After Yellow Pipe and Scarlet Blue made their appearances back-to-back, I half-expected Black Muscat to be next. However, they didn't show, and the preliminary races continued smoothly until the end of the tenth heat.
Black Muscat competed in that tenth race, securing first place with ease. With their faces hidden behind those pitch-black robes, they projected a mysterious aura that made them feel like our most formidable rivals yet.
"Black Muscat looked like a real powerhouse team," I remarked.
"They were calmly observing the field and accelerating at just the right moments to pull ahead," Aoi added. "I'd say their situational awareness is top-tier."
"...Um, Kaito-senpai? Isn't that Black Muscat walking toward us?" Hina asked, her gaze fixed on something in the distance.
True to her word, the trio in black robes was approaching—it was indeed Black Muscat. They stopped directly in front of us.
"We watched your performance," the leader said quietly. "Impressive magic and sound judgment. We consider you highly capable."
"O-Oh, thanks..."
"You've likely gathered as much, but we've come to issue a declaration of war. We wanted to come sooner, but issuing such a challenge before securing our own spot in the finals would have been the height of folly. We've made you wait until now."
They looked incredibly sketchy, but their logic was perfectly sound. If anything, Yellow Pipe and Scarlet Blue—who threw down their gauntlets before even finishing their heats—were the weird ones. Scarlet Blue made it through, but Yellow Pipe just got themselves disqualified for posing.
"Heh. To mark this declaration, we've prepared a gift. I hope it's to your liking."
This felt like one of those tropes from a battle manga. Usually, when someone "suspicious" brings a gift, it's the beaten-up body of a former rival... No, wait, we didn't have any former rivals. We were brand new to this.
Just as I was wondering what they could possibly mean, the leader reached inside their robes and pulled out a box that looked like a formal gift set of sweets.
"It's just a humble offering purchased nearby, but please..."
"Oh, wow. Thank you. That's very kind of you."
"Also, forgive us for asking this after the fact," the leader continued. "Because we're staying in character, our phrasing has been a bit rude. It would be a great help if you could overlook that."
They were incredibly polite! And the "gift" was a literal gift! Despite the maximum level of suspiciousness radiating from those black robes, they were actually well-mannered. They were just playing a part?
"I... I see. Wait, you're playing a character?"
"Yes. It wasn't our original plan, to be honest. But between our outfits and our performance, many fans have come to see us as bold, eerie veterans. We can't let them down, so we try our best to act the part—embarrassing as it is."
"I see. Why the black robes, then?"
"Our race has very sensitive skin. We burn almost instantly in direct sunlight. It's not exactly agonizing, but it prickles and stings, so we wear these to keep covered."
"Oh, that makes sense."
I wondered if there might be a less intimidating way for them to dress, but given the circumstances, I couldn't fault them. Still, it seemed like most of the elites in this tournament were nothing like they appeared at first glance.
Except for Yellow Pipe. They were exactly the muscle-heads they looked like.
"Since this is your first tournament, I'm sure the prospect of the finals is daunting," the leader said. "But we've seen many racers, and you have a certain spark. If you stay composed, I'm certain you'll see good results."
"Thank you very much."
"The race results matter, of course, but as fellow competitors, nothing would make us happier than for you to grow to love the sport of Flying Board. Please, make sure you enjoy yourselves."
"Ah, right. We will."
They looked so shady, yet they were such wonderful people. My Sympathy Magic confirmed that every word they spoke was sincere; they were genuinely kind. The leader gave me a thumbs-up with a black-gloved hand as they turned to leave.
"Ahem... Until we meet in the finals, future champions."
"Let's both do our best."
I called out after them, and the members of Black Muscat gave us one final thumbs-up before disappearing into the crowd. Yeah, definitely good people.
"...Kaito-senpai," Hina muttered. "I guess it's true what they say. You really can't judge a book by its cover."
"Yeah. I'm definitely feeling that today."
"They called it a 'declaration of war,' but they really just came over to see if us rookies were getting too nervous," Aoi noted.
Hina was right. I felt a bit guilty for assuming they were sketchy just because of their outfits. I suppose you could just say they were eccentric.
Serious-senpai: "So, Scarlet Blue looks like nobility but they're actually dirt-poor commoners. Black Muscat looks like an ominous death squad but they're actually polite, sweetheart veterans. And Yellow Pipe... they're just exactly the muscle-heads they look like. Why is Yellow Pipe the only team being treated like a joke!?"