You can't relax when you're a Butei. They're not civil servants who get paid with tax dollars to work for the public good, they're going to be your rivals in business, so it's a given.
If you get hurt in a private duel that's mutually agreed upon, the law won't protect you.
Because of this, Butei have several methods for dueling. There are no rules that say you absolutely have to use a certain method, but it's an unwritten rule to follow one of the rules so that neither you nor your opponent gets injured more than necessary.
If I were told to beat someone until they're unable to fight again, it would be a lucky break for me since I had to deliberately lose.
"But it's not..."
The rule for this match is that the first person to destroy the school emblem on their opponent's chest wins. The school emblem is in the left breast pocket, so even with a bulletproof and blade-resistant uniform, if you make a mistake, it could be a matter of life or death. Private duels are tolerated, but it probably means to be prepared if you're going to do one.
And the biggest problem with this rule is,
"I can't become Paradox..."
Naturally, transforming into Kamen Rider, which completely hides your clothes, is a no-go. I tried, though. But the school emblem is held on with a pin, so it wouldn't pierce the Paradox armor. And I didn't want to ask them to change the rules.
I have to win with the cards I have now.
Oh, come to think of it, I haven't reported on my weapon/ability gacha yet.
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Time Belt
A belt that allows you to travel through time. However, you can't even set the time freely, and you can't choose when to use it. The belt activates automatically on rare occasions for emergency missions sent to a terminal. It's also designed to automatically activate exactly one week after the emergency mission ends to return you to your original time.
--------
Dark Shadow
One of the special abilities called "Quirks" that appears in My Hero Academia. It's Fumikage Tokoyami's Quirk.
It allows you to control a monster that looks like a bird's shadow. The shadow itself has its own will.
The shadow can extend quite far, so it can be used widely for both offense and defense.
The weakness is that the darker the surroundings, the more violent and powerful it becomes, but also harder to control. Conversely, the brighter the surroundings, the weaker its abilities, but easier to control.
--------
These were the two.
The Time Belt just seems like a flag for me to go to the past or future and do something. And the fact that I have no control over the timing is the worst.
Dark Shadow is a jackpot. It gets weaker in bright places, but it's still more than powerful enough.
With this added to my hand, I might have a chance against Kirin. I want to believe I do.
Ah, but it's not decided that I'm fighting Kirin yet—
"—That's good. And your opponent is this one."
"...Hah."
I knew it would happen, but the man who placed his hand on Kirin's shoulder without any hesitation was her uncle, Koichiro Todo.
I could feel the whispers of the bystanders. I grabbed Yo's collar to stop her from pouncing. Yo isn't a girl who acts out of a sense of justice or anything like that, but this is a problem that goes beyond that.
"Don't worry. Even if you lose, we won't ask for anything."
"I don't think that's the problem... but fine."
He knows what he's saying. Even though I know the story from the original work and have a general idea of how it will unfold, it still gets to me.
"Uncle! I—!"
"Silence! You will do as I say!"
Koichiro brushed off Kirin's protest. He's really something, with the atmosphere so cold around us.
"B-But!"
Kirin tried to persist. I silenced her with my gaze. Just being glared at, she looked like she had been turned to stone by Medusa.
"Kirin. Are you going to defy me?"
"...No, that's not..."
Kirin cowered like a rabbit facing a bear.
"Good. This man has experience as a bodyguard for the Holy Maiden, and he's even repelled an assassination attempt. His skills are above his rank. If we defeat him now, it will be useful later on."
Ah, that assassin is right here. How amusing.
He must have researched the Holy Maiden. The Butei Killer incident is hidden, but he might think there's no need to hide anything about the Holy Maiden.
Yo and Koichiro distanced themselves from the two of us. All that was left was a sullen-faced Kirin and me.
A crowd of spectators had gathered around. I'm not a show. But I can understand the desire to watch.
"...I'm sorry," Kirin whispered.
"I, Kirin Todo, challenge Sho Yozuki to a duel."
"I thought I was going to duel your uncle," I said, starting a pointless conversation that wasn't on my mind at all.
"I don't want to fight you, either. But I have no choice. I have a wish I want to grant. To do that, I have to do as my uncle says...!"
"I'm not saying what he says is wrong. It's just that I couldn't overlook your current situation."
My head was getting cooler and cooler.
"Please, Senpai. If you withdraw here, it will all be over. So please."
"What will happen to you if I do?"
This event came out of nowhere. I had no preparation and just thought it would be a meeting with the Vivid members.
"Me... It's fine what happens to me. There's nothing I can do about it."
"Then I can't back down."
My resolve was hardening.
"Is that so... Senpai, you're very kind."
"You think so?"
Kirin looked up, and all hesitation was gone from her face. The timid atmosphere from just a few seconds ago had vanished.
"In that case, I can't help it. I can't afford to lose, either."
She drew her sword from its sheath at her waist and took a stance. Her stance was flawless, as if her earlier statement about not wanting to fight was a lie. Her entire body screamed that she would cut me down.
I drew my Super Space Holy Sword Space Caliber. I twirled it like a baton in my hand, creating a band of light. I held it with one hand and started spinning my other hand's claws with the Fang Tusk.
With Koichiro's voice, the duel began. I immediately wrapped Dark Shadow around my body. This gives me an effect similar to a typical physical enhancement magic.
(Let's go, Dark Shadow.)
(YEA, LEAVE IT TO ME.)
Now, bring it—
"Here I come!"
I'm not an idiot who takes my eyes off my opponent during a duel. Ah, that's just an excuse for the fact that Kirin had disappeared, and a white blade was aimed at my chest.
"!"
I somehow dodged and tried to retreat to create distance, but she gave me no time to do so and pursued with a barrage of attacks. Isn't this the same as the fight between Kuro and Einhart from earlier?
Her sword speed is extraordinary. The moment I become defenseless, she's already in the motion for the next attack. There are no wasted movements or feints.
"Senpai, you're strong. I'm surprised."
"Same here. I never thought you'd be this good..."
(ARE YOU FOOLING AROUND?! THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL!!)
Tch, are you a wimp, Dark Shadow? I knew it would be a close call from the start.
Kirin is the daughter of the head of the Todo-ryu, a famous sword style. In the original work, she was one of the top five most skilled swordsmen.
"Looks like I can't win after all..."
With a sword, that is.
This match isn't a sword fight. The winner is the one who destroys the school emblem on the left breast. My real plan is a strange-style shooting using the Fang Tusk and a pistol. There's no way she can deal with that on the first try.
A clever trick and a surprise attack have to be decided with one shot. If the trick is exposed, the success rate for the next one will drop significantly.
I'll stir things up a bit.
"!!"
My perfect memory ability. It doesn't just remember knowledge. It perfectly remembers everything I've experienced.
In addition to the school's practical training, I've also memorized the movements of Aria, Asuna, and Yukina.
And now,
"Is that... 'Renzuru'?"
"You mean this?"
I stepped in and attacked with the exact same movements as Kirin.
She easily dodged, but her face was filled with shock.
I can only use the techniques she has shown me, though.
'Renzuru' is the name of a Todo-ryu secret technique, called "Like folding a crane." It combines 49 consecutive forms to create a perfect continuous attack. It unleashes a torrent of precise slashes on the opponent without a single pause.
Only a limited number of people in the Todo-ryu can use it, and no disciples can use Renzuru at a level to compete with Kirin.
"Senpai, what are you..."
She was clearly agitated, seeing me, who shouldn't have existed. Koichiro, who was standing a distance away, also had his eyes wide open.
Well, this is just a facade. I'm just moving my body exactly as my perfect memory ability remembers, with the backup of Dark Shadow. I can only use the connected forms that Kirin used during this duel.
Such a tricky parlor trick can't fool a master forever. At first, it seemed like we were evenly matched, but as time went on, my attacks began to be guided. She was maneuvering me into a position where it was easy for her to attack.
Before it was too late, I let go of the Super Space Holy Sword Space Caliber. Kirin, who expected the sword fight to continue, lost her balance slightly. I aimed the Beretta and my arm with the spinning claws.
The claw bullet and the regular bullet, with different velocities. The billiard shot with the bullet aimed to scoop up from below and hit Kirin's school emblem—but it couldn't.
Kirin, with her superhuman reflexes, deflected the bullet fired from the Beretta before it could even hit the claw bullet. Are you Goemon Ishikawa?
From there, she went into Renzuru. I had no sword in my hand.
"Defend! Dark Shadow!"
(LEAVE IT TO ME!!)
Dark Shadow, who had been focused on backing me up, went on the offensive for the first time. A bird-shaped shadow appeared in the empty air.
"Hah!"
Kirin attacked the mysterious object without flinching, but she couldn't cut through Dark Shadow. Realizing this, Kirin slid behind Dark Shadow, between it and me.
Dark Shadow's defense was bypassed. The claw bullet for the billiard shot wouldn't hit the school emblem even if it flew straight. Furthermore, Kirin shifted her body slightly, as if she had predicted it.
The people around us thought the match was decided. They thought it was impossible for me to dodge Kirin's sword from my current stance.
However, I was thinking about something completely different.
The claw,
was rotating on my finger as an axis.
(ACT 2!?)
Just as I thought that, the fired claw bullet grazed Kirin's uniform.
Just a little, just a little, barely enough to scrape off a fiber or two. A hit so small you'd need a magnifying glass to see it.
The energy of the "rotation" latched onto it.
"What!"
Kirin realized something was wrong with her uniform.
The damage to her uniform, which she had no memory of being hit on her left flank, was gradually starting to move. Even though the claw bullet missed, the energy of the rotation was not dead. The rotational energy remaining on the uniform was taking effect.
Her thoughts couldn't keep up with this unprecedented situation, and the rotating hole blew away the left breast pocket along with the school emblem and disappeared.
I quickly checked my Stand's vision.
"CHUMIIIIIIIIIIIN...?"
"It's still ACT 1..."
I couldn't hear the cheers of the crowd at all. My mind was completely focused on my Stand, which had changed for just a brief moment.
----------
"And that's what happened."
"Oh, so that's what happened."
A few days after that duel. It was a school holiday, and for the first time in a long time, I was relaxing at home. I had finished reporting to Asuna, who wasn't there that day.
Koichiro's face after that duel was priceless. It was bright red. He ignored me when I tried to talk to him and just walked away. As for Kirin, she hurried away after a quick bow.
"And now she's not getting hit anymore?"
"I wonder."
I took a sip of the tea Asuna had made for me while sitting on the same sofa.
He probably offered those terms because he never thought he would lose, and since we didn't make a contract, there's no way for me to know if he's upholding his end.
I have no idea what's happened since. Yukina and Yo are in different grades. Maybe I'll go check on them sometime...
"More importantly, let's just cuddle~, we're finally alone~"
"You're very direct!"
I have too many things on my mind. Sometimes, I just want to relax without thinking about anything.
"Ah, geez, Sho-kun... There, there."
I put my head on her lap without asking, and Asuna didn't mind, stroking my head.
I was enjoying the blissful sensation behind my head, and in front of me was Asuna's loving smile and the two mounds pushing against her clothes.
Ah, this is so healing. I feel a little sleepy after eating lunch. The ticking of the clock is like a lullaby. Okay, I'll take a nap today, and—
Ding-dong!
"..."
"..."
Damn it.
"I'm going to kill them."
"Please don't."
I got up from Asuna and headed for the entrance.
Who is the idiot who would ring the doorbell at the worst possible time? If it's a newspaper salesman, I'll hit them in the butt with my umbrella.
"Who are you?! ...Huh?"
"H-Hello!"
It was a nervous-looking Einhart. And not just her.
"A-Ah, hello...!"
"Kirin-chan, too?"
Should I be happy that I saved myself the trouble of going to see her? Or is it something else?
What could be the meaning of this visit? And why won't God let me rest?
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