In a blink of an eye, a week had passed by. Since then, my daily life had become a streamlined set of motions I repeated day in, day out.

A typical day would look like this: I would wake up early, dodge Shigaisoshi-sama insisting I should eat dog food for breakfast, have my driving lessons with Minamoto in the morning, play Vanguard with Nozomi in the afternoon, head to the tavern Stella worked at in the evening to be taught about Premium by Mamiko-sensei, and return to Kiri's place by midnight to crash out.

It was a gruelling schedule that pushed my social battery to its utmost limits. Even though I enjoyed the fact all I had to do was play Vanguard and learn how to drive, it was still exhausting running around all over the place to meet everyone and barely having any time for myself.

For an introvert like me, being obligated to interact with all these different people throughout the day was one of the toughest challenges I've ever had to face before, especially doing it back to back. In comparison, learning how to drive felt like a drop in the bucket.

Speaking of which, I had managed to gain my driver's license. Minamoto was shocked to learn I had passed both the theory and practical tests only after a week or so of lessons, but quickly chalked it up to her being that good of a teacher.

While that was true, I was also doing my own learning in my spare time, such as travelling in between places I had to be. It helped I could absorb information like a sponge, so it didn't take me very long to process the information and have it stick.

Either way, now that I was able to legally drive, Minamoto asked me to come with her today so she could show me a special place.

I hopped into my Panda Trueno and started up the engine, driving behind Minamoto's 86 GT as she led the way down a part of Gunma I had never been to before.

It was a set of roads that wrapped around the mountain pass that I first noticed when we arrived at Gunma— Mt. Akina.

As we climbed up the road, a few cars passed by us going the opposite direction every so often. They drove by so fast, I wasn't able to catch a glimpse of the vehicle model or the person who was driving.

The only thing I could glean was how skilled these people must have been to be driving downhill at such dangerous speeds. It was incredible seeing the depth of their control, especially now that I understood the beauty behind it from Minamoto's coaching.

"I guess that's the bare minimum I've got to reach if I want to be taken seriously at this tournament..."

I mumbled to myself, strangely excited for it. It had been a long time since I had felt fired up to do well like this. I think the last time was during the Test Shuffle, but that was so long ago now.

Honestly, the thought of my class made me wonder how everyone else was doing and what they were up to during their summer break. I know Nora, Mikitaka, Katsumi, and Alice all went to Paris, but I was also curious about the plans of people like Yukimura, Taiga, and even Matsushita.

...well, there's no point lamenting on it. Even if I did find out, it's not like I can join them right now. I've got the MF Tournament to focus on instead.

As I continued following Minamoto, we gradually made our way to the peak of the mountain, where a platform was. She pulled up, parking just off to the side of the road, adjacent to a small shack that seemed to be the only signs of civilisation here.

I parked just behind her and exited the vehicle. As expected, because we were so high up, the air had become colder. In this summer heat, it was quite refreshing, but I can imagine it being a pain in the winter. Minamoto beckoned me over.

"Welcome, Takanori-san! To the race track that the MF Tournament is taking place!"

"...huh?"

I blinked. This mountain was the venue of the tournament? I would've never guessed... this was the first time I was hearing about it before too.

"Don't act surprised. Didn't you see the email Saionji-san sent out to everyone?"

"No, I haven't... I've been so busy with everything else, I haven't checked my inbox at all this past week."

Minamoto sighed, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"Go do it now then! There's a lot of important information on that message, you know!"

"Y-yes ma'am..."

I opened my phone and checked my email. Like Minamoto stated, there was one from Saionji's business account. I clicked on it, reading over it's contents.

"Oh... now it suddenly makes sense why you brought me up here."

In summary, the MF Tournament would be taking place in a downhill battle on Mt. Akina, and Saionji had exclusively reserved this road as the race track for the participants, all so we could practise driving on it in preparation for the tournament.

Talk about an extreme setting... it would also explain why people were driving down the mountain so fast earlier. They were our fellow competitors, trying to get familiar with the track and layout of the course's outline.

It also meant I had gotten a chance to experience how long the race would be without even realising it. Given the incredible distance we drove to get here, Mt. Akina would be one lengthy course we would have to compete on, even if we were being assisted by going downhill.

"...I'm guessing you took me up here to practise driving downhill?"

"Partially. You see Takanori-san, there's two sides to every race. The first side is the one you're most familiar with - the actual battle between cars. It's the one everyone sees and makes a spectacle out of. And it's my favourite part about racing!"

Minamoto grinned, pointing a thumb to herself. Then, her face went dark as she stuck up two fingers in a peace sign.

"But... there's a second side that only the competitors of the race ever have to consider, let alone see - the psychological battle that takes place between you and all the other racers. This is the real reason why we're here."

Her eyes darted towards the shack, where a young man with silver hair and glasses emerged with a cup of coffee in hand... and, an owl hanging on his shoulder? His skin was pure white, which made me think he was a foreigner, or at least a halfu.

"To meet the other players and see just how good they are."

As their eyes crossed, Minamoto smiled and waved at him. The man smiled and waved back, approaching us.

"Hey. Are you two also competing in Saionji's tournament?"

The casual way he addressed Saionji unnerved me a little. He looked at both of us before checking out our cars, raising an eyebrow at my Trueno. The owl hooted.

"Hey there! Yes, we are! How'd you know?"

"Eh, just a little hunch. I have a good instinct for danger."

The man smiled.

"Oh. Well in that case, I'm Minamoto Kumi! I'm Japan's best under 18 racer, with four wins and counting under my belt. I don't think anyone else in the world has achieved the level of success I've had, he he he. It's nice to meet you."

Talk about exuding confidence... Minamoto must've been really proud about her achievements if she was being this upfront about it. I don't think I would have the courage to tell people the same thing if I was in her position.

Before introducing himself to us, the man turned to me, an inquisitive look in his eyes. With that one small action, he had put the onus on me to introduce myself next. While it was annoying to say my name before him, I didn't really have any other choice in the matter unfortunately.

"...Takanori Yuuto."

"I'm Logan B. Rose, an international student from America. You can just call me Logan though, no need for honourifics."

He then gestured to the owl perched on his arm.

"This is my li'l buddy, Dawn. Feel free to pet her, her feathers are very soft."

"Oh wow! Thank you very much, she's adorable!"

Without hesitation, Minamoto stuck her fingers into Dawn's feathers and gently pet her, giggling. Dawn hooted, seeming to enjoy the attention she was receiving.

"Ha ha, I'm glad you like her. She seems to like you a lot too."

Logan took a sip of his coffee before looking at me.

"Ya wanna pet her too, Takanori?"

"...I'll pass, thank you."

"Ya sure? She's very fluffy. Doesn't bite too."

"Go on Takanori-san, pet her! She's very happy to be adored, as you can see."

Minamoto was engrossed with Dawn and the cute noises faces she was making. Dawn even hooted, even seeming to invite me over to touch her. I scratched the back of my head.

"...alright, fine."

I reached out with my left hand, gently placing it on Dawn's head. As I did though, Dawn started squawking and flapping her wings, causing me to swipe my hand away before she could peck at me.

"Woah now, easy there girl, easy."

Logan put the coffee down on the floor, stroking Dawn's feathers to calm her down. Minamoto laughed at me failing to pet her.

"A ha ha ha! What the heck was that, Takanori-san?! You barely touched her, and yet she got so scared! I've never seen an owl get like that before!"

"I had a funny feeling she would dislike me... sorry about that."

Logan shook his head, chuckling.

"Hey, no worries. Dawn's usually friendly, but I guess she woke up in a bad mood today. I know ya meant no harm."

Even though he said those words, a suspicious glint lingered in Logan's eyes. He grabbed his coffee from the floor and took a sip of it.

"I haven't seen you two before, so I'm guessin' you haven't tried givin' the track a whirl yet?"

"Nope, not yet."

"Same here."

I let Minamoto take the lead as she was the more sociable one between the two of us. It was easier to let her converse with Logan and for me to add on afterwards.

"Ah, that's a shame. I was going to suggest we could have a li'l race, but you two should probably familiarise yourselves with the course first."

"Ha ha ha, who do you take me for? I'm more than aware of what this track's like."

Minamoto smirked. Logan raised an eyebrow, matching her energy with a thin smile. I really did feel like the odd one out here.

I shouldn't be surprised though. Minamoto was a pro, so it was only natural she had learnt Mt. Akina's in and outs just from going uphill. Like Logan suggested, I would need to do a couple trial runs first to get to grips with what it's like driving downhill.

"But, as much as I'd like to accept your challenge, I'm here to help teach this momcon how to race downhill."

Minamoto slapped my back. I sighed.

"...for the last time, I'm not a momcon. Please don't call me that."

Logan blinked.

"What's a momcon?"

"Mother complex."

Minamoto was way too eager to answer that. Logan looked at me and stroked his chin.

"I do not have that."

"He has a crush on his mom."

"When I was four..."

How many times do I have to correct people on this?

"Well, whatever Takanori's into, it's not my place to judge. Trust me, I get it."

"If we have some free time later, I'm down to race you! But for now, I gotta prioritise my student and all that, like a good teacher should."

"Fair 'nough. I'll be in the shack then, if ya need me."

"Sure! Actually, why don't we go check it out as well, Takanori-san?"

Minamoto pointed over to the shack Logan was referring to. It was a dingy building, old and unkempt on the outside.

"...I mean, if there are other competitors inside, we might as well."

"Oh, trust me. There's a lot of 'em there. Despite it's looks, the inside is pretty darn spacious."

"What's the chance of it collapsing on us?"

"Eh, probably low. Some builders contracted by Mikazuchi & Co came in last week to spruce up the place, so it should be doing better than it was before. Plus, I hear Saionji is looking to add more infrastructure so she can set up her base of operations here."

"Ain't she one ambitious woman..."

Logan chuckled as Minamoto copied his accent.

"You seem to know a lot about what's going on internally, Logan."

He finished the rest of his coffee and tossed it into a bin outside the shack. With his other hand now free, he began stroking Dawn's wings, causing her to hoot happily.

"That's cuz I'm friends— well, I suppose rivals would be a better word for it— with Saionji. We go to the same university."

Minamoto's eyes widened.

"Y-you— you're rivals with Saionji?!"

Logan nodded with a smile.

Just like Minamoto, I felt the same way. Not even I could keep my cool after hearing that, since I knew firsthand just how strong Saionji was. And this guy was her biggest threat?

Talk about hiding your true abilities... during this entire time we were talking with him, I didn't even suspect or think for a moment that Logan was someone this grand or impressive. He did a great job at concealing it.

"Anyways, you guys should come in. You can meet more people who go to the same university as her too."

We followed Logan inside the shack, where the majority of people seemed to be. I scanned the room to see if there were any familiar faces, but I couldn't recognise any. Everyone here was new to me.

"Oh Logan, you're back."

"Heya."

Greeting him was a boy, slightly shorter than I was, with brown hair and eyes. He glanced over at me and Minamoto.

"Looks like you've made some new acquaintances?"

"That's right. These two are also participating in the tourney, believe it or not."

"Oh, they're competitors too?"

The brown haired boy turned to face us fully. He stretched out a hand to both of us with a light smile.

"I'm Takamine Tsubasa. I'm not very strong, but I'll do my best. It's nice to meet you both."

My eyes narrowed as I heard his name.

It was a perfect match to the person Mikazuchi-sensei said would get in my way of seeing Saionji.

So this was the man he was trying to warn me about, huh?

It seems Takamine Tsubasa was the person I had to look out for the most while I was here.

I have to say, just from his appearance alone, you wouldn't expect him to be so powerful. As someone who also tries blending into the crowd on purpose, he looked even more unassuming than I was, and that was saying something.

As I was gradually surrounded by all these impressive people though, the atmosphere grew more and more pressuring. In comparison to all these big names, I felt like a complete nobody. An amateur existence surrounded by superior beings.

It was almost like I was back in E Class again... until I could prove myself worthy, I would continue staying inferior both to myself and these people.

Minamoto introduced herself and shook his hand. Recollecting my thoughts, I did the same.

"Takamine also attends the same university as me and Saionji."

"I'm just a 1st Year though. I've only been there for a couple of months."

"He says that, but he's basically part of the crew now."

"I don't know... I'm still getting over the shock of getting into the University of Tokyo. It feels a little bit like I lucked out, especially since my grades sincerely do not match the level required there."

It seemed Takamine was also a self-deprecating fellow too. Logan slapped his back.

"Hey now. If ya managed to make it past the admissions process, then you definitely deserved it. And even if you somehow did manage to fluke in, I'm glad you're here. I'm sure Yoshino, Amasawa, Naga, Stella, Mamiko, and even Saionji feel the same way."

My ears perked up hearing Logan list those names as I recognised two of them— Stella and Mamiko.

Wait... does that mean they also go to the University of Tokyo? Could it be that both of them were here in Gunma because their friends are here too? But more importantly... wouldn't that also mean they personally knew Saionji too?

I put a hand to my mouth. It suddenly clicked why Mamiko was so good and why Stella was so knowledgable about Premium. Their friend group was stacked with powerhouse fighters, so they were playing with the best of the best on a regular basis.

"I hope so... thanks for the encouragement either way, Logan."

"If nobody gotchu, I gotchu."

Despite the clinical look on his face, Takamine cracked a faint smile. Logan laughed.

I wanted to ask them about their friend group to see if they were referring to the people I knew, but I couldn't find the right timing to cut in... it was situations like this where I wish I wasn't so awkward.

I looked over to Minamoto, who had a finger to her chin as she observed the other people in the shack.

"...something on your mind?"

"Eh, not really. I was just wondering how many people here also go to the same university as Saionji-san."

It seems she was trying to gauge their ages. If that list Logan produced was indicative of anything, I thought the same. It would make sense if the majority was her friends though, since Saionji could easily fill out a bulk of the roster using those connections.

Oh man, I just had a cursed thought... what if Mamiko was also competing in the MF Tourney? Wouldn't this mean I've been training with one of my competitors? There was even a chance I could face off against my mentor without realising it.

Looking around the room, one thing became painfully clear though. We were definitely the youngest competitors here by a long shot. Even a university 1st Year is older than us by 3 years, so the gap was quite considerable.

"Logan, just how many of you guys from Tokyo U are competing?"

Casually, Minamoto straight up popped the question.

Logan looked at her over his shoulder. It seems he and Takamine had turned their attention back towards the screens Takamine was watching earlier. Displayed through cameras set up along the side of the mountain was footage of the cars racing downhill.

"Huh, good question. Let's see..."

Logan began listing names in his head, counting them on his fingers. He stopped with his left hand fanned out and his right hand sticking out his thumb.

"There's six of us. So, a little under half."

"Only six? I'm surprised..."

"I guess there's more people outsourced than we imagined."

"Oh nah, don't get me wrong. If Saionji had it her way, she would've dragged the rest of 'em to compete too. However... let's just say two of them are helping her out in a different way."

I raised an eyebrow. Minamoto smacked her fist into her hand with perky eyes.

"Oh wait, that makes total sense! BFF-sama is doing the same thing too!"

Seeing her enthusiasm, Logan smiled, but he also seemed to raise an eyebrow.

"Then yeah, that's what they're doing basically. They got no interest in racin', but still wanted to help out Saionji any way they could."

"Based. I can't wait to see how they look!"

Minamoto squealed. I still didn't get what was going on, so I wanted to ask about it. However, just as I was about to, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Takanori-san."

As I turned around, I was somewhat surprised to see who had greeted me.

"...Hiryuu-sensei? What are you doing here?"

It was Hiryuu Sousuke, the homeroom teacher of 2nd Year E Class. I had become somewhat familiar with him since I spent quite a bit of time with the upperclassmen there, such as Shinomiya, Nibiiro, and Asukai.

"We're not at school, so there's no need to call me "sensei" here. Just treat like you would any other competitor in the MF Tournament."

Hiryuu— I was about to call him sensei again...

Hiryuu smirked as he boldly declared he was also participating in the tournament.

"I wasn't expecting that... Hiryuu-se... san, are you into racing too?"

"I have no strong feelings about it either. I'm actually here because I saw that Nozomi-san was participating. Speaking of which, where is he? I thought he would be with you and Minamoto-san."

I was surprised to hear Hiryuu was on a first name basis with Nozomi too. I guess they must've been close colleagues at school, probably bonding over the fact they oversaw the worst classes in their year, E and D Class respectively.

"...you don't know about what happened to him?"

"I haven't talked to him since summer break started. What did that idiot do this time?"

"Well, about that..."

Before I could tell Hiryuu what was going on with Nozomi, Logan cut in.

"Huh, you teach these kids, Ruka?"

Logan looked surprised to hear that Hiryuu was an educator. Dawn hooted in agreement.

Well, I couldn't blame them... Hiryuu's trendy fashion sense, combined with his dyed hair and coloured contacts, made him look like he worked as a host or model, so the confusion was justified.

"Ruka?"

Minamoto squinted her eyes at Hiryuu.

"It's a nickname of mine. Feel free to use it if you want. And yeah, I do. They go to GEN Academy, which is where I teach."

Hearing that, Takamine looked back at us from the corner of his eyes.

"GEN? You mean... that prestigious academy city on water? They're students from that school?"

Hiryuu-sensei nodded. Logan whistled, seemingly impressed by our standing.

"So it's like that... I see."

Takamine mumbled to himself before turning back to the screens. I wonder what that was about.

"Well, if Nozomi's not around, I don't have any reason to stay here and keep bothering you guys. Takanori-san, Minamoto-san, the next time you guys come here, bring that idiot with you. I've got a lot to talk to him about."

"Right... sure, yeah."

"K~ay."

Hiryuu waved goodbye to the four of us and left the shack.

Sheesh, talk about being pushy... I had no clue Hiryuu was so demanding when it came to Nozomi. Maybe my initial assessment about them being friends was wrong? And in the first place, couldn't he just call him and do it himself?

It felt unnecessary to ask us to do it, but I guess it doesn't matter too much... either way, Nozomi would have to come down here eventually to practise the track.

"Suppose we should tell Naga 'bout 'em? She's always been worried about the future of GEN and stuff. Seein' these kids might put her at ease."

Once more, Logan mentioned this person named Naga. I've never heard of them before, but from the way he was talking about them, it seemed they also graduated from GEN like Saionji.

"Isn't it because of that underclassman she introduced us to earlier?"

Logan chuckled at Takamine's dismissal of our importance. Considering we weren't anyone of note, his assessment was honestly fair...

"What, that monster? He didn't give me the vibe of someone who'd break the system under the weight of his strength. If anything... he seems like the type that would uphold it above all else."

Logan grinned. Wait... could it be...? Was Logan referring to......?

"...don't talk like you actually went there."

Takamine sighed.

"Ha ha ha! Well, I've heard enough from both Saionji and Naga to form a pretty good picture of what the school is like."

"It sounds harsh to be in, but I do envy those who went there. I wish I got an invite back when I was a high school student..."

"You're only saying that 'cuz that meant ya woulda met Saionji sooner, right?"

Logan grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. Takamine grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"That's not it... also, those two are still watching, you know?"

"Oh, oops. Sorry 'bout that buddy."

Logan laughed, presenting Dawn to Takamine.

"Look, she'll cheer ya up."

Dawn hooted. Takamine reached out with his left hand and began petting her.

"Anyways... we should probably introduce Naga and that underclassman of hers to them anyways, since they're both competing as well."

"Fair 'nough. Lemme give her a call... she's probably gonna kill me for interrupting her li'l date with him though, a ha ha ha!"

Logan laughed as he phoned Naga. I guess he wasn't referring to who I thought he was, since it seemed she was dating this person.

"Don't call it a date... they're just friends."

Never mind I suppose... I retract my first statement.

"Let's be real dude, it's a date to her, c'mon."

"You really think she has the hots for that guy?"

"Why not? She always speaks so fondly of him."

"You can be platonically in love with someone though..."

"Ain'tcha the last person who should be sayin' that?"

For some reason, Takamine's face burned bright red.

"I-it's a work-in-progress, okay?!"

"Sounds like he's embroiled in his own love troubles... oh, how I pity the straights."

Minamoto wiped away a faux tear from the corner of her eye.

I had no interest in romance, but even I had to agree that it was kind of obvious by now Takamine had a crush on Saionji.

Logan pulled his phone away from his ear and chuckled.

"They'll be coming 'round in a bit. Mind waitin' for 'em, Minamoto, Takanori?"

"That's fine with me. I'll go pester the others in the meantime."

Minamoto signalled towards the people playing in the shack. I also wanted to know who they were, so I nodded in agreement, and joined her as she approached two people who were cardfighting.

"Man, Gurguit's somehow even more stupid in Premium..."

"The neo Amber clone promo is absurd, yeah."

Sitting across from one another were two men, one with brown hair and one with raven hair. The brown haired man was playing Gurguit while the raven haired man was playing Amaruda.

"Hey there! You two playing in the MF Tourney?"

Minamoto casually greeted them like it was nothing... talk about being extroverted. I would've crumbled upon even trying to utter a word to them.

"Sure am! Lemme guess, you wanna run a couple games?"

The brown haired man replied with a smile, showing off his deck. Minamoto shook her head.

"Nah, I'm good. I'm just here to meet everyone!"

Quickly, we introduced ourselves.

"Oh, that's chill. In that case, I'm Yoshino Shuu, a 3rd Year at Tokyo U. It's nice to meet ya! I noticed you guys were chatting for a pretty long time with Takamine-san and Logan, so you probably already know that I'm close friends with them."

I do recall Logan listing a Yoshino in that bunch of names. Does this mean the raven haired was Amasawa...?

"Hey. I'm Katagiri Kanata, it's nice to meet you."

Never mind, I suppose not. Katagiri reached out for a handshake, so both me and Minamoto shook his hand.

"Katagiri-san, do you go to University of Tokyo too?"

Considering how old he looked, he was at the very least an adult. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"For a little while, yes. I was studying maths. Although, I had to withdraw shortly after enrolment."

"Hmm? Really? Why's that?"

It seemed Yoshino had never heard of this either as he leaned in with interest.

"Ah... I'm not sure if I want to say... usually when I tell people this, their opinions on me change immediately."

"Please, I'm a lesbian who races for a living. I've seen and heard worse, don't worry! As long as you're not a bigot, no judgment over here."

"Same... I know we haven't met each other for long, but you'd still be Katagiri to me."

Yoshino shrugged with a light smile. I nodded in agreement with those two. A dark look pooled in Katagiri's eyes.

"Heh... you guys are way too nice. But would you feel the same if I told you I had to withdraw because I killed a person?"

Minamoto and Yoshino's eyes widened. I narrowed mine at Katagiri, who suddenly laughed.

"Sorry, sorry, that was a bad joke. Got you pretty good, didn't I?"

"Jesus... that was a really convincing act."

Yoshino breathed a sigh of relief. Minamoto laughed.

"Wait, what? You sure you didn't study drama or something?"

"I was a theatre kid when I was younger. I loved acting, but... well, let's just say it's not a very stable job. I pivoted to maths since numbers are easy to understand... most of the time, at least."

Even though he said it was an act, now that he had released the darkness in his eyes once, I could still see it even now. It wasn't a stain that could be so easily wiped away.

"Wow, I've never seen Takanori-san make that face before. I can't tell if he's angry or unimpressed."

As Minamoto pointed that out, Katagiri looked up at me.

Our eyes stared deep into each other's souls.

...what a hollow look.

I noticed Minamoto and Yoshino looking at me too, so I softened my unintentional expression.

To be honest, I was unsure what to make of that single interaction with Katagiri.

It felt off, but at the same time... there was a naivety in his eyes that made me really think he was just making a distasteful joke.

"Well, bad joke aside, I do mean what I said earlier... when I tell people this, they usually freak out and become wary of me. So, when I tell you guys this, I would appreciate if your knee jerk reaction isn't just to run away."

"Understood."

Minamoto gave a thumbs up. Yoshino and I nodded.

"Thanks... there's no easy way of putting this, so I'll just say it outright. After five months being at Tokyo U, I was found guilty in court and sent to prison."

There was a seriousness in Katagiri's tone we'd never heard before. Yoshino blinked while Minamoto's eyes widened.

"Yeah... I'm an ex-convict. Pretty embarrassing, right?"

"Stop me if this is insensitive... but what did you get arrested for?"

"Well... on paper, it was first degree murder. Truth is though, I was falsely incarcerated by some... truly powerful people. Pigs, I call them. Because that's all they ever are and all they'll ever amount to."

Katagiri leaned forward, putting his hands together. A quiet anger seeped from his words, burning like an undercurrent embedded within them.

"You guys know what a ponzi scheme is, right?"

We nodded.

"It's a pyramid scam."

"Correct. The official term for them is multi-level marketing scam— MLM. To cut a long story short... my mother was suffering with cancer and fell for one of these MLM scams out of sheer desperation. She was strapped for cash and the weight of her medical bill was taking a financial toll on her. After being promised this easy side hustle that could earn enough to pay away her problems... she bought into it, giving away what remained of all her life savings to those at the top of this MLM. She... couldn't afford the treatment anymore."

"Katagiri-san..." Minamoto gasped.

A single tear rolled down his cheek. Noticing this, he wiped it away immediately.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting to get so emotional..."

"No, it's alright! You're fine dude. I'm sorry to hear that happened." Yoshino said.

Katagiri lowered his head as he continued speaking.

"As revenge... for them killing my mother... I dismantled that MLM by scamming them back. When you're a theatre kid... social engineering is basically your bitch."

A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.

"Obviously... when I stole back all that money from them - every single yen they took from each and every victim - the head of that MLM, the big piggy, was furious with me and leveraged what remained of his connections, using them to falsely frame me of a crime I didn't commit, and sentence me to life in prison as his own revenge."

Minamoto hit the table, resonating with the injustice of Katagiri's situation.

"Those bastards... what the hell! You got them good and this is how they respond?! What losers!"

"Right? That's why they're pigs. Complete and utter pigs, scamming the most vulnerable in society, abusing their positions of power and preying on the weak and desperate in the most despicable way possible..."

"Damn... if you're out now, then I'm guessing your name got cleared? Or, did someone pay your bail?" Yoshino said.

"Yeah. I did one and a half years before my uncle found out about my story. When he learnt about what had happened, especially since it involved his extended family, he paid my bail and got me out. I'm still under strict supervision from the police though. They've put a tracker on me, my internet access is restricted, and I have a curfew to follow... it's all a real pain in the ass."

"Man, that's rough to hear... it sucks that you had to go through all that, even now."

"Yeah... I'm still baffled at how you got punished for doing the right thing. It's ridiculous!" Minamoto said.

"Heh... thanks you guys. I'm just glad I got the clearance to participate here. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Oh, how did you find out about the MF Tournament?"

"Ah... I guess it would make more sense if I told you who my uncle was, huh?"

Katagiri leaned back in his seat. Minamoto tilted her head.

"What do you mean? Is he secretly a big shot or something?"

Katagiri looked both ways before leaning in and dropping his voice to a whisper.

"Try to keep this on the down low, but... my uncle is the CEO of Bushiroad— Kidani Takaaki."

I blinked, scarcely believing what I just heard right now.

This guy... he's... he's related to Kidani?

I covered my mouth. There's no way... surely not, right?

"Huh?! Huuuuuuh?!"

Meanwhile, Minamoto and Yoshino unabashedly screamed, their eyes bulging out, causing Logan and Takamine to look over at us.

"You're... you're related to Kidani?! The big cheese shachou himself?!"

Minamoto had her hands in her head, mouth agape. Yoshino was crying.

"Oh my god, can I please meet him? Can you please, please help me meet him?! I want to thank him personally for producing Vanguard! My life wouldn't be the same without it!"

"Uh... I can try, but no promises... he's a really busy man, you know?"

Katagiri laughed awkwardly. It felt like he opened Pandora's Box with this one...

"What are y'all yappin' 'bout now?"

Logan wandered over to our side. Takamine followed him. Katagiri shyly greeted both of them.

"Umm... I don't know if I should tell you or not now..."

Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Seems pretty important to me..."

Before Katagiri could drop the bomb he was related to Kidani on them, Minamoto cut in.

"Wait, wait, wait! But how does him being your uncle get you into this tournament?"

"Well... if this Riding Duel trial turns out to be a success, Saionji wants to implement them into the official game. To do so, she'll need his permission. As such, she recruited me to acquire firsthand experience act as a vouch for her in case he's sceptical. That's how I got my ticket to the tournament."

"Oh, so you're like insurance for Bushiroad... gotcha."

Hearing the company name, Logan's ears perked up.

"Oh, does that make you Matt the Intern?"

"No, I'm Katagiri Shinichi..."

Huh. That was strange... earlier, I could've sworn he said his name was Katagiri Kanata. Did I mishear him?

The thought drifted away as Katagiri told Logan and Takamine his relationship with Kidani. Likewise, they were also shocked to hear this.

Not long after, two more people entered the shack. One was a woman with long purple hair and a leather jacket. And the other was...

As our eyes crossed paths, I paused.

...so it was who I imagined Logan was referring to earlier.

The purple haired woman went ahead, a serious look on her otherwise beautiful face.

Meanwhile, he followed her, joining in approaching our group, right before stopping just in front of me.

Behind his shining glasses, he looked down at me.

Through my long bangs, I looked up at him.

As I stared at the stoic man standing before me, my fists tightened, and I grit the back of my teeth.

It was like a storm had blown through the mountainside.

That was the sort of pressure warping atmosphere that he dragged along with just his sheer presence alone.

There was no doubt about it.

This was the real deal.

The King of GEN Academy.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Takanori-san."

Kishou Arashi.

"Kishou-sama... what are you doing here?"

"To win."

Nothing else had to be said.

In front of all these people, also competing in the same tournament as him, Kishou boldly declared he would take it all.

Even though it was clearly directed at me, those echoing words still applied to everyone else present in the room.

It was enough to make everyone glance at him for at least a split second, even if they feigned disinterest afterwards.

What confidence... although, after playing him once, I understood - or rather, I knew - that his level of confidence was also justified.

The thought of having to fight him again after that first time both excited and chilled me.

I swallowed the lump in the back of my throat.

I still can't believe Kishou is playing in the MF Tournament... I mean, it makes perfect sense in hindsight, especially since he's Saionji's successor, but still... it's a complete shock to the system.

I guess this means my goal of reaching Saionji by the end of this would be even harder than I anticipated. At the very least, I was certain I'd personally have to get through Kishou if I wanted a chance to win.

There was no way I could rely on anyone else... I was certain no one - not even me - could beat him, except maybe Saionji herself. But even that match-up happening wasn't something I wanted to count on.

It was too uncertain. In my plans, I only wanted to calculate a direction using absolute certainties and generate the rest accordingly as more developments occur.

If anything, Saionji vs Kishou sounded like a finals. Hell, it very well might even end up being that way...

Admittedly, a small part of me would be excited to see this clash of Kings occur. Both of them were extremely skilled and talented individuals, so I wanted to see who would come out on top in a head-on clash, a one-on-one battle.

"Yo, Naga! Glad you could make it!"

My thoughts were broken up as Logan casually greeted the purple haired woman, Naga. She waved at us, turning her attention towards Minamoto and I.

"Hello, hello, it's nice to see everyone's doing well. And you two, it's a pleasure to meet you both for the first time. I'm Naga Raikou, a former student and member of the Royalty of GEN Academy. I heard from Logan-san that you're also currently students."

Wait, she used to be on the Royalty as well? What the hell... this really is some kind of gathering of monsters here. Minamoto and I introduced ourselves to her.

"Yeah, that's right! We're 1st Years to be exact. I'm A Class, he's D Class."

"Formerly E Class. I'm also the class's representative."

I added on some further detail to clarify my position. There was no point hiding it since Kishou knew this information too, and Naga seemed to be close to him, so if she asked for further details, he would probably end up telling her about it either way.

"Oh my, that's really impressive, both of you. No wonder you two were chosen to compete."

I think it's less to do with that feat and more because I happened to know the right people... though, I didn't have the courage to say it, since I didn't even want to participate in the tournament in the first place when the option was originally proposed to me.

"He he, thanks! It's all because of my BFF-sama motivating me that I am here where I am today."

Now I was wondering just how far back these two went... considering how close their relationship was, and how Minamoto seemed to be the only person who could tolerate Shigaisoshi-sama's personality, if I had to take a guess, they were probably osananajimi.

"Naga-san... if I may ask, which member of the Royalty were you?"

Out of curiosity, I asked that.

"Ah... starting from the last semester of 1st Year to the second semester of 2nd Year, I was Queen. Following that, I was promoted to King, before being demoted back to Queen during the first semester of 3rd Year by none other than Kishou-kun."

"My apologies."

For some reason, Kishou seemed guilty for dethroning Naga.

"Oh, so does that mean you're five years older than us?"

"Yes... although, I would prefer if you just called me twenty, since saying five years makes the age difference sound worse than it actually is."

"Oops."

Minamoto quickly backtracked seeing the peeved expression on Naga's face. I mean, she kind of had a point, five years was half a decade... spelling it out like that was kind of scary.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm six years older than them technically." Yoshino said.

"I don't know why, but that just makes me feel worse..."

I guess Naga was more sensitive about her age than she lets on.

"And here I thought I was the oldest... I'm twenty as well." Katagiri said.

"You definitely look younger than you are. I thought you were the same age as those two..."

Yoshino laughed, gesturing to Minamoto and I. Katagiri cracked an awkward smile.

"Come on, I at least look a bit older than that. Eighteen at the very least, right?"

"I think so. It's more obvious on you than it is on Naga."

Logan turned towards her.

"Like gosh darn, I would've never guessed you were twenty when we first met. You don't look a day over seventeen!"

"Somehow, that sounds like a backhanded compliment..."

Naga pouted, making Logan laugh.

"Nah, nah. I mean it sincerely, Asian genes sure are somethin' else."

"I just think Naga-san takes good care of herself. She somehow makes healthy food taste good... I can see how she maintains her youthful appearance."

Minamoto nodded with a sage smile.

"I'm honoured you speak so highly of my cooking... i-if you want, I can make more vegetable lasagne next time to share with everyone else."

"Seriously? That'd be great! Oh, and share the recipe too! I want to try making some too!"

Seeing Takamine get so excited, Naga's cheeks went dark red. I guess she wasn't good at handling praise either, especially from her friends... she nodded, before looking away and glancing up at Kishou with expectant eyes.

"...hm?"

Noticing her gaze that seemed to wait for him to say something, Kishou unfolded his arms.

"A-aren't you going to say anything?"

"Oh... right. Thank you for reminding me."

Naga smiled a little, before her face dropped as Kishou stepped forward to enter into my space.

"Huh? Kishou-kun?!"

"A ha ha ha! You two are a hoot!"

Logan burst into laughter. Dawn hooted, her wings flapping happily.

"Ouch, girl."

Minamoto snickered as Kishou ignored her in favour of intimidating me. I felt just as embarrassed as Naga right now, to be honest.

"Somehow, this is painfully relatable..."

Takamine mumbled, clutching his chest. I looked up at Kishou, shrinking back as he pressured me with his towering posture and intimidating atmosphere.

If I wasn't careful, I'd be swept up into the storm again, like last time.

"Kishou-sama..."

As neither of us had said anything yet, I took the imitative by uttering his name.

"I have a special request I want you to fulfil."

I raised my eyebrows.

"For me...?"

Kishou nodded, his face remaining as blank as a sheet of paper as usual.

"...and that would be?"

I sighed.

"Meet me on the track, Takanori-san. That's when I'll show you my true avatar."

Then my eyes widened.

The King of GEN Academy— the Reaper himself, Kishou Arashi— made a direct callout at me to come fight him head on in the MF Tournament.

Hidden in my pockets, my hands were shaking.

I couldn't believe it.

Leaving me shivering with those haunting words, Kishou said nothing else.

He turned around and walked away, the visage of his back growing further away as he left the shack.

"I'll see you soon."

He waved goodbye, disappearing into the mountainside.