“Yuno…” Alice said to me with a slightly puzzled expression on her face once I was back in the waiting room to wait for my next match. “I watched your first round. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Alice.”
“…I’m rather surprised, to tell you the truth… to be able to defeat Luzas so easily…”
…I see. So he was called Luzas.
“With the face you’re making… you didn’t know?”
Childhood friends are scary.
I bravely gave her a small nod.
“Luzas Kraft. His father’s that A-Rank adventurer, the Steadfast Arm, Las Kraft.”
Las Kraft…?
“Sorry, who?”
I boasted an extraordinary lack of knowledge on adventurers. I mean, I did know who the S-Ranks were, but otherwise…
Alice gave me an exasperated sigh.
“In other words, you easily defeated the son of someone who has their own title. Luzas was one of the favourites to win the competition. A lot of our upperclassmen have been eyeing him, the student council included.”
“…Oh, I see.”
…Well, all the better for me.
“…You’re not surprised?”
“Nah. I’ll do the same thing no matter who my opponent is.”
Which would be to fight, and then win.
…That’s all.
“…Yuno, you…”
Alice had wanted to say something, but the cheers outside had grown much louder.
Time’s up. On to the next one.
“I’ll be going, then.”
“…Mhm. Do your best, Yuno.”
…Alice, I’ll have to tell you one day.
Everything about me. Everything that has happened to me so far.
Then, the worry eating at you will surely also disappear.
“I’ll win. So, I’ll do my best, Alice,” I said, and her worried expression eased up a little.
“Do your best, then, Yuno,” my childhood friend said with a smile as I turned away and stepped out of the waiting room into the dark corridor beyond.
Then, as I was walking along it–
“I wonder if I should say I expected as much.”
First time, it had been Lloyd-senpai, this time, it was––
“…Kraim.”
My friend was waiting for me in the corridor.
Alice and Kraim weren’t participating in the competition, since they had already joined the student council.
The competition was held each year in order to decide who the last one to join the student council would be.
“Congrats, Yuno.”
“Thanks.”
“The third years can’t stop talking about you, apparently. And, well, they’ll be able to see for themselves after this match.”
“…Let’s hope so,” I replied as I walked past him.
“Don’t go too far, Yuno. Be careful.”
And with that warning, I stepped out onto the battlefield.
“He’s here! Yuno Astario!”
A large number of gazes stabbed through me, some full of interest while others full of doubt.
It was time for round 2.
“Yuno-san!”
With Athena’s wonderful cheering behind my back, I pointed my spear at my opponent.
“Let’s do this, me…”
There was no going back now. I could only go forwards.
I could almost hear my heart beating.
And, as if synchronising with my heartbeat––
“Begin!”
––came the signal to start.
Immediately, cheers heated like flames rose from the audience.
“Uoooooooo!!” my burly opponent shouted as his palm strike closed in on me––
–– and missed.
I heard the sound of wind rushing past my ear as I dodged it.
The moment I saw his fist next to me, my thoughts sped up.
……I’ve really changed, huh.
I wasn’t the lethargic, old me any more.
No, that was wrong. I had changed myself.
“Oraoraora!”
The fists flying towards me didn’t stop.
However, I kept on thinking.
It had never happened to me before–
“The heck are those reflexes!?”
“He’s still an Astario, even if he’s bad compared to the rest of his family, I suppose…”
“Sanitt! What do you think you’re doing! You opponent’s him!”
–wanting to accomplish something with my own power.
As a result, I had turned myself into being incompetent.
But, it was different now.
––I had a goal.
“…Right”
––Ever since that day when I met Athena…!
“Damnit! Why can’t I hit!” my opponent said irritatedly as he stared at me, and I decided to put an end to the duel.
It didn’t take much.
All I did –– was speed up.
“He disappeared!?”
I quickly moved behind him.
“Where are you!? Where did you run off to!?”
I hit his wide-open back with my spear.
“That should do it.”
“““……”””
Immediately, the loud cheers disappeared.
For a moment, all that could be heard was his rough breathing.
As he looked over his shoulder, our gazes met.
“…What are you… grinning for!”
…Oh, right.
“…you damn incompetent…!”
I’m––
“Quit screwing with meeeeeee!!”
––grinning right now.
I dodged his incoming right fist by turning to the side, and hit the back of his knees with my spear as his momentum took him past me to the side.
“Wh-!?”
His legs gave out, and his forwards momentum sent him face first into the ground.
“Ugh….!”
And with a rather loud thud, a small cloud of dust rose up.
After I had watched that to the end, I turned towards the referee looking at me in surprise.
“T-the winner is: Yuno Astario!”
““““Uoooooooo!!!””””
Cheers erupted in the stands. And, as if to fan the flames of those cheers –– I held my spear high up into the air.
Now then, let’s see.
Let’s see whether there’s still anyone screaming that I’m incompetent. And also––
“That settles it. It wasn’t a fluke.”
“But, but!? How did he?!”
––Notice it.
“He really did win!?”
“N-no, that would be…”
“Yuno-kun! Lloyd-sama or Kraim-sama, which one do––”
––You see my spear?
“But isn’t it strange? How come he’s so strong?”
“Don’t ask me… although, I’m curious as well.”
Notice it notice it notice it…!
“––Couldn’t it be because he made a contract with the goddess Athena?”
––––!
The moment my ears caught those words, joy bubbled up inside me.
“…-esss!”
I unconsciously balled my empty hand into a fist.
I had gotten a solid response and a sense of fulfillment.
I couldn’t help but grin.
“Luna-san! He did it! Yuno-san won!”
As I watched Athena cheering happily, her eyes gleaming like stars, I once again vowed to myself.
“…This is just the start, kami-sama.”
This was nothing. There’s more to come.
Enough to blur away that lonely smile of yours stuck in my head.
I’ll make you smile much, much more.
“……”
By the time this competition ends, her name will have gone way up in stock.
She’ll be known as the goddess Athena, who guided the incompetent Yuno Astario to victory.
And I don’t need to be incompetent anymore either.
“Goodbye, –”
–the incompetent third son, Yuno Astario.
It’s not like I hated you.
You were a free being, with no responsibilities or goals. It was really, really comfortable.
However––
Now, there’s Athena, jumping up and down in joy. And there’s me, who feels happy.
I’m happy with the current me, too.
My murmur of “I can do it, huh…” disappeared away into the vortex of cheers.
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