Ch.325Breaking the Seal (1)

“Thumbs-up Man… are you okay?”

I asked Thumbs-up Man.

“Yeah. I’m fine. For a brief moment… I experienced the life of a lush with hair. Yeah, I had a good dream.”

Thumbs-up Man wore a wistful expression before his face turned resolute.

“Now it’s time to wake up from that dream.”

Thumbs-up Man said.

“Thumbs-up Man… this guy…!!”

He’s truly the embodiment of manhood!!

“Alright!! Let’s go!! Let’s go and win for sure!!”

I said.

“Honestly… I don’t really care either way. But that old man. He barged into someone else’s love nest and caused trouble. He needs to be punished.”

Kana seemed displeased about that point.

“Right. First, I want to win and teach him a lesson.”

Tina also said.

“Can’t we just launch a spaceship and wipe them all out?”

Kirtan still didn’t seem to understand Earth’s sensibilities.

“Kirtan. Taking lives is forbidden.”

I kneaded Kirtan’s chest. Inflicting near-death pain is legal, though.

Vrooom-!

Just then, an identical limousine pulled up.

“Please get in, Master Shota. Lady Madoka has called for you.”

The driver immediately opened the door for us.

“Madoka…!!! What a thoughtful kid!!”

Honestly, taking public transportation would have drawn too much attention. A group of students walking with wooden swords and fierce expressions would definitely get stopped by police. Taking a limousine was quite a good idea.

Anyway, we immediately got into the limousine and headed for the hotel.

———

Meanwhile. At the hotel.

Fiora had somehow been changed into a wedding dress while she was asleep.

“Woohoo…..”

Her fiancé, Monsieur Bouard, exhaled through his nose as he gazed at Fiora’s figure. He seemed quite taken with Fiora. It made sense, given how beautiful his fiancée was.

The Bouard family. A family that had recently amassed wealth in France through aggressive business practices. Recently, they had even acquired Sulfur Duchess Software, a famous French game company, becoming a monster corporation. Rumors spread throughout high society that they had bought their status with money, but who cares? There was almost nothing money couldn’t buy.

“What are you talking about? A challenge match? You’re saying such a barbaric thing will happen at an engagement ceremony?”

The head of the Bouard family, Bouard Merte, immediately became angry.

“Ah… it’s something like a tradition in our family. It’s customary to accept when spirited swordsmen come.”

The head of the Fleur family, Fleur Cocteau, explained with a sour expression.

It was his father and former family head, Fleur Holchak, who had suddenly arranged this. Even he had only been notified after the fact.

“Ho ho ho. It doesn’t matter, does it?”

Holchak said with a laugh.

“Old man… why are you doing such unnecessary things…”

Cocteau glared at Holchak.

Already, Bouard Merte’s expression was souring. The engagement ceremony was in danger of falling apart due to one family’s circumstances.

“You don’t know our granddaughter’s stubbornness, Cocteau.”

Holchak said with a smile.

“Stubbornness…?”

“She’s part of our family too. If she’s not convinced, she’ll run away from her husband or cause unsavory incidents like adultery. Breaking her spirit here might be a good approach.”

Holchak said.

“Wait!!! She’ll run away after marriage?! Are you saying our son can’t perform as a man?! That he can’t satisfy one woman!!! There’s a limit to how much you can insult our family….”

Bouard Merte immediately became angry.

“Forget about performing as a man… he might struggle to perform as a human being. Just look at that face…..”

Holchak said.

“You old geezer!!!”

Merte was about to explode with anger.

“Oh my! Sir! My father is getting on in years… he must be going senile.”

Cocteau hurriedly tried to salvage the marriage arrangement that might determine his family’s future.

“Anyway, when she sees her precious friends getting hurt because of her selfishness… she’ll come to her senses.”

Holchak said.

“You’d be satisfied with that too, right? An obedient daughter-in-law is preferable after all.”

Holchak looked at Merte as he spoke.

“I… I’ll be satisfied as long as my son has a happy marriage. My son… he’s been a bachelor for over 30 years….”

Merte said, wiping away tears.

“………”

The atmosphere grew solemn at those words.

“Sigh… even so, renting out this entire hotel for a challenge match. It’s reckless.”

Cocteau said.

“Hehehe. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good fight. I’m excited.”

Holchak laughed.

“Besides… there’s someone who interests me. That guy who completely saw through my killing intent… I really want to face him.”

Holchak said.

“Face him…?”

“That guy… he uses a sword similar to Gonzaemon’s.”

“Gonzaemon… that ruffian…!!”

He was a madman who had turned the Fleur family upside down while on his honeymoon in France with his wife.

“Must be his disciple. Fate is truly profound. Ho ho ho.”

Holchak said after lightly swinging a practice sword.

“Have all the ‘wings’ of our family been summoned? It will be a battle between our best forces and theirs.”

Holchak said that, then hopped excitedly. He seemed thrilled about this fight.

Just then.

BOOM-!!

A loud noise was heard from afar.

“They’re here.”

Holchak grinned. As if he had known that man would come.

———

At that time. Shota’s perspective.

“Please!! This is really troublesome!!”

The security guards at the front of the lobby shouted loudly.

“Are they inside? The French people.”

I said, holding my wooden sword.

“What’s going on!!”

Men carrying practice fencing swords finally intervened.

“Ah. I came to fight your Fle-whatever family.”

I said with a smile.

“How impudent!!! This is an important occasion…..”

WHACK-!!

Since talking wasn’t working, I swung my sword.

“ARGHHHH!!!”

The guy hit by the wooden sword flew far away.

“You bastard…. making such a ruffian move without even issuing a proper duel challenge?! Huh?!”

The guys seemed quite angry.

“Swinging a sword is a duel challenge. Why complicate things?”

I said that, then pointed my sword.

Swish-! Swish-! Swish-!

Everyone in my group also took their stances.

“Your family’s treasured sword!! I’ve come to claim it!!!”

I shouted loudly.

“And ruin the wedding while I’m at it!!”

That was actually the main point.

“If you want to get beaten that badly… we’ll hit you with all our might!!!”

The guys all rushed toward me at once.

“Go!! Sasith!!!”

I immediately pushed Sasith forward.

“Sh-Shota! Wait!!”

Sasith staggered as he blocked the enemies’ path.

The effect of the walking disaster, which twisted causality around for the protagonist’s buff, was remarkable.

Caw!! Caw!!

A crow that seemed to have part of its brain malfunctioning broke through a window and invaded the hotel lobby.

WHACK-!!

And the crow immediately crashed into the chandelier.

Whoosh-!!

With that, the chandelier collapsed all at once toward the approaching guys.

“W-Wait!!”

“AHHH!! It’s falling this way!!”

CRASH-!!!!!

They all retired at once, crushed under the chandelier.

“………”

The protagonist buff really works well.

“Hmph. Just as calculated…”

Sasith, who had been startled by the situation before him, tried hard to project an intelligent protagonist image. Yeah. If Sasith is satisfied with that, that’s fine.

———–

Anyway, the commotion had already started. We immediately rushed inside.

“Oh. You came, pointy-head.”

As expected, the pickled plum old man was there.

“Everyone! You came!!”

Fiora immediately burst into tears.

“Who are they? There are men too!! Are you not a virgin?! This is different from what I was told!!”

A man with an incredibly ugly face immediately got angry. Hmm… the matchmaking photo was better. Besides… using the word ‘virgin’ in real life… he’s no ordinary beast!!

Nearby were a man who appeared to be the old man’s son, and four other men. They looked much stronger than the minions. Well… they must be something like the Four Heavenly Kings.

“Now that you’re here, you’ll have to follow our rules.”

The old man said with a smile.

“What nonsense!! You pickled plum!!”

Tina immediately raised her fist.

“No. Let’s do it that way.”

I stopped Tina.

“Hmm?”

The old man looked at me with an interested expression.

“Whatever conditions you set, we’ll win anyway. And.”

“………”

“You wouldn’t do anything underhanded anyway. You came for a proper match.”

He definitely seemed the type.

“Hahahahaha!!! That’s right! Correct!”

The pickled plum immediately laughed!

“Good. Then I’ll announce the fair rules.”

He took something out.

“This is… Umaibo?!”

That’s it!! The crispy snack!!! Why a Japanese snack? Is there some reason for this?

“This is the Umaibo Game. You carry this somewhere on your body. You’re free to hide it anywhere. This Umaibo is your life. If it breaks, you’re immediately retired from the game. If you eliminate all our people, you win, and vice versa. The venue is this entire hotel. How about it?”

He said while opening an Umaibo and munching on it.

“I see. So we fight while protecting that.”

Kana immediately grasped the concept.

“Well… except for it being a snack, it’s exactly like a kendo match. Bring it on.”

Kana immediately raised her sword. As expected of Kana. She’s so straightforward.

“Why Umaibo…”

Sasith still didn’t seem to understand that point. Well… it’s an otaku world setting. You’ll get hurt if you dig too deep.

“Right. Let’s start in about… 5 minutes. Everyone take your positions.”

The old man smiled and pressed a timer. But that… wasn’t a timer but a cookie on the table. Old man… if you act senile again…

“I’ll handle this.”

In the end, Fiora’s father, the middle-aged man, pressed the timer.

“Let’s all move!!”

Since the entire hotel was the stage, it was advantageous to spread out widely. If we stayed together and got wiped out at once, it would be over. Knowing this, we all immediately spread throughout the hotel.

“My engagement ceremony!!”

The ugly man raised a big fuss. Well… things don’t always go as planned in this world.