Can a Mob Highschooler be a Normie: Chapter 21

 

Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #21

Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain

 

 

 

Episode 21 Q: What if a beautiful girl talks to you? A: I suspect a trap

 

 

 

『Sorry to keep you waiti〜ng!　The first match of the semifinals is about to begin!』

 

　The buzz in the venue gets louder with the sound of the emcee's voice. Despite the many dull matches, there was still much anticipation for the best four.

　Especially the one that is attracting the most attention is .......

 

『First, from the red gate!　Here comes Anna Jushichiya!』

 

　It was the beautiful Japanese half-breed adventurer, Anna Jushichiya.

 

　The cheering voices of male fans erupted from all over the venue.

　Waving her hands in reply, Jushichiya proceed to stand in the center of the arena.

 

『She had won without interruption by using three D-rank cards so far!　She also has the right to use magic items three times. Also, she changed her team members drastically in this match. Now, she will aim for the finals with the members she has been saving!』

 

　The staff prompted me to begin walking out as well.

　...As planned by Jushichiya, I was her opponent in the semi-finals, and I guess the TV side wanted the final to be a battle between Kannazuki and Jushichiya, which would look better on the screen.

　Me and Sato were the dogs to be chewed up.

 

『Versus the opponent from the white gate!　Utamaro Kitagawa!』

 

　When I showed up, there were no cheers like there had been for Jushichiya. Well, that's to be expected. I've made it this far without fighting much.

 

　When I showed up, there were no cheers like there had been for Jushichiya. Well, that's to be expected. I've made it this far without fighting much. Of course, it is similar to the other remaining players, but the difference is that Jushichiya and Kannazuki have a lot of charm.

 

　Still, it was nice to hear a few glimpses of cheering.

 

『Player Kitagawa has been winning with his D-rank and E-rank cards. Now he has a hidden gem, a C-rank card, in his lineup, and his chances of using magic items haven't been reduced!』

 

　There was no hint of disrespect in the eyes of Jushichiya as she looked at me. I'm sure she didn't expect me to have a C-rank card too.

　That gave me some mental leeway.

 

『The two players, Jushichiya and Kitagawa, had the same cards in mind when they chose the prizes last night, and they agreed to decide based on their performance in this tournament. Since they happened to meet in the semifinals, they had to settle their scores in this match.』

 

　A gasp went up from the audience.

　My eyes met with those of Jushichiya's, and we both smiled slightly at each other. We could only laugh at the theatricality of the situation.

 

『Then, both players. Please summon your cards!』

 

　At the shout of the emcee, we called out our cards at the same time.

　The staff had informed us in advance that the cards would be summoned before the start of the battle in order to introduce the cards to the spectators.

 

　My three cards appeared: Renge, Mea, and Eliza.

 

 

[Race] Zashiki-warashi (Renge)

[Combat Power] 410 (100 UP!)

[Inborn Skills]

・Misfortune and luck are like a rope

・Hide-and-seek

・Elementary recovery magic

 

[Acquired skills]

・Zero existence

・Free-spiritedness

・Elementary attack magic

・Friendship linkage

・Elementary status ailment magic

 

 

Renge with her current status can be said to be the ace of our party, both in name and in reality.

　However, this time, my opponent also has a C-rank card. Moreover, her career is longer than mine.

　I wondered how much of a difference in fighting ability there would be due to the length of our careers. That was my only concern.

 

"Finally, it's time to for Mea to debut!"

 

　Mea, who had become an empusa and looked a little more mature, said so as she flapped her wings.

 

　The previous Mea was a palm-sized girl, with the appearance of a ten-year-old, and she looked completely like a movable doll.

　However, after being upgraded to the position of empusa, she became human-sized and her physical age increased by about two years, making her body shape more curvy and giving the impression that she was on the verge of adulthood.

　The bat wings on her back are the same as before, but a tail of a donkey extended all the way to her hips, and her legs are now made of brass from mid-thigh. At first glance, it looked like she was wearing metallic knee highs, which was very sexy.

 

　Seeing Mea like that, Renge spat out in disgust,

 

　"Tsk, your performance ends in the fourth round, don't you know?"

 

　She didn't seem to like the fact that Mea had grown in many ways bigger than she was.

 

　“You little thing, it's not certain yet since it hasn't happened!"

 

　Mea was also childish to the extent that she could not help but fight with Renge if she tried to pick a fight with her.

 

『Hmm?　It seems that player Kitagawa's cards are having some kind of quarrel amongst themselves.』

 

『Seems that his cards aren't getting along well with each other.』

 

　When the emcee and commentator, Shigeno-san, said this, a small, snickering laugh leaked out from the audience.

 

　Hey, c'mon, stop it.......

 

　The embarrassment of my folks made me feel as if my face was on fire.

 

『Player Kitagawa's card seems to consist of Ghouler, which he has been using throughout this tournament, Empusa, which he used in the previous match, and Zashiki-warashi, which he has been saving up until this point.』

 

『Is he using only girl monsters? They are really gorgeous.』

 

　……Looking at it again, it's definitely a harem party. Apart from Mae who I purposely made as a companion, I just happened to get Renge and Eliza who were both women.

　I can feel the jealousy in the eyes of the men at the venue.

 

『On the other hand, the cards that player Jushichiya brought out are an Elf, a Unicorn, and a Living Armor.』

 

『Living Armor is a tank, Unicorn is a support, and Elf is an attacker　That's a well-balanced party.』

 

　I looked at the cards of my opponent with my eyes squinted.

 

　Elf ...... is one of the most popular C-rank cards.

 

　All cards have looks that humans can't compare to, but elves and succubus boast the most godlike beauty of them all.

 

　Jushichiya's card was a particularly rare girl monster even among those elves.

 

　Cards as desirable as elves and succubus are no longer commonly available on the market. Adventurers who acquire them do not want to part with them.

 

　When they do occasionally appear, they are auctioned off rather than sold to guilds.

 

　The market price for C-rank cards is generally said to range from 10 million to 100 million yen, but in the case of elves and succubus, the price starts at 100 million yen, which is a good indication of their popularity.

 

　The Elf of Jushichiya had good looks that matched the fame and the high price.

　She appeared like she was 15 or 16 years old. She had straight blond hair in a short bob and an overall intelligent impression.

　Her body is slender, and with a figure such as this, the fact that she has no breasts is not at all disappointing.

 

　It is rather out of place in any other sense except for this. This must be the golden rule of beauty.

　Even I, who have begun to become accustomed to the beauty of cards as I was surrounded by girls with high beauty standards such as Renge and Mea, could not help but be awed by the beauty of the Elf card.

 

　Even the audience let out an exhale of admiration.

 

　I have seen elves in videos and commercials before, but seeing them in person was on a different level.

 

　The founder of Dungeon Mart got this card for his daughter. ...... Not only does the card have a great appearance, but it must have excellent skills as well.

　Unicorn and Living Armor are also two of the top cards in the D rank. Unicorn is a specialist in recovery and auxiliary magic, and Living Armor is popular as a sturdy tanker who knows no pain.

 

　I chuckled a little, thinking that I was completely outclassed by the price of the cards.

 

　But I don't feel inferior.

　My cards are absolutely more amazing.

 

　Even if everyone else in the room didn't think so, I did.

 

　As proof, my cards didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that they were so much more popular......

 

　"Damn, just because you're a little bit popular, you're getting ahead of yourself. Is being ten times more expensive than others mean you're ten times more powerful?　Aah?"

 

　"Hey, he~y, who's cuter, that elf or Mea? Don't answer based on who is prettier, but who is cuter, oka~y?　If it's cuteness, Mea is better, right?"

 

　They were so jealous. Full of jealousy. A lousy jealousy.

 

　Completely defeated in attitude. I wondered if I could win this ......?　I became worried at once.

 

『The strength of both sides is evenly matched. It looks like no matter who wins, it will be a good fight.』

 

『Then let the match begin!』

 

　"——Die, Oraa!"

 

　As soon as the match started, Renge released a magic spell. I was shocked and my eyes widened.

 

　--Wait, isn't this different from the plan, Renge-san?!

 

　The plan was to first keep our distance, but Renge attacked first. No, upon closer inspection, so did Mea!

 

　Two cards suddenly acted on their own. But this is ......!

 

"No!"

"Kuu......!

"Rrrrrrrrh!"

 

　Jushichiya cried out in alarm. At the same time, the Elf and the Unicorn fell to the ground screaming in agony.

 

『Ooh! Right at the start of the game, player Kitagawa's sleep status ailment landed perfectlyーー！』

 

　The excited voice of the live commentator rang out. I quickly gave an order.

 

　"Renge, direct attack!"

 

　"Yosh!"

 

　At first I wondered what they were doing, but this was an opportunity.

Jushichiya couldn't hide her agitation, as if she didn't think that the status ailment would pass.　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

　Then, Renge's light bullet approached.

 

There is no way she could dodge that one!　We won!　The semi-finals is over!

 

　Just when I was sure I had won,

 

“——Amdo!”

 

　Jushichiya shouted. The Living Armor broke apart and instantly covered her as armor. The crimson armor intercepted Renge's light bullets ......!

 

　""Whaaat ! ? ""

 

　Me and Renge both shouted in surprise.

 

　"Master!　That is!"

 

　"Yeah, there is no doubt!"

 

　I nodded in response to Renge's inquiry.

　It really existed?

 

　""Armor-ized Magic Sword by 0n Berg!""

 

　When we said it together, Jushichiya let out a chuckle.

 

　"Fufufu, you seem surprised. Exactly, this is the armor-ized magic sword made by the legendary blacksmith 0n Berg!　Not only does this armor have high defensive power, but it also repels all sorts of magic other than electric shocks!"

　Jushichiya said in high spirits.

 

　...... No, though we were the ones who sprung that story, but of course it's not an armor-ized magic sword.

That was an inborn skill of Living Armor, [Equip].

 

　Living armor is a rare type of monster that can be equipped by masters and cards.

　And by the way, Living Armor doesn't repel all kinds of magic just because it has a high magic defense.

 

　But, what the heck, ....... It seems she's quite the fan of manga too. Renge's eyes are shining when she finds a comrade.

 

　"And! Status ailments are useless against our party!"

 

　Jushichiya took out a bottle from her pocket and sprinkled it on the Unicorn and the Elf.

 

　I knew they had a countermeasure for status ailments.

Jushichiya's monsters woke up with a gasp, and at the same time, Mea came out of the Elf as if she were flung out of the Elf.

　As soon as they fell asleep, Mea had infiltrated the Elf's dream. The reason for dumping the story was to divert attention away from Mea.

 

　"Kya! Aa~h, I was so close too!"

 

　"Wha-?! When did you-?!　How sneaky!　No, right now I should say that you're doing a great job."

 

　Seeing the Elf looking quite weakened, Jushichiya glared sharply at us.

 

　"Renge, Mea, do it again."

 

　"I won't let you. Unicorn!"

 

　The Unicorn's horn emitted light before Renge and Mea could cast status ailment again. Jushichiya's monsters were bathed in light, while Renge's and Mea's magic was repelled.

 

"Tch, it's [Immunity.]"

 

　Immunity. It is an intermediate-level auxiliary magic that raises resistance to status ailments.

 

"From here on, it's our turn!"

 

　As soon as Jushichiya said that, the Living Armor separated and approached us. Eliza confronted the unmanned knight who approached with his sword raised high.

 

　The Living Armor cut down. A powerful strike that seemingly would cut a log in half......, and Eliza, while avoiding it at half a body length, attacked with a kick. ...... but it was ineffective. Living Armor just swayed slightly and then delivered a thrust. Eliza managed to duck that, although it grazed her arm.

 

　...The two are about on even footing, no, maybe a bit at a disadvantage.

 

　The Living Armor and Ghoul are both undead monsters. The two are characterized by their superior durability and resistance to status ailments, as well as their monotonous movements due to their lack of ego.

 

　However, Living Armor's durability is due to its strong armor defense, while Eliza's durability is based on her ability to recover by eating corpses, making her the one with adisadvantage. Living Armor is also superior in combat power.

　On the other hand, Eliza is better in terms of techniques because of her ego and precise movements. She seemed to be able to overcome the difference in strength and physical capabilities with the precision and variety of her movements.

 

　I want to support her somehow, but .......

 

　I glanced at Mea.

 

　She was glaring at the Unicorn.

 

　Immunity is not a long-lasting magic. It was likely that she was trying to aim for a gap in the magic and try to set off another status ailment.

　However, the Unicorn was also preparing to quickly invoke its magic again. There was an occasional exchange of spells, but this too was a stalemate.

 

　On the other hand, Renge was in a fierce battle with the Elf. There was a dizzying exchange of magic and arrows.

 

　When the opponent's ace is of a high rank and has outstanding power, as in this match, it is important to block the attack of the opponent's ace while making decisive blows.

 

　I had instructed Renge in advance to mainly keep the opponent's ace in check and take advantage of any opening to crush any of their cronies......

 

　 When Renge shot a light bullet aimed at the Elf, the Elf ducked and fired an arrow at Eliza, which Renge struck down and then dodged an arrow aimed at herself. The Elf countered the light projectiles aimed at Jushichiya with her arrows and quickly fired a volley of shots at Mea.

 

　Such a chess-like exchange was taking place at a brisk pace.

　One misstep and the game would end immediately. An unpleasant equilibrium was maintained.

 

　Me and Jushichiya's gazes intertwine with each other. Only the masters could shift this stalemate. We were both watching each other to see who would move first.

　Sweat trickled down my chin.

 

　The first to move was ————me.

　I pulled out a stone from my pocket and called out "Renge!" as I smashed it to the ground.

 

　A flash of light filled the entire space. What I used was a magical item called a flash stone.

 

　This magical item, which I obtained in the E-rank labyrinth, emitted a strong light when it was broken. In order to ensure that Jushichiya would be blinded, I, who had been looking into my opponent's eyes right up until the moment before, was also unable to see anything as my vision went completely white.

　I could hear Jushichiya screamed "Amdo!　...... My eyes, ah my eyes---!" as my vision gradually recovered.

 

　"Ugh ...... I see Zashiki-warashi-chan is out of sight."

 

　Jushichiya, whose eyesight had been restored, looked around and noticed that Renge was nowhere to be seen.

 

　“The [Hide-and-seek] skill. Aiming for a direct attack on us, aren't you?　But as you can see, I'm protected by Living Armor, so it's useless."

 

　"Let's see about that."

 

　"...I don't know what you're up to, but this way I'll know for sure."

 

　She then gave a quick command to the Elf,

 

　"Direct attack!"

 

　"Kh!"

 

　I knew it was coming!

 

　The moment the Elf pointed her bow at me, I moved to Eliza's back. She too covered me with her [Protect] skill. She successfully shielded me while letting the arrow pierce her arm.

 

　"She is very good!　But how long can you hold out? Hmm?!"

 

　"There won't be a next time!"

 

　At the same time I said that, a light bullet flew out of nowhere and struck the Unicorn. The unicorn screamed and fell to the ground.

 

　"Unicorn?!'

 

　"There!"

 

　When the Elf launched an arrow into an open space, Renge appeared while clicking her tongue. She is holding her upper arm. Was it grazed?

 

　However, the fallen Unicorn does not move even a twitch. It seems that she succeeded in knocking it out, though it is not dead. --And Mea had already slipped her way into the Unicorn.

　Renge grinned.

 

　"With this, the unsightly horse will disappear immediately."

 

　"I just need to get rid of you before that happens."

 

　The Elf said in a clear voice that sounded like the ringing of a bell.

　Renge vanished again, but the Elf continued to fire her arrows one after another, as if she had a rough idea of where she was. Renge also kept on shooting light bullets, but .......

 

　"Ggh ......!　Shit!"

 

　Finally, she was caught.

Renge, who was clutching her abdomen, sank to the ground.

 

　The Elf smiled coldly.

 

"Oh, so this is all it takes, huh? After all--"

 

　The moment the Elf started to speak in mockery, Renge howled in indignation,

 

"Who?! 　Who's a half-price item in an open saleーー!"

 

　"Eh?!　I, I didn't go that far——"

 

　"A gap!"

 

　"Wha-?!"

 

　Taking advantage of the opening where the Elf was flustered by Renge's full-blown cry of recrimination, Mea popped out of the Unicorn and made a surprise attack. Mea, transformed into a giant dog, pushed the Elf down.

 

　'The Empusa is entirely preoccupied with the Unicorn.' The Elf, who thought so, was caught off guard.

 

　"Kuh......, my blunder."

 

　At first glance, the Unicorn and Mea seemed to have disappeared from the board, but in fact, Mea was able to move freely.

　No matter how anyone looked at it, it was best to let the Unicorn get dealt with even if the card is lost at this point.

 

　Therefore, the Elf must have unconsciously ruled out that possibility in her mind. Another major reason may be that she was concentrating on dealing with Renge.

 

　But this side had no intention of making the opponent lose her cards in the first place. Therefore, Mea was always looking for an opportunity for a surprise attack.

 

　"You!　You're taking over my role!"

 

　"?! Huh?!"

 

　The Elf let out a retort until she forgot to stand up as an index finger was pointed at her. It was ......Renge.

 

　"Freeze."

 

　The Elf's gorgeous face contorted in humiliation.

 

　"Kuu, towards me ......!　Using such a joke......!"

 

　Hearing this, Renge's face quirked in amusement. It was a wicked smile.

 

　"Welcome to the world of gag characters. And goodbye."

 

　At the moment when Renge was about to put an end so mercilessly.

 

　"Wait!"

 

　Jushichiya's voice rang out sharply. Everyone's eyes focused on her.

 

　"You got us....... We lost."

 

　Jushichiya hung her head in dejection as she said this.

 

　"Anna ......"

 

　The Elf also looked down in regret.

　Seeing this, Renge lowered her finger and said in a bored tone,

 

　"Hmph, it seems that your master is also a softy......"

 

『Settled!　What a dizzying array of attacks and defenses!　The tactics were well laid out!　This is Monster Colosseum!　It was a great match worthy of the semi-finals!』

 

『It was a great match that fully utilized the skills of each monster.』

 

　With the voice of the emcee and commentator, applause and cheers could be heard from the audience.

 

　......... Apparently, the audience, who had been getting rather bored, were now pleased with the match.

 

　As I left the venue while being sent off by the applause of the audience, I bumped into Jushichiya in the hallway. No, by the looks of it, was she waiting for me?

 

　"Yaah, I'm in trouble. As promised, I'll give up the Demon card to you."

 

　"......You were actually planning to give it to me even if you won, weren't you?"

 

　When I stated this, Jushichiya smiled bashfully.

 

　"A~h, so you found out. As you might have guessed, the fight with Kitagawa-senpai was a setup. In the end, though, it turned out to be nothing more than a schemer's overconfidence."

 

　"Well, no matter how you look at it, I'm a mob character compared to Kannazaki and Jushichiya."

 

　"No, no, that's not true. Uhh, although I thought so when I saw you yesterday, but when I met you in the arena, I was surprised. I thought you were someone else."

 

　"Eh?"

 

　"How do I put it... your presence is different. Well, I guess that's probably why. The reason why I lost."

 

　Jushichiya nodded as if she was convinced of something, while I was at a loss.

 

　"Um, Jushichiya..."

 

　"Ah, you can call me Anna, instead of my surname. My family name is kind of cumbersome."

 

　“Huh?　Is that so? Well, in that case, ...... I'm fine with Maro too."

 

　I found it quite easy to talk to her, particularly since she was my opponent in the match.

 

　"Ah, then it's Maro-senpai, right? I'm looking forward to working with you. Oh, are you using Line?　Let's exchange IDs."

 

　"Oh, yeah."

 

　What's with this girl? She's really pushy.

 

　Her profile on Line was a two-shot of Elf and Anna.

　...I was surprised that she didn't look ugly even when she was standing side by side with the Elf.

 

　After confirming that we had exchanged IDs, Anna left with light steps.

 

".................."

 

Once I was alone in the hallway and made sure no one was there,

 

"Yoosh! Yoosh!"

 

　I bit back my joy with all my might.

 

It was not the joy of winning the semi-finals and advancing to the finals ----.

It was the joy of being able to exchange lines with a super beautiful half-girl like Anna.

 

If you take out my family, it's 100%. That's the percentage of male contacts on my Line.

　Of course, I am in the class' group Line. But I have never been in touch with any of the individual girls in that group. Of course, I am not on any of their friend lists.

 

　It's all male. I have no connection with girls, to the extent that my sister suspects me of having a sexual interest in boys.

　That was my life.

 

　But now, for the first time in my life, a girl has been added.

　And she's a half-Japanese girl!　A beautiful girl!　And she is an adventurer and the daughter of a company president!

 

　What kind of miracle is this?

Isn't this, isn't this like I am a normie?! A popular guy?!

 

　Just as I was thinking that, I came to my senses.

 

　...... No, wait. It's too good to be true. Calm down, think calmly.

　Why would such a wonderful event happen to me?　I'm just a mob guy. What if it's a trap?

Could it be a trap?　

 

　As soon as the word popped into my head, I took a quick look around.

 

　Yes, we are in TV show territory!　It would not be surprising if there is a surprise project going on at the same time!

Fuu, is that so? I let my guard down a little earlier, but I'm not going to show my ugly mug again.

 

　I nervously kept my nerves on edge, on the lookout for a hidden camera planted somewhere in the room.

But then I snapped out of it, realizing that setting up a hidden camera for me was not going to earn anyone any money.

 

 

[Tips] Armor-ized

　This is a spell used to equip armor weapons in the masterpiece manga "Dai no Daiboken" (The Great Adventure of Dai). The idea of having a suit of armor that is both a weapon and an armor, as well as having a nullification ability was a terribly romantic concept.

　But this has nothing to do with that.

　Some monsters can be equipped by other monsters and masters as armor. Monsters with the 'armor-ized' skill ([Equip] skill) are particularly popular, and many adventurers incorporate them into their decks because they can prevent direct attacks.

　Monsters with the 'armor-ized' skill are very important not only in MonColo, where a direct attack on the master can lead to immediate defeat, but also in the dungeon, where an attack on a master can mean severe damage to the entire party.

 

 

***

 

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