Thanks to Alice, I was relieved to learn that the flyer Hina had brought back wasn't a scam. However, the fact that the sport seemed so incredibly niche still gave me pause.
Since Alice was the only one present who knew anything about Flying Boards, I asked her to fill us in.
"So, Alice. What exactly is this Flying Board sport?"
"The competition itself is simple," she replied. "As the name suggests, it’s a race where you ride a disc-shaped magic tool toward a goal. These boards float when you channel mana into them, which is where the name comes from."
"So it’s basically a race on flying saucers?"
"When you put it that way, it sounds like a perfectly normal sport," Aoi noted.
Based on Alice's brief explanation, it did seem like a fairly standard competition. Since it was a race with clear winners and losers, it made sense that it would have a dedicated following. In fact, I was surprised it wasn't more mainstream. Watching people race on flying discs sounded like it would be a lot of fun for the spectators.
"...Well, that’s true," Alice added, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Assuming they flew normally, that is."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
"Flying Boards don’t fly straight. You can guide them in a general direction to some degree, but they tend to wobble and meander in bizarre patterns. You see, the sport actually originated from people playing around with failed magic tools. To honor those roots, the flight formulas are intentionally sabotaged to keep the movement erratic."
The outlook was starting to look a bit grim. A race on discs that refused to fly straight... Alice mentioned we could control the direction to some extent, but from her tone, it didn't sound like we'd have anything resembling proper control.
"The organizers provide the boards for the race, and since the formulas are broken on purpose, you never really know what kind of weird flight patterns you'll get until you're actually on one. In that sense, even a beginner has a chance to beat a pro... but the actual races are quite surreal. If you’re unlucky, you might end up wobbling back and forth right in front of the finish line for minutes, unable to actually cross it."
"...I’m starting to see why it’s not more popular."
"Magic is strictly forbidden, too. That’s to prevent people from fixing the formulas or using wind magic to steer. Oh, but don't worry—the safety features are top-notch. They have anti-fall formulas and the like, so you’ll be perfectly safe."
"I see. Thanks for the heads-up."
I tried to picture the scene Alice described, and it certainly sounded absurd. Depending on the layout of the course, I could see it leading to all sorts of chaos.
I thanked Alice and turned back to Aoi and Hina. Aoi wore a dubious expression, while Hina’s face was practically glowing.
"That sounds like so much fun!" Hina exclaimed.
"...Are you serious? Hina, are we really going to enter this?"
"She said beginners have a chance to win! And it sounds like a blast! Besides, it’s a three-person team event, so riding the disc together is bound to be a great experience!"
"I... I don't know why you're so hooked on this... Um, Kaito-san, what do you think?"
It seemed Aoi was leaving the final decision to me as the senior member of the group. I stole a glance at Hina, whose eyes were shimmering with anticipation.
Unfortunately, I didn't have it in me to dampen that enthusiasm. There was really only one way I could answer.
"...Well, it doesn't sound dangerous. Why don't we give it a shot?"
"I knew you'd say yes, Kaito-senpai! I can't wait!"
"Well, I suppose that settles it," Aoi said with a faint, resigned smile. "If we’re going to do this, we might as well give it our all."
I let out a soft chuckle as Hina practically bounced with joy. Aoi seemed to be getting into the spirit of things too—it looked like her competitive streak was winning out over her skepticism.
It was certainly an unexpected turn of events, but it promised to be interesting. It might not be such a bad idea after all.
"...Now, this is an intriguing development," Lunamaria mused. "Quite delightful indeed... Cough. It looks like it will be a heated battle. Perhaps even the unworthy Lunamaria should grace the venue with her presence to cheer you on."
"You have work on the day of the tournament, don't you?" Lilia pointed out.
"I could just take a day off... or simply fail to show up..."
"...As the Head of this House, I am commanding you. You will accompany me to the castle on that day. Is that clear?"
"Oh, how cruel...!"
Lunamaria had clearly been hoping to watch us get humiliated by the erratic boards, likely intending to "cheer" while laughing her head off, but Lilia had nipped that plan in the bud. A magnificent play on her part.
Though, if I were being honest, I suspected Lunamaria might have actually made the trip to the Hydra Kingdom just for the laugh if she hadn't been stopped.
Serious-senpai: It certainly seems like a niche sport, but with this much randomness involved, wouldn’t Kaito have the advantage?
???: Even so, there's still a fair amount of manual control required. Even if you get a board that moves well, it's still going to be moving in a bizarre way.