"I forfeit!"
"Forfeit accepted."
"???"
Ryoji could only stare, a long string of question marks practically floating above his head. He had spent all that time building up his mood, ready to unleash all that energy in one glorious display, and before he could even start, someone stuffed a cork in it.
Now he felt caught in this weird, stuck state, couldn't amp up, couldn't cool down.
Wait a second, couldn't someone at least let me act cool for a bit? Don't leave me hanging like this, come on!
"I knew it!" "Even though he came back, the result's the same as always." "Winning without fighting, that's the twelfth time!"
A rumble rose from the audience. One tall student (who refused to give his name) nodded sagely, quoting an awkward proverb he didn't quite understand, which made everyone else around him nod in agreement.
"I have no idea what that meant," he thought, "but everyone's nodding, so I'll nod too! Gotta look educated!"
"Ah, we didn't even get to see a fight." "Just seeing Angel-sama's return is enough!"
The crowd, satisfied just to witness the academy's living legend appear after a month-long absence, seemed genuinely overjoyed.
"Contestant Nangou Ryoji wins! That makes fifteen straight victories! Looks like his qualification for the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival is practically guaranteed! Wuwuwu, I'm so moved!"
"Moved your ass," Ryoji thought bitterly.
The match was over before it began, and he could only leave the stage feeling stuck between amusement and frustration. Why am I the only one who feels unsatisfied here? Is it really that hard to shake off this stupid 'Broken Wings Angel' nickname?!
"U-Um, can I shake your hand?" The doll-faced girl, Hagure Botan, came up to him shyly, pulling out a marker and a set of glossy photos from her bag. "If it's not too much trouble, could you also sign these for me?"
Ryoji took the photos, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. They were his photo set, the ten-thousand-yen collector's edition! So this Senpai was one of his customers. That made it hard to refuse.
"Yay! I got Angel-sama's autograph! This pen touched Angel-sama's hand, it's a family heirloom now! I'll never wash this hand again!"
"One million yen! Sell me that autograph!" "Nonsense, two million!" "Look at those crooked letters, so much personality! Truly Angel-sama's style!"
Ryoji sighed inwardly. Name's Ryoji. Never been one for schoolwork. Sorry if my handwriting offends you all. But as everyone knew, when it came to idols, no matter what flaws they had, as long as they had a good-looking face, their fans would forgive everything.
"Junior Brother!"
Not long after leaving the arena, Touka-senpai came running toward him. With a radiant smile, she threw herself right into Ryoji's arms, clearly, she'd missed him terribly. She didn't even care about the stunned onlookers around them.
By tomorrow morning, the whole academy would probably be buzzing with rumors like: "The Broken Wings Angel has been claimed by the Student Council President!"
Ryoji gently wrapped his arms around her, patting her back, when suddenly, he felt another gaze on him.
From beneath her parasol, Kanata the rich lady was watching. Her lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. It's fine, as long as you're okay, she silently shaped the words with her lips.
Ryoji gave her a quick wink in response.
Kanata's cheeks flushed pink. Flustered, she glanced around and quickly lowered her parasol, hiding her face. It seemed Touka wasn't the only one who'd been lonely during the past month.
Toudou Touka didn't notice the subtle exchange of glances between her Junior Brother and her best friend. She just nestled happily against Ryoji's chest, rubbing her cheek against him with a blissful little smile.
…
As evening fell, the three of them finally managed to leave the arena, wading through waves of enthusiastic fans who refused to let them go easily.
"Junior Brother, where did you get all this stuff?" Touka glanced curiously at the two heavy backpacks strapped to Ryoji's back.
"Ah, just… some souvenirs I picked up while wandering around outside," Ryoji replied vaguely. "I'll give you both a few later."
He deliberately shifted the topic toward the "gifts," and as expected, Touka's attention immediately changed, her eyes began to sparkle with curiosity and anticipation.
"But still," said Totokubara Kanata, her tone calm as her gaze swept over the smaller backpack, "if you were fine this whole time, why didn't you answer your phone or even reply to a single message?"
Ryoji smiled wryly. Ah, so she noticed the bag I got from her.
"At that time my student handbook ran out of battery," he explained, spreading his hands. "I haven't used the thing in, uh, two months… no, one month, actually."
When he'd been dragged into the Danmachi World, his handbook's power had run out within days, and there'd been no way to recharge it. He'd simply left it off ever since. Thanks to that, when he returned, he honestly thought he'd already been disqualified, that he wouldn't even be allowed to compete anymore.
"But seriously," he muttered, "how come I didn't show up for, like, a dozen matches… and I still have a perfect win record?"
"Because all your opponents forfeited, silly!" Touka, holding his arm, answered with a gentle smile. "In the past month, aside from your first three matches, all the remaining twelve, including today's, ended the same way. Every time, your opponent got on the stage… and immediately surrendered. Junior Brother, your luck really isn't bad!"
"Twelve matches, and they all forfeited?" Ryoji blinked. What kind of heavenly blessing is that? Could it be… my absurdly good luck acting up again?
"Cough, cough!"
A deliberate, pointed cough came from beside them.
"Kanata, what's wrong? Are you catching a cold?" Touka turned around in concern.
"It's nothing," Kanata replied smoothly, "just a little sore throat." Her face didn't change, but her emerald-green eyes flicked toward Ryoji and gave him a tiny, meaningful blink.
Ryoji instantly understood.
So that's it! It wasn't luck at all, it was Kanata, my beautiful benefactor, secretly pulling strings for me!
Kanata was the President of the Operations Committee, with full authority over the selection matches. She could easily rearrange brackets and opponents at will. With her behind the scenes, it wasn't strange that he'd advanced without fighting a single real battle.
Kanata the Rich Lady, absolute perfection. I'll make sure to thank you properly tomorrow!
Ryoji, careful not to let Touka notice, mouthed those words silently in Kanata's direction, his eyes full of teasing warmth.
Kanata's heart skipped a beat. The memory of what had happened last time in the clothing store's fitting room flashed through her mind, her fingers almost slipped from her parasol handle. She gripped it tightly to steady herself, but her cheeks were growing hotter by the second. Beneath the parasol's shade, her eyes glistened softly, moist enough to catch the fading light.
"Junior Brother, let me help you carry those!"
"No need! They're not heavy at all."
"Eh? Junior Brother, your stamina's gotten so much better!" Touka blinked in surprise. Ryoji had been walking with those heavy bags all the way from the arena without breaking a sweat. Only a month ago, he'd never been this tough, most people couldn't gain that kind of endurance even with a year of training.
"Heh heh, Senior Sister," Ryoji whispered playfully near her ear, "how much stronger I've gotten… I'll let you experience it for yourself tonight."
Touka's face instantly turned bright red. She gave him a shy, scolding glance, but her eyes carried no hint of rejection. If anything… there was a faint spark of anticipation there.
(End of Chapter)
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