章 130: Chapter-129 The Competition Begins pt-5
"Hey! How can you through me under the bus like that man!?" (Mari)
*whistles innocently*
Kanon eventually wins first place in her competition.
***
(The next day)
The finals for the [Battle Board] were on the third day of the competition; in which Mari was participating.
To say that she wasn't feeling the pressure would be a false statement.
But at the same time, she could help herself as an excited expression appeared on her face.
She was clearly, looking forward to defeating the opponents that she would be facing in the event.
Mari was a confident woman who believed in her abilities to effectively wield magic.
After spending hours, practicing for the event. She was ready to step into the limelight and win a dub for the team.
And so, she made her way towards the stage through the tunnel located beneath the stands.
She wore a blue-colored bodysuit and had a red band around her forehead; to keep the hair away from her field of vision during the race.
On her way, she found her friend; Mayumi standing at the end of the tunnel with a smile on her face.
Mayumi wore the [First-High School] dress and a fancy sun hat over her head as she walked towards Mari.
"You are ready?" (Mayumi)
Mayumi smiled and questioned Mari; if she was ready to win the event?
Her question was met with an enthusiastic response.
"Yes! I am ready!" (Mari)
Mari spoke with confidence; answering Mayumi's question.
"That's just what I wanted to hear from you!" (Mayumi)
"Alright then, good luck!" (Mayumi)
Mayumi nods to herself, after seeing Mari so motivated and confident.
"Oh! Also keep in mind that Naotsugu-san is also here to witness your triumph over the other participants." (Mayumi)
"I know! You don't need to remind me!" (Mari)
"Humph!" (Mari)
The mention of her boyfriend made Mari feel nervous; which she tried to hide by letting out an angry snort.
She feigned annoyance and made her way towards the stage.
"Haha..." (Mayumi)
Mayumi gave way to Mari who passed her while the former snickered at the latter's act.
"Go show them, Mari!" (Mayumi)
Mayumi whispered to herself.
---
Mari squints her eyes due to the glazing sunlight affecting her vision and moved towards the starting point.
"Mari~" (Crowd)
"Woho! Go Mari-senpai!" (Crowd)
"Show them, Boss!" (Crowd)
"You can win, Mari-senpai!" (Crowd)
"All the best!" (Crowd)
The crowd, of course, cheered for Mari who had become the fan favorite in a short amount of time.
This further boosted her morale and confidence as she stood near the other participants.
(At the racetrack)
The organizer made his way towards the mic and spoke in a clear voice which drowned the sound of the crowd cheering.
"Alright participants!" (Organizer)
"Ready? On the count of three, the race shall begin!" (Organizer)
Once again the floor split apart, revealing something; but this time...it was something else.
A huge ass traffic light!
"One!" (Organizer)
The traffic light turned red!
"Two!" (Organizer)
The traffic light turned yellow!
"Three!" (Organizer)
The traffic light turned green!
"Go!" (Organizer)
The participants burst into action!
*woosh!*
---
(At the stands)
"So how is everything in the military?" (Erik)
Erik once again sat in the first row; the closest to the actual race track since the stands were connected to the racetrack; side by side.
The beautiful sun directly shone on top of his head yet it didn't seem to affect him in any way.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that Erik was absorbing the sunlight using his magic to later release the stored energy; in [Pillar-Break] event.
Anyway, he wore a [First-High School] dress with the [Advisor] band around his left arm.
His long white hair was tied with a black strip of fabric whereas he wore black gloves to cover his palms; to avoid accidents due to [Hollow Powers].
He sat with his friends; the chair on his left was empty; probably reserved for Mayumi, followed by Suzune who was sitting collinearly beside the empty seat.
On the other side; on his right sat a rather lean man.
The newcomer wore a blue jacket and naval blue jeans which complimented his looks; rather nicely.
Naotsugu had taken a leave from his regiment to attend the [Nine-School Competition]; to watch his girlfriend performing in the event.
He turned to look towards Erik and replied to his question.
"Oh man!...It's exhausting!." (Naotsugu)
"Sometimes I think about quitting the military and start some kind of business but then again, my family wouldn't allow that." (Naotsugu)
Naotsugu let out a frustrated sigh as he mentions the controlling nature of his clan.
Erik, hearing Naotsugu's words simply shook his head and spoke in a tone filled with annoyance.
"I am happy that I wasn't born in a clan." (Erik)
"Unlike you, I don't have much tolerance against others; who try to impose their wishes on me." (Erik)
Hearing the annoyance within Erik's voice, Naotsugu let out an amused smile.
"Haha!... Yeah you are lucky!" (Naotsugu)
"And I can understand your reason too!" (Naotsugu)
"You were born free, and are capable of deciding everything on your own." (Naotsugu)
"But unfortunately, it isn't like that in a clan." (Naotsugu)
"For us, only the reputation of the clan matters; personal wishes or aspirations are regarded as a burden." (Naotsugu)
Naotsugu previous bored expression turned into a tired expression before turning into one that of relief.
"Thankfully, I can at least date the woman I love." (Naotsugu)
Observing Naotsugu's expression, Erik let out an exhaustive sigh before presenting his friend with an opportunity.
"Sigh!... You know? If you want then I can recruit you for my security personnel." (Erik)
"I am pretty sure that your clan wouldn't have any problem with that, my status can allocate you more freedom." (Erik)
"Wait! For real!?" (Naotsugu)
"Yeah! I can help you if you want." (Erik)
"It's free estate!" (Erik)
Naotsugu was moved by his friend's magnanimous action; he was being extended an olive branch which could very well decrease the control his clan had on his life.
Yet! Even so, keeping all this in his mind; he declined.
"Nah man!... They will just try to use me to build connections with your company." (Naotsugu)
"And I am well aware of your dislike for the Magical Clans." (Naotsugu)
"But hey! Thanks for asking!" (Naotsugu)
Naotsugu was well aware of Erik's dislike for the clan system plus he didn't want to risk his friendship due to his clan being greedy.
Hearing Naotsugu declines his offer, Erik just shook his head while clarifying his thoughts on Magical Clans.
"Sigh!... It's not that I hate the Magical Clans; I just find them to be a nuisance." (Erik)
Hearing Erik's answer, Suzune decided to pitch in on the conversation.
"Lol...only you can talk about Magical Clans with such disregard." (Suzune)
Suzune was having trouble holding in her laughter after looking at the annoyed expression on her friend's face.
"Do not misunderstand, Su-chan." (Erik)
"I just don't like the Clan system in this country, I don't mean any disrespect to you or anyone." (Erik)
"Oh, I know that Erik! I was just kidding....haha!" (Suzune)
"Hey! What are you guys laughing about?" (Mayumi)
While chatting amongst themselves, they failed to notice the arrival of the newcomer.
Mayumi slowly made her way towards the front row and sat down beside Erik; on the empty seat on his left.
Looking at his fiance, Erik decided that it would be better to change the topic to something which wouldn't make her uncomfortable.
After all, Mayumi did belong to a Magical Clan, [10-Master Clan] at that!
"Nothing... Mari's match is about to begin!" (Erik)
"Look! There she is!" (Suzune)
---
(At the racetrack)
The match starts, as each of the participants, burst into action!
They propelled their boards forward using magic; which also allowed them to surf against the flow of the water.
Each of the crafty participants was using all kinds of magic to try and hinder others from overtaking them.
One of the rules of the event was that the participants couldn't cast magic on other participants or their opponent's boards.
Therefore, they were using magic on the surface of the water to interfere; indirectly.
Unfortunately or fortunately, none of the participants were pushovers and succeeded in avoiding the spells aimed to hinder them.
And soon enough, they are about to round the first turn!
Mari was first, as expected from her; followed closely by the participant from [Seventh-High School].
"Go, Mari!" (Crowd)
"You can win!" (Crowd)
"Woohoo! Show them, boss!" (Crowd)
"Beat them!" (Crowd)
The crowd cheered her as she was leading in the race!
Unfortunately, just as the things seemed to be working in Mari's favor!
The [Seventh-High participant], suddenly loses her control and begins to accelerate instead of slowing.
Mari seeing this attempts to catch her when the water's surface suddenly dipped.
This causes Mari's balance to break and her magic to get canceled before she, together with the [Seventh-High participant]; are propelled into the air.
"Mari!..." (Naotsugu)
Seeing that the situation was going out of control, and Mari was on a coalition course with the railings.
Naotsugu immediately jumped towards the stage using [Acceleration Magic].
"Erik! Naotsugu wouldn't make it in time!" (Mayumi)
Even though Naotsugu was using his magic, it was still poorly prepared and had less effectiveness.
Mari, together with the [Seventh-High participant] was about to collide with the railing and Naotsugu wouldn't be able to save both of them.
"No, he will make it!" (Erik)
Fortunately, there was Erik present in the stands.
"Naotsugu!" (Erik)
He quickly activated his magic and shouted Naotsugu's name to alert him of his spell.
"[Convergence type:-Deep Forest Emergence]!" (Erik)
The temperature dropped drastically as lots of ice emerged from Erik's feat and the floor in front of him.
The recently formed ice shot up towards Mari and the [Seventh-High participant]; while taking shape mid-air.
To outlooks, it seemed like a huge tree made of ice appeared out of nowhere.
By the precise yet delicate movement of the branches of the huge tree; it wouldn't seem wrong to assume that it had some level of intelligence.
The mere thought of inanimate objects suddenly turning animate; scared even the greats!
Fortunately, Naotsugu seemed to have not noticed this and simply jumped from one branch to another; of the ice tree which covered half of the arena in an instant.
"Mari!" (Naotsugu)
He easily catches Mari whereas the branches of the ice tree suddenly whipped through the air before coiling against the [Seventh-High participant]; saving the latter from a permanent injury.
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