Hina-chan’s enthusiasm pushed Aoi-chan and I to sign up and participate in the Flying Board. On the day of the race, the three of us arrived at a remote location in Hydra Kingdom.
The place has a large lake and rocky mountains, which is probably a pretty good environment for a race for flying vehicles.
[……This place is pretty bustling.]
[Certainly, there are some stalls and such here and there, and this strange enthusiasm…… Just as Alice said, this place really seemed like it had a cult-like popularity.]
[Kaito-senpai, Aoi-senpai, let’s also check out the stalls!]It’s not as big as a festival, but there are a decent number of stalls here, and even though there aren’t so many spectators that it could be described as a very popular competition, there are still a reasonable amount of spectators.
How should I say this……. It’s hard to say this comment…… but this place really gives the impression that it has a considerable amount of bustle, with an atmosphere that was exactly that of a minor competition.
Hina-chan, who likes festivals, was in high spirits, and Aoi-chan and I, going along with her with wry smiles on our faces, decided to look at the stalls until the registration desk opened.
I mean, there was no particular waiting room for the contestants, and once the registration was completed, it seemed like we were free to do as we pleased until the start of their group’s race.
The Flying Boards are also provided by the organizers, so there was nothing for us contestants to prepare. We just came dressed in comfortable clothes. In that sense, it was probably a good thing that we could easily participate in the race.
As we were looking around the stalls and buying food, we were approached by a shopkeeper.
[Youngsters over there, are you guys participating too?][Yes, this is our first time participating.]
[I see…… I’ve been watching Flying Board competitions here for over 40 years, and I feel like you youngsters are going to achieve something. I’m looking forward to your future.]
[T- Thank you very much.]
Is this really something to be happy about? Faced with this strange situation of meeting a guy who could apparently sense how talented someone is in a mysterious minor sport, I just thanked her.
Thereupon, a fearless smile appeared on the shopkeeper, and with his gaze directed somewhere, he spoke.
[Look over there, youngsters. Here comes the veterans……]
[Veterans?]
Hearing the words of the shopkeeper, I turned my gaze alongside Aoi-chan and Hina-chan, and saw three strong men with fine muscles wearing yellow tank tops and three women wearing dresses as if they were about to attend a ball glaring at each other.
[Fuuu, these bodies have been trained even more than last time. This year’s victory goes to us, the Yellow Pipes!]
The three macho men declared these while striking various poses, and it seemed that they were rivals with those three women.
I’m kinda doubting how much effect muscles have in the Flying Board competition, but at any rate, their enthusiasm is palpable.
In contrast, the three women faced the machos with daring smiles on their faces.
[Such pretentious muscles are meaningless, for it’s grace that decides victory or defeat. The victory will be in our Scarlet Blue’s hands.]
Am I the only one who wants them to be clear whether they’re red team or blue team? Also, I asked something like this for the other team, but I have no idea how much effect elegance has in the Flying Board competition.
While I was thinking about this, three people wearing matching black cloaks approached the two teams glaring at each other.
[Good grief, battles are decided on one’s magic power…… If you don’t even understand such a thing, this would be us, Black Muscat’s victory.]
Couldn’t they have come up with a better team name? A- As expected of the powerhouses of minor sports, they’re pointlessly deep. Also, this is a magic tool race where magic is prohibited…… That means the amount of magic power you have doesn’t have much effect.
At first glance, I feel that Aoi-chan’s magic power is greater than those three…… but well, just like the others, I could feel their enthusiasm being pointlessly conveyed.
[Fuuu, we won’t let you arrogant mages win! Our muscles will thwart all of it!]
[Fufu, bear witness upon an elegant victory.]
[……Not understanding the difference between our capabilities, what foolish lot you are. At the very least, I’ll allow you lot to put on airs for now.]
Somehow, I kinda feel like…… Yes, I think it’s hard to follow the difference in their passion when people get excited about a sport you don’t know well. I think that’s exactly how I feel right now.
[For even the Black Muscats to make their entrance…… Those three teams had been fighting fiercely every year……]
[H- Huhh…… I see…… By the way, which team won last year?]
[It’s a team which participated for the first time.]
[……I see.]
Eh? Those three teams came out looking like they were very strong, but they actually lost to a team that participated for the first time last year!? H- How should I say this…… What extraordinary people they are.
[……Aoi-chan, Hina-chan, we’ve probably come to some kind of strange place.]
[……It’s a unique world, isn’t it?]
[……Ahh~~ I know it’s too late to say this, but I’m sorry for forcibly inviting you.]
[……Well, we’ll just be ourselves and not mind them. Let’s just go have fun.]
[ [ Yes! ] ]
For the time being, it’s not like we’re aiming to win anyway, so let’s just enjoy ourselves without worrying about it.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Their characters are just deep, but they’re not strong at all…… They’re characters you occasionally see in gags, aren’t they?]
? ? ? : [Yep. Just like Serious-senpai.]
Serious-senpai : [……Huh?]
