The next day dawned clear and bright—perfect weather for the competition.
After breakfast, Jin and Marcia held their final briefing in front of the venue.
"I’ve tuned the boat to be as maintenance-free as possible, so its condition shouldn't have changed since yesterday."
"Yeah, I trust you on that, Jin."
"Do you have a strategy?"
"Right. Looking at this year's course, the area just outside the bay is the technical stage. I'm planning to hold back until we clear that zone."
Catamarans inherently lacked agile maneuverability. Navigating such a section was where the pilot's true skill would be put to the test.
"I see. Once the race starts, it’s all up to you, Marcia. Do whatever you think is best."
At Jin's words, Marcia reached out her right hand.
"Jin, thanks for putting up with my selfishness. I'm really glad I met you that day."
Jin firmly shook her hand. There was nothing more he could do for her now.
"Yeah. Good luck out there."
"Alright, I'm off!"
Marcia turned her back to Jin and took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"Though I still think this swimsuit was a bit much!"
With that, she jogged off toward the harbor.
Jin headed for the staff seating area, just as he had the day before.
Reinhard and the dandy Valentino, being nobles, were seated in the specially prepared VIP section. Meanwhile, the staff seating area was sparse and mostly empty.
"I wonder why it's so deserted."
While noting that it was better than a crowd, Jin picked a random seat and sat down. Reiko took her place beside him.
"Well then, this should be fun."
"Our team is certain to win, Father," Reiko declared confidently.
Jin smiled. "Well, they say a match depends on the luck of the draw. You never know what might happen. That's what makes it interesting."
He leaned back into his chair, waiting for the signal.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Now then, the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the finals are finally here!"
The scheduled time arrived, and the commentator’s voice boomed across the venue. The spectator stands were even more crowded than the previous day.
"Joining us for today's finals is Lady Dominic de Firenziano, the lord of Zaus Province in the southern Kingdom of Elias, right here in Port Rock!"
On cue, the female lord waved from the highest VIP seat.
"This year, we have fourteen high-speed boats gathered, each as formidable as the next. Who will claim the crown? The final race is about to begin!"
The fourteen boats emerged from the competition docks, slowly gliding through the bay to gather at the designated starting line.
"Beautiful pilots clad in colorful swimsuits commanding their golem boats... which vessel will stand at the pinnacle? See for yourselves!"
The cheers reached a fever pitch.
"Wow, the crowd is really fired up today!"
"Indeed. I've even heard reports that the number of spectators increased by twenty percent thanks to this year's swimsuit designs."
From this day forward, the one-piece swimsuit would become a permanent fixture of the tournament.
"All boats appear ready at the line. The countdown is starting now!"
A hush fell over the stands, as if someone had splashed water over the crowd. In the sudden silence, only the voice of the countdown echoed.
"...5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Start!"
Propelled by a thunderous roar of cheers, the fourteen boats lunged forward.
The first to break away was entry number 1, the Glory of Elias. Following close behind were number 3, the Blue Marine, and number 28, the Sea Bird.
Marcia’s Cygnus was currently in seventh place.
"She’s a little behind," Jin muttered.
At the start, Marcia had struggled to steer clear of the boat next to her, resulting in a slight delay.
"Catamarans really are at a disadvantage in a scramble."
Because the Cygnus was poor at weaving through tight gaps and Jin didn't want the hull taking any hits, Marcia had been forced to ease off the throttle. Consequently, she was stuck in seventh.
"Mr. Bernardo, numbers 1 and 3 have broken away just as we expected."
The commentator was the same man from yesterday.
"Yes, it’s a logical start based on the preliminaries. Holding third is number 28; it seems they navigated the initial chaos quite well."
"Entry number 35 is lagging, though?"
"Based on yesterday’s performance, I expect they’ll make a late-game push. The real race starts now."
As predicted, once they cleared the bay and reached the open water, Marcia opened the throttle.
"Oh! Entry number 35 is making its move!"
She surged past the sixth and fifth-place boats and began closing in on number 10 in fourth.
At this distance, it was difficult to follow the action with the naked eye, so the audience turned their attention to the images projected on the magic screens.
"They're moving up just as you predicted, Mr. Bernardo."
"Yes, number 35 is certainly fast. Now that they're in the open sea with fewer obstacles, they can finally show their true strength."
The Cygnus overtook boat number 10 and climbed into fourth place. Just then, the race entered the second stage.
The second stage was a reef zone located on the way to Io, the uninhabited island serving as the turnaround point.
"Number 1 is the first to plunge into the reef zone! Following behind are numbers 3, 28, 35, 10, and 18!"
"There are sunken rocks scattered through there, so agile piloting is crucial."
Since they had to navigate around jagged reefs and avoid hidden shoals, the boats were nowhere near their top speeds.
Entry number 1 was piloted by the veteran Liche, but she was struggling to fully utilize her golem’s immense power in the tight space.
In entry number 3, Elsa piloted her boat with effortless precision, and Lorelei responded perfectly to her every command.
Entry number 28 was utilizing its unique combination of four-armed oars and rudder to maintain high maneuverability through the rocks.
Meanwhile, in entry number 35, Marcia was delighted to find that Arrow’s speed was responding exactly as she intended.
"Jin, you're a genius! I can really do this!"
The communication with the autonomous golem via the Master-Slave system was transmitting her subtle intentions perfectly.
This was the result of the magical conductivity provided by the Surface Treatment Jin had applied to the hull. The trace amounts of magic power inherent to all humans were flowing from Marcia, through the boat, and directly to Arrow.
This precision in acceleration and deceleration was more than making up for the boat’s low maneuverability.
However, not everyone was having such a smooth run.
"Oh! Entry number 34 has struck a reef! The hull is damaged! It looks like they're forced to retire!"
Several boats failed to clear the jagged rocks. Some even began to sink.
"Another one! Entry number 16 couldn't clear the reef and hit it head-on! It's sinking! Is the pilot okay!?"
A tournament official boat waiting on-site rushed to the scene to pull the pilot from the water.
"Her swimsuit is shredded! Is she safe!?"
The rescue was projected in a massive close-up on the magic screen. The sight of the pilot with her torn swimsuit caused the men in the stands to erupt in cheers—a reaction that was seemingly universal across any world.
"The lead group has cleared the reef zone! The order is still number 1, followed by number 3, then 28 and 35!"
"The rankings didn't shift much, which is to be expected since overtaking is nearly impossible in that zone. However, numbers 28 and 35 have significantly closed the gap on the leaders."
Ultimately, four boats—numbers 34, 2, 16, and 12—were forced to retire in the second stage.
The third stage was the open sea—a pure speed stage with no obstructions. Every boat could finally push for its maximum velocity as they headed for the turnaround point at Io.
"Entry number 3 is putting on a spurt! It’s fast! Will she pull level with number 1? Oh! Number 1 is accelerating even further!"
Just as it looked like Elsa might overtake, Liche pushed her golem harder, maintaining her lead as they streaked across the water.
"Numbers 28 and 35 have also picked up the pace!"
The spectators watched the chase unfold through the magic screens.
"Marcia’s doing great."
"Yes. She is utilizing the magical connection with Arrow quite effectively," Reiko agreed.
Jin and Reiko watched with a sense of calm confidence.
"They're finally in the open sea."
"Yes. There are some waves, but they appear minor."
"That shouldn't be an issue for a catamaran. I wonder if Marcia will start her main spurt now?"
The golem boats raced toward the east, leaving white wakes as they vanished toward the horizon at approximately thirty kilometers per hour.
The view on the magic screen switched to a different magic eye, showing the lead group now heading toward the turnaround.
"Oh, it looks like Marcia is about to take third."
The screen showed a large shot of the Cygnus and Marcia in her swimsuit. Jin idly wondered if Marcia would be swamped with suitors after the race was over.
"Father!"
Reiko’s voice suddenly turned sharp and tense, snapping Jin out of his trivial thoughts.
"Hmm? What is it, Reiko?"
"...I sense magic power."