The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

"I forfeit!"

"Forfeit accepted."

"???"

Eiji typed out a string of question marks in his mind.

He had spent so long building up his momentum, only to have it cut off before he could even let it out.

For a moment, he felt like he was stuck—unable to go up, yet unable to come down either.

Seriously?

Can't you at least give me a chance to show off?

Don't leave me hanging like this!

"Just as expected!"

"Even after coming back, the result's still the same."

"Subduing the enemy without fighting—that makes twelve times in a row!"

A wave of chatter rose from the spectator stands.

A certain tall, burly classmate (who wished to remain anonymous) voiced his unsurprised opinion, spouting a stiff Chinese proverb that had the surrounding onlookers nodding along.

Eiji didn't understand.

But if everyone else was nodding, he might as well nod too—just to avoid looking uncultured.

"We didn't get to see a fight."

"Wasn't seeing Angel-sama enough?"

Just getting to witness the school legend make his return after a month was more than enough to satisfy them.

"Contestant Eiji Nangou wins! With this, he has now achieved fifteen consecutive victories. It seems his spot as a representative in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival is all but guaranteed! Sniff I'm so moved!"

Moved your ass!

With the match officially called, Eiji could only leave the stage with his unsatisfied, "hanging" mood.

What's with this atmosphere where I'm the only one not having fun?

Is it really that hard to shake off the "Fallen Angel" nickname?

"Umm, could I… shake your hand?"

A doll-faced girl approached him, then eagerly pulled out a marker and a set of photos from her bag, handing them over.

"If possible, could you also sign these for me?"

Eiji took the photos, his lips twitching slightly.

They were his photobook collection!

The one that sold for 100,000 yen a set!

This senpai seemed to be one of his customers, so refusing was out of the question.

"Yay! I got Angel-sama's autograph! This marker has been touched by the Angel-sama—I'll pass it down as a family heirloom! And I'm never washing this hand again!"

"One million yen—selling the autograph?"

"Bullshit! One million won't cut it. I'll pay two!"

"Wow, the handwriting's all wobbly… so unique! As expected of Angel-sama!"

Eiji: This Eiji has never been much for school.

Sorry for not having better handwriting.

But as everyone knew, no matter what flaws an idol might have, as long as they had a pretty face, their fans would endlessly forgive them.

***

"Junior brother!"

Not long after leaving the stage, Touka rushed up to him.

With a radiant smile, she threw herself into Eiji's arms.

Clearly, she had missed him dearly—so much so that she didn't even care about the shocked looks from the people around them.

At this rate, rumors like "The Fallen Angel-sama has been claimed by the Student Council President!" would probably spread by tomorrow.

Eiji gently patted her back.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt a gaze on him.

From under her parasol, Kanata the Rich Girl glanced his way, a faint smile on her lips.

"Glad you're okay."

Her lips silently formed the words.

Eiji winked at her in response.

Kanata's cheeks flushed slightly pink. Flustered, she glanced around before wordlessly lowering her parasol to cover her eyes.

It wasn't just Touka who had been lonely this past month.

Completely oblivious to the silent exchange between her junior brother and her best friend, Touka continued nuzzling against Eiji's chest, her expression one of pure bliss.

As evening fell…

Amid the enthusiastic farewells of his fans, the trio barely managed to extricate themselves from the crowd and leave the arena.

"Junior brother, where did you get all this stuff?"

Noticing the two large backpacks on Eiji's back, Touka couldn't help but ask.

"Ah, just some souvenirs I picked up while traveling… I'll give you some later."

Eiji answered vaguely.

By steering the topic toward gifts, he successfully diverted Touka's attention—now she was eagerly looking forward to what he'd brought back for her.

"If you were fine, why didn't you answer your phone? Not even a single message?"

Kanata's gaze lingered briefly on the smaller backpack before she calmly asked her question.

He didn't throw away the bag I gave him… Good.

"My student handbook ran out of battery. I hadn't used the thing in two months—no, wait, one month."

Eiji shrugged.

After just a few days in the Danmachi world, his student handbook had died, and since he had no way to recharge it, he'd kept it powered off until now.

Thanks to that, when he first returned, he'd genuinely thought he'd been disqualified and wouldn't be able to continue competing.

"But, speaking of which… how the hell did I manage to keep a flawless record despite missing over a dozen matches?"

"Because all your opponents forfeited!"

Touka, still clinging to Eiji's arm, cheerfully explained.

"Over the past month, aside from your first three matches, every single one of your opponents—including today's—forfeited as soon as they stepped onto the stage. You've got some amazing luck, junior brother!"

Twelve matches… and every single opponent forfeited?

Since when does something this good happen?

Did my "luck in big matters" kick in again?

Ahem!

A deliberate, exaggerated cough came from beside them.

"Kanata, are you okay? Do you have a cold?"

Touka hadn't forgotten her best friend just because her junior brother was back. Hearing the cough, she turned with a concerned look.

"It's nothing. Just a bit of a sore throat."

Kanata replied without changing her expression, then blinked her emerald-green eyes meaningfully at Eiji.

Ah. Got it.

This had nothing to do with luck—Kanata the Rich Girl had been pulling strings behind the scenes for him!

As the chairman of the tournament's operating committee, Kanata had full authority over the selection process. She could even rearrange matchups with ease. With her influence, it was no surprise he could qualify without lifting a finger.

Rich girls are the best!

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow~"

Avoiding Touka's gaze, Eiji mouthed the words silently, throwing Kanata a suggestive look.

Memories of their last encounter in the clothing store fitting room flashed through Kanata's mind, and her heart skipped a beat. She nearly fumbled her parasol but quickly steadied it.

Yet, despite her composure, the heat in her cheeks refused to fade. Beneath the shade of her parasol, her eyes glistened like pools of water.

"Junior brother, let me carry one of those for you!"

"No need. This weight's nothing to me!"

"Huh? Junior brother, your stamina's improved so much?"

Carrying such heavy bags for so long without even breaking a sweat left Touka utterly shocked.

Just a month apart, and he'd already grown this much stronger?

An ordinary person training for a year might not even reach this level.

"Heh! Just how much stronger I've gotten… I'll let you experience it firsthand tonight, senior sister."

Eiji leaned in, whispering into Touka's ear.

Her face immediately flushed red, and she shot him a shy yet expectant glance—one that held no refusal, only anticipation.

***

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