Chapter 31 – ３１ – Duel Start: VS Fuchibeni Yoshio

Entrance Ceremony Arc

“The time has come, so we shall now begin the duel!”

“—————!!”

Following the voice of the third-year senior acting as the MC, a roar of cheers echoed through the hall.

“Since neither party has named their Masked Form yet, they will be introduced by their real names. To the east! This year’s New Student, Top-Ranked Magic Capacity! Naruki Midorikawa!!”

“Go get ’em.”

“I will.”

Equipping the Device used for Masquerade and the hood to assist its activation, I stepped onto the stage with my large shield still strapped to my back.

“To the west! This year’s New Student, third-highest Magic Capacity! Yoshio Fuchibeni!!”

As Fuchibeni’s name was called, he ascended to the stage.

A sadistic smile played on his lips; he looked as if he were licking his chops in anticipation of what was to come.

“Now, as you all know, this duel is hosted and refereed by the Lady Goddess herself. Therefore, please understand that no one shall be permitted to interfere with the process or the result.”

The MC senior’s words were essentially a polite way of saying that any behavior was legal as long as the Goddess didn’t stop it.

Though, I had no intention of behaving that way.

“We shall now begin the countdown! Three… two… one…”

As the MC senior retreated from the stage, an invisible membrane—a Barrier—deployed to ensure that attacks would not fly out into the audience.

Seeing this, I pressed my right hand against my Device.

Fuchibeni placed his left hand on his Device and brought his right hand to his empty waist.

“Zero!”

“Masquerade Activation!”

At the count of zero, Fuchibeni and I activated our Masquerades and were enveloped in light.

✧

Naru’s entire body was wrapped in light.

The original physical body was sent to a safe Heterophasic Space, and in its place, a Masked Form constructed of magical power manifested as the sphere of light shifted its shape.

In Naru’s case, the hair grew longer, the chest expanded, and the overall physique became rounded; based on form alone, it could be called the ideal female body.

Then, the light peeled away from the fully transformed mass, revealing the Masked Form.

On the feet were rugged black boots.

From the legs to the neck and the tips of the arms, a riders suit was worn; the zippers were wide open, making it quite revealing, though the essential parts remained properly covered.

On the back was the same shield that had been there before the Masquerade activation.

And the face… the basic structure remained the same, but it had become feminine, featuring vivid turquoise-blue eyes and silver hair that reached down to the thighs.

“Masquerade complete.”

Normally, a Masked Form hides the face with some kind of object, as the name implies.

However, Naru’s Masked Form hid nothing at all.

To those who knew what to look for, an extremely anomalous Masked Form had appeared, accompanied by a voice like a beautiful flower.

✧

Simultaneously, Fuchibeni’s Masked Form appeared.

His physique remained unchanged, but over a black full-body tights suit, he wore a golden vest. With protectors attached to various points, his silhouette appeared bulkier.

His face was hidden by a golden mask that cleanly covered everything from the nose up.

Tucked into his waist holster was a golden revolver to match the vest.

Every piece of gold on his body reflected the stage lights, shining as if to flaunt Fuchibeni’s existence, his pride—everything.

Whether that brilliance was mere vanity or true substance, no one knew yet.

Regardless, Fuchibeni’s Masked Form appeared on stage, firmly protecting and showcasing its master.

✧

“Masquerade complete… and now!”

“!?”

It happened the instant the two Masquerades were complete and they recognized each other’s forms.

Fuchibeni drew the revolver from his waist and fired from the hip.

The sound of the gunpowder explosion echoed through the hall as a golden bullet leaped from the muzzle.

The bullet flew straight toward Naru’s stomach…

“Tch.”

“Well, I figured you’d try something like that.”

The bullet grazed the side of Naru, who had leaped sideways the moment the match started, and continued straight.

Upon colliding with the Barrier surrounding the stage, it was decomposed into magical power and vanished.

“So? You’re not going to tell me you’ve reached your limit with a single surprise attack, are you?”

Naru gripped the shield on the back with the right hand, dropped the hips, and completely hid behind the cover of the shield.

“As if I would.”

In response, Fuchibeni continued to hold the revolver in one hand, but he extended his arm moderately, bringing the gun closer to his eye level in a posture that made aiming easier.

“Kuku… hahahaha! Ahahahahaha!”

Suddenly, he burst into laughter, casting a look at Naru as if seeing an utter fool.

“What’s so funny?”

“What? You’re asking what?! Hahahaha! It’s too funny not to laugh! This is proof right here that no matter how much magical power you have, that alone isn’t enough! How could I not laugh at this!”

Looking at the spectator seats, there were quite a few people laughing along with Fuchibeni.

Even those not laughing had looks of exasperation or faces that seemed to say they couldn’t understand it.

And all of them were looking not at Fuchibeni, but at Naru… or more accurately, at the shield Naru held.

“This is basic Masquerade 101, let alone a duel! An object that hasn’t undergone special treatment regarding magical power is harmless to a Masquerade! That’s exactly why conventional weapons became meaningless! And that shield has the same design as the one you had before the Masquerade activation; it’s just a commercial product! In other words, to my bullets, it’s less than a scrap of paper!! You moroooon!!”

Fuchibeni fired the revolver.

The released bullet flew straight toward the shield Naru held and collided.

A crack appeared… and that was it.

“What!?”

“For now, it seems it’s been proven who the idiot is, hasn’t it?”

The bullet failed to pierce Naru’s shield and stopped, leaving a large impact mark.

“It’s part of the Masked Form!? Don’t screw with me! Even if you used a Masked Form adjustment to urgently attach clothing, I saw you get that shield over the weekend! You shouldn’t have had any chance to adjust it since then!”

“Too bad for you. Both the clothes and the shield are my own. Apparently, my Masked Form doesn’t accept adjustments.”

“You say it’s your own because it doesn’t accept adjustments… stop joking! You can’t just change a Masked Form that easily!!”

Fuchibeni fired the revolver again.

This time it wasn’t a single shot, but a four-round burst, all of which headed unerringly toward Naru’s shield.

“Urgh…”

Naru’s shield deflected the first bullet, took the second head-on and cracked, the third hit and widened the crack, and the fourth bullet completely shattered the shield.

“Huh? Ha! Right! If it was rushed, then the durability would be appropriately rushed… wait…”

Seeing this, Fuchibeni began to laugh, but the laughter stopped abruptly, and the smile turned into a look of bewilderment.

“I’ll say it one more time. My shield is my own. So, if it gets broken, I just make it again. It’s only natural.”

This was because in Naru’s hand was the large reinforced plastic shield that should have been shattered, now held in a pristine, scratch-less state.

“S-Stop screwing around!!”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Fuchibeni quickly reloaded the revolver and fired all the rounds at Naru.

Despite his rage, Fuchibeni was judging the situation calmly.

Based on the previous attack, the shield could block up to five bullets; if he hammered in six at once, one would surely hit directly before Naru had time to fix the shield.

And if even one hit directly, the Masked Form—aside from the shield—was visibly lacking in defense, so it would undoubtedly be a fatal wound.

As if to prove that judgment correct, the six bullets flew straight toward Naru’s shield…

✧

Even after taking all six, Naru’s shield only cracked; it did not break.

✧

“I made the shield sturdier than before. It was a gamble whether it would work, but it seems there was no problem.”

“Huh?”

“Also, rather than remaking it, it’s cheaper to fill the cracks with magical power to fix it. I’ll just repair it.”

Furthermore, as Fuchibeni’s bullets vanished, the cracks disappeared as well, and the shield returned to a brand-new state.

“HAAAAAAAAAAH!?”

Fuchibeni’s scream echoed through the hall the moment after he realized the shield had been repaired.