How to Handle a Yandere Harem - Chapter 35

The arena was set…

The gym buzzed with energy as the first match of the Augmented Reality Gladiators (ARG) tournament was about to begin. Makoto and Adriel stood side by side, each with their AR glasses firmly in place, watching as their opponents materialized into the virtual battlefield. The avatars mirrored their physical forms but were enhanced with glowing armor and sleek weapons, ready for combat.

Makoto adjusted his glasses, glancing at Adriel. “You ready?”

Adriel nodded, trying to steady himself. He was a bag of nerves. “Yeah, let’s do this.”

On the other side of the arena, their opponents — three boys from various grades — stood glaring daggers at them, their avatars towering with exaggerated muscularity, clearly customized to be as intimidating as possible. Their real-world counterparts shot venomous looks at Makoto and Adriel, fueled by envy.

(How does he have Alexia as a girlfriend?!) thought one boy, cracking his knuckles as his avatar’s fists shimmered with energy.

(And Adriel, that weak D-rank, gets to date Emma?!) another boy mentally raged, his avatar’s sword glowing with digital flame.

“They don’t deserve them!” one of the boys growled, his voice distorted by the AR system. “We’re gonna teach you two a valuable lesson!”

Makoto raised an eyebrow at the declaration. “Are they seriously mad because of who we’re dating?”

Adriel scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously. “Seems like it…”

One of the boys shouted across the arena, pointing his finger at Adriel. “You! How did you even get Emma to like you? You’re a total nobody!”

Adriel blinked, genuinely caught off guard. “Uh… well, I’m not sure. She just… does?” He tried to sound modest, but it only seemed to fuel their opponents’ anger even more.

Makoto sighed. “You’re really not helping.”

“I’m just trying to be honest!” Adriel protested.

Makoto shook his head. “That’s the problem.”

The boys’ avatars lunged forward, attacking in sync, their glowing weapons slashing through the air. Adriel and Makoto barely dodged the initial strikes, their own avatars stumbling backward as the fight began.

“Why don’t you just admit you tricked them into liking you!” one of the boys shouted, his avatar swinging a massive hammer toward Makoto.

Makoto parried the blow, his avatar’s shield shimmering with defensive energy. “Tricked? I’m pretty sure Alexia could snap me in half if she wanted to. Trust me, there’s no tricking involved.”

Adriel, narrowly avoiding a fireball from one of the other boys, tried to interject, “Look, we get it! You guys are upset, but maybe we could talk about this instead of — whoa!” He ducked just in time as a glowing spear flew past his head. “— fighting?”

The boys’ attacks only grew even more aggressive, their jealousy driving them to reckless moves.

(Why does he have Emma?! It doesn’t make sense!) one thought as his avatar unleashed a barrage of magic missiles in Adriel’s direction.

(They act so casually about it! It’s infuriating!) another boy grumbled, swinging his sword in frustration toward Makoto.

Makoto, ever calm, sidestepped the attack and countered with a precise strike, his avatar’s blade glowing as it connected with one of their opponents, sending the boy’s avatar flying backward. He looked over at Adriel, who was still trying to reason with them.

“Adriel, stop talking! Just fight.”

Adriel sighed. “But I don’t want to make them feel worse! Maybe we could —”

“Too late!” Makoto interrupted, blocking another attack with his shield. “They’re already mad enough!”

One of the boys, enraged by how easily Makoto was handling their attacks, screamed in frustration. “This isn’t fair! We’ll show you who’s really strong!”

Adriel, realizing that reasoning was out the window, finally sighed in resignation. “All right, fine… let’s just end this.”

He focused, his avatar’s magic system activating as glowing runes appeared around him. With a swift gesture, his avatar unleashed a storm of lightning bolts, striking one of the opponents and knocking him to the ground.

Makoto smirked, his avatar following up with a whirlwind attack, taking out another opponent. “See? Was that so hard?”

Adriel, still feeling a bit guilty, shrugged his shoulders. “I guess not…”

The last opponent stood shakily, his avatar flickering from the damage. “You… you think you’re better than us just because you’ve got girlfriends like that?!”

Makoto let out a long sigh, clearly tired of the conversation. “No, we don’t think we’re better. You’re just really bad at fighting.”

Adriel couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Makoto, that’s not helping either!”

Makoto shrugged, raising his sword. “I’m not here to make friends.”

With one final coordinated attack, Makoto and Adriel’s avatars delivered a crushing blow to their final opponent, sending him crashing to the virtual ground in defeat. The crowd watching on the screens erupted in mixed reactions — some cheering for Adriel’s team, while others were still glaring in jealousy.

Adriel and Makoto stood victorious, their avatars glowing with the triumph of the battle. Adriel breathed a sigh of relief, removing his AR glasses for a moment.

“Man, that was more intense than I thought,” he said, wiping his brow.

Makoto crossed his arms, glancing at the defeated team. “They were more angry than skilled.”

Before they could relax too much, the tournament announcer’s voice rang out over the speakers. “The winners of the first round: Makoto and Adriel! Advancing to the next stage!”

Adriel smiled briefly but then tensed when the announcer continued, “In the next match, they will face Group Rank A, led by none other than Goro Kanzaki!”

The crowd buzzed with excitement. Goro Kanzaki was well-known across the school, a Rank A competitor with a reputation for being ruthlessly efficient in every competition he entered. His team, known as “The Beast Hunters,” had dominated previous tournaments.

Adriel’s eyes opened wide. “Wait… Goro Kanzaki? Isn’t he the guy who —”

Makoto sighed. “Yeah, the guy who doesn’t lose.”

Adriel chuckled nervously. “Great… just great.”

As the crowd roared in anticipation of the upcoming match, Adriel and Makoto exchanged glances.

“Well,” Makoto said, smirking slightly. “At least they’re not jealous.”

Adriel groaned. “Yet…”

The stage was set for their next battle, and with Goro Kanzaki and his Rank A team waiting for them, the challenge was only just beginning.