Chapter 49: Ghost Dodgeball King
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: Ghost Dodgeball King
After the boys' short-distance running test was over, it was the girls' turn.
While the boys' average time was in the seven-second range, the girls' average was between eight and nine seconds.
Well, it's a given that boys are faster than girls, but there was one person who stood out among them.
That was Sasha, the Russian exchange student who had just transferred today.
Beep!
"6.43 seconds!"
"Woooooah!"
Hearing the time she set, both the boys and girls were amazed.
This was because she had crossed the finish line just 0.02 seconds behind Sakamoto Ryuji, who was the fastest in the class besides me.
As everyone praised her, Sasha lifted her chin proudly and confidently swept her straight hair over her shoulder.
"Hmph, of course. I'm perfect, after all."
It was an act that would have looked obnoxious if anyone else had done it, but when she did it, it somehow looked picturesque.
Anyway, after the fitness tests were done, we decided to spend the remaining time splitting the 26 students of Class 2-B in half to play dodgeball.
Indeed, dodgeball was about the only sport good for getting the whole class to participate.
If we played a sport that required pairing up or one where only a few excelled, it was obvious that some would lose motivation and drop out.
A boy and a girl, chosen as captains by Teacher Oonuma, played rock-paper-scissors and took turns picking teammates, so the teams were decided quickly.
Team A and Team B.
I was on Team A, and the protagonist, Sakamoto Ryuji, was on Team B.
"Kim-kun, we're counting on you."
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
Kids who usually never even talked to me were now treating me like the team's ace just because we were on the same side.
"With Kim Yoo-Sung on our team, this is an easy win, honestly."
"He's the scariest guy to have as an enemy, but the most reassuring as an ally."
The ever-present Bald Trio muttered in agreement, nodding their heads.
The reason only two of them spoke was because the third member was on the opposing team.
By the way, Rika and Satoru were also on Team B.
"Let's do this."
"...Yeah."
Sasha, who had ended up on my team, said this as she patted my shoulder.
Perhaps because she had a model-like figure and was over 170 cm tall, the difference in our eye level wasn't as big as I'd expected.
And so the dodgeball game began.
"Everyone, spread out!"
Following the orders of the class president, our team's leader and brain, the teammates scattered in all directions.
Team B had the first throw, so this was the most likely time to get hit by a stray ball and be eliminated.
"Kyaaak!"
And just as expected, one of the girls got hit by the ball and was immediately out.
Now it was our team's turn to attack.
One of the Bald Trio picked up the ball from the floor and made a huge fuss, spinning his body around.
"This is my magic ball!"
The ball flew in a straight line toward a cluster of people, hit someone on the shoulder, ricocheted, and took out two people at once.
"Osshaaaa!"
Baldie #1 jumped for joy at his unexpected success.
As the teams traded turns like this, the game started to pick up momentum.
Team B seemed to think that if I got the ball, one of them would be out for sure, so no one targeted me.
Instead, they focused on the other kids around me, steadily reducing our numbers one by one.
We counterattacked, but Team B, which had relatively more athletic people, was able to preserve more of their players.
Just like that, Team A's numbers dwindled in an instant.
"Kuh! This is so frustrating!"
The last Baldie, who had been doing pretty well for himself, was taken out by one of Team B's outside attackers. As he was eliminated, shouting in frustration, only five members remained on Team A.
On the other hand, Team B still had eight players left.
Team A was clearly at a disadvantage.
If you didn't count me.
With most of my teammates out, I had more room to move. I started warming up, getting ready to make my move.
Seeing this, the opposing team started to stir.
"...He's finally making his move. The strongest in the academy."
"Don't be scared! We still have more people!"
"Focus on avoiding Kim Yoo-Sung and hitting the guys behind him!"
It seemed Team B planned to stick to their original strategy.
It was definitely the right choice.
Because if they threw the ball at me, I'd just catch every single one and launch a counterattack.
Soon, an attacker from the other team let out a yell and threw the volleyball in his hand.
"Uryaaat!"
The ball was aimed at the class president, who was hiding in the corner.
I thought she was lucky to have survived this long, but considering how unathletic she was, there was a high chance she wouldn't be able to dodge this attack.
"Hmph!"
Standing in the center watching the situation, I made my move.
Pang!!
The ball flying toward the class president was caught in my hand, stopping it in its tracks.
And since I'd caught it, possession of the ball returned to our team.
I put a spin on the ball and sniped Rika first, who was hiding behind one of her teammates.
"Kyaak!"
"There it is! The Snake Shot!"
"Damn it! I thought that was only possible in tennis!"
With Rika out, possession went back to the other team.
This time, Team B's ace, Sakamoto Ryuji, caught the ball and leaped high into the air.
I instinctively looked up at him, but the sunlight pouring down in a straight line made me squint for a moment.
"There it is! The Solar Flare!"
"Dammit! I thought only bald guys could do that!"
The dodgeball came flying toward me at high speed.
Blinded by the sunlight, I reflexively reached out my right arm to snatch the ball, but at that moment, someone suddenly jumped out from behind our team.
"My ball!"
Seeing that familiar back, I shouted without thinking.
"Sasha!"
Pang!!
Sasha caught the ball thrown by Sakamoto with both hands and immediately launched a swift counterattack.
"Kuaaaak!"
One of the male students behind Sakamoto was hit by the ball and was out.
Having pulled off a cool counterattack, Sasha glanced back and gave me a thumbs-up.
At her truly reliable display, I nodded and looked toward the opposing team's court.
That makes it 5 to 6.
The game was back on.
*
Sakamoto Ryuji felt anxious that his trump card, the Solar Flare, had failed.
'What do I do now? I can't believe there was another dark horse besides Kim Yoo-Sung.'
That Alec-something who transferred today.
I'd noticed her during the 50-meter dash earlier, but her overall physical ability seemed to be on par with a grown man's.
Currently, Team A has a total of 5 players left. And Team B has a total of 6.
Team B still had a higher ratio of boys, so we were technically at an advantage in terms of power, but the enemy team had that Kim Yoo-Sung and the unexpectedly strong Alec-what's-her-name.
Sakamoto Ryuji turned to Momochi Satoru, who had come up beside him at some point and was from the same middle school, and asked.
"Hey, Momochi. Is there any way to beat Kim Yoo-Sung?"
In response, Momochi Satoru, who had always been treated as the group's informant, pushed up the middle of his glasses with his middle finger and said.
"As far as I know, there isn't one. Yoo-Sung is the ultimate attacker and the ultimate defender."
"...But why are you trying to act all cool?"
"Because that is the promise."
Sakamoto stared incredulously at Momochi, who was quoting a sexy line from a politician famous for being 'fun and cool,' and decided that he, at least, needed to get his head in the game.
No matter how strong he was, Kim Yoo-Sung was still a human made of flesh and blood, just like him.
He had to have at least one weakness.
It was then, as he was searching for a chink in the enemy's armor.
「Keke, do you desire power?」
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his head.
Startled, Sakamoto frantically looked around, but he couldn't see even a trace of the Egyptian ghost he had grown quite used to.
As if teasing Sakamoto, that same voice spoke once more in his ear.
「I am inside you now, contractor. And do not make me repeat myself. If you desire power, I can lend it to you. The power to defeat that man, Kim Yoo-Sung.」
At the Black Pharaoh's whisper, which was like the temptation of a devil, Sakamoto squeezed the dodgeball in his hand and asked quietly.
"...What's the condition?"
「You need only lend me your body for a short while. I simply wish to test my mettle against a man who possesses the Tutra of a great warrior.」
Sakamoto coolly calculated.
The difference in risk between borrowing Mahes's power here and now, and not borrowing it.
'First, if I borrow his power, I can beat Kim Yoo-Sung. And I can also win the ice cream bet.'
The reason the class was playing dodgeball more enthusiastically than ever was because the losing team had to buy ice cream for the winning team.
'On the other hand, the risk of losing is that my already thin wallet will get even thinner.'
Because he'd recently bought the latest new game, the monthly allowance his parents sent him was running dangerously low.
As the older brother, he couldn't ask his younger sister for money, so he had no choice but to survive on what he had left.
"Alright. Deal."
「...What is a 'deal'? Do not suddenly use such difficult words. I am a man from thousands of years ago.」
"It means let's make a trade."
「Very well. The contract is hereby formed.」
The moment Sakamoto accepted Mahes's offer, the spirit of Mahes, which had been lying dormant inside his body, seeped into his flesh.
Soon, having surrendered control of his body, Sakamoto Ryuji closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he muttered with a completely different aura than usual.
"From now on, it is my time."
And that was the moment the nickname 'Dark Ryuji' was born, thanks to Momochi Satoru, who happened to be standing nearby and overheard him.