Chapter 157: Semifinal

「We are sorry to have kept you waiting. We will now begin the semifinal match between Weerel Joshua and Chinatsu Rokusai. Both players please head to the starting lines on the stage.」

After the break, it’s finally time for the first semifinal match to begin. Immediately after the broadcast, Chinatsu and Weerel appeared, looking no different from before. Neither of them seems to be overwhelmed or nervous just because it’s the semifinal. They went up to the stage, Chinatsu with her wooden sword and Weerel with her staff.

「Hey, how do you see this match?」

「H-Hmm… the first prodigy girl ever since the beginning of the academy, and the mysterious girl who is devouring the top rankers with great momentum… I give up. I can’t predict it.」

「Yeah. You are right.」

「Still, if Weerel were to be defeated, the legitimate students of the academy will lose face. No matter if their opponents have monstrous power, they still bear the name of the Golden Generation. They used the principal’s recommendations to bring in the new stimulus or something like that, but their plan will be completely backfired.」

「Well, yeah. The Golden Generation has to save face.」

「That’s right desuwa. I named it so that we could live a brilliant school life as possible, but I forgot that it would have an impact on the reputation outside the academy… Everything is the result of the shallowness of this Therese Batten desuwa! The other students have no fault!」

「That’s right, Therese-ojousama is―― eh, Therese-ojousama!?」

「W-Why is Therese-ojousama here!?」n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

For some reason, Therese was sitting in the seat behind the spectators who were having a such conversation.

「I have finished my role as a participant, so I’m going around to greet and interact with the community! Graduating from the academy means going out into the world. If so, I will help my father more often than before!」

「I-I see…」

「Thank you for your understanding! Well, just to confirm… You are the father and older brother of the graduate Jessica-san, right? I’m very grateful to Jessica for all her help desuwa! It’s a shame that she wasn’t chosen to participate in the graduation festival, but her ability is certain! I can guarantee that she can be a good magician! Ohohoho!」

「T-Thank you very much. By the way, you sure know about us, huh?」

「I never forget the names and faces of people I’ve met! Both of you almost always came to the academy events and were always so enthusiastic in supporting Jessica-san. I want to say my gratitude as the president of the student council desuwa! However, Jessica consulted to me that recently the skinship is too much. Using this chance, I would like to talk about it today!」

「「……Eh?」」

There seems to be a lot of excitement there as Therese gets into the spectator seats. While looking at that place, Chinatsu talks to Weerel.

「Since it’s the semifinal, everyone’s excitements seem to be unstoppable. Wee, how is your condition?」

「As you can see… very good…」

「I-Is that so?」

Weerel spreads out her arms slowly as if she has low tension. ‘She looks like a bit sleepy,’ Chinatsu thinks so, but Weerel herself feels that she is overflowing with her energy.

「…Chinatsu, san.」

「What?」

「I heard about you and Haruna-san… mainly about Deris-san and Nell-san… from my grandfather…」

「… Yes. I also heard from them that Wee is the granddaughter of Mage Prime Minister Joseph.」

「I see… Honestly… the two of you don’t look like bad people… Um… Do they hold your weakness… or something…?

「………」

After some thoughts, Weerel reached to the conclusion that maybe Haruna and Chinatsu are threatened by Deris and Nell, the incarnation of evil. Chinatsu closed her eyes and groaned a bit. She was sorting her mind whether the repeated unreasonable requests and deadly training were because she was being threatened. A little later, Chinatsu opened her eyes with a refreshed expression.

「I tried to think about it, but I don’t think they are forcing me. The first encounter sure was abrupt, but after that, I decided to follow them with my own decision. As for Haruna, she is enjoying her life without any worries. … But from your position, you can’t believe it, right?」

「I don’t know… It seemed that you were a little troubled… It implied that you were having a hard time talking about it…」

「Ugh, that’s my mistake… But, you have no intention of losing no matter what I say, right?」

「… Well, yes.」

「Then, isn’t it fine? No matter what we say here, we will never know the truth on our own. Shishō told me not to think something unnecessary such as about the obligation of the military faction and about Deris-san doing something behind the scenes. She told me that I should enjoy the match now. So, I decided to think more simply and stop worrying about it. Wee, this graduation festival is important for you so it’s natural that you don’t want to lose. For me, I have an important promise that I will fight Haruna in the final, so I can’t lose. You see, all we have to do is to give our best. Is there anything else we need to be worried about in this match?」

「… No. Fufu, I see… Chinatsu-san is a good person after all…」

「That’s not true. It’s just that the habit of my side job came out. It seems like it’s about to start. Now, let’s concentrate.」

Chinatsu closed her eyes, showing that the conversation is over. Then, the announcement rang in the venue.

「It’s time. Both of you, are you ready? Then―― start!」

The battle started and the spectators opened their eyes wide so that they won’t miss even a second. According to the previous matches, the fights tend to start grandly in the opening. If so, this match will be the same. They predicted so, but――

「――Huh? Both of them retreated?」

The spectators thought that they would attack as soon as the match started. But unexpectedly, both Chinatsu and Weerel kept a distance and showed signs of observing each other’s actions. After confirming that both of them not going to move forward, Weerel began to sing her chant while holding her staff, and Chinatsu horizontally held her wooden sword in front of her with both hands.

「Slug Drow…!」

As Weerel finished her song, a large amount of water was released from the stage beneath her feet, causing her to float. The water that appeared like a huge waterfall upside-down gradually formed a giant slug of water.

The magic was on a scale never seen before, and the venue became even more heated. Even Deris, who was watching the match in the main guest seat, seemed to be surprised at this magic.

「That’s the Water Paint Magic 『Slug Drow』…!」

「Shishō, do you know it?」

「Yeah, it’s a great magic of level 60 Water Paint Magic. But, she is able to master it at that age… and her chanting is polished and smooth. In terms of magic, Weerel is far better than the others.」

「She’s amazing, huh…」

「Haru, I’m sure you’ve studied this magic as well, though…?」

「S-She is amazing!」

While Haruna was trying to dodge the question, other than the slug that Weerel appeared, there was also a change in Chinatsu. A tremendous hot wind was blowing from the wooden sword in her hands. She grabbed the handle of the wooden sword and gradually slid it to the side.

Then, the hot wind became stronger, and a sword with a bright red blade appeared when she pulled it out of the wooden sword. In other words, Chinatsu’s wooden sword was a temporary form and there was a blade inside it, which is its true form.

「That’s the 『Flame Magic Sword Pluto』!?」

「Shishō, do you know that!?」

「There’s no way I don’t know about that. That is Nell’s beloved sword! Damn. I see. I can’t believe that Nell got me there…!」

Deris messed up his hair, which he unusually arranged for this day, as if to show his feelings.

「I thought the possibility of that staff having a blade inside it. But, I never thought that it would be that… When I think about it now, I should have noticed at the point when the sword Nell was placing on her waist was the one that I gave her. Damn it, how can I be this stupid! She is really trying to win this graduation festival…!

「T-That’s crazy, huh…!」

「I feel like that word is not enough. Even the wood that covered it is not something ordinary. After all, you will get burned if you touch the blade of Pluto. It’s using the material of at least a level 6 tree-type monster. Contrary to its simple looks, it took more time and a lot of money, you know?」

Fire and Water, the two with the opposite attributes are facing each other on the stage.