The Academy's Strongest Tournament

── The Academy's Strongest Tournament was to be held.

That news had spread through the student body in the blink of an eye.

Once it became clear that this event—held separately by year—would take place on a grand scale with high-ranking dignitaries from every nation in attendance, the atmosphere among those who had confirmed their participation shifted decisively.

And what did our team do in the face of such sudden news? Well──

"……Eat as much as you like."

"Young Master, aren't you going to have any?"

"Wow! Thank you so much, Young Master! I'll dig right in!"

"Mmm, this one's nice. This one's delicious too."

"……I don't particularly care for sweets. Don't mind me—so long as it suits your tastes, that's enough."

"Yes, thank you."

[What nonsense is this about you disliking sweets? Didn't you enjoy that chocolate thing last time?]

Cut me some slack. My face isn't thick enough to start snatching cookies while sitting right in the middle of them.

[What a boring man you are.]

Shut up.

──We were in the middle of conquering every dessert on the menu at Tirhi's largest dessert café.

With the weekend free from academy classes, I had suggested the outing, and our team had come along. After the whole business with Dahlia Campbell last time, it felt like a good chance for some emotional bonding among the members.

Even in the game, whenever the protagonist needed to raise affection with the people around him, this dessert café had always been a solid choice that scored at least average. It was an expensive place frequented only by nobles, so the commoner protagonist would scrape together pocket money from part-time jobs or dungeon runs just to visit with the heroines.

For me, though, prices like these were pocket change. I'd dropped by with nothing more than a casual "why not?"

Of course, in the protagonist's case it was probably a date……

Still, good things were good things.

I turned my head from the table laden with every kind of extravagant dessert and looked out the window. A clear, cloudless sky greeted me. Lowering my gaze, though, I could easily spot students in academy uniforms bustling about. They were probably scurrying around to secure equipment and the like in preparation for the recently announced tournament.

Enri glanced at the scene outside and asked me around a mouthful of food.

"Mmph-mmph. Young Master, do we not need to go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠buy armor or weapons ourselves?"

Apparently my blank people-watching had started to bother her.

"Enri, swallow everything in your mouth before you speak."

"Hehe."

Even under Elizabeth's light scolding she just grinned and let it slide. Watching her, I answered the question.

"You don't need to worry about it at all."

"Is that really all right?"

"No need to fret. I've already left it in the hands of an expert. That old man will definitely put care into preparing everything."

That was right.

There had been the apology aspect and the emotional bonding for affection, but the most important reason we had come to Tirhi today was the acquisition of new equipment.

I myself still hadn't repaired the plate armor I'd wrecked last time, so I'd already sent the broken pieces and a letter ahead to the old man through Dahlia.

"Young Master, when you say 'old man,' do you mean Master Harson?"

"That's right."

"Wow, the shield I got from Master Harson last time was the absolute best!"

Come to think of it, Elizabeth and Enri had already met the old dwarf once.

"I'm quite curious about that craftsman. I still remember how Enri was bragging about him back then."

"B-bragging? It wasn't like that. I was just happy……"

"Sure, sure."

Angela stuffed a scone slathered in strawberry jam the exact same shade as Enri's flushed face into the embarrassed girl's mouth. Even while looking mortified, Enri munched away at every bite offered to her, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's.

"Hohoho."

"Ahaha."

The sight set the rest of the team laughing, and the warm, cheerful atmosphere continued.

Warm sunlight.

A cool breeze.

And the sound of my teammates' laughter.

A truly peaceful morning moment.

The everyday life I wanted was right here.

When we left the dessert café there was a minor incident—Enri and Angela nearly fainted at the amount I paid—but we soon headed out to the blacksmith district to accomplish our original purpose.

As expected, most of the academy students seemed to have flocked here; unlike my previous visit, the street was as crowded as a market on festival day.

We somehow pushed deeper into the district until a single old, shabby signboard caught my eye.

Hephaestus Forge.

"We're here!"

"This place? It's a little different from what I imagined."

"Angela, you mean it's better than you thought, right?! Right?!"

I had no idea how Enri had described it to Angela, but this worn-down shop was indeed our destination.

Stepping inside, we were greeted by an interior that hadn't changed one bit from last time.

The same forest of weapons and armor.

Flashy equipment on display everywhere.

"Amazing……!"

"Right? Right?!"

"Quiet, Enri. It's not even yours."

Angela poked Enri's cheek with a finger for getting so excited as if it were her own shop, then looked around with open curiosity.

Elizabeth and Enri had been here once before, so they didn't seem especially surprised, but Angela was clearly taken aback by how lavish the interior was compared to the shabby exterior.

When we approached the counter, the clerk there spotted me and welcomed us with a bright smile.

"Welcome. Young Master Winchester and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his companions, I presume. We received word in advance and have been waiting for you."

"Where's the master?"

"Ahaha, he's been waiting for quite some time already."

We followed the same passage deeper into the shop as before and found the elderly dwarf waiting for us.

Knowing we were coming, he had closed the furnace mouth this time.

"Welcome. You got here awfully quick."

I'd even sent word that we'd arrive in the afternoon, hadn't I?

Judging by the cooled forge, he'd been waiting for us for quite a while.

"Hello, Master Harson."

"Hello!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Angela."

"Aye, glad to meet you too. Sorry I couldn't prepare seats—we're short on chairs in the shop."

Harson greeted us with a smile, then sidled up to me and grinned, speaking quietly so only I could hear.

"Hehehe. You sly little brat, you've added another pretty lady to your collection."

Here we go again.

But my teammates were all aspiring heroes; their senses were sharper than ordinary people's. Of course they overheard the old man's teasing. When I turned my head just in case, every one of them had gone bright red and was carefully avoiding my gaze.

Great. There goes all the affection I worked so hard to raise today.

While I stood there dumbfounded, Harson had the clerk bring out the equipment prepared for us.

"You, the new one. Your talent's that of a witch, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. I have a witch's talent."

"Good. The Winchester brat didn't give me your measurements properly, so I was a bit worried, but these should fit perfectly."

Come to think of it, this wasn't a game—getting equipment made meant you actually needed accurate measurements. I hadn't even thought that far, but true to form, the expert had handled it on his own.

The girls followed the clerk into a makeshift changing room set up on one side—clearly prepared for today—while I examined the full plate armor Harson had handed me.

Since mine was only a repair of the armor I'd already been wearing, there was no need for a fitting, so I stayed outside.

As expected of Harson.

The armor that had been full of gaping holes was perfectly repaired.

I stuffed it into my inventory, and Harson fixed me with a serious expression, speaking in a grave tone.

"……That hole in the armor—it wasn't ordinary damage. You're lucky to be alive."

Being a craftsman, he could apparently read the situation from the traces alone.

He was right.

My heart had actually stopped back then.

[All thanks to me.]

Of course. I'm always grateful.

[Hmph. At least you know how to talk.]

If Beatrix hadn't been there, I really would have died inside that dungeon.

"……I may still be a student, but I'm a hero too. Risking my life in battle is only natural."

"Aye, that it is. The Winchester lot always fought with their lives on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the line."

Harson nodded, and the three girls emerged from the changing room in their new gear, walking toward us.

"W-what do you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think, Young Master?"

Watching them fidget in front of me made even me feel a little itchy.

I gave them my honest impression.

"They all suit you remarkably well."

Elizabeth, wearing a robe over leather clothing designed for mobility, looked like one of the forest-dwelling elves.

Elise wore a similar robe, but the wide-brimmed hat she had on turned the whole outfit into something like a cute witch's costume.

Unlike the other two, Enri wore form-fitting armor that gave off the solid presence of a female knight.

They looked so perfectly customized that you could tell at a glance the gods themselves had put extra care into designing them. Admiration came naturally.

We all offered our thanks to Harson, and he smiled as if that gratitude alone was payment enough.

"Hahaha, I'm truly glad you like them. If anything goes wrong with the gear, come see me anytime."

We spent quite a while appraising each item together and exchanging opinions on what still needed improvement before we finally stepped back out of the forge.

"Thank you so much for covering the cost of our items as well."

This time I had paid the full price properly.

Harson had stubbornly refused the money again, but these weren't cheap trinkets. No matter how much I liked free things, constantly taking without paying was simply too shameless.

We were going to be relying on him for a good while yet.

For both our sakes I believed a clean accounting was necessary, so before leaving I handed the payment to the clerk instead of Harson and walked out of the forge.

Receiving my teammates' thanks, I simply nodded.

"Think of it as a gift with a reason. I'll take your repayment in the arena."

"I'll do my best to live up to your expectations, Young Master."

"Yaaah! For some reason I feel like we might even win the whole thing!"

"Even so, I'm still not sure it's right to just accept equipment this expensive……"

In the early stages, equipment was the best way to power up that money could buy.

Unfortunately we hadn't found anything worthwhile at the auction house afterward, but with this I could safely say our entire team's combat strength had skyrocketed.