Side: Yuki

"Dear. Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"But you look a little tired."

"Ask Eris."

"...Today is my turn, so please do your best tonight as well."

"Oi."

Anyway, today was finally the day of the duels.

Seraria’s concern had probably been about the duel at first, but somehow the conversation seemed to have gone in a completely different direction.

Well, as you can probably guess, Eris and I had gone all out last night, so my physical and mental energy had been thoroughly drained.

As always—she's either intense or clingy...

"Eris, you're looking all glossy again. You should've at least held back, you know? Today is supposed to be Yuki-san's duel day."

"Ara? Milly. Precisely because it's the night before his duel, passions burn all the brighter, don't they?"

"...You're always burning with passion, though."

"Of course. What woman wouldn't burn with passion when spending the night with Yuki-san? Even you, Milly, when it's your turn with him..."

"Waaah!! Stop, stop!! What are you saying!?"

Actually, Milly was the type to cling to me all night too, although she was not quite as extreme as Eris.

Clinging tightly like this... No, no. Duel talk. Duel.

"So, Seraria, is everyone ready?"

"Yes. Everyone knows how to handle them properly. Right, everyone?"

As Seraria spoke, all my wives nodded.

Then, in perfect unison, they immediately raised their video cameras.

"Leave it to me!! I’ll record every last moment of Onii-san’s heroic performance!!"

Ratz beamed a bright smile and turned her camera toward me.

"...Nn. Looking forward to Yuki's duel. Just as Ratz says, capturing a husband's valiant figure is a wife's duty... Naturally, last night's session with Master Eris has also been recorded. I will study it."

"You did what?"

Cleana is truly being corrupted by Eris.

Still, compared to Eris, she was smaller in stature and flat-chested... I hoped she wouldn't overdo it, but for some reason, whenever Cleana came after me, I just couldn't bring myself to refuse her.

"...Yuki, don’t worry. Next time, I’ll stay on top the entire time. A full stomach the next morning is my dream."

"...F-Full stomach? Cleana-san, do you mean..."

"...Nn. Of course. The ingredients for Yuki’s children. Just having them given to me would make me happy. But having a full stomach would surely be even happier."

"I-I see. Could I... see that video with Eris-san later?"

"I don't mind, Samantha. Wives ought to cooperate with one another."

...Why did a conversation about video cameras immediately turn into that?

"Are Rurua and Jessica going to be okay with them?"

"Ah, yes. I can manage to use it somehow. Since it's Danna-sama's duel, I will definitely film it and show you!"

"...I am curious why you singled me out, but I have no problem operating it either."

Well, among the wives, those two rank first and second in looking least familiar with machines.

They hardly ever even used Call unless they absolutely had to.

"Muu. I feel like Danna-sama just insulted us in his head."

"Indeed, Rurua. Next time, the two of us should attack Yuki together."

"That sounds good. We’ll make him happy with our breasts."

...Again, why does every conversation keep heading down that road!?

"Still, Yuki-san. Is it really okay to use video cameras openly in front of a huge crowd? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for filming your duel scene."

"Indeed. As Riel says, is it truly fine?"

Riel and Tori asked, as if double-checking with me.

Well, I had already explained the reason once, but I'll state it again.

"It’s fine. There’s a reason I want them used in front of a large audience. Like I said last night, if we want to popularize video cameras, the best advertising would be to record a major event that a large number of people are watching. This will also help Samantha’s father and the others in Rhodei. It’ll serve as proof that these things can actually preserve real events."

That idea had occurred to me when I heard my wives talking about recording the duel.

If we were going to use the cameras anyway, I figured we might as well make a big spectacle of it and raise their profile all at once.

Conveniently, a duel festival was happening, and almost everyone connected to the academy would be coming to watch. The results of the duels would also be officially recorded by the academy, making this one of the best ways to prove that the footage captured by the cameras was genuine.

It would be a huge boost for Samantha’s father and the others, who were trying to popularize video cameras and increase their influence in Rhodei.

"Boo!! Onii-chan, we want to record videos too! Meanie!"

"That is correct! Why are we the only ones left out?!"

"Calm down, you two."

"That's right. Yuki wouldn't be mean without a reason."

Among them, Aslin and Filia, who hadn't been given video cameras, voiced their complaints.

Just as Labyris said, there was naturally a reason for it.

"Sorry, you two. You guys are small and cute, so there's a risk someone might snatch you away along with the video camera. That's why I was hesitating."

"...Makes sense. If it were me, I’d kidnap Filia."

"Then I’ll take Aslin."

""Kyaa—!""

Squealing like that, Filia was scooped up by Kaya, and Aslin by Ria.

"In terms of combat ability, there wouldn't be any issue, but it could cause a huge commotion. So can you two bear with it too, Labyris, Sheila?"

"Yes, it's a convincing reason. Having the spectator stands stained in blood mid-duel would be a problem, after all."

"Indeed. This heart and body were offered to Yuki-san; if some scoundrel out there touches me, I would have no choice but to kill them."

...That's the direction I'm worried about with you two!

They don’t hold back... or rather, they do hold back, but it’s still at a level where calling it "holding back" feels wrong.

Since the two held special positions in Weed, criminals targeting them—or perverts seeing their attractive figures and trying to assault them—showed up occasionally, but every single one of them was personally beaten to a pulp before being handed over to the police.

Despite that, both of them would cling to me afterward, saying, "That was so scary~"

...Women sure are terrifying.

"...In that case, how about loaning my video camera to Sheila-sama and the others?"

"Hm? Ah, under Killue's supervision, that might work. Can all four of you obey what Killue says? If so, you may handle the video camera."

""""Yes!""""

Their response was energetic enough, so it should be fine, right?

"...Then I will film together with Filia."

"Thank you so much, Kaya-anesama!"

"Then, I’ll be with Aslin."

"Yay! Thank you, Ria-oneechan!"

"In that case, Labyris, do you want to film with me?"

"Yes, I'd appreciate that, Derieu."

"Then, Sheila-sama, would you be alright pairing up with me?"

"Yes. I look forward to working with you, Killue."

Good.

With everyone divided into teams, the workload would be manageable.

"Also, while I said I was worried about Aslin and the little ones, the rest of you should stay on guard too. You're carrying video cameras, and every single one of you is a beauty. There's a very high chance someone might think you're an easy target and try to meddle."

Hearing that, everyone nodded in understanding.

"For now, if anyone tries to mess with you, just apprehend them. I want to check what kind of background or connections they have."

"""Eh?"""

As expected, the combat-oriented members reacted strangely.

Mainly Seraria, Derieu, Riel, Ria, and Jessica.

"Hey. Everyone else aside, the Queen of Weed shouldn’t be so quick to resort to violence."

"Ara? Whatever are you talking about? I can’t hear you~"

Good grief, this wife of mine...

"Also, Sarsari. If there's any problem with the kids, call me immediately."

"Yes. Understood."

For some reason this time, when my wives heard I was dueling live, everyone wanted to attend.

That left the children unattended, so Sarsari stayed behind to babysit.

Since we can move via doppelganger, we can respond immediately if anything happens.

Still, it was unusual for so many of them to attend one event.

"Speaking of which—who is your opponent for the duel? I’m not worried in the slightest about you losing, but if you don't get much screen time, I'll be disappointed, you know?"

"It's probably Ahodes. Poppuri had trained him a bit so he’d be slightly less pathetic, and since Ahodes was the one who challenged me in the first place, it would feel anticlimactic if he weren't my opponent."

"...Nn. Ahodes is Ranked 13th in the academy. He isn't that strong. Or rather, he can't even hold a candle to Yuki or us. In the first place, even with the Headmaster's training, he wouldn't get strong overnight. But I want to see Yuki's valiant figure, so I pray he's gotten at least slightly better."

"Indeed. I would hope he possesses at least the bare minimum skill to be considered worthy of being Yuki-sama's opponent. Ahh, I am so looking forward to seeing Yuki-sama duel!!"

The academy students among my wives completely treated Ahodes as a stepping stone.

Well, in his base state, his rank in the academy was lower than Cleana's and Samantha's, so that was only natural.

Actually—his name is Ardes, but it's already stuck as "Ahodes" (Idiot-des), huh?

Not that I should be saying that, since I started it.

"Speaking of the duel—how is Eoid doing? He didn't train yesterday, did he?"

Eris asked about Eoid, the original purpose of the duel.

"No. He spent yesterday relaxing and reading books about weapons. There was no point in cramming everything in at the last minute and getting injured. Today he has both the duel and his confession. I just hope he's managed to get his thoughts in order."

"""Impossible."""

My wives replied in immediate unison.

"Setting the duel aside, a confession isn't something one gets used to, right? Yuki, you ought to know that better than anyone."

"...Well, yeah."

Even my recent confessions to Cleana and Samantha had me sweating bullets.

How immense must the tension be for Eoid, who had to confess to his childhood friend for the very first time?

"Well, this is Eoid’s chance to show what kind of man he is."

"...Nn. If things go according to Yuki’s plan, he should be mentally and physically exhausted from the duel. After that, he might actually be able to confess without overthinking it."

"But it's Eoid we're talking about... As someone who's known him for a long time, I really hope things work out between him and Amanda."

Classic protagonist-level cowardice.

But we'd already eliminated his escape routes, so all I could do was pray he'd found his resolve.

We continued talking like that until, after breakfast, the clock finally reached seven.

"Well, shall we head to the academy?"

With that, everyone got up and headed toward the academy.

* * *

Buzz... Chatter...

"It's livelier than I expected."

"Yeah. Just as you suggested, Yuki-dono, we've opened the event to the general public as well. That means we have more witnesses for the video cameras. As for the food stalls, we didn't have enough time to gather very many."

"That can't be helped. Well, from now on, if you host these large-scale team duels periodically as public spectacles, it'll attract more visitors to the academy and serve as a great venue to display the academy's prowess. Why not give it a try?"

"I see. I never thought about turning it into a spectacle since this is a place of learning. Lara, what do you think?"

"I think it is an excellent idea. Many of the academy's poor reputation issues stem from its closed-off nature. As long as proper rules are established and the events are organized accordingly, I see no problem with it."

"I have records from the events we held in Weed. You can use them as a reference."

"Is that all right?"

"Eris. You kept proper records, right?"

"Yes, of course. But, Yuki-san..."

"What?"

"Shouldn't you be heading to the arena? Everyone else has already secured their positions."

Just as Eris said, except for the escort members, the other wives had already scattered ahead to the arena to claim good filming angles.

"Well, I’m one of the duel participants, so..."

"Taiki-san and Eoid are already in the waiting room, you know?"

"Well, you see, I was discussing the final arrangements with Poppuri and the others... Wait, why are you still here, Eris?"

"Because you and I are an officially recognized couple at this academy, of course! After all that shouting in the arena, what kind of wife would I be if I let my husband walk into the arena all alone on such a big day?"

The four escorts nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Haha, you're deeply loved, Yuki-dono. Eris-san, I'll get the records from you later. Please escort Yuki-dono for me."

"Yes, leave it to me."

Eris linked her arm around my left arm.

"Then, I'll take the remaining..."

"Hold on. That belongs to me."

"No no, as a student of this academy, I should be the one..."

"...Nn. Right arm secured. Let's move."

Somehow, the escort wives started bickering over my remaining right arm...

"""Aaaah!?"""

The victory went to Cleana.

"As expected of Cleana. Excellent tactical awareness."

"...Yeah. Just as Eris-shishou taught me, I won't compromise when it comes to love. But next time, I'll let everyone else have their turn. I don't want discord, after all. I love everyone."

"""...Can't be helped then."""

Cleana’s words made everyone give up.

Cleana had somehow been molded by the other wives and had gotten along with them quite well.

When she first handed me her underwear, I wondered what would become of her, but...

As we headed to the dueling arena, a completely unexpected person called out to us along the way.

"Hoh? If it isn’t Yuki-san?"

"Eh, ah, Pops from the inn!"

Yes, for some reason, the ones running a food stall were the innkeeper Pops and his wife.

Naturally, they were selling fried chicken.

"I heard about it! You're entering the duels, right?"

"Yeah. A few things came up."

"I know, I know. You're showing off your manhood, right? Proving to everyone that you're a man worthy of those lovely ladies?"

"Yes."

"Gah-ha-ha! Taiki-kun proudly said the same thing without an ounce of embarrassment—that he was gonna show his wife his best side. How cool! Now that's a real man. What fine husbands you are."

"""He's our pride!"""

When my wives answered like that, Pops beamed a big smile and immediately wrapped up portions of fried chicken for all of us, handing them over.

"Here, eat up. I already handed some to the little young ladies and the other wives, so don't be shy. Lats' sister already paid for 'em."

If it was already paid for, there was no reason to hold back. It was delicious fried chicken; let's enjoy it to the fullest!

And then, two more pieces of fried chicken were handed to me.

"These are from me and the missus, since we can't go root for ya in person. Go show 'em what you're made of!"

"We're cheering for you!"

"Yeah! I'll do my best!"

Damn.

The finest guy in this entire academy town really was Pops from the inn!!

And this fried chicken was so damn good!!

It brought back the pure joy of saving up pocket money during my student days just to buy fried chicken from the local butcher shop.

"Fufu, I'm so happy to see Yuki-san looking like that."

"...Nn. Yuki's smile is wonderful."

"Kuh... If only I had grabbed his arm, I could have seen that smile up close..."

"Let's calm down. We just need to buy up all that fried chicken and feed it to him."

"Jessica-san, what a splendid idea!! I'll go buy some right away!!"

...Uh, my stomach has a limit, you know.

Besides, I'd rather not go into the duel with a completely full stomach.

After that little encounter, we finally reached the waiting room, where we had to part ways with Eris.

The four escorts, of course, will have to stay with me.

"Now then, Ria, Jessica, Cleana, Samantha. From here on, it will be an official duel, so no interference is allowed. As his guards, this might be hard to accept, but please endure it."

Eris said that, and the four of them nodded deeply.

"However, if someone tries to interfere from the outside, that restriction no longer applies. Use your bodies as shields to protect Yuki-san, and eradicate the enemy."

""""Yes!""""

"Also, from the waiting room's position, you four are the only ones who can record. It's an important angle, so I'm counting on you."

"""Leave it to us!!"""

...Isn't something slightly off here?

After that exchange, I entered the waiting room to find Taiki-kun and Eoid eating fried chicken.

"Yo."

"Ah, Yuki-san, you got some too?"

"Pops' fried chicken is really delicious, isn't it?"

Their first conversation being about fried chicken was probably just a sign that they were growing boys.

Well—I'm included, so I guess the old man's fried chicken is just the best.

Crispy on the outside, bursting with juices on the inside.

It preserved all the savory flavor of the chicken, wrapped it tight, and was served piping hot. It was incredible on its own, or as a side dish with rice.

"Nom, nom. Ah, Onii-chan!"

Hearing a cute voice, I looked over to see Aslin running up to me with a piece of fried chicken in her mouth.

"Oh, Aslin. Were you waiting here all by yourself?"

I picked Aslin up and asked.

Usually the four of them moved as a group, so this was rare.

"Today, I'm gonna record Onii-chan together with Ria-oneechan! I'm the only one who can come into the waiting room, so I'll do my best for the other three too!"

"I see. Then I'll have to work hard and put on a good show."

"Yup! Do your best, Onii-chan!"

Holding Aslin and watching her happily munch on her fried chicken warmed my heart.

Ah, wait, I shouldn't get distracted. For now, I should check on the physical condition of the duel members.

"So, how are you two feeling? Any physical issues?"

"None at all! Same as usual."

"...I-I'm okay."

Taiki-kun aside, Eoid was stiff as a board.

Rather than just the duel itself, he was stressed out because so many things were overlapping.

I should make an effort to relieve that as much as possible. If he wins, things will go much smoother between him and Amanda, after all.

"Alright, Ria. Take care of Aslin."

"Yes! Aslin-chan, let's do our best today~"

"Yup! Ria-oneechan, let's do our best~"

""Yeey~""

Ria and Aslin uttered adorable synchronized squeals.

Seeing that, Cleana and Samantha approached Ria, who was holding Aslin.

"Aslin. You can come to my spot and film together too."

"Yes. You are welcome to come to my spot as well."

For a moment, she looked blank, but quickly understood and flashed a cute smile.

"Yup! Let's film Onii-chan together!"

"...Nn. It's a promise."

"My, how adorable!"

Aslin was amazing.

This must be the charm of little ones.

But Aslin went even further.

"Jessica-oneechan. Can I go to your spot too?"

"Eh? Ah, yes. But please be very careful when you do. It would be awful if you got hurt."

"Yup! Understood!"

"Yes. I shall look forward to that moment."

She even called out to Jessica, who was single-mindedly fulfilling her duty as a knight, causing a bright smile to surface on Jessica's face.

Well then, time for me to get to work as well.

"Now then, what should we do about Eoid?"

"Right~"

"Eh? E-Ehh!? Did I do something wrong?"

"You should know without asking."

"You're stiff as a board from tension."

"...T-That's..."

Well, I can’t blame him.

However, at this rate, it would be difficult for him to fully demonstrate the fruits of his training.

This calls for—

"Taiki-kun. Plan B."

"Roger that. Eliminate the room for tension."

"W-What does that mean!?"

""Exactly what it sounds like.""

Yes, 'literally' taking away his spare time to feel nervous.

The duel arena had an area where the contestants waiting for their matches could warm up.

"Magic is so convenient, isn't it? Since both of us can use healing, we can go all out without holding back."

"D-Don't tell me..."

"Eoid's match is last. Until then, during my match—the first one—and Taiki-kun's match—the second one—whoever's free will whip you into shape so hard you won't have time to feel nervous."

"Don't worry. We'll make sure it won't hinder your actual duel. Well, by that time, I think you'll have cleared your mind of all extraneous thoughts anyway."

...In other words, we'd put him in the kind of situation where he'd think that 'anything would be better than this'.

In this case, let's train him so hard that he'll actually feel glad to be in the duel instead.

"U-Um, Yuki-san's match will be over pretty quickly, won't it?"

Eoid, who was reluctantly following behind Taiki-kun, muttered that while looking back at me...

"Didn't I say Plan B from the start?"

"Eh?"

"Don’t worry. I’ll drag the match out as long as I can!"

"W-Wait, I'm not nervous!! I'm really not!!"

"Now, now. Loosening up your body is necessary either way. Give up."

Eoid let out a desperate cry, but it was already too late.

BOOM!!

"Come on, put some spirit into it!"

"Guh! S-Seriously!?"

"Dead serious."

"Gyaaaa!?"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

And right as Eoid was dragged away, Lara entered the waiting room.

"Yuki-san, the first match is about to begin, so please proceed to the stage."

"Understood."

"...? Huh, where are Taiki-san and Eoid?"

"Training to warm up their bodies."

"I see. That makes logical sense. Well then, right this way."

Prompted by Lara, I walked out onto the stage accompanied by my four guards.

WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

The moment we stepped through the doors, the roar of the crowd was on an entirely different level from Eris's previous duel.

Last time, only people affiliated with the academy had been allowed in, so the arena seats weren't completely filled.

This time, the general public had been invited too, and every seat was packed.

There were plenty of people standing as well.

...And this duel wasn't just about the fights themselves.

Positioned around the stage facing North, South, East, and West were giant screens—thin-panel TVs. Displayed on them were Eris and Ratz.

『Yes! This broadcast is brought to you by the Hughes Ducal Family of Rhodei!』

『Also, though warnings have been issued repeatedly, we remind you once again: the footage captured by the video cameras is being broadcast live to these four screens, so please do NOT obstruct these four cameras or their camera operators. This is a joint experiment between the Hughes Ducal House and the Academy, so intentional interference will be severely punished by the Academy!』

As Ratz announced this, the cameras stationed in four directions sequentially showed my wives, who waved at the screen.

Wait—Seraria is also participating as a camerawoman!?

Incidentally, the remaining three positions were held by Derieu, Killue, and Tori, while the others handled handycams or provided support.

Furthermore, to make themselves easily recognizable, they were wearing blue jackets with armbands reading "Camera Crew"...

...They really had prepared for everything, didn't they?

『...Yes, yes. It seems both contestants for the first match have arrived, so at this time, we will introduce our guest!』

『Now, today's guest goes without saying! The personage who made it possible for this duel to be enjoyed not only by academy personnel but also by the people of this town—Headmaster Poppuri!』

When Ratz introduced her, the Headmaster appeared on the screens, sparking a grand ovation from the crowd.

I guess she really was popular, huh?

『T-Thank you. As introduced, I am Poppuri Lancer, headmaster of Lancer Magic Academy.』

She was nervous too, as expected.

『Yes! Thank you for joining us today. Now, to jump right into our questions: why did you decide to open this duel match to the general public? We heard this was part of the academic curriculum?』

『E-Eh, yes. As Eris-san said, this dueling system is part of the students' academic curriculum, designed to clearly evaluate how effectively magic can be utilized in combat and to help students elevate one another. However, I felt that alone was insufficient.』

『Insufficient, you say?』

『Using magic in combat is for defeating an opponent—it is limited to that single purpose. However, possessing the specialized capability to handle magic means one has the ability to act appropriately against crises better than ordinary people. Removing enemies and obstacles—in other words, it was created to protect people. In particular, this Magic Academy faces an incomparable, extraordinary threat right next door: the Forest of Monsters. For that reason, many mercenaries and academy mages set out on extermination quests, but reports frequently reach me that because they do not know one another, friction often arises. Furthermore, quite a few townspeople harbor doubts about this insular Magic Academy. To eliminate such friction and doubts, we decided to make these duels public periodically, allowing the townspeople to enjoy them, helping the mercenaries get to know us better, and allowing the students to stand at the forefront of the public to truly realize what it means to protect others. That is why we resolved to open these duels to the public.』

Even while reading from a script, the headmaster was able to deliver the explanation smoothly.

That was the experience of someone who had been around for a long time, I guess.

『I see! That is a wonderful philosophy. Now then, let us explain the rules of the duel to our audience...』

From there, Eris proceeded to briefly explain the rules of the duel—such as restricting offensive methods to magical means, disqualification upon falling off the stage, and so forth.

『...And for this duel, regardless of the outcome, we have special judges who will give overall evaluations to both students: Guildmaster Ramba of the Mercenary Guild, Mayor Drid of the town, and from Enaria, Magic Sword User General Aegil. Of course, the academy’s special judge is Headmaster Poppuri.』

Oh, its Aegil.

Just when I thought she'd been holed up in his research lab lately, she actually showed up for an event like this? She probably came because of the video cameras, didn't she?

Then the camera switched from Eris to Ratz, who stood up holding a microphone.

『Now then! The foreword ran a bit long, but here comes the real deal! Let us proceed to the contestant introductions!』

WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

The arena, which had quieted down during the introduction of the important guests, suddenly erupted again.

『First up, the challenger who requested this duel—Ardes Gyus!』

Ahodes waved his hand to respond to the cheers as he stepped onto the stage.

He didn't seem nervous, appearing quite accustomed to public crowds as a noble.

...Though painful-looking bandages were visible on him, well, let's ignore that.

『As you can probably tell from his family name, Ardes comes from a noble family. Yet despite being enrolled in this merit-based academy, he has achieved the incredible rank of thirteenth! He is also a magician who has received direct orders from the headmaster to subjugate monsters—and successfully carried them out!』

OOOOOOOHHHHHHH!

A wave of astonishment swept through the audience.

As Ratz said, those were genuinely impressive accomplishments.

Broadcasting things like this in front of the public would definitely boost the academy's reputation.

Then, the screen switched from Ardes's footage back to Ratz.

Ratz had a smirk on her face...

『And facing Contestant Ardes is a student with an Unknown Academy Rank! Personally, I wouldn't find anything wrong with ranking him 1st—transfer student from Jilva, Enaria... Yuki!』

...What kind of introduction was that?

Still, having been introduced, I reluctantly stepped onto the stage.

The cheers weren't nearly as loud as Ardes's.

Well, I hadn't been at the academy very long, after all.

『Now, regarding Contestant Yuki's background, as a transfer student representing Jilva and Enaria, he naturally possesses matching skill. Just the other day, his abilities were recognized, and he became engaged to Samantha-sama, the second daughter of the Hughes House!』

OOOOOOOHHHHHHH!

Well, being engaged to the daughter of a powerful noble family naturally drew surprise from the crowd.

『A-N-D, truth be told!! He is ALSO the husband of myself, Ratz, and Eris! Kyah~ Do your best, Onii-san!』

『I believe in Yuki-san's victory.』

Whoa, wait a second, you two.

Ahodes was getting angry.

Or rather, I feel like every guy in the dueling arena is sending icy, razor-sharp glares straight at me.

"...What did she say? He took in a noble daughter like Samantha-sama, and both of those beautiful MCs are his wives too!?"

"...Damn it! The world is so unfair! Do your best, Ardes—!!"

Prompted by those words, the hearts of the single, unpopular men in the venue united as one, triggering an Ardes chant.

"""Ardes!! Ardes!! Ardes!!"""

And responding to those cheers, Ardes raised his hand high and raised his voice dramatically:

"I shall turn your cheers into strength and defeat this man who deceives and seduces women!!"

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!

Uwa, amazing.

Once upon a time, I used to be on that side of the crowd, too.

However, those cheers evaporated into thin air with a single sentence from Eris.

『And that concludes the motive for this duel. While I sympathize with your lack of popularity, please do not drag another woman's husband into it. In fact, realize that that attitude is the very reason you are unpopular.』

"""......"""

Delivered in a low, terrifyingly stern tone, the cheers of the unpopular men vanished instantly, and Ardes flinched violently.

Scary, Eris...

『Still, despite this duel being little more than a meaningless grudge match, Yuki agreed to participate because he wanted to show his wives his best side!! What a wonderful man!!』

『Indeed. Preserving Contestant Ardes's dignity while actually fighting for our sake... Ah, how wonderful.』

KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Thanks to their explanation, this time the women in the audience let out loud squeals of excitement.

"Ara? He's wonderful if he's willing to fight just to show his wife his best side."

"My husband was like that once, too."

I see, so I looked like an ideal man to them?

Women really are a mystery to me.

...Though frankly, with that explanation just now, Ardes's dignity had been completely shattered into pieces.

Because it made it clear this was a duel born of personal spite—not for healthy reasons like academics or wanting to fight strong opponents...

『Now then, serving as the referee for this match is Vice Headmaster Lara.』

『The duel is about to begin. Audience, quiet down, please.』

As Eris spoke, the crowd gradually settled down, becoming dead silent by the time Lara stood between me and Ahodes.

"Both contestants, the rules of the duel were explained earlier by Eris-san, so I shall omit them."

After saying that and staring intently at both of us...

"Exert your full strength until the very end and unleash your magic! That is the path leading to the greatest power to protect the many!"

She shouted a slightly modified version of the Dueling Oath, which echoed throughout the arena.

Our personal oaths were omitted. They had already been completed beforehand to ensure the match started smoothly.

Then, Lara raised her right arm high...

"With this, the duel between Ardes Gyus and Yuki begins... Begin!"

Her arm swung down.

WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Simultaneously, the roar of the crowd resounded.

"I will not hold back! I'm going to beat you to a pulp and wake those ladies up to reality!"

"...Ah—yeah. That determination is impressive, I guess?"

His ability to misunderstand the situation was truly top-class.

Seriously.

Now then, how should I fight this?