"Bushin Festival."

It is the name of a martial arts tournament held once every two years, in which skilled swordsmen from both domestic and international backgrounds gather.

Several students from the "Midgar Magic Swordsman Academy" are also scheduled to participate in the swordsmanship tournament. Today, a selection tournament was being held at the academy to determine the participants.

Since it is a tournament without grade divisions, both lower and upperclassmen often face each other in intense matches.

If one successfully secures a spot in the "Bushin Festival," they will receive high recognition from the academy and it will greatly influence their career path after graduation.

For someone like me who dislikes trouble, it was a tournament I had no intention of participating in. I have no desire to participate in the "Bushin Festival" and no reason to attract unnecessary attention.

However, contrary to my intentions, I found myself standing at the venue of the selection tournament, swinging my sword as I faced my opponent.

"Match over! The winner is Takumi Gavin!"

Following the loud voice of the referee, the venue erupted with cheers that shook the place. While being overwhelmed by the noise, I reluctantly extended my hand to the opponent who was sitting on the ground.

"Hey, stop crying. Come on, can you stand?"

"I'm not crying. I can stand on my own."

She was clearly trying to act tough with a face that was clearly crying. I never thought I would face her in the first round. I have terrible luck.

"I see. My apologies then."

Tears flowed from her crimson eyes, staining her white skin with redness. Without teasing her and without reading the atmosphere, I forcefully helped her stand up, holding the hand of my childhood friend who hated losing.

The gi she is currently wearing has a design similar to a Chinese dress, revealing her white legs from the slits. If she remains sitting, the gaze of the men around us will inevitably gather.

Unaware of my consideration, Claire glared at me with teary eyes. It's not a big deal, but let's just exchange closing remarks and leave.

"Thank you very much."

"What's with the half-hearted thanks! You beat me even though I'm like this!"

"Well, losers shouldn't complain to winners."

"But... I lost this time! The difference in our strength is not that great!"

"I wasn't using my dual-wielding style."

"Ugh! Shut up! I will definitely beat you next time!! ...Remember that!!"

After pointing her finger at me, Claire left the stage rubbing her eyes with her arm. It's nostalgic; she used to cry immediately when she lost to me before. Then she would take it out on Cid.

(...I should have just participated.)

I am the eldest son of a noble family and a scholarship student. Furthermore, I am a member of the "Crimson Knights," where the first princess serves as the captain, all while being a student. Due to my complicated position and the fact that I am considered an honor student, I couldn't use the excuse of avoiding the tournament due to the trouble it would cause.

(...I'm just a kid too.)

I had intended to participate and lose in a somewhat favorable manner, but to my surprise, my first match was against Claire. It was a match between individuals whose positions were completely outside of the grade system. The winner would undoubtedly be recognized as superior. I no longer wanted to lose.

(Although I defeated Claire, she will probably participate in the "Bushin Festival." I should think of excuses when she asks me to participate as well.)

Although the selection tournament is being held, anyone can participate in the "Bushin Festival" in principle. The only difference is that there is no prestigious recommendation from the academy, but students who have lost in the selection tournament can still participate.

If someone like Claire has such skill, there is a high possibility that the academy will recommend her to participate in the "Bushin Festival."

(I'll put more effort into losing next time.)

Unexpectedly, I managed to advance to the second round through a stroke of bad luck, but it would be fine if I lost in the next match. I could attribute it to the exhaustion from the match against Claire. The only thing that would remain is the fact that I am superior to her.

(Now, should I go to the spectator seats? Cid's match should be starting soon.)

Cid, who is progressing on the path of a mob character, is also participating in this selection tournament. Of course, Cid didn't apply on his own like me. It was due to the whims of the scrawny guy who wanted to get closer to the female students. Jagga also joined in on the girl-talk, so Cid was definitely fed up. I had to intervene at an incredible speed.

I don't think they are bad guys, but they are undoubtedly troublemakers. Recently, they even broke a promise with Cid, and rumors spread that Cid had defecated in public. I had to give the scrawny guy and Jagga a good beating behind the gymnasium, but it seems they couldn't be corrected at that level.

While contemplating whether I should reconsider my evaluation of my troublesome friends, I heard the voices of the guys I had been thinking about on the way to the spectator seats.

"Aah! Takumi won!! I bet on Claire-senpai, damn it!"

"I did too!! Takumi-kun said he wasn't motivated, but he did it!"

Even I could see the coldness in my own eyes. Hyoro and Jagga, who were in front of my gaze, collapsed to their knees, shedding tears over their loss in their bet. Their tears were so muddy that it would be disrespectful to compare them to Claire's tears.

(...Birds of a feather flock together, huh?)

Cid was the first one among them that I became friends with. We may have different backgrounds, but their nature feels somewhat similar.

While nodding at the meaning behind the words left by our predecessors, I stepped onto the stairs to climb up to the spectator seats, ignoring the two of them.

"Sigh..."

Cid's match has already started, and I can't even count how many times I've sighed.

"Oh, he got knocked away again."

It goes without saying that Cid is the reason behind my sighs. It's unbelievable how easily he gets blown away. This must be the tenth or twelfth time already.

Cid's opponent is Rose Oriana, a princess from the artistic country of "Oriana" and the student council president of the Magic Swordsman Academy. She possesses top-level swordsmanship skills in the academy and is known for her beauty that rivals Princess Alexia. As a result, she is highly popular among the students.

(A mob-like character, huh... Well, this is a great opportunity.)

Cid keeps colliding with her and losing in an unimpressive manner. He seems to want to lose spectacularly in the first round against a top contender as a mob character. I don't understand, though.

(...What is that move?)

Cid isn't just letting himself get blown away without resistance. That fact has been confusing my mind.

He instantly accelerates, moving at an unimaginable speed, and hides fake blood in his mouth. He adjusts the angle of his face at the moment the wooden sword hits him to give a deeper impact to his opponent. He adds unnecessary rotations while airborne. From what I could observe, he intentionally incorporates all these elements into getting blown away.

(Now that I think about it...)

I remember a few days ago when Cid informed me that he had decided to participate in the selection tournament. When I commented that it was unusual, Cid smirked and responded like this:

"I'll show it to you, Takumi. The 'Mob-Style Secret Technique.'"

I vaguely remember hearing about it, as I was half-listening. He mentioned something about having twenty-four of them or wanting at least double that. I'm not sure what he was talking about, but if all of it was related to his futile high-quality way of losing... Could what I'm seeing now be that "Mob-Style Secret Technique"?

(What is this Mob-Style Secret Technique?)

...I feel like I just came up with a ridiculously stupid thought.

Thinking about Cid with my confused mind is really tiring. Well, that's enough. I give up on thinking. I'm tired of being bothered by his strange actions.

"Go for it!"

"You've got spirit!"

"You're hanging in there against the student council president!"

Voices cheering for Cid start to rise around me. I wonder if these people see Cid as someone who is directly challenging a significantly stronger opponent. It would be easier if I saw him that way too. It's definitely impossible, though.

(Sighhh... Okay, end of the sighing.)

Well, it's not so bad for a mob to lose in the first round. I think it's well-executed. I won't even bother pointing out that mobs shouldn't be able to withstand attacks from top contenders. Perfect score, bonus points for being a fool.

"Not yet!! I can still do it! ...Guhh!!"

Thirteenth time.

I directed my lifeless gaze towards him.

"Not yet!! I still have plenty left!! ...Gwahh..."

Fourteenth time.

I discreetly prepared a wooden bullet in my hand.

"Not yettt!! I still have... Gahh..."

Fifteenth time.

I shot the wooden bullet at the blown-away Cid. The bullet hit his defenseless cheek and sent his body crashing into the stage at a right angle. It's an abnormal trajectory, but after witnessing the "Mob-Style Secret Technique" being displayed for so long, it doesn't raise any suspicions. Ahh, that was refreshing.

"The winner is Rose Oriana!"

It seems the referee has deemed it impossible to continue the match any longer. That's an efficient referee. I apologize for the trouble caused by the idiot.

"Bring a stretcher! He's seriously injured!"

"Wait! I still have thirty-three more of my Mob-Style Secret Techniques!"

"He's in a state of confusion! Just force him! Carry him!"

"Aahh!! My grand stage!!"

...I'm truly sorry for our idiot. His head is the only thing that's seriously injured.

This is the first time, even including my past life, that I've regretted watching someone's match this much. It's an incredibly unpleasant and fresh experience.

I manage to divert my attention from Cid's cries and pick up the sword that I had propped up on my seat, ready to lose after putting up a good fight in the next match.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

"Convenient to eat, delicious in taste, and reasonably priced. That's the trifecta that appeals to the common people. Recently, a popular restaurant has emerged with these qualities: 'Maguronald'."

From the name itself, one can infer that it is one of the companies operated by Shadow Garden. Honestly, I'm confident that I'm their most frequent customer. It's just too delicious, can't help it.

"Takumi (Light), thank you for inviting me. I'm glad you remembered our promise."

"Of course. I wouldn't forget our date with Alpha."

"Hehe, let's cheers to that."

Alpha, with her fair skin appearing even whiter under the overhead lighting, prompts me to raise a toast with her cola in hand. It's a rare and precious sight to have such a beautiful girl urging a toast.

As I had planned, I lost in the second round, albeit narrowly. So, I came to 'Maguronald' with Alpha to fulfill a previous promise.

We were led to a VIP private room, which exuded a luxurious atmosphere that made me feel slightly uncomfortable just by looking at it.

On the plate in front of me is freshly served teriyaki tuna, while Alpha has an ordinary tuna burger.

"You really love teriyaki, don't you? Is it your favorite?"

"Well, yeah. Isn't that the case for you too, Alpha?"

"This is the most delicious thing."

"Teriyaki is delicious too. Here, have some."

"...Uh, sure. Thank you."

Alpha hesitantly takes a bite of the burger I offered her. She managed to stuff it into her small mouth, munching away like a squirrel. How adorable.

"...Here's yours in return. Here, please."

"Thanks... Mm, it's delicious."

"Hehe, I told you, right?"

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed elf beauty and fast food date. It feels like a blend of another world and my previous life, and I can't describe the happiness I feel. So, this is what it's like when the two-dimensional becomes three-dimensional.

We quickly finish our burgers and take a moment to appreciate the satisfying feeling. Alpha also seems to have finished eating, wiping her mouth clean. Every movement she makes is elegant, giving off an air of a noble young lady.

"I watched the matches. Both you and Cid did well at hiding your true strength."

"Huh? Ah, yeah, I guess."

As I space out for a moment, Alpha shares her thoughts about the matches we witnessed. Wait, she was watching too? I should have won the championship if that was the case.

"Cid was eliminated in the first round, but you, as a special student, managed to win in the first round, right?"

"...Y-yeah."

I can't say it. The truth is, I was planning to lose in the first round, but I didn't want to lose to Claire.

"By the way, what happened with the impostor incident? Did you find any information?"

To avoid getting caught in a predicament, I inquire about the recent incident that Shadow Garden is currently dealing with.

According to what I heard from Cid, during his solo operation with the worst possible excuse, he miraculously captured the impostor. It seems there was a scene where Princess Alexia was being attacked, and it cleared Cid's girlfriend of the suspicion of being an assassin.

"Well, unfortunately, we don't have any information. The captured man was a disposable agent of the 'Cult,' known as 'Children 3rd.' His mind was completely shattered, a result of their usual methods involving drugs and brainwashing."

...They're still a bunch of scumbags. The Hyoro and Jaga are much better.

"However, a member considered as a combat force within the 'Cult' named 'Children 1st' was discovered in the royal capital recently."

"Who is it?"

"'Hangyaku Yugyo' Rex. It seems he ranks high in the 1st tier."

Well, that's lame. The name Cid came up with sounds lame too.

"What about you? Did you receive any information from the 'Crimson Knights'?"

"I'm actually being called by Princess Iris later. I think I'll find out something there."

"It's a good thing you joined them."

She praises me with such a kind face. Well, it's good to be swayed by the salary and special allowances. For once, I might actually be useful to Alpha and the others.

"But, are you okay with it? You lost in the match this time, so your winning streak since enrolling has come to an end."

"Huh? Ah, it's fine, it's fine. It's more than enough."

"Oh... I see, you're happy."

"Well, yeah... Is something bothering you?"

"I'm just sulking, that's all."

"What's that? Does Alpha want me to pat you too? ...Nah, just kidding. There's no way..."

I say it as a joke, but Alpha's ears turn slightly red. She covers her mouth with her hand, clearly flustered. Seriously, is she jealous?

"Oh, well, I mean... I was just thinking it would be nice to pat Alpha's head too."

"...Hehe, what's that?"

"...Yeah, it does sound weird."

She chuckles cutely, making me relax as well. Lately, I've had a lot of painful moments, so I find this incredibly soothing. Alpha is amazing, providing both eye candy and stress relief at the same time.

"Next time, I'll rely on you again."

"Yeah, understood."

The blissful time quickly passes, and Alpha and I lightly wave to each other before parting ways. As I think about what to do for our next date, I head towards the room where Princess Iris awaits. To think I would be entrusted with the worst babysitting duty, without even considering it.