Chapter 51: The Quirky First-Years

The deadline for deciding the regular members of the ‘Inter-School Match’ has arrived.

As of now, the top nine in the grade ranking will be the members fighting in the inter-school match against the ‘School’.

Adding three members from tenth to twelfth place as reserves, those twelve will be registered as participants.

I am also selected at ranking number three. Carrol is seventh, Lirisha is ninth. Sherry unfortunately was thirteenth and couldn’t participate… or so it should have been, but to everyone’s surprise, the student in twelfth place was suspended under suspicion of match-fixing, so Sherry was chosen as a reserve as a replacement. Is she lucky, or does she just have strong devil’s luck…

With the participants decided, for a pep rally or a get-together, well, to explain the rules and such for the ‘Inter-School Match’, the twelve of us were gathered in the small auditorium after classes ended.

“Oh…”

Upon entering the small auditorium, several students already selected as representatives were sitting in chairs.

Glances were cast at us as we entered.

Ah, Pearl is there too. She was talking about something with the girl sitting next to her, but similarly glanced this way.

“Let’s sit around there.”

Following Carrol’s words, we sat in the seats at the back of the small auditorium. Because this small auditorium gets higher towards the back like stairs, we can overlook the whole place from here.

Counting us, there are ten people here now.

It seems they’re divided into two groups, though… With us, three groups? Well, even though I say groups, over there is just divided into three and three.

“It seems they are gathering by dormitory.”

“Ah, I see.”

We are also grouped as the Black Tortoise Dormitory, after all. That means the trio where Pearl is are students of the Azure Dragon Dormitory.

The ones on the opposite side are either Vermilion Bird Dormitory or White Tiger Dormitory, which one? Or rather, those three stand out.

There’s a really tall one and one with really big breasts…! Both are enemies…!

And the crowning touch is the remaining one. A thick tail and horns growing from short red hair. Golden eyes and scaly skin visible occasionally.

A Dragonewt, huh. There were a few in the ‘Academy’ too, but a golden-eyed Dragonewt… don’t tell me.

I think there was someone named Laze among the twelve who made the ‘Inter-School Match’ representatives. If so, that girl is…

Perhaps noticing me staring, the Dragonewt smirked and came over here. From the lapel pin on her collar, I can tell she’s a White Tiger Dormitory student. As expected, the one from the Laze Martial Kingdom?

“Yo. You’re Nero Silhoueska, right? I’m Hatoba Mil Laze. I watched your [Star Duel] with Pearl. That was good ‘Battle Spirit Method’.”

Laze…! As expected, royalty of the Laze Martial Kingdom…! I’ve heard from Master. Royalty of the Laze Martial Kingdom generally have golden eyes and use ‘Battle Spirit Method’. Which means, this girl too…!

While I was pondering that, Hatoba, who came to the front, slammed her elbow onto the desk with a dan!.

“How about it? Let’s have a match?”

“…Arm wrestling?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I know you have considerable strength despite your small build from watching that match.”

Glaring golden eyes shot through me. Is this girl a battle junkie?

As I heard from Master, Dragonewts seem to be a race that wants to fight when they see a strong opponent.

Thinking about it that way, being recognized as a strong person doesn’t feel bad.

I similarly placed my elbow and gripped Hatoba’s rugged hand.

“Wait, Nero…! Are you sure?”

“Carrol, sorry, but please be the referee.”

“Oh, jeez…! Fine…”

Carrol came around next to us and wrapped both her hands around Hatoba’s and my gripped hands.

“Is ‘Battle Spirit Method’ allowed?”

“Oi oi, don’t say stupid things. It’s just a little entertainment, right? ──Of course it’s allowed.”

A wavering battle spirit aura rose from Hatoba’s entire body. She’s serious. Then I won’t hold back either.

The other side seems to be activating the ‘Qi’ in her whole body to double her physical strength. I concentrated the ‘Qi’ circulating in my whole body into my right arm.

Master said it before. The battle spirit aura wavers because unused excess ‘Qi’ is leaking.

So if you use ‘Qi’ without waste, it won’t leak.

“Ready… Go!”

“[Boost].”

“Eh? Guha?!”

Simultaneous with Carrol’s signal, the desk on my left shattered into pieces, and Hatoba flipped over along with her arm.

Crap… I overdid it…! I didn’t need [Boost]…!

The small auditorium fell completely silent.

“Ah-ah, you did it now~.”

“You went too far, Nero…”

“You really should learn what holding back means, you know?”

As you say…

“No way… I lost? To someone this tiny…?”

“I’m not tiny.”

What a rude girl, this one…!

Hatoba, who had been lying blankly on the floor, suddenly sprang up.

“L-left! Next is a match with the left hand!”

“Ehh~…?”

Ignoring me finding her annoying, everyone on the right quickly moved away. Looking at the wreckage of the desk on the left, of course they would…

Reluctantly gripping her hand, I instantly killed her the same way with the left. I didn’t use [Boost] this time, so the desk didn’t break.

Or rather, she’s sturdy, this girl… I wonder if that’s expected of a Dragonewt.

“Wait, wait! It’s a best two out of three match, so…!”

“You lost twice, so it’s your loss.”

“Guuh?!”

While I was fed up with the persistent Hatoba, the door of the small auditorium opened garari, and two new students entered.

One was a Beastman with beast ears poking out from nearly white silver hair and a thick white leopard-print tail. A Snow Leopard Beastman, maybe?

She’s the beauty type, but her eyes look harsh. I see she’s the same type as Lirisha. In other words, a haughty type.

The other was a placid-type girl with semi-long chestnut hair and a smiling expression. The exact opposite type of the Beastman girl.

Even from here, my eyesight can see the lapel pins on their collars. Students of the Vermilion Bird Dormitory. With this, all twelve are present, huh.

“Noisy, aren’t you. Oh, is Laze’s muscle-brained girl making a fuss again? You really don’t learn your lesson.”

“Rizlet…! You bastard, getting carried away just because you became first place? Don’t act all high and mighty when you lost to me!”

“Hmph, results are everything.”

First place? That means this girl is Rizlet Frau Mismede, who overtook Pearl and is currently grade number one?

Royalty of the Mismede Beast Kingdom. Zelda Onee-sama too, but this school has royalty popping up everywhere…

Well, gifted education for Armed Gears and Frame Gears probably can’t be done unless you’re royalty or high nobility, though.

Ignoring the barking Hatoba, Rizlet turned her gaze toward me.

“Nero Silhoueska. I am grateful to you. Because you won a fluke victory against Pearl, I was able to become grade number one.”

“Ah? …I didn’t exactly win for your sake, and if you’re satisfied with a leftover first place like that, I can see your future, you know? Whether you can participate in next year’s ‘Inter-School Match’ or not. Good thing you could participate this year by a fluke, huh?”

“Wha…?!”

When I said that, Rizlet’s face turned bright red and she glared at me fiercely. You’re the one who picked the fight first, you know? I’ll buy it, as much as you want.

“There it is, Nero’s merciless provocation…”

“She provokes as naturally as she breathes, doesn’t she…”

“Because it’s Nero.”

Shut up. Rude words are flying from behind, but I ignore them, ignore.

“Hahaha! Don’t say it, you! That’s right! If you’re over the moon about becoming first place by a fluke, you’ll fall in the blink of an eye! You’d better watch out, Miss Naked Queen!”

“What did you say, you…!”

Hatoba next to me jumped on the bandwagon and provoked her further, and just as Rizlet was about to retort, the door of the small auditorium opened again.

Instructors Sophie-sensei and Flare-sensei entered.

“Stop making a fuss and take your seats. We will now talk about the ‘Inter-School Match’… Wait. Why is that desk over there broken so flashily?”

Sophie-sensei’s gaze was pointing straight this way. …Crap.

“Who did it?”

When Sophie-sensei asked that, everyone’s gaze turned to me all at once. Wait! It’s true that I broke it, but!

“Nero Silhoueska-san. Did you do that?”

“Umm, well,”

“Sensei! Nero broke the desk because I picked a fight with her. I’ll pay for the damages, so could you let it go?”

While I was wondering how to answer, Hatoba stepped forward as if to protect me. Hatoba… she’s a pretty good guy!

“Silhoueska-san. You did not break it intentionally, correct?”

At Sophie-sensei’s words, I nodded desperately koku-koku.

“Then we will handle it here. Ensure you do not do something like this again. Everyone, take your seats. I will explain the ‘Inter-School Match’.”

Saved…

Hatoba called out, “Good for you,” and returned to her seat. I’m really glad…

…No, glad or not, you’re the root cause, you know?! I’m not in the wrong! …Maybe not entirely, but!

When everyone had taken their seats, Flare-sensei operated a remote control with a pip, and the blinds on the windows of the small auditorium lowered.

A screen lowered behind the teachers, and images from a projector were displayed.

It was footage of several Frame Gears engaging in battle in a place like an urban area. Is this a past ‘Inter-School Match’?

“The annual grade-level inter-school match between the ‘Brunhild Magitech School’ and our ‘Babylon Magitech Girls’ Academy’. That is ‘Bifrost’.”

Bifrost. The common name ‘Inter-School Match’ has taken root, but that seems to be the official name.

Apparently, it means ‘Rainbow Bridge’ or something. Does it mean let’s deepen exchanges through the ‘Inter-School Match’?

Though I doubt a little whether exchanges deepen through punching, shooting, and crushing each other.