Ch.305Academy Festival (10)

After that, the competition progressed steadily. Due to the betting, many people experienced both joy and sorrow.

“After the world roughly ended… suddenly only four remained.”

I unconsciously blurted out a narration.

Me, Kana, Sayaka, and Fiora were the semifinalists.

“Hey!! You can’t just summarize it like that!!”

“There were some pretty good matches, you know!!”

The other guys shouted in protest.

“Listen. If I described every match in detail, readers would drop this story. Got it?”

It would be terrible to fall into that pretentious author syndrome of giving attention to extras. I had tasted that bitter experience when I was an aspiring writer trying to write traditional fantasy.

“He’s treating us like extras!!”

“This bastard!!”

The eliminated contestants immediately erupted in outrage.

These guys… despite their extremely unique outfits and all… I’m sorry. Your performance couldn’t match your appearance. What can I do? The world is unfair.

“Anyway. You did it, Senior Sayaka.”

I smiled as I spoke to Sayaka.

“Uh, yes? Did what?”

Sayaka looked at me.

“The official Kendo Club advanced to the finals with excellent results. That’s meaningful, isn’t it?”

I said with a definitive smile.

“Ah…”

Only then did Sayaka notice the atmosphere in the audience.

“You know, I thought the Kendo Club was just a modest club, but they’re actually pretty good?”

“Yeah, they were straightforwardly strong.”

“Maybe I should join the Kendo Club and get stronger.”

“Wonder if getting stronger would make me popular?”

Everyone started showing interest in the Kendo Club. With this, the purpose of the tournament was achieved.

“Kana… Shota. Thank you. Without you two, we would have been in trouble.”

Sayaka bowed her head to us.

“Don’t bow. I needed the practical experience anyway.”

Kana said with a sulky expression. Hehehe. This kid just can’t be honest.

“We’re fellow swordsmen walking the same path. Of course I’d help.”

I said with a smile.

“Ah… indeed. Someone called you a 21st-century samurai, and that assessment seems correct. You possess a noble spirit that helps those in need.”

Sayaka said with a relieved expression.

No… who’s spreading such exaggerated rumors about me? That was the real mystery.

At that moment, Kana sensed danger and abruptly cut in.

“Senior… you’re not falling for Shota, are you?”

Kana narrowed her eyes at Sayaka.

“F-falling? Such a thing… I don’t really know!! No way!”

Sayaka immediately shook her head vigorously.

“Hmm…”

Kana hugged me while staring intently at Sayaka. Was she wary of another competitor appearing? That was my guess. Kana has it tough. I couldn’t help thinking that.

“Now!!! The first semifinal match!!! Fiora, the French exchange student and captain of the Fencing Club!!! Versus Arigiri Shota, the samurai with the soul of Japan!!!”

The announcer shouted loudly.

“Ooooohhh!!!”

The audience erupted in cheers.

Those cheers weren’t for me… but for Senior Fiora.

Senior Fiora was dressed in what people commonly call fencing attire. You know, that tight-fitting outfit. Thanks to that, Fiora’s superior and curvaceous figure was clearly visible. Men couldn’t help but cheer.

“Really… men.”

Kana clicked her tongue.

“………”

Sorry, Kana. I’m a man too. I was intensely following Senior Fiora’s voluptuous chest, firm thighs, and buttock lines. I need to engrave this sight in my memory. I unconsciously made such a resolution.

“Ahem. Shota. I can hear your eyeballs rolling.”

Kana immediately grabbed the back of my neck. Tch. Caught.

Anyway, with the match about to begin, I had no choice. I promptly headed to the arena.

———-

My match against Fiora ended in my victory, and Kana’s match against Senior Sayaka ended in Kana’s victory. The final against Kana… well, Kana just won.

“So in the end, Kana is the champion…”

It was a conclusion with no surprises, just the expected outcome piled on more expected outcomes.

“Wait!!! Your narration is way too casual!!”

Sayaka angrily interrupted me.

“That’s right!! If you were going to do this, why did you put so much effort into describing me?!”

Fiora, the French exchange student, also shouted angrily. Ah… so she heard my inner thoughts?

“The matches were so predictable… I didn’t want to waste pages.”

I scratched my head.

“Grr… I admit the matches were straightforward.”

Sayaka clicked her tongue.

“No, Senior Sayaka was strong.”

I said firmly, seeing that Sayaka seemed to misunderstand something.

“You don’t need to console me…”

Senior Sayaka seemed to feel the wall of talent.

“If you truly had no potential, Kana wouldn’t even bother talking to you. She’d just hurl insults.”

I said. Kana had a habit of despising the weak. Even that thumbs-up guy at the previous tournament almost had his spirit broken.

“I’ve fixed that habit, you know?! That’s… dark history, so drop it!!”

Kana immediately blushed and shouted.

Dark history? Then all the more reason not to drop it. I planned to tease her about it for a long time.

“Anyway, the fact that she didn’t means Kana acknowledges you to some extent.”

I stated firmly.

“Right, Kana?”

I patted Kana’s head.

“Senior… that’s not bad. It’s orthodox, but there was a seriousness of someone who has been focused solely on kendo.”

Kana scratched her head as she spoke to Senior Sayaka.

“Th-thank you.”

Sayaka said with a smile.

“What about me? How was I? Not that I’m particularly curious… but as a noble, I’d like to know the commoners’ impressions.”

At that moment, Fiora approached, twirling her bun hair.

“Ah… you were… ordinary.”

I just said that. It was just… ordinary fencing technique. Maybe it was because I had faced Heichi before. Honestly, it didn’t leave much of an impression.

“What!! Even though I lost to you by an overwhelming margin…!! To humiliate me to this extent!”

Fiora’s face reddened at those words.

“I will definitely avenge this humiliation!! Arigiri Shota!!!”

Fiora immediately pointed her finger at me. Then, still in her fencing outfit, she left the arena. Thanks to her legging-like attire, Fiora’s firm buttocks and thighs were visible. Like I noticed with Tina before… Western products really are different. I unconsciously grinned like an idiot thinking that.

“Shota. I might just poke your eyes out.”

At Kana’s sharp words, I immediately controlled my gaze.

Anyway… it seemed I had made an enemy of a troublesome person. I might get entangled with that French lady soon? Such thoughts naturally came to mind.

———-

Afterward, a simple award ceremony was held.

“Now!!! Congratulations to Kana for winning first place!!! We’ve prepared a proper prize for the champion!!”

The host immediately pulled Kana onto the stage.

“Ah… yes.”

Kana, who was surprisingly weak against other people’s high-tension pushing, could only cutely nod.

“Then the first prize is… Emoshita’s mascot!!! An Emoi-kun doll!!!”

The host handed over a bizarrely shaped doll.

It had a body made of konjac, cucumber limbs, and a mechanical face that seemed to represent semiconductors.

Yes. Because they had thrown in all of Emoshita’s specialties, it ended up with this bizarre appearance. Konjac, cucumber, and elements from semiconductor factories—all combined into a chimera. It was the despair edition of local mascots. They had thrown in every ambiguous specialty, making it worse.

“I don’t need this…”

Kana accepted the mascot with a complicated expression. Well… since she received it anyway, she might as well display it at home.

And so, the first day’s events of the festival came to an end.

——–

After the first day ended, I planned to meet up with my girlfriends and head home.

“Well… we’ll be going now, Shota-kun.”

Ms. Aiko looked at me somewhat regretfully. She seemed a bit disappointed about not experiencing a typical couple’s event of going home together and spending happy time. Seeing Ms. Aiko like that made my heart ache. This… didn’t seem like the right form of a harem.

And I immediately made a decision and approached Ms. Aiko.

Then I put my hand around Ms. Aiko’s waist.

“W-wait… Shota? What are you doing? With my mom.”

Aki was the one who was flustered.

“Everyone… I have something to say.”

I said seriously.

“Something to say…”

Eri seemed to have caught on.

“I’m… also dating Ms. Aiko. Sorry for reporting it late.”

After that, I immediately surprised everyone by kissing Ms. Aiko.

“W-wait!! Shota… mmph… Shota-kun…”

Ms. Aiko stammered. This… seemed like something I needed to explain.

“This guy… even Ms. Aiko…”

Umi could only gape in shock.

“Really… he goes after beautiful women regardless of age…”

Taiga also seemed at a loss for words.

“M-mom? And… Shota?”

Aki seemed unable to close her mouth at the shocking scene before her. Yes. Aki would be the most shocked. Her mother and the boy she liked were getting together.

“…….”

And with that, Aki’s eyes rolled back and she fainted.

“Aki!!”

Mika, who was beside her, immediately supported Aki.

“………”

Somehow, things had become a mess, but this was my karma. I had to accept it.

“For now… let’s take the unconscious Aki to our house.”

I said calmly.

“Yes… we have a lot to talk about… but let’s do it later.”

Kana sighed.

“I thought you two were acting suspiciously in the kitchen… so that’s when it started. I… underestimated Shota’s sexual appetite. I thought he wouldn’t touch a mature woman in her late 30s.”

Eri looked at me with an expression of amazement.

Anyway, we hurriedly headed home.