The first to launch an attack was Hera.
“Hah—”
With a short exhale, she unleashed a powerful yet graceful flying kick aimed straight at Ireen-senpai.
Ireen-senpai, mesmerized by the elegance of Hera’s kick for a moment, quickly dodged with practiced ease and countered with a hook aimed at Hera.
However, just as Ireen-senpai’s hook was about to connect, I stepped between them and blocked it with my raised leg. Even though I had blocked it with my leg, the sheer weight behind her hook made me almost let out a groan.
“Ugh…”
“You blocked that well… Do you have some martial arts experience?”
“It’s all self-taught…!”
I lightly kicked off the ground with my other foot and spun in the air, aiming a high kick at Ireen-senpai. But just as my kick was about to land, Burge-senpai intercepted, blocking my kick with one hand.
“Isn’t it a little cruel to ignore me?”
“Sorry, Burge-senpai. I was just trying to protect Hera…”
“Well then, how about focusing on me from now on?”
“My apologies. This is a 2v2 match, after all.”
I narrowly dodged Burge-senpai’s fierce attacks, using my physical abilities and sharp reflexes. If I had tried to block, I knew that the part I used would be out of commission for sure.
“Y-your attacks are way too strong! How do you pack so much power into them?!”
While dodging one of Burge-senpai’s low kicks by jumping, I managed to adjust my posture mid-air and put some distance between us. I glanced over at Hera, who had also created some space between herself and Ireen-senpai.
“Shin-kun, I don’t think I can win alone,” Hera said, sounding a bit apologetic.
I was taken aback by such a negative statement from her.
For Hera to outright say she couldn’t win… And yet, despite my superior physical strength compared to Burge-senpai, I was barely able to fend off his attacks. Were they both just that strong?
“You’re incredible! A freshman with this level of skill!” Burge-senpai praised.
“No, no! Hera-san is so strong, I feel like I’m about to lose! And I’m supposed to be a martial arts prodigy!” Ireen-senpai exclaimed.
“Same here! Shin dodged almost all of my attacks. He’s going to be a real force to reckon with in the future!” Burge-senpai added.
Apparently, both Ireen-senpai and Burge-senpai were martial arts prodigies. No wonder Ireen-senpai could unleash such powerful, heavy blows despite not having more muscle mass than me. And now it made more sense why dodging Burge-senpai’s attacks was the best I could manage.
Facing these two without magic was going to be tough. Hera must have realized this too, as she turned to me.
“Shin-kun, what should we do?”
“Don’t worry about me, Hera. Move as you like. I’ll cover for you.”
“Are you sure? I’ve never coordinated with anyone before, so I might do something reckless.”
“It’s fine. Trust me.”
I nodded confidently at Hera’s words.
After all, I’d watched her fight scenes hundreds, if not thousands, of times. I had also studied her combat style thoroughly in fan books. Even if she had made a pact with a dark god, I’d already simulated multiple ways to save her, based on the original story’s attack patterns. I had no doubt in my mind.
“Is your strategy meeting over? From here on, we’ll get serious!” Burge-senpai shouted.
“I need to give it my all too! If I don’t, I might lose!” Ireen-senpai added.
As soon as the two said this, Hera bolted towards them.
I followed right behind her.
“Hah—!”
Hera exhaled sharply and kicked off the ground, launching herself into the air. She aimed a powerful heel drop at Ireen-senpai from above. At that moment, I—
“Excuse me, Senpais.”
“W-whoa!?”
“Guh…!”
I swept Ireen-senpai’s legs out from under her just as she looked up to defend against Hera’s attack, causing her to lose her balance. With one hand still on the ground, I delivered a powerful kick toward Burge-senpai. This made it impossible for either of them to block or interfere with Hera’s attack.
“Hyaaaaah!”
“Kyaaaa!!”
“Leeeen!!”
Unable to properly defend herself, Ireen-senpai let out a scream as she was sent flying by Hera’s heel drop. But Burge-senpai, who had quickly recovered, leaped into the air to aim a punch at the airborne Hera.
“Did you forget about me?”
“Wha—?!”
I slipped between Burge-senpai and Hera, meeting his fist with a full-force punch of my own. Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to stop Burge-senpai’s punch, but since he was caught off guard, his stance was compromised, and I managed to deflect his attack.
Our fists collided with a loud boom, sending us both flying backward.
“Hera!”
“What a brilliant assist, Shin-kun! Hyaaaaah!!”
“Guh… Lean!”
“This is getting really bad!!”
As Burge-senpai and I exchanged places, Hera and Ireen-senpai’s kicks clashed in mid-air. In the end, the one who won this showdown was—
“Hyaaaaah!!”
“There’s no way I can block that—!”
“D-don’t come crashing into me—! Ugh!!”
It was Hera.
With a perfectly aimed kick, she sent Ireen-senpai flying into Burge-senpai, and the two of them crashed to the ground with a loud thud. As they lay there in a tangled heap, I quickly landed and rushed over, placing my hand in a karate chop position over their necks.
“That’s our win, right?”
“…Yeah. You’ve won this time.”
“I surrender too. My leg’s killing me, so I’m done for.”
Hearing them both admit defeat, I removed my hands from their necks—just as a shock ran through my body.
Confused, I suddenly felt something soft and warm pressed against my back. Turning around nervously, I found—
“We did it! This is the first time I’ve enjoyed fighting alongside someone, Shin-kun! Thank you!”
Hera, her rare excitement showing, was hugging me. With a childlike grin on her face, she was giggling and playing around, clearly overjoyed—but—
“Shin-kun! Shin-ku—”
“Hera-san! Shin-kun has already fainted!!”
“What!?”
—Unable to withstand the overwhelming reality of my beloved oshi hugging me, I experienced my second death by overwhelming bliss.
