Chapter 560:
The Bear Feels Agitated
THE GIRLS’ MATCH WAS OVER, so the boys were up next. We had all headed off the field to let them do their thing. Shia and I left the ring of girls to go back to Noa.
“Shia, Yuna, you did great! Shia, t was too bad that your flag was taken, but you looked so amazing when you switched to offense. And you looked amazing protecting your flag, Yuna,” Noa gushed.
“Thank you,” Shia and I responded simultaneously.
According to Noa, Shia had made a reputation for herself around the academy, so she’d been matched up with a really skilled student. At first, she was just barely keeping up, but when another person joined, the pair overwhelmed her and took the flag. Once Shia had lost her flag, though, she switched tactics to go on the offensive and defeated her opponent, earning one flag.
Noa filled me in on all the match details I’d missed. Then after the new flags were set up and the gouges in the field were tidied, the boys’ match started. The girls started cheering them on right away. Shouts erupted all around us. Since the girls from both academies were cheering on the boys, they tried to show off for us, and the match hit a fever pitch.
Ah, youth... This was all too much for a shut-in like me.
“Get ’em! Look out! Oh no, their flag got taken down. That was an amazing display of magic. They did it! They took a flag.”
Noa was getting worked up. Maybe this is how she’d been cheering on our match too?
The game continued, and while we saw some strategizing in the beginning, once they got to the endgame, it was an all-out sprint. They’d taken down each other’s flags, so only one remained on each team. Both the boys who had lost their flags ran to position so that they could go after the final flags in pairs. Both the offense and defense were actively repositioning as spells flew back and forth. They took aim at the flag. They protected the flag. They volleyed back and forth for a while.
But in any battle of two against one, the pair had the advantage. The offense steadily inched forward. The cheers of encouragement became more strained. The final flag that the Yufarian students were protecting went down. At first, I thought that the capital had won—but it looked like the capital’s flag had gone down at the same time.
Who won?
All the students stared at the teachers, who served as the referees. We watched with bated breath. The teachers talked among themselves, then announced their decision.
“Because both flags went down at the same time, it’s a draw.”
“Oh.”
“Just a little bit faster...” I started hearing people murmur around me.
I guess the boys’ match was also a tie. It wasn’t like we had instant replay to figure out who scored first, so this seemed like the right decision.
At the end of the day, both matches ended in a draw. But since I’d participated in the first match, maybe that meant the capital was lagging behind, overall?
Now that the boys’ match was wrapped up, the gathering came to a close. Apparently, they were going to bring food to the field so everyone could eat together. I thought about slipping off back to the inn, but Noa was having such a fun time talking to Shia that I couldn’t just ditch. I tried to stay at the outer edges of the gathering to avoid attracting attention, but the girls surrounded me once again, preventing my escape.
“Do you live in Crimonia, Youna?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“And you’re friends with Shia?”
“Yeah.”
“Won’t you join the academy?”
“Do you have any plans to?”
The girls had completely cut off my escape route. I tried to signal for Noa’s or Shia’s help, but neither of them were nearby.
“Really? If you come to our school, we’ll definitely beat Yufaria.”
“But then you won’t make it in next year.”
“The upperclassmen will graduate, so I’ll do just fine.”
“There might be even better students coming in next year.”
The girls laughed. I just nodded along randomly, trying to think up an escape strategy, but then the Yufarian students came by. They were the girls I’d fought against.
“Well, we lost this time.”
“I’m disappointed, but you were so good!”
“I’m surprised you use this cute thing as your medium.”
The first girl I’d fought grabbed me by the bear puppet.
“I was floored when I saw your magic was coming from these bears. They’re so soft, so nice to touch.”
The girl who faced off with me using water magic piped up.
“Maybe I’ll switch from a wand to something like this too.”
I wouldn’t mind it, but she’d have to choose some other animal, not bears.
“I’d like to battle you next year too. So wait, you weren’t a student?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why don’t you join Yufaria’s academy? We’ll be able to win against the capital next year for sure.”
What is this, a rerun?
“No way. Youna is joining the capital’s academy.”
“She’s allowed to choose where she wants to go.”
“She’s Shia’s friend, so she’ll go to the capital, of course.”
“Competing against a friend could be fun too.”
The girls started to argue with each other. If I were more of a normie, I would’ve said something like, “Just let it go, guys,” but I wasn’t that socially savvy.
I slowly edged away to make my escape.
“Haah...”
I got away from everyone and took a deep, deep breath. I was exhausted after being surrounded by all the students. It was a totally different kind of tired than when I was surrounded by little kids.
“What are you doing alone in a place like this, Yuna?”
“Seleiyu?!”
For a sec, I had no idea who had come up to me.