Yuki Asahi knew Cuiyue was speaking up for him and nodded in gratitude. He continued, “We also need to be wary of Saori Saiyonji. As for the others… cough.”
‘I feel a bit awkward saying my friends’ strength isn’t good enough in front of others,’ he thought.
He changed the subject, saying, “For the first match, let’s proceed according to our original tactics.”
“What about map selection?” Kubo Tsubasa asked.
Once they reached the main tournament, the BP Map Selection rules officially came into play. Team A, the first-place team from the group stage, would choose the pick-ban order.
If they chose to go first, Team A would ban two maps, then Team B would ban three maps, and finally, Team A would ban one last map. Then, Team A would pick Map 1, Team B would pick Map 2, and the GSAC officials would randomly select Map 3 from the remaining four maps.
When it came to maps, specialized players were usually the most affected, followed by team composition styles. After all, since this was the first GSAC tournament, teams hadn’t had the chance to develop specific tactical arrangements for every map.
They only had time to enter the Vision World gates and familiarize themselves with the maps after the group stages ended.
Kaori Onishi was one such specialized player. If they chose a map without many water resources, her ability’s effectiveness would be significantly reduced. Fortunately, Special Response HQ Unit 1 was not a highly specialized team.
“For map selection… let’s try to avoid narrow and complex terrain. Prioritize banning Deep Mine Path and Narrow Encounter. For the final ban, choose Wars of Yore.”
Yuki Asahi picked up a tablet and looked at the map list, recalling the routes he had memorized over the past two days.
“Is there no need to ban City Above the Clouds?” Kubo Tsubasa asked.
Even though City Above the Clouds was suspended in mid-air as its name suggested, there were large amounts of floating water orbs in the atmosphere.
“No need.” Yuki Asahi shook his head. “Onishi’s ability… there’s no need for us to conduct a targeted BP.”
“Alright, let’s get ready for lunch!”
……
On the other side, the atmosphere in the Supernatural Club’s waiting room followed a completely different style.
“Say hello to everyone, Momo!” Kaori Onishi held a selfie stick, pointing it at Saori Saiyonji. She was clearly in the middle of a live broadcast.
Having undergone half a year of idol training, Saori Saiyonji immediately switched into “business mode” the moment she faced the camera.
A polite smile appeared on her face. However, anyone could see that the smile carried a hint of exhaustion and reluctance.
But this was Saori Saiyonji’s persona in Southern Cross.
“What do you mean ‘Why is Momo wearing men’s clothes?’ It would be weirder if Momo wore women’s clothes for a match!” Kaori replied to the comments, making sure to read them out loud.
“Huh? ‘Make Momo do something fan-servicey?’ We’re preparing for a match! Look, this is Heyo, she’s busy thinking about the map selection!”
Yamanoi Yayoi’s cheeks flushed a bright red. She raised her tablet to cover her face and whispered, “Kaori… don’t do this…”
“Heehee, looks like Heyo is being shy.” Kaori moved the selfie stick away and continued reading comments. “Where’s Yuzuha? She went to the bathroom.”
“What’s this? ‘Kaorin, Momo (Peach), Yuzu (Citron)… Is this a fruit stall?’ Maybe it really is!”
Kaori turned her gaze toward Yuma Endou, who was buried deep in the sofa. After thinking for a long moment, she spoke again.
“Oh, and then there’s Yuma! The way he’s sunk into the sofa makes him look like a lazy orange… We’ll call him Mikan! Heyo can be the stall owner shouting for customers. We really are a fruit stall!”
“Oi! Why did the naming convention change for me?! And what’s the necessary connection between me, an orange, and being lazy?! Besides, who would shout ‘Heyo’ to sell things?! Are you acting in some niche drama I don’t know about?!” Yuma Endou couldn’t help but shout his retort.
“It’s a pseudonym! A pseudonym!” Kaori wagged her finger, looking like she was dealing with someone who understood nothing.
Yuma Endou looked like he was about to lose his mind. He turned to the other boy in the room, Saori Saiyonji.
Saori sighed and shook his head, whispering, “Just get used to it.”
As the resident “straight man” of the Supernatural Club, his energy for rebuttals had long since been drained dry.
Furthermore, the Supernatural Club had garnered a massive amount of attention after reaching the round of thirty-two, especially since they had two Southern Cross members.
Kaori Onishi, acting as the unofficial minister of foreign affairs, had seen her social media followers skyrocket. She was currently walking on air.
People had also started re-watching the Hokkaido vlog she had posted on YouTube. The viewers were shocked to discover that she was not only friends with the opposing captain, Yuki Asahi, but that the mysterious Jiang Jian Yue had also appeared in the video.
In this broadcast, someone inevitably asked about that.
“What’s my relationship with Yuki Asahi? We’re classmates!” Kaori’s cheeks turned slightly red. “Do I know Jiang Jian Yue? Of course! Senior Jiang and I are in the same club!”
Ever since Jiang Jian Yue’s identity as the missy of the Jiang family had been revealed, people who knew Kaori had been blowing up her phone.
The most anxious person was her father. He had begged his daughter to ask the Jiang family to help their family shop—a request that was simply too difficult to voice.
No matter how thick-skinned Kaori was, she didn’t dare say it to Jiang Jian Yue. Moreover, she hadn’t had much chance to see Jiang Jian Yue lately.
Even though Golden Week had ended, those participating in the tournament were naturally on leave, and Jiang Jian Yue was no exception.
“You want to see Jiang’s daily club life? No way! Where are the moderators? Ban this person!” Kaori gritted her teeth.
“I say,” Yuma Endou adjusted his glasses and put down his book. “Onishi, shouldn’t you be studying countermeasures instead of starting a livestream?”
“Ah… about that… the streamer is going mountain climbing now. See you later!” Kaori’s eyes darted around shiftily. She hurriedly said goodbye to her audience, leaving nearly 10,000 viewers in a cold, empty chat room.
Once the livestream ended, Saori Saiyonji finally spoke up more freely. “I don’t think there’s much point in studying countermeasures. The gap between us and Special Response HQ Unit 1 is too large.”
“If Yuma doesn’t roll a good ability, we’re basically doomed.”
“You saying that puts a lot of pressure on me,” Yuma Endou said helplessly.
“It’s fine, I’ve prepared a finishing move,” Kaori said with a giggle.
“Oh?” Saori was surprised, then let out a light chuckle. “Actually, I’ve prepared a finishing move too. I’ve already verified it with Makino.”
Yamanoi Yayoi looked at the two of them and said somewhat sheepishly, “I… I haven’t prepared anything…”
“Heyo doesn’t need to prepare! Your ability is already very powerful on its own,” Kaori comforted her. “Speaking of which, why isn’t Yuzuha back yet?”
On her way back from the bathroom, Makino Yuzuha bumped into Shadow Girl from Team art.
Makino Yuzuha had a deep impression of this powerful Liquid Metal User. Furthermore, because her foster parents were Chinese, she felt a natural affinity toward the Tokyo University students.
“Hello! You’re Makino from the Unrivaled High School Supernatural Club, right? I’m Shadow Girl.”
To Makino Yuzuha’s surprise, Shadow Girl had actually initiated the greeting. She even recited that ridiculously long team name with a serious expression.
“He… Hello! Please treat me well.” Makino Yuzuha hurriedly gave a small bow.
“You left quite an impression on me.” Shadow Girl had a friendly smile on her face.
“Eh? Me? For real?” Makino Yuzuha was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. She bowed again, her cheeks flushing. “I… Shadow Girl, you are very amazing. When I watch your matches, all I can feel is the gap between us.”
“Haha, there’s no need to look down on yourself.” Shadow Girl shook her head and continued, “I heard that the captain of your opponents for this round is your classmate?”
“Ah… yes, that’s right. Yuki is a member of our club.”
“Yuki is quite impressive. He hasn’t used his ability once yet. Do you have any measures to counter him?”
Vigilance immediately rose in Makino Yuzuha’s heart. ‘Another person trying to scout Yuki’s ability?’
Last time, Catherine of the Knights of the Round Table had also fished for information. If Saori hadn’t stopped her, Yuki’s ability would have been exposed.
“We’re also very troubled by that.” Makino Yuzuha put on a bitter smile. “There’s not much we can do, after all…”
An idea struck her, and she said, “After all, Yuki’s physical stats are so high. Even though his actual ability is very weak, it doesn’t really matter. He can just use his fists.”
“That’s true. But you all should work hard too!” Shadow Girl nodded and then glanced at her watch. “Ah, it’s about time for lunch. I’ll be going now… Good luck!”
After Shadow Girl left, Makino Yuzuha breathed a sigh of relief. Since he was her classmate, Makino Yuzuha definitely wanted to help him out. She only hoped that Yuki wouldn’t have to expose his ability before they met Team art. Perhaps it could serve as a hidden trump card.
‘Sigh, I really am such a good person.’
…..
“Welcome back to the New National Stadium, everyone! After a short midday break, the first match of the round of thirty-two is about to begin! Today, our local powerhouse, Special Response HQ Unit 1, faces off against the miraculous team of high schoolers—the Unrivaled High School Supernatural Club!”
As the live commentator, having to recite that long string of a team name was absolute torture. After seeing this, Jiang Jian Yue sent word to remind the commentator that they could use a shortened version.
At the entrance tunnels on both sides, the two teams were preparing to step out.
“Wah!” Yamanoi Yayoi covered her ears, her face flushed red.
At this moment, the magnificent stadium, which could hold tens of thousands of people, was packed to capacity. The noise was deafening. Huge circular screens were playing promotional videos for the teams produced by GSAC officials. Every highlight clip triggered a mountain of cheers and screams from the audience.
The air seemed to vibrate, mixed with electronic music, the roars of the crowd, and the sound of drums, all filtering through the heavy gates.
“Quick, look at the TV!” Kaori Onishi waved excitedly. She was putting on a show of enthusiasm, but a hint of nervousness was hidden deep in her green eyes.
“So many people!” Saori Saiyonji looked at the display on the monitor in the corridor, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes. He was used to the stage, but this pure, boiling frenzy for battle still made his palms sweat.
“Don’t panic.” Yuma Endou took a deep breath and pushed up his glasses. “Think about the surprise we prepared.”
“No matter how strong Yuki is… he’s still human, right?” He tried to make his voice sound steady, but the slight tremor at the end betrayed the anxiety in his heart.
On the other side, at the tunnel for Special Response HQ Unit 1.
Reina Hayami took several deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. “Wow… that sound… it feels like my heart is going to jump out of my chest!”
“Aren’t we going to strike a pose?” Kenichi Matsumoto looked left and right at his three silent teammates. Whether his voice was too low or for some other reason, no one responded to him.
The indicator light at the tunnel entrance turned from red to green.
The heavy gates slowly swung open, and a more violent wave of sound and blinding light instantly flooded in!
A certain independent commentator at home also took his feet off his chair and slammed his hands on the table. “They’re here, brothers! The roar of this crowd is about to blow the roof off the New National Stadium! 60,000 people!”
“But,” he said, his voice suddenly dropping to a whisper, “the atmosphere inside the player tunnels is a complete contrast of fire and ice, my friends!”