At the start of the first round, the character controlled by Eriri launched a fierce assault, and the fight looked almost completely one-sided. (Continued)

Maybe the girl standing before him was a Rekijo.

After considering his answer, he said, "Fūrin Kazan is a technique associated with Takeda Shingen, but Takeda Shingen got it from The Art of War. So if you're interested, I recommend reading The Art of War."

"As for the Warring States generals, I don't know much about them... See you, Nakano-san."

As the bell rang, he tossed the ball up with his right hand and turned to leave.

Come to think of it, wasn't recommending a girl read a book on military strategy kind of weird?

Also, had he even gotten the title right?

Oh, well.

Meanwhile.

"The Art of War? Was that a book of military strategy written by a girl?"

A trace of confusion remained on Nakano Miku's face.

34. We'll Win

"So? What are you thinking?"

"If that Hasegawa sends us a challenge, we should just burn it."

After learning how the match between Yamazaki Yutaka and Hasegawa Izumi had ended, the clubs that suspected they might be targeted were all on edge, each forming their own conclusions.

That man seemed to have truly extraordinary talent.

Rather than risk a humiliating defeat, they surrendered right away.

Surrender, and you only lose half!

What they didn't know was that Hasegawa Izumi had never planned to target them in the first place.

"Huh? Where did Rikka go?"

When he returned to the classroom, Hasegawa Izumi noticed that he hadn't seen his ally since PE had ended. He couldn't help wondering where she'd gone.

Only when the bell rang did Rikka come in through the back door, her face stern and arriving just in time.

"Rikka, where were you just now? Did some emergency come up?"

His heart tightened as he asked.

"Class."

Just then, the subject teacher came in from outside.

Under the circumstances, they had no choice but to stop whispering for the moment.

But even without talking, they could still use another form of communication.

Takanashi Rikka tore a page from her notebook, wrote a sentence on it, then folded it and took out a rubber band, using it like a slingshot to launch the note.

"Thwack."

The note shot through the air.

Hasegawa Izumi raised his right hand and calmly caught it between two fingers.

Whoa!

Takanashi Rikka's mouth fell slightly open as she gasped in secret admiration.

"I just went out to patrol Shuchiin, including the monsters' habitat, but I didn't find anything. Everything around us is peaceful. But... that very calmness is the greatest abnormality!"

After reading it, he wrote his reply on a note and prepared to send it back.

Whoosh!

He didn't have a rubber band, but he didn't need one. He pinched the note between two fingers and flicked it over. It flew at almost the same speed as the one she'd sent.

"Watch this!"

Takanashi Rikka tried to do the same, holding out two fingers to catch the note.

"Smack."

But she was too slow. The note slipped between her fingers and hit her little face.

An awkward silence fell.

Takanashi Rikka picked up the note as if nothing had happened.

"What do you mean?"

After that, the two continued communicating by passing notes.

"We've made such a big commotion, but the Bureau of Unseen Boundaries hasn't made a move at all. That's the most unreasonable thing of all!"

"I see. I'd actually forgotten about that threat. I understand. I'll be more careful from now on, in case something happens."

"By the way, Sage, what was the next move after catching the flying note?"

"Telepathic Finger. Why? Do you want to learn it? I can teach you."

"I was just asking. It won't be hard for the Wicked Eye of the Tyrant King to learn a move like that."

After school.

The Special Training Group of Five resumed training.

"Do you know? Confidence is a strong person's passport. If you don't believe in yourself, then even if you have enough ability, it'll be hard to use it to its fullest."

While they worked on their stamina, Hasegawa Izumi began building up his teammates' mental strength.

Giving motivational speeches was an essential coaching skill. It was only right for him to fill in now and then.

"But if they've played basketball for so long, their skills are definitely better. And they've got such a huge advantage in height. How can little dots like us be confident?"

Nibuya Morika was still gloomy, but she was voicing what the other girls truly felt, too.

It was only natural for chuunibyou to say one thing and mean another.

"Confidence comes from within. It has nothing to do with who you're facing. It's only called arrogance if you lose."

Hasegawa Izumi abruptly changed the subject.

"When you're doing something, imagine your moment of glory. Put yourself back in that state, and you'll be unstoppable."

After hearing him, they all closed their eyes and began to think.

When they opened them again, each had found her own answer.

"You don't need to say it out loud."

He saw what they were thinking and cut in before anyone could speak.

"All right. Let's keep training."

He clapped his hands and smiled.

Before long, Thursday arrived.

At Shuchiin's basketball court.

To prepare for the battle the next day, the Basketball Club's starters and substitutes were training at high intensity, as if they were in a real game.

"They're really working hard, the club president and the others."

"Why does it feel like the training's been even more intense than the national tournament these past few days?"

"Can't be helped. We absolutely don't want to lose tomorrow. If we get beaten by a team like that, people will laugh at us for the rest of our lives!"

"Uh, heh, true. That Hasegawa's completely insane. He picked four girls to play in the match. Does he think we'll go easy on them because they're cute?"

"No. Considering his usual behavior, he clearly just doesn't take any of us in the Basketball Club seriously."

"Outrageous! That guy's committed the sin of arrogance! Tomorrow, the club president and the others will make that bastard pay dearly!"

The remaining Basketball Club members watched from the sidelines, but they weren't talking about the game itself.

The practice gradually came to an end.

Hyuga Konji dribbled past a substitute with a sharp crossover, then made a stylish fadeaway jump shot.

"Whoa!"

The people there cheered.

"Here."

Hyuga Konji wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and sat down to rest in the break room. Someone beside him offered him a bottle of water.

"Are you putting too much pressure on yourself?"

The vice president, Hiiragi Gosho, sat down beside him and asked.

"This is just normal training."

He replied.

A moment of silence passed.

"Do you think we'll lose, Konji?"

Hiiragi Gosho tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting.

The mood grew tense.

"We'll win."

Hyuga Konji suddenly stood up, a confident smile spreading across his face.

A bold declaration of victory!

"You're that confident?"

Hiiragi Gosho felt encouraged, too.

"The combat strength of the teammates he picked is practically zero. He just needed to fill out the roster. But we're a super team, and we're only one step away from being national champions! No matter how good he is, he can't play all of us by himself. After all... humans have their limits!"

The club president continued his analysis, laying it out clearly.

"That's true, now that you mention it."

Hiiragi Gosho nodded thoughtfully.

"This next match isn't just for the Basketball Club. We're fighting for Shuchiin's honor! Let that guy suffer the backlash of all his fame and fortune! We can use his reputation to reach the true pinnacle of Shuchiin!"

Hyuga Konji clenched his fist and raised his arm again, rallying them.

"Yeah!"

A fervent response rang out from the break room.

35. Witness the Birth of a King!

Friday. Beneath the school's seemingly peaceful daily routine, everything had grown restless.

It was partly because Golden Week began the following day, but more than anything, it was because the long-anticipated battle was about to begin!

The warm spring breeze stirred the curtains.

During the break, a group of classmates suddenly surrounded Nibuya Morika.

If it had been because she was popular, she would've been happy, but that clearly wasn't the case. They were all interested in the roster the News Department had announced that morning.

"Really, Nibuya-san? You're really going to take part in the match after school? Isn't that dangerous?"

"How could you play basketball against those guys from the Basketball Club? They're so tall and strong, like savages!"

"There's no way your team can win. Not even with Hasegawa, right?"

They chattered noisily around her.

I don't think we can win, either.

Nibuya Morika grumbled to herself, but kept her expression neutral.

After all, things had reached this point. There was no point saying anything. She might as well do as Hasegawa had said and become a "passionate duelist"!