The Former Swordmaster Who Pretends to Be the Worst, and the School’s Top-Ranked Chairman’s Daughter Who’s Way Too Sweet in Public, It’s a Real Problem
“Dammit…! Shit, shit, shit, shit! Why can’t I win!?”
“You sure do keep coming back every day without ever learning your lesson… don’t you?”
――It’s been about two weeks since then.
During that time, Edward has come to my house every day after school to challenge me to a duel. It was mostly swordplay, but I kept turning down every single challenge. Today, just like every other day, he’s sprawled out in the garden, lying flat on his back.
But the red-haired boy won’t give up.
As he leaves, he always shouts, “I haven’t lost yet!”
“Wouldn’t it be better to channel that energy in a different direction?”
“Yeah. Especially with swordsmanship—there’s no way Saito-kun can win at this point…”
As I said this, resting my wooden sword on my shoulder, Rika, who had been sitting down watching the scene, agreed.
There was a sharp edge to my childhood friend’s words, but I understood her meaning. If challenged to a pure magic duel, I might lose. What Edward is doing is, in essence, continuing to fight on his opponent’s turf.
“……Hahaha, Agatsuma-san. There’s a reason for this.”
“A reason…?”
At his words, it was I who asked for clarification.
Edward then sat up slightly and said, looking at me.
“Ah, it’s meaningless unless I win by fighting on my opponent’s terms. Otherwise, I can’t prove my superiority. After all, I ‘absolutely must win’…”
“………………”
His voice was direct, almost too serious.
At that moment, I felt a faint sense of unease regarding Edward’s way of thinking. So,
“Why are you so obsessed with ‘winning’?”
“Huh…?”
When I asked him this straightforward question, his eyes widened in slight surprise.
But immediately, he gave a faint smile—
“Ah, well then, let me tell you a little story from the past.”
After saying that, he began to talk about his upbringing.
“…In the Lihuinburg family, victory was everything. The winner held the power to decide everything, and I was always second best.”
He gazed off into the distance and let out a small sigh.
“In fact, I’ve been constantly compared to others since I was a child. If I didn’t win, I wouldn’t be recognized—I wouldn’t even have a right to exist. The effort I put in pales in comparison to victory.”
At that point, Edward paused.
“In reality, the winner was given everything, and all that was left in my hands was—”
He stared at the palm of his right hand and clenched his fist tightly.
Then, with a forced smile, he concluded:
“So it’s only natural that ‘the winner gets to choose,’ isn’t it?”
After saying that, Edward took a deep breath.
Hearing about his past, I realized the true nature of the disconnect between him and me. The environment this boy grew up in is, first of all, incomparable to mine. So surely, adopting the way of thinking he described isn’t necessarily “wrong.”
In other words, in Edward’s mind, all his actions up to this point were simply a matter of course.
But even so—
“So, are you saying you’re going to ‘choose’ to stand by Rika’s side?”
I could see where he was going wrong.
When I asked him that, the red-haired boy wiped the sweat from his brow and replied.
“Yeah, that’s right. Because that’s my ‘natural right,’ isn’t it?”—he said.
With a gaze that didn’t doubt a single thing.
I took a deep breath before telling Edward what he was overlooking because he was so trapped by his own values.
“…But isn’t that just for your own convenience?”
“What…?”
The boy stopped wiping his brow and spoke in a quiet yet sharp voice.
But I didn’t flinch as I replied.
“True, the victor may have certain rights. In fact, I don’t know much about your family background, but perhaps that’s a valid way of thinking. But—”
Repeating myself, as if to confirm.
“That’s nothing more than your own convenience. Who you stand beside isn’t something to be ‘chosen,’ let alone ‘taken.’ Because—”
So that he might realize it.
I spoke as if praying for my words to reach him.
“Deciding who to place beside you is that person’s own freedom… isn’t it?”—I said.
That was surely another matter of course.
But it was undoubtedly something Edward had forgotten.
“…………!”
The red-haired boy was clearly shaken by my remark.
He gasped, trying to retort on the spot, but though his mouth moved, no sound came out. He was desperately trying to say something back, based on his own values.
But in the end, he had no choice but to fall silent,
“……Agatsuma-san”
He looked at Rika and muttered that, looking dazed.
My childhood friend simply met his gaze head-on, affirming my words.
Then, he stared at the palms of his own hands.
Edward’s hands trembled slightly, as if revealing the conflict within him. And then, after a brief moment had passed—
“……I’m sorry. I’m going to take my leave for today.”
After saying that, he slowly stood up.
He picked up his wooden sword and turned his back on me.
“Edward…”
There was no usual “I haven’t lost yet!” this time.
Edward’s retreating back looked smaller than ever.
Maiban