The next day. The second day of the Sports Festival schedule.I headed to the grand stadium with my nerves sharpened to a point.Carmilla’s warning from yesterday.Because I couldn’t know when or where the “toys” she said she had released would appear.If her vassals showed up in a place crowded with people like the grand stadium, it would turn into pandemonium in an instant.A horrific event on par with a bomb terror might occur.'……It seems like nothing has happened yet, though.'There was still no response to me, who possessed the ability to detect demonic energy.And judging by the lack of change in [Sensitivity], which detects demonic energy at the system level, fortunately it seemed there were no demons nearby.But I couldn’t afford to relax.After patrolling around the spectator stands, I arrived at the VIP section.Beatrice’s seat was still empty. It looked like she hadn’t come out at all.Seeing that only luggage was left at Kiriel’s and Elena’s seats, it seemed they had gone to participate in other events.The only one remaining here was Freya.I offered a formal greeting to her as she sat bolt upright in her chair.“I watched your match yesterday. It was impressive.”“Thank you. Please give my regards to Miss Ciel as well. It was a rather grueling contest.”“I will.”In fact, the difference between Freya’s and Ciel’s times was only a dozen-odd seconds. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a photo finish.“But what’s the matter, Loen? Your expression doesn’t look very good.”“……”I started to say that I’d met Carmilla yesterday and that a terror attack was scheduled for the Sports Festival, then swallowed the words again.If it was Freya, who had previously faced Gilean, one of the Twelve Venerables, she would surely believe me when I said I had encountered Carmilla yesterday.And given her personality, she would try to halt the Sports Festival at once. Then she would try to ensure safety even if she had to send all the students back to the dorms.But.'We mustn’t do that.'I silently clenched my fist.It might be my greed, but this Sports Festival had to conclude in great success no matter what.There were, of course, several reasons for that, but fundamentally, it was because we must not do something that ran counter to the game’s grand flow and story.One could say, what meaning did that have now that the progression had already diverged quite a bit from what I knew? Even so, I couldn’t increase the variables any further.Abruptly halting the Sports Festival would be directly interfering with the actions and causality of tens of thousands of students.I dared not guess how far the ripples of that butterfly effect would spread.'And… even if we hurriedly stopped the Sports Festival, there’s no guarantee it would be safe.'On the contrary, they could exploit that chaos to act in the shadows.In a situation like this, it might be the better course to go to the Chairman and explain the current situation.That person would surely know a clear solution to resolve the present crisis.I had confirmed that there were none of them in the grand stadium, so let’s head to the Chairman’s office.“……”Freya tilted her head as I stood there silently.I casually brought up any topic to change the subject.“The treasure-hunt event today. I heard you personally went around the Union and hid the prizes.”“Ah, that’s right. If the information were to leak out, it would go against fairness.”The treasure hunt was an event in which all students of the Union could participate; if you found the slips Freya had hidden throughout the Union, you could exchange them for prizes.However, it became a hot topic in many ways because an article ran stating that a very “special reward” had been prepared among those treasure-hunt prizes.“By the way, I read an article saying that among the prize list for that treasure hunt, there was a strange item called… a weekend date with the Student Council President of Ishtal. Is that true?”When I mentioned it, Freya noticeably flustered and spoke quickly.“……T-That was something the aides insisted absolutely had to be included to ensure the festival’s popularity, so I had no choice but to put it in. I hid it deep in the innermost part of the Union, so no one will be able to find it!”Freya raised her voice, unlike her usual self.I stroked my chin and asked.“Hm, you didn’t, say, burn that slip out of worry °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° it might be found, or eliminate it entirely, did you?”“What do you take me for? No matter what, I wouldn’t do something so cowardly. The prize definitely exists. But why are you asking that all of a sudden?”“Obviously because I’m going to try looking for it too.”A weekend date ticket with Freya.It wasn’t exactly a prize I coveted desperately, but in a way, it was a hidden piece too.I couldn’t hand such an opportunity over to someone else.***Having finished inspecting the grand stadium, I left the arena as I was and headed to the Chairman’s office.Knock knock-.The Chairman’s office gave no response despite the knock.Was he out somewhere? Of all times, now.Just as I was about to turn back with a stiff expression, someone passing down the corridor paid me courtesy.“Mr. Loen, is it? It has been a while.”An elderly gentleman with a calm impression and an air of dignity. It was Sir Watson, the Chairman’s faithful secretary.If Alfredo of the underworld was the cool old boss character you’d see in a movie, Sir Watson was the very image of a secretary with the poise of a high-ranking noble.“Sir Watson?”“Yes, you came at a good time. I have a message from the Chairman for you, Mr. Loen.”A message from the Chairman.For there to be words he left for me at such timing—this could surely be an important clue.“A message from the Chairman. What did he say to me?”At my question, Watson opened his mouth in a composed voice.“His Lordship said to tell you there is no need for Mr. Loen to worry about the current situation.”“……?”What is he talking about?I cocked my head and politely asked him again.“Was there nothing more specific?”“Yes, to be very precise.”Ahem, clearing his throat, Sir Watson continued. It was a voice as if he were imitating the Chairman’s manner of speaking.“If Mr. Loen should happen to come to my office, please tell him there’s no need to worry much about the current situation, Sir Watson. No further explanation is necessary. That was what he said, with a generous smile.”“……”Needlessly kind.At any rate, after hearing Watson’s words, I let out a sigh of relief inside.If the Chairman said there was no need to worry, it would be as he said.Perhaps… he had known everything from the beginning.Carmilla’s existence, her clandestine machinations, and even how to respond to them.The reason he wasn’t at his seat right now might well be because he was executing that countermeasure.“Sir Watson.”While I was at it, I decided to ask about something I had been curious about for a while.I took out the fountain pen I had received from the Chairman and showed it.“It’s something I received from the Chairman—might you know what this is?”Watson took in the fountain pen with his eyes and slowly shook his head while stroking his beard.“I’m afraid I cannot give you the answer you desire. My apologies. However.”Slide-.“If it’s that item, I possess one as well.”Watson took out a fountain pen from his breast that looked similar to mine.“It was about ten years ago that I received this. It was the twentieth year since I had begun attending His Lordship. What I received only then, Mr. Loen has received in a mere few months. In a way, one could say you have been recognized by the Chairman.”“Ah, I see.”“And as for this fountain pen’s peculiar point—”Swish-.Watson wrote in flamboyant cursive in a notebook he had produced before I knew it.“The writing comes out very well. The nib is smooth, and the ink doesn’t dry out. It’s a very high-grade fountain pen.”“……”Watson gave me a smile and nodded.“Please keep it safe.”***I stepped out of the main building that housed the Chairman’s office in a situation that was ambiguous as to whether I had gained anything or not.I hadn’t actually resolved the matter I had gone to handle, but I felt much lighter at heart.Perhaps it was thanks to the Chairman’s words. It felt like a great burden had been lifted.“Phew.”I returned to the VIP section of the grand stadium and leaned back comfortably in the chair.I had fully inspected the booth area yesterday so there was no particular need to go there; today I’d just relax here and watch the events.It would’ve been a bit better to have Ciel by my side to chat with, but Ciel was competing in other events today as well.Yulina, who could be called the substitute, had also disappeared, saying she would participate in the event match.Even Freya, who had been here just a moment ago, was gone—at present, the VIP section was empty.“Hm.”The grand stadium was filled with the cheers and shouts of tens of thousands of spectators, yet there wasn’t a single person around me.Was this what they called loneliness in the midst of a crowd?It was a strange feeling, but not a bad one.After indulging in sentiment for a moment, I turned my head and skimmed over the Sports Festival schedule hanging on the wall and the results table of yesterday’s events.Superball, softball, ancient decathlon, relays—various kinds of academy-versus-academy events.Originally, the academy-versus-academy events of the Sports Festival were carried out without major upsets.The strong teams crushed the weak without variables and advanced upward—a string of uninteresting brackets.Of course, the difference in strength would be the biggest factor here, but the motivation of the weaker teams also functioned as a problem.'Because most of the benefits and prizes of the Sports Festival are cleanly divided based on ranking.'The benefits and prizes for the top ranks were practically swept up by the major academies, so the small and medium academies had no reason to work hard.If nothing would fall into their hands anyway, why would they try hard?But this Sports Festival was somewhat different in tenor.While the trend of major academies’ representative teams advancing to the upper rounds remained, a few upsets occurred in the meantime.A representative case was Izelin Academy.And I heard other small and medium academies were also putting up a good fight.It was probably because of the existence of the special awards posted by the General Student Council.The special award was a prize given to everyone as long as the academy’s total accumulated points exceeded a certain figure, regardless of ranking.Even if you didn’t place, if you secured at least the minimum points, you could obtain tram stops and lines.This was an enormous benefit that helped the entire student body more than mere prizes.So the small and medium academies couldn’t help but have motivation and engage passionately in the events.Thanks to such measures, the fun of watching the Sports Festival had increased as well.In truth, there’s no way a one-sided stomping match would be fun.It was probably because somewhere in people’s hearts lay a desire to see an underdog’s upset.At any rate, this virtuous cycle acted to heat the fervor of the Sports Festival even more and to induce student participation.A slight uptick in my approval rating would be a bonus.I gazed down at the grand stadium while briefly mulling over this and that.It was a time to tidy the lawn while the athletes rested.It seemed they were inserting a brief interval between the major events.And taking advantage of such a gap, an event match was being held on one side.“Now then~ This event is a two-person three-legged relay! It’s a distinctive event in which, especially, the presidents of each academy will participate~ The academy that seizes first place here will be given the benefit of being able to enter the cafeteria first!”The emcee’s cheerful voice rang out brightly over the grand stadium.If you’ve lived in a group setting like a school or a training center, you know that the benefit of entering the cafeteria first is considerable.That’s because the food is warm and you can enjoy it comfortably without wasting your lunch break.Latecomers do have the advantage that, if luck is good, they can get more of what’s left, but if luck is bad, there are times when the food is insufficient, and the time is short so you have to eat in a hurry—clear disadvantages.“Alright. Please hurry and come up~ Everyone is waiting. Now, starting with our President Freya, in order~! There’s no right of refusal~”Following the lively emcee’s words, the student council presidents hesitantly climbed onto the track.Not only the presidents of the Four Great Academies excluding Beatrice, but also the presidents of several academies like Chepesh and Illeina lined up one after another.Since there were only eight prepared track lanes, the presidents were divided into eight groups.Whether it was fate’s mischief or not, by drawing lots, Chepesh of Jerome and Illeina of Izelin ended up in the same group.The two of them growled like sworn enemies.Watching from the VIP section close to the field, their war of nerves was entertaining.“Now, everyone has come up~ Today’s event match isn’t a simple two-person three-legged race. Ta-da!”The emcee took out a lottery drum from somewhere and set it on the table.She explained as she looked at it.“Now~ This is the draw used to pick the students who will pair up with each president and run the two-person three-legged race together. Please come up in turn and draw one slip each. I’ll draw one as a demonstration first.”The emcee swirled the drum around, then took out a slip from inside and read what was written on it.“Aha! The slip I drew says a student from Voltimir who is wearing a hat. Then you just have to bring up one student among the audience who meets those conditions. Very easy, right?”The emcee continued.“As a note, the contents of this draw mustn’t be disclosed to anyone~ Only I, the organizer, will know. Now. Please come up in turn and draw!”In accordance with the emcee’s proceedings, the student council presidents of each academy drew lots, and then, in line with the contents, headed to the spectator stands to find students to run together with.“Woooo!”Whenever the presidents came closer to their side, the students in the stands got their hopes up and wished to be chosen.Especially popular figures like Freya or Kiriel, all the more so.At that moment, Elena, who had drawn her slip, trotted toward the spectator stands.The students in that direction were all abuzz.But seeing the direction she was heading, somehow it felt like she wasn’t going to the stands, but toward the VIP section where I was.'Hmm……'And my intuition wasn’t wrong.Before I knew it, Elena had come right up to me, and with a smile, she held out her hand.“Loen, run with me.”

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