Chapter 50: Men Become Friends While Fighting
Sakamotos demeanor had suddenly changed.
To prove that this feeling wasnt an illusion, his movements became significantly faster than before.
Was he holding back until now?
A volleyball shot like an arrow hit one of the forward team members, knocking them out instantly.
Argh!
Damn, whats with that speed?
Team A members were in disarray.
Regardless, Sakamoto stretched his limbs as if all this had been just a warm-up and displayed a relaxed attitude.
Sensing fear instinctively from his demeanor, one of his teammates, instead of targeting him, hurled the volleyball at others behind him.
Too slow.
However, standing in the center of the court, Sakamoto muttered, intercepted the ball mid-air, and immediately counterattacked, targeting our teams male student with a sophisticated move.
He appeared like a tyrant on the court!
What?!
Team A quickly dwindled from five to three members.
An awkward silence enveloped the field, leaving only me, Sasha, and the Class President remaining. Meanwhile, Team Bs eliminated outfielders, on the verge of victory, cheered from behind us.
Kyaaaa! Awesome!
We believe in you, Sakamoto!
As praise poured in for him, Sakamoto confidently declared i with his chest puffed out, as if it were the most natural thing.
Of course. I am the greatest warrior.
The mood suddenly chilled, as if doused with cold water.
I? Greatest warrior?
Kind of delusional to have such adolescent fantasies at his age.
Sakamotos evaluations from the class rapidly declined.
At this point, I realized something was off, but I couldnt guess why the protagonist, Sakamoto, was suddenly acting this way.
Then Sasha, who was behind me, whispered secretly.
It seems to be a dangerous situation.
What? What do you mean?
Confused, I looked over to her. Sasha glanced at Sakamoto standing in the opponents field, and replied in a low voice.
I can sense the strength of others to some extent. And he has become incredibly strong, unlike beforeat least at the level of a B-class fighter.
What does B-class mean?
Boris, whom you faced before, was A-class.
Hearing this, I realized just how much stronger Sakamoto had become.
Should we call him the protagonist?
The new semester had barely begun, and Golden Week had just passed, yet he had already powered up dramatically.
To think of other things while facing me, you must be quite audacious.
While I was lost in thought, Sakamoto suddenly spoke and glared at me with a combative look.
He seemed to be burning with a competitive spirit against me.
I didnt know how things had come to this, but it seemed I had no choice but to face him head-on.
I picked up a volleyball that was rolling on the ground.
It felt cool and weighty.
I used to give up on ball sports quickly because I couldnt control my strength, but now I felt I could manage it.
I took a deep breath and launched the ball into the air.
Then I leaped up and delivered a powerful spike.
Boom!!
With a loud noise, the ball struck one of Team Bs survivors, knocking him backward.
I had controlled my strength enough so he wouldnt be hurt.
But to the others, it might not have seemed that way, as they murmured in shock at the sight.
Is this for real?
I dont want to die! I dont want to die! I dont want to die!
They appeared to be in a state of panic.
The person hit by my ball stood up, rubbing their stomach, and muttered in a daze.
Am I alive?
What were they talking about? It was just dodgeball.
Nevertheless, the ball went back to Team B.
After one of their members was out, Sakamoto caught the ball that rolled back to him and murmured as if amused.
So, its not going to be easy after all.
His eyes were blazing with a competitive spirit, and he hurled the ball once more.
This time, he aimed for the Class President, who was hiding in the corner.
Sasha, who had been behind me, quickly threw herself in front of me to block, but the oddly curving ball hit the Class President, bounced off her, and then struck Sashas right arm, resulting in a double elimination.
The fight had clearly turned disadvantageous for me.
Since I was now alone.
But it felt as though the restraints that had been holding me back were finally gone.
Im sorry, Yu-seong. I couldnt stay till the end.
Then I said to Sasha, who was leaving the court with the Class President, shrugging my shoulders,
Dont worry. Ill have our revenge soon enough.
The dodgeball game, which started as a simple bet for ice cream, became more intense as time went on.
Team A was on the brink of defeat due to Sakamoto Ryujis sudden shift to a Chuunibyou tone, but the defenses of the last man standing, Kim Yu-seong, were unbreakable.
As a result, members of Team B began to fall one by one, leading up to a one-on-one confrontation.
The eliminated students from Class 2-B watched the climactic battle with anxious faces.
Would it be spear Sakamoto Ryuji?
Or shield Kim Yu-seong?
This became the subject of fervent discussion among the boys.
As the game continued, the Class President, who had been glancing at her wristwatch periodically, called out.
There are only 3 minutes left until the break! Just 3 minutes!
Upon hearing her, Mahes thought,
Is it time to end this duel soon?
He felt disappointed.
He had wanted to spar with the warrior before him until the sun set.
Even though he was in the body of his contractor, facing the formidable Kim Yu-seong made him feel as though he was back in his prime.
Their breaths were rough, their breathing tumultuous.
Without exchanging a single word, they had come to recognize each others skills.
With that, Mahes, as a warrior, decided to put his all into one final throw as the ultimate sign of respect.
Here I go!!
He hurled the ball high into the air.
At the same time, he dashed forward and leaped into the sky.
He was attempting to replicate the technique that the contractor had used earlier.
However, this attack incorporated another method of Twt-Ra he had honed as a warrior of Atum Ra.
Whoosh!
The white volleyball, backlit by the sun, caught fire.
Spectators watching shouted something in horror, but Mahes, already in a state of hyper-focus, heard nothing.
Bang!!
He then used his entire palm to deliver a powerful spike.
The volleyball, wrapped in flames, flew like a comet.
And Kim Yu-seong caught it with his bare hands.
Ugh!
The spin, flames, and immense force of the ball pushed Kim Yu-seongs huge body relentlessly backward.
However, his resilience, not falling down in the end, turned the desperate fire shot into a failure.
Mahes felt regret for not breaking through Kim Yu-seongs defense, but he decided to think positively, as it was now his turn to block the attack.
Its your turn now.
Then Kim Yu-seong seriously took his pitching stance.
Sakamoto Ryuji, who had lent his body to Mahes and was observing the situation from within, exclaimed in a horrified voice.
Wait! Can you block that?!
No problem. If my Pharaoh martial arts and your karate skills are combined.
What I learned isnt karate. Its jujutsu! And stop with the cheesy talk!
Ignoring his contractors scream, Mahes spread his arms and slightly bent forward to counter Kim Yu-seongs final attack.
Then
Beep!
Foul.
Huh?
Mahes looked at Oonuma, who had suddenly interrupted with a dazed expression.
But Oonuma, looking annoyed and scratching his head, handed a red card to Mahes, who stood there with a blank look.
Its too much, even for a joke, to set fire to school property. Come to the gymnasium when this is over. Sakamoto.
The sudden victory of Team A.
It was entirely Mahess fault for not fully understanding the rules of the match.
Thus, the first physical clash between the two ended in an anticlimactic way due to an unforeseen variable.
After the sixth period, Sakamoto, who had been called to the gymnasium, returned to the class and immediately approached me.
Uh sorry!
Without any context, I stared blankly at the protagonists head, who was apologizing with his hands clasped together.
Whats he sorry for? Did he do something to warrant an apology?
Just as I was trying to understand the reason for his sudden apology, as if we were playing a game of twenty questions.
Sakamoto, now back to his normal self, unlike during the match, spoke awkwardly while scratching his cheek.
I got carried away by my competitive spirit and accidentally committed a foul. I wanted to apologize for that first.
Was he talking about the fire shot earlier?
I wondered if he was capable of setting the ball on fire at will, but I decided to accept his apology for the time being.
Otherwise, these curious glances from our classmates might persist.
Its okay. You dont have to worry about it so much.
Then Sakamoto looked at me with an expression of gratitude.
Kim, youre actually a really nice guy.
What?
I wasnt sure how the conversation had taken that turn.
But despite my confused expression, Sakamoto thanked me for forgiving him, flashed a bright smile, and extended his fist.
Today was a blast! We should hang out again sometime!
Yeah, sure.
I felt a bit overwhelmed by his enthusiasm.
But since I couldnt bring myself to rebuff him, I awkwardly bumped fists with him. Sakamoto, looking rather pleased, went back to his seat by the window.
Is this alright?
I began to worry automatically.
Because somehow, I sensed that from now on, he would be the one initiating our interactions, all because of todays events.
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