The Double Date and the Merchant's Gambit
Double date. "A bet? Why on earth would I do that?" Judith had reacted negatively to the suggestion of a wager, but one word from our illustrious protagonist had settled everything. "It looks fun, let's do it. I'll let you win, Judith." Yuren Stardust. A man who would be coddled by the world until he died of old age, and there wasn't even a guarantee he’d ever die. Judith had sighed as if she were in a difficult spot, but in the end, she nodded at Yuren’s confident request. It’s human nature to find it hard to refuse a request from someone you like.
We decided to take turns shooting the bow five times each. Erpin and I were one team, Judith and Yuren the other. It might have seemed a bit childish, but the losing team had to grant a wish to the winning team. But then, a serious problem arose.
"Wow."
"Pfft."
I let out an exclamation at the absurd sight, and Judith hurriedly covered Yuren’s mouth with her hand as he couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Ah, uh, ah?"
In the first round, I scored 8, Yuren 9, and Judith 5, and then it was Erpin’s turn. Pulling the bowstring was fine. Her form was a bit clumsy, but it was decent, and she even drew the string more easily than Judith did. So, I had assumed she had some level of proficiency. But the arrow Erpin fired drew a very high arc and thudded helplessly into the ground.
"S-sorry... I’m not really on good terms with shooting..."
"Don’t be nervous, just focus your strength in your arms. You’ll do better."
In the first place, the very act of shooting in front of others must have been a huge burden for Erpin. There were still four rounds left, so there was a chance for a comeback. Erpin’s problem was simple enough to explain easily. Drawing the string was fine. The problem was the moment she released it. Perhaps because she was too nervous, she had a tendency to release the tension in her arms the moment her fingers let go of the string. That’s why the arrow, like before, drew a high arc and crashed into the ground without even getting close to the target board. Since Erpin was a genius, I thought that if I just helped her understand the cause step by step, she would quickly overcome the problem.
"I-I’m sorry..."
With Erpin releasing the string just now, the fourth of the five rounds had ended. For the record, Erpin had recorded four consecutive zeros. It wasn't that she had no knack for it at all; the problem was that damn nervousness. If only that nervousness hadn't held her back, she could have easily hit the target board. From the perspective of someone watching, it was just a shame.
My record so far was 9, 7, 7, 8. Yuren had 9, 10, 9, 10. Judith had 5, 6, 5, 6. Erpin had 0, 0, 0, 0. With the outcome clearly tilted, Erpin hung her head low and fidgeted with her hands as she spoke.
"Because of me... I-I’m sorry...!"
"It’s okay."
Starting with her following me, helping me open doors with her Ultimate Magic, Psychokinesis, and even accepting my sudden proposal for a bet without a word of complaint. She had done more than her fair share; she was certainly not someone to be treated as if she hadn't pulled her weight. I didn't want Erpin, who usually only showed a timid side, to be so hard on herself and feel discouraged with such a serious face.
"Do we really need to go one more round? We’ve already won."
"I know, but give Erpin one more chance."
I grabbed Erpin’s wrist and led her to the shooting line. Then, as I handed her the bow, I whispered in her ear.
"Use Psychokinesis to hit the dead center. Make it satisfying."
"I-isn't that cheating? Is it okay?"
"Nobody’s going to say anything anyway. Even if you shoot a 20 here, the result won't change."
The archery range was small, so whispering was useless. As proof, Judith sharpened her voice and said:
"I don't care, but don't go spouting nonsense like 'plus 99 points' like some training camp."
"Don't worry. I don't know what you think of me, but that will never happen."
Erpin was unable to move her hands holding the bow and arrow.
"You must have been the most frustrated one until now. If you’re okay with it, we can stop here, but if you want to shoot, then shoot."
Erpin pursed her lips and opened her eyes wide as if she had made a decision. She was just loading the arrow and drawing the string the same way as before, but it was definitely different from when she had recorded four consecutive zeros. Her posture was more stable, and there was no fear in her eyes. Above all, the hand pulling the bowstring wasn't shaking at all.
"Then... it’s a little embarrassing, but...!"
Just like when she unlocked the lock with Psychokinesis, Erpin’s entire body was engulfed in wind pressure, and her long hair scattered with tremendous force. Yuren let out a "Whoa," and Judith was just as surprised. I stared intently at Erpin’s profile from a distance just outside the reach of the wind pressure. It was a beauty that went beyond simply being pretty—it was breathtaking. Her small stature that stimulated a man’s protective instinct, her gentle and timid-looking face, and the subtle sexiness felt from her dark complexion. In dating sim games, heroines are beings who have reached the pinnacle of beauty. The fact that she didn't fall behind those heroines was proof enough that she was a considerable beauty.
When Erpin released the string with a look of determination, the arrow didn't draw a high arc but flew straight ahead. And when the arrow hit the dead center of the target board, there was a sound of the board cracking. Sure enough, the target board, unable to withstand the impact, shattered into pieces in less than ten seconds.
"I-I-I-I’m sorry...!!"
Erpin immediately bowed her head and apologized repeatedly to Judith and Yuren. She had been so stressed while shooting that I felt sorry for dragging her into the bet in the first place.
"That was the case before, and now too. I know that Ultimate Magic requires a large amount of mana, so how are you using it so effortlessly? You just used Psychokinesis, right?"
Yuren was genuinely amazed and showered Erpin with praise. He wasn't asking to cover up Erpin’s mistake, but out of pure curiosity. It was an ironic situation where she had committed property damage but was being praised instead of reprimanded. Erpin, caught in the cognitive dissonance, even teared up and waved her hands at Yuren, telling him to just curse at her instead, but like a truck without brakes, Yuren’s praise showed no signs of stopping even after three minutes had passed.
Eventually, Judith, filled with jealousy, moved to the left of where Erpin had shot and picked up a new bow and arrow. Then, she drew and released the string with even more precise form than before. The arrow flew quickly in a low arc and hit the 9-point section of the target board.
"How about that, Yuren! I also got a 9..."
"How do you use Ultimate Magic? Can’t you teach me?"
"It’s purely by instinct, so I don't know where to start..."
"As expected, a genius is different. Using Ultimate Magic by instinct—I’ve never heard of such a thing in my life."
She had turned around with high expectations of being praised by Yuren, but Yuren didn't even know that Judith had shot a 9. As proof, he was still busy praising Erpin.
"..."
Judith, having lost her cool, left the archery range first with a blank expression, and Yuren, only then noticing the icy atmosphere, followed after her.
*
Judith suggested to Yuren that they return to the Academy. I was relieved that she seemed to understand, at least a little, why I had gone through the trouble of finding them. For the record, Erpin didn't stop apologizing for breaking the target even while we were heading back to the Academy.
"It’s okay. It’s a place we borrowed, but it’s not expensive anyway, so I can just pay for it."
"Wouldn't that be a bigger problem...? The owner will definitely be angry..."
"That may be so, but since you showed me Ultimate Magic twice right in front of my eyes, I’ll just think of it as paying the admission fee and compensate for it instead."
A strange combination including the young master Yuren, the young lady Judith, and Erpin, who was called the greatest genius mage on the continent. As the gazes of numerous students followed us, I realized once again that the people next to me were celebrities.
"Oh, come to think of it, what about the wish? The losing team had to grant a wish to the winning team..."
"I won't use it now; I’ll save it. I think I’ll have a reason to ask for a favor later."
I could roughly guess what Judith meant. Two years from now, when Crypto Moondust would try to make a contract with a demon. The point in time when Judith’s trauma, her family history, would be resolved. Judith had created a justification to receive help just once from Erpin, a powerful asset, in preparation for that time. Even if Erpin wasn't the type who couldn't refuse others' requests, she was the type of person who would definitely repay a debt.
"But it’s amazing. You’re our age, yet you already know how to use Ultimate Magic."
"What about me?"
"H-huh?"
"Praise me too. Looking at the score, you would have won even without me, but I hit 5 points twice and 6 points twice, you know."
Perhaps because Yuren had only been praising Erpin since he left the archery range, Judith’s face was full of spite. After that, it was the same pattern. Yuren repeated praises to soothe Judith, and Erpin rolled her eyes diligently, reading the room regarding Judith’s attitude. We walked for quite a while, literally. As we walked forward for a long time, the school gate began to come into view, and I said my final words to Yuren.
"Yuren, the situation for the first years is not very good right now."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Princess Niphia has started treating the first years as trash and narrowing their standing because there are only two people in Class A of the first year. Right now, you guys have even been banned from using the snack bar because you skipped class."
"R-really? Is that allowed in a prestigious academy?"
"Lumeris Academy is a meritocracy, isn't it? It’s a place that values ability over status, but Princess Niphia has little influence while her ability is certain, and her status is high. There’s a reason Dean Celes is leaving her alone. And..."
I stopped what I was about to say and couldn't help but doubt my own eyes. Amethyst-like purple eyes. A fox-like eye smile and a gaze that seemed to pierce through the other person. Snow-white skin and silky crimson hair. I wondered if it was someone I knew, and it really was.
'Were they waiting for me?'
Muse Fairfield, the owner of the Frey Merchant Guild and evaluated as the continent’s best arms dealer. Moreover, there was one more person next to Muse with a familiar face. A small girl wearing a robe. Silver twin-tails and emerald-like eyes—it was Sia Stella.
"Did you enjoy your date?"
The fact that they were waiting at the school gate was one thing, but the ominous feeling that came from the two of them being together was another. Judith stared at Muse and Sia blankly just like I did, and Yuren and Erpin, who didn't know the situation, looked at us in turn as if they didn't understand what was going on.
"The two of you, excluding Yuren and Erpin, see me for a moment."
*
The traffic jam that had seemed complicated was brought to an end by Muse’s one word. After sending Yuren and Erpin back, Judith, Sia, and I arrived at the Frey Merchant Guild building following Muse. It was a new branch of the Frey Merchant Guild that had been newly established on the Lumeris continent for the sole reason that Muse Fairfield was enrolling in Lumeris Academy. Upon arriving at Muse’s office, we were handed cups of black tea by a female employee in sophisticated attire.
"You may leave now."
The employee bowed and quietly closed the door as she left. The guest sofa was divided into four directions: north, south, east, and west. With me as the center, Muse sat to the north, Judith to the east, and Sia to the west. It was just when I was leaning back in my chair and about to take a sip of black tea.
"I’ll start with the main point, no, the conclusion."
Muse spoke very softly, but the words she spat out were harsh.
"We know the future. Don't we?"
Words that could never be accepted while in one’s right mind.
"Please help me seize the imperial power."