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“Yeah, that’s right! Mitsuki Hisame, I challenge you to a 1 on 1 serious match!!” (Souma)

My words made Hisame stop moving. 

It is honestly not something to say when a katana is pushed against me, but I was actually certain that she would stop her katana with this. 

‘I challenge you to a 1 on 1 serious match’ are actually the keywords to begin the 1v1 event against her. 

I knew that she would respond to those words.

The only problem here is…

“Do you really understand the meaning of those words? A serious match means that you will be betting your life.” (Hisame)

That event is not something lukewarm like the duel system, but an actual death match.

The 1v1 event is originally an event to make Hisame into your companion.

According to what she has said in the game, she can’t entrust her back to someone who can’t make her yield in a serious match to the death. 

What a great personality she’s got.

That said, if the player really did kill her, there would be no companion to get.

You have to fight one of the strongest NPCs, Hisame, without the support of anyone, and lower her HP to less than 10% or you won’t be able to clear this event. 

On the other hand, she will be coming with full intention to kill, so that’s troubling. 

By the way, when you are killed by Hisame in this event, in the case when Hisame’s affection meter is high, she will mutter:

“I didn’t want to lose you in this way.” (Hisame)

And a tear would flow down her expressionless face, which is a famous event, but now that it isn’t a game, that wouldn’t be funny. 

Getting all cute on me when I am dead won’t help at all.

I would rather have you stop from cutting me down.

However, that also means that’s how heavily she weighs a ‘serious match’.

If she is like that even towards a close person, there’s no way she would hesitate in cutting down a person she just met.

But I will be killed at this rate. 

Then I have no choice but to go down this path.

“Obviously! I will wager my life in my fight against you!” (Souma)

I shout this. 

No, it is not obvious at all though! 

I have absolutely no desire to die! 

“I see… Then, I won’t say anything. Let’s arrange for a rematch then.” (Hisame)

But it was effective. After she said this, she easily pulled back her sword.

However, I would like time.

Even if we were to fight now, would I have a chance at winning?

I try thinking about it a bit.

There’s currently an outrageous difference in ability between her and me. 

She was already strong since the game started, and she possesses cheat level stats. 

And yet, she is even strengthening herself with high level unique equipment.

Her overwhelming strength comes not only from her cheat stats, but also the performance of her equipment. 

The line-up is:

Moonlight Katana – Weight: 2

Sky Feathered Kimono – Weight: 0

Sprinter Tabis – Weight: 1

4 Genus Bracelet – Weight: 0

Explorer Ring – Weight: 0

For a total weight of only 3. Even with everything combined, it is lighter than a wakizashi.

That’s way too unfair. 

And yet, their performance is also of the highest level.

It looks as if she is wearing only thin fabric on her, but that defense is abnormal.

Shiranui has extraordinary attack power being classified as an Otachi, but it is still in the end a midgame weapon.

Even if it were to hit, it wouldn’t amount to much damage.

…Or more like, it is because I knew that that I could attack her in the beginning with everything I had though.

The clothes she is wearing seem so frail, and not only cut, it looks as if it would burn immediately if you set it on fire, but that’s an unbelievable mistake.

It seems her kimono and bracelet have almost perfect resistance to the four main elements: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth; and the magic resistance is also high.

Dealing magic damage on Hisame has even less hope than dealing physical damage on her. 

She also has high resistance to debuffs.

I don’t know if it is the kimono having resistance to debuffs or the person herself having high innate resistance, but I have never seen her get a status ailment.

At the very least, it is impossible for me to debuff her at present. 

On top of that, it is said that the kimono and the tabis add a plus to her nimbleness.

I won against her after I cleared the game. 

I somehow managed to keep up with her speed using Cancel skills and custom magic.

However, I can only do custom magic after I go to the capital, and the number of skills I know are obviously not as many as that of my clear save file. 

If I want to win, I would -at the very least- need to be able to keep up with the highest speed of Hisame, and be able to deal effective damage on her endgame class defense…

Eh? Ain’t this impossible?

“Want to return to the place we were before? You won’t be able to fight at your fullest here, right?” (Hisame)

Without even noticing that agitation in me, Hisame seemed to be raring to go.

Her cat ears were wiggling happily. 

She is a complete battle junkie despite those cute ears. 

At this rate, I will be pushed into a deathmatch, no questions asked…no, into a slaughter. 

“Wait a moment please! I did say we would have a serious match, but I didn’t say we would be crossing swords.” (Souma)

“…What did you mean then?” (Hisame)

I immediately dropped the wait and Hisame asked back in a cold tone. 

Her cat ears were standing as if they were in a bad mood.

“You certainly did say that you would wager your life in this match. Could it be that you are going back on your word?” (Hisame)

With that much killing intent coming out from her, I don’t need to see her cat ears to tell…she hates broken promises.

This is bad.

“I will of course wager my life on the result of the match. I will give you my life if I lose. But I have no reason to kill you. I refuse to cross swords.” (Souma)

It sounds as if I can win against Hisame there.

Or more like, I have to give my life to her if I lose? 

I don’t want that.

“I see. But what kind of match are you thinking of then?” (Hisame)

Her eyes were telling me that my life is forfeit if I say anything foolish here.

If I say rock-paper-scissors, I feel like she would drop my head right then and there.

In what competition would I be able to convince her to participate and, at the same time, be able to win?

I turn my gears at full power as I think.

(…No, that’s not it.) (Souma)

I must not misunderstand here.

It is not like I want to win against her.

I want to escape from this situation.

Think! 

Think of the best solution to reach that conclusion!!

“What’s the matter?” (Hisame)

Hisame looks at me with her expressionless face I have grown used to seeing in the game since I wasn’t saying anything.

…Right, I am used to seeing it. 

I know her well through the game. 

It is not only her combat ability. 

Her personality, what she likes, what she honors, and what she dislikes.

I just have to remember that.

Mitsuki Hisame is a person with two faces.

She can get violent in an instant, but she would at times show thoughtful reservation.

She is whimsical, but she wouldn’t ever break a promise. 

She would take ana inhumane attitude, but she would do her utmost towards the people she likes.

She has been disciplined strictly since childhood, and her way of speaking is rigid because of the disciplining of her father. 

She has held pride in her speed since way back, and she had the wholesome childhood episode of racing a horse seriously, losing, and crying. She also has a smile-stiffening episode of seriously racing a horse when she grew up and winning.

She doesn’t show emotions in her face, but it shows a hella ton in her ears. 

She has an iron poker face and there’s barely any witnesses of her furrowing her brows or anything, but there has also been no one who has seen her cat ears stop moving for more than 10 seconds.

Because of her flowing movements and silent steps, there’s barely anyone who can feel her presence, but even in that time, her cat ears would move busily. 

Her specialties are iai slashes and making yarn dolls.

Her hobbies are collecting swords and dolls. 

There would be times when those two sides of her combine, and you would witness a bear doll with a half-sheathed demonic sword.

She has a stalwart mental strength that doesn’t betray a single hint of agitation even when  surrounded by hundreds of monsters, but she is an extremely shy person, and she would scream and curl herself up if she were to be seen in underwear by someone.

Because Hisame defeats any strong enemy and makes them grovel on the ground, the ones who know her and stand in front of her would tremble, but the person herself is no good with heights, and her legs would tremble at high places. Her cat ears would also tremble along. 

She would stay completely calm and cool even when someone gets killed before her very eyes, and there would be times when she would even sacrifice her own chances of survival to achieve her objective, but there has been a time when a favorite doll of hers lost its arm and she bawled for 3 days. 

She is a master with the katana, but she is especially bad with a kitchen knife. 

In the battlefield, she would cook up the enemies as she pleases; in the household, she would be overwhelmed by the ingredients. 

She is a serious case of battle junkie and it is her way of living, but when she is alone at home, she would say idol stuff like: “I want to become a normal girl”.

That’s the Mitsuki Hisame that I know!!

This is bad! There’s no openings at all!

As a moe character! 

“Have you decided?” (Hisame)

Hisame once again spoke to me while I was shuddering.

Now that it has come to this, there’s no other choice. 

It would be a bit easy-going though…

“Yeah, the match will be coo—…n-no, nothing!!” (Souma)

T-That was close.

When I was about to say cooking, the killing intent of Hisame went up by around 100 times more. 

If I had continued that, I would have been killed on the spot. 

Aren’t there way too many dead-end routes?! 

“If you are making fun of me here…” (Hisame)

“Wait! That was a joke just now! I actually already thought of it a long time ago.” (Souma)

Just from being silent for a bit, the dead-end flag was going to stand up again, so I shouted loudly to break it off.

However, this is by no means a bluff.

This might be the best future I can proceed with where I don’t kill her, I don’t die, and can change this predicament into a chance. That’s the kind of outstanding move I had thought of. 

That’s why I tell her in a dignified manner.

“Let’s play tag.” (Souma)

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