CHAPTER 77: HALLORY CIRCUIT // POLAR TOWN

After Jolene Aurora had finished explaining exactly what was about to go down, Harvey Hallvack glared at Ophiel, who was carrying the sleeping Bica on his back, and snapped.

"Why the fuck did you text me and the others about an emergency when it was just a cry for help to get out of a bet that you made!?"

"H-Hey, it is still an emergency, you know! My Magical Beast isn’t all that great, after all-"

"THEN WHY DID YOU FUCKING BET ON US!?"

Liohime fell into silence and Jolene merely blinked while the Shinigami Soldiers from the nearby region known as Hallory Circuit howled with laughter, mocking Ophiel.

"Pay up, stranger! Pay up, stranger!"

Harvey instantly turned to Jolene and kept his frown intact.

"Anyway, I’m out. Thanks to you specifically, I had to gain a newly contracted Magical Beast that I bought from the MBC under the Chief’s name just for this mission in the Paradisus Legion, and I don’t plan on losing it this quickly."

"Whatever. I’m out. I don’t use a Magical Beast anyway, she replied with haste, and she continued, "Bica, as usual is sleeping, but she also relies on her vast list of weapons instead of Magical Beasts anyway, so she’s out too. Ophiel’s useless, so he’s out as well."

"Wha-!?"

Ophiel gave a shocked reaction at Jolene’s judgement of him, but he knew that in a sense, she was right, and said no more.

"Hm, where’s Leah?" she asked, and in that moment, both Liohime and Harvery exchanged glances and then they let their gazes dart elsewhere.

"Oh...of course. Well, that leaves us with one person."

The attention shifted, and Liohime was quick to realize that everyone was now staring straight at him.

The man with one of the worst clothing to wear as a first impression to others was now the center of attention, and the reserved Liohime, who wore only a simple t-shirt and short pants, shyly averted his eyes while the Hallory Circuit ShinigamiSoldiers began to murmur amongst themselves.

"This guy is their best chance of winning?"

"His face is kinda cute," said one girl.

"Pftt, this jolly looking-ass toddler will stand no chance against our ace."

"Your ace?" Harvey inquired with a raised eyebrow. "And just who is this...’ace’ of yours?"

"Sorry I’m late, guys. What’s going on here?"

And as if right on time, that ace arrived.

With a black military cap and a formal suit, he stood proudly.

White gloves fit perfectly into his large hands, littered with sparkling crystals that dressed it elegantly.

His dark blue eyes peered at Liohime only for a second, and then he faced his companions who began to hype him up.

"Yariko!! We made a bet with these Shinigami Soldiers from Polar Town, and it’s based on a Magical Beast Showdown!! You’ll crush these losers, right!!"

The one named Yariko froze, took a glance at Liohime’s co-workers as if sizing them up, and then scoffed, combing through his silky smooth hair with his hands that were covered with his gloves.

"Sure thing. What’s the bet?"

"Whoever wins gets to keep the other group’s rooms for an entire day tomorrow, and the losing group gets to stay in only one room."

As soon as he heard that bet condition, Liohime palmed his face softly.

Why the hell did Ophiel agree to this!?

Yeah, I’m a bit confused too. But if it helps to restore Liohime’s aura with a powerful display of Shihon’s strength, then I’m all for it.

Yariko, who was easily the tallest of them all, did not react to that statement from his peers and instead moved towards Jolene Aurora.

Closing the gap between them, he leaned forward, held up her right hand and kissed it gently.

"Will it be okay to add a date with you as part of the bet, young lady?"

The crowd went into an uproar as the guys nodded with pride and the girls looked on with a tinge of envy.

Meanwhile, Harvey, Liohime and Ophiel exchanged glances while Jolene merely shrugged.

"Sure, knock yourself out, although I must warn you that this guy right here has set the standard pretty highly for me in terms of strength and dating," she replied while tapping Liohime’s shoulder. "Sooooo, you’ll have to try your best, darling."

"I accept your challenge."

He outstretched his hand to Liohime and kept a confident smile, while the latter accepted his handshake with a smile of his own, but with a bit of emotion flaring up within him while watching the flirtatious signs that were present just now, he added, and I quote:

"If I win, you’re running three laps around the hotel bare-ass naked."

...

...

...

Yariko blinked, removed the glove off of his right hand, cleaned his ears with his right pinkie finger, put back on his glove, and asked, "Repeat that?"

"If I win, you’re running three laps around the hotel bare-ass naked."

Sure enough, he repeated that same sentence, and his own band of companions roared with wild laughter as if they were hyenas.

And as if it wasn’t crazy enough-

"Fine, but only if the same rule applies to you if you lose."

Okay, first of all, what the fuck is even happening here? A Magical Beast Battle is never this serious.

With both sides of the Shinigami Soldiers groups giggling and chuckling with the comedic insanity that they were hearing, both participants of the bet were dead serious, and Jolene shook her head.

"You better not lose now, Shrimpdick."

"I wasn’t planning to. Let’s put the bet down in writing."

"Good grief."

And with everyone moving towards a more isolated space away from the hotel’s entrance for a battle arena, Jolene whispered to him:

"Make sure to wipe that fake ass smile off of this Yariko guy’s face and beat his Magical Beast so badly that he pisses himself, before I resort to killing him with my own hands."

"I thought that you accepted the date as a part of the bet?"

"I did, but only so that I could slit his throat after I seduce him into bed if you lose. So win."

"-hk, y-yes ma’am."

***

And thus, as a small crowd consisting of the two main Shinigami Soldier groups looked on with great anticipation....

"[Behold, My Arsenal: Shihon]."

[Come Forward, My Divine Weapon: Killcreation]."

...The battle for hotel rooms, a date, and the participant’s dignities had commenced.