Chapter 4 The Strong Must Not Let Their Guard Down
When he woke up, a small Earth was floating in the sky.
"...Nngh?"
Kuro's brain, fresh from sleep, was bewildered by the fantasy sight through the window.
In the sky where an Earth the size of a daytime moon floated, he could also see a line of light stretching far into the heavens. That was the linear elevator connecting the Academy Archipelago and the Umihotaru Terminal Area.
Yesterday, Kuro had ignored that massive elevator completely and jumped off to come to the Academy Archipelago. There, he had a commotion with the girls he met, enrolled in Tritonis Academy, and stayed in a dorm room.
Awakening his consciousness with a rough recap, Kuro yawned and got out of bed.
Although he had enrolled in Tritonis Academy, it was currently Golden Week. Surprisingly, the Academy Archipelago's calendar seemed to match Japan's, so classes would start after the holidays.
"Guess I'll wash my face..."
Haruhana had shown him the dorm's water facilities yesterday. Kuro left his room, glancing sideways at a winged lizard and a crow having an intimidation contest by the window, turned the corner in the hallway, and opened the door to the washroom.
In the room lined with mirrors and sinks, Pina was brushing her teeth.
"...Ah."
Running into Kuro, Pina went blank, her mouth hanging open.
Her silver hair, shining in the morning sun streaming through the window, still had bedhead, showing her just-woke-up state. Between her spaghetti-strap camisole and short dolphin pants, her white skin and the indentation of her navel were peeking out.
At the lightly dressed figure of the girl he had befriended yesterday, Kuro's gaze froze.
"Uh... Morning, Kuro."
"G-Good morning. Pina."
As Kuro managed to squeeze out a greeting, Pina took the toothbrush from her mouth and turned her legs slightly inward. She grabbed the hem of her camisole with her free hand to hide her stomach, and pressed her slender arm against her chest, which had definite volume.
Her movement, shy of the opposite sex's gaze, conversely emphasized the softness of her body through the thin fabric. Belatedly, Kuro's gaze wandered pathetically.
"Right. There's a boy here now."
Cheeks flushing slightly, Pina muttered to calm herself. Without the eyes of the opposite sex, personal grooming degraded quickly. Having lived with only girls for a while, she had let her guard down in the dorm.
"Yaaawn... Good morning, si—aaaaaagh!?"
Along with Haruhana's greeting, Pina's full-force roundhouse kick slammed into the opening door.
WHAM-BAM-SLAM!, the door was forcibly shut. Included in the raucous noise was the sound of something painfully colliding—clearly a forehead meeting the door.
"Wh-What is the meaning of this!? That was very painful!"
"Haruhana, just don't come in! Kuro is in here right now! Whenever you wander around just after waking up, you always—"
Pina swallowed her words instantly. Kuro was watching. She couldn't say words that couldn't be heard by a boy.
"Eh? I am just wearing my usual un—"
"You don't have to say it!! Just go back to your room, Haruhana! I'll call you when it's safe!"
Watching the girls argue through the door, Kuro scratched his cheek in awkwardness. He couldn't say, not even if his mouth was torn open, that for a split second, he had actually seen Haruhana's morning state through the gap in the door.
"I do not understand well... but if you say so, Pina, understood."
Haruhana's presence receded from the other side of the door, and just as the tension left Pina's shoulders...
"Pinaaa? It is noisy, has there been some problem?"
"Wa— Laurier-chan, don't come here either!"
Pina barked. But her warning was in vain; the door opened, and Laurier peeked in.
"Like I said, what have you been doing since—ah."
Laurier appeared wearing a negligee with a hem that reached her ankles.
It was a pure white nightgown that showed the line of her collarbones from its loose neckline, though it wasn't particularly revealing. Her loosely hanging braid, likely her sleeping hairstyle, was more eye-catching.
However, upon meeting Kuro's eyes, Laurier turned bright red up to her ears in an instant.
"Hyuh... A-A gentleman... seeing my nightwear...!"
"You have zero immunity, honestly."
As Laurier covered her face and collapsed, Pina became a wall to block Kuro's line of sight.
Her high standards of chastity as a princess were apparent, but Kuro's awkwardness had reached the level where he wanted to run away.
"Uh, um... sorry."
"It's fiiine. It's our fault for slacking off just because it's been a girls' dorm until now."
At Kuro's apology, shrinking in embarrassment, Pina sighed.
"That aside, Kuro. Sorry, but I'd be happy if you could stay away from here for a while."
"...I'll go to the convenience store for about thirty minutes."
"Yeah. Thanks."
With Pina's unusually curt thanks at his back, Kuro slunk away from the dorm.
In this world, there exists the phrase "Lucky Pervert."
It refers to the phenomenon where, through divine intervention unrelated to one's own will, one encounters a slightly sexual aspect of the opposite sex. For boys, it is defined as a fortunate event.
However, Kuro did not possess a mental fortitude of steel strong enough to rejoice in the morning's events.
"It's just plain awkward."
Standing before the shelves of the convenience store he had visited yesterday too, he grumbled under his breath.
Tritonis Academy was majority female. The moment he called the morning's event "lucky" and it reached the ears of any of the three, Kuro, the lone male, would be looked at with cold eyes and his youth would be over.
"Three girls and just me... Damn, I want a guy friend."
While asking for the impossible, he decided to buy something to appease the girls. Judging from yesterday that Pina probably liked sweets, he headed toward the refrigerated shelf lined with desserts.
There, he found unexpected figures.
"Oh, it's the Boss. Mornin'."
"Mornin', Boss. Hey, you got bedhead! That's sloppy~"
It was the twins in different colored masks, wearing sukajan jackets over their school uniforms: the Kaldi siblings.
They greeted him with the familiarity of classmates meeting in a classroom in the morning, showing absolutely no remorse for yesterday. The sister in the red mask was even pointing at Kuro's bedhead and cackling.
"You guys..."
At the siblings' carefree attitude, the tension left Kuro's shoulders. Carrying the awkward baggage with Pina and the others, the appearance of conversation partners requiring neither restraint nor guilt made him feel at ease.
"You've got thick skin to act like this after what you did. What's wrong with your mental state?"
"Haaah? We're the ones who got blown away, you know? Like, we're the victims here. You should be grateful we aren't demanding compensation."
"Stop with the insurance fraud logic. And with Haruhana, you guys left me and ran away, didn't you?"
"Haha, that's right! Losing three times in a day, yesterday was seriously a cursed day for us."
Picking a fight and getting the tables turned on them, yet acting like victims with zero reflection instantly. Moreover, besides the two times involving Kuro, apparently they had a skirmish somewhere else too.
Their way of life was almost refreshing. Kuro let out a wry laugh while selecting his convenience store meal.
"You guys. There are Disciplinary Gobots patrolling, you know? If you act too bold, you'll get caught."
"Don't underestimate us, Boss. With my ability, see? Unless it's in flagrante delicto, the Gobots can't catch us."
"That's right~. Big Bro is amazing, you know."
"I don't know your ability, Big Bro, though?"
It seemed the elder Kaldi's magic was useful for escape, just not combat. While chatting about nothing in particular, the three purchased breakfast and shared a table in the eat-in space.
"It's fine hanging out at a convenience store in the morning, but is your school around here?"
"Nope, totally not."
The Kaldi sister, sliding her red mask down to bite into a pastry, denied it flatly.
"There aren't any convenience stores near the 666 Branch School. Or rather, there aren't any decent shops in our neighborhood."
"Gobots won't open stores there. Mainly because if they do, 666 students raid them."
"Your public order is too messed up. What is going on with your school, seriously?"
Talking to these siblings, sensing that they were actually on the "better" end of the spectrum for this "School 666," was terrifying. The "district where public order has completely collapsed" that Pina mentioned before was definitely the area around the school the Kaldi siblings attended.
"Thanks to that, we usually eat at the school cafeteria. It being free is nice, but they have weird obsessions so we don't really wanna use it."
"The Food Supply Club guys are a pain in the ass. 'Nutritional balance is important,' 'Eating too much is strictly prohibited,' 'Basic health means bland flavors'—just excuses for bad food. That's why the kitchen got blown up last night."
Apparently, the benevolent school cafeteria had ceased functioning due to an unfortunate incident, so they had drifted to this convenience store. If students of the Kaldi siblings' ilk—their fellow 666 students—were scattering for the same reason, the crime rate across the Academy Archipelago seemed likely to rise just from that.
"I sympathize with this 'Food Supply Club' that has to deal with a mass of people like you. Sounds seriously tough."
"We don't want them dealing with us either! If we had money, we wouldn't have any use for that cafeteria."
"The junkiness you can't get at that crappy cafeteria is irresistible in convenience store food! We just got money yesterday, so we're living it up... Ah, Boss. Gimme that dessert. If you have extra, I'll eat it for ya."
"This is a souvenir. And if you have money, go to a better shop. Somewhere far from here... Hm?"
Defending the souvenir sweets for the girls from the Kaldi sister, Kuro felt a snag in the conversation.
"Why did you get money? You lost to us yesterday and paid points, didn't you?"
"Hm? Hmm... Well, whatever. Actually, us stealing the Roc Bird was a request."
Kaldi brother hesitated for a split second but then spilled the beans lightly.
"A request... Are there eccentric people who ask you guys for criminal acts?"
"Not us specifically, but School 666 has a bulletin board where criminal requests in the Academy Archipelago gather. It was through there."
"We completed the request we took, so the points came in."
Setting aside the school system that sounded like some mafia, the feeling of wrongness grew.
"Why was there a request to steal a Roc Bird from the zoo? Who benefits from that?"
"Roppi-ppi is a research subject of USE, so it's harassment toward them. Happens all the time."
"Plus, if we kidnapped a tourist, there was a bonus to the request fee. Since the Gobots get serious if we involve travelers from the 'Outside,' even we didn't do that, though."
"We were planning to just mess with a tourist and end it, right? But thanks to Boss falling down here, we achieved the kidnapping too and got the bonus. Lucky us, right, Big Bro!"
"Yeah!"
Beside the natural-born criminal siblings exchanging identical smiles, Kuro realized the true nature of the weird feeling.
"...Achieved, you said?"
"Yeah! Thanks to you, Boss, we made a killing!"
"By the way, Boss, you were a tourist and not an Academy Archipelago student, huh."
"A-Ah. I entered a school yesterday, so I'm not a tourist anymore, though."
If there was a teenager using magic in the Academy Archipelago, it was normal to think they were a student somewhere.
In fact, even these two hadn't known until just now that Kuro was a traveler at that time. Even Conrad—he shouldn't have known that Kuro was with the Kaldi siblings.
For the client to know that "Tourist Kidnapping" had been achieved was clearly strange.
The people who knew that Kuro wasn't an Academy Archipelago student when he ran into the Kaldi siblings were very limited. It should only be... the three Tritonis girls who picked Kuro up.
"...Alright, keep that momentum. Tell me the info on the guy who made the request too."
"Like we'd know that~."
"It goes through multiple intermediaries, this kind of thing."
As expected of a criminal school. Kuro clicked his tongue internally at their thoroughness in that regard.
"Well, about seventy percent of schools in the Academy Archipelago are under the umbrella of either Imperial Style or St. Guinness. If you trace it back, it usually ends up at some dark project from one of those two."
"Heh. The 'Big Two,' huh."
[Imperial Style Doji Academy - Main Campus] and [St. Guinness Girls' Academy].
Even having just arrived in the Academy Archipelago, Kuro had heard the names of these Heaven Disc World schools several times.
"The organizations running them are the two major powers in the Heaven Disc World too. In the end, things gather at the strong places."
"Our 666 Branch School is nominally Imperial Style, too. Also, there aren't many magicians so they don't stand out, but scale-wise, there's USE."
"Hmm? I hear it sometimes, but what kind of school is USE?"
At Kuro's simple question, Kaldi brother looked exasperated.
"What kind of school... it's the school from where you're from, Boss."
"Where I'm from... Ah! Is USE 'Universal School Earth'!?"
[Universal School Earth].
Kuro knew that school name. It was a mammoth school, one of the leading ones in the Academy Archipelago, founded by a coalition of over ten Earth nations, including Japan. For Earth students hoping to advance to the Academy Archipelago, it was a famous school that was inevitably their first choice.
"Ahaha, Boss, so lame! You don't even know your own school?"
"Sh-Shut up! If it wasn't an acronym, I would've realized!"
While Kuro bluffed at the cackling Kaldi sister, Kaldi brother gave a meaningful laugh and spoke.
"Well, there are lots of weird rumors about that place, so maybe it's the right choice that a Boss with a special constitution like yours didn't choose it, no?"
"Weird rumors?"
"USE students are mostly brainy researcher-types, but the Academy Archipelago doesn't have laws between students, right? Rumor is, taking advantage of that, they're doing clinical trials and human experiments they can't do in their original world."
"No... that's a conspiracy theory, surely."
There was no way they would do that with Earth's ethical standards. But the Kaldi siblings were grinning.
"I wonder about that~? Because we get them pretty often. Requests that look like that."
"Speaking of USE clinical trial requests, for the desperate students of 666 Branch School, they're like a spider's thread [of salvation]."
Whether it was a joke or serious, he had heard something unpleasant. His mouth twisted in disgust.
"In any case, those three schools are the strong ones in the Academy Archipelago, huh. What should be done to rebuild a weak school?"
"Hmm? Talking about Tritonis Academy? You were hanging out with them yesterday and beat us up, after all."
"Wait, Boss, did you enroll in Tritonis Academy? That place is pretty much on the edge of a cliff."
"Yeah, that's right. Seems they're being targeted by the so-called Big Two... but come to think of it, taking over a school from a different country—they really do that? Doesn't it become an international incident? Even if the Academy Archipelago is a place with extraterritoriality, having your affiliation decided by a Duel is weird, isn't it?"
Most schools had their management bodies outside the Academy Archipelago. If management rights moved here and there due to conflicts inside the Archipelago, it should be a huge problem.
Kaldi brother snorted at Kuro's complaint.
"International incident or whatever, the school-vs-school Counter-Battles are basically a proxy war for the Heaven Disc World in the first place. Imperial Style starting to eliminate other schools to monopolize Earth World knowledge is the origin of Duels, you know?"
"Monopolize Earth knowledge...? Why is there a school doing that?"
"Hey, hey, Boss. Why do you think Heaven Disc World countries bother building schools in the Academy Archipelago? For us Heaven Disc World humans, the Academy Archipelago is the only place we can directly acquire Earth World knowledge."
At Kuro's lack of knowledge, Kaldi sister made a smug face filled with superiority.
Knowledge and technology from Earth, which was over two hundred years ahead, were valuable enough that Heaven Disc World humans would want them desperately. Since travel between the two worlds was impossible, they couldn't directly invite Earth World humans to the Heaven Disc World; thus, they built schools on this limited land of floating islands, sent in students, and had them learn useful knowledge.
"That's why conversely, places like USE have no connection to Duels. Unlike Heaven Disc World schools that are after Earth World knowledge, their goal is research on Heaven Disc World materials, biology, and magic."
"Is that so... But even if they take in students from other countries, does it work out? They were enemies until just a while ago, right?"
"Those guys coming to learn Earth World knowledge as national policy have to study even if they move to another school. If they really hate it, they can just drop out and go back to their country."
"It's just like Big Bro says. In the case of personnel transfer via Duel, there are cases where it's not a transfer of school registry, but a 'secondment,' see."
Kuro hadn't been able to imagine Haruhana or Pina working energetically at another school, but it seemed that issue was solved too.
"Secondment? Not a transfer or admission?"
"Yeah, yeah. In the Academy Archipelago, counter-battle enrollment is recognized. When you acquire a student from another school in a Duel, they remain enrolled in their original school but are seconded to the opponent's school to work. Since their registry remains at the original school, it causes less friction than transferring."
"Heh, I see."
It seemed there was various history behind the rules of the Academy Archipelago, which had looked like settlements by brute force.
"Anyway, if you want to build up Tritonis Academy, first you should raise its name recognition. At least if the school name isn't known 'Outside,' there's no way applicants will come."
Grinning, Kaldi brother pointed to the school emblem sewn onto the sukajan he was wearing.
"For example, everyone knows our 666 Branch School."
"Isn't that notoriety? You said it was a criminal school; it's just a gathering of good-for-nothings, isn't it?"
"Seee? Even Boss, who just arrived, knows it. Plus you can guess the school culture; that's proof it's better than being unknown."
At Kaldi sister's smug face, Kuro lost his words of rebuttal. As she said, notoriety was better than obscurity.
"Besides, if it's just combat power, our 666 Branch School doesn't lose to the elites of the main school, you know? We have characteristics other than being a criminal school."
"Characteristics?"
"Top of the bottom-tier schools."
The single phrase Kaldi brother uttered was a characteristic that stood out precisely because it was simple.
"A place where guys who can't make it in normal schools gather and compete fiercely—that is our 666 Branch School."
"Heheh. Our bancho is strong, you know. Doesn't lose even to Haruhana."
Hearing the two speak somewhat proudly of their school, Kuro was not a little impressed.
"I see... Characteristics, huh. Surprisingly, there are ways to do it."
Increasing students and strengthening the school. Such straightforward management policies were not everything in the Academy Archipelago.
Considering the circumstances of the Academy Archipelago, which presented an aspect of survival of the fittest with various rankings, the small-scale Tritonis Academy had the potential to become a school that utilized power in a different sense than the 666 Branch School.
"Come to think of it, you accused me of being the reason some weird woman picked a fight with you. What was that about?"
"It wasn't an accusation. I mean, she's your associate, right, Boss?"
"That's right~. We were seriously scared, you know."
The siblings were reminiscing deeply together, but Kuro had no idea what they were talking about.
"No, so, who is 'she'? I don't have any acquaintances in the Academy Archipelago, you know."
"Liar. She nullified all our magic with a terrifying menacing look and bullied Big Bro, that woman!"
"Yeah, yeah! She gave my cute little sister an iron claw! A dangerous girl swinging around a weird katana!"
Hearing a character description he had way too many clues for, Kuro dropped the rice ball he was eating onto the table.
Nullification of magic. Katana. Girl. There was only one person who fit that description.
"She's already chased me here...? Karane..."
Knowing his natural enemy was closing in, Kuro grimaced bitterly.
The principal of the 107 Branch School, Ginion Ponelea, was strolling through the city on foot.
The Academy Archipelago was filled with products of advanced technology impossible in the Heaven Disc World.
Fully automated cars running on paved roads, numerous drones flying through the sky. From the 3D holographic billboards coloring the streets to the transparency of the glass in the windows and even the sewing technology of the uniforms worn by the students walking by.
Techniques and goods that were commonplace here were nothing short of magical items to the people of the Heaven Disc World. When Ginion first came to the Academy Archipelago, he too could only widen his eyes in trembling awe at the power of industrialization that produced such massive quantities of goods.
His homeland, the Kingdom of Tritonis, would likely possess such a city one day. The changes in the Heaven Disc World, obtaining Earth's technology and knowledge via the Academy Archipelago, were remarkable.
In the end, how many things would remain that the people of the Heaven Disc World could proudly say they created themselves?
"I wonder why the two worlds had to meet."
He muttered quietly, then smiled bitterly at the futility of his words. What Ginion needed to think about now was not the future map of a distant world, but the imminent movements of Tritonis Academy.
"Asahino Kuro, was it? Her Highness Laurier shouldn't have any connections to the Earth World, yet an enrollee appears."
In the plan Ginion was advancing, there was no development where an enrollee appeared at Tritonis Academy at this point.
Though on the verge of closure, the three remaining at Tritonis Academy were excellent magicians who had reached [Mysterion].
Those capable of engraving a name onto a [Mana Crystal] to create a unique weapon were limited to the cream of the crop among magicians. If one mastered a [Mysterion], they could break into the top one thousand magicians in the Academy Archipelago, which housed over a million students.
Not a single student at the 107 Branch School, where Ginion served as principal, had reached [Mysterion]. He had provided a strategy to his brother Conrad, for whom a Duel had been established, but the difference in combat power was obvious.
"For now, I'll throw Conrad at them to probe Her Highness Laurier's hand... Hm?"
"This guy! No, the guys who said he was the culprit disappeared before I knew it... but still, they said he was the culprit!"
Turning the corner, he found someone shouting loud enough to interrupt his thoughts. He frowned involuntarily and looked toward the source.
"Even if you say that, Madam. There is no record in the authorities' database of the companion you speak of visiting the Academy Archipelago. We cannot respond to a request to search for a human who is not supposed to be here."
"Ugh. That... might be true, but..."
The voice of the girl in plain clothes, who was thrusting a smartphone photo at a Disciplinary Gobot, trailed off.
Since the Gobot's response was disgustingly polite, the girl was definitely a human from the 'Outside.' Ginion was about to pass by, thinking it was a common tourist trouble, but he stopped at her next words.
"But this Haruhana Bacchus or whatever kidnapped Kuro—my companion!"
Hearing a familiar name, Ginion moved his gaze cautiously. On the smartphone screen he glimpsed, Haruhana was indeed displayed. And he also recognized the name 'Kuro' that was just mentioned.
As expected, walks were a good thing. Smiling inwardly, Ginion approached the girl and called out.
"You seem to be in some trouble. If you wouldn't mind, may I hear the details?"
Feigning kindness with a smile, Ginion spoke to the visitor from Earth—Watarase Karane.
There were no clues to Karane's whereabouts from the Kaldi siblings.
Apparently, after a scuffle developed into combat, they were one-sidedly beaten up by Karane, and in the end, they shifted the responsibility for Kuro's disappearance onto Haruhana.
"Those idiots really never do anything decent..."
Exasperated by the siblings' methods, Kuro passed through the main gate of Tritonis Academy.
With Karane around, wandering outside was risky. Thinking he would hole up today, he headed for the dorms, but stopped.
In the center of the schoolyard were Laurier and Pina. Noticing Kuro, Pina waved her hand.
"It's Kuro. Welcome back~."
"Welcome back, Kuro-sama. Are preparations for the match in order?"
There was only one reason Laurier would challenge him with such high spirits.
"Ah... about this morning. I was totally in the wrong. I'm sorry."
"No!? P-Please forget about that!"
He apologized preemptively, thinking she was angry about the nightwear sighting, but that didn't seem to be it. Laurier's voice cracked, and she covered her bright red face with both hands.
"Being seen by a gentleman in my sleeping attire is a blunder unbecoming of a woman of the Tritonis Royal Family before marriage. Please... consider it never happened...!"
"O-Oh. Okay. I guess, yeah, sorry anyway."
"Please do not apologize... It simply did not happen."
"It's okay, Laurier-chan. It's not something to worry about~."
Perhaps having her head patted by Pina calmed her down a little; Laurier lifted her face, still flushed with shame.
"Besides, I do not want you to compete with me. It is preparation for the Duel."
"Ah, that. Are you fighting in this Duel too, Laurier?"
"The match method Conrad presented was premised on multiple people. As a warrior of some standing myself, I shall participate in this Duel, of course!"
"Heh, a multi-person Duel. I guess going one-on-one with Haruhana would be a nightmare for them."
He had assumed Haruhana would just mow down the opponent and that would be it, but apparently, it wasn't that simple.
"...Wait, is Laurier a warrior? Wasn't she a princess?"
"Laurier-chan learns martial arts as part of her princess training, you see. She looks elegant, but she's a well-bred muscle-brain. And yet she's smart too, so when she goes out of control, she's crafty and impossible to deal with."
"P-Pina? You thought of me that way...?"
The smart muscle-brain princess seemed somewhat shocked by the words of her aide and best friend.
But Pina pursed her lips in a pout.
"I haven't forgotten the monumental act of stupidity you pulled when we borrowed money from St. Guinness."
"Th-That is... but I had no other choice at that time, did I?"
"...Did something happen when Tritonis Academy borrowed money?"
"Oh, something huge! Laurier-chan really did something thoughtless."
At Kuro's interjection, despite not knowing the circumstances, Pina gained momentum, glad he asked.
Glancing at the angry Pina's expression, Laurier timidly joined the explanation.
"I wouldn't say thoughtless, um... To cover the funds Ginion absconded with, we secured emergency financing from someone attending 'St. Guinness Girls' Academy'..."
St. Guinness Girls' Academy.
One half of the so-called Big Two, a name he had heard while talking with the Kaldi siblings.
"We borrowed under the condition that if repayment was delayed, the debt would be considered paid in full upon my transfer to St. Guinness Girls' Academy."
"That... doesn't sound like such a bad deal... right?"
From what he heard, it was a debt with conditions. The transfer fee Haruhana mentioned was likely the collateral. If there weren't exorbitant interest rates, it didn't sound too bad.
"With this condition, no matter how things roll, the debt gets cleared. If there is a problem, it is, um..."
"The problem is that for a mere lack of funds, the condition you offered was way too heavy, right, Laurier-chan?"
At Pina's icy voice, Laurier averted her eyes. It seemed Pina had the moral high ground.
"Is there a problem beyond money if Laurier transfers to that school?"
"A massive problem would erupt. St. Guinness is run by a sect called 'Sacred Heart' in the Heaven Disc World, and that academy mandates conversion to the faith upon enrollment!"
Even hearing "conversion," it didn't really click for Kuro, who didn't know the state of affairs in the Heaven Disc World.
"Is that... bad? Is Sacred Heart some weird cult?"
"Sacred Heart is a venerable teaching with a thousand years of history. However, the sect is different from the state religion of the Kingdom of Tritonis... If I, the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Tritonis, were to ignore the state religion and convert, stripping of succession rights—well, Elder Sister will take the throne anyway, so I do not mind that, but..."
"No, that's not okay, is it?"
"No, I truly have no interest in succession rights, so that is fine."
"Of course it's not okay."
"It truly does not matter! The next throne belongs to Elder Sister!"
Laurier obstinately argued back against Kuro and Pina, who were conversing over her head.
"The problem is if the unauthorized debt is discovered by Elder Sister. If I am merely scolded, that is one thing, but if my beloved Elder Sister were to give up on me, I do not have the confidence to withstand the shock...!"
She seemed to respect her sister greatly; Laurier, voice trembling with fear, looked up resolutely.
"That is exactly why we must have this counter-battle! If we win against Conrad, it will be the first step to regaining the pride of our Tritonis Academy. Please participate as a warrior too, Kuro-sama!"
"Participating in the counter-battle is fine, but. I'm not really a warrior, you know?"
"Is that so? Your daily discipline shows in your hands, however."
"Oh, really? Kuro has martial arts experience?"
"Yeah, well..."
Under the gaze of Laurier, who had discerned his experience from the calluses on his hands, and a curious Pina, Kuro looked into the distance.
"At Grandma's place—the dojo of the family that takes care of me, there was a person who swung a serious, real sword at unarmed people during practice, so I was driven by necessity."
"That is... a calamity, isn't it?"
"For someone from the Earth World, you say some pretty pitiful things sometimes, Kuro. ...Ah, I'm staying behind this time. Do your best in the counter-battle, you three. Since Haruhana is there, I think it'll be an easy win though."
Pina, who had been casting sympathetic glances at Kuro along with Laurier, waved her hand lightly. It seemed the participants of the counter-battle would be Laurier, Haruhana, and Kuro—the three of them.
"Pina isn't participating? Come to think of it, where's Haruhana?"
"If it's Haruhana, she's at the pool. It's her custom to swim about five kilometers in the morning."
"...That is amazing."
If that was her daily morning routine, her base physical ability must be quite high.
"We shall explain the counter-battle at the venue over there. The rules for this time have arrived from Conrad, but... please rest assured. They are not rules under which we would lose."
Perhaps convinced of their advantage, Laurier announced with brimming confidence.
About thirty minutes by train from the nearest station to Tritonis Academy.
The venue Kuro and the others arrived at was vast.
The site in the outskirts of the Academy Archipelago was densely overgrown with trees, and there was even a pond dividing the center of the venue. Above the center of the venue floated a 3D holographic bulletin board displaying the rules.
"It is a wide venue! It has been a while since my last counter-battle; my arms are itching for action!"
Haruhana was the one who raised her voice in the venue, which was practically a small forest zone. It seemed facilities that could serve as match venues were prepared in various places for counter-battles with large numbers of participants.
"Come to think of it, Laurier. Is there a reason you didn't have Pina participate?"
"With the battle format this time being 'Battle Royale,' it is advantageous to have fewer allies."
To Kuro, a beginner at counter-battles, Laurier triumphantly showed the screen of her smartphone.
[Match Format: Applied for Group Battle Royale by School. Permitted by Administration Bureau.]
That short text was the email from Conrad that arrived on Laurier's smartphone.
"A Group Battle Royale is a battle where participating schools are formed into single groups, competing on the total number of opponents defeated by their affiliated students. Therefore, our strategy is to simply minimize the number of people who can be defeated!"
If they limited the participants to three, the opponent could only gain three wins no matter how hard they tried. Puffing out her chest proudly, she explained that if one was confident in the students' individual abilities, a smaller number was advantageous.
"Conrad likely chose the Battle Royale format because he disliked the idea of a one-on-one with Haruhana. His thinking that involving a large number of people creates more chances than a one-on-one is not wrong, but the gap in ability is not something that can be filled by that degree!"
After all, Haruhana's rank was the Fifth Seat. There were only four students in the Academy Archipelago who could surpass her.
"I wanted you to gain experience in counter-battles, Kuro-sama, so I had you participate. The next counter-battle will be a total war where schools clash with everything they have, after all."
"Please rest assured, Kuro-dono! If push comes to shove, I will defeat them all by myself!"
"That's reassuring, but... H-Hey, Gobot over there! Can I have a sec?"
If it was a Battle Royale by school, Laurier would be right, but there was a part of the explanation that bothered him. Interrupting the conversation, Kuro called out to one of the referee-like Gobots patrolling the sky.
"What is it, Human? It is starting very soon."
"I want to confirm something. Isn't this battle an individual fight, not a team-based Battle Royale?"
"That is correct, but does it matter?"
"Eh?"
At the hovering Gobot's affirmation, Laurier blinked in confusion.
As he suspected. Kuro frowned. The scoreboard floating overhead listed individuals. Moreover, there was nothing indicating total school scores. In a battle competing for points as a group, this was strange.
"B-But Conrad contacted me saying it was a Battle Royale competing by school units—look, see this!"
"Laurier. Doesn't that mean the email is Conrad's lie?"
Thrusting the email text at the Gobot, Laurier's face went pale with shock.
On the other hand, Haruhana crossed her arms with a puzzled look.
"But is there a meaning to lying? Even in an individual Battle Royale format, if I or Laurier defeat everyone, it is our win."
"Y-Yes! It is not a ploy that would bridge the gap in ability. The intent behind the deception is unclear!"
"No. In this Duel, the starting point is up to the participant, right? If Conrad surrounds himself with students he gathered himself, and defeats his allies right after it starts... He can win by match-fixing, even with these rules."
Hearing Kuro's hypothesis, Haruhana clapped her hands in admiration, while Laurier's mouth twitched magnificently.
"Th-That shameless...! To think, such a petty trick—wait! For such fraud to pass, isn't this a defect in the rules!?"
"We make the counter-battles rules loose, inclusive of you humans spinning your petty schemes during preparation. You humans like that sort of thing, do you not?"
The Referee Gobot answered Laurier, who had snapped mid-sentence, without any sign of remorse. It was speech and conduct that utterly looked down on humanity.
"The Duel will start in twenty seconds. You foolish humans who fell for a trap that could be avoided with a little caution—struggle as best you can and entertain us Gobots."
The moment the Referee Gobot ascended with a buzzing of propellers and vanished, the buzzer signaling the start of the Duel sounded mercilessly.
Amidst the group stunned by the unexpected situation, the first to return to her senses was Haruhana.
"Wh-What shall we do!? If it is as Kuro-dono says, there is no time to leisurely search for the enemy, Laurier!"
"I-I-I-I-It is f-fine! Where and what time is the Conrad to panic!?"
"C-Calm down! It just started! Be cool!"
A complete reversal from the easy-win mood. Faced with an unexpected crisis right after the match start, Laurier's fluster was particularly bad. At Kuro's words trying to soothe her somehow, she turned around with tears in her eyes.
"But if we lose this Duel, what will Conrad do to me... What will happen to me!? Will I b-be k-k-kissed or something!?"
"Y-Yeah. I get why you're panicked, Laurier—hm?"
At the overly adorable sense of crisis from Her Highness Princess Laurier, whose eyes were moist, the impatience in Kuro's chest tumbled away, and his head cooled down.
"What? Does Tritonis Academy not have health class or something?"
"Huh? What is 'health'?"
"Hmph, Laurier. Judging from the flow of conversation, surely on Earth, school classes teach about the se—"
"Aaah! Aaah! More importantly, Haruhana! Can you go up? It'll be easier to search from there, right!?"
"Ah, that is true! —[Shut]."
At Kuro's suggestion, shouted to defend the lovely innocence of the bewildered Laurier, Haruhana generated black fog from the [Mana Crystal] in her hair ornament.
Following Laurier, who hopped onto the black fog, Kuro timidly placed his foot on it too. It was neither hard nor soft. It was a strange sensation of riding on something despite feeling no texture.
Carrying the three without issue, the black fog ascended. They soon reached an altitude where they could overlook the entire venue, but the thickly growing trees blocked Kuro and the others' vision.
"In this venue, finding people from above is difficult."
"Yeah. Don't we have magic to detect enemies?"
"Among us, that is the type of magic Pina specializes in...!"
Of all things, it was the specialty of the absent Pina. Just as he grit his teeth, thinking they would lose without even finding Conrad...
In a corner of the venue, a massive rock wall suddenly rose up.
"There!"
"There it is!"
At the obvious product of magic, Kuro raised a voice of joy alongside Laurier. Even though he had taken distance to hide, Conrad had revealed his location himself with flashy magic.
"But it's far. Haruhana. This black fog, you can move it, right? How long to get there?"
"I do not have Pina's aerial mobility, so at this distance, it will take three minutes...!"
In a proper battle, maybe, but in a match-fixed friendly fire, the match would be decided in three minutes. Not bringing Pina for search and transport was backfiring.
"Without Pina's observation, accuracy drops, but I will attack from here!"
Next to Kuro, Laurier leaned forward.
When he first came to the Academy Archipelago, Laurier had fired a lightning strike at Kuro's group in the sky. The distance was even greater now than it was then, but it seemed to be the only option. The moment Kuro started to pull back, a series of memories suddenly connected, flashing into a solution.
"No, wait, Laurier. There is a way. There's a way to make it work!"
A method to close a distance of kilometers in seconds. Kuro had experienced it in the Academy Archipelago.
"Haruhana, do to us what you did—"
To overturn the unfavorable board forced onto them by the enemy, Kuro conveyed the move for a miraculous comeback.
Conrad Ponelea was born as an illegitimate child of the Ponelea Earl House.
His mother, a town girl, became the mistress of the Ponelea family head and gave birth to Conrad. They lived meagerly in the downtown area, but when the Ponelea head's legal wife passed away, both mother and child were welcomed into the mansion.
However, there was no way Conrad, born of a commoner mother, would be welcomed in the Ponelea family, a noble house of ancient lineage. Forced to live in a detached building of the vast estate, both mother and child were ridiculed in the shadows even by the servants. The direct lineage of the Ponelea family in the main house behaved thoroughly as if Conrad didn't exist.
Conrad's boyhood was purely days of having his self-esteem worn down. His mother merely attended to his father when he occasionally visited the detached building, otherwise immersing herself in a slothful life doing nothing. Conrad despised from the bottom of his heart his mother, who lived satisfied with the circumstance of luckily rolling into a noble's mansion.
The only interaction with family in Conrad's memory was the experience of Ginion, the heir, teaching him the rudiments of magic.
Conrad acknowledged himself as an unhappy human being. He lamented that he was forced into a pitiful, unblessed life where he couldn't receive what should have been naturally given.
That was exactly why he believed without a doubt that he had the right to make others taste all the unhappiness he had suffered.
"Haha. To think glory could be obtained this easily."
Looking at the points on the holographic scoreboard overhead, Conrad smirked.
Immediately after the buzzer sounded, Conrad blew away one student with the magic he activated. Furthermore, the surroundings were covered by stone walls via Conrad's magic, creating a state where the remaining three couldn't even flee properly.
"C-Conrad-kun... Why, something like this—!"
Conrad scoffed at the stupidity of his schoolmate, who couldn't guess the situation even at this stage.
For this counter-battle, Conrad had hidden the circumstances and gathered four students he could definitely beat, deceiving them by saying it was a team competition by school.
In a Battle Royale format Duel, the number of people defeated was directly connected to victory or defeat. Since it was an individual battle, it didn't matter if the opponents he defeated were students from the same school.
In contrast, Laurier, who fell hook, line, and sinker for the scheme, had limited her participants. Even if the Tritonis students yielded their wins internally, that would be two points. Even if they defeated Conrad at the end, the number of defeated would only be three.
In other words, if Conrad defeated the four schoolmates he gathered, his victory was decided.
"I have to thank Brother for teaching me how to use trash like you."
Conrad flashed a full smile at the remaining schoolmates.
In the Academy Archipelago where there were no laws for conflicts between students, lawlessness sometimes passed unchecked. Even regarding lying to Laurier about the Duel rules, he would not be charged with a crime.
Of course, there were issues of trust, and if abused, retaliation from opponents without questions asked was possible. If one didn't care about what they gained, they could attack an enemy even if a Duel wasn't established.
But in this match, if he won, he would gain the "right to make the opponent listen to one thing."
"Now, I'm going to defeat you lot who can't use decent magic. Just by doing that, I can do whatever I want with that prim little girl."
The future where Laurier, who continued to take a cheeky attitude toward him, knelt before him floated in his mind, and Conrad's eyes took on the color of intoxication.
The Tritonis Royal Family had an ancient history even in the Heaven Disc World where the feudal system remained deeply rooted, and was one of the lineages with the most legitimacy in the western nations. Laurier, a direct descendant of a venerable royal family on the continent and the Second Princess, was a noble seed of the Heaven Disc World who would be unconditionally served by those around her if she returned to her homeland.
If he won this Duel, he could even make her designate Conrad as her fiancé with her own mouth.
"Fuha, hahaha! That's right. If I discipline that cheeky brat and make her understand the hierarchy, I'll be a member of the Royal Family."
If he pinned Laurier down with the natural rights of a fiancé, made her marry him by descending to subject status, and obtained the position of a royal spouse, even Ginion, the heir of the Ponelea family, wouldn't be able to easily talk back to Conrad. A supreme future, surpassing the best he had known until now, was waiting.
"If that happens, even Brother will treat me—"
It was when his intoxication reached its peak at the victory becoming reality.
A roar that shattered the stone wall echoed.
The impact shook Conrad's body, and the other 107 Branch students screamed. Into the ears of Conrad, who froze witnessing the collapse of his own magic, reached someone's voice.
"Hey, there's still some left—crap. I stepped on something!?"
Appearing as if falling from above were Laurier and Kuro. Unluckily, a 107 Branch student who was at the landing point was crushed and fainted, becoming a point for Kuro and dropping out.
At the sight that should have been impossible, the pleasant intoxication from the victory wine soaking Conrad's brain blew away.
"Impossible! How did you know this place!?"
"Are you an idiot! With such a conspicuous lump of stone, of course we'd know immediately!"
"Wha, guh...!"
It seemed the stone wall created to prevent the small fry from escaping had backfired. Having an unexpected flaw pointed out in his supposedly perfect plan, Conrad gnashed his teeth.
"B-But, how did you get here in such a short time? There was a distance of several kilometers!?"
The distance at the start was sufficiently wide. After all, he had chosen the widest venue in this area for that purpose. They shouldn't have been able to reach here in such a short time.
"We had Haruhana throw us."
The answer was revealed by the boy smiling fearlessly. Conrad didn't know, but it was what had been done to Kuro when he first met Haruhana.
Wrapped in black fog by Haruhana's magic, she hurled them.
As a result, the distance that had been wide open vanished in just a few seconds. It would take time for Haruhana herself to rush over, but Kuro and Laurier had arrived ahead at Conrad's location.
"Dammit—[Stone Pillar]!"
"Like I'll let you!"
The magic activated to defeat just the remaining two schoolmates was blocked by Kuro, who emitted red light.
"Laurier! I'll hold off Conrad!"
"Yes! I will finish off the two who fled!"
Seeing Laurier pursue the fleeing 107 Branch students, Conrad's face twisted.
Conrad had only gained one person's worth of points. If Laurier defeated the fled students and Haruhana yielded her win, that would be three points. If that happened, Conrad's defeat would be confirmed.
Conrad, whose plan for certain victory had been crushed, slammed his gaze into Kuro who stood in his way.
"How dare you interfere with my desire...! [Stone Gigant]!"
With the chant of the bloodshot-eyed Conrad, the surrounding ground rose up. Clods of earth clung to Conrad, instantly transforming into sturdy rock, becoming a towering giant stone doll.
"Not yet. If I defeat you immediately and catch up to one of the trash who just ran, I can still win!!"
If he gained three points, he could win by point difference even if he was defeated by Haruhana or Laurier later. While encouraging himself that there was still a chance of victory, Kuro gave him a cold glance.
"...Setting aside us enemies, that's your attitude toward the classmates you tricked? You really can only say selfish things, can't you."
"Don't get cheeky, you Earth World human who knows nothing about us! Shut up and get crushed!"
Conrad, clad in stone armor, roared, and the giant arm was swung down.
Duel Battle Royale, six participants remaining.
Points acquired: Conrad and Kuro, one each. Other participants undefeated.
The battle to pick up limited wins resumed.
The moment she took a step to dash, the [Mana Crystal] at Laurier's chest made a crackling sound.
Violet lightning generated from the [Mana Crystal] spread through her whole body, and Laurier accelerated, chasing the enemy's back.
A magician clad in magic could obtain physical abilities that made gender differences trivial. Laurier, in particular, showed remarkable growth in instantaneous force due to the characteristics of her magic.
Glaring at the opponent's back, Laurier gathered the force of her run-up in her knees and leaped.
Thinking even the time from jump to landing was wasteful, she kicked off the trees to accelerate. Laurier, bounding through the copse of miscellaneous trees with three-dimensional movement, overtook the opponent in the blink of an eye and stood in his way. From the male student's perspective, it must have looked as if she suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Pardon me."
Laurier's palm heel strike grazed the male student's jaw, shaking his brain.
Without even glancing at the male student who collapsed showing the whites of his eyes, Laurier twisted her body using her big toe as a pivot. Searching for the enemy within the scenery changing with her half-turn, she discovered the other one fleeing in the exact opposite direction.
It was admittedly far, but if he was within her visual range, her attack would reach. Simultaneous with spotting the enemy, Laurier placed her hand on the [Mana Crystal] at her chest.
"[Bolt]."
"—Gughah!?"
Lightning released from Laurier's [Mana Crystal] raced through the trees and scored a direct hit. The opponent let out a death cry and lost consciousness.
When she looked up to check the hologram in the sky, points for the two defeated were added.
"Phew... I suppose that is it."
Confirming the end of combat, the lightning that had spread through Laurier's body subsided.
Conrad must have chosen them on the premise that even he could defeat them. For Laurier, who had the handling of [Mana Crystals] and martial arts beaten into her since childhood, fleeing students were no enemies.
"Now if I return and cooperate with Kuro-sama to defeat Conrad—"
Laurier, about to step forward thinking this Duel would be settled, stopped at the first step.
An unpleasant imagination raced through Laurier's brain: What if?
If Kuro was an agent of Conrad's mastermind—Ginion Ponelea—there was a possibility that he and Conrad were lying in wait for Laurier together.
"N-No. It was Kuro-sama who gave me the plan to catch up to Conrad. After all, Kuro-sama coming to our school was a coincidence... But could it be a ploy to gain trust—"
Stamping her feet, Laurier was unconsciously muttering her suspicions aloud.
—You say I betrayed you, Your Highness Laurier. Do you have evidence that I sold Tritonis Academy to the Empire?
At the flashback of memory accompanied by pain, Laurier pressed her chest hard.
The betrayal of Ginion Ponelea, the brother of the Conrad she was fighting now, was a bolt from the blue for Laurier. The heir of a Kingdom noble, and one of her sister's confidants. He was supposed to be a trustworthy person.
But he betrayed Tritonis Academy.
Her sister, much older than her, was the closest family to Laurier. Her way of life as a royal should be was a source of pride for her as a sister, and she loved the feeling of the gentle palm that patted her head when praising her.
Ginion's act of letting Tritonis Academy decline was a betrayal of her sister, his master. For the sake of her sister who had educated her on the ways of the Royal Family since childhood, she tried to maintain the school with an eagerness bordering on obsession, thinking she had to regain the school to be able to face her.
However, Laurier's desperate struggle was in vain, and results did not improve. Debts swelling in inverse proportion to the decreasing student numbers, and Conrad's repeated harassment. What awaited Laurier, who had looked forward to youth with Pina and Haruhana for the year since enrolling in Tritonis Academy, was a series of betrayals and hardships.
To the extent that her heart was held prisoner by the contradiction of deceiving Kuro from Earth into writing enrollment documents, yet suspecting him when accepted.
"............I."
What was the right thing to do? A shadow fell over Laurier, who had stopped walking in conflict. Looking up, Haruhana, who had jumped from the black fog, landed right in front of Laurier.
"Laurier! What is the situation now!?"
"Ah, um... Kuro-sama is fighting Conrad. I defeated the other 107 Branch students."
"Is that so! Then, all that remains is for Kuro-dono to settle it."
"Yes... that is right."
While hesitating, Laurier nodded.
If she was with Haruhana, it wouldn't be a problem even if Kuro turned enemy. Feeling self-loathing for making such calculations, Laurier approached the place where the two were fighting.
"Gugh... Dammit, dammit dammit dammit! What are you! [Stone]!"
Along with the scream of the face-twisted Conrad, gravel was fired from his stone-armored arm. Faced with the barrage, Kuro momentarily reinforced his whole body. His skin, floating with red patterns, repelled the stone bullets.
Against Kuro who stopped moving to defend, Conrad slammed down his right arm composed of rock.
"Asahino Kuro! What right does someone unrelated to the Tritonis Kingdom like you have to interfere with me!"
"Sh-Shut up! Do you need a right to help people!"
Catching the stone fist with his red-patterned arm, Kuro repelled the pressure trying to crush him. Part of the stone armor cracked, and Conrad, driven by fear, stepped back.
"W-Why... In the Earth World where there should be no magic, such power—"
Suddenly, Conrad's words cut off. Stopping his attack, he stared intently at Kuro.
It was a chance to counterattack. Just as Kuro put strength into his soles to jump into his guard...
"—If you were born with such power in the Earth World, then you too... were treated as a human who shouldn't exist by those around you, weren't you?"
Kuro's movement dulled.
The step he was about to take toward Conrad became a meaningless stomp, shaking his body.
"Ha, haha. That's it. That's why you came to the Academy Archipelago from the Earth World, right!? You were all alone in your original world too, right! You were shunned for the absurdity of your birth, weren't you!?"
Conrad made his voice bounce as if to say he found a comrade, and reached out. Releasing part of the stone armor, Conrad exposed his bare face and held out his flesh-and-blood right hand toward Kuro.
"Hey, Kuro-kun. Let's join hands. We can surely understand each other. You must have been alienated by those around you as a human who shouldn't be, too. You were treated as an existence that shouldn't be there by the people living in the same house! Even though we did nothing wrong!!"
—Be normal.
The head of the family's words revived in Kuro's chest.
"We have a right. A legitimate right to retaliate against the world that looked down on us—"
"Sorry, but there's no such thing."
Conrad's hand, smiling with pure joy, was swatted aside.
Conrad, his hand brushed away by Kuro, opened his mouth in a daze.
"I don't know what you empathized with, but I was blessed with those around me."
The Watarase family didn't differentiate between Kuro and Karane. They always treated Kuro as a human being. He went to middle school normally, and had no complaints about the days walking to and from school with Karane.
Be normal, the head of the family said.
Don't give up on expecting things from people. Don't abandon interaction with people. Because you are a person, she said, raising him without any distinction from her granddaughter Karane.
The one who didn't forgive Kuro was none other than Kuro himself.
He couldn't forgive his own power that deviated from the norm, which distorted the lives of others just by being there.
"What's that..."
Conrad crumpled his face as if betrayed. It was the face of a child about to cry after suffering a terrible rejection from a friend he invited to play. But that expression flushed red in an instant, painted over by the rage of an obstinate young man, and was covered by inorganic stone armor.
"Why... Why did a human like you appear before me at this timing!!"
Along with a scream, Conrad's stone-clad right arm roared.
"Why or whatever, screw that."
Against the mass that should be impossible to oppose with a flesh body, Kuro slammed his fist head-on.
In a clash with an apparent weight difference, the fist floating with red patterns won one-sidedly. The stone covering the arm shattered, and Conrad staggered from the impact.
In the opening where the opponent lost his stance, this time Kuro charged straight in without hesitation. Diving into the bosom of the giant frame clad in stone armor, he tightened his armpit and readied his fist.
"If such good people are troubled by a bastard like you!"
Pina, Haruhana, Laurier. They were suffering from Conrad's so-called 'legitimate right.'
"Of course I'd want to help them!"
He slammed a red blow into the center of the stone armor's torso.
Cracks spread centering on the spot where Kuro's fist was driven in, and Conrad's stone armor shattered. The flesh-and-blood Conrad, stripped of the magic that bore his offense and defense, showed the whites of his eyes, limbs twitching, and fainted.
"...I guess you had some circumstances. But that doesn't become a reason to attack someone unrelated. If you yourself rot, there's no help for—ah."
Kuro, scratching his head in pity and irritation, cut off his speech.
He noticed Laurier and Haruhana watching behind him.
"Uh... were you possibly listening?"
Seeing Laurier nod silently, Kuro's face turned red in mere moments.
"N-No! That wasn't me trying to look cool or anything...!"
At Kuro starting to make flustered excuses, a smile involuntarily colored Laurier's lips.
"No, you were very cool! Right, Haruhana?"
"Yes! Kuro-dono. Congratulations on your safe victory!"
"J-Just drop it already! Here, Laurier. Do it."
Kuro spread his arms. If Laurier obtained the points for Kuro and Haruhana, the Duel would end with her victory.
At Kuro's proposal, Laurier shook her head.
"No, Kuro-sama. I am ashamed of myself."
Hearing Kuro's shout with no hidden side in the earlier battle, the suspicion in Laurier's chest had unraveled.
Kuro's appearance was a stroke of luck too convenient for Laurier and the others.
But, she could truly feel that it was okay to have such luck as a reward for this past year.
"We will forfeit and yield the win to you, Kuro-sama. Is that fine with you too, Haruhana?"
"It is fine. Either way, I cannot catch up in wins."
With the two forfeiting, Kuro's points became the top.
Confirming the Duel ended with Kuro's victory, Laurier placed a hand on her chest.
"Now then, Kuro-sama. Since I have lost, please say something."
"Ah, me too!"
At Laurier offering the price of her own defeat, Haruhana also raised both hands.
"Eh? Lost... Ah, right. This was an individual Duel."
Kuro, bewildered by the unexpected development, belatedly understood they were talking about the Duel's reward.
In this battle, not only was there a victory over the 107 Branch students, but winning and losing occurred within Tritonis Academy as well. The winner, Kuro, came to possess the 'right to make Laurier and Haruhana listen to one thing.'
"Even if you say that, I don't really have anything I want to ask of you two..."
"We are troubled if you say you have nothing."
"That is correct. If it becomes unfulfilled, we will be exiled from the Academy Archipelago."
"Eh, seriously? That's strict."
At their words, Kuro crossed his arms and pondered.
Even if he made Conrad spill information on the fraud, it seemed penalties would be imposed if he didn't have Laurier and the other do something too.
"Ah. Then, Laurier, it's that. Stop patting my head and praising me."
"Stop praising you?"
"Yeah. That is pretty embarrassing."
Maybe it was due to her upbringing as a princess. Laurier seemed to have a habit of praising people, but for a younger girl to pat his head, feelings of embarrassment and patheticness came first.
"If that is the case... I see!"
Clapping her hands, Laurier spun around. She harbored a sparkling, somewhat expectant shine in her emerald eyes.
"Kuro-sama! In the match just now, I worked hard!"
"Hmm? Y-Yeah, true. You defeated two people. I think you worked hard."
While he was slightly flustered asking 'what is it suddenly', Laurier bent forward and looked up at Kuro.
"Therefore, Kuro-sama. You may praise me for working hard, you know?"
"P-Praise...? No, what do you mean?"
"What do you mean 'what do you mean,' one should praise a person who worked hard, right? I worked hard!"
When he told her to stop praising him, he was presented with a mystery demand to praise her. At the bewildered Kuro, Laurier puffed out her cheeks and stepped closer. For some unknown reason, the pressure to 'pat my head' was strong.
"Listen well. Kuro-sama is the winner of the duel, and stands above me!"
"That is, well, barely understandable... I guess?"
"In other words, as the superior, Kuro-sama has an obligation to praise my actions of working hard!"
"That's what I don't get! Haruhana! Could you stop Laurier for a sec!"
"Ah, is getting my head patted fine as my condition for losing too?"
"Fine, whatever!! Just stop Laurier!"
"Mmu, I do not accept that Haruhana's head gets patted and mine does not!"
Laurier was huffing, saying Kuro's words were the incomprehensible ones.
"In the first place, the winner stands above the loser, and the one who stands above has an obligation as a giver."
In a sense, it was speech and conduct befitting royalty. The philosophy that the winner should bestow upon the loser. Laurier, noble in both birth and upbringing, smiled and billed Kuro with the philosophy of Noblesse Oblige.
"Therefore, Kuro-sama. Please, by all means, pat my head and praise me!"
"Gu, nu...!"
Kuro, retreating inch by inch, hit his back against the wreckage of the stone wall Conrad made.
Resentment grew that he was interfering even at a time like this. But his thoughts of taking it out on him were in vain; he was cornered by Laurier closing in.
"Come on!"
It was close enough that the sweet scent of a girl was emphasized. Being approached any further would be unbearable. Resigned, Kuro timidly patted the head of the expectant Laurier.
The sensation of the fluffy blonde hair was softer and smoother than expected, and felt good to pat.
"Ehehe... Thank you very much."
Laurier, whose suspicion had melted away, bloomed with an innocent, friendly smile younger than her age of fourteen.
"When I work hard, please praise me a lot from now on too, okay!"
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