My dearest esteemed people, we have gathered here today to witness the funeral of Liohime Kitagami.
Was he a good man? Depending on the person you ask, the answers may vary.
Nevertheless, at a time like this, we can all confidently say that all things must eventually come to an end.
Rest in peace, main character.
…Is what I'd like to say if he didn't have plot armor to save him from what happens next.
***
"At this rate, you're worse than Tisha ever was in Tag. Maybe you really are second rate to her, after all. In being a partner and in tag, that is."
He stood by the entrance to the bedroom and as the duo exchanged glances, Liohime gulped.
She's pissed, as expected. But I can work with that-
"[Shihon Unleashed: Initial Impact]."
"...Huh?"
Hearing words that he had never heard before, his brows furrowed, and then his eyes widened in shock.
Shihon's light green pupils transformed into a glamorous Lilly flower outline of white.
Her long hair bended and hardened as it also changed into a shining gradient of white, contorting into countless jagged blades that remained attached to her head.
Her top incisors grew into an unnatural length that overlapped her bottom lip displaying a human-like rendition of a sabertooth's jaw.
And as she stood and turned towards the starstruck figure of her Master, she held up her left arm and aimed it at him before snapping her fingers.
Snap.
That was all that she needed to summon a column of vines that shot out from her back and into the direction of her opponent in less than a second.
The soft, but quick attack was evaded by Liohime, who realized that the chance of making Shihon lose focus had backfired into something worse.
Hey, hey, hey, she's seriously trying to hurt me now!!! The hell is up with her form!?
He jumped onto the bed with his back facing the wall, with no way out while Shihon slowly walked into the bedroom with a glare.
"Worse than Tisha, you said?" questioned Shihon, with a glint in her eye. "I won't allow that. I can't accept that. So now, I'll go all out to beat you and prove that I'm number one."
B-Beat!?
Afraid of the collateral damage that could occur, Liohime immediately tried to surrender and put his hands up in resignation.
"O-Okay, hold up, this is just tag. We don't have to get too serious about this-"
"Shut up."
"-hk."
He was immediately silenced by Shihon's aggressive tone.
"This is war. You better show no mercy just as you showed no mercy to that damn bitch when you were still together and playing tag. Then, I'll crush you with a complete victory, and I'll cement myself as the greatest tagger and love interest that belongs to you, my Master."
"H…..uh?" he croaked out, unable to answer clearly to that bizarre statement.
"Prepare yourself, Master," Shihon declared. "I'll crush you."
And with that, the Magical-Beast Girl that had practically leveled up, dashed and swung again.
With a forward dive, Liohime braced his fall after dodging once again and escaped the room with his opponent hot on his tail.
D-Damn it!
He started to question himself on why he was even running in the first place. If he was tagged and he waited it out, Shihon could win and the game would be over.
Yet, his legs refused to stay in one position for long whenever she drew close to him.
"You can't run away forever!!!" came a shout that felt as if it was right behind him, and Liohime took a sharp right, avoiding a leap by the figure that almost took him down for the count.
It's fear.
Fear kept his legs moving.
The sudden behavioural change that he saw reminded him of when Shihon had gone after the robber during the shopping incident. His fear and anxiety kicked in, and that was what he was also feeling now.
"She's….on a rampage again," he muttered to himself, and hearing a snap, he quickly took a breadpan from the kitchen counter and shielded himself from another vine attack that sent him flying into the fridge due to the recoil.
He gasped for air as pain flooded his body, but he could not waste time. As long as his adrenaline remained active, he had to move with quickness and precision.
What is it, six or seven minutes now?
Trying to estimate the time that had flown by, he eyed the figure that remained at the other side of the kitchen counter once again.
"I apologize! I did not mean to compare you, Shihon, so let's stop this already!" he pleaded, trying to catch his breath while pondering his next move.
"The damage is done. I'll make sure that I won't be worse than that girl. And to make sure of that-"
She jumped onto the counter and sprang at him, and just as Liohime was about to make a quick exit out of the kitchen, she snapped her fingers and summoned a thick wall of flora that blocked his escape.
With the young man stiluck right where she wanted him, she screamed out while aiming a spinning kick, "-I'll finish this here and now!! Tag!!!"
BANG!
Contact was made, and instantly, Shihon's frenzied smile dropped.
It had been blocked by both of Liohime's sturdy arms, and he slid under the vine-like wall that featured a gap at its bottom.
"Wha-but I got you!!"
"Not anymore! If you can use your Magical Beast powers, then I can block your attacks until you land a clean hit."
"-hk."
Shihon slowly walked out to face Liohime in the living room and the two figures faced each other.
"Also, if there is any collateral damage made by you, you lose, and you'll have to do it in the next two minutes it seems."
"T-That's cheating! You can't make up new rules!!"
"If you can't nerf yourself to beat me, then I'll need some extra rules, and even then, it still isn't fair, so quit whining…or…."
He gave off a sly smirk.
"Are you actually….finding it hard to beat me?"
"-hk, why you…."
"You better not disappoint, Miss Second Place."
".....I'LL WIN THIS."
Shihon prepared to bet everything on this last series of attacks, and Liohime's goal was to drag the chase out for as long as possible until time was up, while trying to learn more about Shihon's different abilities.
There was a reason why he had not decided to use Special Order. In this state, she was in a completely new form, albeit still human. What other abilities could she be hiding? What abilities could he drag out from her? His curiosity had gotten the better of him
A bead of sweat trickled down his temple as he grinned with delight, while condescendingly speaking down on himself.
Liohime, you absolute fucking bastard. Why the hell are you excited at a time like this?
Still, he couldn't wipe the smile from his face as the climax of the game was approaching.
--Tag was now nearing its conclusion.