Chapter 37 — The Ball Tournament
Chapter 37 — The Ball Tournament
Issei
There were days when Kuoh Academy felt like an ordinary school.
This was not one of them.
The Ball Tournament turned the entire campus into a battlefield made of whistles, scoreboards, screaming students, and gym clothes.
The fields were in use. The courts were in use. The gym was packed.
Even the teachers looked more alive than usual, probably because they got to watch us suffer instead of making us sit through class.
As far as I was concerned, though, the truly important thing was obvious.
Gym clothes.
Everywhere.
“This is heaven,” Matsuda whispered.
“No,” Motohama said, adjusting his glasses with the solemnity of a man in prayer. “It’s better than heaven.”
“Both of you are going to die,” I muttered.
“Coming from you,” Matsuda said, “that sounds fake.”
He had a point, which was annoying.
Girls from every class were walking around in their sports uniforms, some already flushed from warmups, some adjusting sleeves or ponytails, some talking and laughing like they had no idea how great they looked.
The problem was that most of them also knew exactly who we were, which meant the second Matsuda or Motohama stared too obviously, the girls stared back like they were looking at three pieces of garbage somebody had forgotten to throw out.
Kiryuu passed close enough to hear us and gave me a flat look over the top of her glasses.
“Try not to get assaulted for harassment before lunch.”
“That’s a cruel thing to say to a friend.”
“You aren’t my friend,” she said immediately, then glanced at Matsuda and Motohama. “And those two definitely aren’t.”
Murayama snorted.
Katase laughed.
Asia, walking just behind them with her bag clutched in both hands, looked flustered just from being near the conversation. Kusari-san was beside her, quiet as always, but the morning light made her hard to look away from.
A couple of boys from another class definitely noticed her.
I definitely noticed them noticing.
Annoying.
She was starting to become somewhat famous in the student body.
Not as famous as Buchou and Akeno-san, as the two great Onee-sama’s of Kuoh Academy, or Yuuto-san as the graceful and princely girl of Kuoh Academy, or even as famous as Koneko-chan, who some viewed as the mascot of the school. But she was starting to become more well known, just like Asia was.
“Hyoudou-kun,” Kiryuu said, turning her attention back to me with the cruelty of someone who had just found a fresh pressure point, “try not to get jealous if somebody talks to Kusari-san.”
“I’m not jealous!”
“That answer was fast,” Katase said.
Murayama grinned. “Too fast.”
Asia frowned and made a tiny, troubled sound as if she was morally opposed to the whole direction of the conversation but didn’t know how to stop it.
Kusari-san looked at Kiryuu, then at me, then away again.
No expression.
That somehow made it worse.
“I’m going to the club side,” I said.
“You’re fleeing,” Kiryuu said.
“You’re imagining things.”
I walked off before she could keep going, mostly because if I stayed there another minute I was going to lose to a girl with glasses before the actual event even started.
Asia and Kusari-san ended up following after me.
The Occult Research Club was gathered near one side of the grounds, where clubs were checking in and waiting for assignments.
Rias-Buchou stood at the center of the group like a commander before battle.
Akeno-san smiled beside her.
Yuuto was stretching.
Koneko-chan looked cute in her gym clothes, but I knew if I mentioned it or thought about it too long she may hit me.
Asia and Kusari joined the line a second after I did.
The Sitri side wasn’t far away either.
Saji spotted us first.
He waved.
Not at me.
At Asia and Kusari.
I pointed immediately. “Don’t you dare.”
He laughed. “You really are easy to provoke, Hyoudou.”
“Try it and die.”
“Scary.”
He still looked way too cheerful for a guy I currently wanted to throw through a wall.
Buchou folded her arms beneath her chest and looked toward the main board where the day’s events were being posted.
“We’re winning,” she said.
That was all.
Not “we should do well.” Not “let’s try our best.”
We’re winning.
Akeno-san smiled. “Buchou is in a very competitive mood.”
“She hates losing,” I said.
“I heard that,” Buchou replied without looking back.
“Yes, Buchou.”
Honestly, after everything with Riser, none of us were dumb enough to take her competitive mood lightly.
A teacher pinned up the event list.
Students surged.
Voices rose.
A minute later the results spread through the crowd like wildfire.
“Dodgeball!”
“Seriously!?”
“Again!?”
I looked toward the board and, sure enough, there it was.
The Occult Research Club’s first event: dodgeball.
That was either fantastic or terrible. I hadn’t decided which yet.
Buchou had already decided.
“Good,” she said.
Of course she had.
Souna-senpai, standing beside Saji with her usual calm, adjusted her glasses.
“Good luck Rias, I hope we will be able to compete fairly.”
Rias-Buchou’s eyes sharpened.
“Of course Sona, I’m planning on winning every match.”
The atmosphere between the two of them changed. The air seemed to crackle with their competitive spirit as they stared at each other
Buchou looked fired up.
That meant that we were going to need to give it our all.
Which meant something stupid was absolutely going to happen.
Rias
A simple school event should not have mattered to me as much as it did.
I was fully aware of that.
The problem was that awareness did very little to reduce the fact itself.
I had lost once recently.
I had been forced to sit in the humiliation of it, to watch someone else decide my future, and to wait for Ise to break the shape of that fate with his own hands.
I was grateful for what he had done. I loved him for it.
It did not change the fact that losing still burned.
So yes, a school sports event mattered.
Perhaps more than it should.
Dodgeball was announced, and I immediately began arranging the team in my head.
Koneko was obvious. Her strength and body control alone made her valuable even while holding back to normal human standards.
Yuuto was naturally athletic, calm under pressure, and had excellent spatial sense.
Akeno would enjoy herself no matter what game we played and had enough grace to make even casual throwing irritatingly effective.
Asia was not naturally suited for sports, but her sincerity made her easy to direct if her role was simple.
Issei was a variable.
A very loud variable.
As for Kusari—
I looked at her.
Even now, after the rematch, after her return, after the hall, I still found moments where my eyes went to her before I consciously chose to move them.
She stood in her gym clothes with perfect posture and the same contained expression she wore almost everywhere at school, but I could see the change in her clearly.
She was healthier.
Not only recovered. Healthier.
The first seal release had done what I knew it would do: restored strength, sharpened presence, made the suppressed parts of her more visible even when she attempted to hide them.
Most of the school read it as improved health and beauty. Only we understood what it truly meant.
And what it neatly cost.
My brother had nearly taken her away due to removing a seal, and we had no way of knowing how much time was needed between each seal's removal.
I didn't know if I would be helping or harming her yet.
I didn’t know if she would be taken for having another seal removed.
“Buchou?”
I came out of my thoughts.
I looked at Ise.
He was watching me expectantly.
I realized I had let the silence stretch.
“Right,” I said. “Koneko and Yuuto in the center. Akeno and I will take one side. Issei, you’ll move where needed.”
“That sounds vague.”
“It is vague because you are impulsive.”
Akeno laughed softly.
Issei put a hand to his chest. “Buchou, I’m hurt.”
“…You will be….” Koneko said.
Issei gave her a look as if she had wounded him before looking back at me.
“What about Asia?” he asked.
“Support position,” I said. “Stay toward the back. Catch if you can. Avoid throwing unless the shot is obvious.”
Asia nodded at once. “Yes.”
“And Kusari-san?”
That question came from Yuuto.
Not challenging. Practical.
She wasn’t distracted at the moment
I appreciated it.
I looked at Kusari directly this time.
She met my gaze.
“Read the court,” I said.
A slight shift in her expression. Attention sharpening. Not surprise. Recognition.
“You don’t need to overpower anyone,” I continued. “I want weak points. Bad habits. Open lanes. Tell us who to target.”
Issei blinked. “That works?”
“It will,” I said.
Kusari lowered her head a fraction. “Understood.”
Saji called out from the Sitri side then, too cheerful by half.
“Hey, Kusari-san! Don’t overwork yourself on the first match!”
The entire attention of my peerage turned toward him.
Saji, to his credit, did not flinch.
Asia looked flustered on Kusari’s behalf.
Koneko’s face hardened.
Akeno’s smile remained pleasant.
Issei looked ready to go commit a misdemeanor.
Kusari herself only glanced toward Saji, then back to me.
“Should I count him among the weak points?” she asked.
Yuuto coughed into one hand.
Akeno laughed openly.
Even I smiled.
“Yes,” I said. “If he becomes relevant.”
That earned the smallest visible reaction from her—a faint narrowing of her eyes that, from Kusari, was almost the equivalent of a grin.
First though, I had my own match against Sona.
Kusari
“Buchouuuuuu!! You can do it!”
Issei was cheering loudly for Rias-Buchou as she played a tennis match.
In his normal fashion he wasn’t actually watching the game. His eyes were locked onto her body and outfit.
He looked like he was praising the ball festival for the outfit she was wearing.
Rias returns the tennis ball with a loud hit of her racket.
Rias was rather impressive while playing the game, but with Sitri-Kaichou as her opponent she needed to play well.
“Kaichou-samaaaaa! Kyaaaa!”
There were a section of girls who were cheering loudly for Sitri-Kaichou.
“Ufufufu. It’s wonderful that we get to see a match between High-class Devils here.”
Akeno was watching from beside Issei. She was right though.
The match was rather impressive.
Perhaps too impressive.
They both seemed to be getting too into it and forgetting that they should be holding back.
“Here I come, Sona!”
“You can try, Rias!”
They both were making declarations like this was far more important that it actually is.
I noticed that Issei and the others were getting more into their game as well. It seems that their mood was becoming infectious.
It seems that I don’t understand the spirit of this tournament.
Or they are just being ridiculous again.
It could be either.
“Kaichouuuuu! Please winnnnnnn!”
Ah, the one Issei seems to hate, Saji-san, was cheering on his [King] while waving a flag.
He was violently swinging a flag that said “Student Council”.
“Take this! Shitori-style spin-ball!”
Kaichou shouts as she serves the ball and launches it towards Rias.
“You are too naïve! What about this? Gremory-style counter!”
Rias shouts in return as she goes to return the ball, but it curves out of the way of her racket.
Kaichou seems to be using her demonic energy to affect the ball.
This won’t end well.
“15-30”
“Noooooo, it’s Kaichou’s point!”
Issei shouted in despair.
“You’re playing well Souna. To be expected from my rival.”
“Ufufu. Rias, you haven’t forgotten our promise have you? The loser will have to pay for the udon with all the toppings at Kobashiya.”
“I haven’t forgotten. It will be a shame if you taste that before me. That’s why I will definitely win! Did you know that I have 108 styles of demonic ball?”
“I will accept that challenge. I will hit back all the balls that come into my “Shitori-Zone”.”
The two of them are caught up in their own world and are getting each other more and more worked up.
They begin to volley and serve with more and more intense swings and using more demonic power.
Nobel devils are normally odd, so I shouldn’t be suprised that they are acting this way over something as simple as a tennis match.
They at least still have the common sense to hide their demonic energy from the normal students.
Eventually they both destroyed their rackets after using too much power with them.
It was declared a draw and they were both given 1st place.
This is probably a bad sign for the rest of the tournament.
Issei
As we were heading to our group match of dodge ball I saw Asia as she returned.
“Bloo…bloomers.”
Kusari-san gave me a look after hearing me mutter to myself.
I became shocked after seeing that Asia had changed out of her gym uniform.
Before the start of the club matches, Asia suddenly disappeared, and when I realized she had come back, she was wearing a bloomer.
Her pale legs…
Her thighs…
Asia was shifting awkwardly with a flushed face.
“Ummm……I heard from Kiryuu-san. That you are supposed to wear b-bloomers when you play dodgeball. An…and also that Ise-san would like it if I wore this……”
Kusari-san sighed
“Asia-san, I know Kiryuu-san is your friend, but you really shouldn’t listen to everything she says. She has a mischievous side and likes to mess with you and Issei-san.”
Kusari-san gets it!
Why did Kiryuu think to teach my cute Asia-chan something so wonderful?!
No! I mean something so shameless! Shit! Kiryuu's actions are making me doubt myself!
“But Issei san looks like he likes it, so isn’t it alright?”
Asia questions Kusari-san while nervously looking at her and then me.
“Well you’re not wrong. He looks like he’s conflicted between being annoyed with Kiryuu-san and staring at you. Just take everything she tells you with a grain of salt.”
Kusari-san looks thoughtful while responding to Asia, who blushes at the mention of my stare.
Kusari-san!
You were supposed to keep backing me up!
“Alright, Kusari-san! But Issei-san, do you l-like it?”
Asia asked me with a shy voice while looking up at me after seeing my frustration.
I couldn’t handle her cuteness.
“No. It’s great, Asia. You look great. Thank you so much!”
I took Asia’s hand and thanked her for the wonderful image.
Asia looked both happy thatI liked it and confused as to why I was thanking her.
Kusari-san looked like she understood what I was thanking Asai for, expected it, and was still disappointed.
“Get ready you three!”
Buchou was still energetic even after that intense tennis match. I was too.
“Osu! I’m getting pumped up from Asia’s bloomers! Because of them, I’m not going to lose!”
“Great attitude! Ise, I will give you a reward if you work hard!”
I can hardly believe what I heard.
I felt my energy peak and power well up in me.
“Yeah! Oppai!”
There’s no way I will lose now!
Buchou’s breasts are as good as mine!
“Gyaaa!”
I yelped in pain as Asia stepped on my foot.
Kusari-san nodded to her in approval.
“Ise-san, why don’t you hand what you worked on out to everyone?”
Asia said with a dull voice.
I seem to have upset her and now she’s staring at me with displeasure.
Asia has been hanging around Kiryuu too much. She’s begun to use violence against me when she is upset.
Especially when I’m paying attention from one of the other girls.
But she was right, I had made something for everyone. I worked hard on it last night to make sure they were complete.
“Everyone! Let’s wear these as a team!”
I brought out headbands for everyone.
They had “Occult Research Club” embroidered on them.
“Nice work Ise! I’m glad to see you were preparing for the tournament.”
Buchou takes one first as she praises me.
“Yes, I’m impressed as well. You're surprisingly skilled, Ise-kun.”
Akeno-san takes one next and inspects it
“I had to practice a lot.”
That was true. I had been taking time at night to practice sewing to make these.
“It’s well made. I’m surprised.”
“……It’s unexpectedly good.”
“Thank you Kusari-san and Koneko-chan!”
“Ara-ara. The other clubs are wearing things to display their club or team. This is a good way to display ours.”
“Exactly, Akeno-san.”
I smiled as everyone took a headband and put it on.
Seeing them wearing it made all the time and effort worth it.
I gave the last one to Yuuto-san, who seemed to have become distracted again.
“Here you go Yuuto-san.”
“……ah?…yeah. Thanks.”
“Is everything alright? We should concentrate on winning for Buchou.”
“I’m fine Ise-kun……Win, huh. Yeah…… this is important to Buchou.”
She sounded as if she meant something by the way she said that.
She still seemed lost in thought.
[Members of the occult research club and the baseball club. Please gather in the main gym.]
An announcement for our team was called out! Our battle was about to start!
Rias
We moved toward our assigned court a few minutes later.
The gym was loud enough to shake the air.
Balls struck floors and walls.
Students shouted across lanes.
Teachers blew whistles that no one respected properly.
It was all human noise, harmless and bright and temporary.
I found I liked it more than I had expected.
Perhaps because it was so far removed from the kind of struggle that usually decided our lives.
Perhaps because my peerage was with me.
Perhaps because Kusari was here too, walking toward the court instead of being taken from it.
That thought hit me harder than it should have for a simple school morning.
“Rias-senpai!”
I glanced over.
Kiryuu was standing with some other girls from Issei’s class nearby, clearly waiting for the event to start. Her eyes moved past me toward Issei, then Asia, then Kusari.
That girl noticed too much.
“Yes?” I said.
She smiled politely enough. “Try not to crush everyone too badly.”
From the way she said it, I could tell at once that she was not talking only about sports.
Interesting.
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
She smiled a little wider, as if that answer had been exactly what she wanted.
Then she stepped back.
The whistle blew for teams to take position.
I looked at my peerage.
At Issei’s grin.
At Asia’s determined nervousness.
At Koneko’s solid calm.
At Akeno’s amused readiness.
At Kusari’s watchful stillness.
Yuuto’s distracted focus.
I would need to speak with her after the tournament was over.
“We’re winning,” I told them again.
This time, all of them answered.
“Yes.”