The moment Fumihiko Takaba finished speaking, Jie Jian raised a hand and pointed at him with a dark expression.
"You just said 'duel,' didn't you?!"
"What!"
A bead of cold sweat slid down Fumihiko Takaba's forehead.
He had no idea what was happening and instinctively wondered whether he had said something wrong.
"W-What's wrong? I did say 'duel.'"
But in the next instant, Jie Jian's lips curled high. He abruptly stood, tore off his coat, and viciously flung it aside.
"Then let's have a hearty comedy duel!"
Fumihiko Takaba froze for a moment, then shouted excitedly:
"Hey! Don't get my hopes up too much!"
The two exchanged a glance and shouted in unison:
"DUEL!"
Their voices echoed through the empty restaurant, and the air seemed to burn with excitement.
Jie Jian's coat traced an arc through the air before landing steadily on a nearby chair.
With his hands on his hips, he wore a confident smile, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I'm taking the first turn!" Jie Jian shouted, seizing the initiative.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Fumihiko Takaba hurriedly waved his hands, his expression shifting from excitement to alarm. "I was the one who proposed the duel! Why do you get the first turn?"
Jie Jian replied as though it were only natural:
"Obviously because I spoke first. In a duel, isn't the first one to speak the first attacker?"
"Damn it!" Fumihiko Takaba dropped to his knees in frustration and pounded the floor with both fists. "Why was I slower to speak? I wanted the first turn too!"
But his dejection lasted only a moment.
The next instant, Fumihiko Takaba took a deep breath, rose with fighting spirit blazing, and pointed at Jie Jian.
"Hmph! So what if I let you have the first turn? A third-rate comedian like you,