147-Spring and jenga




 
 A Jenga made of earth magic collapses at the entrance of the shrine.

''Ahhhh! It collapsed again!

'Yes, Spring lost again! Spring broke it down, so Spring should pick up the blocks and make a tower out of it, right?

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!'

 When I said it to provoke him, Spring, with a frustrated look in her teeth, scraped up the blocks and started building a tower.

''Oh, you've gotten pretty good at building towers, as expected,''

"Gggggh, Al has a bad character.

Why? I'm just complimenting Spring on her deftness?

It's about that!

 I said in a huff, and Spring pointed a finger vigorously at me.

 However, it seems that Jenga hit him when he raised his arm, and the piled up tower collapsed with a clatter again.

''Ahhhh!''

'Oh my God, I'm down again. Let's make another one.

 I can't help but chuckle at Spring's mournful voice. What a promise, or rather a contrivance, she is a girl who does things like that.

I'm not sure why I'm the only one who loses. I just pull out the blocks and stack them on top of each other...

'The spring will force me to pull out my blocks. We have to be more careful about pulling out blocks and leaving them where they don't want to be.

See, I knew Al had a bad personality!

 Spring tried to lift a finger again, but stopped when she reminded herself that she was in the middle of making Jenga.

 It's a shame, because Jenga was almost down.

'Because play and games are, in the extreme, just do what they don't want you to do.

"Hmmm, do we have to shoot each other's magic now?

 Sure, that's something I don't like, but it's not Jenga's game.

'Sure, I don't like it, but do it within the bounds of Jenga's playbook, okay?

Tsk... okay.

 Didn't I just click my tongue out? I wish girls would stop doing this because it's a scary gap between them and what they look like.

'Okay, we've got it! Let's have another go!

 Spring, who has stacked the towers, says so, and I start playing Jenga again.

 In the early stages, it doesn't matter where you pull out the towers, they generally don't collapse, so they swiftly pull out and stack each other.

 Then, when the balance of Jenga gradually becomes unbalanced, that's when it's time to start playing.

 I slowly push the block in the middle of Jenga with my index finger.

 Then Jenga, pushed by my finger, comes out of the block like a slippery liquid.

 It came out safely and I piled it up.

 Hmmm, I've pulled out a guy who's going to be quite unbalanced if I get out of the block now. If Spring, who is next in line, tries to bypass it, it will collapse at once.

''Yes, Spring is next.''

 Spring observes Jenga with a serious look on her face when I prompt her. He's probably looking for where he shouldn't pull out and where it's easy to pull out.

 I lightly poke at him with my finger and then watch the block.



It's all in your head.

 If I poke around too much like that, Jenga's balance would be even more unbalanced.

'Mmm, I think I can do it here!

 As I was thinking about that, Spring had assessed the block and used both hands to carefully pull out the block at the end.......

''........Spring.

I'm in the middle of something. Don't talk to me.

No, because Spring is holding Jenga down with her hands, right?

I didn't hold it.

Okay, once you take your left hand off.

..........

 Spring's movements froze when I told her to remove her left hand.

 Probably because I had been poking him with my fingers so much earlier, Jenga's balance became unbalanced and he lost his balance in the middle of pulling it out.

'Here, try removing your left hand.

 As I said this, I slowly pushed Spring's left hand away and instantly Jenga collapsed.


 ◆


With Al, it's not funny because I'm the only one who loses.

 Spring says, his cheeks puffed out as he looks at the crumbling Jenga in front of him.

 Well, we've been losing so much. It's not surprising that he would complain about it.

''Well, do you want to bring someone else in?''

'But Shuichi and Rumba can't because they're practicing, can they?

 When I looked away from the shrine, I saw Shuichi and Rumba with their wooden swords practicing a striking match.

 There, Lumumba was swinging his wooden sword vigorously and Shuichi was avoiding it with fluid movements.

'Shuichi is very good at avoiding it for his age!

''The basic rule of combat for swordsmen using swords is to avoid the opponent's attacks!

 Swords, like swords, are useless if they are violently struck together, as they quickly bend or break. It's also necessary to avoid the attack of the opponent and strike precisely at the vital point where there is no armor.

''But is this the battle of an exotic adventurer? It's a very different sword from the rough and tumble swordsman.

'Oh? This is just the beginning, okay? Most adventurers are dirtier than that, huh?

 Indeed, the sword wielded by Lumumba is more mature than usual.

 Probably because they don't understand Shuichi's strength well, they can't bypass him. I'm afraid that if I exert my power, I'll blow Shuichi away.

''For example, kicking up the dirt like this to blind them!

'Whoa! It's not fair to kick up dirt!

'Gahaha! Because you won't survive if you talk neatly like that!

 Roomba smiles broadly at Shuichi as he wipes his eyes.

''Ore, I'd do it too!''

'Oh! Yeah, come on, more!

 .........Spring was right, it looks like they're really into practice over there. Why don't we jenga the two of them who are so motivated? And of course, if I asked him to come, he would refuse.

'So, do you want to call the people behind the shrine?'

Hmm? Are there others out there besides us?

'There's someone watching us all the time, don't you know Haru and Shuichi or something?'

'Hmm, I think it's probably my escort, Kaede! Kaede would play with me, bring her along!

 Spring, who plainly reveals that he is of such a status that he is being escorted.

 Well, both of them are somewhat different in style from those citizens, too. This is what I expected.

 I'm a nobleman being escorted by a rumba, so let's not worry about it.

I'm sure you'll be able to find it. Then I'll go get him.

 I say that to Spring and go around the back of the shrine, oblivious to the signs.

 I'm sensitive to the air around the area when I keep shifting through spatial magic. And I'm confident in my ability to sense the presence at home because I hide and run away from Elinora Sis on a daily basis.

 Like when I run away from Elinora's sister, I slowly advance my steps so that they don't notice me.

 When I went around to the bushes in this way, I saw what appeared to be a female figure wearing a red kagura suit.

 The pattern on her back is the same as Kojiro's, but is it just my imagination?

 Well, it is definitely a swordsman or someone who is a bodyguard since he has a sword at his waist.

 The whole time he's been stationed in a position where he can see me and Haru, this is the person I've been eyeing from earlier.

 The woman, perhaps not noticing me behind her, is staring at Haru, who is piling up Jenga.

''Haha, piling up Jenga, Haru-sama is cute...''

 A woman muttering to herself while her cheeks are somewhat upturned.

 Is this person really the escort Kaede?

 I can only think of her as a mere pervert looking at the girl.......

''.........Um, is it Kaede-san?''

Nuh-uh-uh?

 I call out to her fearfully, and she stands up, screaming frantically. She steps back to get away from me, but the bushes are there and she gets her foot caught and falls down with a flourish.

 Did I startle you? I feel like I've done something wrong.

 The woman's shouting and the sound of the bushes may have been heard, but Haru, who was in front of the shrine, is coming towards us.

'Oh! Kaede was in that place! Kaede's going to play Jenga too!

Yes?