Chapter 373

“Emika Katsuhata was truly fantastic in the quarterfinals! It was truly the reincarnation of the sword master Kamikizumi Nobutsuna! What do you think, senpai?”

“Well, it’s always good to be cautious, but I believe Japan’s conquest of the world isn’t far off. I’m really proud that we’ve preserved our unique culture during this great magical era.”

“My colleagues have already created articles. They say as long as Emika maintains her performance in the quarterfinals, winning is as good as guaranteed.”

We could hear the conversations of the Japanese people sitting just behind us.

Some men presumed to be reporters were discussing Emika Katsuhata’s recent match.

“Ultimately, the most important thing is soft power. Those Koreans have tried to imitate America by creating an academy and whatnot, but look, they haven’t achieved much in decades. I see their expulsion of domestic magic factories as a historical mistake.”

“Yes, I completely agree.”

“Emika’s victory would be a cultural victory for Japan, making it even more precious. Highlight that; the contrast with Korea should make for a nice narrative.”

“Oh, if it were Korea, they wouldn’t have survived in that situation. How could students who are busy drawing magic circles handle Emika’s 249 continuous strikes?”

“Hahaha, that’s true!”

While it was a private conversation between the two, there were plenty of things that could rile someone up.

Moreover, the reporters seemed unable to grasp the flow of the duel.

To label Cecilia’s unique magic as a waste of mana was downright ridiculous.

In the end, Emika’s win resulted in a self-inflicted wound for Musitania Raflesia, yet that single strike was indeed a remarkable feat.

I raised my voice and spoke in their language.

“Considering that the Japanese’s understanding of magical duels is only at this level, it’s remarkable they’ve been able to provide so many unsolicited comments.”

At that, the clattering of forks and knives quieted down.

A sudden silence enveloped the hotel restaurant.

People resumed talking as if nothing had happened, but some gazes were less than friendly.

Just as we finished dinner and were about to leave the restaurant, the reporters who had been sitting behind us approached and handed me their business cards.

“I’m Morita Koichi from the Sankei Shimbun. I never imagined I’d meet Noname in a place like this. Are you staying at this hotel?”

“Nothing going on.”

“If you’re busy, may I just ask one thing! Do you think Emika Katsuhata will win the national exchange tournament?”

The round-faced reporter took out a notepad and pen, ready to jot down my response.

The black pen had a recording function.

“Hey! What are you doing over there? Come over quickly!”

Adella waved from afar.

I turned to the reporter.

“I believe Emika Katsuhata will win.”

“Just as I thought!”

“But that’s only if Katsuhata herself wins, not Japan. It would be much better for you if you didn’t project the entire country onto one person.”

“Pardon? Why do you think that?”

“Because you’ll have to face me in next year’s national exchange tournament in France. Until then, I wish you a prosperous year for Japan.”

“…”

“Here, I don’t need your business cards, so I’ll give them back.”

* * *

We decided to watch Emika’s semifinals match crammed together in the hotel room.

Adella and Professor Cheon had failed to secure tickets.

I contacted Katsuhata School, and they assured me that they would arrange seats for the finals.

“Magic has changed so much since our time.”

Professor Cheon, sitting on a single-person sofa, sipped a can of beer.

“Give me a sip.”

“NaeMe, what are you looking at? You have to do the commentary too.”

Adella placed her palm on my cheek and forced my face to turn towards the TV.

Originally, Adella and I had been sitting side by side on the bed.

But being human, if you’re standing, you want to sit, and if you’re sitting, you want to lie down.

I couldn’t resist my drowsiness and lay down on Adella’s thigh.

“Yawn. It’s just like before. Emika creates a barrier, breaks it, creates a double barrier again, and repeats. If mana runs out, Katsuhata wins; if aura runs out, Mustafa wins. Wake me up when the barrier is broken.”

“Shouldn’t barrier magic honestly be limited to 2nd circle instead of 3rd? Is this a sport? Aaargh!”

“There can be boring moments when you’re doing it. Even football isn’t interesting when one side insists on a defensive strategy. They do that for 90 minutes.”

“At least there’s a thrill in beating them up…”

Adella’s expression twisted into a grimace.

Even if the commentators put in a lot of effort, perhaps it was futile.

“It’s flowing statically; Emika must be dying to get out of that barrier.”

Even with my eyes closed, I continued my explanation.

Using Adella’s thigh as a pillow, it felt warm and soft, lulling me into a deeper sleep.

“Cool…”

“Hmm, this duel might be less interesting than I thought?”

“Yawn.”

Without a trace of hesitation, I bit into her thigh as punishment.

“Ah! It hurts! Let go, let go! What are you doing biting me? Look, I have such a big bite mark now!”

“Is the pillow talking back?”

The match content had long become irrelevant.

We only occasionally glanced at the screen when the commentators shouted loudly.

The final victor was Emika, followed by a highlight reel.

Eventually, Emika broke out of the barrier, while Mustafa deployed a magic mirror across the stadium.

While she desperately dodged optical illusions and launched ranged attacks, Emika displayed impressive judgment.

She traced back the magic beams bouncing off the mirror, cutting a straight path through the maze and shattering Mustafa’s wand.

Emika’s submission victory.

Being a match that determined the finals after ten years in Japan might contribute to this.

Despite being a clear snoozefest compared to the quarterfinal match, the stadium erupted with applause and whistles.

However, Adella did not seem pleased at all.

“Barrier mages are really disgusting. Can’t they be disqualified? Look at them cowardly surrendering when their spells are revealed.”

“…?”

I blinked my eyes at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”

I tilted my head back to look at Professor Cheon.

“My dad is a barrier mage.”

“Oh dear, am I in a situation where I need to apologize? I’m sorry, Saetbyeol.”

“No, no! No! I didn’t mean it that way! It’s not the barrier that’s the issue, but the way that participant used it!”

“The barrier encryption level was quite high, right? It doesn’t seem like they reached the semifinals just by luck.”

“Yeah, I was really surprised. Magic refraction is a technique frequently used in recent defense strategies, so Egypt’s education level has improved quite a bit.”

“I’m so sorry! This is all my fault for speaking without knowing anything!”

“Cackle!”

Adella jumped on the bed like a frog and struck a dogeza pose.

Now that my drowsiness was gone, I listened intently to Emika’s interview.

[Congratulations on your victory, Katsuhata-san. How about sharing the joy of advancing to the finals with your friends via video call?]

[Uh… video call?]

[If you don’t have suitable friends… -]

[That can’t be! I have friends! Just give me a moment, please.]

Emika wore a nervous expression.

“Your face is showing everything, my friend.”

It struck me that Emika’s insistence on maintaining a poker face might stem from her not being accustomed to hiding her emotions.

“Well then, I’ll head back to my room. Don’t stay up too late. You all know about Saetbyeol and NaeMe, right?”

“Yes, good night!”

“Good night, Professor!”

Professor Cheon returned to his room.

“Adella, can I go shower first?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it in the morning. But isn’t it annoying to dry your hair twice a day?”

“Not really. I never thought about it. Just make sure to wash well.”

“I do shower every day! It’s so unfair!”

I appreciated the clean and spacious bath in the hotel.

Still, since it was late today, I decided to wash just my hair and save the bath for later.

Swoosh—

Even if I die from the heat, I always turn the hot water on for my shower.

My long hair, cascading down to my waist, grew ever heavier as it absorbed moisture.

I shampooed once, twice, and for the final pump, gently for two and a half times.

I spread the shampoo evenly from my scalp to the ends of my hair, personally removing the daily dust.

There’s a peculiar sense of fulfillment that cannot be experienced with cleaning magic.

Once I finished, I had to wait a long while.

I waited and waited for all the shampoo bubbles to rinse away.

Bang—

Knock, knock—

“Hmm?”

“NaeMe! You have a call!”

“Tell them I’ll call back later.”

“This is a very important call.”

“Ugh, just a second. Give me the phone.”

“Wait, it’s a video call, so I’ll give you a gown to wear.”

“A video call?”

Who would call me for a video call?

Professor Cheon had just left.

Of course, Principal Guon-yu wouldn’t call either.

Is Seoyuna calling because she misses me?

But I couldn’t think of a single suitable candidate.

I roughly wrapped the gown Adella handed me around myself and peeked my face out.

Water dripped from my hair.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Emika Katsuhata.”

“Oh…! Why did she call me instead of everyone else?”

“That means she just finished calling her family and peers from school, and now it’s your turn. Hurry up and answer the call.”

“But if I pick this up, it’ll be live-streaming right now, won’t it?”

“Whoa, it is? What should we do?”

“Hello…! Is anyone there?”

A familiar voice sounded from the phone lying face down on the desk.

“If I just show half my face, it should be fine.”

What does it matter that I came out halfway through my shower?

I held the phone up, showing my face to the camera.

* * *

Emika’s family and fellow schoolmates were eagerly teasing her.

“This is the room Emika-chan used when she was 10 years old. She loved Korean idols so much that her walls were covered with posters…”

“You haven’t seen Katsuhata’s cute side? If so, you’ve missed half your life!”

Her biological parents carelessly revealed her old room without warning, while her seniors and juniors unleashed embarrassing stories from her past.

When the video call ended too quickly, the reporters asked once more, “This is the last time…”

A respectable friend, a respectable friend, ultimately led to Noname.

In fact, Emika received a lot of assistance from NaeMe to make it this far to the finals.

But when the call connected, a completely different woman’s voice flowed out.

“Hello? Oh, is this a video call?”

For a brief moment, I saw a woman’s upper body pass by.

Her white cropped top revealed a slim waist and an adorably cute bellybutton.

Startled, she hurriedly placed the phone down on the desk.

“Isn’t this Noname’s number?”

“Yes, that’s correct! I’ll bring her over, just a moment… NaeMe! You have a call! A call!”

Emika sat quietly in a chair prepared by the staff, patiently waiting for NaeMe to answer.

‘Who is that woman? She doesn’t seem like a friend. Is she an older sister?’

Finally, light filled the black screen.

“Hello, this is Noname.”

This dry voice was undoubtedly Noname’s.

Emika’s face stared at the screen with a bright expression, which gradually turned to confusion.

“Your hair… Were you in the shower?”

“Yeah, but why?”

“If you were, you should have told me beforehand.”

“I’m fine, though.”

Her eyes rolled back toward the chat window.

‘I’m not fine…’

[Live Streaming]

[Real-Time Chat]

-That family member doesn’t have a normal person among them, wwwwwwwww

-A super cute loli just fell into the water!

-So cute!

-Katsuhata is embarrassed again.

-Wow, what is Noname? lol

-Surprise appearance

-Why is she coming out without signaling? lol