87 – Full-scale sports competition (1)
“He’s a vampire.”
It was a short sentence, but Beatrice seemed to have a general understanding of the situation with just that. After all, there is only one person in this academy who can be called a vampire.
She frowned and seemed to be thinking for a moment, but then she relaxed her expression and nodded her head.
“Okay, I won’t ask you for details. “I guess you gave up your neck because you had an idea.”
After saying that, Beatrice thought deeply for a moment and then added another word.
“Or were you forced into it?”
“That’s not it.”
I answered immediately, and Beatrice’s expression also returned to its literal meaning for the first time.
“Well, that’s enough.”
‘Phew.’
It seems that the critical point has been passed. I was very nervous. Should I call this fortunate?
When I suddenly think about it, I wonder why I need to be nervous after being questioned about something like this, but I didn’t have the courage to bring it up in words again.
I feel like I’m going to cause unnecessary anger.
Of course, regardless of that, I will admit that I tend to be particularly cautious towards Beatrice. The reason may be simple.
I guess it’s because she has a history of cheating on her.
For the same reason, another character I treat with caution is Tsume. Of course, she also has her own sense of guilt.
Perhaps, I had a feeling, not an intuition, that they might have to take the position of E for quite some time.
“Well, that’s enough of the useless conversation.”
It was around that time that Beatrice opened her mouth again.
Does she know that she was the one who started that meaningless conversation?
“While this is happening, why don’t you go enjoy some board games? “There are a lot of fun things here.”
Anyway, saying that, Beatrice spun her body around. She looked around here and there to find something to enjoy, and then she grabbed my arm and led me somewhere.
At the place we soon arrived at, there was a long table, and its smooth, flat shape was vaguely familiar.
Even more so because there is a flat disk and a pair of round hockey sticks on top of it.
“… ….”
So, its true identity was nothing else but an air hockey board that was always present in every arcade. Why is that here?
I looked down at the table with a subtle, semi-absurd expression.
‘I feel a bit of a disconnect.’
Sometimes, even in this world, you will see some objects that only seem to exist in modern times, or at least do not fit the times here.
Did the game company have no intention of protecting historical evidence?
Of course, just having a few of these little modern game devices in place doesn’t mean that there will be any big problems.
“Come on, Dante. Quickly. Oh, do you know how to do it? Shall I tell you?”
“…… No, I know how.”
Anyway, Beatrice stood opposite me, looking quite excited. It seemed like she wanted me to play along, so I grabbed her hockey stick without saying anything.
…… Well, let’s leave aside minor issues like the origins of gaming machines for now.
Once I was ready to win, I had no intention of losing.
But wasn’t it me who crossed the threshold of the arcade quite often when I was young?
No matter what, I didn’t think I would lose.
“Starting?”
“Come in.”
Hearing Beatrice’s confident declaration, I pushed the hockey stick long without hesitation.
The disc is powerfully shot with a short hitting sound like ‘Tap!’
“Oh.”
From noble mtl dot com
And with that one attack, Beatrice had to give me 1 point. The disc passed through the goal post in an instant.
Beatrice wrinkled her expression slightly, and I smiled like a winner.
“What are you doing? “It’s your turn.”
“…… Ugh.”
At any rate, it was a game with a simple structure. In this case, the difference in skill is what determines victory and defeat, and in air hockey itself, all you have to do is make the wall bounce well to fool the opponent’s eyes.
After the sports competition began, it was not that difficult to make beginners who had only played a few rounds lose their hands.
Percussion!
As expected, Beatrice’s attack was also not detailed.
He caught the disc flying honestly in a straight line and returned it.
Tap! Widely! Widely!
And against the disk that hit the wall three times and advanced, Beatrice was once again unable to react-.
The moment when the disc is about to break through the goal post.
Wow!
“…… ?”
A sacred barrier unfolded in front of the goalpost.
The disk, which bounced off with a tick, quickly lost momentum and stopped.
“… ….”
“… ….”
I looked at Beatrice, and Beatrice also looked at me. She was trying to put on a confident expression as if nothing was wrong or if there was any problem, but she seemed to be feeling pricked on the inside and immediately looked away.
This guy is trying to scam me.
“Riche.”
“Yes?”
“This is not it.”
“…… What?”
“Put your hand on your heart and calmly think about what your fault was.”
I gave him a gentle look, half reprimanding, half bemused, and then Beatrice’s face turned red.
She cleared her throat once and immediately returned the disc to me.
“I’m sorry, I had a moment of confusion.”
“No, that’s possible.”
I accepted Beatrice’s apology with the attitude of a great person.
Beatrice lowered her head in even more humility at my generous attitude… ….
Pajik!
Taking advantage of that opportunity, I activated Thunderbolt.
“Huh?”
Beatrice belatedly caught the crackling electric current in her eyes.
But it was already too late.
Quang!
The disc, which was fired almost like a cannonball, passed cleanly through the goal post, and Beatrice could only look at the scene with a vain expression.
hahahaha, it’s a sacred barrier and all, so it won’t be of any use now.
“A modified work must be responded to with further modifications.”
“…… “No, what are you talking about?”
“You started first, Riche.”
“Ha…… ?”
I said this while raising the corners of her mouth, and Beatrice seemed to be excited at that moment as well, and her divine power was unleashed.
Soon, her goalposts began to be surrounded and protected by layers of barriers.
“Okay. “Let’s give it a try.”
“Do you think I can’t break through?”
I held on to the Flügel with one hand and raised my brain power, and as I did so, Beatrice’s barrier also became tighter.
A truly childish battle of wits. It could also be said to be a pointless waste of energy.
But even so, there are times when you have to take such waste of energy seriously. That was right now.
I will never back down from this fight for my pride.
Quang!
*****
The cost of turning ordinary air hockey into a battle game for talented players was considerable.
The moment the original plate made of an unremarkable material was damaged due to being hit here and there, a manager finally appeared.
So, a professor who was staying in one corner of the gymnasium.
It wouldn’t have been unusual for him to be kicked out soon after for breaking the equipment.
“I got scolded because of you too.”
“Why is it because of me? “Who started it?”
Meanwhile, Beatrice and I were constantly bickering, but in fact, I think there was no reason to fight anymore since we were already kicked out.
So I smiled and raised both hands.
“Let’s stop, I’m starting to get tired.”
“…… “Is that so?”
Looking at Beatrice, who was smiling brightly as if she had just been waiting, it seemed like she was no different. Shaking hands as a sign of reconciliation.
Afterwards, we walked around campus together, buying crepes for snacks.
“Is committee work worth doing?”
“There is no need to call it work. “I’m patrolling because I like horses, and in fact, just walking around like this is doing my job.”
“Still, work is work. “I’m glad I didn’t make the committee.”
“It’s not that you didn’t do it, it’s that you couldn’t do it… ….”
“Quiet.”
We exchanged some trivial small talk like that. Oh, the crepes were delicious.
Now that I think about it, the food in this neighborhood was generally satisfactory.
Among them, I know that the desserts are of particularly high quality. In fact, the lollipops that Tsumei carries around are so sweet that I don’t envy ChuXChups.
The taste was slightly different.
“We’ll see. It will be a little different during final exams. And to be honest, this test was so unfair. What should I do with less than a third of my normal strength? Really.”
“Everyone had a hard time because of the magic.”
“And you were the only one who escaped the trick.”
Anyway, she was walking naturally while talking about various things.
This is the first time we move together like this since the sports competition started, so it was a moment when I thought that time was passing smoothly.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, there was a person who came into my field of vision.
Of course, I’m not talking about Beatrice.
“… ….”
It was a person wearing dark gray robes. I don’t know her gender because I can’t see her face at an angle, but based on her physique, she’s probably female.
She was staring in one direction, and what she noticed was a forest of hummingbirds.
So, this is the place where the group training and sparring with Aria took place.
I took one look at the forest and then looked back for a moment.
When did I walk all the way here?
It is quite far from the main building.
Perhaps it was because I was walking according to the stream of consciousness that it just happened to flow into me. Still, it feels somewhat familiar as I’ve been there a few times.
However, even though it was the sports festival period, even the forest here was not open to outsiders.
“Hey, you shouldn’t be here right now… ….”
It was time to talk to the gray-robed woman according to the committee’s manual I was familiar with.
“Wait a minute, Dante.”
With an unusual tone of voice, Beatrice grabbed her wrist and stopped me.
She turned around without thinking and noticed that her expression was quite serious.
Beatrice, who gently pulled me towards her, immediately began glaring at her woman warily. And she tells me
“…… “I think you need some practice reading life.”
“What?”
“That person.”
Her attitude was, to say the least, serious. Therefore, her next words must have been true as well.
“I just tried to pull out my sword at you.”
“… ….”
Soon, my body also became stiff.
I raised my guard quite a bit and looked at the woman again.
‘…… ‘I had no idea.’
I was immediately convinced that what Beatrice said was true. Her hands couldn’t be seen clearly because they were covered by her robe, but…
I clearly realized her momentum the moment I read it.
What she was holding in her hand was definitely a sword.
Also, it can be said that the sharp look in the eyes is definitely not soft at least.
There was no time to ask the question, ‘Why?’ Before I could react, Beatrice stepped forward first.
“What are you?”
“… ….”
“Do you have any business with this person?”