Vol 8 Chapter 4

Starting People『──It’s finally the first match of the K block! From the east gate Seidoukan Academy’s Team Enfield makes their entrance!』When the entrance gate’s door, which was renovated, opened, cheers fanned by Miko’s excited voice rattlingly shook the air.Before, the pathway of the interior connected directly to the stage, but now, because a trench for the protective gel was made, the entrance itself has greatly changed. First, the hatch of the protective gel under water opened, and then a huge pillar-shaped entrance gate gradually rose from there up to the same height as the audience seating. Afterwards, it was a really large-scale mechanism where a semi-transparent path extended up to the sky stage in the air when players appeared from the inside of the pillar.As Claudia advanced through that path at the vanguard, Julis spat out with a dumbfounded face.“There will be no use even if I say it now, but…… I see that this tournament devoted itself to useless performances as always.”“Fufufu, we have no choice but to come to terms with the fact that that’s how it is.”On the other hand, Claudia, who walked in front, responded to the cheers by waving her hand in a completely familiar way“B-But, this is a little…… embarrassing.”Kirin, not seeming to be able to adapt constitutionally, either, hung her head down with a bright red face.“……I don’t care either way, so I want to return quickly and continued my work.”It seems that in the end, Saya did not make it in time for this first match with her lux remodeling. Though she said that she wanted to get it over with by the main battle, she seemed to run fairly into difficulties.When turning a fleeting glance to the rear, many huge space screens were unfolded around the entrance gate and an image of Seidoukan’s school badges and players’ presentation were broadcast on them. This was certainly quite embarrassing.When they arrived at the end of the path, where the stairs began, and went down those stairs to the stage where the six academies’ school badges were drawn, their opponent team for the first match was going to appear from the opposite entrance gate just at that time.『And, and! Challenging this Team Enfield, which is one of the favorites, is Le Wolfe Black Institute’s Team Black Venom!』『If this Team Black Venom wins, it’ll truly be the most spectacular victory, but how will it be……』With their uniforms, which has been remodeled to the extent that any part of the original (uniform) hardly remained, countless tattoos painted on their exposed skins and their individual hairstyles ── five male students dressed like typical Le Wolfe students turned provocative gazes to Ayato and company.There were varied expressions such as those, who glared as to intimidate, and also those who laughed frivolously; but they obviously had a bad attitude. All of them have already deployed their luxes, and those were all long-range weapons such as assault rifle type luxes.“……I’ve heard that it was a mish-mash of hoodlums, but it’s more than I imagined.”As she recalled their previous meeting, Saya muttered as such.From what Claudia had said, they were all outside the list. As such, there was hardly any data about them, too. Although among the six academies, Le Wolfe was the academy where the replacement of ranks was the most intense, she could grasp their (hoodlums) rough ability when facing them like this. ──Honestly, she did not think that they were that much of a threat.“There are many people of this kind who misunderstand the <gryps>comparing it to the other <festas>after all.”Julis made a somewhat fed up expression.“Misunderstand?”“As the <gryps>is for team battles, the hurdle for participation is high…… At the same time, as you know, it’s also the <festa>with the most surprises/unexpected results. In other words, many people participate in it by gathering the required number of people so as to aim for victory even by a fluke.”“I see……”“Only, it’s something one understands by actually watching a match, but most teams, which raised a giant killing, exerted great efforts accordingly. That is, hauling in the moment when they have cleared/jumped over the ability difference. The <festa>isn’t something so sweet that hooligans, with foolish thoughts such as ‘it’s natural that we’d lose; if we can luckily pick up a victory, then we gradually can’ and like, win.”Julis resolutely cut off there.Then.“Hehehe…… Yo, <gl>. I didn’t think we’d meet you guys again in such a place……”The Mohawk-haired man, whose school badge faintly radiated as proof of team leader, stepped forward and said so with a stiffened face.“……Hmm?”After Julis intently stared at his face for a while──“Who are you?”She tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression.“Wha!? You bitch, you don’t remember me?!”Perhaps because it was quite a humiliation, the enraged Mohawk-haired man’s face dyed red.But, Ayato, who was watching their exchanges from the side remembered earlier than Julis.“Ah……! Look, he’s the one from when I had Julis guide me around the town before……”When Ayato had just come to Asterisk, he had asked Julis to show him around the central district. He was probably a Le Wolfe student who was hired by Silas Norman, who was aiming at Julis at that time, and attacked them in the form of rolling them up in a scuffle then.“……Ah, those hoodlums who were tricked by Silas Norman and attacked us, huh.”Julis seemed to more or less remember it, but she didn’t seem to be that interested in it.However, it seemed to be different for the other party.“Damn, messing around with me! ……H-Hmph! But, well never mind. I didn’t think that I could have a golden opportunity to get back at you from that time in this tournament, which I participated in just for fun. From the start, we didn’t think we could win, but we’ll take at least even you alone along with us in our fall. So prepare yourself……!”When the Mohawk-haired man spitted as he said so, he turned back and returned to his match start position.“……”Though Julis remained silent as is with cool eyes, she glanced at Claudia.Claudia, who received her glance, smiled and nodded.『Well then, the filling of the protective gel has begun, too, and the match start time finally approaches! Now then, will an unexpected result occur?!』As the match was about to begin, the protective gel welled up from the trench, gradually surrounding the whole stage. The protective gel was a photo-curing type liquid resin, and its surface was solidified by means of laser irradiation. It covered up entirely the surroundings without spilling over even when exceeding the stage’s wall.Naturally, the sound was isolated in the inside and outside; but because there was a built-in speaker on the stage’s wall, live report, commentary and cheers could be heard with almost no sense of incongruity.The protective gel, which appeared slightly bluish during the filling, visibly turned transparent.“ <gryps>K Block first match, battle start!”And when the mechanical voice announced the match start, the members of Black Venom all turned their gun muzzles only towards Julis alone──“Oraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”Along with a roar, they suddenly changed their target to Claudia who was the team leader.A storm of light bullets shot from five luxes attacked Claudia, and a dense cloud of dust filed the surroundings.“Hahahaha! How is this?! According to the rumors, it seems that