She questioned me with a suspicious voice, perhaps not quite grasping what I had just said.
“Tag? Is that what you mean?
Does that mean a contest where I cut you down while you’re playing the ‘Oni’ (demon)? Is that your understanding?”
“You’ve got it all wrong!”
It was entirely wrong, in fact.
What kind of violent, real-life tag is that?!
The content hasn’t changed at all from a fight to the death. It’s as if it’s already assumed I’ll be killed.
“It’s not like that. You’re confident in your speed, aren’t you?
Well, I’m confident in my speed when it comes to running away.
So, how about we settle it with that?”
However, she shook her head, clearly unconvinced by my proposal.
“You seemed to be caught up with quite easily earlier.”
“That’s because the conditions weren’t right.
If I run with everything I’ve got, without any reservations, you absolutely won’t be able to catch me.”
“…Hmm.”
Her impudent remark seemed to have slightly offended even her.
Her cat ears perked up, letting out a soft “myun.”
…So cute.
No, while she’s certainly cute, that’s not the point. I have no intention of backing down here.
I might have found a way to escape from someone I shouldn’t be able to escape from.
I wanted to take a gamble on it.
“…Understood.”
Hisame was the first to concede.
Though her expression remained unchanged, a hint of exasperation flickered within it as she spoke.
“If you insist to that extent, then I have no objections to the method of our match.
However, what about a time limit?
Frankly, I’m confident I can catch you within ten seconds. So, how long…”
“Ten minutes.”
I cut Hisame off and stated the duration.
“…Are you sane?”
“I’m perfectly sane.”
My cold eyes met hers.
We stared at each other in silence for a moment.
“You don’t appear to be lying.”
It seems her eyes also function as a lie detector.
That’s too convenient, Miss Cheater.
“So, what about the use of weapons?
Are they to be completely prohibited, as expected?”
To that question, I shook my head.
“No, I won’t restrict the use of weapons.
I have no intention of letting even a scratch from your attack land on me.”
“You speak with great bravado.”
As she said that, I was sweating bullets internally.
This was actually a choice made out of desperation.
If things didn’t go according to my plan, I’d have no chance of winning a mere chase with her, without even using weapons.
In that case, it would be better to at least have a combat situation.
Though, “better” would be a relative term.
“In exchange for that, or rather, I have a preparation of my own.
Give me a full day.”
“A day?”
This was the crucial part.
If she insisted on fighting right now, I’d have no chance of winning.
By any means necessary, I had to push the conversation forward.
“Ah. Right…”
Now, how should I explain the timing?
Looking at my watch for a basis of judgment, the time was past 8:30.
This should be fine.
“Then, let’s set the start of our match for approximately 24 hours from now.
Tomorrow at 9 AM.”
In this town, I believe a bell chimes at multiples of three o’clock.
It’s a round number and easy to remember.
“Tomorrow at 9 AM, no, come to the front of that inn five minutes before.
The ten minutes starting from exactly 9 o’clock, that will be our match time.
If you can touch me within those ten minutes, you win.
Otherwise, I win. How does that sound?”
“…Very well.”
Fortunately, Hisame didn’t argue and agreed to the date and time of our match.
However, this is where the real challenge begins.
I had to wrap things up quickly.
“That’s all I have regarding the direct rules of the match.
However, before that, there are a few conditions I need you to agree to.”
“Conditions?”
I nodded.
“First, regardless of the match, please do not lay a hand on Ena, the girl who was with me until just now.”
“I had no intention of doing so.”
“Even so. Promise me.”
When I spoke with more force, she nodded with a casual gesture.
“Then I promise not to harm her.
However, that doesn’t apply if she attacks me first.”
“That’s enough.”
Hisame can be capricious, but she keeps her promises.
With this, I don’t have to worry too much about Ena.
In the worst-case scenario, it will just be my death.
I felt considerably more at ease.
“And one more thing.
Until the match begins, I don’t want you to approach me.
I want to believe you’re not the type to ambush, but I can’t relax thinking about being attacked before the match or having my preparations spied on.”
No, I truly believed she wouldn’t do such a thing, but this was important.
I put some distance between myself and Hisame.
“This distance, about three meters.
Until at least the time of our match, I don’t want you to come any closer than this.”
This was a completely selfish request, I knew.
Whether Hisame would agree to this demand was still unknown…
“It’s an unnecessary concern.
However, if you insist, I will promise that.”
Alright, she took the bait!
I mentally cheered and reiterated.
“…You’re sure?
If you agree, then from this moment on, if you enter within a three-meter radius of me before the match, you lose without the match even beginning.”
“I said I have no objections.”
I got her word.
This made things much easier.
However, the moment I breathed a sigh of relief, Hisame began her own inquiries.
“In exchange, though not necessarily, there are two things I would like to confirm.”
“…What is it?”
Had she seen through my intentions?
I asked back nervously, thinking so, but all she asked was something completely different.
“You still haven’t told me something important.
If you win, what do you intend to demand of me?”
“Ah…”
I had been so focused on getting out of this situation that I completely forgot.
“Uh, that, uh, well…”
The one-on-one event with her was meant to recruit Hisame to my side.
So, if I won and desired it, she would surely become my ally.
However, honestly, making Hisame an ally and triggering her consecutive events right now would be suicidal.
I would definitely die somewhere along the way.
Perhaps choosing something trivial would be best…
What does one demand in such a situation?
Money? Or perhaps equipment?
“Since you are staking your life, I will prepare a suitable reward.
My capabilities are limited, but within those limits, I will grant anything.”
“Anything?!”
The word “anything” is a captivating phrase that ignites the desires of any young person.
Does “anything” mean I could spend the whole day petting Hisame’s cat ears?
By the way, what does petting cat ears even entail?
I don’t even understand that part, but for some reason, I desperately want to try it!
But I suppressed my desires and shook my head.
“No, I don’t need anything.
For now, there’s nothing I want from you or wish to demand.
If I had to say something, it would be that I don’t want you to accept such life-or-death serious matches from now on.”
“You don’t require my strength?”
Had her pride been hurt by not being asked, she said that, but well, it was the truth.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t be a combatant, but that her derivative events were too dangerous to keep by my side.
I chose my words carefully.
“Of course, if you were to lend me your strength, I would feel more secure.
However, if there’s no immediate danger, I’d prefer to take things easy on my own.”
“Is that so? You are a strange person.”
Her tone remained cold, and her speech was blunt, but Hisame’s taut cat ears twitched slightly forward, “punyun,” during our exchange.
Perhaps she had let her guard down just a little.
“So, that’s that.
Now then, what’s the second thing?”
But the moment I asked, I noticed a change in her demeanor.
Her previous attitude vanished as if it were a lie, and she said with terrifying seriousness:
“Can you swear one more time that if you lose this match, you will offer your life?”
Was this the weight of her feelings toward a serious match?
At that moment, it felt as if something tangible pressed down on my body.
Resisting that pressure, I slowly but clearly declared:
“…Yes. I will stake my life on this match.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Hisame’s pressure receded.
“I see. Then, I have nothing further to say.”
Saying that, she turned to leave without any lingering regrets.
The pre-match rule-setting and negotiations were over.
It would have been best for me to end the conversation here.
“Wait!”
Yet, for some reason, I called out to Hisame.
“Something?”
There was no expression on her face as she turned around.
Her cat ears also reflected no emotion other than interest in me at that moment.
She was utterly serene.
Even though we had decided to risk our lives just a few minutes ago.
“Hey, why are you so insistent on these life-or-death duels?”
This was a question I’d always had about her since the game, but had never received a proper answer to.
I knew it was wrong to expect such depth from a game character of ‘Nekoneko,’ but perhaps in this world, where she was a reality…
“I am aware that my values are somewhat skewed from the norm, but I believe that what is precious lies beyond the threshold of death.”
To my hopeful question, she answered with ease.
“I see…”
I thought she was simply a Battle junkie, but she had her own beliefs. I learned that from her response.
I couldn’t empathize, but I could understand.
“So, that’s why you attacked me out of nowhere and tried to kill me?”
I thought it was far too sudden.
Perhaps she was trying to gauge my sinfulness or its severity by seeing if I could cross the line between life and death.
That was a preposterous line of reasoning, but if there was such a reason, it would at least make sense.
I voiced this thought, but she responded with a look of disbelief.
“What are you talking about?
I would never actually kill someone over such a flimsy excuse!
You seemed unexpectedly interesting, so I merely wanted to test your abilities with a little intimidation.”
“Is that so? I see…”
Huh?
Wait?
Just hold on a second?
Wait, wait, wait?
She said that so casually.
But she just said that so casually.
Could it be that what she just said was… an incredibly reckless statement?
No, surely not, but is that it?
If I had dodged Hisame’s attack at the beginning…
Or if I hadn’t brought up the idea of a serious match midway…
Would Hisame have stopped her attack just before hitting me and said, “I was just testing you,” ending the fight there?
But instead, I deliberately brought up a deathmatch, getting Hisame, who initially had no intention of killing me, all fired up and challenging her to a life-or-death battle?
Did I just make an incredibly redundant and irreparable mistake?!
“Well then, see you again…”
Seeing me suddenly dejected, she probably thought she couldn’t deal with this anymore.
She turned her back to me again and started to walk away.
Her revelation had indeed been a shock, and I’d learned that while she might seem like a reckless Battle junkie, she had her limits.
(That’s precisely why I don’t want to do something like this sneak attack, but…)
There are certainly things that one cannot easily give up.
For me, my own life is undoubtedly one of them.
And if there are necessary steps to protect it, I will not hesitate to take them.
So…
(High Step!)
I used my **Skill** and lunged towards Hisame’s back.
