Chapter 72: An Instant Kill, Huh?
Peeking out from the shadow of a building, Kazuma was jealous of Issei, much like a rival character in a story biting a handkerchief out of jealousy for the heroine.
That said, Issei had always been something of a harem protagonist, so Kazuma wasn’t jealous to the point of losing his mind.
However, he planned to settle this grudge in the practice session that would take place after the banquet. He was truly a petty man.
“Well then… I guess I’ll go get seconds too.”
Hiding his presence, Kazuma, who had been enjoying the banquet in a corner of the venue, picked up his empty plate and headed towards the table laden with food.
Colorful dishes were lined up, and Kazuma luxuriously pondered which ones to choose as he selected his meal.
Being in his growth spurt, Kazuma’s plate was mostly brown, with a selection of few vegetables and lots of meat.
“Alright, this is good!”
Carrying a heaping plate, Kazuma returned to his corner of the venue.
He had taken up his position there as if to declare it his own territory.
Usually, just as Issei had said, there would be someone around him, but now Kazuma ate his food alone and lonely.
He wolfed down the food piled up like a mountain, finishing it all in a very short time.
“Phew~. Thank you for the meal!”
Politely putting his hands together, Kazuma handed his empty plate to a hotel staff member who was collecting them and quickly left the venue, making sure not to be seen by the group of women.
Since returning to his own room was a bother, Kazuma decided to head to the game arcade provided in the hotel.
The game arcade was designed for both adults and children to enjoy, set up like a Game Center with numerous games installed.
Of course, in the back, there was also a casino for adults only, making it an exciting place as well.
Normally, as a student, he wouldn’t be able to enter the casino, but using his privilege as the Crimson Knight, Kazuma stepped inside.
“Heh heh heh! Now, let’s have some fun!”
Kazuma passed by orthodox card games, roulette, and the like, and sat down at a slot machine.
It was a simple gamble with no complicated rules: just pull down the lever, stop the spinning reels, and line up a winning combination.
That being said, since this was a hotel built by Japan, the slots had a complicated system. You had to hit “chance-eyes” or “rare combinations,” enter a “chance zone,” and then acquire a bonus.
Of course, there were also simple slots where a big win was signaled by a flashing lamp, but the machine Kazuma sat at was based on a famous anime.
Although it was a popular model, there were various things one had to learn, so it would probably be difficult for Kazuma, a beginner.
“Go! My allowance!”
As a matter of course, there was no such thing as beginner’s luck, and Kazuma’s allowance turned to dust and ashes.
“Uwaaaaaaaah…“
At the casino entrance, there was Kazuma, on all fours, pounding the floor.
His figure, letting out a roar of sorrow, must have looked terribly comical.
In fact, the people running the casino were basking in delight as they watched Kazuma’s lamenting figure.
“…What’s lost is lost, it can’t be helped. Let’s move on.”
Even if he lamented, while it might be possible to get back what he lost, the chances were practically zero. So Kazuma stood up briskly and switched his train of thought.
For now, he had killed some time. Thinking that Issei might be waiting if he headed to the training hall, Kazuma made his way there.
While heading to the training hall, Kazuma regretted a little that he hadn’t exchanged contact information.
“Is this it…”
Kazuma arrived at the training hall located inside the hotel.
Since the training hall door was closed, he didn’t know if Issei was inside, but he wouldn’t find out without going in.
“Excuse me for intruding~”
When he timidly entered, he found Issei, clad in a white dougi and protecting his vital spots with protectors, sparring with Tsubaki, who was wearing a hakama.
Apparently, he was in the right place.
They hadn’t specified a time, so he wasn’t late, but it seemed the two of them had been sparring the whole time while waiting for Kazuma.
Beads of sweat were trickling down Issei’s forehead.
“It seems you’ve arrived.”
Tsubaki, who had been sparring with Issei, stopped her movements and turned her face towards Kazuma.
He had intended to enter stealthily, but Tsubaki had noticed him, and Kazuma put on an obsequious smile.
“Ehehe…”
Normally, one might dismiss such a smile as creepy or perhaps show displeasure at him being late. But Issei was happy that Kazuma had come and welcomed him with a refreshing smile.
“You came, Satsuki!”
“Well, we did promise…”
At Issei’s reaction, Kazuma’s faintly remaining conscience pricked him, and as expected, he felt a little guilty, though only a little.
“Ah~, looks like you’re done with your warm-up. Shall we get started right away?”
“I’m fine with it, but are you okay, Satsuki?”
“No problem. I told you, didn’t I? My heart is always on the battlefield. I can fight anytime, anywhere.”
“O-Oh. I see! Then, let’s start right away!”
As Issei said that, Tsubaki offered to act as referee.
“Then, I shall serve as the referee.”
“Yeah, please do.”
“Thanks in advance~”
“What will the rules be?”
Tsubaki, standing between the two of them, asked Kazuma about the rules.
It was Issei who had made the request, so Kazuma, who had gone out of his way to accept, had the right to make the rules.
“Hmm. What kind of rules do you two usually practice with?”
“Eh? Basically, no rules. Well, there’s also the fact that I can’t really fight Tsubaki properly…”
“That’s right. Rather than rules, perhaps restrictions. When I spar with Goshujin-sama, I make sure not to aim for vital spots like the groin or eyes. Other than that, things like prohibiting chokeholds, grappling techniques, or using only one hand or one leg.”
“I see, I see. Well then, Kisaragi. I’ll ask you. Which do you prefer, me holding back or going all out?”
“All out, of course!”
“Got it. I’ll avoid vital spots as much as possible. Now, shall we begin?”
“Then, separate from each other.”
They were to start sparring immediately. Kazuma and Issei turned their backs to each other and separated.
Having moved a few meters apart, the two faced each other and took fighting stances.
Just then, Issei suddenly noticed that Kazuma wasn’t wearing any protective gear. He relaxed his stance and asked if he wasn’t going to put on gear.
“Satsuki. Is it okay not to wear protectors?”
“No problem. When I was taught Satsuki-ryu, there was no protective gear either.”
“I-Is that so. Satsuki-ryu is strict, huh…”
“Of course it is. The reason I, who only have the Transposition Gift, could beat Souji-senpai was because of Satsuki-ryu, you know.”
“Well, true… To become that strong, that much resolve is necessary, huh…”
“Hey, are we good to go soon?”
“Ah. My bad. Tsubaki, the signal, please.”
Issei, satisfied with Kazuma’s answer, asked Tsubaki for the signal to start the match.
Tsubaki nodded, raised one hand, looked at both of them, and then swung her hand down with a call.
“Begin!”
The moment Tsubaki’s hand swung down, Kazuma dashed forward.
Although he wasn’t using Body Enhancement, he still moved at a speed incomprehensible to an ordinary person, leapt into Issei’s guard, and delivered a palm strike.
Kazuma brilliantly struck Issei’s chin upwards, knocking him unconscious.
Then, as Issei collapsed, Kazuma slammed a roundhouse kick into the side of his head, decisively settling the match.
“…I knocked Kisaragi unconscious, so why hasn’t she disappeared?”
Issei was completely unconscious, so Tsubaki, whom he had summoned with Starry Sky Memory, should have disappeared.
Yet, Kazuma felt doubt that Tsubaki hadn’t disappeared and questioned her, who was looking at him as if it were natural.
“Most likely, it is thought to be a type of defensive reaction.”
“Defensive reaction? So, you mean you don’t disappear immediately?”
“It seems so. The fact that I haven’t disappeared even though Goshujin-sama has lost consciousness is proof, I believe…”
“What the heck is that!? What an outrageous Gift…”
“It wasn’t like this before…”
“Eh? Then, does that mean it has grown?”
“Perhaps…”
“Hey, hey, seriously…?”
If Tsubaki’s words were true, it was an outrageous development.
Until now, if you defeated Issei, the owner of Starry Sky Memory, that was the end of it.
However, if the hero summoned by Starry Sky Memory remained active even when Issei lost consciousness, then the story changed.
“What kind of Gift is this…”
“I do not know. It is a Gift without precedent until now.”
“For the summoned hero not to disappear even if the owner is knocked out is nothing but a threat. Moreover, it’s like a pseudo-resurrection of the dead. If mishandled, it could become uncontrollable.”
“Ah…”
“What is it? Did you figure something out?”
“It seems I am disappearing.”
As Tsubaki said that, her hands began to turn faintly transparent.
Kazuma, watching this, felt relieved for the time being.
If it were an ability where she would remain even if Issei died, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t be misused in the future.
Given Issei’s personality, such a thing probably wouldn’t happen, but it was always better to be cautious.
“I forgot to say. The match was splendid.”
“Hey. You told me to go all out, but I held back a bit. I think he’ll wake up after a while.”
“I understand that much. If you had been serious, your first palm strike would have shattered his jaw, and your final kick would have broken his neck.”
“Well, yeah. I obviously don’t hate him enough to kill him, and I don’t have that much of a grudge against him in the first place.”
Saying that, Kazuma picked up Issei and carried him to the wall of the training hall.
Having finished carrying Issei, Kazuma rolled his shoulders, approached Tsubaki, and looked her straight in the eyes.
“So? You’ve been looking like you want to fight me for a while now… What’ll you do? Now’s your chance, while your Goshujin-sama is asleep, you know? You still have a little time before you disappear, right?”
“…Fufu, you’re quite a kind person, giving me a chance like this. You are.”
“I’m always kind to beautiful women.”
Tsubaki’s fighting spirit swelled, and an illusion, as if space itself were distorting, appeared before Kazuma’s eyes.
It seemed she was eager to fight.
Right now, her Goshujin-sama, Issei, was unconscious, so she didn’t need to follow his orders.
Furthermore, there was nothing here that threatened Issei’s life, and his safety was guaranteed, so she could fight without reservation.
In that case, for the time she had left before disappearing, she figured it would be alright to let loose a little, and Tsubaki released her restraints.
“Ouka Isshin-ryu Jujutsu! Menkyo Kaiden! Tsubaki! I shall advance!”
“Successor to the Satsuki-ryu! Satsuki Kazuma! Let us fight, fair and square!”
The hero of the past and the hero of the present clashed.
A monumental clash for the ages, with no spectators.
And so, Kazuma would continue to fight until Tsubaki disappeared.