Seeing an unexpected figure appear, I couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at Miyano-san as he took the stage. I hadn't spoken to him directly since the capture of that attacker, but I’d been curious about what had happened to him and his companion afterward.
I never expected to cross paths with him again in a place like this...
"Onii-chan? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Mika noticed something was off and looked at me with a worried expression. It seemed I’d been quite visibly shaken.
"Ah, yeah. I'm fine. I just saw someone I know and it surprised me a bit..."
"I see... Wait, what? Onii-chan, you know those people?"
"Well, calling us acquaintances is a bit of a stretch. I’ve only met him once and talked a few times. Specifically, the second person they introduced."
"Huh."
Mika's eyes widened in surprise when she heard I knew him, but she let out a sigh of disappointment when I described it as a shallow relationship. Since he was a popular stage performer, maybe she’d wanted Miyano-san’s autograph?
Well, if asked whether my relationship with Miyano-san was truly shallow, I’d have to say no, but we only spent a very short time together. On the surface, our connection would certainly look like nothing more than a passing acquaintance.
In reality, I was the savior who had repelled their attacker and treated Miyano-san and his friend's injuries.
"It’s been a while since I saw Miyano-san, but I'm glad to see he looks well."
"...Looks well?"
"Yeah. When I met Miyano-san, he was injured. We had to use a recovery potion to heal the wound."
He’d had his right shoulder shot through and was lying in a pool of blood, after all. Even the recovery potion wasn't something he’d used himself; we’d had to hurriedly pour it down his throat. Even if the wound healed, the lost blood didn't just reappear, so he’d been dizzy and pale from anemia. Since I hadn't seen him after handing the attacker over to the authorities, this was the first time I’d seen Miyano-san with a healthy complexion.
"Anyway, I'm glad he’s doing okay."
"Hmm."
I narrowed my eyes with a sense of nostalgia as I watched Miyano-san engage in a cheerful pre-match talk with his opponent.
Once the interview segment ended, Mizusawa-san and Miyano-san drew their weapons and faced off at a distance. The friendly atmosphere between them vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp, prickling tension that filled the air.
The announcer had already vacated the stage for a designated seat in the center of the crowd. Only the two performers remained, and all preparations for the mock battle were complete.
"Now then, everyone, the moment you've been waiting for—the mock battle! It's a short match of only five minutes, but are you ready for the spectacle?...I believe you are! Now, since both combatants are ready..."
As the announcer raised his right hand high to give the signal, a sudden silence fell over the park. The tension between Mizusawa-san and Miyano-san tightened until it felt ready to snap. The audience’s collective gaze focused on that raised hand, and then...
"Mock battle, begin!"
He swung his hand down vigorously, declaring the start of the match.
Simultaneously with the signal, Mizusawa-san closed the gap and thrust his wooden spear toward Miyano-san's solar plexus. In response, Miyano-san quickly swung down the wooden sword he held in a mid-level guard, striking the tip of the spear to parry the thrust. Stepping forward, he swept his blade upward along the length of the spear, launching a counterattack.
However, Mizusawa-san calmly twisted his right wrist, attempting to catch and trap Miyano-san's blade with the spear. Miyano-san aborted the counter and opened up the distance with a quick side-step.
"Whoa! Right from the start, a tremendous clash! Is this what they call a feat faster than the eye can see!?"
The announcer provided high-tension commentary to liven things up. Driven by the battle music and the announcer's energy, the audience erupted in loud cheers.
The two on stage didn't react to the noise. They silently observed each other's movements, and then...
"Whoa, this time Miyano-shi makes his move!"
Miyano-san held his wooden sword horizontally at his side and launched a frontal assault. He closed the gap in two steps, swinging the sword in a horizontal sweep aimed at Mizusawa-san's right flank. The sharp whistle of the wood slicing through the air echoed through the venue, making the speed of the strike clear to everyone.
However, that tremendous blow didn't work on Mizusawa-san, an explorer of the same rank. He held his wooden spear vertically in the path of the sword, moving half a step at the moment of impact to change his position while spinning the spear to deflect the force. Mizusawa-san completed a full rotation, and using the momentum of the spinning spear, he aimed from above at Miyano-san's head... no, his collarbone.
"Kyaaa!"
"Look out!"
Screams and warnings rose from the audience. For a second, everyone thought the spear would connect, but then...
"Whoa, this is incredible! Miyano-shi caught the spear with his bare hand!"
Miyano-san, who had been in a low stance after his swing, had reached up and stopped the spear with his left hand.
"But a tremendous sound echoed when he caught it! Is Miyano-shi's left hand okay!?"
The audience, briefly relieved, broke into a different kind of murmur at the announcer's words. Miyano-san paid no mind to their agitation; he swung his wooden sword back around, aiming for Mizusawa-san's feet.
"Whoa, this time Miyano-shi's wooden sword was stomped down by Mizusawa-shi!"
Mizusawa-san had stopped the strike by stepping firmly onto the tip of the wooden sword with his left foot. The two glared at each other, gauging the timing for their next move.
"Both of them have had their weapons neutralized! Now, just how will these two handle this situation!?"
The announcer's commentary reached a fever pitch, and the crowd's excitement rose along with it.
"They moved! Both have abandoned their weapons and opened up distance!"
They gave up on reclaiming their trapped weapons, discarding them simultaneously. The wooden sword and spear rolled across the floor with a dry clatter.
Once they had space, they each took a fighting stance. Mizusawa-san used a boxing style, while Miyano-san settled into a karate stance.
"Now, the two have abandoned their weapons and are closing in again!"
A heavy tension hung between them as they edged closer, cautiously reading each other's movements. As explorers, even on a stage this size, they were effectively always in range. It was only a matter of time before the fists started flying.
The moment the distance between them dropped below five meters, a brawl of rapid-fire strikes began.
"Whoa! A tremendous exchange of fists! Their hands are a blur!"
Just as the announcer described, Mizusawa-san and Miyano-san were unleashing a staggering number of strikes. The sound of fists cutting the air was constant, and heavy, dull thuds that didn't sound like human flesh colliding echoed throughout the park.
"A clean hit! Miyano-shi's fist finally caught Mizusawa-shi in the abdomen! Mizusawa-shi pulled back while clutching his stomach!"
As the announcer said, Mizusawa-san was clutching his stomach with a slightly strained expression, but it didn't look like the strike had done much. In reality, he probably hadn't taken any significant damage.
However, since most of the audience were ordinary people, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the venue the moment the exchange ended. It had been a flurry of strikes lasting only a dozen seconds, but for the spectators, it must have felt like an eternity. Mika, watching beside me, let out a similar sigh.
"The match time is down to the last minute! The mock battle is finally entering its climax! How will it end!?"
At the announcer's words, the atmosphere around the two changed. It seemed they were ready to settle it. Mizusawa-san resumed his boxing stance, and Miyano-san lowered his hips, bracing himself. They steadied their breathing, and then launched their final attacks almost simultaneously.
"Fu!"
"Ha!"
Mizusawa-san threw a right straight; Miyano-san threw a straight karate punch. Normally, these attacks would have been out of range, unable to reach their opponent. However, the existence of a certain skill produced a different result.
Shockwaves that distorted the air like a heat haze erupted from their fists at high speed.
"Kyaa!"
"Uwah!"
The moment the shockwaves collided, a loud bursting sound rang out. The pressure dispersed into the surroundings, hitting the front rows of the audience with enough force to make them recoil. People screamed, and the venue briefly fell into chaos.
"Everyone, please stay calm! There is no danger!"
Thanks to the announcer, the commotion subsided quickly.
However, in the shadow of that chaos, something unexpected happened. The wooden sword and spear lying on the stage had been sent flying by the dispersing shockwaves. The spear flew behind the stage, but the wooden sword unfortunately sailed right into the audience.
Specifically... right at me.
"...Sigh. At least do a proper safety check."
"O-Onii-chan... are you okay?"
"...Yeah. I'm fine. Were you hurt, Mika?"
"Ah, yeah. I-I'm okay."
I caught the wooden sword in mid-air and held it as I calmed the panicked Mika. Glancing toward the stage, I saw Mizusawa-san turning pale as he realized he’d almost caused a serious injury. Meanwhile, Miyano-san had noticed me and was staring in wide-eyed shock.
Staff members were already rushing over in a panic.
Mika and I were taken to a tent set up behind the stage. For several minutes, a middle-aged man who looked to be the manager, along with several staff members, were bowing deeply and apologizing profusely.
"We are truly sorry that such a thing happened!"
"Ah, no. I wasn't hurt, so it's fine. You really don't need to apologize this much..."
"But! A single mistake could have led to a serious injury. We don't even know how to begin making it up to you..."
The manager wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, stammering out apologies. It had been like this for a while now, and I was starting to get tired of the circular conversation. I was scratching my head, looking for a way to break away, when...
"Hm?"
"Ah!"
An alarm went off on Mika's smartphone. She hurriedly pulled it out and checked the time.
"Oh no, my lunch break is over!"
Perfect. Seeing Mika panic was the excuse I needed. I turned back to the manager.
"Excuse me. It looks like my sister's shift is about to start, so we really should be going..."
"Ah, er, ah..."
"Well then, excuse us."
I felt a little rude, but if I didn't force a conclusion, we’d be there all day. I bowed slightly and began to usher Mika out of the tent.
"W-Wait a moment! Please, at least take this!"
The manager called out to us as we were leaving. I stopped and looked back to see him pulling a bundle of papers from his pocket.
"These are meal coupons for the stalls here. Please..."
He handed me a bundle of glossy, rectangular slips printed with the event logo and the words "Free Meal Coupon." In other words, hush money? A settlement fee to call things even?
For a second, I thought about refusing, but that would probably just reset the entire apology loop. I took them, even though I felt a bit awkward about it.
"...Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse us."
I shoved the coupons into my pocket, bowed one last time, and left the tent. I could feel several people behind me bowing in a deep salute as we walked away.
Once we were clear of the area, I handed the booklet of ten coupons to Mika.
"Here. You should keep these."
"Eh, are you sure?"
"Yeah. I don't plan on coming back to this event tomorrow, so you should use them for your lunch while you're working. They’re only valid during the event anyway."
"If that's the case... okay. Thanks, Onii-chan!"
Mika happily accepted the coupons. At least now she could eat well during her shifts.
"More importantly, are you going to be late?"
"Ah! Oh no! Okay, Onii-chan, I'm going!"
"Yeah, good luck."
"Yup!"
Mika gave me an energetic wave and ran off toward the merchandise area. I kept waving until she disappeared from sight, then I let out a long breath and looked behind me.
"How long are you going to hide there watching, Miyano-san? You might as well come out."
"You noticed? I should have known."
In response to my voice, Miyano-san stepped out from the shadow of the tent.