At the Sunsilk selection venue.
On one of the stages, Silvermane gripped his spear, its tip shaped like a daisy, and thrust it forward with lightning speed.
Thwack!
His opponent turned his head in a daze, his voice trembling.
"Wh-when did you get behind me...?"
He collapsed unwillingly, his backside sticking up despite himself.
"Indecent! Utterly indecent!"
The pink Soda Man serving as judge shouted:
"I declare the winner of this match to be the Pure Knight—Silvermane!"
"Wooooo!"
"So that's the strength of last year's runner-up? Incredible!"
"Silvermane, believe in yourself! Of course you couldn't beat a shareholder! Don't let it get to you!"
"There aren't any shareholders competing this year, right? Finally, no rigged results."
"Pure Beauty Goddess Idrila's beauty is beyond compare!"
As the praise washed over him, Silvermane raised both hands. He smiled and nodded to the cheering crowd, then slowly walked off the stage.
Splat!
Suddenly, he tripped.
"..."
The cheering stopped dead.
Silvermane got up and looked curiously at what had tripped him. It was a yellow greatsword.
"Fate works in mysterious ways."
Silvermane picked up Firefly Financial Management and examined its shape with interest.
A chibi sticker of Yan Huan's face adorned the hilt, apparently to show everyone who had inspired the sword.
"Urgent announcement! Urgent announcement!"
The stage speakers blared to life the next instant.
"By order of management, all Firefly Financial Management swords used by contestants in the preliminary round will be recalled! Do not take them!"
"Dream Chasers who have purchased the same toy, please register for a refund at an official return location. We apologize for the inconvenience!"
"What? I bought mine less than half an hour ago." In the Audience Gallery, many people stared blankly at the Firefly Financial Management swords in their hands.
Having contestants use three novelty