That 309: Furious Catfight

As we looked down, a loud crack echoed through the air—the sound of glass shattering.

At the same moment, two "players" were seen flying out together, tangled in a heap.

Nanami and Mayi were shouting insults at each other, locked in a fierce catfight.

"Eh, this is bad... this is like a war..."

"Not quite a war, if you must know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's proof enough—neither of them is really trying. They're not even using weapons."

He said this with a smug air, adjusting his glasses.

Just a few seconds later.

Nanami pulled out a handgun, and Mayi swiftly drew two knives from her coat.

"Aaaah! 'Nameless'—this is bad, it's really happening, it's a war!"

"………………"

I felt a slight warmth creep into my cheeks as I watched.

"Ran-chan, please descend slowly. I'll stop you."

Without a pause, "Demonization."

I plummet from the edge of the building's rooftop, launching myself between the two of them.

Ignoring the warning signals from my inner ear, Nanami fired her shot, but I blocked the trajectory.

"——!?!"

In an instant, sparks exploded at my chest, veering the bullet off course toward tomorrow.

Nanami's eyes widened. She must have thought she'd shot the wrong person.

Of course, something like this is nothing to me right now.

"Ah ah, you two. Please, no fighting—"

In an instant, I used my shoulder as a springboard, spinning around and leaping ten meters high—Mayoi soared gracefully into the air.

Two knives, held in both hands, flashed as she lunged toward Nanami.

At that moment, I felt a slight irritation and made a decisive choice to settle things with force rather than words. Several methods to stop the two of them instantly came to mind, but I chose the most reliable one among them.

"——《Lightning Strike》!"

《Lightning Magic IV》. A relatively fast-casting spell with enough power to kill a "player" instantly.

Just as I had planned, a single streak of golden light pierced through both of their bodies, accompanied by a deafening thunderclap.

"Kyaa!" "Geeh!"

Screams echoed as the two beautiful girls flipped over like dying cicadas.

Even though it was a surprise attack, it was surprisingly easy to seize both of their consciousnesses.

Wait a minute... Could it be that... I'm too strong?

I stood there for a moment, staring at the two girls frozen in slightly awkward poses... After a brief pause, I decided to wake the one with larger breasts first.

"Miss Nanami... please wake up."

"Uggg... gug..."

"Not 'uggg.' Just wake up already."

I gently shook Nanami's shoulder while casting a healing spell.

She soon opened her eyes.

"What... what happened?"

"That's my line," I said.

"Mayi...?"

"She's lying down over there. Anyway, why did this happen?"

"Well, it's because—his attitude just sucked."

"Huh?"

Putting together her hesitant explanation, it boiled down to this:

1. After easily scaling Tokyo Tower, we were photographed, which completely ruined the shot.

2. At that moment, Nanami sensed the tower was about to collapse.

3. Suddenly, a lightbulb flickered above her head.

4. "If we could get a picture of Mayi getting caught in this, it'd be hilarious, lol lol lol."

5. So, with a confident stride, she moved swiftly to safety.

6. She pushed Mayi aside with a sudden shove—Mayi, who had been waiting in ambush and retrieving her belongings, was a bit late.

7. As expected, Mayi ended up covered in dust from head to toe.

8. Mayi is absolutely furious, fuming mad (archaic expression).

9. And so, the battle begins――.

"……I mean, isn't it completely your fault?"

"Huh?"

"Isn't it 100% your fault!?"

"Huh? Me? Fault?"

"But you were the one who attacked first, weren't you?"

"Well, sure, but… didn't they attack me first with Magi Tone?"

"Even so, it's still your fault, isn't it?"

"Huh……"

Sighing, the "Smiling Maiden" pulled out a cigarette from her pocket and, with practiced ease, conjured a small flame with a basic fire spell.

Puff—white smoke curled upward into the air.

Ah, ah, it's not right for someone underage to be smoking, not right at all... (though she wouldn't say it aloud).

"You just don't get it, 'Nameless'... The reason we're here, even just a little bit, is to make some interesting scenes, right? If that's the case, getting a little dusty is nothing at all."

"That… might be true, but…"

"Her costume was our own choice, so it shouldn't matter if it gets dirty, right?"

"Hmm…"

Having been presented with a somewhat professional performer's reasoning, I tighten my lips into a straight line.

"Frankly... Mayi's just putting on an act. She's got talent, but she tries to stay pristine while everyone else struggles, so she can never cross that line. She's stuck with the same view count as those bottom-tier performers like Vivian, just fading away."

At that moment, I felt I'd seen a side of Nanami I'd never seen before.

Something... a bit lonely, I guess.

Wait, now that I think about it—just what exactly is the relationship between these two?