The match between Saitama and Jakos was rather anticlimactic.
...In fact, it was hard to even call it a match.
It ended in just four seconds.
[One hit!!! Jakos is down in a single blow!!]
[Charanko is strong!!]
[No, it’s not so much that Charanko is strong....]
[Jakos is just too weak!! Jakos is far too weak!!!]
...Well, it wasn’t exactly that.
He’d been slapped out before he even got to do anything.
His movements themselves were certainly not bad.
His [Headlong Assault Fist] was actually pretty decent, more or less, than I’d expected.
Still, for me, Max’s [Hyper Karate] from earlier was a more suitable martial art.
Jakos’s [Headlong Assault Fist] was a martial art that packed instant acceleration and the acceleration generated from it into a single strike.
But for me, who already had the [Instant Acceleration] skill, it wasn’t all that suitable.
I’d thought about whether there might be some synergy, but after simulating it in my head, I’d figured out that there wasn’t much difference.
I learned it for now... but whether I’ll ever actually use it is another matter.
Still.
According to the bracket, the next match was... Max versus Suiryu.
Well.
I didn’t know who Suiryu was, but....
“...If the atmosphere changes this much, he must be no ordinary guy.”
Come to think of it, even during the fighter introductions earlier, his segment had been unusually long.
So he was that popular?
Because of Saitama’s sudden appearance, my mind had gone blank for a moment, so I hadn’t heard anything beyond the fact that he was Suiryu of the [True Fist].
[He’s here! I never thought the day would come when we’d get to see this man fight again!]
For starters, the commentators were outrageously biased.
But that wasn’t all.
The noise from the stands, which had been buzzing wildly, dropped by several notches.
I could feel a heavy tension hanging over the audience.
“Here he comes... the real deal....”
I caught someone’s murmur.
So that was it.
The “real deal,” huh.
Even after Max had already shown considerable skill, they were still calling this guy the real deal....
“...So in other words, he’s strong enough to be compared to Max.”
People leaning forward in anticipation, people smiling, people covering their mouths and stamping their feet... all sorts of reactions.
The atmosphere was definitely overwhelmingly positive.
At least, it was—except for our side’s participants.
Bakuzan in particular looked rotten.
He was hiding it on the surface, but the expression buried underneath, along with the faint killing intent, was too clear to miss.
Sure enough, he glared at the man walking over from that side, then turned on his heel and headed off somewhere else.
It was... an action mixed with jealousy, hatred, and a number of other emotions.
At least, that’s how it looked to me.
“Hey, I’m ba—whoa. Why’s the mood like this?”
[The arena is trembling with joy!]
As the staff held back and shoved aside the surging crowd, the scene looked like the Red Sea parting by a miracle of Moses.
Through the middle of it all, one man walked forward.
[Here comes Suiryu!!]
“Suiryu!!”
“Take him down!!!”
“Win! Win!!”
“Waaahhhhh!!!”
“...Oh.”
He really was.
Definitely the kind of guy who’d deserve that kind of roar.
His steps were confident and self-assured.
The momentum coming off him was pretty intense.
Under that relaxed expression was... arrogance in his own strength.
But it probably wasn’t baseless arrogance.
He must have the skill to back it up.
The aura of a strong fighter surrounding him made his level obvious.
Sorry to Max, but it didn’t look like he had a chance.
At that overwhelming gap in ability... yeah.
This might end in one hit.
“So, we’ve met before, right?”
“Of course... n-no way. Saitama. W-what are you talking about?”
For a second, I almost blurted out an answer to that sudden ambush.
When did he get here?
I took a step back, sweating nervously.
“What’s with you? You’re that guy, aren’t you? That lizard monster from before. It’s got that same weird vibe too.”
“N-no, I’m telling you....”
“Really? Then how do you know my name? I don’t think I ever told you.”
“...Ugh.”
My mind had been scattered, and with the situation suddenly crashing down on me, I’d panicked and made a mistake I normally never would have made.
This... couldn’t be helped, could it?
The slip-up was too big to deny.
“...Yeah. It’s me.”
I let out a long sigh, then finally nodded faintly in admission.
“I was planning to hide it since I didn’t come in through a proper, honest method... sorry.”
“Forget it. Sorry if I pushed too hard. I snuck in while hiding my own identity too. I was just asking in case.”
“I see... In that case, Charanko is an alias?”
“Ah... no, it’s not an alias. The real one’s in the hospital right now after some kind of accident. He gave me his ticket, so I came in disguised.”
So Charanko wasn’t just a made-up alias.
I’d thought it was a tacky name.
I probably won’t ever meet him, but if I do someday, I should apologize first.
“...Then why did you enter? You’d probably one-shot even that Suiryu guy over there.”
“Ah, well, that’s because...”
“Let me guess. You’re here for the martial arts experience or something?”
“Exactly... th-that’s right! H-haha....”
“...Experience?”
“Ah—no! Forget I said anything. Forget it.”
“........”
Well. So he entered for the prize money.
I thought that was perfectly plausible.
There were definitely people who’d enter for that reason.
Still.
There was one strange thing.
Given Saitama’s strength and record, he should clearly be at the very top among heroes. Definitely.
I didn’t know much about hero income, so I couldn’t say for sure, but at that level, wouldn’t he be able to make around three million yen easily?
Even if not... well.
I thought it was natural for humans to want to make money.
Why hide it?
While I was talking and mulling over that small question, the match between Max and Suiryu ended before I knew it.
As expected, in one hit.
“D-did you see that, Charanko!? Suiryu’s kick...!”
“...?”
“Ah....”
Out of nowhere, Nigamushi came running over, then froze stiff the moment his eyes met mine.
But only for a moment.
He took a deep breath, shook his head hard, and then walked over this way.
“N-Nigamushi here. Thanks for earlier, and sorry!”
“..................”
I’d only thought of him as a harmless, awkward guy.
So that was it.
I guess I’d misjudged him a little.
I reached out and firmly shook the hand he offered, which was trembling faintly.
“I’m Choeje. It doesn’t look like the bracket will have us fight each other, but still. Let’s get along, Debu.”
“Yeah... huh? What do you mean, we won’t fight? Wait, anyway, Charanko!”
That’s because.
If I assumed I’d never lose and advanced to the semifinals, and Nigamushi also beat his opponents, then we could only meet each other there.
But one of those opponents was Saitama.
Then.
Nigamushi would have to beat Saitama for our match to happen.
...That’s impossible.
[Ladies and gentlemen, it seems the audience still hasn’t calmed down, but let us proceed to the next match!]
[The winner of this match will face Suiryu in the second round!]
[Benpats of the Hokuto-ryu versus Snack of the [Snake Fist]!!!]
Ah, finally.
The match I’d been looking forward to had finally come.
Good.
This was my chance to understand [Snake Fist] more deeply.
Now then... huh?
“.........No. Wait a second.”
What is this?
Right now, from far away, I could faintly smell something I really hated.
Familiar, all too familiar, and strangely... mouthwatering.
A very delicious smell.
“................”
Monsters.
A considerable number of them.
Probably somewhere within C City.
The distance was a little far, but I could reach them quickly.
But.
“...What should I do?”
If I left the arena like this, I’d miss this golden opportunity to learn more about new martial arts.
Even if I came back early, I’d definitely end up missing some of them.
And above all else.
While hunting monsters, my Body Transformation might wear off.
Once this level of precise Body Transformation came undone, I wouldn’t be able to use it again for more than ten hours.
Since there was no way I could beat Saitama anyway, I’d at least planned to stay long enough to watch Bakuzan’s match.
“..................Haa.”
...No choice, I guess.
I’ll take out one or two of them, then come straight back.
With that as my goal, I started to move—
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“...Ah, Saitama. Weren’t you talking with Nigamushi?”
“He suddenly ran off to the bathroom. Guess once he relaxed, what he’d been holding in started to loosen up too?”
“Ah....”
That’s... something I caused, but not something I wanted to know.
...No. This isn’t the time for that.
This worked out perfectly.
I could ask Saitama for help.
“...Actually, I sensed monsters appearing around here.”
“You can sense that?”
“Yeah. So... I’m going to clear out a few nearby ones. If I don’t come back, please treat it as a forfeit.”
That’s right.
This was enough.
I had briefly thought about asking Saitama to wipe out the monsters for me.
But that would just be a burden on him.
I didn’t want that.
If I alone gave up my gain, it would be a gain for all humans.
“Well, if I’m lucky and things go well, I might be able to get back quick—”
“What are you, a little kid?”
“...Huh?”
A little kid?
I’m not even a month old yet, though.
I might simply not have the memories from before... that’s what I think.
Still, even if my body is young, my mind is mature enough, I think....
“Before too, and now too. You... haah. You need to be a little more selfish about yourself.”
“...What does that mean....”
“Enough. Stay here. I’m going.”
“...What? Wait—”
“If I don’t come back, please handle the forfeit.”
“................”
At his utterly firm attitude.
At those steps of his.
I couldn’t bring myself to stop him.
I could only stare blankly after him.
And then I spoke the words that kept surging up inside me over and over again.
...Why?
“...Why?”
“Because I’m a hero.”
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