Part 3
Touma sat silently in his analyst booth.
His lenses displayed the combat records of Yoruka Itsuki while Ellie read out the stats she'd managed to access.
But his concentration was abruptly shattered when the door burst open. Akari had tried to push it gently… and tore it completely off its hinges.
"Ho, sorry."
"My strength still hasn't gone back to normal…" she said, scratching her head with an innocent smile.
"Well done, Akari," Touma replied with a faint grin.
"Breaking the door? I can do it again if you want," she answered sweetly.
"I meant your victory against Anya."
"Oh, that…" Akari struck a triumphant pose, one hand on her hip. "Of course! It wasn't that hard, heh heh."
Touma sighed and grew serious again.
"I'm worried about your next opponent…
"Plus, after that, you'll have the strength exhibition against NovaTech's new project."
"Are you feeling alright? Not tired?"
Akari grabbed a water bottle and downed it in one gulp.
"A little," she admitted, stepping closer to him, "but…"
She smiled and pointed toward the stands.
"My family and friends came to watch me, and honestly, I always thought being strong meant fighting without fear of losing."
She paused for a moment, lowering her gaze and clenching her fists.
"But ever since I came here… thanks to you and everyone else, I finally understood."
She lifted her head, her smile glowing.
"Being strong also means learning to rely on others."
For a moment, flashes of her days at Seisen crossed her mind—laughter, training, little arguments, the warmth of friendship.
"I'm not alone anymore," she whispered. "I have all of you… who accept me just the way I am."
Her eyes drifted toward one of the monitors. On the screen was Yoruka Itsuki, standing impassively after her match.
Akari stared at her in silence.
"And for some strange reason, I wish… she could feel that way too."
Meanwhile, the audience enjoyed a halftime performance by the American idol Ashley Hoshikawa, who captivated fans around the world with her beautiful melody and charismatic presence.
In the stands, Makoto Tsubasa was watching the arena closely.
His eyes followed Yoruka Itsuki as she walked calmly toward the center of the field.
"Still thinking about that girl?" Tanaka asked in a serious tone.
"Yeah… I remember her from last year," Makoto replied, folding his arms. "She defeated our entire dojo… even my father."
"My shoulder still hurts just thinking about it."
Tanaka nodded, gazing toward the dome.
"As expected. She's the heir of the Itsuki clan."
"Though, to be honest, I haven't heard good things about her father."
"They're a thousand-year-old dojo… unlike the Tsubasa, which is just a few years old."
Makoto didn't take offense. He knew it was true.
"Sorry, but I think your sister's going to lose this one," Tanaka added, watching as Akari stepped into the arena amid cheers.
The American idol ended her performance with an elegant bow, and then Chancellor Vergil Von Reinhardt took center stage.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the grand finale of this friendly tournament!" he announced with his usual enthusiasm. "What can I say? This just goes to show once again the power of Seisen's students!"
He struck a dramatic pause, looking straight at the cameras, and with a theatrical flourish pulled out a pair of cards from his sleeves.
"These are our cards for the World Championship! And this time… the United States won't defeat us!" he shouted, tossing the cards into the air.
From behind the cameras, Vice Principal Ayaka watched him with visible irritation.
"Just read the cue cards, you idiot…" she thought, pressing a hand to her forehead.
The chancellor began to sweat, rummaging through his coat pockets until he pulled out a rain of colorful spheres, flowers, handkerchiefs… and a dove that nearly smacked him as it flew off.
"Here they are!" he cried triumphantly, finally finding his cue cards.
His voice switched to a much flatter, almost robotic tone:
"Presenting… second-year student Yoruka Itsuki, who will face first-year student Akari Tsubasa."
The young samurai looked like a block of ice, nearly emotionless—complete contrast to the cheerful, radiant redhead before her.
The two locked eyes, as if a storm were about to break loose.
Even the crowd held its breath.
"Show the world Seisen's might!" Vergil shouted, setting off confetti across the stadium.
3… 2… 1… LET'S DUEL!
As always, Akari was the first to charge.
Yoruka, on the other hand, stood perfectly still… as if patiently waiting for the redhead to close the distance.
"Paw Paw! Punch!"
Akari was a second away from striking when Yoruka suddenly clutched her stomach with one hand and raised the other to signal a stop.
"Eh?" Akari slowed down abruptly, nearly tripping, stopping just inches away from her.
"Sorry… I'm forfeiting. My stomach hurts," Yoruka said with a feigned but overly serious tone, too straight-faced to seem like a joke.
Akari's eyes went wide.
"You're kidding, right? Fight me!" she demanded, clearly annoyed.
"N-no. It really hurts…" Yoruka replied, turning her gaze away with obvious awkwardness.
Akari looked toward the chancellor, who seemed just as confused as she was.
Yoruka simply turned around and began walking out of the dome, still holding her stomach.
The silence was chilling.
Even Touma couldn't believe it from his booth, but it was Ellie who broke the tension:
"Master… when someone needs to go to the bathroom… they need to go," she commented with total seriousness.
Touma sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"For an advanced AI… you still can't tell when someone's faking."
At the center of the stadium, Chancellor Reinhardt did the only thing a responsible adult could do at that moment:
"And… the winner of this exhibition match is Akari Tsubasa, first-year student of Seisen… hurrayyyy!" he said, waving his hands nervously.
He raised Akari's hand as if she were a boxer who'd just won by rigged decision.
Akari lowered her head slightly, puffing her cheeks.
"I feel cheated…" she muttered as the audience clapped, not entirely sure what had just happened.
The applause still echoed through the coliseum as Akari exited through the side corridor, her cheeks puffed in frustration.
"I can't believe this…" she grumbled, kicking an empty can. "I didn't even get to fight! Not a single hit!"
She crossed her arms, visibly irritated.
"And they still give me the win like that! How humiliating…!"
Touma appeared behind her, gently resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Come on… it wasn't that bad," he said with a faint, reassuring smile.
"Yes, it was!" Akari spun around. "I wanted to fight her! I wanted to show her… show everyone… that I can do it!"
Touma watched her in silence for a moment. Then, with his usual calmness, he ruffled her hair.
"You already did," he said softly. "You didn't need a final to prove it.
That semifinal against Anya was enough for everyone to see who you really are."
Akari looked at him, surprised, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Touma… you always say things that are so… so…"
Her voice trailed off, unable to find the right word, while he looked away, embarrassed.
A few corridors away, Yoruka walked alone.
She stopped for a moment, leaning against the wall with a quiet sigh.
"I didn't know you were such a kind person…" said a voice from behind her.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Yoruka replied without turning around. "There was simply no need to prove anything."
A young woman with chestnut hair, still wearing her lab coat and with her hands in her pockets, approached calmly.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say…" Rika muttered, adjusting her glasses. "Still, that data would've been useful."
Yoruka walked toward her with composed steps, never losing her poise.
"If you wanted that data so badly, you should've been the one to fight, Rika," she said as she passed her by.
"Science is my field; fighting is yours," the researcher replied coolly.
Yoruka raised one hand dismissively.
"I'm going to keep an eye on the Chinese pilot… and the new product. So stop bothering me."
Rika watched her walk down the hallway, adjusting her glasses again.
"That girl's hopeless…" she murmured. "Anyway, time to gather more data…"