While I continued receiving birthday gifts, I took a moment to observe the progress of the Second Tournament. It seemed to be moving at a slower pace than the first, likely due to a higher frequency of intense, back-and-forth matches.
Having had time to practice or having learned the ropes during the previous event, the participants were now putting up quite a fight, which naturally extended the length of each duel.
A few players caught my eye with skills that differed from the standouts of the first tournament. First was Isis-san—she was surprisingly adept. She didn't rely on flashy tactics; instead, her play was remarkably solid. She favored characters with long-range capabilities, methodically controlling the space and maintaining her distance to secure steady victories.
Since the game utilized wireless controllers, she could stay far enough away that her Magic Power of Death wouldn't affect anyone, allowing her to enjoy playing with people she usually couldn't interact with. She genuinely seemed to be having a wonderful time.
Blossom-san had also improved significantly. While she wasn't quite on the level of Lilia-san or Vul, she had become a capable player in a short span of time, demonstrating precise control over her character.
The only issue was that she tended to get carried away. Playing as a samurai-type character, she would frequently shout things like, "S-So this is the Legendary Iai?! Incredible!" or "A true samurai clads their blade in lightning?! I see... How educational!" Her habit of making a scene often left her wide open in the middle of a match.
To be fair, the character she was using was a samurai, but the lightning effects were purely for gameplay. Real samurai certainly didn't do that... though I suppose for Blossom-san, this was a rare chance to see what she considered an "authentic" samurai from my world.
What was unexpected, however, was that Megiddo-san—the type I expected to be most obsessed with a tournament like this—wasn't participating. Instead, he stayed in the Practice Space the whole time. He wasn't even practicing; he was simply watching the others play, nodding with a look of deep admiration.
"I wonder what Megiddo-san is doing?"
"For a while now, he has been muttering to himself," Ein-san replied. "He said, 'I see, this is well-made. People with vast differences in physical ability or Magic Power can compete under nearly identical conditions. It's interesting... but would it be hard to replicate? No, if I could just recreate the mock battle portion, maybe... but would it become too large-scale?'"
"Ah, I see. He seems to enjoy competitions like this, so he's trying to figure out if he can replicate the system using Magic Tools."
"It appears so. Recently, Megiddo has been holding tournaments for things like the Otherworld Singing Contest, and he seems to have developed a profound interest in otherworld competitions."
He was referring to the UTA Battle he had taken a liking to during the Harmonic Symphony. Apparently, he really had gone through with building a dedicated facility for it. It was very typical of him, but I thought it was quite impressive that he was looking for ways to turn this hobby into something permanent rather than letting it end with today's party.
I didn't know exactly what he intended to create, but judging from the monologue Ein-san overheard, it was something that would allow those with different levels of physical strength to fight on equal terms... like...
"Ein-san, I want to believe I'm just overthinking this, but why is Megiddo-san so interested in a way to fight on even footing regardless of physical ability?"
"It is likely exactly as you suspect, Kaito-sama. He wishes to challenge you on equal terms. Lately, Megiddo's interest in you has intensified... or perhaps I should say he is plotting how to transition into a Physical Relationship. Chrome-sama has had to lecture him quite frequently on the matter."
"I-I see..."
Megiddo-san’s typical approach was to skip all the preamble and go straight for a Physical Relationship first, but it seemed he was trying to craft a more elaborate plan following the repeated scoldings from Kuro and Alice.
I truly hoped his strategy wasn't as straightforward as having a heated duel to get their blood pumping and then following through in the heat of the moment. If it was, he was definitely in for another lecture... Regardless, his preoccupation with these schemes meant he wasn't joining the tournament.
Deciding to turn my eyes away from reality for a moment, I chose to spin the Garapon again.
"Elis Dia Hamilton."
Ah, next was Elis-san. This felt like it would be a nice opportunity for a brief sigh of relief.
Serious-senpai: "Just when she was feeling relieved that she didn't have to participate in the second tournament because she was a finalist in the first, here comes the Devil Trying to Deliver a Body (Stomach) Blow..."