The Semifinals Begin
"Kids, you back?"
"Husband! I did great, right?!"
"......"
"......"
Jung Ayeon and I returned to the bench after the match. Hye-ji watched us with a slightly uneasy expression, while Elsia leaned her head forward, clearly fishing for praise. I gave Elsia a quick pat on the head without a word, then Jung Ayeon and I dropped onto the bench and tried to sleep. We desperately wanted to escape this filthy reality, even if only into dreams.
What mattered now wasn't scouting the opponent's strength. We could only pray our corrupted minds would recover, even a little.
It couldn't have been more than a short while, but when I opened my eyes, the second match had just ended. The next semifinal opponents were decided: Jung Ayeon's older sister paired with the blonde, blue-eyed woman. Jung Ayeon's expression as she watched them was more complicated than ever.
"Hey, Jung Ayeon, what's wrong? Scared because you have to beat your own sister?"
"...Not exactly that, but... there is something like that, yes."
At that moment, the winners—Jung Ayeon's sister and the blonde woman—approached our bench. The blonde looked down at Jung Ayeon with contempt.
"Still clinging to this childish friend game, are we?"
"......Mind your own business. I shall handle it myself."
"Do whatever you want."
The blonde brushed past Jung Ayeon and snapped sharply, "No matter what you do, nothing will change in the end."
"......Walk your own path."
"Fine, whatever."
With that, the blonde left the dueling arena. Jung Ayeon's sister gave her a slightly pitying look before following.
I turned to Jung Ayeon, whose expression still hadn't improved. "Hey, you okay? Did you know her?"
"......Just a wretched connection."
Then Jung Ayeon looked at me with desperate eyes and declared firmly, "Young master..."
"What?"
"In the next match, no matter what happens, I want to win."
"Got it."
I patted her shoulder. "Can you tell me as much as possible about them?"
"I don't know much about the blonde woman either. However..."
"However?"
"I know they belong to a family that calls themselves mages."
[Aren't those earlier gays more like mages?]
'Shut up. I keep hearing vibrations.'
"Then what about your sister?"
"Hmm..." Jung Ayeon paused to organize her thoughts. "Simply put, she can temporarily grant traits to others."
"You mean she enchants other people?"
"Exactly."
After summarizing Jung Ayeon's explanation, it boiled down to one mage and one buffer. A mid laner and a support. Piece of cake.
"Easy win."
"......Is that so?"
"They won't have any melee countermeasures anyway."
After all, I was a genuine top-lane psychopath. Mids were always weak to tops. A strange confidence filled my entire body.
Jung Ayeon and I quickly worked out a simple plan. But it wasn't long before I realized things wouldn't go as I intended.
Semifinal day. Jung Ayeon and I now stood in the dueling arena facing her sister and the blonde woman. As planned, we had prepared one flashbang. To prevent them from reacting immediately, we'd loosely wrapped the outside in cloth so they wouldn't notice until it was thrown.
Suddenly curious, I asked Jung Ayeon, "Jung Ayeon, I saw your sister in episode 5 but still don't know her name."
"Ah...... Well... just call her Jeong Bia."
Jung Ayeon suddenly looked awkward and averted her gaze.
"What kind of name is that? Is that her real name?"
"......Focus on the fight."
At that moment, the blonde woman suddenly cut into our conversation.
"How pathetic. You still haven't given up, have you?"
"Shut it."
The woman, though not quite as voluptuous as Elsia, still boasted a generous chest. She held a book in one hand while staring at us.
"Whatever I do is none of your concern."
"Oh my, if you lose this time we'll be seeing each other often, so I might as well get to know your face in advance."
When Jung Ayeon looked gloomy, the blonde laughed mockingly, clearly enjoying the situation.
A blonde delinquent like her dares to butt in? NTR is a sin.
"Blondie. Don't even dream of scouting our Jung Ayeon."
"Don't call me with such vulgar words!!"
"Then what should I call you? If that outfit isn't a prostitute's, what is it?"
"This is the traditional attire of proper mages!"
Just as I'd said, the blonde woman's outfit was extremely revealing. The strange part was how her chest, neck, and shoulders were completely covered while her lower body was fully exposed—an unbalanced design.
The woman crossed her arms and snapped at me, "And I have a name—Spencer!"
"Spencer?"
I began staring at her seriously.
"Does your name have a D in it?"
"......It does, but why?"
Overwhelmed by my sudden change in atmosphere, Spencer looked slightly wary. I pointed at her with my finger—specifically at her chest—and spoke profoundly.
"So you were of the D clan. Mamma D. Spencer."
"There's no way my name is something that vulgar, you bastard!!!"
[Please think normally for once!!!]
'People are named Ayeon (Zinc), so why not her?'
[......That does sound plausible.]
Unable to contain her anger, Spencer hurled her book to the ground. Meanwhile, Jeong Bia looked at Jung Ayeon with pity.
"Ayeon, you know you'll have to keep your promise if you lose here, right?"
"......I know."
Jung Ayeon stared at her sister with determined eyes. "But I shall win."
"......I can't help it, but I won't go easy on you either."
Just then, the professor's microphone crackled, signaling the match was about to start. He began announcing the team names.
【Left side! <Heavenly Demon Riding Stance> team!】
A massive wave of boos erupted. Understandable—they'd beaten up the gays in the PC trend era and ruined every betting board.
The professor quickly moved on to the opposing team, trying to gloss over the jeers.
【Right side! <Mid Difference> team!】
The students instantly flipped their attitudes and began cheering. Most of the shouts came from male students, but it was still milder than during the gay incident.
"Behold Spencer's overwhelming mid lane!"
"Starting today, I'm a Spencer-chan fan!!!"
"Our mid will carry this bet!!!!"
"Show us your chest once before the match starts!!!"
"Chest is truth! If you have no chest, just kill yourself!!!"
[......The academy's future looks dark.]
'It was always a place full of idiots.'
Elsia and Hye-ji, watching from the bench, reacted differently.
"Hmph. With a chest like that, who is she trying to challenge?"
"The last bastard is mine to kill."
Hye-ji's grinding teeth sounded especially terrifying today.
The professor hurried the match along before the cheers died down.
【The match will now begin!!!!!】
As soon as the match started, Spencer opened her book and pointed her right index finger at me. Her words carried an unusual weight, each syllable imbued with power and an inexplicable sense of dissonance.
"All shall return to ash."
The moment she finished, a small burst of flame exploded right in front of me. I'd already sensed something was off and stepped back, so I avoided major damage. Still, the sudden attack forced me to stay on guard.
Spencer smirked confidently. "Surprised? Mages imbue meaning into words to manifest magic."
"Is that nonsense you're spouting also magic?"
"Hmph. Since you're an idiot, I'll specially explain. My magic begins with eleven letters."
[If you can use magic just by babbling, then you are a great mage!]
'Shut your mouth.'
Spencer closed her book and continued, "And by pouring mana into the words, I manifest them through my book or clothing as mediums."
"Is that so?"
I looked at Spencer and smiled ominously. "I also know an eleven-letter magical phrase."
"You know nothing, yet you think you can use magic with just words?"
Spencer laughed mockingly. Instead of answering, I hurled the flashbang I'd prepared straight at her face.
"Ajitani Hifumi Daisuki!!!"
After a beat, I accelerated toward her. Jung Ayeon, who already knew about the flashbang, had kept her distance. Spencer, trying to understand my words, demanded, "What does that mean?!"
"It's the school anthem of Trinity Comprehensive Academy, you bastard!"
The cloth wrapping unraveled mid-flight, and the flashbang detonated right in front of Spencer. I shielded my eyes with both arms while running, and Jung Ayeon was already far away, so our damage was minimal. Still, the shock left us dizzy and slightly off-balance. Even so, it was enough to keep moving.
Spencer, who hadn't anticipated this, took the flashbang head-on but somehow remained standing. She stood in place, however, turning her head blindly as her vision failed to recover. Even then, she clutched her book tightly with her eyes closed and vented her frustration.
"This is just a damn flashbang! Why did you sing the school anthem?!"
"Does our Hifumi look like a dick to you!!!!"
Hifumi is light. To receive light, one must naturally sing a hymn.
"Since ancient times, mids have been weak to tops!"
- Thwack!!
My accelerating knee drove deep into the center of Spencer's face.