As the barbecue progressed to a certain extent, I realized that the results of today’s event were already starting to show. To begin with, the main purpose of this swimming trip was to deepen our friendship, and we hoped those who don’t usually talk to each other would become friends.
[As for me, I like barbecue sauce, but I like the stability of simply seasoning it with salt and pepper.]
[Heehhh~~ I wonder about mine? I don’t think either one is better than the other because I think they’re both delicious…… Ahh, but there’s that, you know? When it comes to dishes like yakiniku, I prefer those that are soaked in sauce before they’re grilled.]
[……Could it be that it’s because you just find putting sauce on it too troublesome?]
[Correct, you read my thoughts well, Sieg-rin.][It’s because it’s just like Fate-sama…… Also, it’s a little late to say this, but that Sieg-rin naming……]
Fate-san responded to my words, and the nearby Sieg-san naturally joined in the conversation. I felt that a very good atmosphere was forming around them, or rather, they had this atmosphere around them where they could chat comfortably.
When I actually looked around, I saw that the others were eating and talking happily here and there as well.
[You know, if it’s not my imagination…… but Shalltear seems to be a lot stronger than before.]
[……Unnn…… The quality of your magic power…… considerably changed…… and I think…… you got…… really stronger.]
[The quality of my magic power huh…… Unfortunately, my abilities are far too weak to read the difference.]
[……It’s not about the size of her magic power…… but the quality of her magic power that is different…… There’s a little…… trick to knowing how…… and if I teach you a bit…… Lilia should also be able to tell the difference…… I’ll teach you…… about it later.][Thank you very much.]
A few distance away, Kuro, Isis-san…… and Lilia-san were talking with each other. Especially when I see Lilia-san relaxedly talking with Kuro and Isis-san like that, I feel like I’ve greatly succeeded.
Well, that aside, Alice became much stronger than before? Well, let alone Alice, everyone around me is just on a different level, so I have no idea how she’s stronger…… but if Kuro and Isis-san feel that way, then I guess Alice really got stronger.
……Speaking of which, I heard her say something like “I’m thinking of doing some training. Well, Training Arcs weren’t really popular with the readers, so I’ll cut all those scenes out.”, so I guess she wasn’t spouting bullsh*t again, and was seriously going to train……
However, hmmm….. It goes without saying, but Alice is supposed to be one of the most powerful beings in the world…… Is it possible for such a person to grow so much that Kuro and Isis-san are saying that “she’s grown a lot”? Also, what did she do for training?
Come to think of it, I think it was also around that time that her attitude towards Eden-san started to change…… Could it be that Alice and Eden-san were training together?
……No, I don’t really think that’s possible. Putting Alice aside, there is no reason for the omniscient and omnipotent Eden-san to train, and no matter how much she highly evaluates Alice, I don’t think Eden-san would just go along with Alice’s training.
Well, it’s Alice we’re talking about here, so she must be doing some super-efficient training.
As I had such thoughts in mind, I moved my gaze to another place where Shiro-san, Alice and Anima were having a conversation.
[Fumu, I see…… The prep work is also important huh.]
[Well, half the flavor of a dish is determined by the prep work after all…… Rather, have you become interested in cooking?]
[That’s a tough question.]
[……Was it really that tough?]
Alice and Anima looked a little dumbfounded by Shiro-san’s usual airheaded comments, but the atmosphere around them, in itself, wasn’t bad.
Alice seems to be treating Shiro-san with some respect, while I feel that Anima also has a lot of faith in her.
Perhaps, no, it is definitely because Shiro-san is the one who reincarnated Anima. Since the first time I met her, she has consistently referred to everyone else as “-dono”, but she refers to Shiro-san with “-sama”.
Anyhow, I’m really glad to see that Shiro-san and Fate-san, who I was a little worried about at first, seem to be fitting in well with their surroundings. At this rate, I think we’ll have a fun afternoon.
[Ahh, that’s right! Since we’re at it, let’s play together in the afternoon. How about some beach volleyball?]
As she spoke at that moment, everyone’s eyes were drawn to Kuro. All of us were certainly doing different things this morning, so it would be a great idea to have something that we can all play together in the afternoon.
Everyone else seems to be on board too, so it seems like we’re going to have some fun……
[But it wouldn’t be fun to just play normally, so let’s play against each other in the pairs we formed this morning! Kaito-kun would then be paired up with someone not playing at the moment!]
……I see…… That’s a pretty good balance. There is no pair that stands out as overwhelming, and it will be a good match…… Except for the fact that I really stand out, not because I’m at the top, but because I’m at the very bottom……
I mean, asking me to play beach volleyball with these people…… Isn’t it the same as asking me to die? Our physical abilities are so different! It would be that, right!? You all would properly give me some handicap, right!?
<Afterword>
Kuromueina & Sieglinde
Total Strength – A+
Synergy – S
Strategy – A
Total Physical Ability – B
Technique – A
Shallow Vernal & Lilia
Total Strength – S
Synergy – C
Strategy – B
Total Physical Ability – SS
Technique – A
Isis & Fate
Total Strength – A+
Synergy – A
Strategy – B
Total Physical Ability – S
Technique – B
Alice & Anima
Total Strength – S
Synergy – B
Strategy – S
Total Physical Ability – A
Technique – S
Kaito & ? ? ?
※This team will win.
Makina : [I see, it’s certainly a well-balanced matchup. Kuromueina, Shallow Vernal and Alice, who have outstanding strength on their own, each has their own pairs that they have to support. Meanwhile, the pair of Isis and Fate, whose physical abilities are well balanced, are weaker in technique and strategy…… It’s hard to predict who’s going to win this match]
Serious-senpai : [……No, the winner’s already written there though……]
