Chapter 29: Wasshoi, Wasshoi! It’s a Festival~!
The tumultuous sports festival didn’t come to an end; rather, it resumed after the Witch and The Great Sage Equaling Heaven disappeared.
However, the students seemed to be in a daze from the earlier shock, yet also somewhat excited. That excitement, unfortunately, wasn’t for the sports festival itself, but was entirely focused on the topic of the celebrities, the Witch and The Great Sage Equaling Heaven.
It was no longer about the sports festival. The students had abandoned the events and were only talking about the two from before.
Even the students in charge of running the events were no exception. They seemed incredibly curious about Kazuma, who had been at the center of it all.
“H-Hey, Kazuma! You, you! What in the world is going on?!”
“I-I don’t know either.”
“No way that’s true! Just when we thought you were attacked by The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, you get saved by the Witch!”
“No, I have no idea why I was attacked, and I don’t know why the Witch helped me either.”
“But she seemed super friendly with you, didn’t she?!”
“Well, the Witch didn’t seem that scary, I guess.”
“B-But does that mean she’d give you a peck on the cheek?!”
That was the most important point. For Kosuke, the fact that Kazuma had been kissed by the Witch was what he was most curious about. Why was he kissed? What was their relationship? There were so many things he wanted to know, yet Kazuma didn’t understand the current situation. That was frustrating.
“You! Do you even realize how insane this is?”
“No, I don’t really get it. Even if the Witch kissed me, it was on the cheek, not the lips, right? It’s not something to make such a big fuss about.”
“It is, you idiot! You don’t really know how amazing the Witch is, do you!”
“No, I know that much. She’s the most popular Gifted after King, right? I know she’s a cute and strong streamer.”
“Do you know how many followers and fans she has?”
“I think… ten million, was it?”
“It’s a hundred and fifty million! That’s more than the population of Japan!”
“Oh…”
Honestly, Kazuma didn’t have much interest in worldly matters. Of course, before going to the other world, he would have been just as worked up as Kosuke, but going to another world had warped his sense of values.
Because of that, the brilliant achievements of top Gifted individuals had faded from his memory. It wasn’t that his information was old; he had simply forgotten. Forgotten about the Gifted he once admired.
“Do you get it? That super popular girl kissed you of all people! Even if it was on the cheek, this is a huge incident!”
“Am I… going to be killed?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll overwrite it for you right now.”
Saying that, Kosuke puckered his lips like an octopus and leaned in with a “mchuuu~” sound. The sight was so disgusting it made Kazuma want to vomit, and he instinctively slapped Kosuke.
“Oww! What was that for?!”
“That’s my line! Don’t do such gross things! I almost puked!”
“You bastard! I was trying to save you from being killed by the Witch’s fans by overwriting it, and you hit me?! What’s wrong with you?!”
“Are you an idiot?! I didn’t ask for that, and it’s none of your damn business!”
“Kuh! Can’t be helped! If it’s come to this, I’ll do it by force!”
“Have you lost your mind, Kosuke?!”
“You bet I have! Uoooooooooh!”
Kosuke, now completely berserk, lunged at him. Kazuma dodged into Kosuke’s guard, grabbed his collar, and brilliantly executed a shoulder throw.
“Gwaaah!”
“Cool your head! You’ve lost your composure!”
“How can I stay sane…?! After seeing something like that, there’s no way I can stay sane, damn it!”
It was a sorrowful cry. A cry from the bottom of an unpopular guy’s heart. A single phrase born from the earnest desire to be allowed to dream just a little, the wish of a virgin.
“Kosuke… you…!”
“Now, do it!”
“What?!”
Behind him were several male students. Probably—no, there was no doubt. They were likely fans of the Witch. They attacked without a shred of hesitation.
It wasn’t that he’d let his guard down. It was a result of Kosuke’s fervor focusing Kazuma’s attention away from them. Kazuma was crushed by the male students who attacked from behind.
“Uboah! D-Doing something like this, doesn’t your conscience hurt?!”
“Shut up! Just like Ibuki said, we’re jealous of you! Share a little of your happiness!”
“Uwaaah! Stop it!”
The male students pressed their lips towards Kazuma’s cheek, the one kissed by the Witch. This was rough. It was a horrendous sight.
The girls were completely put off by the male students trying to latch onto Kazuma’s cheek like octopuses. Some even felt nauseous and turned pale.
“Uoooooooooh! Hysterical strength!!!”
Blowing away the group of octopuses that had come within inches, Kazuma stood up and fled at top speed.
Naturally, the Witch’s fans didn’t give up. They chased after the fleeing Kazuma. It was no longer about the sports festival. But, in a way, it could be called a festival of its own.
“Now, who will be able to capture Satsuki Kazuma-senshu!”
If the sports festival was interrupted, it couldn’t be helped. The broadcasting committee enthusiastically began commentating on the new festival: Operation: Capture Satsuki Kazuma.
Even the teachers, who should have stopped it, were mischievously enjoying the situation. They were smirking as they watched Kazuma’s escape drama.
“(Damn it! If the law allowed it, I’d crush every single one of them!)”
Kazuma glared resentfully at the teachers who were acting like mere spectators. Normally, as adults and teachers, they should have been in a position to stop it, but to leave it be just because it was amusing was questionable. Since it had come to this, it couldn’t be helped. Kazuma made a beeline for the teachers’ tent, intending to drag even them into it.
“Wh-?!”
“He’s coming this way!”
“Someone stop him!”
“Don’t tell me he intends to involve us too!”
“Look, he’s got an evil look on his face!”
With a face like some thug from a post-apocalyptic world, Kazuma charged into the teachers’ tent. Naturally, the students chasing Kazuma were no exception and also plunged into the tent. It was utter chaos.
“Damn it! Where’d he go?!”
“Find him! He must be hiding in the confusion!”
“Don’t let him get away!”
“H-Hey, you guys, calm down! This is the teachers’ tent!”
“Shut up! If that’s the case, you should have stopped us from the beginning!”
“T-To say ‘shut up’ to a teacher, what’s the meaning of this!”
“I’m over here~”
Kazuma peeked out from behind the teacher who was now belatedly trying to act like one, and grandly provoked the students. It wasn’t that their resistance to taunts was low, but seeing Kazuma getting carried away, the students’ anger exploded.
“Found him! Over there!”
“W-Wai-!”
Pitiful teacher. There was no way he could stop humans who had turned into a mob; he was pulled down by a human train, trampled by the students, and left gasping for breath. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured anywhere.
“Crap…”
Watching the scene, Kazuma’s smile vanished. It was one thing for divine punishment to fall upon the teachers who had abandoned him, but thinking that the same could be directed at him, it wasn’t someone else’s problem. Or rather, it was certain that something even worse than that awaited him.
“F-Full speed ahead!”
“Wait! Don’t run!!!”
The audience was greatly excited by the sports festival that had descended into chaos. They hadn’t expected much from the Support Course’s sports festival, thinking it would be like any ordinary one, but to think two celebrities would appear, on top of the Witch’s fans rampaging.
They wouldn’t want to get involved, but it was amusing to watch. The audience laughed joyfully, refreshingly, and even exhilaratingly at the students’ ugly squabble. This was true entertainment.
On this day, the Support Course’s sports festival held at the Seventh Esper Academy showed an unprecedented level of excitement. A video recorded by the academy was released online, becoming a huge sensation with over ten million views, and causing a stir in the world.
Of course, Satsuki Kazuma, the mysterious boy who seemed friendly with the Witch and was at the center of the commotion, was identified by her fan club. What would become of Kazuma’s peaceful life?