Chapter 51: White Hot
[What, you want to find me for special training?]
[Sorry to be blunt, but you look so weak that you can't even catch my eye. I have no interest in wasting time teaching someone like you.]
[You're not even a student in my class.]
[…Oh? That look in your eyes, that rebuttal, it does have a bit of spirit. Maybe you're not as weak as I thought.]
[So that's it, you've experienced many failures — that can also be considered a kind of training.]
[In France class, you lost Jeanne Alter, then you lost in Holy Grail War of Love War, and you couldn't even save Yu Ji.]
[The more you lose, the less afraid you become.]
[...I see. Then let me, Scathach, train you carefully. As long as you're prepared to die, I can definitely forge you into an outstanding and extraordinary warrior.]
...
[Murasaki Shikibu has officially joined your team.]
[You whisper a few words to Murasaki Shikibu, signaling her what to do before and after the ping pong match...]
[The two return to the battlefield known as the party.]
[Ping pong, rematch!]
Life Will Change!
A short minute passed.
Eikou returned to the ping pong battlefield, behind him was Murasaki Shikibu — who had just betrayed and joined his side.
The two held ping pong paddles and quickly stepped to the front of the table.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting,"
Eikou said sharply,
"Let's end this match in just one set! Murasaki Shikibu!"
"..."
Looking at the two standing side by side, Medb angrily said:
"Murasaki Shikibu, don't regret it! Once I take Eikou away, there won't be a piece left for you!"
Before Murasaki Shikibu could speak, Eikou shook his head first.
"How naive. This time, I don't think we're going to lose," he said.
"What, do you really think that weak girl can play ping pong with our Scathach?"
Medb sneered:
"Just one look at her and you can tell she's not athletic at all, doesn't look like the kind of person who drinks well either. A teammate like that is useless even if you drag her back —— oh dear, I've talked too much, you're wasting my time again, let's start the match already!"
After that, both sides quickly took their positions, ready to begin.
Eikou nervously swallowed dry.
This was a match they could only win, not lose — it concerned the fate of him and Roland tonight.
"Three, two, one..."
Eikou tossed the ping pong ball high,
"Fight!"
He suddenly focused power on his wrist and forcefully smashed the ping pong ball toward the opponent's table.
The ball drew a perfect curve and shot through the air like lightning.
Scathach was just about to raise her paddle to defend when she suddenly felt something was very wrong in her hand.
Her crimson eyes quickly glanced down, and to her shock——the paddle in her hand had been switched to a plastic bottle!
"When did that happen..."
In such a tight situation, she had no time to switch it back and could only swing the plastic bottle hard to return the ball.
As the ball flew toward him, Eikou's eyes instantly sharpened.
This ball—he might be able to block it!
Scathach now was no longer the same Scathach as before — after drinking, her stats had decreased, plus with the paddle switched, the ball she hit no longer had the same force as earlier.
"Muda muda muda, Scathach-sensei!"
Eikou shouted loudly as he swung his paddle to return the ping pong ball.
"Did you think I would obediently follow the rules and let you defeat me fair and square? No way!"
Right from their earlier conversation, he had already had Murasaki Shikibu secretly use her skills.
Using 「Curse Art B」 to swap the items, then using 「Verse of the Great Poet A」 to charm the opponent.
Adding to the fact that Scathach's abilities had weakened due to alcohol, she hadn't noticed any of these little tricks.
This couldn't be considered cheating or breaking the rules, because this too was a valid expression of "skills allowed to be used."
Furthermore, Murasaki Shikibu also had another support skill:
「The Diary of Lady Murasaki B++」
It was a skill that granted the whole team Debuff Immunity, increased defense, and also gave a special attack bonus against Good Alignment — and Scathach just so happened to be the exact type of opponent countered by it.
All of this… was to ensure victory!
"Pop!"
Eikou once again returned the opponent's ball.
Although his stroke was still clumsy, the ball that Scathach sent over was no longer invincible!
[You and Scathach begin a fierce exchange, the ping pong ball flying back and forth.]
[Murasaki Shikibu and Medb are not close-combat-oriented Servants, so they have no chance to intervene; after using all their skills, they can only obediently stand outside and watch.]
[This match has now become a true one-on-one duel between you and Scathach.]
[You pour all your strength into closing the gap between the two of you, but it's still far from being an advantage; your situation is like walking on thin ice — a single mistake will lead to failure.]
[If you want to defeat Scathach, your physical attributes must meet the requirements. Perform checks in three stats: Endurance, Agility, Strength!]
The three dice rolled down.
[Strength Check — Success!]
[Endurance Check — Failure!]
[Agility Check — Failure!]
Looking at the awkward result, Eikou's heart skipped a beat.
Two failures out of three checks — that meant the odds of losing this set were high.
Sensing an ominous sign, he hurriedly activated 「From the Ends of the World C」 to gain one more chance through Battle Continuation.
[Even though you gave everything to defeat Scathach, of course, old ginger is spicier...]
[Even with countless disadvantages forced upon her, in the next volley, she suddenly erupted with terrifying power — before you could even react, she raised the plastic bottle like a baseball bat and smashed the ping pong ball straight through your exhausted defense.]
[You lost this set.]
[You and Murasaki Shikibu have to drink a round of Water of Life.]
The dice rolled again.
[Endurance Check — Failure.]
[Murasaki Shikibu's Endurance Check — Failure.]
[You finish drinking one bottle of Water of Life.]
[Because you activated 「From the Ends of the World C」, thanks to the Battle Continuation effect, you forcibly stayed conscious...]
[But Murasaki Shikibu seemed unable to handle alcohol. After just one glass of Water of Life, she got drunk, passed out, and fell asleep on the sofa.]
"After all, her Endurance is only E-rank, one glass and she's down..."
Looking at the drunkenly sleeping Murasaki Shikibu beside him, Eikou smiled bitterly.
At least, Murasaki Shikibu had fulfilled her mission.
Rest easy, I won't let your sacrifice be in vain!
There was no time to mourn his teammate. Eikou tossed the ping pong ball high again, swung his paddle, and served.
[You want to directly break through Scathach's defense.]
[Perform the three stat checks again.]
[Since Scathach has regained her paddle, the difficulty of the checks has increased.]
The three dice fell at the same time.
[Strength Check — Success!]
[Endurance Check — Success!]
Next was the final check...
The die before Eikou rolled on the table, spinning several times before slowly stopping, finally revealing its number...
Eikou was so tense he almost forgot to breathe.
This was his one and only chance to succeed. Roland's romantic fate, his own chastity, the last hope of turning the tables — everything was riding on this single die!
Let this die draw the period to this battle.
The die revealed——
E.
That meant Great success!
[Agility Check — Great success!]