170 58 Junkessho (1/2)

It was between their entrance and the signal to start the match.

Their voices did not reach the audience as they faced each other without even holding their swords.

It would have been natural if their voices had been as loud as Izuna's, but they were just exchanging words.

There must be a lot to talk about. Although she was a little too close to him for him to be a kindred spirit, there was no doubt that the match with Futa was one of the reasons why the princess created Spectacular.

--What's that guy talking about?

I said I believed you. I believe you. I would never do anything to make you doubt me. But...

But it was kind of natural for me to feel uneasy about it anyway.

Anxiety. How do I describe that anxiety?

Perhaps it was because the person he was talking to was his natural enemy - his first and greatest benefactor.

Or is it because he is worried that he will be talked out of it somehow, and the match will be settled in an undisguised manner?

Or is it because he thinks that the game he has already bet on might be a trap set up by the two of them, just like the other day?

She shook her head as she thought about it.

One day, it would have been.

Yes, indeed. The scene I saw one day and this scene now are close.

I'm already out in the open, in the audience.

I couldn't stop Lilac from acting as if she was on her own, nor could I stop the man who had become a sword in her hands and created a storm.

Looking back, less than a year has passed since then.

You've got to be kidding me, I thought with a small smile in my thoughts.

It hasn't been a year since all that happened. The iron of anger that I put in the furnace hasn't even cooled down yet, but how can it be so?

Why am I so little worried about Lilac's trap?

At the same time, I wonder if I've been so stupid.

I've already realized that I can't see her.

I'm worried. Anxious.

It's all about ”his introduction.”

We both know we're going to win.

But... But still...

But still... I felt the fear and pain of exposing my dark, solitary past to the public. It was an agonizing decision, if you can take even the tiniest bit of it.

I knew this was the best way to win.

But...

I knew he was alone in the Colosseum.

Knowing his journey to King's Landing.

And this was a story she had no control over.

Pasta Pomodoro is the only one in the capital who knows why he clung to the Colosseum and to his champion.

Not for himself.

But to give proof to his relatives who suffered as ”unemployed”.

It's a past that has shattered my resolve and determination to prove it.

How dare you throw it away again here, for someone else's victory? I can't even begin to describe the stormy waters that lie behind that thought.

That's why I'm thinking.

I wonder what he's talking about now. I wonder.

First of all, I was relieved to be in a state where I could speak properly. And yet, there was that lilac in front of me. She said she'd asked my permission to reveal my past, but I don't think she'd let this happen.

Because...

I have my own scars from the past.

I don't think she'd easily forgive such a revelation.

In any case. It's a story that ends in our world anyway.

You might want to kill yourself a couple of times for revealing it later, but if you say that you got Futa's permission, you can escape.

For now, all I have to do is fill in the gaps and make it more exciting.

For now, all I have to do is to fill in the gaps and make it more exciting. The ”content” of Futa must win the lilac. That's the mission I've been given.

It's the first time I've been given a goal called victory.

Then all I have to do is run to that point.

There's no reason to think about the relationship between them. There isn't.

”But you're nine years old.

”But you're nine years old,” comes the voice of the man next to me at the most inopportune moment.

One of the things I should have done while I was there was to dig deeper into the man who was playing the commentator. I had already gleaned some information about him, and I had an idea of how to handle him.

That's why I was careful.

But still, this guy... --He seemed to have completely forgotten that we had met once at Orba Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

At the time, he had long hair, a hood, a prostitute, and it was only for a moment, so it might be difficult to connect the two.

She was also Futa's sister.

”Oh, yeah, that's right!

”Hmm. I'm not an idiot, so I get it.

”What about ......?

I'm not an idiot, so I get it.

”Oh, ha-ha ...... thanks .......

While inwardly killing the man who gave me the first scare three times.

I'm not sure what to say.　You too!

I'm sorry. Pasta Pomodoro. I accept your request for help.

Is ...... Motisuke-chan Izuna's ...... buddy?

Negative. Master is the user using the individual identifier Motisuke.

”Yes, Izuna-san?　What does that mean?

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.　And Pasta looks up at the man. The audience is buzzing strangely.

That's right. There's been an outrageous coming out, and it's now Mochisuke, Izuna, and Pasta in the stands.

It smells like a crime.

But the guy who didn't understand anything had a perfect sense of survival smells for a guy who didn't understand anything.

”Oh?　Oh, you're at that age. Just some kid I picked up. I'm taking care of him.

The endless winning streak of raising his own stock while unknowingly knocking down Motisuke's social status.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

He is the strongest man in the qualifying round. The audience's desire to see him better than the dangerous man was also at work, and there was a mysterious round of applause, mainly from the female fans.

I feel bad for Mochisuke, but let's just say that.

Pasta joined in the applause and said, ”I see.

'He's a bit of an idiot, but he can be sharp sometimes. Just leave it at that.

”Oh, ha ha .......

”Isn't that you?　Pasta laughed, repressing the question, ”Isn't that you?

Well, this is going to be a lot of fun. Pasta, with an uncomfortable nervousness in his heart, continued to speak, checking every movement of the field.

”Do you know my brother from back in the day, Izuna?

Yeah. I can talk about him all I want. I can tell you all about him. ...... That's exactly why he was banished, ...... and what happened after that.

What do you mean after that?

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

I'm sure you've heard of it. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. I'm not sure what to make of that.

”What?

The crowd erupted in cheers.

He was unpopular as a champion and was kicked out.

That was the only information they had heard. To their groans, Izuna looked around once.

--Izuna had a thought about Pasta's story earlier.

It was true that he had been kicked out by the audience and the chairman.

It's a lie to say that Futa was not at fault.