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The Duke-rank certification went off without a hitch…… No, it’s not like there would be any trouble happening for something like that, so it was inevitable that it would go off without a hitch…… Alice herself also said from the beginning that she just brought me for her mental stability. You can say my role practically ended after I gave her a piggyback.
Well, putting that aside……
[We still have quite a bit of time, do you want to go somewhere? I don’t know any towns around here though……]
[That sounds great. Not like we have that much time though.]
[Unnn. That’s why let’s go hang out somewhere and kill some time, and after having dinner at an appropriate time, let’s go home.]
[Thank you for the tre——— Ouch!?]
[Why the heck is it settled that I’m treating you…… No, even if that’s how it eventually ends, hearing you say that feels kinda annoying, so the next time you say that again, I’ll bring out the piko piko hammer.]
[Can you stop with that frightening threat!? Seriously, that hurts like hell, okay!?]
While lightly dropping my knuckle on Alice’s head, who was quite ready to get treated, we had a light and silly exchange before moving on to the next town.
It was a fairly large town and seemed to have a variety of stores. The Southern Demon Realm seems to be ruled by Magnawell-san, so there are a lot of monsters. A town as large as this exists huh.
[But Kaito-san, there are no casinos in this town, you know?]
[No, why the heck are you assuming we’re going to a casino? Isn’t there some place ordinary…… where we can go have some fun?]
[Hmmm…… There’s a fairly large plaza over there, so how about we play something there? They have badminton and other stuff there.]
[Sounds great, let’s go there then.]
I haven’t played badminton since I was a kid, and I miss playing a lot. Besides, the plaza would be a good place to move around and play. I don’t feel like I have much outdoorsy stuff in my magic box…… but well, I should be able to find something I search around.
We can play badminton at first, and playing like that might unexpectedly pass the time.
[……Since we’re at it, how about we have a match?]
[You do know I’m no match for you in physical ability, right?]
[Yes, of course, I know that. That’s why we’re adopting the “Limit: Kaito-san System” here!]
[……U- Unnn?]
[It’s just like when we were playing beach volleyball when we’re playing in the sea before. I will not move beyond what Kaito-san’s physical capabilities could. And since there are other differences like our dynamic vision and so on, the rule is that Kaito-san could use Physical Strengthening.]
[Ahh~~ I see, it’s true that with those rules, we can more or less compete……]
If I remember correctly, I think the first time that rule was used was when Megiddo-san and I played at the Six Kings Festival? Anyway, it really was as Alice said, we can have a good match with those rules, just like the beach volleyball we had back then.
[Well, unlike the beach volleyball back then, there’s no one to judge whether or not I have exceeded your physical capabilities, but it’s not like we’re wagering anything, so let’s just go at it leisurely.]
[Right…… I mean, even if you did somewhat exceed my physical capabilities, I wouldn’t even be able to tell.]
When we walked to the plaza, it really was quite large and looked like a good place to play in. And so, we decided to play badminton right away, and with each of us taking a racket, we took our distance.
[Let’s have a light rally first. Kaito-san did mention it had been a long time since you played this, right?]
[I guess so, I’d appreciate that.]
[Well then, let’s go~~ Here~~]
[Ohh. Hwoop……]
[You’re returning it pretty well…… Let’s speed things up a bit~~]
[Alrighty.]
Hitting the shuttlecock flying towards her at a slow speed, Alice continued the rally. I really had a bad experience when I tried that tennis game in the Demon Realm before, but I think I can hit the shuttlecock pretty good and my control isn’t bad.
Well, it’s still a leisurely rally right now, so I wouldn’t know how it’s like in the match……
[Kaito-san, smash!]
[Eh? N- Not so fast!]
[Not bad. You were pretty fast. I was also just barely able to reach it with Kaito-san’s physical ability, so I think it would be a good match.]
[No, how come you can even hit that with the tip of your racket like that and return it cleanly?]
[The snap of the wrist is the key.]
I wonder why? Somehow, playing with Alice like this really is fun.
[Found an opening!]
[Ahh, wait, that’s too high!]
[Fufufu, it’s not just about making fast shots. You also need to be careful about the real strikes.]
[I mean, it just occurred to me…… but since we don’t have a court, how do we settle a match?]
[The first one who couldn’t hit the shuttlecock back loses a point, right? It isn’t really like a real match.]
[I guess we can do it like that huh. Alright, let’s start the match after a few more hits.]
Alice herself is quite good at socializing…… I mean, how should I say this…… I’m not sure if I should say the term best friend/lover fits her to a tee or not…… but competing against her at the same stage as her is quite fun.
With these thoughts in mind, I enjoyed playing badminton with Alice, forgetting about time for a while.
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