The girl on the palm tree stood, brushing the sand from her skirt, then stepped into the court, still using her phone.
Fine grains of sand lingered in the air while she stood up; she stared at the drifting grains for a moment before they dropped to the ground again with a sigh.
Her shoes left delicate prints in the sand, each one heavier than a normal step.
On the other side of the court—
Boom!
The explosion of the volleyball echoed through the whole court.
A person from Kraftsman Inc. turned his head toward the window, then sipped his coffee.
"Seems like our boss is having fun," he said as he turned back to his PC.
"Have mercy, Frieren!" Kraft shouted, still in the air.
Thud!
Once Kraft was in the air, he saw Sunny over the palm tree. He smiled, giving a grin to it.
"Hey, Sunny!" he waved.
But Sunny didn't notice, it was completely asleep.
The other birds beside it were awake, chirping about Sunny's habit of sleeping too much.
He dropped with an exhale. "Ahh, how many balls should we waste before the end of this match, huh?" he laughed.
Frieren was already sitting on the ground, brushing the sand with her fingers, unbothered.
"How could she…?" whispered someone from the opposing side.
The girl brushed her hand across the scoreboard before writing again:
Frieren Team: 2
Kraft Team: 1
His teammates exchanged helpless looks, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Someone on the sidelines muttered, "He's never going to beat her at this rate…"
From above, a seagull screeched, almost as if mocking him.
Kraft rubbed his temple, already feeling a headache forming. "I might regret allowing her to use her unbelievable magic," he muttered.
Kraft stared at Frieren as she lined the rocks in the sand with quiet precision before flicking them aside.
One teammate caught the new ball coming toward Kraft.
"Hey, Lloyd! Tell the others to gather!"
"OK!"
"Let's regroup!" he shouted, clapping once.
"Listen, she may seem calm, but that elf is the most stubborn elf you'll ever meet."
"So let me tell you our plan!"
Frieren stared at them as they gathered. One of them lifted his head from the circle, glanced at her, then continued.
Is all this… because of a ball? she wondered.
"We're one point from losing, focus!"
"Lift your heads! Wolves!!" Kraft shouted as he threw his hands into the air. A few drops of sweat glimmered as they flew off.
"Wolves? You literally made that name up just now," one of them laughed.
Kraft's team gathered, then separated, ready for round four.
Meanwhile, Frieren was still lying on the ground, staff in hand.
Her teammates were sitting too.
A ball was tossed to one of them. "You scored, so it's your turn," a member of Kraft's team said as he handed them the ball.
"Frieren, play fair! Don't make barriers, don't make them!" Kraft said, gesturing with a flat hand.
"If I don't use my magic, you'll definitely win," she whispered.
"She wouldn't understand, would she?" Kraft sighed.
"OK!! Throw the ball, then!"
Frieren stood, her staff resting loosely in her hand, as if she weren't even part of the match.
The ball flew into the air, shooting toward Kraft's side at high speed—
but something caught her attention.
The small girl stepped toward Frieren.
Frieren flinched for a second after noticing something strange about the girl, then studied her quietly.
Right as she hesitated, Kraft shouted, "GUYS, NOW!!!!!!!" as he leaped toward the ball, which lost its magic for a moment.
THUD!!!
The ball rocketed across the court like a wild spell breaking free.
"Why didn't you guard the ball?" one of Frieren's teammates asked.
"Idiot! Didn't you see our boss's shots? Do you want to get me killed?!"
The girl holding the scoreboard jumped. "Draw!" she yelled.
Frieren Team: 2
Kraft Team: 2
"Did she notice…?" Kraft muttered before collapsing into the sand.
Frieren's eyes narrowed, her calm expression tightening by a fraction.
She kept staring at the girl. "Ah… maybe I shouldn't ask Kraft… because I already know the answer…" she murmured.
Her gaze locked onto the girl's.
"You can use magic… can't you?" Frieren asked calmly.