Shiba-kun's strategy is very simple.
He used light wave oscillation magic to control the light along the
water route.
The protective goggles already restricted vision considerably. This is
now compounded by the darkened route, causing people to misjudge
the distance to the edge, hereby forcing the opposing players away
from the darkness....... In summation, he narrowed the area the players
dared to navigate through."
Hattori, with Kirihara in tow, was holding the fort in place of Katsuto,
who had gone to observe the Men's Icicle Destruction event. They
were currently listening to every word of Suzune's explanation.
"Even if the mind says otherwise and claims that the water's surface
shoulder is wider, it remains a difficult task to override physical
perception. At the same time, regardless of who the player is, anyone
would have a harder time raising their speed along a narrow corridor.
Thus, this strategy is grounded in denying the other players from
bringing out their full potential."
"......But, wouldn't Honoka-san be affected herself?"
"That's why she has repeatedly trained under similar conditions."
Hattori's question prompted a simplistic answer.
"......Generally, the user remains unaffected by the magic itself, so no
worries."
"Don't relax just yet. Shiba-kun said that 'the width of the water way is
fixed, so use your body rather than your eyes to memorize it'."
Hearing Suzune's reply, Kirihara muttered.
"......So rather than being a clever strategy, it turned out to be a full
frontal assault anyway....... This could only come from someone with
one hell of a mean streak."
Kirihara's impression caused Suzune to burst into laughter.
◊ ◊ ◊
After the morning matches, the pavilion reserved for First High turned
into an ocean of festivities.
All three participants in the Newcomers Division Women's Icicle
Destruction third round won.
In the round robin portion of the event during the afternoon, every
player came from First High.
Honoka also advanced to the finals for Battle Board. This was a result
that could only be described as "dominating".
The only people who couldn't join in the fun were the ten players from
the 1st Year Men's team.
If they competed normally, the male members would surely achieve
similarly impressive results. That being said, their blind animosity led
to repeated mental errors that only increased as their numbers
dwindled and their frustration mounted, throwing them into a vicious
cycle of self-destruction.
Among them, the three players from Icicle Destruction — Miyuki,
Shizuku, and Eimi, as well as Tatsuya, the technician responsible,
were not present because they were summoned to one of the hotel's
conference rooms.
"We're pressed for time, so I'll keep this short."
Mayumi was the one who called them here. She was the only one
waiting for them.
"Until now, no school has ever monopolized the round robin portion
of this event. Shiba-san, Kitayama-san, Akechi-san, your
performances have been exemplary."
Politely, calmly, and frantically, the three of them displayed three
different attitudes as they bowed in thanks to Mayumi's praise.
"In recognition of this feat, the board has a proposal. They say that
regardless of what the standings for the round robin are, our school
will receive all the points anyway, so there's no need to play this out.
All three of you will share First Place collectively."
The three of them looked at one another, with Tatsuya smiling
sardonically in the back.
No matter how they tried to disguise this, the board was obviously
trying to lighten his workload.
"It is up to all of you whether to accept the board's proposal. The only
criterion is that you don't have much time to consider this. Please
make a decision here and now."
Upon hearing Mayumi's words, Eimi started fidgeting as her eyes
roamed around.
With her skill level, she was well aware that she had no chance against
either Miyuki or Shizuku.
Up until this point, she was satisfied with Third Place, but it was
simply human nature for people to desire First Place. It was too much
of a stretch for her not to want this to happen.
Miyuki glanced at Tatsuya.
Shizuku also looked towards Tatsuya.
"Tatsuya-kun, what is your opinion? If all three were to fight it out,
you would have a hard time managing all three."
So, Mayumi wished for the three of them to share First Place together,
Tatsuya thought.
In truth, this was the most desirable outcome from the leadership's
perspective.
"To be honest, based on Akechi-san's current condition, she would be
better off avoiding the next round. The third round was too heated and
it's hard to imagine that she can recover in one or two hours."
From Tatsuya's perspective, he didn't feel that he has to worry on this
account. He was just speaking candidly.
"Is that so...... Akechi-san, do you agree with what Tatsuya-kun said?"
"Well, that...... Before I heard what you said, I was already ready to
give up anyway. It is true that I'm not in optimal condition, so I was
planning on bowing out after talking it over with Shiba-kun
anyway...... Because Shiba-kun knows me better than I know myself."
Her tone was diffident, likely because she felt that she was shirking
her responsibilities by accepting the board's proposal.
"Really."
Mayumi smiled to console her and nodded before turning to Miyuki
and Shizuku.
"I......"
Shizuku spoke up first.
"Want to compete."
Her eyes burned with fiery determination as she looked Mayumi in the
eye.
"After this, how many opportunities will I have to go all out against
Miyuki...... I don't want to miss this chance."
"How unfortunate......"
Mayumi dropped her gaze to the ground and sighed.
"What does Miyuki-chan think?"
"If Kitayama-san wishes to compete against me, I have no reason to
refuse."
Mayumi knew very well that Miyuki was made of sterner stuff that
belied her appearance, so she was completely unsurprised by this
response.
"I understand...... Then, I will report to the board that Akechi-san has
withdrawn whereas Shiba-san and Kitayama-san will engage in a duel
to decide the final round. The match should be the first one of the
afternoon, so you had best take this opportunity to prepare."
After Mayumi finished speaking, the first one to bow was Tatsuya.
As he left the conference room, Miyuki and Shizuku immediately
bowed to Mayumi and left right behind him. Eimi frantically bowed as
well and said: "I'll take my leave.