Episode 6: 17,000 Hours
I was bullied in middle school.
For the stupid reason that I didn’t have parents.
Looking back now, the reason doesn’t matter, it was probably because of my attitude.
When I entered high school, there was a guy who was being bullied just like I was.
Why, I wonder?
I thought I would spend my high school days quietly.
So that no one would glare at me.
Why, I wonder?
Why did my body move on its own?
I don’t know.
Was it some stupid sense of justice?
Even though I knew what would happen if someone without power stood up to someone with power.
Even though I knew that as a result, the target would turn to me.
…
“Alright, the controls are mostly the same.”
Kenyya got into the Simulator.
He had skimmed through the manual, so he was confident.
The Simulator’s controls were almost identical to those of his original world.
Of course, there were minor differences, but they were trivial.
“It’s only been a few hours, but it feels a little nostalgic…”
It had been four or five hours since he came to this world.
Why he came to this world, what was expected of him, what he should do.
He didn’t know any of that.
Today, he intended to just observe and avoid standing out.
He still didn’t know much about this world.
But after seeing that, there was no way he could stay silent.
He didn’t know what he would accomplish in this world.
But there was one thing he had decided, one thing he wanted to do.
That was to protect the Heroine.
That single-mindedness was what allowed him to clear that quest and led him to this world.
Then, he had no choice but to save her.
The Heroine of the game he had fallen in love with.
The beloved girl who had appeared before him, that’s why.
The KOG that Kenyya was controlling stood up.
“Hee! After all that big talk, you can at least stand up, right!”
Kenyya looked at the palm of the KOG he was controlling.
“Ah, this feeling. It’s a slightly older version, but it moves like my own limbs…”
He had already grasped the feeling of the controls.
It was a KOG from a slightly earlier Season in his previous world, but he had played it before.
“Well then, are both sides ready? Then…”
3, 2, 1… Fight!
“Begin!”
“Now then, how should I toy with you!!”
(He seems very confident, but I practiced on this Simulator for a month! There’s no way I’d lose to a Second-Class!)
Good ran straight towards Kenyya.
The spectators, seeing Kenyya not moving, realized his defeat.
Kaguya could only watch, her hands clasped together as if praying.
“I don’t know how much you guys practiced on this Simulator… but I can tell by your movements. At best, it’s been a month.”
They had been practicing with the KOG for a month beforehand.
Even if they were serious, they could only do about 8 hours a day, which was about 240 hours at most.
It was enough playtime to learn the controls.
“First, I’ll break that right leg and make sure you can’t stand!”
Good swung the giant sword equipped on his KOG.
It was a giant sword-type weapon, standard equipment for KOGs, and the tip was glowing like a beam.
Kenyya still didn’t move.
He was calm, like a perfectly still, unrippled surface of water.
“But you see… my playtime is…”
Plop.
A drop of water fell on the surface of the water, causing it to ripple.
Kenyya moved, at a speed that was impossible to follow with the eye.
However, this was a technique of varying speed from 0 to 100 and moving into the KOG’s blind spots.
It was a basic technique used by top rankers and top players in his previous world.
“Huh?”
Good lost sight of Kenyya’s machine, which had disappeared from his sight in an instant.
Kenyya had many titles.
A shut-in, a hardcore gamer, a recluse, a home security guard.
He had dedicated his entire youth to this game.
He had earned many dishonorable titles, but those titles would change their meaning in this world.
Because the time he had spent, Kenyya’s playtime, was…
The playtime of the world’s strongest player, who had become the world champion, was…
“My playtime is… 17,000 hours!!!”
Because it was the time of effort and training that transformed into the power to resist.
“Uwaaaah!!!”
Good’s machine was decapitated by a single strike from behind.
Amidst the violent shaking and flashing lights, the KOG exploded.
And then, a message appeared, declaring the victor.
The message clearly declared the victor, leaving no room for excuses.
Kenyu Mitsurugi WIN!
“Huh?”
“Eh? He lost?”
“No way? What happened?”
Alfred was speechless.
He had thought he would use the Handicap System if things got dangerous, but he never imagined he would be defeated in one hit.
“T-That was nothing! It was a mistake on our part! That was nothing!”
Alfred hurriedly declared loudly that it was nothing.
“W-What? Was it the teacher’s mistake?”
“Yeah, that’s impossible, right?”
The Asgardians breathed a sigh of relief.
Only one person, a silver-haired girl, was staring straight at Kenyya.
(That just now… a mistake by the instructor? That can’t be)
“Hahaha, what? It was the teacher’s mistake! That was a surprise. Something like that is impossible!”
And then, the system was restarted, and the two faced each other again.
And then, Alfred operated the panel.
He decided that Kenyya’s control skills were dangerous and maximized the Handicap System.
With this, one hit would completely deplete his HP.
Conversely, Good would not lose unless he was hit 100, no, 200 times.
(It’s a bit blatant, but it can’t be helped. Just who is that guy… Kenyu Mitsurugi… I don’t know that name.)
“O-Okay! I’m ready, so are you ready? Let’s start again!”
For now, he was relieved.
Alfred’s face immediately turned pale.
(What… what is this… just what…)
“What’s going on!!!”
Good screamed.
What those who watched the battle felt was an overwhelming domination.
An overwhelming difference in skill that did not allow for even a single counterattack.
“Where are you! Where are you! You coward!”
Good shouted through the communication system from inside the KOG.
“Coward? Do you call the difference in power cowardice? In your country?”
(He maximized the Handicap System… but the Handicap System only corrects damage, it’s meaningless if you don’t get hit.)
It was like a completely different machine.
Good’s machine was being sliced by swords from all directions and showered with bullets by Kenyya, who was moving at high speed.
“Amazing…”
Kaguya let out a voice as she watched the video.
A power that lived up to his previous confidence.
She honestly thought it was amazing, movements as if he could see the future.
Kaguya wasn’t familiar with KOGs, but even she could tell by watching.
That the ultimate movement was such a beautiful thing.
Fierce sparks, bullets, and slashes.
But all of it was released from one side.
It had been about five minutes, perhaps, that Good had been dominated.
“P-Please, forgive me… ugh.”
Even though it was a Simulator, the barrage of slashes and gunshots, the loud noises, the flashes, and the intense vibrations continued.
Good was subjected to it for a long time, which seemed like it would never end, and his mind was exhausted.
And the violent shaking made him feel nauseous.
Good’s HP was barely decreasing due to the Handicap System.
But finally, the time had come.
After receiving over 100 attacks, his HP was finally completely depleted.
And what was displayed was…
Kenyu Mitsurugi WIN!
A message praising the victor.
“Whoa!!!”
The Japanese people cheered.
This time, there was no way to deny it.
The victor was clear to anyone who watched.
(No way… a Second-Class won… no, is he really a Second-Class? Unless he had special training… this is Holy Knight class, no, even more…)
Alfred was more surprised than frustrated.
But he had no choice but to admit it.
The victor was Second-Class, and the loser was First-Class.
The victor was Japanese, and the loser was Asgardian.
In this battle alone, history had been overturned.
The two of them came out of the Simulator.
“Mitsurugi-kun!”
Kaguya rushed to Kenyya.
Many Japanese people, including Kaguya, rushed to Kenyya and applauded him.
“Y-You’re amazing! Mitsurugi-kun! You’re amazing!”
“You’re our shining star of hope!”
“That was awesome!! It felt so good!”
Kenyya was surrounded by the boisterous Japanese.
And then, pushing through them, Kaguya stepped forward and expressed her gratitude.
“Thank you, Mitsurugi-kun…”
Kaguya thanked Kenyya.
“Then, as a reward, a kiss…”
“Huh?”
“That was a joke… well, then, please call me Kenyya. And I want you to allow me to call you Kaguya.”
“…Fufu, you never change. Okay… it’s special. Well then, once again. Thank you, Kenyya!”
The girl who had been crying just moments ago was smiling with a full smile.
Just that alone made all this reckless behavior worth it.
And then, the other person.
“Obo-bo-boooo!!”
“T-That’s disgusting!!”
“Good threw up!!”
Good, whose nausea had reached its limit due to the violent shaking,
threw up his breakfast in a grand fashion and was carried away.
Watching that, Alfred sighed and declared.
“It seems that he is the victor, so is there anyone who will avenge him?”
Silence enveloped the room.
Alfred knew that there wasn’t anyone.
But this was unacceptable.
Today, they had to decide the rankings.
If things continued like this, the Second-Class would become the number one in this class.
Such a thing had never happened in the history of the Empire, and it must not happen.
But no one raised their hand.
The Asgardians who had been watching the fight wouldn’t meet Alfred’s eyes.
Because they had realized their defeat.
They didn’t want to admit it, but that Second-Class was superior to them when it came to KOG.
That’s why no one raised their voice.
Except for one person.
“Step forward, I will be your opponent.”
An Asgardian slowly walked in front of the simulator.
Kenyya grinned when he heard that voice.
It was a familiar voice directed at him.
“Ah, of course.”
Kenyya agreed.
He was a firm believer in taking on any challenge, and he would fight anyone who came at him with all his might.
And this challenger was…
“You are Kenyu Mitsurugi-kun, correct? I apologize for my rudeness earlier.”
Those words made Kenyya recall her first words in the classroom.
“I said I had no interest in you, but I take that back.”
Her silver hair swayed, and her eyes were as cold as ice.
A girl with cold eyes that seemed to say she had no interest in anything but herself.
In those captivating, icy blue eyes.
“I am interested in you.”
Kenyya was clearly reflected.