Countryside grassland.
Ryoji stepped through the pitch-black gate and instantly returned to the familiar world of Rakudai. Based on his surroundings, he'd popped back out right where he'd left.
"So this is what happens when two crossover worlds manifest at the same time…"
A wave of dizziness hit him, then his mind seamlessly connected with his other self in the TYPE-MOON world. Fifteen years of that counterpart's memories flooded in, integrating into his own. It was like controlling both hands at once, they could work in concert or act completely independently.
Ryoji turned to look back at the dark portal. The runes representing the TYPE-MOON world had already vanished, leaving only the name Danmachi World engraved on the door.
"So that means the TYPE-MOON world is no longer accessible… but I can still go back to Danmachi?"
Ryoji immediately felt a sharp pang of regret. If he'd known the window was closing, he wouldn't have bothered playing the gentleman!
"Oh well. First things first: get back to the academy."
With that thought, he dismissed the illusory gate before his eyes. The transcendent sensation faded, his feet touched solid ground, and he began sprinting toward Hagun Academy in the distance.
It wasn't far. With his vastly enhanced physique, he covered the ground in barely ten minutes, arriving at the academy gates like a gust of wind.
"Wait, it's already been a month?!" Ryoji was dumbstruck when he heard the security guard's answer.
Oh, crap. I am so screwed now!
A month! He'd missed at least a dozen matches. By this point, the selection tournament was probably deep into its final stages. Missing that many rounds was an automatic forfeiture, there was no chance he could still qualify for the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival.
"Heh… hahaha! Looks like I'll have to resort to some special measures!"
Ryoji covered his face and burst out laughing. Leaving the confused security guard in his dust, he dashed toward the faculty office building.
"Director! I'm coming in!"
At the top floor of the building, Ryoji's voice boomed. He kicked open the double mahogany doors and strode into a luxuriously carpeted office.
"Whew… Ryoji, have I really given you the impression that I'm easy to talk to?"
A beautiful woman in a business suit sat behind the desk, her high ponytail swaying. Shinguuji Kurono, the Academy Director, sat casually, lighting a cigarette with an elegant smile softening her poised face.
"If you don't give me a good reason for this intrusion, believe me, I'll give you a real lesson right here and now. No holding back."
A lesson? No, this wasn't the time for perverted thoughts!
"Director, I believe there's a serious problem with the current selection system!" Ryoji declared righteously. He strode up to the desk and slammed his palms down with conviction, looking every bit the passionate reformer standing up for justice. "The selection of opponents is far too random! That way, the truly strong contenders are bound to get eliminated unfairly, while weaker ones slip through the cracks!"
He wasn't exaggerating; Hagun Academy's selection system really was flawed. Participants had to fight at least twenty matches, but opponents were chosen at random. Only the six students with the best records would represent the school. This randomness meant some might face multiple seeded powerhouses in a row, while others breezed through weaker opponents, leading to strong contenders being cut unjustly.
"Cough cough… And according to you, what do you suggest we do?"
Ryoji's assertive stance radiated an undeniable presence. Faced with his intensity, Kurono felt her composure slipping for the first time in years. She instinctively averted her eyes, her heart suddenly racing.
How… how did this kid become so damn handsome in just one month?!
Clearing her throat, she silently chanted her husband's and daughter's names to steady her thoughts, then forced herself to sound calm and professional.
"I think we should hold a Repechage Tournament!" Ryoji's gaze sharpened as he seized the opportunity to present his proposal.
Back in the Danmachi world, he'd already considered the possibility of missing the selection rounds, so he'd quietly prepared a way back into the competition. The re-entry tournament, or repechage, was the solution. Plenty of students, like Kirihara Shizuya and Momotani Takeshi, had lost early simply because they'd gone up against a seeded contestant. They'd certainly welcome a chance at a comeback. Combined with Ryoji's growing reputation, the odds of the school agreeing to hold a tournament if he proposed it were pretty high!
Of course, if the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival itself had already ended by the time he returned, he'd just have to admit defeat and apologize to his Senior Sister. Fortunately, the Festival wasn't until August, and it was only early June, at least two months remained.
"So that's your idea. Holding a repechage does sound fair. It would help ensure the six strongest students are truly chosen."
That face of his kept flashing before her eyes, unsettling her focus, so Shinguuji Kurono simply closed her eyes and pretended to meditate. "But have you considered how much manpower and time that would take?"
A single selection tournament already took two months. Adding a repechage would take another half-month to a full month, and that's if the number of participants was small.
"We could tweak the format. Maybe make it a two-in-one elimination bracket?" Hagun Academy only had about seven hundred students. If they ran it as a ring-style elimination tournament, and considering that only a select few would join the repechage, they could probably wrap it up within a week.
"…We'll discuss that later." Kurono sighed, she couldn't quite out-argue him, but she wasn't ready to alter the rules just yet, so she steered the conversation elsewhere. "By the way, you've actually got a match this afternoon. Aren't you going to attend it?"
"…Huh?"
"What do you mean 'huh'? Don't tell me you didn't get the message?"
"Hold on a sec." Ryoji set down the two backpacks he was carrying. One, a huge one, made a series of clinking sounds, like glass bottles knocking together. The other was much smaller.
Come to think of it, Kurono thought, I hadn't even noticed how big that pack was. He's moving around so energetically with it, his stamina must have improved dramatically.
Ryoji unzipped the smaller pack and pulled out his student handbook and a charger.
"Director, where can I plug this in?"
"There." Kurono tilted her head toward a corner of the room, motioning with her chin. Though… something about the way he phrased that made her, a married woman, feel just a little off.
Ryoji plugged in the charger. Once his student handbook powered on, hundreds of messages popped up instantly. Aside from updates from Senior Sister Touka, the legal loli, and Kanata the rich lady, there were dozens of official notices from the tournament committee.
The strange thing was, even though he hadn't shown up for a single match, the notifications for his scheduled fights had never stopped for the entire month. Someone who'd missed over ten rounds should've been automatically disqualified and removed from the competitor list… right?
And yet… He had a match scheduled for this very afternoon.
(End of Chapter)
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New Novels- 1. One Piece- Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki!
2. One Piece- Master Of Devil Fruits
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