The Major Series continued in an orderly fashion after the opening ceremony concluded.
The scale was not as grand as the opening, but events were scattered across various districts of Tokyo in the form of a “carnival” for tourists to visit and enjoy.
This included a large number of entertaining minor events, which generated no less discussion online than the Team Free-for-All.
However, when the main course was served, the first match of the Team Free-for-All drew all eyes back to the New National Stadium.
It was Team Art from Tokyo University versus the All-American lineup of Cloud9′ from the United States — as a team whose popularity was not even on par with the Knights of the Round Table, Cloud9′ should not have generated such high levels of hype for this match.
Originally, this team had not even used that name during the group stages; they had only contacted the organizers to change it after qualifying.
It was clearly because Cloud9′, the e-sports club from the United States, had stepped in with investment and sponsorship.
The United States Air Force had once invested in Cloud9′, which sparked a great deal of speculation: was this at the behest of the federal government?
In reality, the Air Force had long since withdrawn its investment, and Cloud9’s involvement this time was purely a commercial move.
Due to a series of influences, the conversation surrounding this match veered in a strange direction.
In the world of this anime, historical development remained much the same as the real world until the destruction of GPRI and the storm triggered by the Monster of Ikebukuro incident.
In this world, Tokyo University and the United States also shared an unpleasant history, viewing each other as rivals.
And now?
The formation of the North Pacific Treaty had not only shocked and terrified other nations, but it had also left the citizens of both countries in a state of sudden confusion.
The reality of the alliance had more or less created a complex… mixture of awkward emotions among the populace.
This match was the first “clash” on an international stage since the two countries had allied.
Whether it was incited by those with hidden agendas or not, it certainly received more attention than the other matches in the round of thirty-two.
Jiang Jian Yue only felt a headache coming on.
She had tried her best to prevent politics from influencing the GSAC, but the public opinion outside the venue was still buzzing — she had no choice but to deploy her internet trolls to steer the topic toward “peaceful competition and friendship first,” while working with platforms in both countries to suppress radical comments.
As for the Japanese people’s feelings toward this match, they were naturally complicated — that went without saying.
Even though the United States military had not yet withdrawn and the surrounding regions maintained the same landscape as the previous year, the feeling of things gradually tightening had not diminished. Fortunately, Jiang Jian Yue found a unique perspective that could alleviate the anxiety of the Japanese people.
Team Cloud9′ had finished second in Group C, which meant they were the ones defeated by Yuki Asahi and his teammates. If Team Art lost, no matter how anxious the Japanese people felt, they could puff out their chests with pride knowing that the Cloud9′ team, who had been crushed by Special Response HQ Unit 1, could defeat a Tokyo University team. If Cloud9′ lost, they could comfort themselves by thinking it was only natural — after all, the Japanese had been deceiving themselves in this manner ever since the war.
The result was just as Jiang Jian Yue expected; Team Art defeated Cloud9′ two to one, securing the first spot in the round of sixteen.
Although the score was two to one, any discerning observer could see that Team Art had not displayed the same strength they had in the first two stages, while Cloud9′ had indeed put up a good fight for one round.
It could not be called match-fixing, but they had “conceded” a round in a very Tokyo University style without holding back too much.
The Cloud9′ team was indeed quite unlucky, as their own strength was nothing to scoff at. Their captain’s ability, Sakura Domain, was also in the top five on the list of abilities Jiang Jian Yue most wanted to plunder.
— Although the fact that an American’s ability was “Sakura” was a bit strange in itself, the awakening of Heart Worm abilities did not follow stereotypes.
They had encountered the championship favorites, Special Response HQ Unit 1, during the group stages, which forced them into second place, and then they were unlucky enough to draw another championship favorite.
After the match ended, Jiang Jian Yue, who had been voyeuring back and forth across the internet on both sides, breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it had not triggered a larger backlash.
Meanwhile, the other team of interest, the Knights of the Round Table, also defeated the 4chan Troll Team, much to the disappointment of the English-speaking netizens.
“Missy, the first match after lunch is Yuki’s. Do you need me to have him come over?” Akimoto Miki, who had come to report, asked in passing.
“No need.”
Jiang Jian Yue felt the question was a bit absurd. ‘Akimoto Miki, you girl, don’t put these things before work!’
Akimoto Miki adjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose and began her report. “We have noticed that the scale of funds flowing into gambling websites has become quite massive. We have already tracked the movements of some of the betting rings operating within the country.”
Even in Japan, online gambling was illegal. The Japanese government had classified the GSAC as a legal gambling event, similar to horse racing or powerboat racing — that way, the official channels could collect the money.
However, Jiang Jian Yue had requested that there must be a maximum limit on the betting amounts, so that it would only serve as a form of lottery entertainment.
Jiang Jian Yue had always harbored a deep-seated hatred for gambling and drugs; originally, she had not even wanted to open a lottery.
But Morita Aoya had reminded her that it was better to provide an outlet than to block it entirely. Some gamblers might just want to satisfy the itch, and a limited lottery could serve as a substitute to prevent them from engaging in even larger-scale gambling.
Jiang Jian Yue was quite contemptuous of this theory, which was similar to the idea that “legalizing certain substances in America could reduce the impact of harder drugs.”
However, she believed that Morita Aoya, as a college student, should be smarter than her, and some things might truly not be as simple as she thought. So, in the end, she had agreed.
The lottery was allowed, but Jiang Jian Yue was definitely going to deal with unregulated online gambling.
The Japanese government had always been relatively incompetent regarding the crackdown on cybercrime, so DRG had to rely on itself.
With platforms spread across the globe, DRG certainly could not achieve a worldwide crackdown, but they could do their best to minimize the influence coming from gambling. At the very least, Jiang Jian Yue intended to take a knife to these domestic betting rings.
“Make it… clean…” Jiang Jian Yue said coldly, then turned to Mark nearby. “Your turn.”
Mark nodded and straightened his posture. “We have completely taken control of Nikolai’s movements. Please rest assured, Missy, that what happened last time will not occur again.”
The “last time” referred to the incident where the unit hunting the Changshi God suffered heavy casualties.
As the front-line commander, the Swordsman had misjudged the timing and proceeded with the arrest immediately after reporting that the Curtain Cluster had made contact with the Changshi God. He had to take responsibility for that failure.
Jiang Jian Yue had not been too harsh on the young man who had only recently joined DRG; after all, who could have predicted the sudden appearance of a Semi-Devourer?
Since then, for any urgent orders Jiang Jian Yue personally issued — such as the order to monitor Nikolai — front-line personnel could contact her directly in necessary moments.
After all, Jiang Jian Yue was currently the greatest combat power for DRG Japan. If even she could not solve the problem, it was useless for anyone else to come.
Of course, “direct contact” did not mean calling her mobile phone.
Ever since she obtained her Storage Space, Jiang Jian Yue’s phone spent more time inside the space than outside of it.
It could not receive signals, so she was sometimes out of reach.
Instead, there was a telepathy ability user whose sole duty was to remain on standby and immediately notify the frequently unreachable Jiang Jian Yue upon receiving a message.
“According to the reports, there are no shadowy organizations behind Nikolai. It seems like he came to Tokyo… to play,” Mark said, choosing his words carefully. “He is quite interested in the Major Series events and spends most of his time watching the matches on-site.”
“Furthermore, according to the surveillance reports, he is very immersed in it. It doesn’t look like he is using the matches as a cover to contact others or achieve some other objective.”
“Other than that, the rest of his time is spent with various women…” Mark hesitated, and the still-present Akimoto Miki shot him a cold glance.
Mark felt like there were needles in his back. He knew what the Head Maid meant; she did not want him using words inappropriate for children in front of the Missy.
Although theoretically, Jiang Jian Yue was already an adult — after the 2022 revision, the age of adulthood in Japan had been lowered to 18.
“…Dating various women.”
“It’s just sex, then,” Jiang Jian Yue said casually, resting her face on her hand and leaning against the sofa armrest. After all, she had already seen the anime.
Akimoto Miki immediately looked at Jiang Jian Yue with tears in her eyes, making the latter feel somewhat bewildered. ‘What? I’m an adult, okay!’
“Ahem. According to the report, the pool of women Nikolai dates is quite broad; he has no specific preferences. He is rather stingy, and the women always pay.”
Mark continued his report, “Even his tickets for the Major Series are paid for by the women, and they were even bought as part of a family discount package.”
‘Ugh… what a pathetic man.’
“So far, as for the connection with ‘Cuiyue’ that Missy mentioned, there has been no contact. Please rest assured, Missy, we will definitely not make another mistake!” Mark declared his determination once more at the end of the report.
“Good.”
……
At the same time, in the Special Response HQ Unit 1 locker room at the New National Stadium.
Teams that had made it into the main tournament naturally had their own locker rooms. Now, they were in the middle of a tight, last-minute discussion.
How should they deal with a team that relied on random chance?
Previously, Yuma Endou had undoubtedly been the main force of the Supernatural Club, bringing out different abilities in each match.
Some were strong and some were weak, which had already exposed the fact that his ability was randomly acquired.
However, neither the teams nor the online commentators had any counter-strategies for this. If he happened to roll a one-shot kill ability, no strategy would work. And within Special Response HQ Unit 1, there were no utility players who could restrict abilities.
“The only current strategy is to use the Captain’s ability,” Kenichi Matsumoto said. “Concentrate the Emotional Shockwave on Yuma Endou to make him collapse the moment the battle starts.”
“Wait…” Yuki Asahi hesitated. “We still don’t know if the Emotional Shockwave will affect the human body after the rollback. What if it causes permanent damage?”
From the beginning, he had no intention of using the Emotional Shockwave as a lethal move in the competition; at most, he would use it to influence the opponent.
The last time he used it against that big guy at Lake Toya, he felt afterward that the impact on the bystanders had been too severe, but fortunately, everyone was fine in the end.
What Yuki Asahi did not know was that Jiang Jian Yue had concealed the fact that several people had been left with sequelae.
“This is just a game. I don’t want any tragedies to happen.” Yuki Asahi shook his head. “I… don’t agree.”
“But…” Kenichi Matsumoto frowned.
Cuiyue glanced at Yuki Asahi and spoke with a light chuckle. “According to the recordings from the previous rounds, Yuma Endou has never actually rolled a one-shot kill ability.”
“The most impressive performance was in the first match, where his physical attributes were enhanced. Everything else has been mediocre or even useless. In reality, we don’t need to worry that much.”
“After all, we are not like those other teams.”