I'm a Solo Too
With Elia eliminated and me retiring for an absurd reason, Jinwoo's class ended up losing without much of a fight.
“The winner is the Dragonian class!!”
“Hehe, you really should have bought underwear from our empire. If you had, you might have given us a proper match.”
“What does that have to do with anything...”
Beside us, Esmeralda was sneering in that strange tone of hers. Meanwhile, Arkhis and the others had crowded tightly around me, busy with something.
Grade: Prototype Combat Equipment
Effect: Extreme durability. Tear-resistant even during intense activity. Perfect for containing... assets.
“How is it? It’s a bra made from our company’s synthetic Kevlar material.”
“This should be sufficient.”
I successfully re-equipped myself with the new gear(?) and regained my fighting spirit.
“From now on, I shall blow everyone away.”
Having suffered humiliation over underwear in the previous event, I now radiated a sharp aura, my glowing red eyes shining through narrowed slits.
It wasn’t quite as secure as the leotard I usually wore, but this was still remarkably sturdy and comfortable. It would hold up no matter how roughly I moved.
“The next event is!! Gourd popping!!!”
After the second match, the next game involved knocking down gourds hanging from long poles using beanbags.
“Begin!!!”
Thud thud thud!!
Whoosh!!
The moment the match started, everyone began furiously hurling beanbags at their assigned gourds.
Thwack!
Thump!
Perhaps because they were reinforced with magic power, the gourds refused to burst no matter how hard the students threw. Their physical abilities already surpassed those of elite special forces.
“Hoo, this isn’t easy.”
“In that case, it’s time for some behind-the-scenes maneuvering.”
Smack!!
I flashed a wicked smile at Jinwoo as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Hehe. A nation’s power lies not in defense, but in invasion.”
Whiiiish!!!
With those words, I immediately hurled my beanbag in a completely different direction.
“Wait?! That’s our own side—”
“Just watch quietly.”
When I threw the bag somewhere completely off-target, Jinwoo flinched in panic. I held him back with one hand and chuckled softly.
THUD!!
“Kyaa?! Wh-which blasphemous fool dares!!”
“?!”
The beanbag I threw had struck the back of the princess’s head with perfect accuracy. She had been throwing bags with her subordinates in the adjacent section.
“Who threw a fresh beanbag at me?!”
Jinwoo turned pale as he watched Esmeralda’s face flush crimson while she rampaged furiously.
“Sia, isn’t this going to cause a huge problem?”
“Do not worry.”
I could confidently guarantee her wrath would never turn toward us.
“Magnus! Was it you?! Are you taking revenge because I didn’t give you a kiss yesterday...?”
“Wh-what are you talking about?!”
The princess’s fury was directed not at us, but at the poor, innocent Magnus standing right behind her.
Perhaps relieving her own stress mattered more to her than actually identifying the culprit.
“See? Building an empire takes many long years, but toppling one takes only an instant.”
“Do dragons even have civil wars...?”
Jinwoo gazed at my brilliant diversion tactic in open admiration.
I thought my plan had worked perfectly, but...
“...Then I can simply do it now.”
“Huh?”
"Mwah..."
⟨ RECONCILIATORY KISS ⟩
Suddenly, one of the Four Heavenly Dragons, Magnus, and the princess performed a passionate kiss of reconciliation.
“What the hell...”
“They seem even closer than before?”
Watching the two lizards embrace and openly display their affection, my face twisted in disgust.
“This is exactly why couples are the worst...!! How is a lifelong solo like me supposed to live with this resentment?!”
“You were a solo?”
The sight of them flaunting their zero dating experience in real time made me bite my lip so hard it nearly bled.
Jinwoo, however, had latched onto one specific word in my response.
“Yes, well... I do not really know many people, whether men or women. In any case, I have no talent for romance.”
“Ahem...”
He tried—and failed—to hide the way the corners of his mouth were curling upward.
“What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No, I have always been solo.”
“Really?! We are comrades-in-arms! Wow... I am truly relieved that someone like you exists!”
“Y-yeah...”
And so the two solos formed an unexpected alliance.
Then...
“Haaaaat!!! I shall hit it hard enough to pierce through!!! Engrave it!! The beat of holy power!!!”
From behind us, Saint Elia clutched a massive handful of beanbags and unleashed a powerful battle cry.
SAINT LIGHT OVERDRIVE
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!!
The beanbags she hurled flew like shotgun pellets, completely piercing through the gourd.
BOOM!!!
Finally the gourd exploded, scattering flower petals everywhere, and cheers of victory erupted.
“Waaaaah!!! Saint Elia! Is she a god?!”
“...That is blasphemy.”
“As expected of Elia!! She casually accomplishes what no one else can! I cannot help but admire that about her!!”
“Deus vult!!”
Together with our class’s enthusiastic students, the saint wore a proud smile and struck a victory pose like a famous soccer player.
“Oh, we won.”
“Wait... did those women seriously win with a kiss? Was my strategy actually effective?”
Somehow, we had claimed our first victory of the day.
“Magnus....♡”
“Princess...♡”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Of course, the nauseating sight before me left a cold ache in my chest.
“Mmm... this is delicious...”
“Finish eating before you speak.”
The morning schedule had ended and it was now lunchtime. The menu consisted of yakisoba and melon bread we had bought from the cafeteria.
“...”
“Elia? What is the matter? Does the food not suit your taste?”
Seeing Elia chewing bread listlessly by herself in the corner made my heart feel strangely heavy.
“I may be weak after all...”
“Why would you think that? We won the last event thanks to you.”
The saint muttered gloomily, which was very unlike her. It was true that Saint Elia had remained undefeated until she suffered her first loss against me.
A complete and utter defeat with no room for excuses.
And that was not all—she had been brutally crushed by Tarkan, an executive of Redanis. Although we ultimately won through teamwork and the luminous dragon’s final attack...
The memory of her helpless defeat in a pure contest of strength had been seared into her mind.
“On top of that... today I lost to heretics who worship the dragon god.”
Crunch!!
Elia crushed the bread in her grip as she spoke with bitter resentment.
“I... am weak!!”
“That’s...”
What had finally shattered her pride was the dodgeball match against the Earth Dragon, Earth.
She had been eliminated before she could even fight properly, and had been quietly stewing in frustration ever since.
Even though she had won the gourd-popping event, her loss in direct confrontation seemed to weigh heavily on her.
“No, you are strong. It is simply that your opponents were too far outside the norm.”
“But... that is nothing but a pathetic excuse. On the battlefield, no one would care about such circumstances.”
“That is not true! You can become even stronger!”
I continued to firmly reject her self-deprecating words.
It was true that Elia was weaker than them, but her skill was by no means poor.
Me? I am rotten water personified. Taking down most new bosses on the same day I meet them is routine.
As for Tarkan... he is simply far too difficult for a pure newbie to defeat with raw stats alone. Only thorough party coordination and teamwork can bring him down.
“The Four Heavenly Dragon Earth is a renowned commander and legendary general who distinguished himself in countless wars. It is only natural that you, who have only recently become an adult, would lose to him.”
“Really...?”
“Of course! On the contrary, the fact that you were able to briefly hold your own against such a man makes you even more impressive!”
I worked hard to console the saint, who had been drooping like a puppy caught in the rain.
Of course she had lost because she was weaker, but leaving her stuck in such a pessimistic mindset would cause problems later.
“Come now! Cheer up! Miraculous days are waiting for you!”
“Haha... thank you, sister.”
Fortunately, my encouragement seemed to have revitalized her. She regained her usual bold smile.
“Divine punishment upon the heretics!!!!”
“Hiiik?!”
Elia looked up at the sky and roared with determination at her enemies. The surrounding students jumped in fright and scattered.
“Alright! The next event is... the cavalry battle!!!”
“Mr. Jinwoo! It is time!!”
“Uhh...”
As the event I had practiced so diligently for finally arrived, I called out to him in a vigorous voice.
...Even after hearing me, Jinwoo wore a subtle expression.
“This Genesis Academy cavalry battle features a special rule! One rider and one mount! Magic power usage permitted!! This is the true duel of the modern era!!!”
“Waaaaaaaaah!!!”
This event might have been the second most popular after dodgeball. An all-or-nothing contest between the strongest students of each class was sure to thrill the spectators.
“Well, Miss Elia was banned after participating in too many other events... and the others are not suited for this type of match. So only the two of us remain!”
I kept talking excitedly to him, but none of it seemed to reach Jinwoo’s ears.
Squeeze...
That was because the sensation of my thighs clamping down on the back of his neck was far too distracting.
“Huuuurk...”
My already powerful thighs were mercilessly squeezing both sides of his head. Jinwoo looked like he was about to lose his mind.
“Come on! Let us go—for victory!!”
“Waaaaah...”
Every time I shifted my body, my ample chest bounced and tapped against the top of his head.
...This was exactly why I had tried to avoid this event!
“Mr. Jinwoo? Am I not too heavy...?”
“No? You are quite light.”
Of course, compared to her figure, my weight was actually very light. During our first practice I had worried his neck might snap.
But after training with me, working hard, and reaching level 40, carrying me had become easy.
My actual weight was 4■ kg.
Subjectively, it felt like carrying a single bag of rice?
...Wait, how does a body like this weigh so little?
I had been deeply shocked when she showed me the scale as if it were nothing.
“Focus! Let us go!!”
“Uh... huh?!”
My idle thoughts lasted only a moment.
As the match began, players from the other heterogeneous-race classes started moving. Deciding we could not simply stand still, I slowly advanced forward.
Squeeeeeeze!!
However, because I had tensed my thighs, Jinwoo’s cheeks were also being crushed.
“Ubuum... Ryu... shiaaa...”
“Haha!! Come at us quickly! We shall show you the true strength of our class!”
No, please loosen your thighs!!
I am going to suffocate at this rate!!