The contest is going well, and my impatience is increasing.
The sudden appearance of the demon tribe had thrown our plans out of whack.

The plan is for me and the girls to escort Princess Amelia, who is a surefire contender for the championship, while Waki, Tsuda, and Nanase will take care of Sato, who may possibly win.
You may not have enough to do with the main mission of Princess Amelia, but when push comes to shove, Akira and Yoru will be on hand, so she's more than adequate for the battlefield.
The ones to be wary of are the guild master's men named Gram.
According to the information Tsuda obtained, all of Gram's minions are wearing the Uruk emblem somewhere.
While trying to avoid being noticed by Akira, they were bloodily searching for the Uruk crest, the three claw marks on the circle, when a demon race called Lattice Nail or something similar appeared.

The rumor that Gram was apparently connected to the demon tribe seemed to be true, and even though it made me want to hold my head up even though it was one more target to be wary of, Akira wasn't wary of the demon tribe at all.

He told me that as long as I didn't lie or say anything racist, it would be fine, but I don't trust the demon race.
I heard in the night that when we were heading to the beast tribe territory by boat, Princess Amelia was kidnapped and Akira, who was chasing after her to recapture her, was driven to the brink of death because of the demon tribe.
If Crow-san hadn't arrived in time, he really would have died.

Even though Akira was almost killed once, he's opening up to that demon tribe.
It's very dangerous.
I was going to call out to him several times to give him some advice, but the demon tribe was so sticky on Akira that he couldn't speak.


''That demon tribe, are you sure you're okay?

Tsuda-kun said that most of the organ buyers are demons. I wonder if that demon tribe is related to that.


I heard Ueno and Hosoyama talking anxiously.
They seem to agree with me.


Do you still think so?


When I asked in a low voice so that Akira and the others wouldn't hear, they nodded their heads in a persistent manner.


''It's the right time of year, isn't it suspicious?

'Let us take care of Amelia-san, and Asahina-kun, stay close to that man.


I nodded at Hosoyama's words.
I was going to suggest that too.
Because if it was the two of us, or even me, I wouldn't be surprised if I was talking to Akira near that demon race.

As I approached, the two who were happily talking looked up at the same time.


''Oh, Kyousuke, is it about time for those guys to take their turn?''


He nodded at Akira's words.
They went with Princess Amelia to the stage.
I thought it would take some time to come around, but it was surprisingly quick.
Well, I saw a few women who turned blue when they saw Princess Amelia's face and left, so I know why.
If she has that good looks and a face that can be tame, I think I'd like to see it.
I looked at the hooded demons.


'You don't have to go, do you?'


After huffing and puffing, the demon tribe hurriedly headed towards the stage.
I thought that if Princess Amelia, Ueno, and Hosoyama were close to the order, then the demon tribe that came after them would soon be on their way, but I heard I was right.
I looked up at the stage alongside a smiling Akira.


''...... Akira, you forgot the names of Ueno and the others again, didn't you?''


I don't miss the fact that you didn't call my name firmly earlier.
Akira bounced his shoulders with a big smile.


'You can't hide anything from Kyousuke, can you?

'Of course. Akira may not remember, but we've known each other a long time.


I've been watching Sato and Akira for about ten years.
And Akira's eyes, which had been laughing, became sharp.
A chill ran down my spine.


'Then you can't hide things from me either, can you? I'm not interested in other people, but I've come to understand your poker face a little better. ...... Hey Kyousuke, what the hell are you up to?


It's not the kind of eye you'd expect to see on a friend.
There was definitely something about Akira that he didn't have when he was in Japan.


''What are you talking about?''


When he blurted out and twisted his head, Akira's gaze sharpened even more sharply.


'At least you should have let the Kansai-ben girl and her trainer go out of my sight. That woman has been squirming ever since the contest started.


Sure, Ueno and Waki are easy to understand.
But if you let them go somewhere alone, that would make them suspicious.


'And so will you. You've been in a hurry ever since Lattisnail arrived. I'm going to ask you again, okay? What are you up to? ...... No, what's coming up?


I can't help but marvel at the astute point of view.
Has my friend become a detective?
Is this the intuition of someone who has crossed the line of death?

I cowered my shoulders and looked at Ueno, who was waving at me on stage.


'If it was a plan that I alone had thought of and implemented, I would have told Akira without hesitation, but this was something that the entire party thought of. It's not my place to talk about it.


Just," he continues to speak while looking down.
I'm not betraying him, but this situation of having to hide something from Akira is still very painful.


'Something is definitely going to happen now. That's for sure, and Gram is biting on it. ...... Be careful, Akira. Make sure you watch Princess Amelia properly.

...... Got it.