* * *



Thank you.


　The duel was over at the same time as Linlin-san threw out his pitch.

　I "repatriated" Angolmore and bowed to him.

　After that, for a few seconds, both of us were silent and stunned.

　It's usually always like this. Most of the time, I'm thinking, "What should I say first, the impressions game?


"Wait--

Waiting?

Oh, yeah. We're waiting.


　I was covered in speech.

　Linlin-san seemed to be thinking the same thing as me, and we agree on the same opinion. Then it looks like I'm right.

　That place seemed to prefer to wait for me to not shoot the Flying Bow Wind Ginseng.

　When I threw my silver spear, I would meet him in the middle with Anemone's Wind Ginseng, and then release the Flying Bow Wind Ginseng to aim at Angolmore. As a result, with only a little damage and a transformation to avoid the lightning attack from Angolmore, I can make my spirit possession spend, so Linlin-san wins. Hence, how about I don't throw my silver spear and just stand by and stare at each other? Maybe I'm at a slight disadvantage.


　It's a difficult procedure to follow ...... but that reading is not like the "precision style". I'm sure you're not the only one who's had a lot of experience in this field.

　It's a good thing. It's just that I don't have a partner. The environment is similar to mine.

　But somehow, he's still learning his skills, so was he motivated to do it?

　...... Maybe you have a pulse?


How about a mock battle once a month?

　I ask with faint anticipation.


'Sorry, I don't want to,'

　Lin Lin answered immediately.


　Well, it would be .......


''Yeah, right.''


　...... No, no, it's fine. I mean, it's just what I expected. And I knew you'd say that. And I don't care about this one bit at all. It's a personal choice to begin with, right?　I don't miss him, or feel lonely at all.



............ Well, maybe once a year.

!


　Seriously?


Ling Ling!

'And haha ...... a promise is a promise. I'm supposed to take care of him, right?

'Oss!　Yes, sir!


　That's great!　Two more things to look forward to in one fell swoop!


'Good for you, Prince!　Mr. Linlin, he's going to make you his disciple.

"...... you ...... no, seriously ......


　Wow. Surprisingly low tension.


'What's up. Aren't you happy?

Why are you so happy about it?

You'll grow up.

Who the hell do you think you are?　I'm older than you, you know.

No, I don't want to get all wound up like that.


　On the other hand, at twenty-five years old, this is ...... well, that's what makes him so attractive.


'Good for you, sempai,'

Yeah. Why don't you get Razz to play a game, once a year?

We have ......, well, I'm thinking about it.


　Whoa?　And the one from Raz, who looks cold and actually has a lot of motivation, right?

　Nice. I'm excited about this once-a-year event.


But still, Linlin's really going to be able to do that?　Senpai comes to the game once a year, right?

...... No, no, I have to say that or I'll be followed around.

'Ah~ ...... hahaha'

　Hey, deny it, Raz. Don't fake it by laughing.


By the way, ...... are you by any chance, Fran?

Yeah.

Oh. Long time no see.

You can come with me.

Yes, sir.


　Oh, you're very precise. I can't miss it.

　Well, the only person to call me sempai in the Kansai dialect was the First Framboise.


"Uh, ......

　The story of that one (...) came up, and the air became somewhat subtle, and everyone's eyes naturally turned to Prince.

　Everyone is probably thinking this. This guy is a bit of a pain in the ass. ......


I'm not going to be able to get rid of it. I'm going to give you my first order as a master.

"Yes, Miss Ling Ling Ling!

Go for a walk with Pao Tsai.

Go to ......?

"Reply.

Yes!


　Linlin-san tactfully moved Prince away. Prince straightened up and replied and ran to the log cabin.

　Prince, you're so obedient to me, but you're so obedient to Linlin-san. The fact that you adore him so much as teacher-sensei, I wonder if something happened in the past?　If it happened, I'd love to hear about it. I'm sure it would be interesting to hear what happened to make that twisted, self-acting man act like this.


"Ling Ling, you're pretty Spartan, aren't you?

　Raz was the first to open his mouth as he looked away from Prince.

　That's what I thought for sure. I mean, .......


'Lin Lin, are you a surprisingly dry character over here?'

............


　I said, remembering the time we met in the Empire, but it was apparently a kryptonite. He was smiling bitterly with an embarrassed look on his face.

　The time at the empire, the dog-cuddling thing, Linlin-san is rather bulletproof. ......


It's a good idea.　I'm not bothered by the tone of voice over here, or whatever. Maybe it's because it's so real.

Oh, yeah. I know what you mean. Because I know that there is no one inside, or rather, who I'm talking to, I tend to talk with my guard down and talk on the phone. It's probably the same for you, isn't it, Linlin-san?

'No, I do. Really. No, yes, you're right. When you're dealing with a person in the flesh, you're apparently caught off guard: ......


　Yeah, let's call it carelessness. It's not a high school debut thing by any means.


"...... uh,


　There was another strange pause here.

　It was awkward. It's not that I'm not a good friend of Linlin-san's, but it's not like we don't know each other at all. Anyway, we hadn't seen each other in a while, and I didn't know what to say to her.


I don't know what to do. Do you want to go to a public bath for now?

Why not?


　Oh, it's this relief to have a tweaker next to me. It's nice because if I get in trouble, I can blurt it out.

　Then Linlin-san gave me a small smile, "Hmph," and then slowly opened her mouth.


''Leave the public bathrooms at ....... I just want to ask you something.


　You have a question for us. What's that?



Did he-- did he die?


　I know. I knew you'd come.


I died something terrible.

We're all dead like crazy.


Uh, .......

　Linlin-san muttered, "I knew it," and continued to speak, "I knew it.


''I'm completely dead too.''


　Right?

　The cause of death is ...... No, let's not. He was mysteriously big on hit judgments, and he could get hit by a kryptonite again. Besides, it's rude because we didn't tell you.


How many are you going to have? Five?

'What?　Are you here that often?

In chronological order, it's Goutaro Takahashi, a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University, 0k4NN, me, Raz, and Linlin.

Hang on, sir. I didn't know when Linlin was here.

Oh, okay.


　...... Hmm, wait, ......!


'I came over here about a year and a half ago. And Miroku said that Takahashi-san was about a thousand years ago and 0k4NN-san was about three hundred years ago.

'Oh, it was that long ago: ......


　Mr. Linlin seemed to be taken aback by the exchange between me and Raz.


'Raz, do the math. I died in 2034. Takahashi-san said it was 2008; 0k4NN-san said it was 2026, I believe. I heard he died before the big Battoujutsu apocalypse.

"Wait a minute. ......

　What did he say, and in less than two seconds, the answer came back.


'Hmm. About 38 times. There's a thirty-eight-fold difference in the flow of time between that one and this one.


　38 times. So if you've spent a day over there, it's been a little over a month over here.


'Excuse me, Miss Linlin, but when did you die?'

...... This is the morning after the crack incident, six days later.

I'm three days and nights away.


　The difference is two and a half days. If that is the case, the difference should be about two to three months over here.


''Lin Lin, how many months before the title fight when Prince became Tenmozza, did you come here?''

Uh, ...... less than six months ago.

I'm at ...... eight to nine months ago?

...... bingo, y'all.


　Roughly 38x seems to be the correct figure.

　I see, I see. I think I'm getting closer and closer to the core of the matter.

　I put my hand on my chin and uttered with a mysterious expression on my face.



'I'm talking about ............ and what's that about?'




　Zuko and the two of them shuffle off.


'What the hell is that?'

No, it's just that it's refreshing to know how many times more: ......

I'm sure that's true, but ......


　I don't really care about the reason for the reincarnation or solving a mystery like that.

　I laughed, "Hee-hee," as the two of them stunned me.


''Well, I'll come back to see you in a year, Linlin-san. In the meantime, please take care of Prince.

'What?　Oh, yes. I understand.

　We'll say goodbye when it's clear.


You know, if you'll excuse me~

　We bailed with Raz and left the front of the log cabin.

　Linlin-san bids us farewell and says "thanks".



　After that, Raz and I walked down the beach without a plan.


...... Hey Senpai. By the way, can I ask you a question, too?


　As I was rummaging through the place to summon Anko, Raz abruptly mentioned something like that.


'Anything you want,'

Great.


　I smiled back, and Raz smiled and looked happy when I smiled back at him.

　Then he prefaced his question by saying, "I've been wondering about this since the match.


''Sempai, why do you show your face with a gae~ when Ling Ling Han summoned Anemone?　That's pretty rare. I didn't know that was so unexpected.



Ahhhhhh. ！！！！


'Wow!　What's all of a sudden?


　I just remembered!

　Why I was in a hurry: ......!


'Oh my God, I forgot!　I can't do this. ......!

Wait, wait, wait, wait!　What's the matter with you, sir?　What's going on?　I mean, you haven't even answered my question yet!

...... Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.


　I was upset.

　No, but that was a quandary to be upset about.

　I'd been careless. Why hadn't I realized that possibility earlier?


'You know what, Raz,'

What is it, ......?


The spirits of this world--the sooner the better (・・・・・), the better.

Go to ........................?


　I had my eye on Anemone. The Great Spirit of Wind, of course I want it. The Great Spirit of Fire and the Great Spirit of Earth are already being used by Vogue and Sherry, so I've been thinking for a long time that at least the two Wind and Water Spirits should be used by someone on our team.

　Of course, I've already discussed this with Angolmore. Of course, I've already consulted with Angolmore, who said, "Tell me the name of the spirit you want to use and I'll introduce you to it," or something like that, so I made a list of rare spirits I wanted for my team members and gave it to him.

　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about, but I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about. I'm sure he's not going to be able to dress up as a spirit lord, so he's quietly keeping quiet.

　I'm not going to be able to get a good look at it. The fight! It's a good idea to have the anemone, the great spirit of the wind, in front of you, which I was aiming for, and that's why I was so upset!

　That spirit, that spirit, that spirit, and that spirit on my list could possibly be used by someone else at any moment.


　No, of course I'm in a hurry!


Raz, we need to get the hell out of here.

What is this, now? A dungeon?　War?

No, I'm not. Oh, no, I'm not just sitting here.


　From this point on, it's...


We'll have to talk to them directly.