“I’m so sorry!!”
The sun made its rotation; the next day. The same flawless Mashiro dogeza from last night was now performed toward Reina.
She’d eaten less than usual at breakfast — clearly very repentant.
“Fufu, it’s all right, Miss Liche. There’s no rule that all three of us have to attend.”
“Uu, Reina is so kind~! Thank you so much~!”
“There, there.”
Reina patted the head of the hugging Mashiro.
Like a mother soothing a baby. Although a certain motherly part was the opposite.
”…… Ouga-kun? Did you think something rude?”
”…… You’re imagining it.”
How are girls so sharp about boobs? Getting a little scary.
“Mashiro, you not coming last night was the right call. We got accosted by some weird types.”
“Weird types? Like when it happened to me?”
“Right. And types like Bolbond are our opponents today.”
“Eh!? Trouble!”
“It’s fine. This time we have Miss Liche and Ouga-kun. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Ehehe~, well that’s reassuring~”
Mashiro was already fully won over by Reina.
That said, what she’d said is fact.
“All right, let’s plan a strategy to bring the loss probability to zero. Alice.”
“Yes, prepared right here.”
The materials she handed over recorded Sherva’s team’s magical configuration and tactical tendencies from last year.
I passed them to Reina and Mashiro, and when we’d all skimmed them once, I spoke.
“Let’s restate the conditions for victory. The team loses if all three members are knocked unconscious, surrender, or if all three referees rule the match cannot continue. Correct?”
The two nodded at my question.
“Right. To the main subject. Reina. Are these documents consistent with your memory?”
“Yes, as written, they’re an offensive team that uses lightning-element magic for early-strike speed and Sherva-kun’s high-output fire-element magic for raw destructive power. The members haven’t changed either, so I assume it’s the same.”
Mythosona Magic Academy has no Dual Magic Caster like Mashiro.
So their strategy can’t undergo major changes.
“Without question, they’ll try to seize the initiative with [Thunder].”
[Thunder] is a lightning-element spell specialized for speed.
A direct hit sends current through the whole body and paralyzes, creating an opening.
A strong user’s [Thunder], I’ve heard, can knock someone out without effort.
“In the opening, they fight with lightning-based volume; while we struggle to respond, Sherva-kun’s high-power spells slam down…… That’s their winning pattern.”
“Yes, yes, question. To start with — using spells like that is safe?”
“There’s a safety mechanism that suppresses output. So please use plenty of magic, Miss Liche.”
“Yes, leave it to me!”
In magic combat, athletes are required to wear an output-suppressing magical implement.
A measure to prevent deaths — it’s combat-style but kept within the bounds of a sport.
In that sense, Mashiro won’t shrink from the opponent’s spells.
She has some experience from the fight against Aliban.
“So why did you lose last year? Knowing their hand, countermeasures should be feasible.”
From the footage I’d watched, her other two were knocked out, and from that momentum, they were dragged into the enemy’s pace.
But Sherva and his team kept winning with the same approach. There’s no way someone like Reina hadn’t prepared for them.
Because she, too, is a lightning-element user — same as Mythosona and, by extension, the lightning hero, Floné.
“To my shame…… I was simply outpaced. Their [Thunder] is faster than mine. They must have trained substantially.”
“In other words — you got beaten cleanly in speed.”
“That’s right.”
The reason Reina felt such heavy responsibility — that was the root.
She keeps regretting that she didn’t win the speed contest.
“This past year, I’ve worked on improving my [Thunder]. But so has the opponent. Honestly, I can’t promise a guaranteed win.”
If we’re trusting her, the right answer would be “leave it to her.”
But that’s a polished surface — thought-abdication. A gamble.
If Reina is outpaced again, she takes deeper wounds. A trauma that could affect her future.
So let someone else carry it.
We happen to have an irregular this time — me.
The two biggest miscalculations for Mythosona:
We have Alice, a pro at fighting magicians.
And I, trained under Alice, am here.
“So — we’ll cede the first strike to the enemy. Counter strategy.”
”…… Is that all right?”
“Yeah. I’ll guarantee you two won’t take a scratch. ……Will you entrust me with this important role?”
“I agree. If Ouga says it, he won’t fail. Because——”
"""I never go back on my word."""
“——right?”
“Heh, you’ve got it.”
I patted Mashiro’s head, then locked eyes with Reina.
“Reina. Will you let me shoulder your feelings, too?”
”…… Understood. I’ll trust you, Ouga-kun.”
“Good. With that settled, the rest is the post-counter pairing.”
“In case the opponent takes a different approach, let’s draft a few patterns.”
“First, in the case where Ouga-kun fails…… we don’t need to plan for, right?”
”…… Reina, you really get me now.”
“Yes. Because Ouga-kun has been teaching me all sorts of things, hands-on.”
”…… Ouga, could it be…… you’re a perv?”
“Reina, please stop phrasing it like that. Mashiro, it’s a misunderstanding, calm down.”
”…… I wouldn’t really mind.”
…… Eh, you’re fine with it? …… Wait, no, no.
If I bite here, my virginity will be glaringly obvious.
I shook my head to drive out the worldly desires.
“All right! Let’s lock everything down before the match!”
“Yeahhh!!”
“Yeah~!”
◇ [The Misunderstood Holy Life of a Villainous Young Master] Volume 2 will be released in October by Dengeki Bunko~!!
Herigaru-sensei’s illustrations…… are amazing again, please look forward to them!
Pre-orders are available on Amazon and elsewhere, so please check it out!
Next time, battle chapter!! ◇