Chapter 72: A turning point in the nation

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Translator: Soafp

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Saturday, 3 PM.

That’s the time Hīragi-san said the group date would start.

Rio☆: “Toumachi, come a bit early!”

Hajime Toumachi: “Got it.”

Rio☆: “Around 3 AM.”

Hajime Toumachi: “Got it… Sorry, no trains at that time, I’ll bike there.”

Rio☆: “I’m kidding! Around 2 PM works!”

And so, I arrived at the meeting spot in front of the station. I was 10 minutes early, but—

“Yo-ho☆”

“Hey.”

The two were already there.

Hiiragi-san was wearing an off-shoulder blouse and a tight skirt—super fashionable. 

Yumesaki-san was dressed in a hoodie and track pants, a sporty outfit that looked really good on her.

…I was definitely out of place. 

Compared to them, I was like a mannequin wearing generic, store-bought clothes (a low-tier monster).

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“…Yeah, this looks about right☆”

“Uwa, karaoke places have this much space?”

“Yup☆ Bigger rooms are like this.”

The group date venue was karaoke.

I thought it would feel cramped, but nope, not at all.

The room could easily seat about 20 people. The screen was huge, and there was even a mirror ball—pretty impressive.

I had only ever been to karaoke with family, so I had no idea… 

This was my first time with classmates.

“I’m gonna sneak a bite☆”

“Haha (cute).”

The large table was filled with fries and snacks. 

If you just looked at the setup, it felt more like a party than a group date.

“…”

“Y-Yumesaki-san, are you one of the organizers too?”

“…Some people from my old team got all flirty and noisy, so I asked Rio to help.”

“Haha… Even for Ichigo's sake, this must’ve been tough for you…”

“Even Hiiragi-san struggles with things, huh.”

“Yeah☆ It's easy to get the girls together, but the boys… they bail last minute or get cold feet☆ More chicken than you’d expect~☆”

Hiiragi-san chatted away. 

Being the organizer must be tough…

“Well, I'm looking forward to it☆”

“Huh?”

“If a fight breaks out, Ichigo will stop it!”

“There won't be any fights. Those guys will handle themselves.”

“Haha! If anything, they might knock someone out instead.”

She sounded excited, which only confused me more. 

Also, what was that dangerous word I just heard…?

“—Oh, they’re here.”

No time to sort out my feelings.

“…(Speechless)”

“Wow, that's something.”

“Tch, those guys sure dressed up, didn't they?”

In front of me—

“Reiko, long time no see!” “Girls’ schools seriously have no boys!” “Right?!”

“Man, I'm so nervous…” “All the girls are cute…””Muscles solve everything.”

A crowd of people spread out.

10 guys. 

10 girls. 

A total of 20 people—an overwhelming sight.

And every one of them looked like what society would call “delinquents.” 

There were a few odd ones out, but most were surprisingly stylish (I felt defeated).

The room was filled with heat and energy.

It was like the eve of a great battle in the Sengoku era (minus the death).

“This is… not what I expected from a group date…”

“The numbers are crazy, right☆ I'm getting excited.”

“…This was a lottery, wasn't it?”

“Yeah! No way we could handle more than this☆”

Hiiragi-san and Yumesaki-san remained calm and composed.

How are they so chill?

Hiiragi-san even seemed excited…

“Alright, it's time to get started☆”

“Yeah.”

Wait, it's starting already? 

I'm not mentally prepared yet—

“—Alright, everyone, listen up!”

“””!!!”””

Grabbing the microphone, Hiirage-san raises her voice.

In that instant, the crowd falls into complete silence.

…Amazing. It must be her charisma… No one even dares to whisper.

I feel the tension, as if talking would get you killed.

There’s a demon lord here, for sure (respectfully).

Honestly, she’s more powerful than the principal (I'm sorry).

“Hahaha, it’s too quiet! Well, thanks everyone for coming! You can mostly do as you please, but…”

She laughs.

The room remains in stillness.

“Let's start with a quick round of introductions, one by one☆”

“Anyone brave enough to go first? …No? Okay, I'll give you an example. My name is Rio Hiirage! I do modeling as both a hobby and part-time job☆ Call me Rio, easy right? That’s it!”

“And, just to remind everyone, this is like the Battle of Sekigahara, so let's keep it short☆”

“Alright, clockwise from over there—go!”

With Hiirage-san leading the introductions for the 20 participants, things move smoothly.

Meanwhile, I’m trembling—yet she's completely unfazed.

It's just another normal day for her. Terrifying.

Thanks to her lighthearted introduction, the tension in the room starts to ease, and—

—“I’m 〇×▲. I box as a hobby.”

—“I'm 〇×. I graduated from ○○ High School, and I like muscular guys!”

—“I just won a judo competition,” “Wanna hit the gym together?” “I'm into fixing motorcycles—”

With 20 people, just the introductions take a while. Some people are a bit odd though.

And, well—

—“I’m aiming to be a kickboxer…”

—“I practice Chinese martial arts…”

—“I recently competed in an arm-wrestling tournament…”

There sure are a lot of combat sports enthusiasts, huh?

Is this really not a battlefield…?

Maybe it's just that with so many strong-looking women (no offense), showing off strength is the way to go.

—“I've been getting into cooking…”

—“I'm into fashion…”

—“I usually spend my weekends singing karaoke…”

On the other hand, the women seem more normal.

I had heard about Yumesaki-san's former team, so it's a bit surprising—

—“And that's all!”

Wait, that's all 20 introductions?

But in terms of order—

“…”

There's someone next to me, completely silent.

…Yumesaki-san hasn't introduced herself yet.

She's just sitting there, arms crossed.

“Alright, Toumachi, you're up☆”

Wait, I’m last?

How did she get skipped?!

“Y-yes!”

This is bad, really bad!!

I wasn't prepared at all!!!

—Calm down.

This is what you trained for, with the help of the anonymous forum members!

Now's the time to use that introduction they helped you craft.

You can't let their efforts go to waste.

“Um, um…”

Go.

Just open your mouth and say it.

“Nice to meet you, I'm Polo (nonsensical).”

“…?”

—That was careless.

[Just to reiterate, this is like the Battle of Sekigahara, so please keep your introductions brief☆]

Because Hiiragi-san’s words were so strong, I ended up omitting everything and it became incomprehensible.

So now I’m Polo Toumachi (sorry, Mom).

Or maybe Hajime Polo (sorry to the previous generations).

“””…?”””

The room falls silent.

I might as well be a psychic; I can sense exactly what they're all thinking.

I need to correct this—

“I'm sorry, Polo is my name, and my hobby is being Hajime Toumachi! My apologies!”

…Wait, what did I just say? Did I flip that around?

But I can't afford to worry about that (sorry, Polo Federation).

Right now, in this gathering…

I can't afford to stop (intense heat).

As the saying goes, “A good ending makes all things good.”

I'll finish perfectly, flipping everything on its head—

“From now on, please call me ‘Strike while the iron is hot' (striking a pose). That's all.”

Nailed it.

That's probably the best introduction of my life.

Are you watching, fellow forum members? I… did it.

“—Fu, I-I can’t…! Hahaha!!”

“…”

Next to me, Hiirage-san and Yumesaki-san are cracking up.

Meanwhile, the other 20 people are still frozen in shock.

I've done it.

There's no doubt this has ruined any chance of me being popular (joy).

Mission: Complete… (ecstasy).

“Fufu, alright! For now, it's free time!”

“Feel free to go talk to whoever you're interested in!”

“If you hit it off and decide you want to leave together, just give me a shout!”

Hiirage-san laughs as she shouts into the mic.

And then—

“Well then, go ahead☆”

Finally, the battle has begun.

Oh, and one person has already retired.