The time I had to spend with Seia and Nagisa, carefree and at ease, was much shorter than planned.
It was inevitable. I had been so busy handling things that by the time I finally met up with them, the sun was already high in the sky.
Still, I dragged Seia around, buying snacks from street stalls, participating in a treasure hunt event, and watching things like the Beach Beauty Contest.
After having a good time, even Seia, who had been skeptical a few days ago, had a decent look on her face.
The treasure hunt involved receiving a device that looked something like a dowsing rod and wandering the beach in search of treasure buried in the sand… or rather, "treasure exchange tickets" that the event staff had painstakingly buried all over the beach early that morning.
It was an event obviously meant for children, but I insisted a little, thinking that participating in something like this would help the overly mature Seia and Nagisa let go of their burdens and relax.
The prizes for the tickets we found were, unfortunately, not very high-tier, so we only got some drinks, but that was better than winning something unnecessarily extravagant.
None of the three of us were short on money, so winning a big prize would have just been awkward.
As for the Beach Beauty Contest, I was actually the first one to be invited to participate. It might sound a little conceited, but I think I deserved the offer.
I mean, whose body is this? It would have been weirder if I hadn't been invited. Her looks were a shoo-in for the top prize in any beauty contest held in Kivotos.
Anyway, I received the offer, but…
[The winner of the Beach Beauty Contest is… Miss Kirifuji Nagisa!]
I sent Nagisa up in my place. Why? Because I thought it would be more fun that way. Nagisa, who had been fidgeting awkwardly on stage, broke into a smile the moment she heard my cheers.
The sight was so lovely that I thought they could have declared her the winner on the spot. It was the kind of cute that literally bombed your heart.
But even such fun times must eventually come to an end. The final match of the summer festival, the one that would decide my fate, the Naval Mock Battle, was finally beginning.
[Greetings, everyone, amidst the hot sun, the cool breeze, and an atmosphere just as heated! I am the undisputed number one announcer from Chronos School, sent here today to bring all of you who have come to the festival the best match possible!]
For the commentary, they had brought in a famous third-year announcer from Chronos School. Actually, yesterday's mock battle should have been done this way too, but being the first festival, there were many shortcomings.
To be honest, I think the atmosphere was best on the first day, when the General Student Council President herself was the announcer.
You could tell she was enjoying not just the match, but the commentary process itself, which made it more immersive for the viewers.
[Trinity and Gehenna. Gehenna and Trinity! Do you see the students of the two academies exchanging fierce glares? A battle of nerves worthy of the fiercest rivals in all of Kivotos, who have no equal!]
Two ships, connected by chains at a set distance, floated on the sea. On their decks, students were gathered, preparing for the intense battle to come. With the fate of the entire festival riding on this match, tension filled the battlefield where they would clash head-on, their pride on the line.
As time passed, the distance between the two ships would gradually decrease. This was possible because the ships themselves were designed to be a sort of stage.
The interiors were mostly empty; they were essentially models made to look like galleons for this one mock battle. The chains connecting the ships would be slowly pulled from both sides, so that by the end of the match, the distance between them would be practically nonexistent.
Though they resembled galleons, they weren't made of wood, so throwing grenades at each other wouldn't sink either ship.
Another distinct feature was the several crow's nests on the masts, providing opportunities for snipers to shine.
Of course, safety nets were installed around them to prevent any accidental falls. It was truly a stage set for this one single match.
[The rules of the match are simple! As time passes, the distance between the two warships will shrink. Before that distance is completely closed, the side that either neutralizes the entire opposing team or has eliminated more of the enemy's forces when the ships meet will claim victory. Attacks targeting the crow's nests are limited to gunfire only, but there are no restrictions on the use of explosives against the opposing deck.]
Initially, the plan was to have two real warships and have teams infiltrate the other side to capture a flag, but it was decided that an indoor battle would be less entertaining for the audience, so the format was changed to a full-frontal battle that everyone could watch and enjoy.
[Boarding the enemy ship by crossing the chains is, of course, permitted… However, please note that if you fall into the sea during the attempt or are rendered unable to fight on the enemy deck, you will not be able to rejoin the battle after recovering, unlike if you were defeated on your own deck. Therefore, it would probably be safer to attempt a boarding once the distance between the ships has narrowed!]
The best fighters from both academies had finished their preparations to decide the victor.
I decided to stop obsessing over the outcome of my bet and focus on the match that was about to unfold before my eyes. Nagisa, who knew about the bet, squeezed my hand and gently rubbed my palm.
"Believe in everyone from our academy, Mika-san."
"Ahaha, I want to, but…"
Even as she said it, Nagisa's expression, knowing Trinity's record so far, was quite complicated. As proven in yesterday's mock battle, it was true that Trinity had a slight edge in pure combat.
However, that was only under the premise that Tsurugi could keep Hina in check. In today's match, where the battlefield itself was smaller, it would be difficult for Arius Squad to perform maneuvers like breaking the enemy line while avoiding Hina.
Because of that, I couldn't be entirely optimistic just because we had won yesterday's match.
Tsurugi, who needed to hold Hina back, would likely take significant damage if she tried to cross over to the Gehenna ship before the mid-game. The key was how little damage she could sustain if she did try to cross early.
[And now, the grand finale of the 20XX Summer Festival! The final battle to determine the winner between the two academies will beginnnnn—]
…What is this situation, where a familiar announcer's opening line is coming from the mouth of an unfamiliar high school girl? Her shout, so long it made me laugh, seemed to have no end in sight.
[—nnnnnnnnnNOW!!!]
BANG!
After a breathless eternity, the opening declaration finally ended, and a gunshot signaled the official start of the match.
To sum up the early phase of the match in one word: cautious. With a considerable distance between the two ships, both sides were clearly being careful.
Amidst the occasional sound of gunfire as snipers exchanged blows, the head of Gehenna's Prefect Team began to make her presence known.
BANG!
As if on cue, Hasumi's shot flew toward Hina. But Hina, as if she had been expecting it, simply tilted her head with a blank expression, dodged it, and began to fire.
Pewww—
The signature sound of Gehenna's strongest firepower began to sweep across Trinity's deck. Her presence alone was like an entire artillery battery, and the snipers scrambled to respond, but Gehenna wasn't about to let that happen.
[Indeed, this is the power of the strongest Prefect Team leader in history, who elevated the reputation of the Gehenna Prefect Team to a new level! And Gehenna's snipers have no intention of letting Trinity's snipers set up as they please!]
Makoto, ecstatic just to be in a higher position than Hina, disrupted Hasumi's aim with chilling accuracy, forcing her to take cover in the crow's nest.
Haruna and Hiyori, who had formed a strange rivalry since the sniping competition and mock battle, were now completely ignoring the situation below and had entered a duel of their own.
Iori, after quickly taking down one of the Justice Task Force's snipers, began to provide suppressing fire against a Sisterhood sniper.
Thanks to her, the final sniper from Pandemonium Society was free from interference and began to fire at the Trinity students on the deck below.
Meanwhile, Hina's gunfire swept the deck, making it difficult for our students to even peek out from behind cover. The one person who could face Gehenna's terrifying archdemon head-on was still waiting for the right moment, so there were very few students who could return fire.
But "few" did not mean "none." Saori and Azusa calmly used cover to focus Hina's attention on themselves.
[As the Gehenna Prefect Team leader unilaterally ravages Trinity, two bold students step up to challenge her! It is a perilous battle, like the people of a small country facing a giant, but the fact that a response is not entirely impossible is surely good news for Trinity!]
Did the announcer also see it not as a hopeful signal of a counterattack, but as a desperate struggle to stop a leak? On that point, I had to agree.
Still, the distance between the ships was steadily decreasing, so Tsurugi's time to shine would surely come. And although one of our snipers was already down, I believed in the rest of our team.
Once Hiyori, who was currently locked in a prideful duel with Haruna, was free, keeping Hina in check wouldn't be impossible. Hiyori's shots, fired from her anti-materiel rifle, could deal significant damage even to me, so they were a valid weapon against Hina.
The early phase of the match was clearly in Gehenna's favor, but once our tactical weapon, the angel of feigned madness, had her time to shine, turning the tide would only be a matter of time.
…It had to be.
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