第２７６堀：この舞台は２人のために (Part1)
**Chapter 276: This Stage is for the Two of Them**
**Side: Yuki**
"Don't expect me to hold back. I told you that."
Right now, a Firestorm of a magnitude incomparable to the one used against Eris was closing in on Eoid.
"Whoa!! Popuri-senshu is truly not holding back! An oversized Firestorm! This is at a level where there’s nowhere to run! But, I wonder why she didn't do this when she fought Eris?"
"Perhaps she thought it would be canceled out when she fought me. That’s why she tried to close the distance by just obscuring my vision a little, though I intercepted that too."
Hey, don't tease Popuri on the air. Look, the girl herself is trembling a little.
"I see. So, does this mean the judgment is that Eoid-senshu has no way to deal with this massive Firestorm?"
"That seems to be the case. However, since he received pointers from Yuki-san and Taiki-san, there might be an expectation that he can do something about it."
Well, I suppose that’s true.
The audience is staring, stunned, at the giant storm of flames rising up. If he can't handle this, it’s over in one shot. It wouldn't be much of a spectacle, and Popuri would likely be criticized for going too far.
However, if he *can* handle this, Eoid’s reputation will skyrocket. No one would ever say he isn't a match for Amanda again.
"Now!! An unprecedented crisis right off the bat!! How will he overcome this situation!!"
...But, leaving Taiki-kun aside, I never taught him how to deal with a situation like this.
No, I think he could manage if he had a flexible mind, but Eoid’s training period was barely a week. If he had the intellect to pull that off, I’d think he’d already be at the top of the Academy.
In other words: unless Taiki-kun taught him some kind of "Unlimited Blade Works" style weapon, Eoid is either getting knocked out of the ring or ending up "well-done."
"...Popuri is merciless, isn't she?"
"Well, she got thrashed by Eris, so that’s probably the root cause of this situation."
"And, I’ve seen what’s inside Yuki, but surely there’s a method from Taiki, right?"
...I don't know.
"...Yuki, looking at Eoid’s enthusiasm, he’s going to get roasted. If there’s no method, that is."
Well, that’s probably true.
"Amanda, he’s definitely going to be incapacitated."
Prompted by Labyris, I secretly glance at Amanda, who is sitting next to me. She has her hand over her mouth, and her face is deathly pale. The function of being Eoid’s goddess of victory had been lost.
...Yeah, well, obviously.
"Now, if you can't handle this, get off the stage. There’s no shame in it."
Popuri says that, telling him it’s fine to run away, but...
"I... will not retreat!!"
Ah, he’s a protagonist, isn't he?
I’d run. I don't take fights I can't win. Well, if I could challenge someone and lose without it hurting, I’d run. But this? Challenging this is guaranteed to hurt.
"I think that’s fine for you, Yuki. If you get hurt, we’ll tear the opponent to pieces."
I really want my wives to train to keep their rationality even if I get hurt.
"Impossible. Denied. Well, since that’s impossible, I wonder what Eoid intends to do?"
Ah, so it’s impossible. As Labyris said, Eoid’s situation is what’s important right now.
When I turn my gaze to the stage, it seems Eoid really has no intention of backing down. Well, in the worst case, I or Taiki-kun might have to interfere without being noticed...
They say that stories and reality are different, and that’s true. A story is a curated collection of convenient parts, intentionally creating interesting scenes to entertain the reader. Well, in Japan recently, stories about daily life or peeking into someone’s life are also considered a form of entertainment.
Oops, I got sidetracked.
That’s why reality is different from a story. In truth, it’s not just about cool moments. It includes all the boring, skipped-over days that are unnecessary for a story.
But that’s exactly why this proverb exists: *Truth is stranger than fiction.*
Events that happen in reality are more mysterious and interesting than those in stories. That’s the meaning behind those words. And, if you think about it, that’s only natural.
A story, or imagination, is something built by combining, developing, and constructing past experiences and knowledge. But reality, separate from those experiences and knowledge, always involves something we cannot know—something yet to be explained.
That’s why it’s no wonder anything can happen. Rather, it’s only natural that anything *would* happen.
But, seeing this, I couldn't help but be surprised.
"Whoa!! W-what?! Eoid-senshu cut Popuri-senshu’s massive Firestorm! He actually cut it!"
"I see. I heard he was studying under Taiki-senshu, but this means magic is meaningless against him. Magic that cuts magic. To think he had mastered that."
Right before my eyes, he vertically sliced through the Firestorm, scattering the magical power and making it impossible to maintain. It was exactly the "Sea-Splitting" technique Taiki-kun used.
No, I didn't teach him that. I only thought of that technique after learning about Sonia-san’s attributes earlier!
Wait, did he teach him while I was in the spectator seats?
I look at Taiki-kun, and he’s looking back at me. Our gazes were filled with questions. *Did you teach him?* But we both immediately shook our heads.
What? Neither of us taught him. Then, there is only one answer.
"What’s the answer? Can Eoid fight with that? Can you tell Amanda?"
"W-w-what does this mean!? That!! Eoid is doing something like Taiki-san!?"
Ah, I forgot about the two of them. For now, let’s calm Amanda down. Labyris went out of her way to pull Amanda’s consciousness back to us. I should explain it properly. I’ll embellish it a bit to make her think he can put up a good fight against Popuri.
First, Eoid won't be able to exert his power without proper cheering, after all.
"That was 'observational training'."
"Observational training?"
"What is that?"
"Ah, maybe I used a term that was too difficult. I called 'watching' training."
"Watching?"
Amanda tilts her head, looking puzzled. By the way, Eoid and Popuri are currently probing each other for openings. As expected, Eoid’s imitation from observation isn't output-optimized, so he’s consuming a lot of stamina and magic. Popuri also seems to have thought he’d respond with other methods; she seems unable to move carelessly, shocked that she was intercepted by the same technique as Taiki-kun.
"Look, you’ve been told to 'watch the master’s magic,' right?"
"Ah, yes."
"That means showing an example and making it easy to understand how to do it."
"Yes. I understand that."
"Well, our matches until now were the same. For Eoid, they were examples to learn from. He wasn't told to memorize anything, but he thought about whether he could do something with his own power. Amanda, even you, when watching fire magic, have you ever thought, 'Maybe I can use this'?"
"I have."
"Yuki and Taiki-kun call that 'observational training.' Well, it’s mainly a teaching method for techniques that are hard to convey with words, like swordsmanship. And, as Amanda understood just now, 'watching' is also a proper way to learn. If you don't do it consciously, you’re just watching. Eoid managed to do that without being told, so it just means he wanted to be a man who could protect Amanda that much."
When I say that, Amanda hangs her head, looking embarrassed.
Still, to try and do it just by watching...
"I see, so it’s a result born of love. Deryu, Labyris, thank you for the broadcast."