Chapter 83

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The sudden appearance of an unexpected person made me open my eyes wide and stare at Miyano-san, who had just stepped onto the stage. Since the capture of the assailants, we hadn't met face to face, but I had been somewhat concerned about what had happened to them since then.

I never thought I would meet them again in such a place...

"...Big brother? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Mika, noticing that something was off with me, looked at me with a worried expression.

It seems I was quite shaken.

"Ah, yeah. I'm fine. A friend just appeared, and I was surprised, that's all..."

"Really... Wait, what? Big brother, you know them?"

"Well, we've only met once and had a few conversations. Ah, the friend I'm talking about is the second person introduced to me."

"Wow..."

Mika's eyes widened in surprise at my words, but she seemed disappointed when I mentioned that we had only had a few conversations. Maybe she wanted Miyano-san's autograph since she's a popular stage performer?

If asked whether my relationship with Miyano-san is shallow, I would say no, but since we only acted together for a short period, it might seem that way on the surface. In reality, I treated Miyano-san and the others after they were injured by the assailants, so we have a relationship like that of a savior...

"It's good to see Miyano-san looking well after so long."

"...Looking well?"

"Yeah. When I met Miyano-san, they were injured. At that time, I used a recovery potion to heal their wounds."

They had been shot in the right shoulder and were lying in a pool of blood.

The recovery potion wasn't used by them but was administered by us in a hurry. Even though the wounds were healed, the lost blood couldn't be replenished, so they were wobbly from anemia.

Since we handed over the assailants, I hadn't seen Miyano-san in person, so this might be the first time I've seen them without a pale face.

"Anyway, it's good to see Miyano-san looking well."

"Hmm..."

I watched Miyano-san, who was having a pre-match talk with their opponent, with a nostalgic look.

---

The pre-match talk ended, and Mizusawa-san and Miyano-san stood facing each other, weapons in hand, maintaining a distance. The friendly atmosphere from their talk had disappeared, and a tense air filled the stage.

The host had already left the stage and moved to a special seat in the center of the audience, leaving only the two of them on the stage, ready for the mock battle.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin the much-anticipated mock battle! The match will last for 5 minutes, but are you all ready to watch? ...Yes, you are. Since both participants are ready..."

The host raised his right hand high above his head, and a moment of silence fell over the venue. In response, the tension between Mizusawa-san and Miyano-san became even more palpable.

The audience's eyes were fixed on the host's raised hand, and then...

"Mock battle, begin!"

The host brought his right hand down sharply, declaring the start of the mock battle.

At the signal, Mizusawa-san closed the distance and thrust the wooden spear at Miyano-san's sternum. In response, Miyano-san, who was holding the wooden sword in a standard stance, quickly swung it down to strike the tip of the spear, deflecting it. Miyano-san then stepped forward, following the spear with the wooden sword, launching a counterattack at Mizusawa-san.

However, Mizusawa-san calmly twisted the wrist of the hand holding the spear, attempting to parry Miyano-san's sword. Miyano-san aborted the counterattack and stepped to the side to create distance.

"Wow! Right from the start, an intense clash! The speed is incredible!"

The host, trying to hype up the audience, provided a high-energy commentary. The audience, caught up in the battle BGM and the host's enthusiastic commentary, cheered loudly for the two fighters.

However, the two, maintaining their distance, ignored the audience's cheers and silently observed each other's movements, and then...

"Wow, this time Miyano-san made the move!"

Miyano-san held the wooden sword horizontally at their side and attacked from the front. Closing the distance in two steps, Miyano-san swung the wooden sword at Mizusawa-san's right side. The sharp sound of the sword cutting through the air echoed in the venue, informing the audience of the speed of the attack.

However, the powerful strike was ineffective against Mizusawa-san, a fellow explorer. Mizusawa-san held the wooden spear perpendicular to the path of the sword, and at the moment of impact, moved half a step to change position, rotating the spear to deflect the force of the cut. Mizusawa-san then spun around, maintaining the momentum of the rotating spear, aiming for Miyano-san's head... or rather, collarbone.

"Ah!"

"Watch out!"

A scream and warning cries rose from the audience, resonating throughout the venue. Just as everyone thought the spear would hit Miyano-san's head...

"Wow, this is amazing! Miyano-san blocked Mizusawa-san's spear aimed at their head with their bare hand!"

Miyano-san, who had swung the sword and lowered their stance, grabbed the approaching spear with their left hand, which was not holding the sword.

"But when Miyano-san blocked the spear, a loud sound was heard! Is Miyano-san's left hand okay!?"

The audience, who had been relieved to see Miyano-san unharmed, now reacted with a different kind of resonance at the host's commentary.

However, Miyano-san, ignoring the audience's reaction, swung the sword back to target Mizusawa-san's feet... but...

"Wow, this time Miyano-san's sword was stopped by Mizusawa-san!"

Miyano-san's attack aimed at Mizusawa-san's feet was stopped by Mizusawa-san, who stepped on the tip of the sword with their left foot. The two, now in a stalemate, exchanged glances, gauging the timing for their next move.

"Both participants have their weapons immobilized! How will they resolve this situation!?"

The host's commentary heated up, and the audience's excitement rose accordingly.

Then...

"They moved! Both participants abandoned their weapons and created distance!"

The two, realizing their weapons were immobilized, simultaneously let go of them and created distance. The abandoned wooden sword and spear rolled on the floor, making a dry sound.

The two then took fighting stances. Mizusawa-san in a boxing style, and Miyano-san in a karate style.

"Now, the two, having abandoned their weapons, are gradually closing the distance!"

The tension between the two, who were slowly closing in on each other, was palpable.

As fellow explorers, the entire stage was within their reach. A fist fight could break out at any moment.

And the moment the distance between them closed to less than 5 meters, a flurry of punches began, seemingly without any trigger.

"Wow! A fierce exchange of punches! The punches are so fast, they're a blur!"

As the host described, Mizusawa-san and Miyano-san were delivering a rapid succession of punches. The sound of fists cutting through the air and the dull, heavy impacts echoed in the venue.

Then...

"Clean hit! Miyano-san's punch finally caught Mizusawa-san in the abdomen! Mizusawa-san, unable to withstand the hit, is holding their stomach and creating distance!"

As the host said, Mizusawa-san was holding their stomach with a slightly distorted expression, but it didn't seem like the punch had much effect. I thought, in reality, there was probably little damage...

However, since most of the audience were civilians, the moment the exchange of punches ended, a collective sigh of relief echoed through the venue. The short, intense exchange of punches, which lasted only a few seconds, felt like hours to the audience.

Mika, standing next to me, also let out a sigh, just like the other audience members.

"Now, the match time is down to the last minute! The mock battle is reaching its climax! How will it end!?"

The host's words changed the atmosphere between the two, who had been maintaining distance and observing each other. It seemed they were ready to end the match. Mizusawa-san, who had been holding their stomach, took a fighting stance, and Miyano-san, ready to receive the attack, lowered their stance and took a stance. The two, exchanging glances, adjusted their breathing and launched their final attacks almost simultaneously.

"Huff!"

"Ha!"

Mizusawa-san threw a right straight, and Miyano-san threw a straight punch. Since they were at a distance, these attacks, which would normally be out of reach, should not have hit their targets. However, a certain skill changed the outcome.

From the extended fists of both, shockwaves that distorted the air like heat haze were launched at high speed.

"Ah!"

"Whoa!"

The shockwaves collided at the midpoint between the two, and a loud explosion echoed as the shockwaves spread outward, hitting the audience with a slight pressure. The audience, who were watching the mock battle from seats close to the stage, screamed as the shockwaves hit, causing a moment of chaos in the venue.

"Everyone, please calm down! There is no danger, so please calm down!"

Thanks to the host's efforts, the chaos in the venue quickly subsided.

However, an unexpected incident occurred behind the scenes. The wooden sword and spear, which had been left on the stage, were knocked away by the shockwaves. The spear flew to the back of the stage, and the sword, unfortunately, flew into the audience... to me.

"...Sigh. At least check for safety."

"Big brother... Are you okay?"

"...Yeah, I'm fine. Mika, are you hurt?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm fine."

I caught the flying wooden sword mid-air and sighed, trying to calm Mika, who was worried and panicking. Glancing at the stage, I saw Mizusawa-san, who had committed a serious mistake, with a pale face, and Miyano-san, who had noticed my presence, with wide eyes in surprise. Event staff were also rushing over.

---

Mika and I were brought to a tent set up behind the event stage.

Since then, a middle-aged man who seemed to be in charge and several event staff have been deeply bowing and apologizing to me.

"I am truly sorry for what happened!"

"Ah, no. Since no one was injured, it's fine. Really..."

"But! It could have resulted in serious injury. We don't know how to apologize..."

The middle-aged man, wiping sweat with a handkerchief, stammered his apology.

This has been going on for a while. I was getting tired of this exchange.

Scratching my head, I looked around, trying to find a way to end the conversation. At that moment...

"Hmm?"

"Ah!"

Mika's smartphone alarm went off, signaling a set time.

Mika quickly took out her phone, turned off the alarm, and checked the time.

"Oh no, my lunch break is over!"

Seeing Mika panic, I thought it was a good opportunity to end the conversation and spoke to the middle-aged man who seemed to be in charge.

"Excuse me. My sister's work shift is about to start, so we should go..."

"Ah, eh, ah..."

"Then, I'll take my leave."

I thought it would be rude, but if I didn't, the conversation would drag on. I lightly bowed and tried to leave the tent, pushing Mika's back.

"Wait, wait a moment! At least take this!"

But the middle-aged man called out to us as we tried to leave.

I stopped and turned around to see what was happening. The middle-aged man was taking a bundle of papers from his pocket.

"These are free meal coupons for the event's food stalls. Please take them..."

The papers handed to me were glossy rectangles with the event logo and the words "Free Meal" written on them.

...So, these are like hush money and compensation, right? They want to settle this quietly...

I hesitated for a moment, thinking about refusing, but I thought if I didn't take them, the conversation might start all over again. Reluctantly, I decided to take them.

"...Thank you. Then, I'll take my leave."

I put the coupons in my pocket, lightly bowed, and left the tent. I could feel several people behind me bowing deeply as I left.

---

After leaving the tent, I handed the 10-pack of coupons to Mika.

"Here. You keep these coupons."

"Really, is that okay?"

"Yeah. I don't plan on coming back to this event, so you can use them for lunch during your work period. The coupons are only valid during the event, anyway."

"If that's the case... Thanks, big brother."

Mika, understanding my explanation, happily took the coupons.

This way, Mika can have a meal from the food stalls during her work period.

"By the way, is your time okay?"

"Ah, oh no! Then, big brother, I have to go!"

"Yeah, good luck."

"Thanks! See you!"

Mika waved goodbye to me and ran off to the goods booth.

I continued waving until I couldn't see her anymore, then took a deep breath and turned around.

"How long do you plan to hide and watch, Miyano-san? It's time to come out..."

Miyano-san, who had been hiding in the shadows of the tent, appeared in response to my words.

"You noticed, impressive."

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For promotional purposes, there will be no flashy magic.

To avoid causing fear, the content should be more than human but less than superhuman.