“Hoo...”
I closed my eyes, stood still, and caught my breath.
“You’re letting your guard down! Here I come!”
“Hup!”
As Takamiya-san charged at me, I swung my longsword and blocked her blade.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The sound of metal rang out in rapid succession as I parried Takamiya-san’s attacks one after another.
The problem was that I couldn't find a single opening to counterattack while I was so preoccupied with defense.
I leaped back, putting some distance between us, and called out, “Please be careful, Takamiya-san!”
I wanted to warn her so she wouldn't get hurt, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I switched my weapon to an estoc and thrust.
“That kind of warning—ah!”
Takamiya-san’s confident expression crumbled into one of panic.
She had tried to block with her sword, but the estoc’s weapon art, [Thrusting Stab], ignored her guard, knocking her off balance.
“I definitely blocked that!”
“Here I go again!”
Complaining all the while, Takamiya-san managed to dodge the next attack.
I flinched, leaving a momentary opening, and Takamiya-san didn’t miss her chance. She brought her sword crashing down.
“I win!”
Her face lit up with the certainty of victory.
Watching her expression, I let the corners of my mouth curl into a smile.
Thunk!
“?!”
A dull impact rang out, and Takamiya-san’s sword stopped dead in its tracks.
The reason was simple: my shield.
Just before her attack landed, I had equipped a shield in my left hand to block the blow.
“Seriously, isn’t that ability way too broken?!”
She shouted this while leaping into the air and raining missiles down upon me.
She was the one flying through the air, so was she really in any position to call me broken?
“What am I supposed to do? It’s my ability!”
I switched my weapon to the straight sword of a Ringed Knight and activated its weapon art, blowing up every missile that came my way.
The Ringed Knight series' weapon art, Ember, wraps the blade in flame; the straight sword version had such a ridiculous range that I could actually intercept the missiles.
“And you’re being cheap by staying in the air, Takamiya-san!”
With that, I switched to the court sorcerer’s staff and cast [Sorcery: Soul Stream].
From the staff, the form of the Moonlight Greatsword—reminiscent of King’s Field, the precursor to Dark Souls—emerged.
As I swung the magical blade, a crescent of blue energy flew toward Takamiya-san.
“If I don’t do this, I have no way of winning!”
Takamiya-san dodged the energy wave with ease and dove toward me at high speed.
She raised her sword, shifting into a thrusting stance.
I was just about to counter with [Sorcery: Soul Greatsword] when—
Beep!
The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the session.
*****
Once the training with Takamiya-san ended, I went to a vending machine and bought two drinks.
I sneaked up behind Takamiya-san, who was wiping sweat away with a towel, and pressed one of the cold cans against the back of her neck.
“Hyah!”
With a cute scream, Takamiya-san pitched forward.
I caught her with one hand to keep her from falling.
“Heh. Are you all right?”
“W-What are you doing?!”
“Here, take this.”
As I helped her back up and handed her the drink, she glared at me sulkily before quickly snatching the can away.
“Honestly, you’re so mean. The other spirits said you were kind.”
Even as she complained, the way she sipped the drink was quite cute.
“Ahaha, you’re getting upset over something that small? You're pretty cute, Takamiya-san.”
“Cough! Kheh!”
She suddenly began coughing violently, as if she had choked, so I hurried over in concern.
“Did you choke?”
After I lightly patted her back, she stopped coughing and looked at me.
“......So that’s how it is.”
“What is?”
I tilted my head at her strange remark.
What exactly did she mean by “that’s how it is”?
“......Do you really not realize it?”
“What are you talking about?”
When I asked the still-muttering Takamiya-san, she sighed. “Haa... Never mind. By the way, don’t you have executive committee work, Hieta-san?”
I shrugged.
“I dumped it on someone else and came here.”
“...Seriously?”
The fact that Takamiya-san actually believed me was so funny that I let out a snort before I could stop myself.
“Of course not. I’m just free. Everything’s already done.”
“You were teasing me again.”
Takamiya-san narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
Meeting her gaze, I cleared my throat and made a suggestion.
“Ahem. Then, as an apology, would you go to the Heavenly Festival with me?”
“Oh? That’s a date request, right?”
Takamiya-san looked pleased with herself as she asked.
“Yes. It is. Will you go on a date with me?”
I admitted it simply because I wanted to tease her a little more.
Suddenly, she looked a little dazed.
“Um? Takamiya-san?”
She didn’t react at all, even when I waved a hand in front of her face, making me worry that she had suddenly fallen ill.
“What? Um, hello?”
After standing there for a few more minutes, Takamiya-san finally came back to her senses. I asked worriedly, “Are you all right? You’re not sick, are you?”
At my question, she lifted one arm and declared, “Yes. I’m perfectly healthy!”
Then she smiled brightly again, and I couldn’t help laughing.
“Hahaha! Even so, isn’t your arm way too thin?”
“What can I do? I’m a girl!”
Takamiya-san huffed and turned her head away.
“Aw, now what are you pouting about?”
“Forget it.”
“I’ll buy you everything you want to eat at the Heavenly Festival.”
At that, her sulking vanished instantly. Takamiya-san looked at me with sparkling eyes. “You’re serious, right?!”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s go now!”
And with that, Takamiya-san dragged me off toward Tengu Square.
*****
The Yamai sisters, the Fire Keeper, and Rinne were enjoying the Heavenly Festival when they spotted a familiar silhouette.
“Isn’t that Hieta?”
“Affirmative. That is Hieta’s back.”
“It is definitely the back of our dear guest.”
“But isn’t the one next to him Shido’s little sister?”
Rinne’s single remark instantly chilled the mood between the Yamai sisters and the Fire Keeper.
“Hey, you guys...?”
“Leaving us behind to go around with another girl? You’ve got some nerve.”
“Correction. And it’s Shido’s little sister, too.”
“Everyone, calm down. We don’t even know what their relationship is.”
The Fire Keeper tried to restrain the Yamai sisters, who looked ready to pounce at any moment.
Seeing this, Rinne thought that at least the Fire Keeper was the normal one among them.
“So, shall we stalk them?”
...until Rinne said that with a dark gleam in her eyes.
The Yamai sisters immediately agreed with the suggestion, and Rinne followed along, though she wondered what they might actually do.
And so, the four women began stalking Hieta.
They hid in the blind spots to avoid detection, keeping a close watch on Mana and Hieta.
“Mm! This is good!”
“How much can you possibly fit in your mouth?”
Watching Hieta’s smiling demeanor, the women’s eyes grew even darker—Rinne excluded.
“Next, over there! Let’s go there!”
“Aaaah...”
Mana took Hieta by the hand and started pulling him toward another stall.
“Hee~ So now they’re even holding hands.”
“Disappointing. He wouldn’t even hold hands with us.”
“What should we do with our dear guest~?”
“Isn’t that less ‘holding hands’ and more ‘being dragged along’?”
At Rinne’s words, everyone’s eyes snapped toward her.
“He didn’t refuse, did he?”
“Affirmative. Hieta did not refuse.”
“Those two are right. The dear guest didn’t refuse, did he?”
As the focus shifted back, Rinne felt a surge of fear and silently prayed for Hieta’s soul.
“Ah, we’re going to lose them at this rate.”
“Let’s hurry and follow.”
Before they knew it, the pair had moved far ahead.
Trying to remain unnoticed, the women crept closer until they could overhear the two talking.
“......Darling~......”
“......Darling......”
Darling.
The word lovers use for each other.
Hearing that, the Fire Keeper immediately made a call.
[Hm? What is it, Sachi? Why?]
The one who answered was Kotori.
The Fire Keeper asked, “Kotori-san, do you happen to know where Mana-san is right now?”
[Mana? Wait a second. Ah, found—huh?]
Kotori was left speechless when she saw Mana and Hieta together on the screen.
“They are together with our dear guest right now, correct?”
[Y-Yeah... She’s with Hiki...?]
“Heehee~ I heard the two of them calling each other darling~”
[W-What?!]
Bang!
Startled by the Fire Keeper’s words, Kotori slammed her hand on the desk and listened as she explained the full situation.
[So, you found them at the Heavenly Festival, they looked close, and when you followed them, they were all lovey-dovey calling each other darling?]
“Yes. So please help us catch our dear guest.”
[...Got it.]
Because of the Fire Keeper’s unusually cold tone, Kotori decided to comply with the request.
*****
While I was enjoying the Heavenly Festival with Takamiya-san, she asked me, “By the way, why do you keep calling me by my family name?”
“Huh? Well, because we haven’t gone to a first-name basis yet.”
“Then why don’t you try calling me by my first name?”
Out of nowhere?
It was sudden, but not a difficult request, so I agreed.
“Sure. Then, Mana-san?”
“...So that’s what it feels like.”
She muttered that, but I had no idea what exactly she was feeling.
“Hm?”
While I was wondering about Mana-san’s behavior, I received a text from the commander.
[An urgent situation has arisen. Go somewhere where no one is around.]
Going somewhere secluded meant I was to be retrieved by [Fraxinus].
Wondering what kind of problem could be so urgent, I told Mana-san, “Mana-san! There’s a problem on the commander’s end!”
“What?! Let’s go quickly!”
We moved to a secluded spot, and then, with a flash of light, we were transferred to [Fraxinus].
“Commander! What happened—...”
I was left speechless by the three gazes staring at me.
“So you’ve come, dear guest.”
“You’ve arrived, Hieta.”
“Warning. Do not attempt to run away.”
Why were they all looking at me with such dark eyes?
“Hieta-san? What is this supposed to mean?”
Mana-san, standing beside me, was equally confused by the situation.
I had come because they said it was urgent, only to find three women waiting for me with murderous intent.
“Um, Commander? What was the urgent situation...?”
“The fact that you were radiating lovey-dovey vibes with Mana next to you.”
“...Huh?”
The moment she said that, I spent the next several dozen minutes sweating bullets while trying to explain myself.
“What? Ahaha! We’re not like that at all...”
Halfway through, Mana-san’s shy expression and her vague responses were the primary reasons it took so long to clear my name.
She was definitely trying to screw me over, wasn't she?
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