I WAS CAUGHT UP IN A HERO SUMMONING, BUT THAT WORLD IS AT PEACE

The exhibition match with Kuro, after adjusting the stats and starting over, turned out to be a surprisingly good fight, if I do say so myself.

Since this game is designed to appeal to a broad audience, it’s structured so that, while beginners might struggle, those with some experience still have a solid chance to win, even against higher-level players.

What I pulled off earlier with the backhand strike is a good example. Many of the techniques in this game have large, favorable hitboxes, and the backhand specifically is a trick where, even though it’s aimed behind the character, it still generates a small but effective hitbox. Add to that the random elements like item spawns and stage hazards, and you’ve got a recipe for chaos.

Even when you’re smoothly pulling off combos, they can get interrupted by a randomly appearing item, and some items even grant temporary invincibility. Of course, skill plays a big role in who wins, no question about that. Kuro’s reactions are so sharp she can respond to movements that happen in mere frames, far beyond my capabilities. But, no matter how good she is, there are aspects of the game that just can’t be overcome by skill alone.

Take that backhand strike earlier, for example. From Kuro’s perspective, my character’s move probably looked like it was happening in slow motion. But, since her character was already in the middle of an invincible dodge with no way to cancel out, she ended up getting hit. There’s always a way to fight back.

Unlike when I had 50 times her normal power, Kuro’s attacks this time were properly inflicting damage and were intense. Her natural skill meant she could quickly shave off one of my Lives, but I was still managing to chip away at her as well.

Since Kuro was using a character whose abilities change based on damage received, it’s likely she was intentionally taking some hits to power up. Even so, it didn’t seem like things were going exactly according to her plan. With my stats boosted 5 times over, she probably wanted to keep her HP just outside of the sudden death range, rather than push all the way to under 100 HP where her character’s abilities would fully shine. In the back-and-forth exchanges, I managed to win a few reads and land some solid damage.

In the end, when my character’s HP dropped below 300, I made a lucky, well, almost instinctual, read. My attack slipped in between Kuro’s move and landed cleanly, clinching the victory.

“And with that, match over! After a fierce battle, the winner is…… Kaito-san!”

“That was a close match. The 5-times stats adjustment turned out to be just the right balance. Against Kurorin, it worked perfectly as a handicap, and made for a thrilling back-and-forth. Actually, Kai-chan’s pretty good himself. I bet he could have made it to the finals in a tournament.”

Just like Fate-san said, if Kuro and I had fought without any adjustments, she would have won almost for sure. I’d say the handicap this time was spot on.

Well, to be fair, considering I had my stats boosted 5-fold and Kuro started with one Life already down, if we’d both started with 2 Lives, Kuro probably would’ve won.

[Aryaa~~ you totally outread me at the end there. Thanks, Kaito-kun! That was a great match.]

[Thank you too. But still, you were already down one Life, and if we’d been even from the start with my 5-times stat boost, I think you would’ve got the match.]

[Maybe so, but for me, just getting to play such a fun match with you is enough. Let’s do this again sometime, okay?]

Kuro didn’t seem the least bit dissatisfied with the outcome and wore a cheerful smile. Well, there wasn’t any prize for winning or losing anyway, it was just an exhibition match, so the fact that we had fun playing together must have been the most important thing for her.

As I was thinking that, Kuro, having put the controller back after finishing the game, came over to the chair where I was sitting.

[Well then, Kaito-kun, since you won, here’s something…… consider it a victory gift from me.]

[Hm? A present?]

[Chuuu…… Ehehe, well then, enjoy the rest of the birthday party!]

With a playful glint in her eyes, Kuro kissed me on the cheek and then waved before walking away. It caught me off guard, and while it was a little embarrassing, I couldn’t help feeling happy.

“Whoa there, Kuro-san sure is bold…… Oi, you Gods over there, don’t you dare start thinking things like “Should we join the second tournament too?” or whatever! That just now wasn’t some kind of winner’s privilege or anything, okay? You lot better sit down and behave!”

[Isn’t it unfair that only Kuro gets to do that?]

[That’s right! Only Kuromueina getting to do that is totally unfair!]

“It’s not about fairness, okay? Setting aside Shallow Vernal-sama, who is Kaito-san’s lover, as for you, Makina, even if you did have such a right, it’d still be a no-go.”

How should I say this…… Having Alice take charge of things in situations like this was really reassuring. She wasn’t afraid to put her foot down with people like Shiro-san or Makina-san, firmly telling them no when needed. It really helped keep everything under control.

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<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Oi, cut it out with the sudden lovey-dovey stuff. I was seriously watching the game, and it felt like I just got slapped out of nowhere……]

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