The morning of the second day of the "Dance Tournament".

　In a daze, I see that Rustyala and the others are awake.
　I lie down on the table next to them as they eat with cheerful greetings.

　I'm sure Rastiara and the others have had a good night's sleep and are in top form.
　Of course, I'm hungry and sleep-deprived and in bad shape.

　In the morning, the four of us worked out the action plan (schedule) for the semifinals. Basically, we're going to finish the game early and meet up right away. Ideally, we'd like to finish the game earlier than Rowen, Snow and the others who are playing at the same time. If possible, we should always work in teams of four.

　After that careful discussion, I headed to the north area and Rustiala and the others headed to the west area.

　Just like yesterday, I walk down the corridor leading to the arena.
　The match is about to begin.
　However, my body is not strong enough.

　It's only been an all-nighter for one day, but it's harder than I imagined. The fight with Ryner and Rowen in particular has left my body tired. After that, it seems that being on guard for the attack all that time and being on the lookout for an attack was a disaster.
　No, it's not a disaster because it's just as planned. ......

　The sword in your hand feels many times heavier than the sword in your hand.
　The clothes you wear are as if you are wearing water-absorbent clothing.
　Just walking around makes me sweat unpleasantly and I can't help but feel thirsty.

　It's a terrible physical condition.
　Furthermore, my body's magic power is unreliable. I'm probably on the verge of depleting my MP.
　The amount of natural recovery of my magic power is extraordinary. But now that the magic power is being supplied to the Reapers, the recovery rate has dropped to the level of a normal person. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

　I'm going to be able to use a limited amount of magic in this match.

　I'm not going to be able to get a good deal more than a few hours of sleep.

''-- The 'Ichinotsuki United Kingdom General Knight's Seed Ball' is the third match in the north area!

　The sun shines brightly.
　The voice that welcomes me.
　The resounding applause.
　But none of it is too much trouble.

"First of all, the Foozeyars' representative, the 'Celestial Knights' team!　This year we're joined by a female knight only, and we're dominating the conversation!　These ladies are a force to be reckoned with, and they are selling out their seats on the same day!　The management of the "Dance Tournament" is screaming for joy!　Now, how far will the war maidens who adorn the stage go to win!

　The opponents were being introduced.
　Across the way, three knights were waving their hands around.

　A twin-tailed twin-tailed girl with twin swords, dressed like a liner, Franlle Helvirshain.
　Ragne Kaikwola, a girl who wore multiple layers of skirts of folk costume.
　Persiona Quager, a tall woman wearing black full body armor and holding a full-face black helmet in her hand.

''-- against Lauravia's representative, the 'Epic Seeker' guild master Aikawa Kanami team!　But when I say team, I mean just him alone!　He's not even willing to go three against one, is he a fool or a hero!　He's being touted as the trickster of the tournament!

　Then my introductions are made.
　I laughed bitterly and waved my hand emphatically around.

''--And what a surprise, just a few days ago, we received word that he defeated the Dragon of the West!　What the hell is this man doing before the convention!　Everything you do is natural!　Will he be able to reach the other 'Dragon Slayer' hero, Glenn Walker, in the Reverse Block?

　I can hear a lot of personal information being leaked in a strange way.
　And please don't treat me as a "natural character" at every turn. It's deeply unpleasant.

　However, contrary to my feelings, the audience became even louder when they heard the word "dragon killer".

　I walk to the center of the arena with a twisted face.

''--Then let the two teams decide on the match format!

　He faced Mr. Perciona, who approached from the other side.

'You're blessed with a tournament table. I didn't expect it to hit so quickly.
'Good to see you today, Mr. Perciona: ......'
Now, let's talk about the rules.
'And while we're at it, ......, we won't accept anything but the standard rules. Let's play three against one, 'weapon drop'.

　I present the rules that I decided in advance with Ragne-chan first.
　Hearing this, Perciona-san frowns slightly.

''We're not ...... strangers to each other. I don't mind a more elaborate twist on those tasteless rules, though?
'No, it's not necessary. I don't want to bet anything and I want a standard match.
''But this is a festival. As a master of a guild that contributes to the country, don't you think you can make this festival more exciting?

　He's biting down on me desperately.
　Just like Ragune-chan said, there is a section where she is trying to get something out of me, even if it's forcibly.

''I'm sorry. I'm not participating in this 'dancing competition' as a representative of the guild. I'm just fighting for very personal reasons. ......
Hm. ....... So if we win--
There's nothing here.

　I assure her.
　Hearing this, Mr. Perciona looks puzzled.

　It seems that she didn't expect me to be so stubborn. Because of the previous two rounds, she must have thought that I was the kind of person who is easily carried away.

　A moment of silence passed between me and Perciona-san.
　Then, in the meantime, Flanlure comes in.

''If you're going to go that far, I can't force you to do so. ......

　He approaches me with a disappointed look on his face.
　However, he quickly brightens his face and declares while extending his hand towards you with a snappy smile.

''However, it's distressing that the three of us over here are slashing at each other and have nothing to show for it!　So if you defeat us, I will make you a knight of the Fooziers!　That's very honorable, isn't it!
'That's my loss even if I win: ....... I would politely decline to do so: ......
What. You can't do that!
No.

　Rather, why do you think I would nod my head at that?
　I'm not good at this girl, after all.

And by the way, it's so boring to win and lose and have nothing to show for it!

　But there is something I want Franlle Helvirshain (・・・・・・・・・) to do.

　I pretend to compromise and give him the conditions I thought of in the morning.

'Yes, ....... Then--

　The point is, it's all about who's going to take the lead.
　All of the proposals over there are suspicious and I don't want to drink one of them. But I'm not a good enough person to reject them all.
　Then let our compromise plan pass first.
　That way, we can avoid a major accident. Maybe.

"If I win, ......, Franlure, you can come to my room later. I want to talk to you about something: .......
'What, ...... in Christ's room?'

　He needs to tell her what Ryner has done and she needs to rein him in.
　It hurts my conscience because it would be a way to take advantage of her favor, but I still can't overlook Reiner's murderous actions. I want to get him to talk to her as soon as possible.

I don't want anyone to hear the story: ......

　I mutter meaningfully.
　Hearing this, Franlleure replies excitedly.

'Yes, fine!　Let's do it!　Let's do it!　I'd rather welcome it!
Oh, yes.

　I regret the surge in tension a little bit.
　However, this took the quality of the words.

　Behind me, Perciona-san sighs and pats Franlleur's head.

''Don't take the liberty of agreeing to it, Fran .......

　When he comes to himself, Franlleure runs behind Ragne-chan with an awkward look on his face.
　Perciona-san misses it and speaks to us.

'...... But I have an interesting proposition. Then, if we win, will you listen to me in my room?
I guess that's a fair point: ......
'Not bad. Can I interpret that as giving me an hour or so to seduce you?
Yes. We're going to borrow Mr. Flanlure for an hour or so, too.
''Alright, it's settled. Although we lost one-on-one, I'll show you that the true value of the 'Seven Celestial Knights' (Celestial Knights) in the heavens can be demonstrated in a multitude of people.

　They seem to agree on these terms.
　I mean, apparently I have also fought Mr. Perciona. What am I really doing, past me: .......

　Thus, all the rules are set and the moderator tells the whole thing.

'--What, what, Kanami!　He's trying to get that Helvillestein's daughter into his room!　He won the title of Natural Hater in his last fight, but apparently there were circumstances!　If the woman of your choice was at the convention, that would have been a no-brainer!

　After confirming the rule decision, the moderator reiterates it to the entire audience.

　That's enough.
　I don't have the energy to correct a mistake.

'- I mean, I feel like Kanami and Perciona have approached me!　Well, he's very popular!　So, I'll start the match with the standard rules of 'weapon drop' on the condition that the loser gets to take home!

　Oh, the takeaway is .......
　I sense bad intentions from the moderator's choice of words.
　Even though it's his job to make things more exciting, I still wish he'd give himself a little more weight.

　See, that uptight-looking Mr. Perciona is blushing and angry .......

　We then tell the moderator which weapons fit the criteria for 'weapon drop'.
　Each of us holds our beloved swords in our hands.
　I 'gaze' at the other person's armor without being caught off guard.


[Ornamental Jeweled Sword]
　Attack power 1


　Surprisingly, Ragne's sword was upholstered.

　However, Perciona-san and Franliulet's sword is an undisputed masterpiece. It's comparable to my pride and joy, the 'Straight Sword of Crescent Pectrazi'.

　And there is an armor that wears more extraordinary power than those famous swords.
　And that is...


[Black armor, Alphenreit]
　Defensive strength 6. Anti-magic strength 7.　
　The equipper's speed is compensated by -10%.


　This is Mr. Perciona's armor.
　Undoubtedly, it's probably the highest level object in this world. Fighting with a normal sword, she might not be able to do any damage.

　Furthermore, all three of them are wearing a large amount of magical tools inside their clothes. Perhaps they are planning countermeasures based on the information from my first battle.
　It's a good idea to assume that all of the future battles are against magical tools.

　I'm 'gazing' at all of my opponents and checking them out, and my eyes meet with Ragne-chan.

''Onii-san. I'd like to take my advice to ......

　After all, the stakes are high.
　Ragne laments that her efforts have been for naught.

'Well, um, ......, sorry. Things have changed a bit. Well, it's okay. As advised, I'll take it seriously. So--

　Unlike yesterday, there is no laziness in this game.
　I have a good reason not to lose.
　I'm going to give it everything I have as Aikawa Kanami to win.
　And that's why.

I am not going to lose.

　There is no element of defeat.
　Of course, at the same time, I am aware that there is no such thing as an absolutely unbeatable battle.
　And yet, I swear to myself that I will never lose.

　This is the most ideal way to approach a match.

　Perhaps sensing my firm intentions, Lagune-chan nodded her head in disapproval.

　The team of the Celestial Knights and I keep our distance.
　And then it begins.

''--With that, the third match of the North Area of the 'Ichino Moon United General Knight's Seed Ball' will begin!


◆◆◆◆◆


It's called Di Winter.

　As soon as it starts, we're going to get some more distance.
　I'm going to be very careful in this fight.

　Of course, I'm confident that I can attack at the start of the fight and finish it in an instant.
　But I'm not going to choose a fast attack.

　Lagune-chan said she has experience fighting me.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.
　It would be safer to choose to gather information.

　I watch the "Celestial Knights" team from afar.
　They also cast auxiliary magic on the girls, just like me.

　I 'watch' their statuses again and check the changes in their 'statuses'.


[Status]
　State: body enhancement 0.70


　A spell has been cast on all of them to enhance their physical abilities.
　The user is Persiona Quager. As it is a type of magic that penetrates inside, it cannot be interfered with.

　The increase in their physical abilities is closely monitored by the numbers.
　The ability to estimate the opponent's strength before a fight is a big advantage. Even in games in my world, the difficulty level of a game varies greatly depending on whether or not you know the boss's HP and attack power.

　My weapons are not only swords and magic.

　The ability to gather information through "gazing" and the ability to respond through the "possessions" system. And the speed of thought and analysis that surprises even Palinclone. The ability to observe and understand, which Rowen described as inhuman.
　These are also my weapons. There's no way I can't use it.

The growth. That's it. Now we'll use the formation you saw in the previous example.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.

　After finishing their preparations, the three of them form a formation.
　Perciona-san is in the front and the other two are lined up diagonally behind her.
　Then, keeping pace, the three of them attack towards me at the same time.

　All of this I observe, analyze and remember.

　The contraction of their muscles, the transition of their center of gravity, the movement of their eyes, their words, the minute changes in their facial expressions, their body temperature, their heartbeats - no matter how insignificant, I memorize every signal they send out.

　It's the same procedure as when I imitated Rowen's technique.
　But this time, the goal isn't to imitate them. I'm going to focus on the attack.

　Knowing and analyzing every movement of the target, knowing its habits and tendencies from the changes, predicting its thoughts and aims.

　I have the ability to do that while fighting.
　The ability to think, reinforced by status, allows me to do that.

　I can feel my fast-spinning brain slowly heating up.

　It's a tough amount of information for a head that's slowed down due to poor physical condition.
　But I won't cut corners. I promise to fight with all my might.
　I raise my sword and intercept the three men who are coming towards me.

Wraith-Wind!

　First, Flanruele unleashes a wind spell. It's a vacuum blade that resembles a kama-weasel.
　Normally, this magic would be invisible, but my dimensional magic captures it accurately.

　Even before it was unleashed, I had moved into an evasive action.
　You'll be able to find out the best way to get the most out of the game.

　And I also know that Lagune-chan will be running from behind that magic.
　The 《Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradiate)》, an excessive information gathering ability and the thinking ability to process it, makes it possible for me to make guesses that resemble future predictions.

　I avoided the blade of the wind with plenty of time to spare.
　And Lagne-chan behind her, with her 'magic materialization', also leisurely avoided the sword of magic power that was extended from her free hand.

　If I had avoided the wind blade without any room to spare, I would not have been able to avoid this Lagne-chan's attack. If he had been struck by the stiffness he had avoided greatly, he would have had to stop his feet and play with his sword.

　If that happened, he would have been subjected to Perciona-san's great sword that was waiting for him next. Perciona-san has a status that specializes in muscle strength. If you take that great sword of hers seriously, you won't get away with it.

　I pulled my chin back and avoided the black great sword swung out to the side like a swayback.

　It's a splendid trifecta.
　Fluid and swift.
　Precise and precise.
　A-Un breathing, which shows signs of solid training.

...... educational.

　I mutter my true intentions and run backwards.

　Naturally, the three people in front of me chase after me.

　This time, Ragne's sword of magic power is the first.
　It restricts my movements, and then Perciona-san's blow joins in. This time Yokonagi was aiming at my leg. However, it's an attack that clearly wasn't expected to hit me. Probably, it was intended to make me jump in the air, and that's where Flanlure's magic was going to hit me.

　I continue to examine the information obtained by the Dimension and take the best option.
　I can feel my thinking power, which had been stagnant due to insomnia, sharpening.

　Your tiredness comes full circle and you feel refreshed.
　It's similar to the strange high tension of an all-nighter.　
　My reading of the battle is getting clearer and clearer.
　With a move that resembles a prediction, I avoided Perciona-san's sword and Franlure's magic with a paper-thin line.

　Once again, all three of them have a bitter look on their faces as they are scooped up by all the attacks.
　However, the girls did not falter and continued to attack me with various tactics.　
　I also tried to attack when I saw an opening - but all of my attacks were played by Perciona's armor. She is always standing in front of me, and the lightly armed Lagune and Franllew are always ready to escape behind her.

　If I force myself to attack the two lightly armed men, I'll be hit from the side by Perciona's stiff sword.
　That said, attacking the full-maired Persiona-san is not easy either. She's robust, and if I take my time, the other two will get in the way.

　I remain calm and continue to wait for time.
　I'll try to avoid and observe. With my analytical skills, I knew that the more time I spent, the better off I would be.

　As the three of us opened up our tactical drawers, the accuracy of my guesses would increase.
　I'm confident that if I keep fighting, I'll be able to see through the drawers that haven't been opened.

　I continue to take my time gathering information, watching the three of them work together in a beautiful coordinated attack.

　It's truly a brilliant partnership.
　It's almost tempting to keep watching.
　But that's not going to happen.

　I've declared that I'm serious, and I've been told not to waste time on Rustyala.
　At last, the girls had finished their analysis, which they had been calculating in the corner of their heads, and it was time to fight back.

　The battle lasted only a few minutes, but the amount of information it contained was enormous.
　The contraction of muscles, the center of gravity, the line of sight, even the expressions on their faces, all of which I memorized in great detail, so it's no wonder.

　And out of that muddled swirl of information, I draw an answer.
　I get the certainty that these women will act in a certain way if they are in a certain situation - I get the certainty that they will act in a certain way.

“--I'll pack it in now.â

　I take a step forward, confident in my victory.
　I expose myself in front of the three onslaughters.

　Confirming this, the three of them attacked again, without even looking at each other, with a new coordination.
　There was no stagnation or misalignment there at all.

　So.
　Although the girls were fighting without even checking each other's positions, there were no mistakes.

　The greatest strength of the "Celestial Knights" team was their teamwork, which was made up of highly trained players.
　And to put it another way, if you can break them down, you can win.

''-- Magical [Dimensional Winter (Di Winter)]

　Using my scarce MP, I deploy a special magical winter.
　And then it concentrates that cold air on Franlleure alone.

　Instead of this one's ability to gather information, Flanruele became enveloped in a cold air that he could feel on his skin.
　Even so, it didn't go so far as to interfere with his movements.
　However, he would feel a sense of discomfort.
　For example, if it was a movement to draw a sword, it would feel as if he was touching a new sword.
　The more familiar you are with the discomfort, the greater the discomfort, the more you train, the greater the discomfort.

　As a result, the beautiful coordination between the three of them is slightly broken.
　The tempo of Flanruele slowed down slightly. A slight delay indeed. However, due to the splendid coordination, it is noticeable.

''Oi, Fran--!
No, no, Mr. President!　It's weirdly cold--!

　Naturally, the people around her tried to follow.
　Perciona-san grasped Franliure's condition and changed her position to match her slight delay. Ragne also slightly slows down the tempo of her attack to match the surroundings.

　It's a splendid response.
　However, I have to say it's just as I planned.

　I continue to interfere with only Flanlure with Dimensional Winter (Di Winter).
　My attention is distracted from the others, but it's no problem. Thanks to the information I gathered in the early stages of the game, I have a general idea of what Persiona-san and Ragne will do.

　Flanruele's movements are getting more and more delayed.
　The other two know the reason for that. Because they know, they try to adapt to Franlleure.

　It was ideal as a team effort.
　It's enough to make me want to try this kind of teamwork one day.

　But unfortunately, it's hopelessly incompatible with my magic.

　When the two of us are slowing down to match Franlure, I suddenly stop interfering with her.
　Because of the fact that we were moving in Aun, this time, Franlleure sticks out.

　I aim at Franlleure, the only one who has moved forward.
　Naturally, the other two rush forward and try to save her.

　But next time, only Ragne is late.
　This time it's because I'm applying cold air only to her.

''Lagne!
All of a sudden, my hands and feet started to feel numb.

　Mr. Perciona reprimands Ragne for his slow tempo and forces himself to follow Franlleure alone.

　I stop pretending to attack Franlleure and taunt Persiona-san for forcing herself to rush forward.

　Thus, in just a few seconds, their neat formation was broken.
　Perciona-san, who played the role of the wall, moved away, and Franlleure, who played the role of the turret, was closest to me.

　All three of us panicked as the formation collapsed.
　First, Lagne-chan increased her speed in an attempt to make up for the delay.
　In line with that timing, as a last resort, I gather cold air on Perciona-san, this time as a wall player.

''--gee.''

　As a result, only the overly fast-paced Lagne-chan comes right beside me, alone.

　I unleashed a flash of my full strength at her.
　The weapon flicking technique that Rowen taught me, even the Sword of Magical Materialization flicks up.
　My left hand leaps upwards as it is caught by the Sword of Magic Power, leaving Ragne defenseless.

　Then I go to take her sword with my sword-less hand.
　Precisely with the 《Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradiate)》, I strike the thin portion of flesh on her elbow. The nerves underneath the flesh were stimulated and Ragne-chan lost her grip on the sword.
　Finally, he lightly tapped Ragne-chan's crucifixion sword and flicked it off.

　This is the end for Ragne-chan.

　Then the other two slash at me.
　I took Ragnet-chan's sword, which was still about to fall to the ground, and blocked their swords with my twin swords.

　I put all the muscular strength I could muster into one of them and pour all the magical power I could muster into the other.
　There was no longer a need for spatial grasp.
　The cold air of the 《Dimensional Winter (Di Winter)》, which was biased towards the icy attribute instead of the dimensional attribute, assaulted Persiona-san. On the contrary, Flanruele flicks the whole sword away with force.

　With this, the division is successful.
　I leave Persiona-san behind, throw away Ragne's sword and approach Franlleure.

　I have to neutralize her before Perciona-san catches up with me.
　I try to snatch the sword from her with my bare hands, just as I did with Lagne-chan. However, Franliure tried to avoid it as she was used to it.

　Obviously, she reacts better than Lagune-chan. Although it wasn't marked on her status, there's no doubt that she has the knowledge of 'body arts'.

　And the moment he grabbed Franloule's wrist, his body's balance was thrown off as if he was drawn in.
　The minimum 《Dimension》 had captured the reality of the phenomenon. Franlure sat back, relaxed his hands, and sank down to use my strength to try to lose his balance.

　I knew that strange 'body technique' in my language. I'm not sure, but it would be a technique similar to aikido or judo as it is called in my world.

　If you move with this flow of power, the next moment the one who is falling down is me. Immediately I predicted the end point of that flow of power with the Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradient). I predict it, understand it, and derive a response to it.

　I knew that if this was the case, I would be knocked to the ground. So, instead of going against the momentum of being thrown, he would spin around in the air and land on his feet, riding the flow of force.

　Flanlure was surprised to see the throw teased out in a strange move.
　He took advantage of the opportunity and threw her up into the air with the force of only his left hand.

　If they continue to team up and fight for their swords, it will take time. I chose to throw them up in the air and remove them from the battlefield rather than spend time on them.

''What--?

　Flanlure let out a cry of surprise and flew through the air.

　It was a forceful tossing off that let her muscles do the work, but it seemed to be effective.
　She had grabbed Franlure's wrist with considerable force, and the pain caused her to let go of her sword.

　It was supposed to be a simple dismemberment measure, but now Franlleure was retired.

　In the end, it was just a force to be reckoned with. Franlleure is jumping up so high in the sky that even I, who threw him, pulled back. While I'm watching, I intercept Perciona, who is approaching from behind.

　Now it's completely one-on-one.
　There's no need for any more tricks.

　My opponent, Perciona-san, seems to understand my spirit.
　She slashed at me with a beast-like roar.

''--Magic 《Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradient)

　The great black sword and my sword clash.
　Of course, I was the one who was played back.

　I still can't compete with her 11.00 or so muscle power.
　It creates a big gap.

　As my stance collapses, her second attack comes at me.
　But it doesn't matter how I avoid it if it's one-on-one. I twist my body to the limit and dodge it.
　Then, with that twisting momentum, I slash the sword up from directly below.

　A dull metallic sound sounds as it strikes the belly of the black armor.
　Although her body shifts a bit to the side due to the impact, the armor itself is unharmed. As I thought, it seems that I am unable to destroy this black armor now.

''--It can't be helped.''

　I give up.
　I didn't want to hurt the woman's body as much as possible, but that's not the case with Perciona-san.

　I dodge her sword, which is attacking me further, with a single piece of paper, and stab my sword into the gap in her armor.

''Kook--!

　Mr. Perciona grunts.
　But still I don't stop my hand. I relentlessly attack my right hand, which is holding the sword.

　The gap in the protective glove-like thing that protects my fingers, the gap between the basket hand and the armor, the gap at the shoulder joint, I rip it all open.

　And then a few seconds of swordplay pass, and he strikes his sword in time with Perciona's great swing.
　Not head-on, of course. He strikes hard from behind the swinging sword.

　As a result, Persiona-san couldn't support it with her slashed right arm, and she let go of the great sword.
　With a loud sound with a clang, the great sword falls to the ground.

''--Kuch. As I thought, we are no match for one on one?

　Perciona-san, whose sword was played, muttered bitterly and fell to her knees.

　Finally, I turned my consciousness to the sky.
　Franlleure, who had lingered for a few seconds in time, was about to return.

''Franlleure!''

　I call out to her.
　My eyes meet hers, which are slightly teary-eyed.
　I thrust my sword into the ground and tell her that I'm willing to accept it. She nods and responds to me.

　I use 《Dimension》 to determine the landing point and I run.

　Then, I receive her softly with both hands.
　I turn around in a princess hug and kill the momentum of my run.

　I meet eyes with Franlure in my arms.
　I think I took it as softly as I could, but maybe there's a sore spot somewhere. He keeps turning his moist eyes towards me.

'Uh, um, are you okay ......?'

　I check it out.

'Jesus Christ ......--Ouch!

　He suddenly tried to hug me and I let go of him quickly.

'Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... ......

　My body was moving on its own, my bitterness towards her.
　I reach out to Franlleure, who is in pain from falling on her buttocks.

'No, no. It's okay. It's better than falling to the ground like that. ......

　Causing Flanlure, I check my surroundings.
　Just as I finished checking the situation, the moderator was about to declare.

''--Decided!　I was too fast to see the order in which they dropped their weapons, but after a rigorous review, I found out that Kanami was the last one to drop his weapon!　And it looks like the reason he dropped his weapon is so he can hold Miss Helvillestein!　All the women in the room are thrilled with that gentlemanly end!

　It was another malicious announcement.
　I'm going to pretend right away that I didn't drop Franlleure roughly.

　He thinks that would be more exciting.

''-- Aikawa Kanami, you've fulfilled your victory condition!　We're in the fourth round!

　And the match is over.

　With their weapons sheathed, Perciona-san and Ragne-chan come over to us to shake our hands with calm faces.

　First of all, I shake hands with Lagne-chan.

''No, I lost wonderfully. There was no third time, dammit.

　Although she's talking hatefully with her mouth, her face doesn't look regretful.
　While telling me to get serious, it looks like Lagne-chan wasn't serious at all.

''No, Lagne-chan, you weren't serious at all. ......

　In my opinion, she is highly regarded.
　It's partly due to her resemblance to Rowen, who is the strongest enemy at the moment, but her aloofness is unfathomable. As far as her status is concerned, she is not a threat. However, although it's hard to put into words, I feel a 'strength that cannot be expressed in numbers'.

　Ragne-chan smiled thinly and didn't answer anything.

　Then, Perciona-san next asked for a handshake.

''Brilliant, Kanami-dono. I didn't expect you to be outright defeated on these terms: ......
'No, that was an excellent partnership, too. It was quite nerve-wracking to break it down.

　We hold each other's hands and congratulate each other on a job well done.
　The sincerity of Ms. Perciona's attitude is calming. If it weren't for the strange ramblings, I think I'd get along with her.

'I see. ....... Then, as promised, you can take my flanlure with you. It's a winner's reward. ......
Yes. Well, feel free to talk to me about--

　Unfortunately, my positive impressions of Mr. Perciona were limited to this.

Then you can confess to Fran, or do whatever you want. You can ask her to marry you or whatever you want. Hoosiers have your full support. I don't care what Lauravia says, I'm ready to make you a Celestial Knight!
Oh, come on. Don't be like that.

　Mr. Perciona said something outrageous in an exquisitely loud voice so that his voice could enter the microphone held by the moderator.

　Sure enough, the moderator overheard it and exclaimed excitedly.

''--I knew you were going to bring him into the room and confess to him, Kanami!　And, what a relief from your country!　The quintessential Lauravian 'hero'!

　After all, he pretended my denial wasn't there: .......
　I feel it's not an exaggeration to say that my biggest enemy is this MC.

''But you can't stop him from winning on this big stage!　It would be a shame to see a contestant as interesting as he is to have a girlfriend, but let's send him off with a round of applause!　Goodbye, Mr. Kanami, Mr. Flanlure!　Enjoy the rest of the day!

　This moderator ...... feels like he's completely licking me: .......
　It's oddly familiar after only two games. And that's only to me.

　I sigh and gloat over the devastation.
　Next to him, Perciona-san also sighs.

''Ha, Lagne ....... I've done all I can with this, haven't I ......?

　He was beginning to complain as if the tedious work was finally over.

Yes, I think it's okay. It looks like he was doing what he could do, despite his clumsiness.
I couldn't do this kind of mission in the first place: ....... That kind of thing was left up to Palinclone and Hopes, so it's no good in the sky ....... So I'm going to go back to Hoosiers and move on to the knight's training. I'll leave the rest to you .......
Yes, sir.

　Perciona-san walked out of the arena at a fast pace.

'Let's go then. Kanami's brother.''
'Oh, Ragne, you're coming with me too ......?　Oh, is that ......?

　After that, I left the cheering host and the crowd and left the arena with Franlleure and Ragnet.