The Ferris Magic Knight Academy had a tradition:
A fighting competition the winner of which would join the student council.
However, not only would the winner join the student council, they would also – apparently – become someone known throughout the whole school by other freshmen such as themselves and even upperclassmen alike.
“Damn, I’m getting kinda nervous.”
The academy’s arena was a familiar place to me by now. It was round, and could apparently hold up to three-thousand people. I gulped as I stared at the forty-meter-tall wall encircling it.
The seats, however, wouldn’t be open to the general public, so the only ones who would be watching were other students from my school, as well as ––
“Oh? So even you can get nervous,” Luna said teasingly.
–– the students from the neighbouring St. Ferris’ Girls’ Academy.
Relatives of the participants were free to watch as well, of course, but if I had to say, the whole thing felt more like a school event.
That didn’t mean that there was no reason to do one’s best, though.
I’ve already mentioned this, but the victor would gain a lot of fame, as well as the promised advancement paths.
They’d have ‘The Champion of the Freshman Fighting Competition of the Ferris Magic Knight Academy’ on their resume, after all.
And so, the winner would basically be able to get whatever job they wanted – it was only natural to do one’s best.
However, we students of the Magic Knight Academy weren’t the only ones enthusiastic about the competition.
I glanced over at all the faces staring at the arena, noticing a well-built, bald boy who was being excitedly pointed at by a curly-haired brunette.
“You understand, right?”
“Yeees”
“You’re going to get laid off if you lose, you hear me? Laid off!”
“Yes, yes”
That probably wasn’t enough of an example though, but there was a truly frightening sight in front of my eyes.
What I’m trying to say is, this competition was an extremely important one to the students of Ferris Girls’ who had knights.
I suppose you could also call it a kind of proxy war. The girls themselves were competing in who had the better eyes for people as well as social status by having their knights fight each other.
So much so, that while this might be a slight exaggeration, it felt like the students from Ferris Girls’ were actually even more raring to go than we competitors were.
Although, I suppose I was lucky on that front.
My lady was none other than the Solitary Moon.
She wasn’t childish enough to start making a fuss over a competition of this size.
Right, Luna?
“I’m looking forward to this. I wonder just how much applause I’ll get.”
I take back what I said.
“My Lady…?” I called out to her with a pained smile, and she turned towards me with a gentle smile on her face.
“I was joking. Do whatever you want. I have said it before, have I not? I like the way you do things. Although I would have liked you to keep acting incompetent,” she said with a small sigh, then staring at me with an expressionless face.
…What’s up?
“Do not forget that you are my knight, and do not forget what I said, either,” she said as she began walking, her silver hair billowing out behind her for a couple moments.
“…What?”
I really never could tell what she was thinking, although I found that more interesting than anything else.
Anyway.
I turned around to face Athena, who had been trying to hide behind me.
““……””
Her red eyes were flitting all over the place, full of anxiousness.
That’s right –– she was way more nervous than I was.
I was the first person she had made a contract with. The second was Tina.
People she had made a contract with would be competing in this tournament she had only ever been able to watch from afar.
I had never been one the other side of such contracts before, so while I couldn’t say for certain… that was probably what she was worried about.
“Kami-sama?”
“…Yuno-san, I’m sorry I’m so nervous. It’s just that this has never happened to me before,” she said, clenching her hands nervously in front of her chest and trying her hardest to give me a smile.
It seems like I was right.
“Kami-sama, look,” I said, standing next to her and turning my gaze towards the people practically being sucked into the arena.
Athena gave me a bewildered look, but then also turned towards the arena.
“They’re all raring to go. All for the sake of status and fame and for the hard work they put in.”
“…Yes.”
“I’m the same. I’m also raring to go. Do you know why?” I asked, and she tilted her head as if thinking. Before she could say anything though, I spoke again. “Because you’ll be watching.”
Her red eyes widened in surprise.
It’s nothing to be so surprised about, kami-sama.
“None of them are a match for me. I’ll beat them all.”
––All right, that one was a bit embarrassing.
Still I couldn’t just stop there, so I continued on in a loud voice, to convince her, and more than that, to convince myself.
“I’ll get rid of their jeering, and I’ll raise my spear up high while they applaud me.”
Athena had been trying her hardest for a long time. Twelve years, all on her own.
Without anyone who had made a contract with her, laughed at as being incompetent. Not even once did someone who wanted to make a contract with her appear. And yet, even when I had met her, she had been such a wonderful person. Or goddess, I guess. I felt lucky to have met her.
“So please watch me, kami-sama. As someone who made a contract with you, I’ll change everything.”
There’s no need to be worried or anxious about anything.
“So, I’ll say this right now.”
I’ve always thought this, but I feel like it would only get through to her if I say it now.
“Thank you for making a contract with me.”
“…”
Tears began to fall from her crimson eyes.
See. I knew you were worried.
But I had felt like I had to say it to her when I had seen her training by herself without having said a word to me.
The skill ‘Spear Arts’
It was the only miracle of a blessing she could give us.
So of course she wouldn’t have much confidence in herself.
However, kami-sama, there’s one thing you shouldn’t go about forgetting like that.
I wiped away the tears from her face.
“Please believe in yourself more, kami-sama. You’re the supreme goddess of Tina and I, after all.”
Whether she was famous or not didn’t matter to me.
What I liked about her was her kind and beautiful nature.
I wanted to see that smile of hers that was even brighter than the Sun, after all.
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