The 32nd round match between Group J’s 1st place and Group I’s 2nd place turned out to be a civil war for the Japanese.
“Katsuhata Emika has overcome Narita Hiroyuki, avenging last year’s Emperor’s Cup double-fold!”
“What an overwhelming match…! The reigning champion truly shows their prowess! They’ve completely awakened today!”
[32nd Round Match 106]
[Time: 28:16]
[WIN: Katsuhata Emika (Japan)] [57% | 95%]
[LOSE: Narita Hiroyuki (Japan)] [☠9% (total destruction) | 81%]
Emika’s expression was devoid of emotion as she looked back at the defeated Hiroyuki.
“Damn…!”
Hiroyuki pounded the ground with his fist, grinding his frustration.
Defeat is always bitter.
As a significant goal in life slipped away, a dreadful sense of lethargy enveloped him.
Hiroyuki quietly left the training arena, unraveling the bandages wrapped around his arms.
He nervously ripped his notebook to shreds and shouted into the void.
Mei attempted to calm him down, but his frustration was not easily quelled.
However, when his master entered the locker room, his anger management issues vanished as if by magic.
“Hiroyuki, take a month off while you’re at it. You can watch the remaining duels or just stick to your accommodation all day. I’ve already received permission from the elders.”
“Can I travel alone?”
“If you go, go with Mei.”
“Then I won’t go.”
Hiroyuki returned to the accommodation.
He half-heartedly went through the stepping procedure in about 30 minutes and locked himself in his room.
“Ha… Saetbyeol was watching today…”
He thought of Saetbyeol, who had come to support Emika at the stadium.
The emotions of a teenage boy are as delicate as glass.
Hiroyuki, browsing through a flood of mocking comments on social media, resigned himself to sleep.
“If only Saetbyeol would contact me just once…”
And the next morning,
What he’d only imagined became a reality.
[Cheon Saetbyeol: Hello, I’m Cheon Saetbyeol. Is this Narita Hiroyuki’s phone number? If you have time, would you like to go watch the duels with me today?]
“What?! Of course, it’s an okay! Why are you contacting me…?”
The pain from the National Exchange Tournament faded, leaving only excitement behind.
*
“Are we there yet? You, me, Ruohan, Mei.”
“Hiroyuki’s coming over there.”
“Looks like everyone is here. Shall we go?”
“Na-me, you’ve just trampled someone’s pure feelings.”
“We should all watch the duel together for more fun.”
Hiroyuki approached in lively steps.
Soon, he joined our group, his eyes dull like a dead fish.
“Saetbyeol, just the two of us going to watch is…”
“Ahaha… Na-me asked me to call you.”
Saetbyeol scratched her head with an awkward smile.
Mei grinned and poked the betrayed Hiroyuki gently.
“Hey, hey. Didn’t you say you were going to rest at the hotel? Huhh, Saetbyeol summons you and you rush out.”
“Shut up. Did you know? If you knew, you could have told me beforehand.”
“Not at all? I had no idea!”
In front of Stade de France, there were various experience booths created by companies.
I noticed that Samsung and Kia were supporters of Love Unni.
I led the people around looking here and there.
The most popular booth was the Brazilian Brahma, offering free beer.
It seemed that Ruohan and the Narita siblings had also finished their introductions.
“By the way, Narita, are you the bashful type? Ruohan politely asked while Hiroyuki’s expression twisted, clearly displeased.
Mei intervened to clear up the misunderstanding.
“He has a slight fear of women, so if he seems rude to you Ruohan, please understand a little. He doesn’t even know what he’s saying.”
Saetbyeol, looking on with curiosity, linked arms with Mei.
“Huh? What do you mean? Didn’t Hiroyuki like me? I’m a girl too!”
“Ah, no, that’s not…!”
“I don’t know, he seems to have his own criteria. He seems scared of tall, strong women.”
“Oh, interesting. So that’s why he doesn’t like Love Kim? But today, since we’re here to watch Love’s match, you should cheer hard, okay?”
“Yessir…! If that’s Saetbyeol’s wish. No, that came out wrong… it’s not a wish, it’s a request.”
“But where did Na-me go? No, NoName! Aren’t the kids in line over there?”
“Ahh, Brahma beer…”
Saetbyeol grabbed my armpit and hoisted me out of the crowd.
Being short, I thought I could hide between people’s legs, but her eyes were sharp.
Instead, we moved to the Korean booth to get hot ramen in paper cups.
“Wow, NoName, that last match was amazing! What would you like for ramen?”
“I’ll take anything that’s not spicy. Oh, can you skip the blue carrots? I’d prefer them, mixed in the water.”
“So you don’t like vegetables. I’ll try to filter them out as much as possible.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m ashamed as a Korean! At that size, just eat it! It doesn’t taste like anything anyway.”
“I even take out the flakes when I eat cup ramen.”
Slurp—
The ramen broth tasted amazing even in France.
Ignoring Saetbyeol’s comment, I gulped down the ramen in the paper cup in one go.
We went through a simple bag and ticket check to enter the stadium.
Stepping inside the air-conditioned stadium felt refreshing.
“Did we arrive too early?”
The audience wasn’t even half in yet.
It felt weird just sitting there, so we ordered a set of fried chicken, hamburgers, and fries, picking at it one by one.
“Have you thought about how to find that person? But in this day and age, you can just dig through SNS and find out, right?”
“I don’t know the name, haha… We just called her Queen.”
“If you don’t know the name, it’ll be hard to find.”
“Honestly, with our sect’s information network, it shouldn’t be impossible, but my master said I shouldn’t look for her until I accomplish something significant.”
“Why? Ahhh… to avoid bad company?”
“Yeah.”
Considering Ruohan’s status, she should be in a substantial position among the Mudang Sect’s direct disciples.
If it turned out her old acquaintances were from a delinquent circle, it could become troublesome in various ways.
“I would have confidently visited if I’d at least made it to the quarter-finals. 32nd round feels ambiguous.”
“Just being chosen for the national team is a significant achievement.”
“I hope so.”
Whirring—
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, a drone flew in front of us.
“Who is this? The players who put on a fantastic match the other day are here! Let’s give a big round of applause!”
The caster’s voice echoed through the stadium.
On the big screen appeared a two-shot of Ruohan and me.
[If you follow this move, you’ll receive a prize!]
It was a kung fu pose, with one knee up and arms spread like a crane.
Do they want me to do that?
“What are you doing NoName! Hurry up and get up!”
Saetbyeol kicked my seat from behind.
Next to me, Ruohan stood up and nonchalantly struck the pose.
“…?”
“Why? It’s a move from our morning exercises. Is it weird?”
“No…”
Actually, it is weird.
‘If you say that, I can’t back out now.’
I forcibly lifted my trembling arms and completed the embarrassing pose.
Hehehehe!
Saetbyeol laughed to the point of almost choking from behind.
I sat down with a somewhat dazed expression and took a big bite of the chicken leg.
After observing for a while, Hiroyuki finally spoke up.
“Hey, don’t you train? The tournament isn’t over yet.”
“I’m training right now. Analyzing the opponent.”
“You’ll be able to see these players only in the finals!”
Hiroyuki frowned at me in confusion.
The matches yesterday and today were all people from the opposite side of the bracket from me.
Which means I won’t meet Emika or Love Kim unless it’s the finals.
“Ugh… I’ve learned that if you become even slightly arrogant, you’ll lose. Don’t get ahead of yourself thinking about the finals; prepare well from the round of 16. Who’s your next opponent again? Saudi Arabia?”
“It doesn’t seem right for someone who got knocked out in the 32nd round to give me advice.”
“This punk is trying to give me comfort…!”
“Whoa, whoa, Hiroyuki calm down! Are you really going to go all out against a 10-year-old?”
“Of course! Just look at how many people have lost after going all out!”
Ruohan, who had been quietly tearing at her chicken wings, seemed to flinch at that remark.
As the plate filled with scattered fries was tipped over, the players began to enter the stadium in order.
As Love stepped onto the training arena, we all erupted into cheers.
Had it been since last year, when I visited with Emika, that I had entered as an audience?
Here, I felt no burden.
No matter how loud I yelled, it got mixed in the cheers around me.
As the two players clashed, the aura rising began to erase the shadows cast over the arena.
The magic circle shattered with a crash, unleashing a gust of magical power.
With flashing lights, children raced forward.
Each time the barrier was chipped away, the audience’s cheers made the seats buzz.
I captured all these moments in my mind, savoring the art that bloomed in battle.
“Kill him! Just smash that skull!”
“Please sit still Na-me! The people behind can’t see!”
*
In the border area between China and Russia, Beijicun in Heilongjiang Province is known for its tourism industry.
The innkeeper called out for a part-timer pruning bushes late at night with his flashlight on.
“Oh my, it’s almost dawn and you’re still working. There’s tomorrow and the next day, the sun will rise, but what’s the rush?”
“Haha, I need the money. It’s good to earn a lot by working a lot.”
“But it’s better to take a break. If you overwork it while you’re young, you’ll suffer later when you’re old like me.”
The innkeeper was watching the National Exchange Tournament on a hologram.
He was someone who genuinely enjoyed the magic duel enough to keep track of matches from other countries.
“Oh my, the Mudang Sect kid is out there.”
The woman in arm sleeves raised her head and turned her gaze toward the hologram.
It showed Ruohan and Na-me flapping around in the audience seating.
“Haha, they’re cute. How enviable their lives are. These kids have such talent, don’t they?”
“I was quite something back in the day too. I used to have kids like Ruohan as my underlings, you know?”
“Oh my, everyone talks like that. Alright, that’s enough. Just take a break. I’ll give you plenty of money.”
“Yes, ma’am! Call me again next time!”
