The venue for the tournament to determine the strongest new hero is a large stadium in a corner of the royal capital.
　The seating capacity is well over 10,000 people.

　My students and I left the inn in the morning and arrived at the venue.
　After the opening ceremony, we were immediately taken to a waiting room and given a schedule of the day's events.

　One of the waiting rooms was to be used jointly by the four schools.

　In the slightly larger anteroom we were shown into, there were already ten students and teachers from two schools, each preparing for a match in a corner of the room.

　I took my students to a corner of the waiting room and looked at the tournament schedule that had been handed to me.

Our first game is game four. We'll be playing soon.

　The three of them, Rio, Iris and Maifa, were almost leaning against me, peering curiously at the booklet of the tournament schedule in my hand.

　Every year, twenty to thirty schools from all over the country participate in the inter-school tournament to determine the strongest new heroes.

　This year, it seems that there are twenty-seven schools participating.

　The tournament schedule also includes a tournament table, and according to it, the first game for our heroic academy, Rittmura Academy, is the fourth game.

　The tournament to determine the strongest new heroes will be held in tournament format.

　Of the total of twenty-seven schools, twenty-two schools, excluding the five schools that have been seeded with good results in the past, will play a total of eleven games as the first round.

　In the second round, eight games will be played by the schools that won in the first round as well as the seeded schools.
　The third round is the quarterfinals, with four games.
　The fourth round is the semifinals, with two games.
　The fifth round is the final.

　Basically, all of the heroic academies participating in the tournament are strong schools.

　There are rare exceptions, but usually, unless they are confident that they can win to some extent, they do not participate in the tournament to determine the strongest new heroes.

　This is partly because of the cost of travel and the number of days required, but most importantly because the tournament is a spectacle (show) and there is a culture where schools with no ability are looked down upon if they participate.

　This is another example of the bad taste that comes with the influence of the Brave Association, but at best, it can be seen as the basis for a high level match with the best from the first round.

　In any case, the important thing is that almost all of the twenty-seven participating schools are strong.

　And then...
　And then... another group of students from another heroic academy entered the waiting room.

"Oh, you're Mr. Brett?　It's been a while.

　This is the teacher who is leading the students.
　I was overcome with nostalgia at the sight of him.

"Oh, it's Mr. Leonard, isn't it? How have you been? Have you lost weight again?　Are you eating well?

I've heard you say that a lot, but if you keep losing weight every time I see you, you'll end up with nothing but bones. I'm glad to see that Dr. Brett is still looking as good as ever.

　Leonard is a tall, thin male teacher with square glasses.

　He is a little older than me, so he must be about twenty-five now.
　He is a scholarly brave man, and I am an old friend of his from the brave academy where I used to work.

　Leonard had two boys and two girls with him.

　We only had three students to begin with, so we registered with three, but most schools enter four players, three regular players and one alternate.

But most schools enter with four players: three regular players and one alternate.　I think I remember that Brett-sensei was transferred to the capital.

"Well, I've been transferred again. I've been teaching these guys for a year now at a brave academy in a small village called Rit Village.

"How about ......?

　Leonard seemed to have thought of something, but swallowed it without saying it.
　Instead, he whispered something to me in my ear.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea. ...... You're not going to touch them, are you?

What do you think you're doing to me, Leonard?

Ha-ha-ha, I'm kidding.

　I'm just kidding." Even though I grabbed him by the collar, he dodged with a soft smile.
　You're still a douchebag.

d*mn it, ....... I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea.

　You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best in the world.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that.

　In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at this kind of.

Yes, of course. I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results. ...... Our kids are strong this year. I'm going to show you a big upset that will defy most people's expectations.

"Oh. Well, that's encouraging.

What about you, Mr. Brett?　What about you, Mr. Brett? I'm sure Mr. Brett would dare to have his students participate in the tournament to experience the level of the world.

　Leonard says something like that, and I smirk back at him.

"Well, that remains to be seen. But I'll tell you one thing... they're really strong, my guys.

"Well, if Dr. Britt says so, they must be pretty good. That's something to be reckoned with.

"Let's both fight fair and square in the spirit of bravery when we collide.

Yes, of course.

　Gosh, gosh, gosh, ......!

　I'm sure you'll be able to guess what I'm talking about.
　We're shaking hands, but in essence we're declaring war.

　Incidentally, my students seemed to be a bit more relaxed.

　As for the three of us, Iris is hiding behind Rio, showing her shyness, and Maifa is hiding behind Rio, somehow reluctant to take the brunt of it.

　On the other side, a boy who seemed to be the leader of the team stepped forward and asked Rio to shake his hand.

"Hey, are you the leader of the team?　I'm Alex. Let's fight fair today.



Oh. I'm Rio. This is my sister, Iris, and this is Maifa.

　Rio shook his hand and introduced the two hiding behind him.
　The boy, Alex, looked surprised.

"What, ...... sisters?　I don't think so. ...... No, they're all pretty, but...

　As Alex said this, a girl kicked him in the back of the knee.

"Ouch!　What are you doing, Helena?

Helena!" "Shut up!　What do you mean, 'Hey, you guys look pretty'? 'Hey, you guys look cute. Oh, no, no, no.

I didn't mean to be flirtatious. ...... And that's not exactly what I said. ......

Shut up!　Alex, you idiot!

"Hmmm, you two are hot again today.

　"Hmmm, you two are hot again today.
　Another girl came up behind me and started to make fun of me, and then the students from the other team started to make fun of me.

　It made me smile to see that.
　I turn to Leonard and say.

"They're good kids, Mr. Leonard.

"Yes, I'm very proud of them. Are most of them quiet at Mr. Brett's?

No, they're really quite naughty. No, they're really naughty. ...... Look at them like this.

　It's a good idea to take a look at the website to see if there is anything you need to know.

　And then she smirked at me.
　Okay, you're here, aren't you?

　I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck with my other hand and lifted her up like a cat.

　I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and lifted her up like a cat.

...... Ugh, the humiliation. ...... Your brother's ability to deal with me is improving.

You know how long I've been with you? You'll get used to it.

　You'll get used to it. You'll never be too careful.

　Maifa's going to kill my social standing whenever she can.
　I'd like to give him a nickname: "The Silent Assassin".

　I'm sure you'll agree that this is a great idea.

　Yes, yes, yes, it's not a show, it's a show.

　And so we waited for the game time.

　By the way, Rio's team was in A block, and Leonard's students were in B block, so we had to go to the finals to play each other.

　Let's see how far we can go.

　Finally, it's Rio's turn to play.

　It was almost time for the fourth game, so the official came to call us.
　Rio and the other three are the stars, but I'm going along as a second.

　I followed my students down the stone hallway that led to the playing field.