Chapter 94: A Familiar Opponent

“Sigh, that was nerve-wracking.”

After stepping off the stage, Liyakade let out a long breath, lightly patting her small chest.

She still seemed shaken from the earlier chaos.

“That was amazing, Miss Liakade!”

Alice looked at Liyakade, eyes sparkling as if shining.

“…What was so amazing?”

Liyakade looked helplessly at the excited Alice.

Just as she expected, after declaring her orientation, Alice was bound to start attacking relentlessly.

“Oh my, weren’t you shouting pretty loudly just now? How did you turn into a wilted flower after coming down?”

Field walked over and patted Liyakade’s shoulder, grinning mischievously.

“To be honest, I really didn’t expect it, Liyakade-chan, that you actually like girls. That means, back when we were sleeping in the same bed, you totally took advantage of us, right?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Liyakade calmly brushed off Field’s hand from her shoulder, looking a bit serious.

“Now that everyone knows I like girls, don’t just touch me so casually.”

After saying this, Liyakade turned to leave.

“Eh? W-what?”

Field was caught off guard by Liyakade’s sudden shift.

What Liyakade said made sense—back then, no one knew she liked girls, so hugging among friends seemed normal.

But now that Liyakade was open about it, being that close might not be a good idea anymore.

Besides, judging by Liyakade’s expression, she didn’t seem to be joking.

“W-wait!”

Field hurriedly tried to call Liyakade back, feeling like she was about to self-destruct on the spot.

However.

“Pfft…”

With her back turned, Liyakade trembled slightly, unable to hold it in any longer.

She stifled her laughter, glancing over her shoulder at Field.

There wasn’t a trace of seriousness left on her face.

“Field, so you wanted to tease me, huh? No way I’m letting you get away with it. Hehe.”

“Hey!”

It took Field a moment to realize she’d been reverse-pranked by Liyakade.

“You little—!”

Realizing she was being played, Field pretended to be angry and pressed down on Liyakade’s shoulder.

“W-what are you doing!”

Feeling the heavy pressure on her shoulder, Liyakade started to sweat a little, swallowing hard.

“That’s what you get for teasing me! I’m going to squish you!”

Field declared, reaching for Liyakade’s cheek with her other hand.

“Why is it okay for you to tease me, but not for me to tease you!”

“That’s right!”

“Ah! Don’t, don’t touch me! I like girls, so if you squeeze me, I’ll lose my purity!”

Liyakade tried to use the same trick again.

“Hehehe, that’s perfect, because I also like girls who are soft and sweet like you!”

But this time, Field didn’t fall for it, half-joking as she spoke.

Though honestly, Field did mean what she said, she just only dared to say it jokingly.

“Ugh—”

“Thank you for the meal.”

After squeezing for a long time, Field finally let go.

To be honest, Liyakade’s cheek felt really nice—soft and bouncy.

Field thoroughly enjoyed squishing it.

“Field is a villain…”

With swirly mosquito-repellent eyes, the dazed Liyakade weakly protested to Field.

Soon, the remaining participants each took their turn, and the first stage of the selection ended just like that.

Liyakade’s ranking was much higher than expected—she was in fifth place.

That meant she only needed to win two more matches to reach the final.

Field was first, Alice second.

It seemed certain they’d make it to the final.

Sistem had to start from tenth place, and wasn’t even in the same bracket as Liyakade, so it looked like the four of them had already secured their spots in the finals.

Among the top ten, there were also some familiar faces to Liyakade.

Judging by the way things were going, she’d be facing them in the upcoming matches.

But it didn’t matter who she faced—because the moment she stepped onto the stage, Liyakade had only one goal—

Festival Flower.

After a short rest, the second stage—the battle round—kicked off with high intensity.

Although Sistem had to start her challenges from the tenth spot, with her strength, even fighting several matches in a row was no problem.

After all, the average level of other students was only around LV.30, while Sistem crushed her opponents with overwhelming power.

Before long, it was Liyakade’s turn to compete.

“Next up—the Academy’s White Devil, Liyakade Onions!!”

“She is both the Academy’s overbearing White Devil and an Angel who uses her strength to help the weak.”

“Despite being only a first-year, her level is an astonishing LV.56, just four short of a Court Magus, only slightly weaker than the Academy’s strongest, Her Highness Sistem.”

“What is this!”

Liyakade listened to the cringe-worthy titles and held her forehead.

What was even more toe-curling was that the audience cheered as they heard the MC’s dramatic introduction.

“And on the other side, another first-year, Luciel Richards. Can she achieve the miracle of defeating a stronger opponent? Let’s watch and see!”

“Hey! Why is her introduction so short, just her name, while mine is long and embarrassing with a cringy title!!!”

At this point, Liyakade couldn’t hold back anymore.

Why did her opponent get a single sentence, while hers dragged on for four or five?

“Uh… I don’t know either, the script from Her Highness Sistem was just written that way.”

The MC replied helplessly.

“…Whatever.”

Liyakade looked at her opponent—Luciel Richards.

She was a familiar face, being her first client—the purple-haired girl who’d asked her to find her cat.

“Miss Liakade, it’s been a while.”

Luciel bowed to Liyakade.

“Thank you for helping me find my pet last time. Because of some rumors before, I had a bias against you, but after getting to know you, I realized you’re not that kind of person. I’m truly sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Liyakade replied indifferently.

“Then, please take care of me, Miss Liakade.”

After their brief exchange, the battle was ready to begin.

“Three, two, one, start!”

With the MC’s signal, both stood in place, gathering magic power.

It seemed Luciel was an ordinary mage.

Honestly, the introductions were a bit unfair to Liyakade, since her level and stats were exposed while her opponent’s info remained hidden.

But it didn’t really matter—Liyakade’s level easily overwhelmed the other contestants, so there was nothing to worry about.

Sensing the flow of elements in the air, Liyakade quickly determined that Luciel was a water mage.

After a round of magical attacks, Luciel was quickly defeated.

The difference in their levels was too great—the fight ended without suspense, and Liyakade advanced smoothly.

The next match was against another former client—the orange-haired girl who’d asked her to deliver a letter.

“Without a moment to mourn Luciel’s defeat, next up is—Chloe Patterson! Can she overcome the White Devil?”

Hearing the MC’s passionate narration, Liyakade didn’t even know where to start complaining.

Not to mention the formulaic lines sounded oddly familiar, she also felt like she’d become some kind of final boss, with the other contestants acting like heroes facing a Demon Lord.

But honestly, calling Liyakade the final boss wasn’t wrong—she really was the true hidden boss in the original story.

“Miss Liakade!”

After taking the stage, Chloe was visibly emotional, her gaze burning as she looked at Liyakade.

“Your stage performance yesterday and what you said just now really moved me. You dared to speak your true feelings—I wish I could be as brave as you.”

“Um?”

From Chloe’s words, Liyakade sensed something was off.

She remembered the previous request—the letter had something to do with Chloe’s engagement.

Combined with Chloe’s recent words, Liyakade suddenly had a thought.

“No way, you, you can’t possibly be—”

“Yes.”

Chloe nodded.

Though Liyakade didn’t say it outright, Chloe understood what she meant.

She was grateful for Liyakade’s words, because they gave her courage.

“It’s just as you think, Miss Liyakade. After hearing your words today, I became more determined. That’s why I want to win the title of Festival Flower and be with the person I like!”

Liyakade rubbed her temples.

It felt like half of the ten contestants were yuri.

The yuri content of this world was off the charts.

“Heh… I have my own reasons why I must become the Festival Flower too.”

Liyakade said, lifting her head, crimson eyes filled with unwavering determination.

“I can’t back down either. Let’s decide everything through battle!”

With the referee’s signal, another elemental storm erupted on the field.

Though Chloe’s resolve was strong, the gap in their levels was too wide, and like Luciel, she was defeated in just a few rounds.

And so, the four finalists were decided—just as Liyakade had predicted:

Alice, Field, Sistem, and Liyakade herself.