocked, with eyes wide open. No wonder. It was because a huge school appeared in the sky.
——When I thought of this strategy, I saw Kito activating to make the rocks in his hand become boulders. At that moment, a question came to mind. 「When I activate to double, is there really no limit in size?」
Of course, I didn’t think it was true at the beginning. However, with Kito’s size right now, there was no other way than making something larger than he is to flatten him.
Although it was a stupid idea, it was worth a try. So, even if I needed to drag myself, I had to make it to the roof. Finally, I held the railing and activated while imagining an identical version of the school in the sky.
Although it was a desperate gamble, the result was a pretty successful copy of the entire school. Also, in order to prevent hitting the original school building, I purposely held the railing of school, letting it be completely directed downwards.
“——Take this!!”
I yelled as the duplicate school fell down altogether. Although I really wanted to go to the roof where Ryuji was at, the copied school would also disappear if I deactivated . So, my only choice was to fall down with the building (having said that, actually, Yuki could help deal with it by using .
When the duplicate school fell down, it still hit the original building. A part of the broken sections fell onto Kito’s colossal body.
Although Kito’s current height and the height of the school were around the same, it was still an overwhelming unfavorable in terms of width and depth. It was like the difference between a person and a truck. That’s to say, his current situation was like walking on the street and suddenly getting hit by a truck from the side.But, this wasn’t from the side. It was from the above.
So, Kito was helpless against the school building.
“Guwahhhhhhh!!”
He looked completely different from his satisfied expression earlier. Kito tried to catch the building with his hand, yelling a savage cry.
But, sure enough, Kito’s strength couldn’t support the whole school. Being unable to support it, he lost his balance and was overpowered by the school.
Kito’s feet were gradually pushed backwards, which uprooted various plants. Also, the sports department’s gym that was next to the sports field was crushed into ruins by Kito’s back. It was literally like the end the world.
On the other hand, I, who didn’t have a parachute, jumped from the rooftop and was stopped mid fall by an invisible force, arriving next to Yuki. I landed safely thanks to her, Yuki, my soul mate.
Finally, a great roar came from the school. Kito was completely buried under the school, lying there motionless.
The school dormitory that smashed into Kito shattered even more after it was slammed into the ground. Fragments of concrete mixed with the sand from the sports field. All kinds of dust flew into the air.
However, it was too early to relax. I was stopped by the sound of an avalanche, then I walked towards Kito. If the blow earlier didn’t get rid of him, I should take care of him right now, before he can get back up.
I walked to where Kito was. I found out that even though he was being pressed down by a lot of rubble, he still didn’t faint and was trying hard to get out.
So, I tried climbing his tree trunk-like neck and drew my sword while standing on his collarbone.
“Kito, please surrender immediately. Even if we take into account our size difference, I’m pretty confident that I can still cut your carotid artery. .”
Kito could feel the edge of the sword on his neck and made a face of disgust. He obediently stopped resisting.
“The battle has been decided! The victor: Yagumo Ryu!”
Then, Shiranui, who came out of nowhere and now stood beside me, declared the end of the battle.
