Chapter 24: A Boy Who is Mistakenly Believed to Have Trained Himself in Order to Defeat the Weak Girl VS a TS Reincarnated Person Who Enjoyed Defeating the Boy

A Boy Who is Mistakenly Believed to Have Trained Himself in Order to Defeat the Weak Girl VS a TS Reincarnated Person Who Enjoyed Defeating the Boy

A while after I managed to give a speech on behalf of the new students, disguising everything with a powerful face, I had a big problem... Just kidding, it wasn't that big. Most problems are insignificant compared to being left to give a speech on the day of the entrance ceremony. Of course.

Aside from that, I ended up with my fair share of problems.

Everyone who had been transferred internally praised me, saying, "As expected of Mashiro-san!" And the people who had been transferred externally also had a great impression of me, saying, "She's such a beautiful girl, I'm sure she's amazing."

That would have been fine, but the problem was with those who didn't think so. I'll use my face power to calm down those who think, "Who's that girl? She's all high and mighty, but she's actually cute and annoying..."

But there were two problems.

Shota-kun, who's still hung up on my rejection of the duel, and the math teacher, now our homeroom teacher, are still as competitive as ever with the kids.

...The latter is the same as always, so it wasn't a big deal.

And that leaves the only remaining problem: Shota-kun.

He made a terrible first impression right from the start of school, and doesn't seem to care. He's a national-level athlete, so he should be able to shine to some extent, or at least act as a bridge to other sparkles. But unfortunately, he's harsh towards me.

He must have really been unable to forget the defeat he suffered when he was little. I think he could be useful, and I'd really like to become friends with him, but the reality is harsh.

I wonder how I can become friends with him, but before we can become friends, I need to do something about him challenging me to a duel.

While I was thinking about this, I started chatting with Miho-san, who was sitting behind me. She's such a strange girl, she's always so calming to talk to.  

This ability to take the sting out of me and leave me feeling truly at peace may be a problem in a different way from Shota-kun.

Or rather, it is a problem. The biggest problem is that I don't feel like doing anything about it. Miho-san, you're a scary girl!

"...Mashiro, duel me."

Just as I was cowering in fear of a scary girl (Miho-san), a non-scary type of dog came along.

He was very energetic and wanted to play with me, but with my lolita body, I couldn't do anything dangerous.

This guy is really persistent. He's like Satoshi-kun, who keeps repeating the same joke no matter how many years pass. 

"I've said this many times before, but I won't duel. There's no need to go out of my way to do something like that, and it would only lead to crime if I did. I think Shota-kun would be better off doing something more productive, like training, rather than wasting his life."

We've repeated this exchange countless times, but perhaps my voice has quieter than it was at first.

This useless dog is growing up. He's growing so fast, it's like a fly can stop moving. I didn't come to school to raise him, so I want him to grow up quickly.

And then I realized one possibility. I know I shouldn't have to state this explicitly, but the reason I always refuse duels is because it would be a violation of the criminality of dueling. I don't want to do it in the first place, but if I accept a duel, I'll be punished for it, and if I accept, Shota-kun's future will be closed off. 

So I thought I was gently admonishing him, but maybe Shota-kun doesn't know that dueling is a crime.

"Shota-kun, do you know about the criminality of dueling?"

I asked timidly, thinking there was no way a high school student wouldn't know the laws of the country he lives in.

Shota-kun tilted his head like a small animal and said, "The criminality of dueling...?"

I see, so he didn't know. If that's the case, it makes sense why he kept rambling on about dueling like an idiot.

You really can't survive like that. To keep hopping back and forth between the fine lines, you need a certain level of legal knowledge.

A crime you commit of your own volition is one thing, but there's nothing more pathetic than a crime you commit without knowing it.

Laws are important, after all. I think their importance will be clearer if I say that the first thing I did after I was able to act on my own was to check whether there were any differences between the laws of this country and the laws of my pre-reincarnation era. There were no differences, by the way.

So, as I walked around in my ignorant manner, I'd like to explain to Shota-kun the requirements and penalties for the criminality of dueling.

Not only the duelists themselves, but anyone who knew about it and provided the venue will be held responsible.

What? You said the duel would take place at the dojo you used to go to? That's stupid! Are you trying to make a criminal out of the sensei who's so kind to you? 

You know, in sports there's something called a precluding illegality, so it's legal to injure someone if it's an accident. It's the same as how a doctor can cut a patient and not get arrested. Do you understand? That's why dueling is a no-no.

I explained to him, "Take your time to understand,'' and Shota-kun replied cheerfully, "I took my time to understand!"

It's great that you're so energetic. It's fine if you understand right away.

Seeing Shota-kun, who had become like a dog that stimulated the sadistic instincts of those who saw him, I wondered if maybe he wasn't as stupid as I thought, and I realized that it was only natural that he would understand something like that. You're a good dog after all. 

"Mashiro, I didn't know that. Thank you for protecting me. Well, then, let's have a match instead of a duel! A match!"

The useless dog slowly understood, and after being depressed for a while, chewed up my explanation and swallowed it, he made an invitation that reflected that.

Yes, yes, it's great that you were able to use what you already knew so quickly.

By the way, the explanation naturally came from my own mouth, so isn't it pretty obscene to chew it up and swallow it?

What we're doing is feeding? It's cute because if it's about a mother bird and it's baby, but if a beautiful girl were doing it to a human male, it would just be an erotic play.

Whether it's words or food is given is a trivial difference.

Thinking about that, I considered how I should respond to Shota-kun's invitation.

In reality, I wouldn't mind a match instead of a duel, but it's not something I want to go out of my way to do.

My body is small, and Shota-kun's is big.

I know I'll lose without even having to go through the trouble of a match, and although it's not impossible and I have an idea of ​​what I could do to turn that around, it might not go as planned.

However, that doesn't mean that continuing to drag on like this would be a bad idea. I'd like to become friends with Shota-kun if possible, see what his spark is, and even if it turns out to be nothing special, I'd like to use him as a bridge to other opportunities.

In that sense, this boy is a pretty good prospect.

"...Well, there are a few conditions, but as long as you abide by them, I'll let you fight me just once."

Thinking, "Oh whatever," I told Shota-kun I was OK with it, but with conditions.

The boy was delighted and said it was fine without even asking about the conditions.

Even if I wasn't the one to overlook the thoughtlessness of signing a contract that doesn't even have anything written in it. Would he be satisfied if I said I wouldn't fight unless his hands and feet were tied?

....What?

I'm not the kind of person to do that, am I? What on earth does a guy like Shota know about me? Stop it! Don't look at me with those clear-eyed eyes!

"Well, let's have a match today!" Shota said, looking excited, but I shut him up by saying, "Girls have something to prepare!"

Whether I play properly or not, I'm bound to be using muscles I don't normally use, so I have to stretch thoroughly. Yeah, it has nothing to do with girls.

But by saying that, he'll misunderstand and stop questioning me in detail, so it's a good thing to use girls as an excuse.

"Let me know as soon as you're feeling better!" Shota said this with a satisfied look as he walks away, and I shake my hand to tell Miho-san, who looks at me worriedly, that it'll be fine.

I know I can't win if I play properly, and besides, I don't need to win anyway.

The reason Shota-kun is so obsessed with it is to gain confidence by overcoming the symbol of the constant defeats he's suffered in the past; it's essentially a kind of ritual of letting go of his parents, so it would actually be better for me to lose, considering the boy's emergence.

If I explained that much, Shota-kun's pride would be shattered, so it's sad that I can't tell Miho-san. I can't tell the truth to this girl who's looking at me with such concern. I feel so guilty.

Because of that, I can only end the conversation by saying that "it's okay, it's okay, it's totally okay," when it's definitely not okay.

It was a little difficult to stop Miho-san, who said, "I'm worried that something strange might happen, so I'll go and watch too!"

But, it's certain that either Shota-kun or I, or both, will end up looking miserable.

It's not something I want my new friend to see.