81. Behind the Mad Banquet Fight
The venue, which had been lively until just moments ago, was now completely empty. The darkness of night covered it as deeply as, or even more so than, before.
In a certain part of the venue, however, a small room reserved for the organizers and a select few others still had lights on.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work today.”
In one of the rooms, Rabi, Newa, and Ulka — now dressed in their casual clothes — stood side by side. In front of them sat one man.
From the top of his head to the tips of his toes, he was completely clean. Not a speck of dirt, not a single wrinkle on his clothes. As the head of the Mad Banquet Fight operation, this man had to be present in public at any moment. From handling complaints to appearing before executives, this was the only way he could dress except on his days off.
Among the three standing before him, even the longest-serving fighter in Mad Banquet history — Newa — had never seen this man in any outfit other than the one he was wearing right now.
“Your payment for today will be deposited tomorrow. Please confirm if you need anything.”
The man in charge of running the Mad Banquet Fight was forty-four years old, and his name was Ricutoss.
“Next, your schedules for upcoming performances are as follows: Rabi on the day after tomorrow, Newa in one week, and Ulka also in one week. Is that acceptable?”
“‘Yes.’”
“That covers everything. If you have any questions, please ask.”
While Newa and Ulka shook their heads beside him, Rabi secretly raised her right hand.
“What is it, Rabi?”
“Um… May I go home today?”
“Of course you may.”
“But… I lost…”
“You did lose today. But you defeated the first challenger brilliantly. That was wonderful. As you said, you’re normally scheduled for the next one, but since there was someone who lost even worse than you, you’re excused. You may go home.”
“I… understand.”
“However, if you don’t win next time, your turn will come again, won’t it?”
“Y-yes…”
“Anyone else have something to say?”
The three women remained silent.
“Then, thank you for your hard work today.”
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
After the final greeting, the three of them left the room one by one.
Walking along the dimly lit corridor, Ulka spoke to Rabi.
“Hey, Rabi. Why did you ask that weird question?”
“Huh!? B-because it felt kind of strange…”
“It sounded like you were being told to let someone play with you.”
“N-no, that’s not it…”
“Well, well. Ulka-san is the one messing with Rabi-chan, right?”
Ulka answered Rabi’s question with a strong tone. Between the two of them, Newa gently accepted the words.
“You’re not messing with her. If you keep saying that, she’ll end up exactly how you want.”
“Don’t say ‘her.’ Even if she’s our employer’s—”
“Shut up. That kind of pervert—”
“That’s not something I can deny, but please watch your language. Your way of speaking attracts enemies.”
“Hmph.”
Even though her words were soft, Newa herself believed Ricutoss was a pervert. She and Ulka had both had the same experience as Rabi.
“Still, I never expected Miarant to lose.”
“Yeah. I thought she always won, so I didn’t even watch the match…”
“Same here.”
“Um, I did watch…”
Ulka turned around at Rabi’s words and stepped closer.
“Hey, how did she lose!?”
“Eh, th-that…”
“Yep, yep. Ulka-san is scarying Rabi-chan.”
“S-sorry.”
With Newa pulling Ulka back, Rabi calmly explained today’s match with Miarant.
“Miarant-san was constantly being touched by the male challengers. And because of that…”
“And what?!”
“Th-that… she kept looking like she was enjoying it so much that she couldn’t counter… and she ended up losing like that.”
The simple explanation left Newa and Ulka stunned.
It wasn’t that Rabi’s words were lacking. They were no different from stories they already knew.
“Then it’s almost exactly like the Ro-tsu match, isn’t it?”
“Um, who’s Ro-tsu?”
“Ro-tsu is the only challenger who has ever defeated such a strong Miarant.”
“That guy Ro-tsu showed up today?”
“What?!”
Rabi’s words froze both Ulka and Newa.
One was filled with fear that her own turn might come next. The other was filled with anticipation.
“I thought that was just a rumor…”
“If I’d known, I would have watched…”
Ulka and Newa left the venue through the only door allowed for authorized personnel, lost in their own thoughts. Rabi followed a little later, but once outside, she looked back at the towering venue one last time.
(I wonder what Miarant-san is doing right now…)
Imagining Miarant — who was still in that room inside the venue — made her cheeks blush. Rabi quickly shook her head to forget about her own past as well, then hurried home.