Chapter 2: Pool Play and the Ninth Seat

Asahino Kuro stood in his swimwear beneath the bright, dazzling sun.

The shimmering surface of the water rippled, reflecting the brilliant sunlight. Cheerful shouts echoed through the air alongside splashes of water that glisteningly bounded off smooth skin. High above, the clear acrylic dome supported by silver framework offered a view of the crisp blue sky, under which crowds of visitors bustled about, eager to enjoy the water park to the fullest.

Kuro was currently at an all-weather indoor leisure resort offering a wide variety of aquatic activities. Part of the reason they had arrived well ahead of their scheduled meeting with the Ninth Seat was Haruhana's insistent nagging—a picture of health who swam five kilometers every single morning.

"...Why on earth did the Ninth Seat pick a water park for a business meeting?" Kuro muttered to himself.

Surely it wasn't just to make Haruhana happy. Whatever her underlying motives might be, considering that Tritonis Academy's own pool had been destroyed during the Branch 107 incident, this was actually a welcome opportunity.

Although it was Golden Week, since summer hadn't quite arrived yet, the facility wasn't overly crowded. The majority of people splashing around in the various pools appeared to be students around his age.

Naturally, the patrolling lifeguards and vendors staffing the food stalls were all Gobots.

"Attention, foolish humans," a patrolling lifeguard Gobot droned in a low, condescending tone as it glided along the poolside. "It is utterly laughable that organisms dependent on pulmonary respiration indulge in aquatic recreation, but diving is strictly prohibited. Every year, an endless stream of fools suffers cardiac arrest underwater. Do not burden us Gobots with your incompetence, you foolish humans... Oh! Tourists! Welcome, welcome! Welcome to our premier Gobot-operated amusement facility! We extend our warmest hospitality!"

The lifeguard Gobot made its rounds, hurling foul-mouthed insults under its breath at the students while shamelessly fawning over visiting tourists.

Outside the Academy Archipelago, these mechanical lifeforms were marketed under the friendly slogan "Friends of Humanity." But while they were sickeningly polite to tourists, their attitude toward students was appalling. Firmly convinced of their own superiority over organic life, they looked down on the student population with unmitigated contempt.

"Those metal cans are beyond saving, but... what's taking Pina and the others so long?" Kuro grumbled, scanning his surroundings. "Laurier was dragging her feet pretty hard earlier, though."

Venting about Gobots was practically a rite of passage for students here, but as Kuro looked around, there was still no sign of the three girls.

Girls naturally took longer to get ready. Laurier, being a proper princess, had been mortified at the prospect of appearing in a swimsuit in public and had resisted coming at all. Though Pina and Haruhana had eventually ganged up to persuade her, Kuro wondered if the Ninth Seat had deliberately chosen a water park knowing full well Laurier's royal modesty might force them to decline.

Musing over the possibility, Kuro decided to wait somewhere easily spottable and started heading toward a cluster of patio umbrellas.

"Oh-ho? If it isn't the Boss!" a voice called out casually from under an umbrella.

"What's up, Boss? You come to the pool all by your lonesome?" another voice joined in.

To Kuro's utter chagrin, those breezy greetings sounded agonizingly familiar.

Holding out a faint hope that he was merely hallucinating, Kuro turned around, only to have his worst fears confirmed by the recognizable faces staring back at him.

"...What in the world are you two doing here?" Kuro groaned, rubbing his temples.

Standing before him were the Kaldi siblings, high school twins wearing matching color-coded face masks.

Hailing from Imperial Style Doji Academy 666th Branch School—a lawless criminal den where delinquents ran rampant—they usually sported souvenir jackets over their school uniforms. Today, however, being at a pool, both were clad in swimsuits.

Kuro would have loved to believe he had mistaken them for someone else, but since they hadn't taken off their signature color masks even in swimwear, there was no mistaking their identities. As Kuro grimaced at bumping into the duo who were fast becoming an unwelcome fixture in his life, Kurulukka Kaldi shrugged effortlessly.

"Don't you know, Boss?" Kurulukka smirked. "Places like this water park are prime real estate for laying low. Knowing spots like this comes in real handy—I'll teach ya the ropes later!"

"Big Bro's spot-on, Boss!" Hororokka Kaldi chimed in with a sharp grin. "There's only one main exit, so if pursuers show up, we'll spot 'em instantly. Plus, no Public Morals Gobots around! We're just having a blast while lying low!"

Their justification for enjoying the pool was textbook criminal logic, but at this point, Kuro wasn't even surprised.

As far as Kuro knew, fully eighty percent of their daily activities consisted of petty crimes. They had undoubtedly pulled another stunt and were now being hunted down by Public Morals Gobots conducting their usual human-hunting enforcement operations.

"Hideouts? Pursuers? ...What on earth did you guys pull this time?" Kuro asked with a weary sigh.

"Nah, you got it all wrong!" Hororokka pouted, waving her hand dismissively. "Remember yesterday's mess when you handed over half the bounty reward to us, Boss? The latecomers who showed up expecting a payday got left empty-handed, so now they're holding a sore loser grudge!"

As Kuro stared at her in utter disbelief, the younger Kaldi sister puffed out her cheeks and offered a flippant gesture.

The bounty she mentioned referred to the incident where Ginion—the man who had cornered Tritonis Academy—had transformed into a monster and gone on a rampage at Branch 107. Kuro had indeed split the reward fifty-fifty with the twins, but apparently, that cash stash was the root of their current trouble.

"Word got out that we snagged the prize money, so those punks keep trying to shake us down," Hororokka explained. "The President's underlings are too cheap to pay admission for a resort like this, so we're just fooling around here until the heat dies down."

"My lil' sis is right on," Kurulukka added smoothly. "Besides, Tritonis Academy is right in the neighborhood, yeah? If push came to shove, we were planning to crash at your place, Boss."

"I get your reasoning, but don't act like dragging me into your mess is a given," Kuro snapped back.

Though they insisted on calling him "Boss," Kuro didn't consider these two his allies by any stretch. As an upstanding student, his only reaction to delinquent gang infighting was that they should settle their own squabbles without involving him.

"Listen up. You two go tuck yourselves away in some shady corner and refrain from troubling—"

"Ah, there you are! Sorry to keep you waiting, Kuro—...Huh?" Pina's voice cut Kuro off mid-sentence as he tried to shoo the twins away.

Interrupting Kuro's attempt to dismiss the Kaldi siblings was Pina Lycure, stepping into view.

Her slender, beautifully proportioned limbs and feminine curves were accentuated by an off-the-shoulder swimsuit that made her skin look smoother and paler than fresh snow. While Kuro stood momentarily captivated by the sight, Pina tilted her head in confusion as she noticed the twins.

"Wait, aren't you the Kaldi twins?" Pina asked, blinking in surprise. "What are you doing here with Kuro?"

"Oh hey, Pina!" Kurulukka greeted her cheerfully. "We just ran into the Boss right here!"

"Ah, you remembered my name!" Pina beamed, turning to the younger sister. "Good to see you again, Hororokka!"

Pina casually dropped Hororokka's name—a detail Kuro had completely forgotten—and exchanged an enthusiastic high-five with the girl.

They had fought fiercely against these twins in a recent match, leaving their relationship in a grey zone between allies and enemies. Yet when Pina's extraordinary social skills combined with Hororokka's complete lack of restraint, the two looked like lifelong best friends chatting away.

"By the way, Pina," Hororokka grinned mischievously, "are you and the Boss here on a pool date? Man, you two hit it off fast!"

"Hold your horses, lil' sis," Kurulukka chimed in with a wicked smirk. "The Boss and her were getting pretty steamy in the back of my car yesterday. It was only a matter of time."

"That's completely wrong! We didn't do anything!" Kuro yelled in instant rebuttal. "Our whole school came here together! And that car wasn't even yours!!"

He forcefully shut down every single misconception spat out by the shameless twins.

Pina, however, merely flashed a sly, knowing smile at Kuro's flustered reaction.

"He's right, you know," Pina chuckled playfully. "It's not a date today. All of us from Tritonis Academy are here together. Do you two want to join us?"

"Whoa, for real?" Hororokka's eyes lit up. "We were just getting bored anyway!"

"Of course!" Pina insisted brightly. "You really helped us out in yesterday's battle. Laurier and Haruhana won't mind extra company while we play, and Kuro's great friends with you guys anyway, right?"

"I am not great friends with these delinquents..." Kuro growled under his breath before pulling Pina aside. "More importantly, Pina..."

Stepping away from the twins' earshot, Kuro whispered into her ear.

"Even if we have time to spare, aren't we here to meet with the Ninth Seat?"

"Yup, that's exactly why," Pina whispered back with a clever wink. "She probably won't come alone either, so having more allies on our side can only help, right?"

Her surprisingly calculating rationale actually held a grain of truth.

The only glaring flaw in her plan was whether the Kaldi twins could truly be considered allies.

"Hah? What's with that glare, Boss?" Hororokka suddenly barked, flexing her arms. "You picking a fight with us or what?!"

"...Hey, Pina," Kuro deadpanned, gesturing to the hostile twin. "Does this look like an ally to you?"

"Oh, don't be like that!" Pina giggled before turning back to the pair. "Hey guys, the truth is, we're meeting with someone from the Ninth Seat here... are you still okay to hang out?"

"The Ninth Seat?" Kurulukka repeated, grimacing in distaste.

The older twin looked visibly repulsed.

"Why the hell are you messing around with a Single Number from another school?" Kurulukka grumbled. "Count us out, we're not—"

"Hold on, Big Bro," Hororokka interrupted, her eyes gleaming with sudden fervor.

The younger twin cut off her brother's refusal, her eyes sparkling with malicious excitement.

"The Ninth Seat is the richest of the rich in the Heaven Disc World—which makes her the enemy of our enemies!" Hororokka declared passionately. "If the Boss and the crew are throwing down with the Ninth Seat, you bet we're jumping on that beatdown train!"

"That's what I'm talking about, Hororokka!" Pina cheered, clapping her hands. "That's the true rebel spirit of Branch 666!"

Pina and Hororokka exchanged another high-five, thoroughly hyping each other up.

Marveling at how effortlessly Pina had won the sister over, Kuro turned his gaze toward the brother.

"And what about you?" Kuro asked. "You cool with this?"

"Well, if my lil' sis is in, I don't have much choice..." Kurulukka sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

Although he acted reluctant, he made no effort to talk his sister out of it.

"Alright, fine," Kuro warned sternly. "If you're tagging along with us, no pulling any criminal stunts in the pool."

"Damn, Boss, zero trust!" Kurulukka complained. "You think we just cause chaos without any rhyme or reason?"

"Wait, do you two actually believe you have common sense?" Kuro scoffed.

"Of course we do!" Hororokka protested indignantly. "We exercise total moderation whenever we wreak havoc!"

"Ah... so 'not wreaking havoc' isn't even an option for Branch 666 students, huh?" Pina offered with a wry smile.

Kuro shrugged at the twins' absurdly characteristic statement while Pina let out a helpless chuckle.

"Setting them aside, why did you come out first, Pina?" Kuro asked. "Where are Haruhana and Laurier?"

"Oh, those two are right over there," Pina giggled, pointing toward the locker room exit. "Laurier's putting up a little futile resistance."

She gestured toward the hallway leading out from the women's changing rooms.

"Laurier! Surrender at once!" Haruhana's booming, military-style voice echoed from the hallway.

"B-But... dressed like this, I couldn't possibly—Ah! Wait, Haruhana!" Laurier squeaked in distress.

Laurier, who had been clinging desperately to the doorway shadow, was finally dragged out into the open by Haruhana. Holding hands like a guard escorting a fugitive, the pair marched toward Kuro and the group.

"Apologies for the delay!" Haruhana declared crisply, giving a salute.

"Ah, no worries, we didn't wait long... Wait, huh?" Kuro stammered, his eyes widening. "Haruhana, what's with that swimsuit?!"

To Kuro's utter shock, Haruhana—who raised her hand so proudly—was not wearing her usual school swimsuit.

This was the girl who ordinarily insisted her bizarre fashion choice—wearing a school swimsuit under a track jacket with knee-high socks—was the peak of high style. Yet today, clad in a revealing bikini paired with unzipped denim shorts, she looked like a genuinely trendy, fashionable young lady.

Blinking at Kuro's stunned expression, Haruhana tilted her head and pinched the fabric of her top.

"Is there something amiss with my attire?" Haruhana inquired, before glancing aside. "And furthermore, why are the Kaldi twins present?"

"We just bumped into these two by chance," Kuro replied, trying to regain his composure. "And no, there's nothing strange about the swimsuit. In fact, it suits you incredibly well, but..."

Though Haruhana was the shortest among Tritonis Academy's gorgeous female lineup, her proportions were second to none. There was no way a bikini wouldn't look breathtaking on her.

Her healthily firm thighs and trim waistline framed her figure perfectly, but what truly commanded attention was her voluptuous, amazingly well-endowed bust. True to the literal roots of the word bikini—small yet explosive—the minimal coverage only amplified the destructive potency of her stunning physique.

"But Haruhana!" Kuro cried out, clutching his head in utter bewilderment. "What happened to your school swimsuit?! You always claimed school swimsuits were fashion! School swimsuits plus knee-high socks were your whole identity! Why did you abandon your true self?!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Haruhana huffed, puffing out her chest indignantly. "Even I understand the concept of time, place, and occasion!"

As Kuro's rational thought process collapsed under the overwhelming visual impact, she glared at him, thoroughly offended by his accusation.

"Swimwear must be selected appropriate to the occasion!" Haruhana asserted with absolute gravity. "School swimsuits for academic activities! Casual bikinis for recreational play! High-performance competition suits when swimming for record times! Is this not basic common sense?!"

"R-Right... I guess so? Maybe?" Kuro stammered, slightly cowed by her passionate speech.

Her bizarrely logical outburst managed to restore a shred of Kuro's sanity. Using every ounce of willpower he possessed, he ripped his gaze away from the lingering image of her bikini-clad form.

"And... what is Laurier doing over there?" Kuro asked, turning his attention toward the royal princess.

"Come on, Laurier," Pina urged softly, trying to nudge the girl out from behind her back. "Maybe last year, but there's no way you can hide behind me now! Stop resisting and step out!"

"I-It is not futile—Auuu..." Laurier whimpered softly.

Having stubbornly tried to crouch out of sight behind Pina, Laurier was given a firm push on her back, presenting her directly in front of Kuro.

She wore an elegant, tasteful one-piece swimsuit beneath a white beach robe. While modest, it showcased a refined figure that belied her middle school age, proving Pina's impeccable fashion sense. However, unaccustomed to such exposure, Laurier's cheeks—and even the tips of her ears—were flushed bright crimson.

"Laurier needs to build up immunity to this kind of thing sooner or later," Pina explained proudly, patting Laurier's shoulder. "First, she can practice getting used to Kuro, since he's safe! Feast your eyes, Kuro! Isn't my Laurier absolute perfection?!"

"Since when did Laurier belong to you?" Kuro deadpanned. "She's a royal princess, you know."

"Details, details!" Pina squealed enthusiastically. "Just look at her! Have you ever seen anyone so gorgeous?! And she just turned fourteen! The entire dual-realm world needs to behold this masterpiece!!"

While Pina gushed passionately like a proud parent, Laurier fidgeted nervously, trying to make her well-developed body appear as small as possible. The exposure of her thighs seemed particularly embarrassing; she leaned forward in a desperate attempt to cover them with her arms, but her long, shapely legs extending from her high-waisted hips were far too long to be hidden by her tiny hands.

Her overwhelming embarrassment was so palpable that Kuro felt her tension radiating off her. Seeing her so painfully self-conscious shifted his thoughts from admiring a pretty girl in a swimsuit to genuine concern.

"Laurier, are you alright?" Kuro asked gently. "Pina's acting a little bizarre today, so if this is too uncomfortable, you don't have to stay at the pool. You can wait outside, and we'll handle the meeting with the Ninth Seat ourselves."

"W-Well..." Laurier stammered softly.

As Kuro offered his soft reassurance, Laurier kept her bright red face tilted downward, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"D-Do I... look strange?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Not at all," Kuro smiled, offering a playful joke to ease her nerves. "In fact, I'm worried you might quit being a princess to become a full-time model."

Kuro's lighthearted response served to break through her rigid aristocratic modesty. The hesitant emerald eyes looking up at him melted, sparkling with sweet reliance.

"I-Is that so?" Laurier murmured, a shy smile touching her lips. "If I do not look strange... will you give me a compliment, Kuro?"

Kuro glanced sideways at Pina, who nodded with an encouraging grin, giving him the green light.

"Alright, alright," Kuro chuckled, gently patting her head. "You look lovely, Your Highness."

"Ehehe..." Laurier giggled happily.

As he stroked her hair while teasingly calling her by her title to hide his own embarrassment, her face lit up like a blooming flower. Relief washed over Laurier at last, and Kuro couldn't help but smile back.

"Feeling a bit less self-conscious now?" Kuro asked.

"Yes!" Laurier nodded eagerly, her posture straightening. "This is normal for a water park! If someone from Earth like you guarantees it, I feel completely reassured. Thank you very much!"

Having fully recovered her spirits, Laurier bounced over to join Haruhana. Pina watched her go with a warm smile before stepping up quietly next to Kuro.

"You were trying to act pretty cool just now, weren't you, Kuro?" Pina teased playfully.

"Cut me some slack..." Kuro groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thinking back on what I said makes me want to die of embarrassment..."

"Ahaha!" Pina giggled. Then, her tone shifted slightly. "So... Kuro?"

Pinching the ruffled hem of her off-the-shoulder swimsuit skirt, Pina flashed a devilish little grin.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Her fair, porcelain skin set off the graceful lines of her collarbone and narrow shoulders. Though delicate enough to look fragile, her adorable swimsuit accentuated the charming curves of her hips and the soft cleavage at her chest.

She was so captivating that keeping one's eyes off her was practically an impossibility.

"...It suits you. A lot," Kuro stammered, looking away self-consciously.

"Hmm? Sorry, but that's not what I asked," Pina purred, stepping closer with absolute confidence. "I already know it suits me. I don't want a generic polite answer—I want to hear your real, personal thoughts, Kuro."

Fully aware of her own beauty, Pina smirked provokingly.

Every single one of her features was exquisite, but her smile was the ultimate secret weapon—heart-stoppingly cute and utterly unfair.

"How do I look in this swimsuit?" she pressed softly.

"Y-You look... really cute..." Kuro managed to squeeze out.

At his hesitant reply, Pina's cheeks softened into a radiant smile.

"One more time. Look me right in the eyes and say it."

"You look incredibly cute in that swimsuit, Pina!" Kuro blurted out, locking eyes with her.

"Ahaha, thank you," Pina giggled softly, a melt-your-heart sweetness in her voice.

Having successfully extracted the words she longed to hear from the boy she loved, her smile turned irresistibly sweet and tender.

"That makes me so happy."

Spinning around on her heel, she turned her back to Kuro, a faint blush dusting her cheeks over the compliment she had received.

"And by the way, Kuro... all that training really shows. You look pretty handsome in your trunks."

Leaving behind those heart-piercing words, Pina trotted over to stand beside Laurier and Haruhana.

Even after her confession, Pina hadn't changed her outward demeanor at all. Whenever Laurier or Haruhana were around, she acted completely like her usual self. Because she was so natural, Kuro was spared any awkwardness.

Except, of course, when she hit him out of nowhere with glimpses of her genuine feelings, just like she had just done.

As Kurulukka turned to follow the girls who had begun walking ahead, he glanced back at Kuro—who was currently crouched on the ground clutching his racing heart—with a thoroughly bewildered look on his face.

"What's with the face, Boss?" Kurulukka asked, peering over at him.

"Shut up... Mind your own business," Kuro grumbled, turning his head away.

It seemed like it would take a bit longer for the heat to drain from his flushed face.

What is Karane doing right about now? Seeking any distraction to regain his composure, Kuro turned his thoughts to his unrequited childhood crush, Karane Watarase.

It was the tail end of Golden Week, May fourth, and the day had only just begun.

＊＊＊

Inside a dojo thick with suffocating tension, Karane Watarase sat in formal seiza on the floor.

It was a quiet training hall filled with pristine, crisp air. Every wooden floorboard had been polished with meticulous care, while the massive central pillar exuded the solemn weight of countless passing years. Having endured the heavy footfalls and absorbed the fierce shouts of martial artists for generations, the aged timber possessed an innate authority that forced anyone present to straighten their spine.

Yet the primary source of the oppressive atmosphere was the sheer, unyielding severity of the figure standing directly before Karane.

"Karane."

"Y-Yes, Grandmother!" she squeaked out, stiffening further.

Having her name called made Karane snap her already rigid posture into an even straighter line.

Strong-willed and often labeled stubborn since childhood, Karane nevertheless harbored a few individuals against whom her wilfulness was completely useless. The woman standing before her was at the absolute top of that list.

Standing over Karane with an austere, unforgiving expression was her grandmother—the current Matriarch of the thousand-year-old Watarase family.

For the grandmother of a sixteen-year-old girl, she appeared unnaturally youthful. Though her actual age was fifty, her physical conditioning—honed by swinging a sword in this very dojo every single morning—made it genuinely hard to believe she was anywhere near half a century old.

Looking young enough to easily pass as Karane's mother, the Watarase Matriarch continued in a cold, solemn tone.

"I explicitly ordered you to bring Kuro back. Am I mistaken?"

"N-No, ma'am..." Karane stammered, her voice quavering.

Her voice quavered under the crushing weight of her grandmother's gaze.

Karane had been pursuing her childhood friend, Asahino Kuro, who had been born with the anomalous power known as magic. As a member of the Watarase family—the natural enemy of all magic—she could not simply turn a blind eye to Kuro's existence.

She had followed him all the way into the Academy Archipelago, the buffer zone connecting two different worlds. But after getting swept up in a major incident there, Karane had ultimately returned to the Watarase estate alone, leaving Kuro behind.

Having reviewed Karane's submitted report, the Matriarch's icy glare lost none of its chill.

"I arranged for you to take that sword into the Academy Archipelago not for you to go sightseeing, nor to give you a field trip. It was to achieve results in accordance with my command. And what do I find instead? Not only did you fail to retrieve Kuro, but you now claim you wish to enroll in the Academy Archipelago yourself?"

With every sharp reprimand, Karane's shoulders twitched in fear.

Though she might be the natural enemy of magic, such strength was utterly useless against her own blood kin. Right now, Karane was nothing more than a crestfallen granddaughter hanging her head before a stern matriarch.

"Are you making a mockery of me?"

Even toward her own flesh and blood, the Head of the Watarase Family showed not an ounce of leniency.

Tears welled up at the corners of Karane's eyes under the onslaught of icy words. She had her own reasons for failing to drag Kuro back. She hadn't wanted to cause trouble for the girls she had fought alongside and befriended, and above all, she simply lacked the heart to drag her childhood friend back by force when he looked so truly happy over there.

Determined to at least voice her side, Karane lifted her face with sudden resolve.

"B-But Grandmother! Kuro is over there—"

"Silence."

"I am deeply disappointed in you, and order you under house arrest. First—surrender the sword I entrusted to you, immediately."

Without a single shred of mercy for her granddaughter, the Head of the Watarase Family handed down her sentence.

＊＊＊

On the far side of the net stretched across the sandy beach, Haruhana Bacchus leaped high into the air.

Carried by her upward momentum, she swung her arms back and arched her spine. Her revealing swimsuit highlighted every dynamic contour of her body—the contraction of her pectoral muscles supporting her supple bust, the tight flex of her fair armpits, and the blur of her fingertips as her upper arm snapped downward from overhead.

"Take this!" Haruhana yelled.

Putting her entire body into the strike, her palm slammed violently into the volleyball.

With a thunderous smash, a thin veil of black mist shrouded the ball. The magic-infused projectile hurtled toward Kurulukka Kaldi with terrifying velocity, effortlessly shattering the defensive barrier he had smugly boasted about back during their Counter-Battle before colliding dead-center with his face. Without losing a fraction of its momentum after sending a whole human flying, the ball slammed into the beach with a heavy rumble, shaking the pool facility and launching a plume of sand taller than an adult.

"B-Big brother?!" Holorokka shrieked in horror, rushing to dig him out.

Her older brother was buried headfirst into the sand from the waist up. Though this was an artificial beach built alongside the wave pool, the sand had evidently been packed quite thick.

Across the net, the three girls of Tritonis Academy exchanged cheerful high-fives. Meanwhile, Kuro, standing on the same side of the court as the Kaldi siblings, watched the utterly non-volleyball-like destruction with a twitching face.

About ten minutes prior, after enjoying the water slides and lazy river, they had stumbled upon the sandy area offering volleyball rentals. Deciding to play a quick game, they had set up a three-on-three match—only for the very first rally to turn out like that.

"...Hey," Kuro began, cringing. "Can we stop playing this game where every time Haruhana spikes, somebody gets blown away and her team scores?"

How could a simple recreational ball possess such terrifying destructive power? Calling this beach volleyball was a stretch; it was far more accurate to describe it as a variation of human bowling.

As one of the pins waiting to be knocked down, Kuro had zero desire to continue. Surprisingly, however, the loudest objections came from his own teammates.

"Hah?! What're you talking about, Boss?!" Holorokka bellowed, dusting off sand. "We can't just take a beatdown like that and walk away!"

"Y-Yeah, exactly!" Kurulukka sputtered, emerging from the pit. "Like hell us Kaldi siblings are gonna let anyone make fools of us!"

Freshly excavated, the brother and sister shouted with fiery defiance. Given that Kurulukka had taken a direct hit to the face and still wanted to keep playing, their sheer stubborn pride was almost commendable.

"Holorokka and her brother are raring to go! Are you the only one running away, Kuro?" Pina Lycure teased playfully from across the net.

"Indeed, Kuro!" Laurier Tritonis chimed in pompously. "As a proud student of Tritonis Academy, fleeing in the face of the enemy is most dishonorable!"

"My desire for physical activity has yet to be satisfied as well!" Haruhana declared, saluting. "I wish to play with Master Kuro much more to burn off this energy!"

Even the three girls on the opposing side chimed in with cheerful banter.

Even if it was just a casual game, Kuro had his pride. He couldn't back down after being taunted like that.

"Gah, dammit! Fine, I get it!" Kuro snapped in exasperation.

Throwing caution to the wind, he dropped into a receiving stance. Pina served with normal strength, and Holorokka executed a clean bump. The ball floated up neatly right above Kurulukka near the net.

"Alright, set it!" Kuro barked.

"On it!" Kurulukka yelled back, tossing the ball up.

Though their teamwork was makeshift, they synced up perfectly. With his right arm glowing a brilliant crimson, Kuro leaped into the air and spiked the ball straight at Haruhana.

"Too naive!" Haruhana called out.

Despite Kuro's physically reinforced attack, Haruhana smoothly absorbed the impact with her superhuman reflexes. The ball bounced off her arms in a soft, high arc, drifting toward Pina positioned by the net.

Perfect. In their modified three-on-three rules, each player was only allowed one touch per turn. Relieved that Haruhana wouldn't be able to unleash another terrifying spike right away, Kuro let out a breath—though his relief lasted only a fraction of a second.

"Here it comes, Laurier!" Pina called out, setting the ball perfectly with both hands.

"Leave it to me!" Laurier declared confidently.

As the ball hung beautifully in the air, Kuro tracked its flight, suddenly remembering Laurier's high rank in the Academy Archipelago.

While not quite on Haruhana's terrifying level, Laurier was still an elite mage in her own right.

She held the Seventeenth Seat of the Academy Archipelago. As her slender arm snapped forward, the ball burst into crackling purple lightning, rocketing toward Kuro at terrifying speed.

"Whoa?!" Kuro shrieked, bending backward in a panic.

The lightning-clad sphere grazed past his chest before slamming hard into the sand behind him.

"Aah! Why'd you dodge, Boss?!" Holorokka whined, stomping her foot. "We're not playing dodgeball!"

"Are you blind?!" Kuro yelled back, pointing at the crater. "That ball literally buried itself in the ground! None of these spikes belong in a normal sport!"

"What, are you chicken, Boss?!" Kurulukka bellowed. "Follow my example and take it like a champ! With that flashy red physical buff of yours, getting hit won't kill ya!"

"You didn't 'take it', you just failed to react!" Kuro retorted. "Since all you can do is cast Barriers, at least handle the receives properly!"

"Hah?!" Holorokka flared up instantly. "My big brother is awesome, damn it!!"

Ignoring Kuro's team as they squabbled pathetically amongst themselves, the tight-knit Tritonis trio exchanged celebratory high-fives. Having scored the point, Laurier rested a hand on her chest and puffed out her torso proudly across the net.

"Well?" Laurier preened happily. "I scored a spectacular point, Kuro! You may shower me with praise now!"

"Go get praised by Pina and Haruhana!" Kuro snapped back.

While it was nice to see her adjust so quickly to the swimsuit she had been so embarrassed by earlier, Laurier was on the opposing team right now. When Kuro rejected her request outright, her face visibly fell into a pout.

"Besides, hasn't that ball been glowing with magic power this whole time?" Kuro asked, scratching his head. "How does that even work?"

"Fufu, so you didn't know, Kuro?" Laurier perked up, her pride instantly restored as Pina and Haruhana patted her head. "Imbuing magic into objects is an applied technique of Mana Crystallization!"

Basking in the headpats from her teammates, she happily launched into an explanation.

"In ball sports throughout the Academy Archipelago, players coat the equipment in their own magic power to reinforce it during matches! Naturally, in official competitive games, magic-based interference is entirely permitted as well!"

"You guys really took normal Earth sports and turned them into absolute mayhem, didn't you..." Kuro muttered under his breath.

Allowing actual spells to fly back and forth definitively pushed it beyond standard athletics, but her explanation cleared up his confusion.

If Kuro slammed an ordinary sporting ball with full strength, it would burst without a doubt. He had wondered how Haruhana and Laurier could hit it so hard, but it turned out they were shrouding the ball in their magic power to reinforce it, turning every spike into a literal deadly magic missile.

"I haven't learned how to infuse external objects with magic yet, so I can't hit it full force..." Kuro admitted with a sigh.

"You can't even coat objects with magic?!" Holorokka shrieked in disbelief. "Damn it, Boss! You're just a total scrub! Stop dragging us down!"

"Trade! Swap this useless, chicken-livered Boss for Haruhana!" Kurulukka demanded, waving his hands. "We demand balanced teams!"

"Say what?!" Kuro barked back at the bratty duo. "You two trash-talking brats... Wait, I've got it! Holorokka, reinforce the ball with wind magic when you set it! Then I can spike it with everything I've got!"

"Ooh, nice idea, Boss!" Holorokka cheered, instantly changing her tune.

"As expected of our Boss! I can see the path to victory!" Kurulukka grinned maliciously.

"Hell yeah! Let me at 'em!" Kuro roared.

Fired up alongside the siblings who had flipped their attitudes in a heartbeat, Kuro let out a battle cry and charged ahead to challenge their formidable foes.

Naturally, they suffered a crushing defeat.

"...Well, yeah. There was no way we were gonna win that," Kuro muttered quietly.

Covered in sand after repeatedly acting as human bowling pins, he stared up at the sky in defeat.

Driven by spite, they had stubbornly insisted on keeping their three-person team of Kuro and the Kaldi siblings, but even a moment of calm reflection revealed how absurdly unbalanced the match had been.

After all, the opposing side fielded both the Fifth Seat and the Seventeenth Seat. At the very least, Laurier and Haruhana should have been split into separate teams. While whichever side had Haruhana would still hold a massive advantage, it would have at least resulted in a somewhat reasonable match.

Having lost miserably due to their pigheaded pride, Kuro and Kurulukka were saddled with punishment duty: fetching lunch for everyone. The two made their way over to the food stalls lined up along the walls of the pool facility. Just like the lifeguards patrolling the area, the stall clerks were, predictably, all mechanical Gobots.

"By the way, why does your sister get to sit back and wait?" Kuro grumbled as they walked. "She lost just as hard as we did."

"Huh?" Kurulukka scoffed, glaring at him. "Are you seriously suggesting I turn my cute little sister into an errand girl, Boss?"

"Damn right I am! We lost together, so gender equality applies. Aren't you spoiling her way too much?"

"You just don't get it, Boss," Kurulukka chuckled smugly. "Having a cute sister means pampering her to death!"

Laughing off Kuro's grumbling, Kurulukka counted on his fingers to recap their order.

"Let's see, the girls ordered... two orange juices, a Coke, and an iced tea for drinks. For food, a mega portion of fries, two sandwiches, a hot dog, yakisoba, and Ringobachi... Hey, Boss, isn't this way more than the two of us can carry?"

"That's why I told you to bring your sister!" Kuro threw his hands up in exasperation. "Once we buy our own stuff too, we're gonna have to make two trips!"

The girls' unabashedly massive order was questionable for just two people to carry in their arms. Just imagining the effort required to haul it all back was enough to drain Kuro's spirits.

"Come to think of it, I didn't get a chance to ask earlier," Kuro said, tilting his head. "What exactly is 'Ringobachi'?"

"What is it? Well, it's—ah, right," Kurulukka paused, realizing. "You don't have them in the Earth World. In the Heaven Disc World, there's a species of bee that builds its nest inside actual apples. The queen burrows into the core and... ugh, explaining is a pain. Look, over there."

Giving up on his explanation halfway through, Kurulukka pointed toward one of the food stalls. Displayed there were familiar red apples perforated with honeycomb-like holes, filled to the brim with rich, golden honey.

"When they construct their nest, the bees use special enzymes to dissolve the apple flesh, blending the fruit juice with their honey to create a natural dessert," Kurulukka explained. "It's pretty sweet, but people who like it really love it."

"Huh..." Kuro murmured in fascination.

That was certainly a species of bee non-existent on Earth. The honeycombed apple nest was quite visually intriguing as well.

"Logistics and refrigeration tech back in the Heaven Disc World are total garbage compared to Earth, so imported food from home usually tastes like crap and costs a fortune," Kurulukka continued. "But since the Food Supply Department over at Branch 666 managed to commercialize Ringobachi beekeeping, this stuff is actually cheaper and way tastier than what you get back home."

"...Beekeeping?" Kuro repeated, blinking in surprise.

The unexpected word coming out of Kurulukka's mouth left Kuro flabbergasted.

"Wait, what? The Food Supply Department is the group running Branch 666's cafeteria, right?" Kuro pressed. "If they're doing beekeeping... does that mean they produce other food too? Is Branch 666's Food Supply Department actually doing way more impressive stuff than I thought?"

"Who gives a crap about those cafeteria losers?" Kurulukka dismissed with a wave of his hand. "More importantly, what're you getting, Boss?"

"O-Oh... right," Kuro snapped back to reality. "I'll take a Wyvern Kebab, a Ringobachi, and some barley tea."

While he preferred familiar meals day to day, eating out made him want to sample exotic local delicacies. The girls' order had leaned heavily toward Earth-style food likely because, unlike Kuro, they were all native to the Heaven Disc World.

Receiving their food without much wait, Kuro and Kurulukka carefully balanced the heavy load between them. On the way back, Kuro took a bite of the Ringobachi. The thin layers of apple created by the honeycomb structure delivered a satisfying crisp crunch, flooding his mouth with overflowing sweet honey and fresh apple aroma.

"Oh, this is awesome!" Kuro grinned, his face softening as he savored his new favorite treat.

Simple though the flavor was, the floral notes of the honey paired with the unique texture of the thinly sliced apple made for a delightful experience.

"By the way, Boss," Kurulukka remarked casually. "It's none of our business, but... isn't it almost time for that meeting of yours?"

Kuro, who had been happily stuffing his cheeks with Ringobachi, froze solid.

"Wait, seriously?!" Kuro gasped, panic surging. "What time is it?!"

"About five minutes before the scheduled time," Kurulukka replied, checking a wall clock. "Smartphones aren't allowed in the pool area, and there aren't many clocks around, so it's easy to lose track."

"This is no time for small talk!" Kuro yelled. "Sprint! Move, move!"

He had gotten so absorbed in playing that he had completely forgotten their original reason for coming here.

Arriving late to negotiations would ruin any good impression. Hurrying Kurulukka along, Kuro rushed back to the beach area—only to skid to a halt just before reaching the girls.

An unfamiliar female student was currently engaged in conversation with Laurier.

"Therefore, I trust you understand, Princess Laurier?"

"Y-Yes... of course," Laurier replied, her posture stiff and hesitant.

Kuro initially assumed she was an acquaintance, but the atmosphere felt distinctly off. Facing a female student who had brought along an attending maid despite being at a pool facility, the Tritonis Academy crew looked visibly intimidated.

"Whoa," Kurulukka groaned in a low voice beside him. "Isn't that one of the Single Numbers...?"

"...Oh?"

Reacting to Kurulukka's muffled groan, the girl with the maid turned around.

Seen from the front, she was a stunning, striking beauty. Her light-violet hair was styled in distinctive twin curls resting over her shoulders, lacking any of the youthful innocence found in Laurier.

With a glamorous countenance that proudly declared elegance as true beauty, her figure was fully matured yet radiant with youth. Though she was clearly a student, she was far better described as a gorgeous woman rather than a pretty girl.

Her poised bearing unmistakably marked her as an upperclassman. Above all, what Kurulukka had begun to say was enough for Kuro to realize her true identity.

She was the Ninth Seat, "Fall Down"—Wormwine Amnesium.

As a high school third-year—the highest grade in the Academy Archipelago—she appraised Kuro and Kurulukka with a calculating gaze.

"Seeing as you are the boys returning to this group, it must be one of you," Wormwine said, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

Unsure of the intent behind her question, Kuro and Kurulukka exchanged bewildered looks. Laurier and the others also seemed hesitant around her, apparently unable to cut into the conversation.

Hororokka Kaldi was the only one completely unbothered by the bizarre tension hanging heavy in the air.

"Oh, sweet! Boss, Big bro—thanks for running the errand," Hororokka greeted them cheerfully, holding out her hand. "Gimme mine!"

"Uh, yeah..." Kuro replied, handing over the food before leaning in to whisper. "Hey, is that girl over there... you know who?"

"Yup," Hororokka answered without a second thought. "That's the 9th Seat. Filthy stinking rich."

Kuro had kept his voice down, but her blurted response came back loud and completely unreserved.

So there was no mistake—the girl before them was indeed the one who had summoned Kuro's group to the pool. As Hororokka accepted her yakisoba, cola, and Ringobachi, her offhand evaluation caused the noble girl's slender eyebrows to twitch in indignation.

"Hey! You over there!" the noble girl snapped, her brow furrowing. "What did you just call me—"

"Oh, Boss, you bought a Ringobachi too?" Hororokka chimed in, completely ignoring the 9th Seat's outraged outburst. "Heh-heh, I love these... Wait, where are the Bee Nymphs?!"

Her initial delight instantly turned into an expression of sheer disappointment as she poked at the apple treat, paying zero mind to the indignant ranker she had just cut off.

"The inside's totally empty! Did you bring me a defective one or something?" she whined, pouting. "Come on, Boss, do a better job on errand runs!"

"Wait, 'inside'...? You mean the larvae?" Kuro grimaced, shuddering. "Why would I want bugs in my food? That sounds gross."

"Huh?! Boss, you don't get it at all," Hororokka scoffed. "The crisp, thin apple paired with the popping, gooey texture of honey-soaked Bee Nymphs is the best part!"

Even while grumbling, she took a big, crunchy bite of her snack. Meanwhile, the 9th Seat, utterly brushed off by the nonchalant delinquent, stood nearby with a vein throbbing at her temple.

"...W-Well, no matter," the 9th Seat sniffed, forcing herself to regain her composure with a haughty air. "It is beneath a lady to get worked up over the mindless barking of a stray dog."

"Haah?! You pickin' a fight with me, lady?" Hororokka growled back, her posture shifting menacingly.

Though Hororokka flashed a terrifying look like a stray dog whose territory had been intruded upon, the noble girl refused to engage. With a toss of her elegant ringlets, she turned her nose up and snubbed her completely.

Those two clearly didn't mix well. Knowing he couldn't just stand by and watch things worsen, Kuro finished handing out the snacks before offering a polite bow.

"...Um, you're 9th Seat Wormwine Amnesium, right?" he introduced himself. "I'm Asahino Kuro. I recently enrolled at Tritonis Academy."

"Oh? At least you possess enough manners to introduce yourself to a lady," Wormwine remarked.

Hearing Kuro greet her so politely seemed to thaw her prickly demeanor just a bit.

"As you have correctly deduced, I am Wormwine Amnesium," she declared proudly. "A third-year in the Senior High School division of St. Guinness Girls' Academy, holding the honor of the Single Number 9th Seat."

"...And you're the one who lent Laurier money, correct?" Kuro asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"Indeed," she replied smoothly. "I am glad to see that even a newly transferred student such as yourself is well aware of Tritonis Academy's outstanding debts."

With her maid standing dutifully behind her shoulder, Wormwine offered a captivating, opulent smile fit for a wealthy heiress.

There was no mistaking it—the girl in front of him was the culprit who had placed a price tag on Laurier and demanded her as collateral for a loan. Remembering the ordeal that single action had ignited, Kuro saw no reason to suppress the prickle of hostility rising in his chest.

"So, what were you talking to our girls about earlier?" Kuro pressed, folding his arms. "We still had a little time before our agreed meeting. Were you already pressing them for repayment?"

"Goodness, no," Wormwine scoffed with a graceful wave of her hand. "The deadline has not yet arrived, so I would never stoop to such vulgar behavior. As Princess Laurier informed me, Branch 107 was dissolved following the recent incident, so I was merely explaining how we shall handle collection moving forward."

Her tone implied that while her contracted debt collector had acted scandalously, it had nothing to do with her. As she tilted her chin up haughtily, there wasn't a single shred of remorse to be found on her face.

"You say you don't stoop to vulgarity, but you're the one who took Laurier herself as collateral for a loan," Kuro pointed out sharply.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Wormwine retorted with an unfazed smile. "It was precisely because I held Princess Laurier in high regard that I provided funds to the financially desperate Tritonis Academy."

Despite Kuro's barbed pushback, Wormwine maintained her poised, elegant demeanor.

"Lending capital to those who require it, up to the maximum recoverable limit based on their creditworthiness—that is merely standard economic activity. I see no reason to be resented for it, nor do I feel the slightest bit of shame."

"Stop whining, you two," Hororokka jeered from the side after taking a swig of her soda. "If there's something you want, just beat each other up in a Counter-Battle and be done with it."

Listening in from the sideline, the younger Kaldi sibling gulped her cola and threw out the shameless heckle.

At such brazenly delinquent logic, Wormwine could only sneer in utter disdain.

"Would you ill-mannered strays kindly keep your mouths shut?" Wormwine scoffed, looking down her nose at the girl. "Even here in the Academy Archipelago, a Counter-Battle is merely one of many tools for negotiation. Yet every time you open your mouth, all you can bark about is brawling and violence... This is precisely why students from Branch 666 are so hopeless."

"Big bro, she's pissing me off!" Hororokka fumed, turning to her twin brother.

"Hold your horses, little sis," Kurulukka warned, catching her arm to pull her back. "She's bad news. Come on, let's head over to the Water Beast area. That was what you were looking forward to most today, right?"

Kurulukka hadn't been keen on getting involved in the first place. Eager to steer clear of trouble, he began dragging his sister away from the brewing conflict.

"Cheer..." Hororokka pouted, then turned to shout across the area. "Hey, Haruhana!"

"Mmph? Whuh is it?" Haruhana mumbled back.

Having stealthily started munching away while Kuro was occupied with Wormwine, Haruhana offered an unintelligible response around her half-eaten hot dog.

"It's boring hanging around here anyway, so let me challenge you to a swimming race!" Hororokka called out. "I'll ride Mizutchi, that Water Beast they rent out over there, and you have to swim without using any magic!"

"...Gulp. Very well then," Haruhana agreed after swallowing her bite.

Faced with an absurdly unfair condition, Haruhana washed down the sausage with a gulp of orange juice and crossed her arms thoughtfully.

"I have zero talent for negotiations anyway, so I see little point in standing around here... And if it is a challenge you offer, I accept!" Haruhana proclaimed steadfastly.

Kuro's eyes widened in shock at her instant agreement. While it was true that Haruhana was no smooth talker, Wormwine was a formidable Single Number mage. Losing Haruhana—the 5th Seat, who outranked Wormwine—would completely wreck their leverage.

"Wait, Haruhana, hold on—" Kuro started to interject.

"Now then, there is something I should like to ask you," Wormwine interrupted, stepping in before Kuro could stop Haruhana.

Sensing Kuro's intention to pull Haruhana back, Wormwine cut him off to force her own question into the conversation.

"You are from Earth World, yes? Judging by your name, could you perhaps be from Japan?"

"...Yeah, I am," Kuro answered, narrowing his eyes suspicious of her turn of topic.

"And do you happen to enjoy works such as comics or animated media?"

"I mean... a normal amount, I guess?"

Kuro knit his brows, completely unable to grasp her motive. Just as he wondered if she was simply curious about Japanese pop culture, Wormwine's smile widened and she held out a hand toward her attendant.

Anticipating her mistress's intent, Memetrilitt promptly produced a card from inside her uniform. Wormwine accepted what turned out to be her Student ID Card.

She then handed the card straight to a nearby Public Morals Gobot patrolling the area.

"Third-year Senior High School student of St. Guinness Girls' Academy, Wormwine Amnesium. I hereby formally request a Counter-Battle."

"Say what?!" Kuro yelped, caught completely off guard.

Ignoring Kuro's utter bewilderment at the sudden declaration, Wormwine broke into a sinister, bubbling cackle.

"Heh... hehehehe! There is a reason why I simply must beat a citizen of Japan to a pulp at least once!" she laughed maniacally. "I bear no personal malice toward you, but you have only yourself to blame for being born in such a bizarre nation!"

"A-A Counter-Battle out of nowhere?! And what on earth do you mean by 'bizarre nation'?!" Kuro protested.

"Oh? Was that not the very reason you summoned me here?" Wormwine asked innocently.

Kuro whipped his head toward Laurier, only for the princess to hurriedly look away.

Laurier had claimed she possessed a reliable way to force Wormwine into agreeing to a duel. Seeing this reaction, Laurier had clearly known about Wormwine's deep-seated resentment toward Japanese people and used it to manipulate her.

She was using Kuro as live bait to trigger the Counter-Battle. To put it bluntly, Laurier had thrown him under the bus.

"...What are your terms?" Kuro gritted out. "If you're willing to put your Single Number rank on the line, maybe I'll accept."

"Wager a Single Number seat? Hardly worth such a stake," Wormwine sneered dismissively. "As for my terms... let us see. If you manage to defeat me, I shall reduce Tritonis Academy's debt by half."

The stunning offer caught Kuro completely off guard, choking back his planned rebuttal.

One of the primary reasons Tritonis Academy faced imminent closure was the massive debt taken on to cover their defrauded assets. Kuro knew full well how hugely beneficial cutting that burden by fifty percent would be.

However, Laurier—the very person carrying the weight of that debt—hurriedly interjected.

"P-Please wait!" Laurier interjected frantically. "Haruhana is one thing, but Kuro stands virtually no chance of victory against Wormwine in a Counter-Battle! Besides, we already have a prospect for repayment! We are not so desperate as to recklessly accept a duel over financial matters!"

Kuro's mouth twisted into a dour scowl after receiving a flat zero percent vote of confidence from his own ally. Yet his opponent was the 9th Seat—a top-tier Single Number ranker standing in the same realm as Haruhana.

Laurier was likely right. Suppressing his rising frustration, Kuro held his tongue and observed how the conversation unfolded.

"Oh, treat it as mere recreation," Wormwine purred softly. "Even if I win, all I ask is to borrow that boy over there for... say, one week. Is it not quite a bargain to secure a chance at halving your debt for such a trivial risk?"

"T-That... might indeed be a bargain, but...!" Laurier stammered, her resolve wavering.

"L-Laurier! Push back properly!" Pina squeaked in panic, shaking her friend. "Kuro's looking at us with totally dead eyes! People are gonna call you the Clumsy Princess again!"

Noticing Kuro's icy glare as he was weighed against money and labeled a 'bargain,' Pina desperately hissed her reprimand to the princess.

Yet as a royal tasked with managing the academy's finances, Laurier understood the painful reality of monetary burden all too well. Sensing Laurier's conflict, Wormwine seized the advantage and piled on another incentive.

"I shall even balance the combat strength," Wormwine offered graciously. "I shall fight entirely alone. Whereas your side..."

Glancing toward Pina and Laurier, and confirming that Haruhana showed no sign of returning, Wormwine offered a beaming smile.

"I do not mind if all three Tritonis students present challenge me together."

"I-In that case—" Laurier began, her eyes brightening.

"Don't 'in that case' me!" Pina shouted, slapping a hand over her mouth. "Laurier, just keep your mouth shut!"

If they left the bargaining to Laurier, the duel would be locked in regardless of what Kuro—the target of the stakes—actually wanted.

Taking advantage of Pina muffling the princess, Kuro stepped forward into the conversation.

"Challenging us to a duel the second Haruhana steps away seems awfully convenient for you, doesn't it?" Kuro asked pointedly.

"If Haruhana and I were to clash in earnest here, this entire pool facility would be blown to smithereens," Wormwine replied airily. "Are you prepared to split the repair costs demanded by those dreadful Gobots?"

"...Did you deliberately choose this place as our meeting spot for that exact reason?" Kuro asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I am under no obligation to reveal that," she sniffed, smirking haughtily.

Even a battle between unranked students like Kuro and Pina had completely demolished Tritonis Academy's pool. A clash between Single Number rankers—the elite peak of the Academy Archipelago—would naturally cause exponentially worse destruction.

Tritonis Academy possessed nowhere near the funds to pay for such wreckage. It was entirely plausible that Wormwine had picked a location where Haruhana could not unleash her full power.

"...Cutting our debt in half is actually a pretty good deal," Kuro mused aloud.

"Kuro... are you sure about this?" Pina asked nervously, glancing back while still restraining the squirming Laurier.

"All we have to do is win," Kuro reasoned. "And even if we lose, the penalty isn't anything catastrophic."

Their true goal wasn't merely reducing Tritonis Academy's debt, but securing the title of 9th Seat held by Wormwine.

However, fighting under such favorable terms—three against one—was too good an opportunity to pass up. Winning this initial match could serve as the perfect springboard to gradually raise their demands against Wormwine later.

"Then I shall take that as your consent," Wormwine declared with satisfaction. "As for the format... well. It would be rather pitiless for you three to face me in genuine combat, even together. How about we decide this through a sport?"

"Wormwine," Laurier broke free and interjected formally. "The right to determine the competition event belongs to the challenged party."

"Oh my, forgive my oversight," Wormwine replied with a carefree smile.

Wormwine responded with an easygoing smile to Laurier, who had managed to break free from Pina's restraint and rejoin the negotiation.

Though Wormwine appeared to yield, she had skillfully guided them into accepting the duel. As Kuro cast an anxious look at the princess, wondering if she really had things under control, Laurier returned a reassuring smile.

"Fear not, Kuro," Laurier assured him brightly. "Depending on the chosen format, we stand a very realistic chance of victory. Furthermore, even in the unlikely event of defeat, Wormwine is not someone who degrades others unnecessarily!"

"I see. If you've got a solid reason, then I trust you!" Kuro grinned back, nodding in agreement.

Reassured by Laurier's confident words, Kuro gave an encouraging nod.

"It seems we are in agreement," Wormwine said smoothly. "As the challenger, I demand the right to borrow Asahino Kuro for one week. I shall work him to the bone as my personal servant."

"And should we emerge victorious, you will honor your commitment to halve our debt, correct?" Laurier confirmed.

"Of course. The stakes are quite balanced... Are they not?" Wormwine asked, turning toward the nearby official.

She sought final confirmation from the Public Morals Gobot. Having sensed a Counter-Battle brewing, the hovering mechanical unit bobbed its spherical body up and down in assent.

"Affirmative," the Gobot synthesized in a flat tone. "Nullifying a portion of the human's basic rights for the specified duration corresponds to the monetary value of the debt reduction."

"Wait, hold on! 'Nullifying human rights'?! What does that mean?!" Kuro yelped, eyes wide with horror. "I've never heard of such a thing! If we lose, my human rights just vanish?!"

Kuro couldn't believe his ears—did Counter-Battlees in the Academy Archipelago really gamble away human rights? But Wormwine remained completely unperturbed.

"It is merely temporary, and I shall issue no commands that humiliate your dignity," Wormwine explained casually. "I simply wish to toss an earnest boy like you into our all-girls academy, then delightfully spectate as you squirm and panic, completely out of your element in a garden of maidens."

"There isn't a single reassuring detail in that explanation!" Kuro yelled back.

Even his current situation—one guy surrounded by three girls—was awkward enough. If he were thrown into a swarm of hundreds of unfamiliar female students, the sheer embarrassment would mortally wound his soul.

Even now, with a one-to-three male-to-female ratio, things felt suffocating enough. If he were cast into a crowd of hundreds of unfamiliar girls, the shear awkwardness would inflict a fatal wound on his pride.

While Kuro and Wormwine argued, Pina grabbed Laurier by the shoulders with a terrifyingly sweet smile, hissing, "Why didn't you ask about the fine print?!" leaving her royal childhood friend teary-eyed.

"M-More importantly, we must decide the match format!" Laurier squeaked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"We cannot afford to lose this!" Pina warned fiercely, glaring at her. "Laurier, you better pick a proper event!"

Duly reprimanded by Pina, Laurier cast a glance over toward the wave pool—or more precisely, the beach volleyball court where they had been playing earlier.

"Then we shall settle this through the Magical Sports Format—a match of beach volleyball!" she declared proudly.

Standing on the sand court with the net separating them, Kuro, Pina, and Laurier lined up against Wormwine.

Preparations for the Counter-Battle were settled in no time. The rules dictated a three-on-one beach volleyball game, best two out of three sets to win, with the officiating handled by the Public Morals Gobot that registered their duel.

"Standard beach volleyball is played two-on-two, but given our irregular numbers, I assume I am permitted to strike the ball up to three consecutive times myself?" Wormwine asked.

"...We have no objection," Laurier conceded.

Under normal rules, a single player touching the ball repeatedly was a foul, but since Wormwine occupied her side of the court alone, there was little choice. Her maid showed no intention of joining, remaining poised at the sideline with her hands folded neatly in front of her.

On the opposite side, Wormwine stood dead center with her arms crossed.

Standing all by herself on the spacious court, she looked undeniably vulnerable at a glance. It almost felt unfair to stack the odds against her like this, but Wormwine was a master mage who had claimed the 9th Seat among over a million students in the Academy Archipelago.

"『Octopus』"

As she uttered the spell with composure, eight thick, squirming appendages of flesh burst from her waist like a blossoming flower, each wider than a human torso. Tapering to sharp tips and writhing fluidly, they resembled nothing so much as octopus tentacles without suckers.

Seeing Kuro struck speechless in surprise, Wormwine beamed with proud satisfaction.

"Heh. It seems shock has stolen your voice," she smirked. "As you can see, my magic manifests these exquisite—"

"T-Tentacles sprouted out of her...?!" Kuro blurted out, cutting her off. "Magic can actually grow tentacles out of a human?!"

"These are tails!" Wormwine screeched in outrage.

"Tails? I mean, come on..." Kuro protested, squinting.

"Come on what?!" she snapped, glaring venomously.

Kuro faltered under her sharp glare, unable to find the right words.

Calling them tails was a massive stretch—they were smooth, fleshy, and completely devoid of fur or scales. Plus, with multiple tendrils sprouting from her waist, they looked infinitely more like tentacles to any reasonable observer.

"Whoa, as expected of the famous Tentacle Lady of social media," Hororokka observed casually from the spectator area. "Her whole existence is kinda perverted, right, Big bro?"

"Yeah," Kurulukka agreed, nodding. "That R-15 magic really dominated video streaming sites for a while. Is it true her account got banned by the Gobots just for uploading a normal magic demonstration video?"

"Wormwine is a truly magnificent mage!" Haruhana piped up cheerily beside them.

Having already finished their swimming race, the trio gossiped freely from the sidelines. For some reason, Haruhana was effortlessly carrying the massive Water Beast that the Kaldi siblings had rented.

"...Did you guys enjoy your swimming race?" Kuro asked, a drop of sweat rolling down his temple.

"Heck yeah!" Hororokka cheered triumphantly.

"It was a tragic defeat..." Haruhana sighed despondently.

Hororokka gloated while Haruhana hung her head in shame. The long-necked, killer-whale-like Water Beast thrashing in Haruhana's arms had apparently won the race. It turned out even Haruhana couldn't outswim an aquatic creature without using magic reinforcement.

"Kuro, please do not lower your guard," Laurier warned sternly. "Wormwine is a terrifying mage."

"Yeah," Pina agreed, refocusing. "I'll lecture Laurier later. Right now, let's focus on the match, Kuro."

"Right. My bad," Kuro nodded, shaking off the distraction.

Their advice was spot-on. Kuro cleared his mind of Haruhana cheering innocently, the Kaldi twins using the grounded Water Beast as a bench while yelling heckles, and Laurier drooping her shoulders in dismay over her impending lecture from Pina. He zeroed in on the court.

"Now then, I shall take the first serve," Laurier announced, stepping up to the line.

Switching into battle mode, Laurier channeled purple lightning into the volleyball held in her hand. Tossing it high into the air, she took a swift running approach, leaped into the sky, and whipped her arm forward to smash the ball.

The ball rocketed across the court with tremendous momentum, crackling with purple lightning. Facing a serve of such destructive power that even Kuro—his physical capabilities enhanced with magic—would have instinctively dodged, Wormwine didn't budge an inch.

That was not because she failed to react.

Rather, tentacles thicker and longer than a human torso moved at a blinding blur, popping the ball straight up into the air with flawless precision.

"Whoa, so fast!" Kuro blurted out, stunned.

The speed of those appendages catching up to Laurier's serve clearly surpassed Kuro's agility even when physically boosted. Pleased by his outburst of shock, Wormwine let out a smug chuckle.

"Now then, allow me to return the favor!" Wormwine declared with a haughty grin.

Without taking a single step, she let her extending tentacles whip forward and strike the ball.

Her target was none other than Kuro.

"Ngh!" Kuro grunted, bracing himself.

In less than a split second, the volleyball tore toward him.

It was lightning-fast and hit like a ton of bricks. Yet it wasn't too fast to track, nor too heavy to stop. With red magic glowing along his limbs, Kuro managed to bump the ball back up into the air.

"My, my... I heard you only recently arrived from Earth, yet you managed to handle a shot like that," Wormwine remarked, curling her tentacles in a sinister fashion. "In that case, I shall gradually ramp up the power, so do try not to break too easily."

Standing on the opposing court, Wormwine beckoned menacingly with her tentacles as she issued her ominous warning.

True to her declaration about wanting to crush someone from Japan, she seemed far more interested in punishing Kuro than actually scoring points.

That, however, worked to his advantage. Knowing she was targeting him made reading her shots and receiving them much easier.

"Laurier! Spike it right back!" Pina called out.

"Understood!" Laurier replied energetically.

Following Pina's prompt, Laurier launched a fierce back-row spike from the middle of the court.

Wormwine immediately mobilized her defenses. The eight tentacles sprouting from her waist could expand and contract to cover the entire court. Moving with such speed and accuracy that she could react after the ball was hit without even needing to predict its landing spot, slipping a spike past those tentacles seemed nearly impossible.

Which was precisely why Pina had kept her hands free.

"Fireball!" Pina shouted, invoking her spell.

The flaming projectile unleashed by Pina struck the volleyball mid-air over the opponent's court. Veering in an erratic arc, the ball slipped right past the tentacles and hit the sand.

That scored the first point for Kuro's team. As Wormwine widened her eyes in shock at losing the rally, Laurier flashed a fearless grin.

"We didn't pick beach volleyball just for show!" Laurier declared proudly. "Your tentacles may be powerful, Wormwine, but at long range, the advantage is ours!"

"Princess Laurier? These are tails, you know?" Wormwine corrected testily, twitching her appendages in annoyance.

Refusing to back down on that distinction, she squirmed her tentacles as she insisted on her terminology.

Under these rules, magic interference and support across the net were completely legal, making Pina's precise long-range magic an incredible asset.

Wormwine crossed her arms, looking genuinely impressed.

"Indeed, your magic was quite splendid, Pina," Wormwine conceded with a nod. "My tails are an extension of my body, so they cannot cross the net to alter the ball's trajectory mid-flight as you just did."

"So altering trajectories mid-air is within the rules for this crazy heavily modified sport..." Kuro muttered under his breath.

"However, if you think my tails are merely beautiful and powerful, you are sorely mistaken!" Wormwine proclaimed dramatically.

As Wormwine grandly raised her tentacles—which literally no one else considered tails—Laurier's expression stiffened in alarm.

"Don't tell me... you intend to use that magic?!" Laurier gasped in horror.

"Indeed. But I am not without mercy—Memet!" Wormwine called out.

"Understood, My Lady," the maid girl replied dutifully.

The girl in the maid uniform called Memet smoothly extended her arms.

"Pure Thread," Memet chanted softly.

Threads spun forth from the maid's fingertips as she cast her spell. The pristine white silk weaving rapidly from her digits enveloped the court, constructing a dense enclosure in a matter of seconds.

"Hey! We can't see a damn thing like this!" Hororokka shouted in complaint from the spectator area.

"The real action is just starting! Let us watch, damn it!" Kurulukka hollered alongside her.

"Mmm... The speed of this thread generation... Memet's magical proficiency is impressive indeed!" Haruhana remarked with a crisp, analytical nod.

Ignoring the heckling from the sidelines, the barricade completely cut off the court from external view, leaving only the players, the maid, and the Gobot referee inside. As Kuro marveled at the speed of the thread-weaving magic, the maid inexplicably beckoned him over with a subtle hand gesture.

"Please take this," Memet said solemnly, offering an item. "What is about to unfold within this court will be a disastrous sight. Should you reach the limit of what you can bear to behold, please make use of it."

"...An eye mask?" Kuro asked, blinking in confusion.

What the maid handed him with utter gravity was a pure white eye mask she had apparently spun while constructing the wall. The fact that it looked indistinguishable from a manufactured product proved that her thread magic was capable of extraordinarily delicate control.

"Kuro, please accept it," Laurier urged earnestly.

"You have to take it, Kuro. Absolutely," Pina added with intense gravity.

Even Laurier and Pina were pressing the point. Their tone carried an unusually forceful weight, sounding practically non-negotiable.

Though puzzled as to why he was the only one receiving such a warning, Kuro saw no reason to argue.

"Now then, the preparations are complete," Wormwine declared triumphantly.

As Kuro accepted the eye mask, Wormwine raised one of the thick tentacles extending from her waist.

The tip of the tentacle split wide open with a wet squelch.

"Ugh, gross..." Kuro recoiled in instinctual disgust.

Inside the tentacle that had split into four gaping flaps, even finer tendrils flickered and squirmed unnaturally. Visually, it looked like something straight out of a creature feature.

Wormwine glared at him with intense displeasure, tentacles squirming around her waist.

"Do you have something you wish to say?" she demanded coldly.

"Nope, nothing... not a thing," Kuro stammered, hurriedly looking away.

Expressing the raw, horrific impression that had just crossed his mind to a lady was something Kuro hesitated to do.

As Kuro turned his gaze away awkwardly, Wormwine's tentacles quivered with rising irritation.

"This is why I despise people from Japan...! Acid!" Wormwine shrieked, unleashing her spell.

"Bomb!" Pina countered instantly, casting her spell.

A thick, viscous liquid spewed forth from the maw of the tentacle. Pina detonated a fireball to intercept it, but droplets of the spray scattered across their side of the court.

A soft sizzling sound echoed through the air.

"Oh no, Laurier...! It'll be terrible if it eats into your swimsuit, so I'm taking this gown off you right now!" Pina cried out in panic.

"Y-Yes!" Laurier squeaked in embarrassment.

The beach gown Laurier wore was dissolving where the droplets had splashed onto it. As holes burned rapidly into the fabric, Pina frantically stripped the garment off her.

"O-hohoho! How do you like that?" Wormwine laughed triumphantly. "My tails can secrete and fire solutions imbued with all sorts of special properties! That Acid does zero harm to human skin, dissolving only worn garments to force a disarming! ...Ah, but please rest assured, I shall fully reimburse you for whatever clothing is destroyed."

The fact that she offered a slightly sheepish look right after her high-pitched laughter marked her as a true high-class lady. The fundamental nobility forged by her refined upbringing shone right through.

"This was another reason why I chose the pool facility!" Wormwine explained with pride. "If my opponents are dressed in swimsuits, their resistance against my Acid is minimal. Even in a Counter-Battle like this, it allows me to secure the upper hand while settling things peacefully!"

"N-No way..." Laurier whimpered, clutching her chest.

While Wormwine held forth with immense pride, Kuro's astonishment lay in a completely different direction.

"C-Clothes-dissolving liquid?!" Kuro yelled out in absolute shock. "It actually exists?! A liquid that melts only clothes?!"

"It is precisely that sort of reaction that infuriates me!!" Wormwine screeched, her face flushing bright red.

Furious at Kuro's commentary, she shouted at the top of her lungs, her face crimson.

"What on earth is wrong with you people from Japan?!" Wormwine ranted. "The moment you lay eyes on my magic, you go on about tentacles, clothes-dissolving liquid, Swallowing Slimes, Sensory Deprivation Traps, and three-thousand-times sensitivity! What kind of education produces an entire nation that thinks like that?! I question your moral dignity—as an entire country!!"

"Whoa... So your magic can actually create autonomous slimes and liquids that manipulate human senses, Wormwine?" Kuro asked, eyes wide.

"Of course I can!!" she snapped back without hesitation.

Her response was instant.

"My tails can replicate existing chemical solutions, as well as extract specific 'effects' from base compounds to create specialized liquid formulas!" Wormwine explained passionately. "I can create autonomous slime creatures to bolster my combat power, produce medicinal liquids that heighten human physical capabilities and senses, or even generate anesthetics without any side effects! Do you have any idea how marvelous an ability this is?!"

Wormwine shouted at the top of her lungs to defend the incredible utility of her magic.

Powerful tentacles that surpassed even Kuro's magically enhanced physical capabilities, combined with a vast array of secretable solutions—it was indeed a formidable magic worthy of the 9th Seat in the Academy Archipelago. Her ability to synthesize liquids showed immense potential for applications far beyond combat.

The only irredeemable drawback was that the whole thing felt undeniably, inescapably lewd.

"Back in the Heaven Disc World, my abilities earned nothing but admiration and praise!" Wormwine sobbed in outrage. "Yet thanks to you Japanese people...! Imagine how it feels to be turned into an internet meme with crude comments every single time I showcase my magic in public!!"

Taking a moment to imagine her plight, Kuro felt genuinely sorry for her.

"Pfft... Heh. When the video of My Lady's first public Counter-Battle went viral and comments like 'Tentacle Heiress,' 'Doujinshi-Embodying Lady,' and 'Fetish Kink Greedy Magic Pack' flooded the chat, I could not help but burst out laughing," Memet chimed in, suppressing a snicker. "...Hehehe. Truly, the linguistic flair of the people from Earth World is marvelous."

"Silence, Memet!" Wormwine shrieked, red-faced.

Furious at her maid's poorly disguised amusement, Wormwine slammed her tentacles hard against the sand with a heavy thud.

"Because of those online rumors, even my peers at school began giving me awkward looks and keeping their distance!" Wormwine wailed. "And to top it all off, can you even fathom how it felt when the Gobots told me, 'Your ability falls under harmful content guidelines, so recording and broadcasting are prohibited'?!"

Wormwine's passionate rant, delivered as her tentacles trembled in righteous fury, was downright pitiful.

While Kuro and the rest of the Tritonis crew looked down in awkward guilt, the maid remained completely unfazed.

"Be that as it may, My Lady," Memet said with a chilly gaze. "If you splash any more of that filthy liquid toward me, I will take formal legal action. What would you do if my precious maid uniform dissolved?"

"O-Oh... I am sorry," Wormwine stammered, shrinking back.

At the icy reprimand from her maid—who was shielding herself with a parasol against the clothes-dissolving spray—Wormwine's tentacles drooped dejectedly. At her core, she truly was a well-bred young lady.

"A-At any rate, I cannot allow Japan's perverted culture to corrupt our academy any further!" Wormwine declared, rallying her resolve. "And I will absolutely not tolerate such lewd cultural pollution spreading into the Heaven Disc World!"

"Ah, right. Best of luck with that. I'm rooting for you," Kuro offered flatly.

"What is with that lukewarm reaction?!" Wormwine shrieked. "You are making fun of me, aren't you?!"

As Wormwine flew into a fury, her tentacles bristling, Kuro vigorously shook his head in denial.

She was suffering unwarranted reputational damage because of Japanese internet culture. In a sense, Wormwine was a direct victim of the tragic fallout resulting from the merging of the two worlds that Ginion had spoken of.

However, such tragic circumstances mattered little to girls facing the immediate crisis of having their swimsuits melted off in front of a boy.

"Kuro! If Laurier's swimsuit reaches the brink of dissolving, put on that eye mask immediately!" Pina yelled in panic. "As for me... it'd be super embarrassing, but I trust you to take responsibility, so I'll forgive you!"

"I promise I'll put it on! In fact, I can put it on right now!" Kuro swore hastily.

Now he understood why he had been given the eye mask in the first place—it was to shield his eyes from witnessing any compromising sights.

When Kuro immediately held the mask over his eyes, Pina offered a troubled grimace.

"Wait, if you blindfold yourself right now, we won't even be able to play!" Pina pointed out frantically.

"Oh, right..." Kuro lowered the mask slightly. "Man, what a troublesome ability."

Tucking the eye mask into the waistband of his trunks, Kuro scanned their side of the court.

Though it sounded ridiculous, Wormwine's magic was incredibly formidable. The clothes-dissolving solution didn't soak into the sand, leaving puddles scattered across their side of the court. Viscous and slick, the liquid looked thoroughly slimy.

Slipping and falling into one of those puddles meant having your swimsuit melted off and ending up stark naked. It was a terrifying field of slime. Even Kuro dreaded the thought of ending up completely naked while surrounded by girls.

"Now then, here we go!" Wormwine declared with supreme confidence.

With her bold announcement, this hellish game resumed.

On the opposing court, the ball popped high into the air.

"Coating," Wormwine intoned.

The moment Wormwine's tentacle struck the ball, a special liquid coated its surface. Imbued with her magic power, the reinforced sphere slammed violently into Kuro's forearms as he braced to receive it.

"Guh... ngh...!" Kuro grunted through gritted teeth.

His face contorted under a force that felt powerful enough to dislocate his shoulders. He wasn't even attempting a clean pass; he simply strove to pop it upward, yet he couldn't completely arrest the momentum, which rivaled Laurier's own spikes.

Overpowered in the clash of brute force, Kuro was blown off his feet. As he crashed hard into the sand, the ball sailed out of bounds right over his head.

"Three to three," the Gobot referee announced.

With the Gobot referee's call, Wormwine tied the score. Having fortunately landed on a patch of sand free of dissolving liquid, Kuro let out a breath of relief and pushed himself back to his feet.

Right from the opening rallies, the match had turned into a fierce back-and-forth struggle.

After all, Kuro and his team had to protect their swimsuits even more than they needed to score. With their footing compromised by the Acid Wormwine had scattered, the three of them barely held their ground through sheer raw athleticism.

"My, my, do forgive me," Wormwine giggled mockingly from across the net. "Perhaps I failed to hold back quite enough."

On the other side of the net, she gloated after blasting him off his feet. Clenching his fists in frustration at being so easily overpowered, Kuro suddenly noticed a sharp sting in his arms.

His forearms had been scraped raw from receiving that last serve.

Before coming to the Academy Archipelago, even gunshots couldn't leave a scratch on him. Yet here, a brief lapse of focus during a simple sport resulted in him getting covered in scrapes.

Just like a normal, ordinary human being.

"Are you alright, Kuro?" Laurier asked, her voice laced with concern.

"...Yeah," Kuro replied, squeezing his hands shut.

Hearing the worry in her voice, he tightened his hands into firm fists.

In the Academy Archipelago, Kuro was someone others would worry about while playing sports. That was precisely the kind of ordinary life he had longed for before coming to the archipelago.

Yet Kuro had enrolled in Tritonis Academy to protect these girls.

"I'm not done yet. Not even close!" Kuro declared with gritted teeth.

Unlike his days under the Watarase household, he didn't need to force himself to blend in as ordinary. If his current strength wasn't enough, then he simply had to grow stronger.

"Now then, here it comes!" Wormwine called out from across the court.

With that declaration, Wormwine whipped her tentacles forward from the opposite side of the court.

Seeing that Kuro had struggled with the previous return, Laurier cut in diagonally to receive Wormwine's serve. With Laurier passing the ball, the spike fell to Kuro, who possessed the team's next highest offensive power.

"Spark!" Laurier commanded, activating her magic.

With her hands now free, Laurier unleashed her magic, spreading electrical currents across the sand of the opposing court.

Facing the lightning crawling across the sand, Wormwine unhurriedly planted one of her tentacles into the ground to hoist her body high into the air.

"Insulating Solution!" Wormwine shouted, secreting a protective coat.

A slimy liquid oozed from the tentacles hoisting Wormwine aloft. True to her reputation for generating solutions with all sorts of versatile properties, the viscous mucus she produced completely insulated her from Laurier's powerful electrical attack.

Kuro had to tip his hat to her for effortlessly neutralizing Laurier's spell, but defending against the lightning had briefly diverted Wormwine's focus away from him. Seizing that split-second opening, Kuro locked his concentration on the volleyball floating in the air above his head.

Simply spiking the ball normally wouldn't be enough to breach Wormwine's defense. The fundamental premise of Magical Sports was to imbue the ball with magic power and slam it past the opponent's guard.

Kuro's magic power stemmed from blood. Channeling his focus, he zeroed in on the scraped wound on his palm—a souvenir from receiving Wormwine's heavy serves time after time.

"Take this!" Kuro yelled, pouring everything into his spike.

Crimson patterns flared brilliantly across his arm as he brought his hand down, slamming the volleyball straight toward the opposing court.

The impact felt completely different. In an instant, Kuro's blood surged around the ball, enveloping it. Driven by a whole new level of force, the strike blew right past Wormwine's tentacles and bounced far out of bounds.

Wormwine's eyes widened slightly in shock as her prized tentacles were forcefully swatted aside. Kuro himself stared down at his own hand in wonder.

"That was..." Kuro muttered in disbelief.

The faint trace of blood from his scrape had empowered the ball, coating it in the very source of his magic power. Clenching his fist, Kuro resolved to etch that exact sensation of channeling mana into his memory.

I can still grow stronger.

"Tritonis Academy takes the lead, four to three," the Gobot referee announced.

As the Gobot called out the score, Wormwine wriggled the tentacles that had missed the ball to test their condition. Deciding everything was fine, an enchanting smile spread across her face.

"Having my tails repelled was quite a surprise, I must admit..." Wormwine purred smoothly. "However, the real match begins right now!"

Wormwine—who obstinately insisted on calling her tentacles 'tails'—had clearly kept the score neck-and-neck during the opening stretch as a deliberate strategy. She was drawing out Kuro's team's hidden cards while conserving her own strength to analyze their abilities.

"Hmph, strategy is everything in athletics," Wormwine declared with a confident chuckle. "I have observed enough to gauge the extent of your abilities. From this point forward, I shall take things a bit more seriously."

It was an ominous declaration, delivered with supreme poise.

Kuro's team hadn't exhausted all their tricks either, of course. Pina and Laurier had yet to unleash their Mysterion, and Kuro himself hadn't shifted his physical reinforcement into top gear. Yet standing there with her arms proudly folded, Wormwine oozed so much composure that she seemed to have factored all of that into her calculations as well.

As Wormwine let her tentacles squirm around her, exuding an aura truly fitting for a Single Number, the referee Gobot delivered an unexpected announcement.

"Court Change. Players must now swap sides."

Wormwine's expression froze dead in its tracks.

Hearing the robot's declaration, her head snapped toward it with the slow, creaking motion of a rusty joint.

"Court... Change?" she repeated blankly.

"Correct. In beach volleyball, players switch sides whenever the combined score reaches a multiple of seven," the Gobot explained dispassionately. "Please proceed to swap courts immediately."

"Wait... But... am I expected to step into that... that slimy pool of goo...?" Wormwine stammered, her regal composure instantly shattering.

"Indeed, My Lady," Memet cut in with deadpan calm. "Though it may be a harsh trial for someone like you—whose athletic skills are non-existent outside of maneuvering your tentacles, or rather, your tails—please hurry up and plunge your feet into the slimy swamp of your own making."

Following the referee Gobot's mandate, the stoic maid silently pressured her mistress with a cold stare that demanded she move at once.

Evidently, the chemical solution Wormwine had spewed out affected her just as severely as her opponents. As the heiress flusteredly wriggled her tentacles in panic, the referee Gobot ruthlessly pressed the issue.

"Refusal to execute a Court Change constitutes a rule violation resulting in immediate disqualification. Do you wish to forfeit?"

"W-Wait just a moment!" Wormwine squeaked frantically. "Are you... are you not going to clean up the court first?!"

"Do you truly believe we possess facilities to clean up such a disgusting mucus, Human?" the Gobot fired back without a shred of mercy. "Furthermore, you seem to have forgotten that your own team isolated the court boundaries. What a foolish statement—truly worthy of a self-centered, hopelessly forgetful Human brain."

The Gobot seemed to view undeniable logic as nothing more than a blunt weapon meant to bludgeon humanity. Stunned into silence by its scathing tirade, Wormwine's tentacles twitched helplessly as she reluctantly stepped onto the slimy court.

Lacking any semblance of physical coordination, the highborn lady slipped on her very first step and plunged headfirst straight into the pool of slime.

"Gblgh! W-Wait, I can't get up... Eek! M-My swimsuit is melting!? M-Memet! Help me, right now—Wait, why are you laughing, Memet!?"

"Pfft, ha-haha..." Memet giggled softly, failing to conceal her amusement. "You could have easily produced a neutralizing magic solution to clean the floor before stepping in, My Lady. Why on earth did you honestly attempt something so hilarious... Heheheheh."

"Alright, I admit I was being stupid! Just save me already... Eek! No! Eeeeeek!"

Unable to bear watching a teenage girl get drenched in slime as her swimsuit rapidly melted away, Kuro voluntarily pulled an eye mask over his face to block out the sight.

ToC