When the Villainous Flame User Trapped in a Time Loop Starts Living Earnestly, Every Female Party Member Turns into a Pervert and Now the World Is in Danger!? - 25

Chapter 25: The Belief That a Duel Can Solve Everything

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Nemeth suddenly threw himself onto my arm.

“Senpai, since you’re here, that means you’re also a class representative, right? I am too~!”

“S–so you are…”

“Yeah, well, I only barely passed the supplementary exam, so I thought being class representative might be a bit too much for me and I was kinda nervous about it, but if I’m aiming to be a hero, I can’t be scared of something like this! Besides… It’s really reassuring to have you here with me, Senpai.”

“…I see…”

“As expected, someone strong, capable, and passionate like you is just perfect for a class representative♪”

Strong, capable, and passionate Senpai… But I’m just the underdog character here!

“Hey, Nemeth. Don’t go getting all worked up over Bocchama inside the academy. Shoo.”

“Oh, come on, Sword-san! It’s fine for me to get along with Senpai—we’re both class representatives, after all~!”

There was no such rule, of course. 

What am I even supposed to do here…?

“Hey! Don’t you dare ignore me, you loser ugly man!”

“““?”””

Huh? I thought that conversation was already over, but… Chio looked furious, as if she believed she’d been ignored.

“You’re from the neighboring class, right… Chio-san, was it? What do you mean by ‘loser ugly man’?”

Wait a second—weren’t Chio and Nemeth in the same class before? Ah, no, Nemeth got in through the supplementary exam, so her class must’ve shifted… Ugh, even the development of the progress was different here?

“Duh, who else would I be talking about? Obviously him. And you! You’re all over that loser ugly man, clinging and fawning like that’s the most natural thing to do in this world Ugh, it’s disgusting. I thought you might be worth befriending, but I guess I was wrong. You have no taste at all.”

“Wha!? Loser ugly man? Senpai? What are you talking about! Senpai’s super strong and incredibly cool! You’re the one with no taste!”

“Hah? This guy? He couldn’t even handle you when you got serious the other day. He just had his flames snuffed out. All that showboating, all that loud talk, and he still couldn’t beat you. Getting all hot and bothered over a guy like that—forget gross, it’s just straight-up infuriating!”

Ah… Right. In that whole mess with Nemeth the other day, I deliberately didn’t use my blue flames so I wouldn’t hurt her. So, from Chio’s perspective, I must’ve looked like a total weakling who lost to her. At least that part hadn’t changed from the previous timeline…

“Heh, too bad for you~! Senpai’s real power is so incredible that I don’t even come close when he’s serious! Sword-san, tell her! Tell her how amazing Senpai is!”

“Hm? Hmmm~ (As for myself, I’d prefer if Bocchama remained labeled as the weakest of the weak in this academy. It can keeps unwanted pests away…)”

“Anyway, you’re really blind, you know that? I don’t know how strong you are, but you’re nowhere near Senpai’s level! So there!”

Nemeth stuck close to my arm, sticking out her tongue at Chio. What the hell kind of terrible first meeting is this? The last time I knew them, things were more like this…

『Nemeth… I-I made lunch… A-ah, I made too much for myself, so I’m just giving you the extra! It’s not like I made it for you or anything, so don’t get the wrong idea, okay!?』

『Really!? I’m so happy! Wow, it’s delicious, Chio!』

『Eh? R-really…? Hehe… W-well, if you like it that much, I guess I could make some for you tomorrow too!』

『Eh, really? But that sounds like a lot of work…』

『W-what, you don’t want to eat my cooking? Just take it already!』

『I do! I’d eat this every day if I could!』

『E-every day…? Th-that means… hehehehehe♥ Oh, Nemeth, you silly, you want me to be your wif—er, you want to eat my lunches that badly? It can’t be helped then~♥』

They used to have these irritatingly sweet exchanges right in the middle of the school grounds without a care in the world. And now…

“Men are nothing but pathetic, perverted, worthless creatures. Trying to butter one up like that—ugh, it makes me sick! I can’t stand girls like you!”

“I don’t care, I don’t like you either!”

Huh? Did this happen just because I tried to live honestly for once!?

No, wait—you two not getting along is bad! The world! Humanity!

“S-stop fighting! Y-you two… You’re supposed to be the future heroes who will lead this academy, this nation, and eventually all of humanity! So don’t fight! Get along!”

Anyway, I tried to stop them.

“Ha? No way.”

“Senpai, even if you tell me to get along with her, I still can’t agree with her opinion! I refuse to get along with her!”

And just like that, they started making faces at each other—bleh, eeeh—and their relationship turned completely sour.

What now? To fix this… I remember reading something once. And it happened with Nemeth too—it’s that thing!

“All right then! Let’s settle this with a duel! A duel will solve it!”

““…Eh?””

“Bocchama? (What’s gotten into you? You could’ve just ignored them… Have you become some kind of duel maniac lately? It’d be far better if you were a woman maniac instead, truly…)”

Yes—duel.

“What’s going on now?”

“Did he say duel?”

“Hey, you guys, the committee—”

“Well, this might actually be interesting…”

Yeah, I’d read something like this in a story once—two people clashing head-on in a duel, giving it their all, learning about each other through battle, and coming to respect one another. The result: a deep bond of friendship. After all, Nemeth had warmed up to me because of a duel too. Right! The belief that a duel could solve everything! Just had a duel and everything would work out for the better!

“Heh…Aduel, huh? Sounds fun, actually.”

“Senpai… Yeah, that might help this girl understand, too.”

Both Chio and Nemeth looked eager.

As expected—duels are universal. Long live the duel.

If Nemeth and Chio fought and ended up understanding each other afterward, the Golden Generation of Miracles could be born in this world too—

“Fine, then! I’ll show you just how much of a loser you really are!”

“Good luck, Senpai! Show her how amazing you are!”

…Huh? …Wait, me!?

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