144 32 Huuta is doing it with Ohjo! (1/2)

--Before the sun goes down. Spectacula, the arena.

After leaving Prim, Futa was looking around the interior of the Spectacle.

The field is empty, lit by a red slanting sun.

The hallway, silent and echoing with the sound of footsteps.

The Prims who had been in the closed information booths and stores were nowhere to be seen.

But, strangely, Futa didn't feel sad as he walked through them.

He had thought that an arena without spectators would bring back a few more memories and hurt his heart.

The pain in my chest from the Colosseum, the rumbling headache that tormented me, the unanswerable darkness that drowned me even though I could not die.

It's not wiped away. Just healed.

So I thought I'd feel a little more gloomy, but I don't know why.

I can't wait for tomorrow.

The only thing in the arena I can look forward to tomorrow is...

”I've been looking for you.

A voice from behind me.

I turn around to see a tiny little cauldron with a hood over its head.

”Is my sister okay?

There's no one here. She's closed, she's closed. My heart is dying.

Oh, yeah. Good night.

You.

She lets out a small sigh, and Futa's gaze wanders to the spectacle.

A few days ago, on the way back from a call from Lilac, I walked down a corridor inside the general seating area. From this high vantage point, he could see the entire battlefield.

It was beautiful, casting a large shadow against the soon-to-be setting sun.

Let's go home.

It was her order to look around the arena.

We talked about it on the way home, preparing for the main competition tomorrow. Such a roadmap had already been constructed in Futa's mind.

But Pasta shook his head.

”Sorry about that. You're wanted. Lilac's calling you in the waiting room.

Go ahead.

You're the one who started the conversation.

It's my fault?

Yeah.

--It's your fault.

He smirks.

I was just trying to be funny so you wouldn't fly off the handle when you heard Lilac was calling. That's all.

So I figured he'd run right over.

”So, we can talk about what you saw today at night?

”...... Sure. When you get back.

I'm not coming back?

You'd like that.

What do you mean?

--What do you mean? - The big body in front of you, not turning away from you.

Why don't you go?　Normally you'd run like a dog.

What do you think of me?　I don't want to keep you waiting, Lilac-sama.

”But what?

I really didn't understand why he stopped, so I tilted my head in an unusually pure way.

There was no way he was going to say something so auspicious as seeing me off. Every day, I'm alone on my way home from Lilac's call. Partly because I don't want to stand out.

But it's not like he's going with her. Lilac is calling Hooter alone. He's not a disobedient man.

So, you want to talk about what you saw today right away?

Child.

Pasta snickers and dismisses the idea, but... surprisingly. His answer was actually spot on.

”Thanks.

What?　What?

I looked him in the eye and saw that he wasn't looking at Pasta, but at someone else in the vicinity of the Spectacula's preferential seats. What you see is not the pasta, but the spectacle of the seats.

I never would have thought of that on my own.

Of course not. I'm going to make more money off of you than the Spectacle itself. Leave the thinking to me and work as hard as you can.

Right.

You're so naive. That's disgusting.

You really do need to say something. ......

A dumbfounded look came over Pasta's face. Pasta crossed his arms, saying that it was we who wanted to be taken aback.

In the first place, this is my job. It's my job to see how well I can take the material that is Futa and turn it into a popular product. There is no compromise in that. For the sake of making money, for the sake of the Orba Trading Company, I need you to continue to be a money tree at all costs.

This is not the kind of relationship where you should be thanking me.

Aren't you putting too much emphasis on a business partner who is working on a mutual interest?

Just when I was about to say that and shun him once again.

”For the first time, I'm surrounded by people.

The weight of his murmur was transmitted to me.

The past that I had heard. I knew what he was thinking about this spectacle. Because I knew.

I couldn't handle it the way I thought I could, and I thought, ”Wow, Prim's amazing. No, that's okay. It's just that you made me feel like I was one step closer. I'll try to explain better.　I'll try my best to explain it better. ...... That's all I'm saying.

”......

I guess I really want to hurry to Lilac's place.

He turned on his heel and said, ”I'll see you at night,” apparently not caring about our reply.

He exhaled as if to let out what was rising in his chest.

What do you owe me?　I'm not on the side of that b*tc* you love so much. If you feel indebted to me, you'll regret it.

It was the best I could do.

But he turned his back on me and ran off waving his hands in the air as if he didn't care, not even looking back.

Oh, I want to kick him. That back.

Taking a deep breath, she shouted.

”Futa!

Forcing her usual irreverent expression, she says confidently.

”You're going to be busy tomorrow!

The man who hadn't been looking at her earlier turned around and stuck his thumb in the air.

He turns and sticks his thumb in the air. What is that?

He's too unattractive to be a champion.

As she walked home, she thought about how she should behave.

Within a few minites, she was being hunted.

”Lilac-sama. I'm Futa.

Come in.

Lilac was in one of the players' waiting rooms.

Futa didn't know why he had chosen this place. But that didn't mean he had any reason to ask.

The silence in the waiting room was not as tense as it had been before the fight.

Like the relaxed arena at the end of a fight, the atmosphere was lonely, with just a hint of the setting sun.

Sitting on a long, comfortable couch, she turned and greeted Futa as usual.

The cup in her hand was empty.

Would you like me to make you some tea?

No, thank you. No, thank you.

She shook her head, which was unusual for her, and said no.

Have a seat.

”Well?

Then...” ”Then...” She showed me the one next to her. I didn't want to close the gap too tightly, but it would be rude to open it too wide. After some hesitation, Futa sat down in a compromise position.

I feel like it's been a long time.

”Hmm. It's been a while since I've been here. Both of us.

That's true. ...... At first, when you asked me to work with Pasta, I didn't know what to do.

It wasn't a bad idea, was it?

Yes. ...... Really.

It's not a bad idea.

I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not.

In the beginning, it was terrible, and there were often times when their disagreements caused trouble.

But now that they knew each other's efforts...

”What do you think? What do you think?

His gaze turned to Futa.

I wonder why.

It was supposed to be an ordinary conversation, but without realizing it, Futa gasped.

This tense atmosphere, as if he was being confronted with a choice that he could not make, was not something that would be out of place in a spectacle after the show.

”Do you think you can make it on your own?

For a moment, I didn't know what that question meant.

I'll do it alone, that is, if I don't need pasta next to me.

It's...

As a matter of fact.

Futa didn't quite understand the value of Pasta's position as a ”live commentator”.

When he was asked to give an explanation, he just replied as he was told.

Maybe if one person, or someone other than Pasta, was sitting in that seat, he could have done the same thing.

It would be fun to have Corona next to me.