“We’ve had a strong opening today, but now it’s time for our third fight of the day…” The tournament’s announcer built up the next fight as the fighters entered the arena. “Is everyone having fun? I hope so, cause now, a serious match is about to take place.”

  Third fight for them meant the first fight for me. It was finally my turn. Face to face with a guy with a long face wearing a green hood.

  “Iroha, the girl who signed up for a chance to win the princess hand by accident…” Not what happened. “Versus… Sovin! The man with a thousand hidden knives!”

  They’re not hidden! What is the announcer saying? Every inch of his clothes has a holster for a knife, and most of them are clearly visible! Who came up with that name?! They’re literally all over his body!

  “Count with me! Three. Two! One… And GOGOGOGOGO!” And just like that, the battle was on.

  Almost let myself get distracted… I pulled out my sword, and in response, my opponent grinned. “Ahahahahahahaha! I got you…”

  How menacing… What’s this about?

  “You just thought to yourself that my hidden knives weren’t hidden, didn’t you?” He looked down on me. As if he were a cocky detective who got the culprit on the back foot. “Let me explain… The reason my knives remain hidden is because no one who has seen them has lived to tell the tale!” He’s ready. Suddenly, he spread his arms, each hand holding numerous knives, making his hood kick up.

  “Uhh… Are you planning on killing the whole audience after this fight? If that’s your gimmick, I think it ends today regardless…”

  I think I was making sense, but he completely brushed me off. “It pains me to hurt a girl, but for the sake of Ebrilyon’s beautiful princess, I have to put an end to your life. Forgive me, but surely… You understand!” He swung his arms forward. Throwing all the knives in his hands at the same time.

  Then again and again. A barrage of knives came hurling towards me. All aimed perfectly at my vitals… “I got you now! There’s no escape!”

  “Slash Flurry.”

  *dink dink dink dink dink*

  The downpour of knives stopped before my sword did. Was that it?

  “Oh ho… You’re not bad, girl… This might be a fairer fight than I expected!”

  He grabbed more knives. A second barrage cut through the air, this one longer than the last. Yet, it made no difference.

  “Slash Flurry…” *dink dink dink dink dink*

  Like… Seriously…? I’m not even breaking a sweat…

  “Guhh… You’re good…” He stopped, troubled yet still confident. His stance was low, and his hands rested near the knives, ready to resume attacking at any moment. “Looks like you give me no choice… Time to pull out my secret wea-”

  “Impact Round.” Not if I pull out mine before you do.

  “Wooahhh! There he goes!” The announcer shouted. “Sovin is the first contestant to get blasted off the arena today. Iroha comes out as the winner of this match. Congratulations! In the meantime, a medical team is already on the way to catch him!”

  How nice of them.

  Up on the stands, most people were laughing and having a good time, but there was one girl amongst them with an annoyed look on her face.

  “What was that?” She needed answers. Arms crossed, Carol turned her head to Sarasa. “Is this some kind of joke? That guy was a complete clown.”

  The girl next to her was shocked. “Wait, you’re mad? Why? It’s hilarious, isn’t it?”

  “Isn’t this a serious tournament?” Should have known with that weirdo of an announcer. “Are those guys even trying? I would have also participated if I knew the other fighters would act like that. Just to teach them a lesson. They’re wasting our time!”

  Hecate held her shoulder. “You’re missing the big picture. It’s true that they’re no good as fighters, but their performance is clearly entertaining for the people watching. I myself quite liked watching our Iroha send that overconfident fool flying.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Heh… I’ll give you that. He deserved that.”

  “Nyahahahahahaha!” Carol finally laughed. Sarasa smacked her back to celebrate. “You get it after all. You’re finally getting into the spirit of the tournament! You get one, maybe two, good fights. The rest are just jokes.”

  Then Ririna leaned forward, speaking from the other side of Sarasa. “I think it was more serious some years ago, but now a lot of people join just to make people laugh. Since they know they can’t win regardless.”

  “Why? Someone has to win, right?”

  “You’ll see at the end.” Ririna smiled without answering. “No spoilers.”

  “It will be really funny, don’t worry.” And Sarasa smugly agreed right after.

  They’re doing it again… Sigh… “Whatever.” Carol leaned back, hands behind her head. “I’ll just watch Iroha teach those idiots a lesson in my place. The reaction to her winning was also pretty good. They were totally underestimating her.”

  Show them, Iroha…

  My next few fights went as smoothly as the first. The tournament itself was moving rather quickly with one fight after the other. We started in the morning, and, according to Flanne, it was projected to finish late into the afternoon.

  It wasn’t a big deal for me, but do the other fighters have the stamina to endure so many rounds with such short breaks?

  Yes… Yes, they did. I watched most fights during the first round, and there were only two or three people beside me who seemed somewhat serious about getting a good result here. Their opponents were as trivial as mine, and they also hardly broke a sweat. Maybe I’ll have something to look forward to.

  “For our next battle, on one side, Iroha Shinohara… The girl who has yet to realize today’s prize is not baking tools.” I’m actually well aware of that. “Facing… Reeeeeaaaaann!!!!! The unicycle knight!”

  There he was… My second opponent. Wobbling in place in a full set of armor.

  “And begin!” With those words from the announcer, it’s on.

  Hmmm… What a dumb sight… How am I supposed to take this seriously…? “Am I really the first one to say anything?! Is that thing allowed? That’s a vehicle! What if someone brought a carriage in here?!”

  Ahahaha… I accidentally went off on him. Feels good~

  “Hpmh. I know not what you’re talking about.” A muffled response came through his helmet. “My trusted steed is a weapon as lethal as my lance, not a vehicle. En garde!” He pointed his spear forward and rapidly accelerated.

  Is it really that great? You’d probably be better off without it.

  Burst Dash. I instantly appeared next to him. “There.” Kick to the wheel.

  “What have you-!? Woa… Woah Woawoawawaaaaaaaa!”

  *Crash!*

  “We have a winner! A vicious kick from this fearsome girl sent the knight spiraling out of control straight into a wall! How terrifying… Looks like it’s the end of the road for him!”

  Vicious? That was a casual tap at best.

  …

  “You’d be wise to surrender. Do you know who I am? Mack, the ultimate wizard who combined all elements into one attack!” Thus said my third opponent, as he grinned from under his silly hat.

  “Are you really bragging about that? Doesn’t it just explode in your face or something?”

  He chuckled. “So? I’m used to it. All I need is to take you out before passing out!” Then, he ran with his arms spread wide open for a surprise hug.

  Ohh…. So that’s his strategy… Suicide bombing, clever. But just as his arms were about to wrap around me… Dash Burst.

  *BOOOOOM!*

  “A round of applause for the magnificent Mack. Truly a man that went down with a bang!”

  A pun for the guy twitching on the floor covered in soot, but nothing for me? Bea needs to hire a better guy for next time.

  …

  “My name is Bearnaut, master violinist.” My fourth opponent. A burly guy holding a violin by the… What’s it called? The long part? He’s holding it wrong, that’s my point. “Made out of magically reinforced wood, I’ve swung this baby thousands of times. My form puts master swordsmen to shame. You don’t stand a chance against me.”

  “Play it! If you put half as much time into learning that as you did swinging it, you might have charmed the princess in a different way!”

  “No point in acting tough. You’re obviously stunned by my skill. Here I go!”

  Parrying Strike. *SNAP!* There goes your stupid violin.

  “Looks like Bearnaut was out of tune today! With his weapon broken, so are his chances at winning the tournament. Better luck next time!”

  Sigh… Are we done yet? Maybe the tournament is actually exhausting.

  Mentally, that is.

  And so, I dropped by the stands to spend some time with my girls and recharge.

  “Iroha?! What are you doing here?” Ririna was the first to notice me. The coliseum was practically full, so they didn’t have a spare seat for me.

  “Just came to see how you were doing. Having fun?” But I can’t exactly stand, or I’ll block the people behind them. Should I just go back?

  “It’s been fun. Good work out there, Iroha. Watching you fight has been very amusing.” Hecate straightened her dress then patted her lap. “Come here.”

  Eh? Does she want me to sit there? Really? I mean… If she insists…

  “Wait.” Got stopped by Carol as she pulled my wrist. “What do you think you’re doing?” She glared at me, then Hecate. “Are you trying to take advantage of the situation again?”

  “I’m just being considerate. If she stands there, she’ll be a nuisance for the people behind, won’t she?”

  Carol flinched. She had a point.

  “Sorry, Carol.” I smiled. “We don’t have time to talk things through today.” Hecate wrapped a hand around my waist as I sat down.

  “Tsk… Whatever… So? What’s wrong with the people in this tournament? Why do they all fight like clowns?”

  “Don’t ask me. I just fight whoever shows up.” That… Makes me sound like a brute…

  “I think I can explain.” Flanne has been acting as my personal manager since earlier today, and she was not far behind me. She didn’t sit on Hecate’s lap or anything and stood a little further away while speaking. “Ebrilyon is a country that values martial ability more than most others, so a lot of people join the tournament to show off their skills. They know that earning our favor can earn them money and fame, so they join hoping to catch our attention. Unfortunately, a lot of them resort to creative fighting styles rather than practice and skill.”

  That… Explains a lot, actually. But it still doesn’t make sense. Are the fighters really that dumb?

  “You haven’t gotten hurt, right?” Ririna looked for any injuries on me from a few seats away. “You’re doing well?”

  “Oh, for sure. I don’t think I’ve faced a single real opponent yet, so I’m fine. Though I’m probably not coming back to the stands until the tournament is over…” My last words were a bit strained.

  “Why’s that?”

  “It’s really embarrassing…” Can’t stop blushing… “The people around us know it’s me, and they’ve been whispering non-stop… It’s even worse when I’m sitting on Hecate’s lap like a child…” I should’ve stayed in the changing room!

  “Haha! Serves you right.” Carol went for the throat.

  “You should get used to people looking at you if you’re going to marry the princess.” That was Flanne’s way of trying to encourage me. Very nice of her, but… “Grrrr… What was she even thinking inviting you to join? She’s so irresponsible! Iroha, you should drop out now. There’s still time.” She snapped in the end.

  Is she doing this again?

  Carol side-eyed her. “Huh?! Is your head working properly? It would look bad if she dropped out now. Are you trying to sabotage the tournament?”

  “Yeah! Tell her, Carol!” She had an ally in Sarasa, who pumped up her fist.

  “Should you really be saying that?! I don’t exactly know what your relationship is, but you don’t want to share Iroha with yet another girl, do you?” How does Flanne know? The others wonderered that for a moment. Wasn’t me. Not on purpose, at least.

  Must have leaked somehow. But since I was okay with it, they shrugged it off.

  How to respond, though? They don’t want to see the person they like being lame? Obviously… But was that worth making their relationship even more complicated?

  “*Sigh…*” The one who found an answer first was Carol. “Listen, Flanne… Don’t ask us complicated questions during a festival, okay?”

  A non-answer? Flanne was shocked. “We’ll sort it out afterwards. Somehow…” Ririna continued with a smile. “For now, anyone sensible would try to not ruin the mood, right?” The others nodded, leaving Flanne on her own. But…

  Are you sure, my girls? I’m glad you’re so understanding today, but Flanne did have a point. You sure you don’t wanna think it through a little more?

  I’m confused… Whose side am I on again?