With a large handicap in my favor… Ozma-san at least wouldn't move at
a speed I couldn't see and his range of action is only within a circle of
four meters in diameter. So, to be honest, somewhere in the back of my
mind, I was thinking that "It would be pretty easy for me to win this".
However, twenty minutes after this battle started, I realized how naive
my thoughts were.
[…Hahhh… T- This is tough…]
[Hmmm. You sure can move a lot, Miyama-kun~~ Are you exercising
regularly?]
As I breathed heavily, Ozma-san stood in front of me with an aloof smile
on his face.
I- I can't reach him… I can't reach him at all. I mean, it doesn't feel like I
would be able to reach him.
Ozma-san's movements were slow and relaxed, but they are exquisite
and were as slippery as a specter. Just as Ozma-san declared though, he
was indeed only moving at a speed I could react to.
However, his movements were exquisite… Even if I could react, my body
wasn't able to keep up, or he'd poke me at angles where it was difficult
to see his movements because they were my blind spots.
It was as if he was a leaf gently falling from a tree slipping through my
hand when I tried to catch it.
In that case though, I thought of opening my arms wide to block his
escape route and tried to collide my body with his, but he quickly
jumped over me with one foot.
Well, Ozma-san may have actually been seeing my movements as if they
were in slow motion, so it was easy for him to avoid them.
However, it's not like I don't have any cards left. I guess it's time for me
to use my trump card.
[Ohh, a magic circle… How scary, I wonder what you're going to do?
You're making Uncle nervous here.]
Although he's saying that he's scared, Ozma-san still had a gentle smile
on his face. However, this magic would be able to break that smile of
his… Or rather, if this doesn't break his smile, I don't think I have any
chance of victory at all.
For a man with little magic power and no aptitude for combat, I could
only rely on my only trump card "Auto-Counter". However, it was a
passive kind of magic, and wasn't something suitable for initiating.
The magic I'm going to use now is an improved version of my AutoCounter… It's a magic that makes my body act through movements that
I've established beforehand, at a really fast speed that just barely
breaks my body.
After a few minutes of setting up the magic circle, I activated it.
[…Autopilot!]
[Whoa!?]
With the utterance of the magic name acting as a key, I lost control of
my body.
The attack I've set up this time… Is to make use of my body to attack at
Ozma-san at the fastest and shortest distance possible.
As the distance was originally close, I quickly reached Ozma-san and
swung my fist at him, but he nimbly turned his body to the side and
evaded my attack.
However, this is where the true essence comes in. My body quickly
reacts to Ozma-san's movements and swings my fist to the side.
However, this was also avoided by turning his upper body behind.
Before I could even realize that my fist attack had been evaded though,
my body immediately crouched down and my foot swept his feet.
So to speak, Autopilot is something like a super reflex. It eliminated the
process between thinking and acting, and executes predetermined
goals at the level of a spinal reflex.
This should have been… making my body exert its maximum
performance but…
Ozma-san did a backflip with one foot to avoid my foot sweep, and
easily avoided my fist that was continuously thrown in the air, and then
spun around again with one hand on the ground to avoid my follow-up
attack.
[Good gracious, you're quite fast, aren't you? It's going to be hard for
Uncle to avoid them.]
[...…]
Despite saying all these things, Ozma-san evaded all of my attacks with
relative ease, as if he knew in advance where my attacks would come
from.
F- For him to be this powerful… This is bad. Autopilot is certainly easier
to use than Auto-Counter, but I still don't know how much this magic
consumes.
In the next few minutes… If I can't catch him…
Autopilot lost its effect, and I fell down on one knee.
[Guhh… Hahh…]
[Master!?]
Autopilot would disregard my body's fatigue while in effect, but one of
the drawbacks was that, when the effect wore off, the fatigue would
rush in.
To be honest, I'm so tired I just want to lie down right now…
While watching the exhausted me lying down on the ground, Ozma-san
held a cigarette on his mouth and spoke to me without lighting it.
[…Miyama-kun, can I give you one piece of advice?]
[…Hahh… Eh?]
[That magic isn't really effective against Uncle, you know? That's
probably some magic that allows you to attack in the most efficient way,
right? In that case, for opponents like Uncle here who have already lived
useless amounts of years, "not only would we be able to figure out
where and how someone's going to attack", "we can even control our
movements by purposely creating gaps".]
[Ghh…]
When he mentioned it, I could somewhat understand it… The Autopilot
uses the most efficient movement to launch an attack. So, for someone
as good as Ozma-san, it wouldn't be any different from using telephone
punches… Ughhh… This is hard.
(T/N: Telephone punch is just a simple punch that doesn't require any
martial arts skill. A punch with just brute force.)
[Well, you did a great job. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses
after all… So, isn't it enough that you tried?]
[…Eh?]
[Even though Master Megiddo told you that, it's not like you really had
to do that. In this world, it's important to know when to give up. It's not
like it's your fault that you lost here. There's no need to force yourself to
do something that's hard, you can just retire here… You can just go have
fun with that girl over there at the festival.]
[…I guess you're right.]
In response to Ozma-san's words, who was speaking to me as if he was
gently persuading me, not mocking me for my weakness, I nodded
once… before I held down my trembling legs and "stood up".
[Oya? Are you still going to stand? You don't have to work so hard, do
you? Do you really want to live up to Master Megiddo's expectations
that much?]
[There's that too… But well, more than that…]
Why am I seriously working so hard? The reason… I think there are a
lot of them. I don't want to waste the thoughts of the people who helped
me get here, and I also want to live up to Megiddo-san's expectations.
Those were definitely reasons for not giving up. But I'm not that good of
a person, so if it was only that, I wouldn't be trying this much.
Yes, the reason why I'm working so hard now is actually quite simple…
[…I'm also… a man… So sometimes, I just wanted to "show off my good
side to a cute girl"…]
[…Hahaha, I see. With such a reason, there's no way that you can just
not work hard, right? It's Uncle's mistake. Alright then, bring me all you
got.]
[Alright!]
To be honest, I had very little energy and magic power left. That's why…
I've only got one chance left.
Running towards Ozma-san, I swung my fist. But of course, the strike is
avoided.
However, what I'm aiming for is this moment… Through my Sympathy
Magic, I conveyed my emotions. What I was using now was that magic
that stopped the fight between Chronois-san and Ein-san before.
Forcefully transmitting my strong desire to not lose… I jumped on
Ozma-san, whose movements slightly slowed down in surprise.
This tactic was effective because it was a surprise attack. However,
there wouldn't be a second time… That's why, reach him!
I desperately reached out to Ozma-san, who took evasive action even
though his reaction was a bit delayed.
It was actually just the tip of my finger… but my outstretched hand did
indeed touch Ozma-san's body.
[…Guh!?]
[Whoa, you alright there?]
As I was about to fall to the ground, Ozma-san quickly caught my body.
[Master! Are you alright!? Did you get injured?]
[Anima? I- I'm alright… Just a little tired.]
With Ozma-san's support, I smiled at Anima who ran up to me, to which
she lets out a sigh of relief.
[Good gracious, that's splendid. You managed to catch me~~]
[T- Thank you… very much.]
[I'm sure you're tired, so why don't you get some rest? I'll give you the
stamp later.]
[…Yes.]
[Well then, I'll go brew some coffee. Young lady over there, can you help
me with bringing the cups?]
[Okay.]
After confirming that Anima nodded at Ozma-san's request for help, I
sat down, leaning against the wall of the arena.
Dear Mom, Dad——- I somehow managed to win just in time. My whole
body feels so weary, but at the same time, I feel a sense of
accomplishment———– This feeling doesn't feel so bad.
On their way to where they were making coffee, a distance away from
Kaito, Anima spoke to Ozma.
[…During those last moments…"Why did you let him touch you on
purpose"?]
[Oh my? I wonder what you're talking about?]
[Don't play dumb. You were smiling when you saw Master's move at
that time…]
[Hmmm. You have good eyes.]
Hearing Anima's words, Ozma leisurely muttered and kindly smiled.
[You see, I mentioned it before, didn't I? That Uncle here is the weakest
of the Five Generals… I'm no good after all. Uncle has a weakness for
children who work hard like that. I just can't help but want to cheer
them on.]
[That's why you lost on purpose?]
[Well, if Miyama-kun hadn't tried so hard, I wouldn't have let myself
lose. However, he, who was aiming for what was in front of him,
desperately reached his hand out to the goal, but in the end, he was
held back by the difference in ability… Uncle doesn't like that kind of
development. Well, in the end, it's just for Uncle's convenience.]
[…I see. You have my thanks.]
[I don't need it. You should just praise Miyama-kun for his hard work.
Tell him that he did a great job…]
[…Yeah.]
[Good gracious, it's so nice to be young~~ I'm so jealous. Uncle is
getting so old now… But well, I guess it's an elder's privilege to be able
to smile at the efforts of straightforward children.]
As he said this, Ozma lit a cigarette in his mouth and serenely smiled.