It was between their entrance and the signal to start the match.

　Their voices did not reach the audience as they faced each other without even holding their swords.

　It would have been natural if their voices had been as loud as Izuna's, but they were just exchanging words.

　There must be a lot to talk about. Although she was a little too close to him for him to be a kindred spirit, there was no doubt that the match with Futa was one of the reasons why the princess created Spectacular.

　--What's that guy talking about?

　I said I believed you. I believe you. I would never do anything to make you doubt me. But...
　But it was kind of natural for me to feel uneasy about it anyway.

　Anxiety. How do I describe that anxiety?

　Perhaps it was because the person he was talking to was his natural enemy - his first and greatest benefactor.

　Or is it because he is worried that he will be talked out of it somehow, and the match will be settled in an undisguised manner?

　Or is it because he thinks that the game he has already bet on might be a trap set up by the two of them, just like the other day?

　She shook her head as she thought about it.

　One day, it would have been.
　Yes, indeed. The scene I saw one day and this scene now are close.
　I'm already out in the open, in the audience.
　I couldn't stop Lilac from acting as if she was on her own, nor could I stop the man who had become a sword in her hands and created a storm.

　Looking back, less than a year has passed since then.

　You've got to be kidding me, I thought with a small smile in my thoughts.

　It hasn't been a year since all that happened. The iron of anger that I put in the furnace hasn't even cooled down yet, but how can it be so?

　Why am I so little worried about Lilac's trap?

　At the same time, I wonder if I've been so stupid.
　I've already realized that I can't see her.

　I'm worried. Anxious.

　It's all about "his introduction."

　We both know we're going to win.
　But... But still...

　But still... I felt the fear and pain of exposing my dark, solitary past to the public. It was an agonizing decision, if you can take even the tiniest bit of it.

　I knew this was the best way to win.
　But...

　I knew he was alone in the Colosseum.
　Knowing his journey to King's Landing.

　And this was a story she had no control over.


　Pasta Pomodoro is the only one in the capital who knows why he clung to the Colosseum and to his champion.


　Not for himself.
　But to give proof to his relatives who suffered as "unemployed".
　It's a past that has shattered my resolve and determination to prove it.

　How dare you throw it away again here, for someone else's victory? I can't even begin to describe the stormy waters that lie behind that thought.

　That's why I'm thinking.
　I wonder what he's talking about now. I wonder.

　First of all, I was relieved to be in a state where I could speak properly. And yet, there was that lilac in front of me. She said she'd asked my permission to reveal my past, but I don't think she'd let this happen.

　Because...
　I have my own scars from the past.
　I don't think she'd easily forgive such a revelation.

　In any case. It's a story that ends in our world anyway.
　You might want to kill yourself a couple of times for revealing it later, but if you say that you got Futa's permission, you can escape.

　For now, all I have to do is fill in the gaps and make it more exciting.

　For now, all I have to do is to fill in the gaps and make it more exciting. The "content" of Futa must win the lilac. That's the mission I've been given.

　It's the first time I've been given a goal called victory.

　Then all I have to do is run to that point.
　There's no reason to think about the relationship between them. There isn't.

"But you're nine years old.

　"But you're nine years old," comes the voice of the man next to me at the most inopportune moment.

　One of the things I should have done while I was there was to dig deeper into the man who was playing the commentator. I had already gleaned some information about him, and I had an idea of how to handle him.
　That's why I was careful.

　But still, this guy... --He seemed to have completely forgotten that we had met once at Orba Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

　At the time, he had long hair, a hood, a prostitute, and it was only for a moment, so it might be difficult to connect the two.
　She was also Futa's sister.

"Oh, yeah, that's right!
"Hmm. I'm not an idiot, so I get it.
"What about ......?
I'm not an idiot, so I get it.


"Oh, ha-ha ...... thanks .......

　While inwardly killing the man who gave me the first scare three times.

I'm not sure what to say.　You too!
I'm sorry. Pasta Pomodoro. I accept your request for help.
Is ...... Motisuke-chan Izuna's ...... buddy?
Negative. Master is the user using the individual identifier Motisuke.
"Yes, Izuna-san?　What does that mean?

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.　And Pasta looks up at the man. The audience is buzzing strangely.
　That's right. There's been an outrageous coming out, and it's now Mochisuke, Izuna, and Pasta in the stands.
　It smells like a crime.

　But the guy who didn't understand anything had a perfect sense of survival smells for a guy who didn't understand anything.

"Oh?　Oh, you're at that age. Just some kid I picked up. I'm taking care of him.

　The endless winning streak of raising his own stock while unknowingly knocking down Motisuke's social status.
　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.
　He is the strongest man in the qualifying round. The audience's desire to see him better than the dangerous man was also at work, and there was a mysterious round of applause, mainly from the female fans.

　I feel bad for Mochisuke, but let's just say that.
　Pasta joined in the applause and said, "I see.

'He's a bit of an idiot, but he can be sharp sometimes. Just leave it at that.
"Oh, ha ha .......

　"Isn't that you?　Pasta laughed, repressing the question, "Isn't that you?
　Well, this is going to be a lot of fun. Pasta, with an uncomfortable nervousness in his heart, continued to speak, checking every movement of the field.

"Do you know my brother from back in the day, Izuna?
Yeah. I can talk about him all I want. I can tell you all about him. ...... That's exactly why he was banished, ...... and what happened after that.
What do you mean after that?

　I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not.

I'm sure you've heard of it. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. I'm not sure what to make of that.
"What?

　The crowd erupted in cheers.
　He was unpopular as a champion and was kicked out.
　That was the only information they had heard. To their groans, Izuna looked around once.

　--Izuna had a thought about Pasta's story earlier.

　It was true that he had been kicked out by the audience and the chairman.
　It's a lie to say that Futa was not at fault.
　I also knew the significance of Pasta revealing Futa's past here. At the very least, I knew that the audience's reaction would have been very different without it.

　But on top of that.

　I just didn't want them to think I was some poor guy.

"First, the third-place guy quit. Then the fourth and seventh (Aylin) quit. I heard that I and 8th place quit around the same time, and then 6th place (Prim) quit. And the second place (Ocean) also left Colosseum. What I'm trying to say is this.

What I'm trying to say is, "If you're going to quit your life in the Colosseum just to fight him, you're going to want to fight him. A prize of 50 million gold?　I've been getting paid a lot of money at the Colosseum.

　Aside from the fact that I was on the verge of dying in the wild due to my broken financial sense.

That's what I meant when I said the first round was the final for me.

　Izuna crosses her arms and says, "Hmm.
　The crowd goes wild. I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

"How strong is your brother?
I don't know.　I'm not sure why I don't know. ...... Ah, if I had such a cute and smart sister, I wouldn't let her carry a weapon. ...... I don't know why I would want to keep her far away from punching and kicking.
I don't know.
And above all, I wouldn't let her come to the Colosseum back then.
"......

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

　It is common for older brothers not to want their younger siblings to see them being abused by a crowd of spectators.

"They say that Futa's strength is a copy, but it's not. It's about physical strength.


"Strength?
Yeah. I'm not stupid, I know. Imitate your opponent's techniques. That's great, but sword fighting isn't so cheap that you can win the world by imitating.

　Isn't that right?　I don't know the princess's sword.

"I don't know the princess's sword. But hey, I'm not stupid, so I get it. I don't know if there's anything in the princess that Futa's strength can't handle. That's where the game will be decided.
"Wow. ......

　The exclamation was somewhat... Her exclamation seemed to represent the feelings of the entire audience.
　It was a proper "explanation".
　That's what I call a "fighter".

　The audience was relieved to hear that the commentary was going to be better than expected, but that wasn't the bomb.

Master. If that's the case.

　It's probably not the wrong commentary for a war situation.

"The odds of winning would be 100 percent Futa Pomodoro.

　That was a terrible way to explain sword fighting.

　Some of the audience must have been disgusted by the commentary, which was more about Futa than anything else.

　The atmosphere in the hall, which had been 3:7, seemed to be going from 2:8 to 1:9.




　The match was about to begin.




"The match is about to begin!

　At the same time as the voice. Lilac was the first to move.
　Although Futa had defined himself as a challenger, Lilac was definitely the one who was going to challenge him as a warrior.

　Her low stance and thrusts with her physique were like a silver glow running through the air.

　It's a good thing that the speed with which he makes you think he's disappeared is so great that Konzesh's thrust approaches Futa as a greeting.

I'm not sure what to say.

　Futa's handling is minimal.
　In the event that you have any questions regarding where and the best way to get in touch with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.

　As if she knew what she was doing, Lilac twisted her body so that she was facing Futa, and unleashed her favorite technique.

This is a technique that I love.

　Although it has a narrower range than Prim's Tsuneyama Jujitsu: Manten, it is just as powerful and carries a much lower level of fatigue.
　It is easy to use, and if it hits, you win.
　It is very difficult to take this move without a plan, as it puts a heavy burden on the opponent.

　But your opponent is Futa Pomodoro.

Copycat: Lilac M. Fangini = Court Martial Arts: Rain (Deshtsu)

　Sparks fly between her and Futa, who uses the exact same technique.
　The audience erupted in the random flashes of steel on steel between the two.

　Even though most of the cheering was directed at Lilac, the amount of cheering was no less than in the first semifinal match.

"This is great. ......!　I don't know what's going on, but it's beautiful .......

　But Pasta was calm.
　It was as if the ratio of cheers at the beginning of the show had been factored in, and he proceeded to play it straight.
　Oh," nodded Izuna.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
"Wait and see?　I'm sure you're aware of that.
I'll see how he's doing today. If it's bad, I'll be happy. If it looks normal, I'll fight the way I thought. If he looks like he's doing well, you start by breaking him down. I'm not an idiot, so I get it. I'm not an idiot. ...... I'm not going to do it because it's too much trouble.
"Heh, .......
It's just...

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

In the event that you've got a lot of money, you'll be able to make use of it for a lot of things. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can come up with.

　The battle below continues to accelerate.
　Lilac is attacking and Futa is defending. As the battle continues, Izuna continues to watch.

I'm sure he's still thinking about it.
Is that so?
'Yeah.

　This is the first time Izuna has seen Lilac fight.
　A light warrior with a focus on speed. It's not the Konzesh, but for Izuna, who has seen plenty of warriors using fine swords, Lilac has been a bit of a disappointment so far.

　She is considered to be one of the best swordswomen in the kingdom, and Izuna has no doubts about that. As a noblewoman, she might have been given preferential treatment, but as far as Richter was concerned, there was no sign of any kind of dominance.

　The capital with a warrior named Richter is called the best.
　So is this where he really comes into his own - he thought, and denied it.

　Richter is a swordsman who fights with all his might from the first blow. I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think Lilac can take Richter's attack.

　So...

　Should we assume that she's still fighting with some energy left in her?
　She's still aiming for something.



　What that is, Izuna doesn't know.

"This is getting interesting.
Master, but...

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
　But the world would be a much simpler place if the game was decided by physical specs and the information available.

You're an idiot, Motisuke.

　Laughing loudly, Izuna continued.

It's not the stronger who wins. It's the one who wins that wins.

　What's that, aside from Pasta's half-eyed look.
　I'm sure Futa's a strong guy.

I'm not sure what to say. I'm sure you're not the only one. I'm sure that's the same for the princess.

　As soon as Izuna raised the corner of her mouth.


　I'm not sure what to do.



　The silver glinting in the sky is a blade.


　I'm not sure what's going on, but it's right in front of Lilac, who's holding the Conzeche.

　I'm not sure what's going on here.


That's why. This is why sword fighting is so interesting.