Chapter 89.2 - Top Secrets and Thousand Blade Festival [6] – part 2 (2/2)

In addition, it was forty-nine consecutive battles.

(…The pride of Swordsmanship part seems to be true.)

When I was thinking about that,

「…Ah! Look, Allen!」

Ria suddenly raised her voice and pointed to a transparent box that read『Luxury Prize』behind the special stage.

Among them, various items such as gift certificates and swords that gave off a sharp vibe were contained.

(If I remember correctly… The person who succeeds in dojo yaburi gets to choose one of their favourites from among them.)

As I looked through the luxury prize blankly, recalling that,

「…Aa, that.」

I soon realized what Ria was excited about.

「Hippo…! It’s a stuffed hippo!」

She excitedly pulled the sleeve of my clothes.

「Ahaha, that’s right.」

Ria is a sucker for cute things.

She especially loves stuffed animals. Her room is decorated with tons of them.

Sometimes I encounter her talking to the stuffed bear which she loves the most.

At such times, I silently leave the dorm pretending I didn’t see a thing.

And then,

「Ne-Nee, Allen… Can you get that stuffed animal for me?」

Ria requested with a downcast look.

And,

「Nn? Can’t you win it yourself, Ria?」

Rose asked the right question.

「I-I want Allen to win it for me… a-and present it to me!」

Ria shouted, with her face blushing red.

「A-Ahaha. Understood, Ria. I don’t know if I can win or not, but I’ll try my best.」

「…! U-Un, thank you!」

Then, I pushed through the crowd and went to the dojo yaburi reception desk.

「Excuse me. I’d like to try this dojo yaburi.」

When I called out to the male student at the reception desk,

「Allen Rodore?!」he sprang back with his eyes open wide.

「Eh?」

When I was confused by the situation,

「Chief! He came as expected. It’s him, Allen Rodore!」

The receptionist shouted, and the eyes of the people in the surroundings concentrated on me all at once.

And then,

「Hou, so you did come after all. As rumored, you are a sucker for money.」

Jean Bael, the swordsman standing on the stage, said that while looking straight at me.

(S-Sucker for money?)

Another ridiculous rumour is circulating now.

My rumors were so exaggerated that they were all simply absurd.

(In the beginning, I tried to correct them, but…)

Lately they have been spiralling out of control, and I just completely left them as is.

「Now, come on to the stage, Allen Rodore. I’ve been wanting to exchange swords with you at least once.」

Jean-san said, staring straight into my eyes.

The moment I went up to the special stage, the commentator woman raised a loud voice as though she had been waiting for it.

「HE IS FINALLY HERE! The challenger, I’m sure everyone here knows – Allen Rodoreeeee! He is so powerful that he defeated the『Prodigy』Idol Luxmaria of White Lily Academy! Many are calling him the『Strongest First Year』, and he is the swordsman who represents Thousand Blade Academy now!」

And she went on to introduce Jean-san

「On the other hand, Year 3 Class B, the Head of Swordsmanship Club – Jean Bael! Forty-nine battles to forty-nine wins so far! A super-skilled swordsman who takes pride in his overwhelming swordsmanship!」

When both our introductions were finished, she began to explain the rules.

「The rules are easy! One-on-one serious match using bamboo swords! However, the use of soul dress in consideration of safety is prohibited!」

The explanation was finished, and a bamboo sword was handed to me by the receptionist.

「Are you both ready? Well then – Begin!」

Thus, a serious match with Jean Bael-san, the Head of Swordsmanship Club, began.