With Iris-san’s victory over Agni-san, five extra-large stamps were now officially pressed onto my card. This meant I had finally earned the right to challenge Megiddo-san.
"Congratulations, Miyama-sama. You have now secured the right to face Megiddo-sama at the Central Tower. I have a few instructions regarding the challenge."
"Instructions?"
After stamping my card, Agni-san informed me that there were a few conditions I needed to keep in mind.
"Yes. Regarding the challenge to Megiddo-sama... you cannot use a proxy. It must be a one-on-one duel between Megiddo-sama and the owner of the stamp card."
"Wait... um..."
"However, please rest assured. You know Megiddo-sama’s principles, Miyama-sama. He never engages in a contest where his opponent has no chance of victory. He will undoubtedly propose a method of competition that allows you a possibility of winning."
Come to think of it, she was right. Whenever Megiddo-san competed, he always chose a method that gave his opponent a fair shot. That was exactly how I managed to win our previous match—the drinking contest.
In that case, at the very least, it wouldn't be a fistfight. That realization was a massive relief.
"Well then, I must attend to the other participants, so please excuse me. I wish you the best of luck, Miyama-sama."
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much."
Agni-san bowed to me once before moving off to handle the next challenger. Once I saw her go, I made my way back to where Lilia-san and the others were waiting.
"So, Kaito-san can finally challenge the War King-sama."
"Milady, according to the Phantasm King-sama’s guidebook, spectators are allowed to watch the battle with the War King-sama. What do you think? Should we all go and witness Miyama-sama’s moment of glory?"
"Lunamaria-san, you seem surprisingly excited about this..."
Lunamaria-san seemed particularly lively. I couldn't help but wonder if she just wanted to see me suffer. Then again, this was Lunamaria-san, so she probably did.
"It’s because Ru-chan loves Miyama-san so much that she wants to cheer for him from the front row," Noah-san chimed in.
"Mother!? What are you saying!?"
"Oh? Was I wrong?"
"O-Of course you’re wrong! Why on earth would I cheer for Miyama-sama!?"
"But Ru-chan, the person you always go out of your way to tease is the one you—"
"Waaah! Please, just stop talking!!"
Noah-san was about to say something in her usual airy tone, but Lunamaria-san frantically covered her mouth before she could finish.
I decided to keep the fact that the bit I did hear made me a little embarrassed a secret.
As I watched their exchange, Iris-san, who had been speaking with Alice a short distance away, approached me.
"Ah, Iris-san. Thank you so much for earlier!"
"No thanks are necessary—no, I suppose it is only polite to accept them. More importantly, Kaito, can we talk?"
"Eh? Oh, yes. That’s fine."
"It’s not a conversation meant for many ears. Come with me for a moment."
Iris-san began to walk away, and after excusing myself to Lilia-san and the group, I followed her.
We walked to a quiet spot behind the arena where no one else was around. Iris-san turned to face me and spoke.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Iris Illuminas."
"Right. Um, I’m Kaito Miyama."
"Indeed. I did most of the talking through telepathy earlier, so I imagine you have questions."
It seemed Iris-san had moved us away from the others specifically to address my confusion. It was true that everything had been rushed back then, and since Lilia-san and the others were nearby, there were things I couldn't ask.
"So... you’re Alice’s best friend, right?"
"Yes, well... it’s a bit of a headache, but that is the truth."
Iris-san gave a weary, wry smile. Her voice sounded surprisingly gentle, conveying just how much she truly cared for Alice.
"Iris-san... did you actually come back to life?"
"No, calling it a resurrection would be an overstatement. My current self is a magical entity dwelling within a Heart Tool. If I were to use terms from your world, I might be called a tsukumogami. My true body is the Heart Tool—Apocalypse."
"I see... But if you can move and act like a normal person..."
"Actually, we still have a few hurdles to clear~"
"Alice?"
As Iris-san was giving her explanation, Alice suddenly appeared and shook her head with a sigh.
"What kind of hurdles?"
"Well, there are still some technical issues. Iris, is it still no good?"
"No. As I thought, my magic power doesn't recover. I can use the magic power pre-loaded into this vessel as my own, but I can't generate anything new myself."
"Ah, I figured. Even with a high-spec vessel, the body is technically mine, after all. That’s the challenge we’ll have to tackle next."
Apparently, Iris-san wasn't fully restored yet. From their conversation, it sounded like she couldn't create her own magic power. The more she used, the more her reserves dwindled, and if she ran out completely, she wouldn't be able to maintain her physical form.
It was essentially like having a body that ran on a rechargeable battery.
"Personally, I think a circulation system would be best," Iris-san suggested.
"But with that, it would still eventually decrease over time. Considering magic power conversion efficiency, it’s not ideal. Maybe pseudo-conversion of atmospheric magic power particles would be better..."
"But combining that with conversion loss would mean the recovery rate is miniscule. Should we try a total merger instead? No, the strain on the vessel would be too great..."
"True. Perhaps particle displacement... or maybe superior generation..."
"..."
I didn't understand a single word they were saying. For now, I just gathered that it would take a little more time before Iris-san was completely back to normal.
"I mean, I know you’re actually brilliant, but seeing Alice talk about smart things feels so weird."
"Hey, Kaito-san!? That was supposed to stay in your head!"
It seemed my thoughts had slipped out, and Alice reacted with her usual intensity.
"For your information, Alice-chan is a super-genius intellectual! If I put on glasses, it’s over for you. My intellect just overflows!"
"...That statement alone makes you sound like an idiot."
"An idiot!?"
"She is indeed a fool."
"Shut up, Flat-Chest!"
"Are you not in the exact same boat!?"
Alice was the same as ever, but having Iris-san there seemed to make her even more cheerful than usual. Despite their bickering, it was clear they were best friends who had been through a lot together.
"...By the way, Alice. There’s something I want to ask."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Why did you keep Iris’s existence a secret from Kaito?"
"Oh, I was wondering about that too."
Alice had mentioned an "experiment" back at the opening ceremony, so it must have been decided then that she was going to give Iris-san a body. If she had just told me, I wouldn't have been so shocked.
"Because... it’s way more fun this way! To be honest, I was the one who sent Pandora to harass you, too~"
"..."
"..."
"Man, Kaito-san’s shocked face was the absolute be—Fugyah!?"
I see. Alice was Alice, after all. In that case, it was time for a lecture.
"K-Kaito-san? Your eyes are really scary. Look, I’m your cute lover, remember?"
"So Pandora-san was your fault as well..."
"Kaito, allow me to assist. We need to beat some sense into this idiot’s core."
"Thank you, Iris-san. I’d appreciate the help."
"Wait, what’s with this sudden solidarity? Come on, it was just a little prank—Migyah!?"
With Iris-san joining the scolding, Alice began to break out in a very visible cold sweat.
Having found a common bond in our shared mission to lecture Alice, Iris-san and I began our joint dressing-down of the idiot.
Dear Mother, Father—A lot has happened, but I finally earned the right to challenge Megiddo-san. I still don't know what his ultimate goal is, but I’ve come this far. Now, I’ll just have to give it my all.
Serious-senpai: "Now then, time to reveal the correct answer! We actually had a few people get it right. Alice-chan’s official height for the book version is 139cm! The number was chosen to be just slightly taller than Kuro-san, though they’re practically identical. Of course, she can change it whenever she wants. Apparently, her family’s heights in her original world were: Father (176cm), Mother (165cm), and Sister (162cm)... Work harder, genes..."