Chapter 69 – ６９ – After the Debut Match

Debut Match Arc

“T-The winner! Narcissus!!”

“Phew. I managed to pull it off.”

My victory was announced, but the venue remained in an uproar; no cheers erupted.

Hmm, maybe it’s because more people expected Ms. Morikuni to win, and that expectation was overturned?

Well, whatever. I just did what I had to do.

“Time to get my clothes back.”

I released magical power from the surface of my body, converting it into my uniform and donning it.

Since the activation conditions were no longer met, the Skill ‘P-Un White Light’ ceased and vanished.

“Can I head back now?”

I asked the senior acting as the MC, and after confirming their nod, I left the stage with a smile and a wave.

I made my way through the corridor and finally let out a breath once I returned to the room prepared as my private waiting room.

“…”

Then, I immediately checked my remaining Magic Capacity.

In terms of volume… I had definitely dropped below the forty percent line.

Publicly, it’s only said that my Magic Capacity is “over 3000,” but accurately, it’s 3600 plus a small amount depending on the day’s condition or growth.

If that’s down to forty percent…

“If I consider pure magical power consumption, I suspect I’ve consumed more than Ms. Morikuni. Which means that while my strategy worked today, the main reason I won was likely because my Magic Capacity was higher.”

Well, that’s how it boils down.

To be honest, this is not a good thing.

Because that simply means that in terms of tactics and skill, I was significantly inferior to Ms. Morikuni.

That’s even more true when you factor in the advantages of my magical nature and natural recovery.

“Hmm, as for Skills, I’ll just have to figure something out once I get a sponsor along with a Device, but I really need to seriously learn how to handle a shield and basic physical combat… If I stay like this, I’ll definitely lose next time.”

Still, it’s a good thing that the points I need to polish have become clear.

It’s far better than blindly trying this and that.

Starting tomorrow, I first have to go watch Suzu and the others’ debut matches, but as soon as that’s over, I’ll start polishing those areas.

“Oh, a message.”

Just then, a message arrived via Masutter.

The senders… Suzu, Ichi, and Marie. All three of them.

And the content is…

“Naru! Congratulations on winning your debut match! You were so cool and beautiful! But, you know, I think that last part was a bit… questionable. So let’s have a Post-Match Review later!”

“Mr. Naru. Congratulations on your debut victory. It was a magnificent fight. However, I find the act of pressing her face into your chest to suffocate her at the end to be a bit… questionable.”

“Naru! Congratulations!! Congrats on winning your debut match! But that thing at the end was… well… it ruined a lot of things. I think Suzu will give you the details.”

“…Huh?”

All three of them are congratulating me.

But at the same time, all three are critical of the finishing move.

Huh? In that situation, I simply chose the method of pressing the opponent’s face into my chest as the fastest and most certain way to take down Ms. Morikuni…

Why are they so appalled? Why am I being scolded?

No, with my skill level, if I had tried a chokehold or a grappling move, I wouldn’t have been able to do it properly, and Ms. Morikuni definitely would have been able to deal with it. My choice couldn’t have been wrong.

Yeah, there should be no problem.

Alright, I’ll head into the Post-Match Review with this mindset.

“Let’s see, debut participants are… supposed to go home after the spectators leave. I guess I’ll just have to kill time here for a while.”

I locked the door to the waiting room and decided to pass the time until I could leave.

✧

“In many senses, I feel like my face is about to burst into flames…”

At the same time.

Morikuni Tomoe was lying down in her own waiting room, covering her face with both hands.

“Congrats~ on the engagement~”

“Yes…”

Surrounding Tomoe were Hitsujiuta and the other girls from this year’s A-Rank Evaluation group.

“Ah, yeah. The audio was captured perfectly, and the attack was stopped too. This is a complete success.”

“Well, I heard there was a Duel with those terms happening behind the scenes anyway, and the fact that she lost doesn’t change. Does it really matter if she let it slip?”

“Uuuu…”

But Tomoe could not stand up.

The fact that she had accidentally blurted it out during the Duel due to the influence of the Masquerade; the fact that she had been captivated by him immediately after her attack was blocked; the fact that she had been defeated by a method that could be seen as humiliating, ruining her maidenly emotions; and the various details of the Duel that had been established behind the scenes of the debut match—all these elements overlapped, turning Tomoe’s heart into a disaster zone akin to a natural cataclysm.

“So~ what are you going to do~? Since it’s an engagement~ you can probably break it off if you feel like it~ I’ll help you if that’s your goal~ though the timing would be about half a year from now~”

“I-I can’t think clearly right now… please give me a moment, Ms. Hitsujiuta…”

“I see~. Well~ even if you’re taken~ Midorikawa is a pretty good option~”

“Oto…—————!?”

As a side note.

Morikuni Tomoe’s life up until now had been a cycle of study and training to become a daughter worthy of the Morikuni Family, while simultaneously being forced to witness her parents’ generally debauched sexual relations.

As a result, while she understood that such things were necessary to protect the country, she had developed a tendency to seek a pure and sincere relationship—different from her parents—while also demanding a corresponding level of ability from her partner.

Now, if one were to ask if Naru was suitable for Tomoe’s desires…

(An engagement with Mr. Midorikawa… Mr. Midorikawa’s face and physique are wonderful… he overwhelmed me in the Duel… he got angry for my sake… he has a relationship with Ms. Minasono and the others, but he maintains his propriety… If, just if, I could stand beside Mr. Midorikawa like Ms. Minasono…—————!?)

At the very least, Morikuni Tomoe did not think poorly of Naru.

To win a Duel—as a woman of the Morikuni Family who had accumulated blood even as a third-generation—it seemed inevitable that she would harbor such feelings.

“It looks like… she won’t be coming back for a while.”

“True. Oh, can I continue the Post-Match Review for my Duel?”

“Sure~ I’ll do it within the range of advice I can give Moe~”

—————!?”

As a result.

✧

It took about an hour for Tomoe to recover.

Furthermore, a message from Suzu had arrived on Tomoe’s smartphone.

Congratulations on your engagement. I don’t know if Ms. Tomoe will become an ally or a rival, but since we’ve both fallen for Naru, let’s get along. To that end, I would be happy if you could come see my debut match so you can get to know my Masked Form. From Minasono.

P.S. I’ll make sure Naru reflects deeply on his actions so that nothing like that happens next time.

On this day, Naru’s bedtime unusually fell after the date had already changed.