[Reberu] ga Arunara Agerudesho? Mobukyara ni Tensei Shita Ore wa Gēmu Chishiki o Ikashi, Hitasura Reberu o Age Tsudzukeru - CH 83

[The Best Line]

[Now, it’s finally started! The academy festival’s first competition, ‘chariot race’! Live on-the-scene, is me, Takeya Erie, a member of the academy newspaper club, and!]

[Military academy 16th platoon’s representative…’s proxy, Luisina Mateos.]

[Eh? Proxy? Or rather, isn’t Luisina—]

[Just accidental resemblance. The person I’m substituting for should be sleeping in the locker room right about now, so no need to worry about him.] (Luisina)

[Well, I prefer a beautiful woman than a stinky and ugly man, so it’s good! Now then, let’s review the rules and points to be given for each ranking before all the first runners are ready on the track!]

[Let’s see~, obstructing others is allowed, but inflicting a serious injury is forbidden, so is also the case for aiming for the horse. In case the chariot is destroyed the participants will be disqualified, in case they get off the track the participants will be disqualified, in case they give up the participants will be disqualified… hey, can’t you fill this rulebook with more positive things? This is not good, this is depressing; it’ll only make the listeners lose their motivation. Let’s add this to the rules, those who perform amusingly in each race will be given special points separate from the ranking.] (Luisina)

[Oops, the commentator started objecting to the rules~~~! But, we don’t have the authority to do that!]

[Then, I’ll go to the management’s tent for bit. Delay the start of the race until I’m back.] (Luisina)

[Staff-san~! Staff-san~! Why don’t you guys come here already~!? I don’t think I can restrain this free-spirited person for long~!]

The voice of a cheerful female student echoed in the rented racetrack.

The people who have rushed over to take their seats are eagerly waiting for the start of the competition, most are surrounded with excited atmosphere.

But that Luisina, what’s she doing in such a place?

I don’t care as long as she doesn’t get in my way, but she’s been reported dead, so it’d be a problem if she were to stand out too much and get pulled into a bothersome matter. Does she have no awareness of her own situation…?

“I finally found you, Sakurai.”

“Oh, isn’t it Higaki?” (Sakurai)

Higaki comes to my side, who is watching racetrack from the passage for participants, accompanied by the sounds of shoes stepping on the ground.

Higaki – who, in addition to the usual pure white uniform, wears a fluorescent-colored armband indicating that she is on the management side – looks around lightly and confirms that there’s no one other than us around.

“Good grief, to ask me, the chairman of the disciplinary committee, to help you cheat, just what were you thinking?” (Higaki)

“Didn’t you say that you’re no longer concerned with the title of the chairman of the disciplinary committee before? Then, it’s fine, ain’t it? Don’t fret over it!” (Sakurai)

“Haah… I actually want you to explain your reason, but what’s going to come out of your mouth must be something dumb, I guess. Anyway, as I heard from Amanai-kun, I tried to rig the order of participation, and I was able to include Amanai-kun and co in the first race, however, I wasn’t able to include you and Princess Knaust in it.” (Higaki)

“So?” (Sakurai)

“Your participation is in the 4th race. Together with Princess Knaust.” (Higaki)

I wonder, is this good or bad?

At this academy festival, my ultimate goal is to get the Fool’s Necklace, but I don’t really care about the individual award as long as I can get my hands on it in the end.

So, my plan regarding the cooperation with Amanai was, “For me and Amanai to earn points at the same time, and hoard most of them in the end.”

Compared to my level of 80, Amanai’s low level of 35 might seems low, but the level of difficulty of this academy festival event is so low that you can grab the top spots in all competitions even if your level is 35, in the first place.

Sure, we have to move by ourselves now unlike in the game where the player only have to pick some options, but based on that, it can be seen that other than Julia, the rest are merely riffraff that can hardly be our opponents.

(Even if say, we keep losing, we can still win in the end if we beat up every other guy in the final round-robin tournament.)

It might be skewed balance-wise, but in the original game, it’s just a bonus event included for the sake of some characters’ first-time appearance. That’s probably why the difficulty level was set to be loose as a whole.

“Well, whatever happens, happens. Can’t be helped. I’m sorry for the princess, but I’ll have her obediently crawl around on the ground!” (Sakurai)

“Even though she’s student of the military academy, she’s still a princess, alright? Don’t go too far.” (Higaki)

To be blunt, when interacting with Julia, besides facing her properly as an individual without minding her status as a royalty, the perfect way to go about is to beat her up frontally.

That’s why, I swear in my heart that I’ll completely ignore her status as a royalty and use her as a stepping stone to get Fool’s Necklace by any means necessary. So, there’s going to be no problem, should be.

What, I’m sure she’d never take the humiliation in the competition outside of the academy and take revenge on me! So today and tomorrow, I will do whatever I want!

Without expressing such feelings in words, I just smile and give a thumbs up to Higaki. Seeing it, Higaki lets out a little sigh.

Then, looking at her back as she tries to leave like she has said everything that need to be said, I ask her a question that just pops up in my mind.

“Speaking of which, Higaki, there’s something I’d like to ask you.” (Sakurai)

“What?” (Higaki)

“Why didn’t you receive the hanging scroll written by Uncle that I prepared?” (Sakurai)

The hanging scroll handwritten by the ‘sword saint’.

I told Amanai to ask her to change order of participation with it as a bribe, thinking that she’d definitely accept one or two requests for it, but Higaki helped us out without accepting it.

While yesterday I thought it was a fortunate matter as I could save it as a tool to bribe her with, I feel quite uncomfortable looking back on it.

If her obsession with Uncle has diminished, I might not be able to use it as a bribe in the future. With that in mind, I asked Higaki.

“Hanging scroll handwritten by Teacher, huh. Yeah, I wanted it. I wanted it, of course.” (Higaki)

“Then, why didn’t you accept it?” (Sakurai)

“Why, you ask… it’s naturally because a member of the disciplinary committee can’t accept bribe.” (Higaki)

“Eh, you’re kidding me? Are you trying to look good by playing the hypocrite during this period?” (Sakurai)

Oh~, Higaki locks eyes with Sakurai-kun without turning away.

Even though she just affirmed that she was no longer concerned with the title of the disciplinary committee member, can’t she stick to it to the end?

“S-shut up! I essentially got excommunicated by Teacher, and I’m reflecting on it! Those series of events haven’t spread openly, so what’s wrong with me wanting to start over a little!” (Higaki)

“I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, but that sure is the best line, it exposes your humanity.” (Sakurai)

“Noisy!” (Higaki)

Having said that, Higaki grabs my cheeks and stretched them as though forbidding me from saying one word more. I want her to stop because her nails are digging into my cheeks and it hurts.

Sure, I don’t consider her as the original heroine but, well, this is the reason.

In front of Amanai and co, she didn’t show her true intentions and try to look good as the chairman of the disciplinary committee, and she illegally helped out without receiving the hanging scroll.

However, if she’s really trying to start over as a disciplinary committee member, shouldn’t she just refuse to help out with the illegal act in the first place?

Modifying the order of participation in the race isn’t that big a matter, but illegal means illegal.

“That’s, well, because it’s a request from you. As long as it doesn’t bother a lot of people, something at the level of returning some participants’ documents that have been checked to a wrong place is something I don’t mind doing.” (Higaki)

Un? I prepared the hanging scroll as a bribe precisely because I thought she wouldn’t accept it if it’s a request from me, though.

The way she said it sounded like she would have refused it if Amanai and co were the one who requested it, not me.

“If I don’t help out with something at this level, I won’t know what kind of means you’re going to pull out later, after all. I’ve learned it’s best to let you do as you like to some extent. And…” (Higaki)

Higaki, having said that and increased the strength in her fingers pulling my cheeks as though not letting me move my face, draws her face closer to mine and stare into my eyes as though looking for something.

Then, after a few seconds, she bends the corner of her lips down and makes a dissatisfied face. She then pulls my cheeks strongly for a moment and releases her hands.

“Ow!” (Sakurai)

“Seeing you could stay calm, I may have to change the way I approach this.” (Higaki)

Higaki turns around as though she has said what need to be said, and goes away for real this time.

I don’t understand the meaning of the words she left, but anyway, it looks like I can ask her help for various matters in the future… thinking so while seeing off her back, I decide to go back to make preparation for the competition.