Speaking of which, Erica had a brother, Harold still remembers. Speaking of how I forgot so far, Itsuki only appears in episodes that have nothing to do with the main story, because the game doesn't even reveal its name.

But if you think calmly, if Erica is only a child, the Smeragi family could be cut off by the dowry. It would be Harold's poka that didn't come to mind as my brother because there was no easy way to talk about engagement in such a situation.

Well, that's not a big problem in itself. But I never thought Itsuki, my brother, was a severe ciscon so far.

It seems very troublesome to deal with a fuzzy and black grinning Itsuki.

"I'm listening. Come on, let's make up with me."

Its eyes were reminiscent of a carnivore aimed at prey. Harold convinces himself that there's nothing good about total resentment and that he doesn't want to deal with it, but it's still to gain valuable experience in action.

"Don't you touch that. There's a mutton fish."

Normally I'm like, "My shoulder hurts, so why don't you let me go?" I'm not going to sell a fight just because I asked for it.

But as long as it was in this mouth, it was inevitable that it would fall into an evil air. It even seems to Harold that his mouth is the source of disaster.

"Are you motivated enough? Then you should be ready soon."

While I dont pull on Itsuki to deepen my grin, I do change into the costume that was available in the dressing room according to that word because it is difficult to move in clothes like the British boy today.

It stands out like a white torso on top and a dark blue one on the bottom and a bow player.

When I saw Harold back in his outfit, Tasks, Itsuki, and several humans sitting in the audience upstairs took a breather for a moment.

It's not the first time you can feel it from what you've done, although a boy only about 140 cm should be sleeving through a brand new torso with no dirt. What Harold was experiencing was an intimidation that made his skin tingle.

"Is that what you got?

Take the bamboo knife that was hanging on the wall, the same one Itsuki is holding.

It's light enough to illuminate that if you swing it lightly to grasp the sensation, it's as if it doesn't weigh. Hyun, and Harold wields the bamboo knife endlessly as he turns up the wind cutting noise.

sharp and streamlined swordsmanship as the beholder rounds his eyes. Itsuki, who saw it, leaked a small exclamation called "heh".

I heard the story, but I actually see Harold's sword moves and change my perception that I can't be alarmed. I can honestly praise him for working out so much at just ten, although he is a hater who, from Itsuki's point of view, takes his beloved sister.

At the same time, the expectation boils over that if you were him, you would enjoy the fight.

Itsuki is excellent when it comes to swords. It could be a person in the realm called genius.

Therefore, even meeting with a big man at the moment is not easy to lose, and on the other hand, strength is so different that children of the same generation can't really beat it.

If you say you've never been dissatisfied with that at all, it's a lie. Somewhere in my mind I was looking for a rival who was close in age and strength.

And now there's someone out there who might be. If Harold is not even Erica's fiancée, Itsuki would like to welcome him with all his hands up.

"It's like you're out of bars."

That was all Harold felt waving a bamboo knife through.

Not much to say, but I just feel like I haven't had the weight of a bamboo knife for Harold, who has worked out with an iron sword so far.

"Well, are you ready?

"Don't throw up the stupid question. Get started."

Harold returns the word in an unscrupulous manner by the time it is clearer for the task of taking confirmation.

I am nervous. You could call it fear.

Itsuki is a human being who lives in a world where the sword, magic and monsters naturally exist: the RPG of what is not a character in the original. Because it's strong in there, it's probably not in line.

There is no way that humans who normally thought about it and lived about it in modern Japan could win. But Harold trusts this body in addition to his thoughts.

Repeatedly cursing and provoking the mouth is haunting my head, but this highly speculative body that makes the movement and skill possible, which was ultimately impossible for me, will undoubtedly be a major weapon.

Battle against the original Harold, which rises brightly in the dark if you close your lid. Overwhelming speed and skill made me lick spicy acids on my first play.

The body that I have now is a vessel that will soon be able to form it.

And if you can manipulate this body of your own free will...

(I don't feel like losing)

There is an unprecedented strong light in both Harold's eyes. I looked at Itsuki in the front with those giraffed eyes.

The task confirms the rules in anticipation of the two of them being silent.

"The weapons are bamboo knives. Attacks on steeples, including heads and faces, and the use of magic are prohibited. No time limit. Retirement's declaration as to whether the settlement will either be incapable of combat. Other than that, it's on par with real life. Is that okay?

"None."

"So you think it's on par with real life? That's a lot of hand lukewarm."

"I may be unhappy, but as far as I'm concerned, I just want to avoid major injuries at all costs. Not if you wear protective gear."

"... okay. I'll do it on those terms for today."

It was rather a thankful suggestion, but on the surface I reluctantly accept it, Harold. The task was unknowingly appeased by it.

The reason for this is that we correctly appreciate Itsuki's strength. Sword arms that are no less pale than soldiers who are experiencing actual combat are at high risk of injuring Harold if they are not left with some limitation.

Though Harold himself wanted the stage, noble man, it's not nice to let other noble children, who are also providing assistance, get hurt.

Itsuki understood my father's consideration even if he didn't say so. If it's going to happen, we'll do everything we can to fight it, but it's hard for each other to stand up for.

Then let's exchange swords as best we can. That's what I was thinking.

That's why such a line came out of time.

"I'll give you my first hand. You should take a blow all over your body."

I didn't mean for Itsuki to look down on Harold. I wanted to know what Harold was capable of instead of doing everything he could.

It was also a word that came out of my proximity to my apology for having to get out of hand against Harold for wanting a serious battle, so to speak.

……

Harold doesn't react unexpectedly to the attitude that Itsuki can afford. slightly to the point of hoisting the right eyebrow.

Is that a sign of calm that I accepted as a word or deed that wasn't enough to take, or a quiet anger that suppressed outrage?

One man with wide shoulders stands halfway between Harold and Itsuki as the tasks retreat to the wall.

He highly declared the start of the mock match by confirming that the two had entered a state of imminent battle.

"Stand up for both...... get started!

It was Harold who was given the lead that moved out at the same time as that voice. That in itself is approximate as you can imagine.

But it was Harold's speed that was unexpected to anyone. Stepped in as if his figure had disappeared, Itsuki was stuffed in time in an instant.

"Become!?

Itsuki wasn't the only one who raised his voice of amazement. Many who watched this battle either reacted similarly to Itsuki, or they could not even speak very loudly questioning their eyes.

Even if Yuno were on this occasion, the only one who was sure of Harold's speed with his own eyes, she would have reacted the same way again as everyone else. Because its speed and the clarity of movement were exceptionally polished compared to a month ago.

I can't handle anything decent without being totally dodged. Still, it would have been possible because Itsuki was the one who tried to take the form of defense with conditional reflexes.

But that was all. The sound of a bamboo knife bumping into each other, a wooden spirit in the dojo. In the midst of the aftermath, one bamboo knife fell to the floor, making a gushing noise.

It was Itsuki who stood unarmed after a moment of staggering.

Slowly lowering his bamboo knife as everyone lost their voice, Harold throws up his words to mock.

"If it was a real kill, you'd already be dead. I'm glad I'm not serious."

A statement that can also be taken as ironic. But Itsuki also sounded like she was pregnant with the color of disappointment.

He plays a bamboo knife to withstand repentance and grips his right hand hard, which still leaves a dull paralysis.

"... oh, you're right. Let's apologize for the insult."

The sentiment of remorse that boils in Itsuki's chest was not directed at Harold. I didn't mean to be alarmed, unconsciously, because I was ashamed of my stupidity watching Harold downstairs.

And at the same time I was convinced that Harold would be disappointed in himself.

(Is he also looking for a rival who can compete at all costs? Just like me)

If the opposite is the case, Itsuki dreams. I would still feel unable to sit on my stomach if I were just as out of hand.

He may have put the discontent on the flash ahead. On the other hand, he didn't mean it either because he was so angry.

Itsuki's moving vision had managed to capture Harold's sword. Harold intentionally altered the sword's orbit to match the shape of the defense Itsuki took and bounced off the bamboo knife if not mistakenly seen.

You could have hit it with your hands or your torso if it had stayed that way. I suppose you're darkly pleading "you're serious too," Itsuki interpreted.

Only a fraction of it, Harold was right to have deliberately targeted a bamboo knife. Though I'm just saying that even if he looks ten, his mental age didn't have the guts to call him a child by the current Harold of Hattachi's age to slap Itsuki.

Even if I'm ready to get hurt, I'm still hesitant to let you get hurt. I wanted this interpersonal battle to be the first step toward overcoming that kind of consciousness, but it's not going to be the same with the opponent being a child.

"And now I'd like to ask you from me. Will you please play some serious games with me?"

"Are you an idiot? From the very beginning, it would be a good idea."

Harold ran out of words without a second's tour. It's so light that Itsuki accidentally claps it out.

As Harold, I can draw attention, but you don't have to get lost because you're going to survive in this world of weak and forceful eating.

"... oh, you did"

"If you're willing, just pick up the score. That's about it, I'll wait for you."

"Thank you. But I'll take the lead next time, okay?

Picking up a bamboo knife that was rolling on the floor, Itsuki talks in a different shattered condition than before.

Harold, who took it, also distorts the corner of his mouth and gives it back somewhere fun.

"Hmm, try it. If you can get to my speed."

"Let me try."

Because that's courtesy to Harold, who wants a serious battle.

The standings of the repartitioning are even more tense than earlier. I got gaze from both Harold and Itsuki when the task tried to pinch my mouth in that air.

"I know."

eyes as if they would sue each other that way.

The conditions presented are adhered to and a genuine battle is fought. So don't stop me.

I felt like I had been told that and the task put my right foot back where I was about to step out after I was lost. Make sure that Itsuki turns his original soft grin on Harold, unlike before.

"Shit!"

The word signaled a resumption.

The first starts at about the same time. Still, it's Harold who's fast.

But it was Itsuki, as declared, who took the lead.

Harold's speed would have already outstripped Itsuki. But there's nothing like losing sight if you know you are.

And Itsuki made the hypothesis that Harold's speed was not linear from his first stand-up. The rationale for this was that Harold himself wanted combat experience. Perhaps Harold stared at the lack of experience in the battle itself.

In other words, it is hard to believe that there is not enough experience, so to speak, that immature human beings can move around freely or weave feints at that rate.

Such Itsuki's speculation was shooting straight. The slaughter he unleashed into the void predicting a few moments ahead strikes Harold, who appeared there as a counter.

"Chi!

It's not weird to decide. Harold also defends himself at superhuman reaction speeds. but that stopped my leg.

This is what Itsuki is after. I missed the winning chance I created and hit him.

I can't use the steps I showed at the start in close range enough to meet with Harold, who is so confident about how quickly.

Even if you try to distance yourself, Itsuki will do so and fill the gap.

If it is a simple swordsmanship battle, it is Itsuki who has minutes.

Basically, Harold's sword speed, an amateur and unable to use a speeding ride with his legs, drops exceptionally, and he has a lot of linear motion that he has no difficulty dealing with.

Harold, on the contrary, has too good an eye. He reacts to the feint all the time. My body had been pulled into excellent motor vision due to the fact that nothing called "reading” was cultivated in combat.

In that case, the victory and defeat gradually lean towards Itsuki. He sets up a bamboo knife to prevent a blow aimed at Itsuki's torso, but is brought straight to the brink.

Harold's leg finally stopped completely.

"What's wrong with you? On the defensive side, though."

"You're the one who's going to breathe and suffer!

"That's mutual. Ugh."

Compared to force, Itsuki is advantageous over 10 cm tall. Bounced backwards to be pushed out, Itsuki's body sinks into the gut the moment Harold's posture collapses slightly.

This blow is inevitable. Intuition enlightens Harold. It cannot be properly prevented with your torso distracted from the rear, even as it is defended by a bamboo knife.

It is the mountain of Sekiyama that is being chased where the bamboo knife has been knocked down and defenceless.

(Got it!

Harold tries to block a slash aimed at his left torso with a bamboo knife he grips with one right hand. A bad bad scratch when it comes to defense, which doesn't prevent an attack with weight on it.

Itsuki bounced off the bamboo knife - it was supposed to.

"What?"

I couldn't resist the bamboo knife I played, even though I was in an insufficient position to leak such a voice unexpectedly in the middle of a battle, because I fell into the illusion of waving it in the sky.

That should be it too, Harold was letting go of his own bamboo knife the moment the bamboo knife bumped into each other.

A blank time born only for a moment when a launched bamboo knife dances through the air in a relaxed manner. It is a deadly gap to distract attention and consciousness from the opponent even slightly in battle.

Bad, I think it was the impact on my right shoulder that hit Itsuki at the same time.

"Just clapped."

A bareback striking move that deals damage with a clap strike, appearing during the making. It is a move that is usually used in combination with an attack, and it is not something that can defeat an enemy on its own.

But you can literally defeat defenseless opponents.

"Grr!"

Itsuki rolls on her back, unable to cope with the impact of a clap beating.

The next thing he saw as he tried to get up and regain his posture as soon as he hit his back on the floor was Harold, who grabbed the bamboo knife that had fallen and put his cut to accompany Itsuki's neck muscle.

"Until then!

A call of judgment announcing the settlement echoes the dojo.

Take it to the border. Dojo restores quiet. All you can hear is the sound of Harold and Itsuki breathing repeatedly.

Those who look up, and those who look down.

Itsuki embraced his defeat as he looked at Harold's face, which still did not break his rugged expression, into a symmetrical and understandable structure.

I still regret losing. I just didn't think three of them would lose to the younger boys before the battle started. That remorse is a mess.

But apart from that, it was also filled with fulfillment that had never been gained before. It's such a floating feeling, like you've got what you've always wanted.

(I wonder if this is a rival that can incise each other. I lost, but I don't feel bad)

Not bad. Instead, I even felt refreshed.

"Oh, you're tired. Can you give me a hand?

"I don't remember hurting you enough to stop standing. I guess you just don't have enough strength to grow a greenhouse."

Itsuki smiles back at Harold as he reaches out with a bad word in his mouth.

"I'm going to work out again from one. So let's fight again."

"Well, you'll never lose again. I'll pay you back this debt."

"What is that..."

It's like Itsuki won, Harold. When Itsuki doesn't understand what it means, Harold answers grumpy as he leaks "idiots."

"I didn't know you were a birdhead who couldn't even grasp the rules of battle satisfactorily. I would have made it clear in advance that" weapons are bamboo knives ”. You think the last time I slapped you was an attack by a bamboo knife?

……

Everyone who watched the game as well as Itsuki on Harold's valve loses words. If they do say so, it would be Harold's unruly loss.

But I can tell you that Harold was brilliant when he tried to respond to me in a pushed situation. At least everyone who was on this occasion thought so, and no one disputed the fact that he had won.

Except for one, Harold himself, who should have won.

"Ku, ha..."

Harold was too straight, stoic, and above all pure to see and Itsuki laughed unexpectedly, saying the result even naturally.

That added to Harold's displeasure.

"What's wrong?

"No, I just thought you were strong."

"You don't like it. I'm gonna rip that tongue out."

"Don't be scared."

Even this trivial exchange can't help but be fun.

My sister got a resentful look when she turned her face to those who felt her gaze. You don't even have to think about what that means.

(Oh man, you've changed your position. Harold, maybe you have the charm to attract people)

I was jealous of being taken my sister, and if I realized it, my sister was jealous of me. Itsuki seemed to laugh more and more at such a strange situation.

Exactly when I did that, I managed to indulge Harold because he was going to be genuinely angry, but in one corner of my head I was thinking about this.

(Harold, you're my rival and brother-in-law, or... that might be a good future)