"So you two aren't going to participate? " Shin asked, though he already expected this. Chitose and Sakura hadn't taken part in the manga game either, but deep down, he still hoped for a miracle—even if it was just a 0.1% chance.
"Yeah, I'd like to join too, but someone has to host the event and do commentary," Chitose said, scratching the back of her head with a sigh. She looked visibly frustrated—clearly eager to beat the crap out of him.
"Well, that's fine too," Shin admitted. "If both of you weren't playing, things would be more favorable for me."
"That's true. Aside from Roka, the rest of your opponents are just small fry. You're probably going to face her in the finals anyway," Chitose replied.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL FRY!? " Kenji yelled from afar.
'We're having a low-toned conversation, and he's standing all the way over there… yet he still heard us? '
'Honestly, that's impressive,' Shin thought, turning his back on them. He casually waved his hand. "Well, I'm going first."
As he ascended the stage, all eyes turned toward him—especially the members of the 14 Orchestra of Evil.
"Let's introduce the major participants!!! " Chitose shouted enthusiastically. "First up, the son of a ramen shop owner—Texas Cashemuromi!! "
"If you come and visit my shop, I'll give extra toppings! "Texas announced proudly.
"He's shamelessly using this event to advertise!!! "
"...That's business..." someone muttered.
"Next! Living his life on a compass—the Fifty-Fifty Fujisaki!! "
"..."
"And here comes a group seeking revenge after their crushing defeat... The 14 Orchestra of Evil!!! " A sinister musical sting played somewhere in the background.
"WHAT DO THEY GET SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR!?"
"From Fuju Academy, marching in with shaved heads and pride—The 24 Baldnight Crawlers!! "
"IT'S JUST A GROUP OF BALDIES!!"
Chitose continued rattling off minor contestants, drawing out the suspense, saving the main event for last.
"And now, the four people responsible for starting this chaotic mess! "
"Nailing a spot in the Top 5 Hottest Girls List! A member of the Game Creation Club (temp)—Shin Takao!! "
"...? " Shin froze. Confused. Very confused. 'Hottest girls...? Wait, me?! I didn't even know that.'
Some people even whistle.
"The secret final boss of Fuju Academy and captain of the Game Creation Club (temp)—Roka Shibasaki!! "
"She's intimidating!!!"
"Next, the sore loser who got beaten and had to be rescued by a bunch of girls. The so-called leader of the Kazama Family—Kenji Kazama!! "
"..."
"THAT'S A HELL OF AN INTRO!! YOU'RE TOTALLY DEGRADING ME!!! "Kenji shouted.
"Well, it's true though..." murmured the 14 Orchestra of Evil in unison.
"YOU BASTARDS, JUST WAIT! I'LL DEAL WITH YOU MYSELF!!! "
"And finally... the actual captain of the real Game Creation Club—Takao!! "
"..."
Compared to the flashy, dramatic intros before hers, Takao's was... underwhelming. She stood there, arms crossed, eyes slightly twitching. "...That's it? " she mumbled, visibly deflated.
"Okay everyone, the introduction for participants is over," she declared.
"What about the prize?" someone asked.
"The prize..." Chitose was momentarily in a daze. "...the winning prize is winning a favor from the top 5 hottest girls on the list—Shin Takao!"
"What!? The prize is a favor from the promoter of this event!? "Someone cried out with enthusiasm.
"Yes!! And I heard the prize for winning is that he'll grant any favor," someone added.
"THAT ONLY APPLIES TO THOSE CRAZY GIRLS! "Kenji! shouted, pointing at Chitose and Sakura, who were now seated at the announcement table.
"Really…? That's not what I heard. I thought the winner gets a date with the student council president."
"As if anyone could date that crazy girl! "
"I heard the prize was one of Funabori's homemade dishes! "
"Who the hell told you that!? "
"…Is there even a prize? I just joined because everyone else was gathering."
"You're just bandwagoning!!! "
"…"
Since there's no disapproval, Chitose stands up and steps barefoot onto the podium, showing her authority. "As the student council president, I hereby declare—THE MATCH BEGINS! Fight to your heart's content! "
"YEAH!! "The crowd roared in unison. Chaos erupted as everyone in the stadium clashed, pushing and shoving to gain an advantage in the first round of the competition.
"I'll win this competition and ask him for a photo and autograph!!!"
"No, I will win this competition and have him promote my shop!"
"...these guys..." Shin sighed in exasperation, but he didn't stand idle either. From the very beginning, he had been targeting the 14 Orchestra of Evil, determined to eliminate them.
He didn't wait for them to engage and took the initiative. Just as he was about to charge in, however, a hand shot out in front of his chest, stopping him in his tracks.
Glancing sideways, Shin was slightly taken aback by who it was.
"Shin, let me handle them. I still have an unsettled grudge," Kenji said. There was a clear resolve in his eyes—like he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he missed this chance.
"…Okay," Shin replied, surprisingly considerate. He gave Kenji some face and backed off to find a different target.
"Thanks, man! " Kenji grinned, then kicked off the ground and charged toward them at full throttle.
Shin didn't bother looking back. His eyes darted around, scanning the field—for a mechanical robot.
On the other side of the battle arena...
Moro, a stray member of the 14 Orchestra of Evil, was locked in a fierce clash with one of the 24 Baldnight Crawlers.
"Pwuah! " His opponent spat, stumbling back.
"Damn it, this is a tough fight! " he growled, gritting his teeth. Originally, he came here hoping to fight Shin or someone from the Game Creation Club (Temp), but couldn't find any of them nearby.
"Maybe they're at the north side... Should I head over there—? "
"You're doing great, Moro! But you won't get past me."
A voice cut through his thoughts.
Feeling a sudden chill, Moro instinctively turned around—only to find Texas Cashemuromi, the ramen shop guy, standing tall and menacing with arms crossed and a glare that didn't match his occupation.
"...Texas Cashemuromi! "
Moro blinked, then relaxed. 'Whew, I thought I was getting ambushed. But it's just this guy.'
"Don't talk big, Texas! " Moro barked. "I'll be the one to defeat the Game Creation Club! You're going down today! "
"Are you sure about that? " Texas replied coolly, unmoved by the threat. "...Because if you keep this up, I won't give you extra-large chashu next time you visit my shop."
"W-What...!? " Moro flinched.
He hesitated, the promise of meat outweighing the thrill of vengeance. 'No chashu...? Extra-large... cashu? 'His heart wavered between revenge and roasted pork.
"What's it going to be? "Texas asked, pressing the mental assault.
"Damn it…! I'm sorry, guys! I'll leave the rest to you!! " Moro shouted to his comrades, leaping off the stage and disqualifying himself.
"Oh? Player Moro has removed himself from the match! " announced Chitose from afar.
"Piece of cake! " Texas said, puffing his chest out. "If I keep this up, I might just attract more customers! "
As he basked in his small victory, a sudden stampede broke his fantasy.
"ARGHHH!!"
Players were running in panic, tripping over each other in sheer terror.
"W-What's going on!? There's no monster in this zone! "Texas, he muttered. He had chosen this area specifically because no members of the Game Creation Club were nearby.
He stopped one of the fleeing participants, a fellow Baldnight Crawler, and grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey! What's happening!? "
The crawler, eyes wide in fear, trembled as he pointed behind him.
"T-The strongest darkness… She's here! "
Following his finger, Texas saw Roka Shibasaki.
Her right arm was raised to head level in a crude imitation of a goose—an innocent animal gesture.
But the aura she radiated…
It was monstrous. Equal to a T-Rex.
"W-What the hell!? That's terrifying!!! "
"...Screw this, I'm out!!! "Texas! yelled, bolting like the rest.
Just like that, Roka single-handedly cleared the battlefield on her side without lifting a finger in combat.
Standing alone in the now-empty zone, she tilted her head.
"Maybe I should head over to where the others are…"
At the same time, on another part of the battlefield...
Takao stood in the corner, anxiously glancing left and right in search of a companion, but found no one. Service Captain Inada had experienced a sudden nosebleed after having intimate thoughts involving Shin, Takao, and Oka Sakuragaoka—accidentally eliminating both herself and him from the ring.
Now left alone, Takao felt vulnerable—and to make things worse, a troublesome opponent had appeared.
"Kukukuku."
A creepy laugh echoed, making her flinch in terror.
"To think I'd have the honor of defeating Takao-san? "
"!!"
The speaker was none other than Fifty-Fifty Fujisaki! He had short, dark hair styled with a dramatic, upward-curving pompadour. His face was narrow with a pointed chin, and his small, closed eyes gave him a sly, almost scheming look. In his hand, he held a bizarre compass split into two colors—red for negative, blue for positive.
"Hoh? Don't feel bad, Takao-san!" he said, trying to sound comforting. "My compass says I should defeat you..." He smiled wickedly. "...by pushing your front side, that is."
"This guy's clearly a pervert!! "Chitose! shouted from the commentary box. "He totally rigged his Fifty-Fifty Compass just to grope her! Takao's in danger! Who's going to save her now!? "
"Hehe... I'll be gentle, Takao-san..."
Seeing his approach, Takao instinctively stepped back. Her mind raced with hesitation.
'Should I just back out? No—I need that favor! '
'But if I don't...'
Frozen in indecision, she shut her eyes and braced herself—but surprisingly, nothing happened.
"Huh? What happened? "
Opening her eyes, she saw a familiar figure standing in front of her—like a knight in shining armor. He was holding the unconscious body of Fifty-Fifty Fujisaki by the collar, dragging him like a sack of trash.
Turning to her with an annoyed look, Shin said, "What are you doing? If you want to participate, work on eliminating people. If not, just back out. Don't cause trouble for yourself."
Takao clenched her fists in frustration. Her mind made up, she suddenly tried to tackle her own brother—attempting to eliminate him!
However, Shin's reflexes were too fast. He dodged her easily.
"What is this!? A sudden sibling betrayal!? " Chitose exclaimed. "Are they going to sever blood ties right here and now!? Let's find out! "
"You... What are you doing? " Shin asked, momentarily in disbelief. He quickly regained his composure. "You seriously tried to eliminate me? "
"Umm... I wanted to win! "Takao! shouted, tears welling in her eyes.
Shin frowned. "You wanted that favor that badly? You could've just asked. It's not like I'd say no or anything... You're my older sister. Was this really necessary? "
"..."
Not only Takao but also everyone around was speechless.
'Why didn't she just ask him? ' they all thought inwardly.
"Umm... I..." Realizing her stupidity, Takao's face turned beet red. She let out a dry laugh and scratched the back of her head. "Hehehe..."
Shin sighed, clearly exhausted. Without a word, he flung Fifty-Fifty Fujisaki's unconscious body out of bounds, sending him crashing headfirst into the distance.
"Mister Fifty-Fifty is now currently fifty-fifty! "Chitose said.
"Send him to the farthest hospital," Shin said coldly, before walking back to Takao.
He took off his baggy tracksuit top and handed it to her.
"Here. Use this. Your own tracksuit's too small—and the zipper's already loose. If you try to zip it, it might cause a wardrobe malfunction."
Takao looked down at her suit and noticed the damage. She immediately took it off and slipped into Shin's instead. Thanks to his love for oversized clothes, it fit her perfectly.
Watching this unfold, some spectators were touched.
"Aww! What a caring brother! Looking out for your sister like that? " Inada, now recovered, rejoined Chitose at the commentary booth. "Let me call you Big Bro from now on! "
Shin gave her a tired glare and turned to leave. "I'm going ahead," he said, walking off to clean up another area.
At that moment, Roka arrived—just as Shin was leaving—and reunited with Takao.
Since Shin, Kenji, and Roka keep on working. Eventually, the number of players had been reduced to six, ending the first round.
Now, it was time for the semifinals.