Kei Cordelle

『What’s something that the participant on the right would definitely buy at the store!? Write your answers on your boards!』

Siams: Aahn? At the store? Why the hell would I know that

Shin: Tch. What a bullshit fucking question….

Akira: Something Will would get at the store….

Will: ….Akira knows this, right?

Akira: Yep, if it’s Will, it’s gotta be…..!

Commentator: 『Time’s up! Everyone, show us your answers!』

Akira & Will: Mame daifuku!

Shin: Caramel macchiato

Siams: …Potato chips

[Correct buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『How splendid! South’s answers match! 5 points to them!』

Shin: Aahn!? 5 points!? That’s not fair! That was a shit question!

And you, Good-for-Nothing! Don’t just write your own favorite shit! My own damn toady should know what it is I like!

Siams: Why the hell would I remember that. Nothing in the world I care less about than your preferences

Commentator: 『Onto the next question! Back to the true/false format〜!』

Akira: …I kinda think I get it now

I can’t make myself know things I don’t know. But—

Commentator: 『The element that composes the highest percentage of the human body is carbon, true or false!?』

Akira & Will: False!

Shin & Siams: False!

[Correct buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『Both teams are utterly correct〜!』

Will: Akira…!

Akira: Yep, that’s the way… If I just think about what Will’ll probably answer, I can get them right

I don’t have a clue if they’re actually right myself, but it’s kinda different from earlier…. I think we can actually do it, like this

Uuwaaahhh! Don’t underestimate the power of friendship! Voltage max!!

———

Jay: Ooh, is South making a sudden comeback? They seem so different than before

Gray: How are they suddenly….?

Victor: ….It’s utterly inexplicable in any sensible way, but it appears something has changed

———

Siams: Wha– What happened….?

Suddenly he’s not getting them all wrong… He’s overflowing with confidence now

Shin: …….. Tch……

———

Commentator: 『The last question is finally upon us…』

『The current stands are: South, 19 points! And St. Eclipse Academy, 19 points! It all rests on this next question!』

『Get your whiteboards ready, because this last question’s going to be another written answer! Please make sure you answer within the time limit!』

『However, your answer must match exactly. If even a single stroke is off, it’ll count as incorrect, so watch out!』

Akira: Wha….

Siams: No way I can keep from getting even a single stroke wrong

Shin & Will: ……

Commentator: 『Here is your final question!! What idiom meaning lack of knowledge and common sense contains the word “ignorant”....!?』

Akira: Gehk, an idiom…. I don’t know shit about idioms!

No, wait? I feel like I’ve heard this somewhere before… “Ignor-” something?

Oh yeah, that jerk Brad said it—

Brad: 『The trials of the ignorant』 (1)

Akira: That’s right, that was it…!

But…. How do you spell that? I don’t have a clue what the kanji are

Will: …. The answer is “the trials of the ignorant”. If Akira remembers his argument with Brad-sensei, he should realize that

But… Knowing Akira, I can’t imagine he’ll be able to write it without making any mistakes

This time, I’ve got no choice but to try to match him….

Akira & Will: Alright! I’ll write it in hiragana!

Siams: ….Schooled by adversity in many battles, rushing in headfirst, the strong prey on the weak…. The strong pray for a week? (2)

Damnit! I don’t know any idioms that aren’t about fighting

Shin: There’s no way that Good-for-Nothing knows this idiom…

He’s definitely not gonna get it right… If I don’t do something… If I don’t do something, we’re gonna lose….

———

Sirius, flashback: 『In which case, perhaps it would be best to think of it as “fighting so as not to lose” instead』

———

Shin: Kh. If I don’t do something—.....

…..The trials of the ignorant

Siams: …..Huh?

Shin: The trials of! I’m telling you to write that!

Siams: No…. You….

———

Jay: ….What was that, just now?

Robin: He said the answer out loud

Victor: What are they going to do? Will they strike out the current question and read out another? ….Or—

(1) See the TN from Chapter 1. Technically this isn’t an idiom in English but to my credit, I didn’t know it was going to become a trivia question when I agonized over it the first time. Honestly I’m kind of impressed what I went with works so well here

(2) Siams is listing off 4 character idioms in Japanese, the first 3 of which actually mean exactly what I’ve said they mean. The fourth (焼肉定食, “yakinikuteishoku”) is a play on the third (弱肉強食, “jakunikukyoushoku”) and actually means “set meal with grilled meat”, but the point is the play on the pronunciation 

Commentator: 『The world’s largest squid, larger even than the Giant Squid—』

[Bing!]

Will: Colossal Squid!

[Correct buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『The god of the rising sun in Greek myth is Helios. His son—』

[Bing!]

Shin: Phaethon

[Correct buzzer noises]

Oscar: ….You’re right. It’s already shaping up to be a one-on-one duel between Will and that student

He’s the one from last night….

He sounded so desperate when he said they definitely wouldn’t lose, but he seems truly formidable….

———

Akira: Shit, it’s just been a whole buncha questions I can’t answer

Shouldn’t have expected I could make a difference overnight like that. Guess there’s nothing I can do now but pray for divine intervention or something….

Commentator: 『The highly popular home gaming system developed by At Series—』

Akira: Hell yeah! Now this is my specialty! It’s my turn—

[Bing!]

Akira: Wha–!?

Siams: Olga Inc.

[Correct buzzer noises]

Akira: Wha…. Wha….. Whaaat!?

Siams: …..Hmph

Akira: Oi, you were just lookin’ at me and laughing, weren’t you!? Weren’t you!? Damnit, you asshole!

Will: Akira, calm down…!

Siams: ……

Will: It looks like Akira and that boy are playing pretty similar roles. Even their skillsets seem to overlap

The other one’s just like me…. No, he might be even more knowledgeable than I am

Akira: Damnit, no way am I losing to that bastard. I just need more questions I can…. No, I can’t just leave it up to fate!

Commentator: 『And that’s the last of our button bashing quiz! From here on out, we’ll be moving onto the second format of the day!』

[Mechanical whirring]

Akira: Wh-What was that!?

Will: Akira!?

Commentator: 『A huge wall has suddenly appeared between teammates!』

『Brace yourselves for a true/false quiz that’s a little more difficult than you’d expect! You’d better hope both your answers match – because we’ll be checking, after you’ve both revealed them!』

Akira & Will: …..!

Siams & Shin: ……

———

Jay: Their answers have to match?

Victor: In order to be judged correct, they must both have answered the same thing. Even with only two possible choices, the difficulty level of this quiz format is still high

Robin: It’s a true/false quiz, so the possibility exists to answer based on intuition, but should you be wrong, you risk standing in your partner’s way

———

Commentator: 『An airplane’s blackbox is actually black in color, true or false!?』

Akira: True!

Will: False!

Shin & Siams: False!

[Correct buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『St. Eclipse Academy, correct!』

Akira: Shit, I was totally wrong….

My bad, Will….

Will: Don’t worry about it! We’ll get the next one!

———

Robin: It seems they’ve been forced into a rather difficult position

Victor: St. Eclipse Academy, on the other hand, gave the correct answer without any trouble. It would appear they’re rather skilled at this format of quiz as well

Jay: ….How were they able to answer correctly like that?

Gray: G-Game sense is all they’d need…

Jay: Gray?

Gray: If the current answer is true, the next will be false…. Two falses in a row, and the next will be true…. If you look at it like that, you can start to pick out patterns…..

But it really isn’t anything more than intuition…

Jay: I see…. So you're saying they don’t even have to really know the answer

[Sirius walks off]

Shin: ……

! Who’s there?

Oscar: S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop

Shin: You…. You teach at South, right? What, you trying to spy on the enemy?

Oscar: No, not at all! It’s just a coincidence that I ended up here

Shin: Hmph, whatever. Doesn’t matter what you do, we’re definitely not going to lose tomorrow. ….No, let me rephrase: you are going to lose. Without a doubt

We, St. Eclipse Academy, will be the champions. Don’t forget it

[Shin walks off]

Oscar: ……

———

Commentator: 『The moment has finally arrived! The Million City High School Quiz Championship! Grand! Finals!』

『This year’s victors wil finally be decided! Let’s welcome the schools who reigned in yesterday’s fierce battle for the semifinals: St. Eclipse Academy, and South Million High School!』

『Only one school will be smiling in the end! The moment is fast approaching for one of them to seize all the glory… You won’t want to miss a thing!』

Will: Yawn….

Shoot, no, I can’t start yawning. But it’s true that I didn’t get enough sleep. We stayed up so late last night practicing for the Quiz…

Akira: HECK YEAH! VOLTAGE MAX!!!!

Will: You sure have a lot of energy. Even though you were the most active of everyone last night

Akira: That’s exactly why. I’m pumped full of adrenaline for the finals

Will: That makes sense. With everyone supporting us and lending us their help, I’m sure we’ll be able to do well today

———

Junior: Oooii! Good luck, South!

Asch: You know what’s coming for you if you fail, right?

Sage: Just keep calm and you’ll be fine〜 It’ll go great ♪

Oscar: You’ve got this, Will, Akira!

———

Akira: After comin’ this far, we’re definitely gonna take the crown

Will: ….Yeah. Let’s do it, Akira

——— 

Shin: Sweet～. I slept perfectly last night, so my looks are totally on point today～ ♪

And of course, it goes without saying that we’re going to win today, too

Siams: …..Whatever

Will: Ah!

Siams: !?

Akira: Oi, Will. Why’re you waving at our enemies?

Will: What’s the harm? It didn’t matter last night if we’d been friends or foes, right? We were all studying together

Akira: They’re different. Don’t go making friends with someone we’re about to crush

Will: Hehe, good luck～ ♪

Siams: …..Hmph

Commentator: 『Well then, if everyone’s ready, let’s announce the theme for the finals!』

『There’ll be 3 different question formats to contend with in this one! We’ll let you know which one you’re up against each time! The first school to 20 points will claim victory!』

『First up is an orthodox button bashing round

! There’ll be trick questions involved, so watch out!』

Will: So there’ll be trick questions, huh…. We’d better hear the question through all the way to the end before hitting the button

Akira: Just leave it to me! Yesterday trained me right up, I’ll definitely be the best button pusher here now! I’ll hit it at the perfect moment, just you wait!

Commentator: 『Alright, onto the first question! In this guitar performance technique, the musician will pull the strings up to change the pitch—』

[Bing!]

Commentator: 『That was fast! The school to strike the first blow is…. South!!』

Akira: Junior answered this one yesterday! The answer is “choking”!

[Correct buzzer noises]

Will: You got it, Akira! That’s incredible!

Akira: Heheh, I really did! Feels good to get one right ♪

——— 

Oscar: Amazing…! Yesterday’s study session is already paying off!

Brad: ……

Ren: ……

No, I do. I do look down on him for that. How could I not. It’d be nice if he could take this opportunity to become a slightly better person

….If he feels even a little bad about what happened with us, tell him to get himself together and take responsibility for it

Just one extra person isn’t enough. Tell him his efforts had better be worth at least 10

Will: Ren…..

Yeah, I’ll tell him. I promise

Ren: ….I’m going to head back

Will: Ah! Shall I walk with you back to your room?

Gast: Ren!

Ren: …..!

Gast: Thank goodness～. Yer sense of direction is wayy too terrible for you to be walkin’ around alone….

Marion: I’m going back to the room. We may have been eliminated, but I need to see the finals tomorrow with my own eyes

For next year

Ren: …..Next year?

Gast: Ahhh, well, we’ll explain all the details once we get back to our room —

———

Akira: Ghnn～～～～～.....

Brad: In the comic “Demon Slaying Sword”, what is the name of the first skill the protagonist learned??

Akira: Demon Slaying Swordfish! (1)

Brad: Correct. Who is the Frenchman known as the modern day founder of the Olympics?

Akira: Kh…… Cookie Tin!

Brad: Wrong, it’s Coubertin. I asked you this same question only a moment ago 

Rather than focussing on increasing the breadth of your knowledge, you should aim to not get the same question wrong twice. Be consistent

Akira: I-I’m grateful you’re giving me this crash course and all, but…. Why do I gotta sit seiza? I can’t concentrate with my legs asleep like this…..

Brad: Blame yourself for trying to laze about and snack on candy. This also counts as punishment for talking back

Akira: Damniiiitttt～～～.....

Oscar: A-Akira….

Brad: Spare your pity, Oscar-sensei. He’s the one who asked me to help him study

I have no intention of forcing him to put in the effort. He’s welcome to quit right now, if he wants

Akira: Guh, grrrrr……

Brad: So? Are you going to give up already?

[Door opens]

Akira: Kh– No way! Of course not! Voltage max!!!!

Faith: What’s that? Voltage max?

Billy: Day or night, you’re always running at full throttle, Otori Akiracchi～ ♪

Akira: W-What the….? What’re you all doing here?

Will: I happened to run into them all while I was on my way back to our room… And everyone from Central High, too

Sage: We heard you were studying up to get ready for tomorrow, Akira-kun, so we came to show our support ♪

Akira: Support….?

Junior: Well, you did defeat us so you could get to the finals. You’d better make it all the way to the top, or we’re gonna be pissed

Asch: Exactly right

Gray: S-S-Sorry for the trouble….

Nico: Is there anything to eat?

Oscar: So many people. What a sudden spike in population density in here…..

Brad: So much the better. Since you’re all here, how about we host a quiz?

Faith: ….Eh?

Bianchi: Oh my, are we joining in too? We truly did just come as a show of support

Jude: What are you plotting? If you’re planning to waste Bianchi’s precious time, I’ll make you regret it

Brad: I won’t forcing you to participate if you don’t wish to. However, this is just another way to offer your support

Brad: Akira, even if you can’t answer yourself, pay close attention to the others

Akira: Ah? There’s no way that counts as training!?

Brad: That’s not necessarily true. On the contrary, this method is efficient. I suggest you quit complaining and try it yourself

Akira: ….?

———

Oscar: — I still can’t be around that many people without feeling awkward

This should make things feel a little less cramped….

I wonder how Alexander’s doing back home. Maybe I should test out that new pet camera I bought?

…..He seems so lively. So this is how freely he plays when I’m not around

???: Hey, Sensei—

Oscar: …..?

(1) I assume this is a reference to something but I don’t know what. The original is a play on “demon beheading” (鬼斬, “onigiri”) and salmon onigiri the food. There is a Japanese MMO by the name of Onigiri, but I don’t really have the impression that’s what it’s talking about. Maybe it’s a Demon Slayer reference I’m just not getting? If anyone’s got any ideas, let me know

Gast: Wha– Ren!?

Ren: I’m going for a walk

Gast: Oi, don’t just walk away on your own! You’re gonna get lost again for sure!! ….Ren!

Gh, damnit…! I can’t leave Marion. What do I do—

[Door opens]

Marion: I told you to leave me alone

Gast: …..!

Marion: …..Did Ren get lost?

Gast: Yeah…. Ah, er, no, not yet

Marion: Sigh. I’ll go look for him too. ….Let’s go

———

Marion: I guess it wouldn’t make sense for him to come here, would it? Though no, it’s Ren. He could be anywhere

If we really can’t find him, we’ll have to consider asking St. Eclipse Academy to make a school-wide announcement 

Gast: …..Hey, Marion

Marion: What?

Gast: That was really frustrating. The semifinals

Marion: Wha….

Y-You can’t even begin to fathom how frustrated I feel. ….How the hell could you understand

Gast: No, I understand. In fact, I’m confident I’m even more bitter about it than you are

In all of the time we were on that stage today, did I even answer a single question?

Marion: ……

Gast: I know I just joined up to earn some points. And you told me not to get in your way, but…. But, in the end, I really did just want to participate

All I could do in the semifinals was watch you get driven into a corner

I wish I could’ve felt like you were just getting what you deserved, but I really, really didn’t…. I just felt frustrated and pathetic

Marion: ……

….From the outset, I never once considered relying on you two

Gast: Yeah, I could tell

Marion: So I thought I was the only one feeling bitter…. But, I see. You felt the same way

Gast: …..Eh?

Marion: This was my last chance, but I still couldn’t win…. Even though I bear the title of student council president…. To be such a failure…..

But, you’re right…. I won’t give up yet

Next year, and the year after… We’ll have another chance. I’ll train you two up so you can challenge the tournament again

Gast: …..!?

Marion: It’s decided. Once I become an alumnus, I’ll petition to be allowed to instruct you as a special coach

….My ambition hasn’t been extinguished yet

Gast: S-Seriously….

———

Will: — Huh? Ren?

Ren: ….Will?

Will: What are you doing here…. Don’t tell me—

Ren: I’m not lost

Will: Do you know where you are?

Ren: Kh……

Will: Sigh….

Er, Ren… I’m really sorry to hear about the semifinals. I was just watching from the audience, but that was a really hard matchup, wasn’t it?

Ren: ….I wasn’t expecting you two to make it to the finals. I doubt anyone could have imagined that outcome

Will: Ahh, you may be right about that

Ren: Even though you were essentially competing alone, you did really well in the semifinals

Will: That’s not true. I wasn’t fighting alone at all

I only won because Akira was there with me

Ren: ……

Will: Haha. It seems like Akira himself isn’t convinced of that either, though

Ren: …..?

Will: He said he didn’t manage to get this far on his own strength, and that we won’t be able to win like this, so he’s doing some intensive studying in our room

Ren: ….Akira is?

Will: He sure is. He kept saying he didn’t want to be here, but in reality, it seems like he’s changed his mind after giving it a try

Certainly, there are still things we can do now to make a difference. Even a single bit of knowledge can have a big impact on your chances of winning or losing

And more than that… Everyone who lost was probably better prepared than Akira, right? I think he understands that too

Maybe, deep down inside, he feels like he won’t be able to face up to those people if he doesn’t change

Ren: ……

Will: Of course, he hasn’t said that himself. I’m just guessing

Ren: Has he finally learned how to put in a bit of effort?

Will: ….Eh?

Akira: Oi! EMU High!

Billy: Oh, here come the South Boys. Good game〜 ♪

Will: To you too. I’m sorry for coming up out of nowhere. I just really wanted to say thank you for a good match

Akira: Yep yep. Even I ended up actually trying, and I never care about this sorta thing

Asch: All you did was push the damn button, though

Akira: True, but still, it was a good match. Thanks to your button pressing!

Asch: Kh…..

Billy: Wow… That kid’s got guts, going right up to Asch-paisen for a handshake like that〜

Will: Would you shake my hand, too? In honor of a good match, and good memories made

Billy: Of course ♪ Then I’ll take your right hand, and Gray’ll take your left〜

Gray: Th…… Thank you too…..

Billy: It really was a great game. Even though we lost, it left a real impression. I felt like if I’d really prepared, we could’ve done even better

Gray: Yeah… I thought so too

But… I think it’s also really important to keep that mindset you guys had. That no matter what happens, you won’t let it get you down….

Asch: Now that you’ve beat me, you’d better win this whole fucking thing. If you don’t, I’ll make you pay

Billy: Paisen, c’mon now, don’t go pressuring other schools…..

Akira: Hmph, you don’t have to tell me that. I was gonna win either way. Just leave it to us!

Will: Akira….

Akira: ….Well, as we are now, we probably can’t. I know that

Commentator: 『The Group B semifinals are fast approaching! Students from North and from St. Eclipse Academy, please come on up to the stage now!』

Will: Whoops… We’d better get off the stage. Come on, Akira

Akira: Yup!

———

Will: …..Huh?

You’re…. from St. Eclipse Academy, right?

What are you doing here? You’re supposed to head up to the stage now

Siams: Should be pretty obvious. I’m playing a game. Don’t interrupt

Will: But… The semifinals are starting?

Siams: ….So what

Honestly, I don’t really care. The only reason I’m stuck in this farce is ‘cause of that dumbass system

Will: System?

Siams: Our school’s “sibling system”. It’s supposed to give you some support when you get caught up in some mess, but in reality it just means you’re stuck as someone’s gofer

‘Cause of that, my name got entered in this contest even though I don’t wanna be here

Will: But, you made it through the preliminaries, right? Not everyone gets the chance to take part in the semifinals, you should—

Shin: Oi, Good-for-Nothing!

What are you doing over there, dumbass? They told us to get on the stage. You know what’s gonna happen to you if you try to withdraw, don’t you!?

Siams: …..Tch. He found me

I’m headed there now. Don’t throw a damn hissy fit

Shin: Aahn!? You really mouthing off at me?

Will: ……

———

— A few hours later —

Victor: A fine showing today, Jay-sensei. Your students were utterly wonderful in the semifinals today

Jay: Thanks. North put up a hell of a fight. …..It was a shame how it turned out

Victor: It is a shame, would be a more apt way of putting it, no? It was a rather sound defeat, though

Jay: ….It was just bad luck, plain and simple. It was a really cruel theme to have to go up against

If it was just a face paced quiz, that would be one thing, but nearly all the questions were trick questions. Randomizing the themes like this has really caused a lot of trouble

Victor: Well, students like ours….. like Marion in particular really struggle with a format like that

The match was well and lost after that initial trick question. They couldn’t regain their footing and got overly frantic

And that failure provided St. Eclipse Academy the opportunity to grasp the theme of the contest and adapt to it

Jay: They handled it much better than I expected. I was quite surprised. Especially that first year, it seemed like he was able to puzzle out the tricks to each of those questions

Victor: He proved strangely adept at intuiting the ways in which the questions didn’t quite fit. Perhaps he is uniquely talented in that regard

Jay: Maybe he is…. So, how are North’s students doing? Has everyone turned in for the night already?

Victor: Yes. The first years seem largely unaffected, but Marion seems to be taking it rather poorly

He was visibly in decline from the midpoint of the match onwards, and once it finished, he secluded himself in his room without a word

Jay: Did he really? Then why’re you standing around talking to me? This isn’t the time for that….

Victor: It’s alright

Or more accurately, I’m experimenting to see whether it’s alright or not

Jay: …..Hah?

Victor: Not all teachers are of the mind to grow close with their students, as you are

Jay: What’s that supposed to mean?

Victor: Fufu, I’ve phrased it poorly. I simply suspect there is someone more suited to the task than a teacher… That is what I’m putting to the test

Billy & Gray: Huhh!?

Billy: I can’t believe it! “I want to answer everything myself! No way I’m leaving anything to anyone else!” ← is what I’d expect to hear from the Asch-paisen I know!? 

What’s this what’s this!? Something must be up!?

Asch: Don’t go making shit up. I said it’s fine, so just shut up and take the role you’re given

I got us this far. You know what’ll happen to you if you fuck this up, don’t you?

Billy & Gray: !?

Commentator: 『EMU High is changing up their roster! It looks like from here on out, Asch Albright will be taking charge of the button!』

『How will this decision impact the match!? Let’s find out, with the next question!』

『The waters surrounding the Bermuda Triangle are called—』

[Bing!]

Commentator: 『So fast! Now that was speed, Asch Albright～! I hadn’t even finished speaking and already he’d pressed the button!!』

Asch: There. Hurry up and answer

Gray: Y-You pushed the button too soon… Billy-kun, what do you think?

Billy: ….It’s just a hunch, but I feel like this one’s a trick question

I don’t think it’s asking if the Bermuda Triangle really exists, but if boats and planes actually go missing in it, right? So, the answer is false!

[Correct buzzer noises]

Gray & Asch: …..!

Akira: Damn! They stole a point from us!

Will: We still have time to get it back, Akira

Akira: Yeah!

———

Jay: Nice! Good one!!

Robin: A wonderful recovery. In electing those two as responders, they’ve become notable stronger

Jay: Billy and Gray are the best friends in our whole class, after all. They make a great combo

Just watch them. They both know who should answer what, so they can compromise without ever having to say a word

[Bing!]

Billy & Gray: False!

Jay: Haha. Now they’re really in sync

Robin: I see. It seems the bonds of friendship truly are valuable in this tournament

Jay: I’m sure Asch noticed that too. His pride was getting in their way, but his steadfast refusal to lose won out. I’m sure that’s what prompted the switch

….I knew the three of them would figure it out

———

[Bing!]

Billy: True!

[Correct buzzer noises]

[Bing!]

Gray: False!

[Correct buzzer noises]

[Bing!]

Billy & Gray: True!!

[Correct buzzer noises]

Will: ….. I can’t even get a word in….

Asch: Hmph

Will: We had such a lead, but they’ve already caught up…

Akira: …… This quiz thing’s pretty insane, isn’t it….

Will: Akira?

Akira: Shit, I’m really startin’ to wanna win

Will: ……

…..Right. You’re right, victory’s still in our sights. I’m definitely not going to give up

Commentator: 『Those buttons were pressed at almost exactly the same time, and their answers were almost exactly the same thing! EMU High and South High are locked in a truly wonderful contest!』

『Laugh about it, cry about it, but this next question is our last! Whether you win or lose all rests on this one question! Our teams will clash one last time, fair and square!』

Akira & Asch: ……

Commentator: 『In the English alphabet, the letter with the highest frequence of use is A—』

[Bing!]

Commentator: 『And the first to press the button is….. EMU High! EMU High gets to answer!』

Akira: Damnit….

Commentator: 『So, what’s your answer!?』

Gray: What should I do…. I’m, not so sure about this….

Billy: It’s okay, Gray. Answer the first thing that comes to mind

Gray: Billy-kun….

Okay….. Then, the answer is…. True

[Incorrect buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『....... That’s too bad! Incorrect!』

Gray: Kh!

Commentator: 『EMU High fumbled, and that means: one more question! South has the chance to steal the win!』

『The hottest planet in the solar system is mercury. True or false!? Tell us, what’s your answer!?』

Will: ….It’s false

[Correct buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『Absolutely correct! South has pulled through for a splendid victory!!』

Will: ….!

Akira: Will!

Will: We did it, Akira!

Akira: HELL YEAHHHHHH～～～～～～!!

Gray: ……It’s…. my fault…..

Billy: NO, NO! Don’t feel down about this, Gray! I didn’t know the answer either, so I left it all up to you!

Gray: B-But….

Billy: Thank you for standing your ground and answering such an important question for us. That was really brave, Gray

Gray: Kh……

Asch: Oi

Gray: !!

Billy: It’s fine, it’s fine ♪ Here we go, time for the first question—

Commentator: 『Question 1! Peanuts are a type of nut, true or false!?』

Akira: Ouuraa!!

[Bing!]

Will: Er… False!

[Correct buzzer noises]

Billy: Drat, too late～....

Asch: Tch…..

Will: Ahaha, you’re merciless, Akira…. What are we going to do if I don’t know the answer to a question?

Akira: We don’t have time to worry about that. I’ll take care of smashing the button, so you just focus on getting a whole bunch right

Will: R-Right!

———

[Bing!]

Will: The answer is… false! 

[Incorrect buzzer noises]

Will: Crap! I messed up….

Akira: Don’t worry about it! You’ll get the next one!

Will: ….Yeah!

Commentator: 『South’s mistake earns them a foul! EMU High will get first crack at the next question!』

『 “Egosearching” is the act of looking up public opinion relating to specific products, entertainers, or other such things, true or false!?』

Asch: Hmph, are you kidding me? That’s clearly true—

Gray: Eh….

Billy: Gray, what’s wrong?

Gray: No…. It’s just…. Um….. I think it’s false…..

Asch: ….Aahn?

Gray: Eep……

Asch: You think there’s something wrong with my answer, Geek?

Billy: Asch-paisen, you have to say your answer!

Asch: Tch…. The answer is…..

True

[Incorrect buzzer noises] (1)

Asch: Gh!?

Billy: Ahh, your pride got in the way….

Gray: …….

Asch: …….Tch!!

———

Dino: The EMU High boys still seem so tense and unfriendly…. The more time passes, the worse the atmosphere seems to get

Keith: They get a free shot every time South fouls, but they ain’t gettin’ any further ahead if they just get it wrong

Bianchi: South is pretty incredible though. They’ve gotten a lot of fouls, but even 2 on 1, it doesn’t look like they’re at a disadvantage

Jude: Apparently they’re childhood friends. I don’t really care, but I looked into them for your sake, Bianchi

Bianchi: D-Did you now… That’s nice, but please don’t do digging into people’s personal information

Dino: If they’re childhood friends, then that totally explains it. They’ve had plenty of time to build up this relationship. Having someone you can trust so implicitly is invaluable in a place like this

Junior: Still, there’s only 2 choices. All they’ve gotta do is not screw it up

No, I guess even if with a 50/50 shot, there’s no one who could get it right 100% of the time

Nico: When he’s at his best, Sage could do it

Junior: Huh?

Faith: I’ve been listening to him play along while he’s watching, and so far he’s gotten every single question right

Sage: I’ve got really good intuition, so this is the perfect type of question for me

It was bad luck for us that the preliminaries weren’t like this today

Nico: Sage is impressive enough on his own, but Robin-sensei is even more incredible

Junior: What kind of power…. You guys really are weird

Jay: ……

Robin: EMU High doesn’t particularly seem to be on the same wavelength. …Perhaps this is where things end for them?

Jay: …..No. I really hope that’s not true

Robin: ……

———

Gray: ……

Asch: ….Tch

Billy: Hey now hey now～ It’s getting tenser and tenser over here! What do I do～!?

(1) エゴサ (egosa) is in fact the act of googling yourself to see what people are saying about you

….And that good-for-nothing wasn’t any help at all, as expected. He was just a huge, unnecessary burden

Sirius: Siams did his fair share too, don’t you think? I think he covered very well for your shortcomings

Shin: You think so～? He barely did a thing. I almost forgot he was even there

Siams: …..Tch

Shin: If it wasn’t for that weirdo system, I never would’ve been stuck with you. The least you could do is do as baggage is supposed to do and keep quiet

Sirius: Weirdo system… If you’re referring to the “siblings system”, I’d suggest you rethink your wording. It exists due to our own school’s traditions

Shin: …..Hmph

Sirius: EMU High was the other to claim victory in B Team, was it? I suppose that’s expected of the reigning champions

Shin: Haah? They didn’t do anything impressive. Definitely not enough to call it “expected”. Anyone can see they’re going to be eliminated during the semifinals

They reaaaally didn’t seem to get along. They kept getting in each other’s way

Siams: ….You’re one to talk

Shin: Aahn!? You trying to say something, Good-for-Nothing?

Siams: ……

Sirius: In any case, you won’t be facing EMU High in the upcoming semifinals match. You’ll be facing either South or North High, the victors from Group A (1) 

Shin: Hmmn? What’re they like?

Sirius: They were quite entertaining to watch. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the semifinals play out

Shin: Tch…. North High isn’t even worth worrying about. I don’t care if they wanna parade themselves around and pretend to be elite or whatever. I’m gonna grind them into dust

Sirius: ….Fufu

———

Gast: — Oi, Akira

Akira: Gast!

Gast: We’re headed into the semifinals now. Let’s both give it our all and leave without any regrets

Akira: ….What the hell, why’s Ren with you?

Of course I’m gonna give it my all. It’s kinda surprising how easy it was to win, y’know～

Gast: That’s big talk comin’ from someone who was just goin’ on about how he was forced to come 

Akira: I told you I wasn’t gonna lose to North, remember? I’m gonna kick your asses in the finals, so you better make sure you win

Will: Heyyy, Akira, what are you doing? Hurry up, it’s time to go

Akira: Yeah, I’m coming! ….See ya

[Akira runs off]

Gast: Just us then…. I wonder what’s gonna happen during the semifinals. Whattaya think, Ren?

Ren: ……

———

Commentator: 『The wait was long, but the moment’s finally come! One second’s hesitation can cost you the match — the semifinals are about to begin!』

『In the semifinals, 2 schools will each face off head to head in a fast-paced true-false quiz! The rules are simple enough: the school with the highest number of correct answers moves onto the next round!』

『Facing off in Group A of the semifinals is….. South Million High School! Versus! East Million University Faculty of Education Affiliated High School, EMU High for short～!』

『South High were the dark horse in the preliminaries, but what sort of showing can we expect from them now that they’re up against the reigning victors, EMU High!?』 

『As we move into the semifinals, you won’t want to look away from this dramatic faceoff! Keep your eyes open and your expectations high!』

———

Akira: Hell yeah!! A true-false quiz’ll be an easy win! I mean, there’s only 2 options, right? You can get it right even if you don’t have a clue!

Will: It’s not as easy as you think. And keep your voice down, it’s embarrassing

Akira: Aahn? You sayin’ I’m embarrassing—

!?

What the… It felt like a crazy sharp gaze just pierced straight through me just now—

Akira: Was it him!?

…H-He’s just a high school student, but he’s so dignified. I heard they were all first years, but that’s gotta be a lie!?

Billy: Asch-paisen! You’ve been glaring at them since we sat down, it’s too much! The longer you stare, the higher you raise the bar for us!!

You get it, right? We have the reputation of EMU High to uphold, but our whole group’s nothing but rookies!!

Asch: Can it. Quit being such a wimp

The battle’s already started. If you show even a hint of weakness, the enemy’ll take full advantage

Billy: Uuu. Paisen’s mystery logic is at it again～

Gray: ……

Asch: Oi, Geek. Didn’t you hear me? Wipe that pathetic fuckin’ look off your face

Gray: Eep!?

———

Bianchi: EMU High’s uniforms are just lovely. They look like they stepped right out of a traditional school drama. It’s getting me all excited ♪ 

Jude: Naturally. If you like those uniforms so much, I’ll go strip one off of them when they’re done

Sage: Still, there’s a really turbulent feeling in the air… I wonder if they had a fight?

Junior: You’re right. They don’t really look like they get along

That Asch guy looks pretty scary. I bet he’d cause even more problems than someone like the Shitty DJ

Faith: I’d rather you didn’t use me as your comparison

And anyway, why do we have to sit here and watch with Central High?

Sage: I invited you ♪ Maybe it’s a little strange, since we both lost, but I thought it’d be fun to watch the rest of the tournament together

Faith: …..Sigh

Nico: Munch munch….

Faith: …….. Sigh…….

Commentator: 『First things first: would both teams please pick one person to press the button, and one person to answer the questions!』

Junior: Huh? The one hitting the button isn’t the one answering?

Bianchi: My, in that case, their numbers put EMU High at an advantage

Faith: I don’t really think so

Even during the prelims, South only had one member answering pretty much the whole time. Nothing’s really changed for them here. Which means it’s luckier for them that their opponent’s numbers get focused down, don’t you think?

Sage: I see. So you’re saying this actually makes EMU High less of a problem to deal with?

(1) Look, I don’t know why it’s Group A and Team B (except for sometimes, when it’s Team A), but that’s what’s in the Japanese so I’m sticking with it

Brad: ……

———

Junior: ……

Sage: Good work back there. It’s too bad neither of us made it

Junior: ….You’re the guys from Central High

A loss is a loss. Don’t got a choice but to accept it gracefully…. I just… need a minute to get my face under control

Bianchi: My my, what an adorable uniform. I’ve never seen Hikari Academy’s uniform before. Let me see more of it ♪ 

Junior: ….You guys really kept the pressure on us all the way through. I was kinda shocked

Bianchi: You’re surprisingly honest. How cute ♡

Sage: We could say the same right back to you. You were super incredible. No matter what kind of question came up, you were ready to sink your teeth right into it…. It was really exciting to watch ♪ 

Robin: Well done

Sage: Sensei!

Nico: We lost…. Our reward…..

Robin: Fufu, don’t look so dejected. For giving us the chance to see such a splendid contest, let’s hold a celebratory wrap party

Nico: A wrap party? With food?

Robin: Yes, whatever you’d like… Or perhaps out of concern for my wallet, I should say “whatever kind of food you’d like”

Sage: Yay, good job, Nico ♪ A wrap party will be so much fun

Junior: They lost, but they’re all so relaxed – or maybe more like they’re having fun? They really are weird

Dino: Good job up there, Junior, Faith!

Man～ That match was so heated, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I didn’t have a clue how it was gonna turn out right to the very end!

Keith: I dunno, that rule change at the end was cruel. Whether ya won or lost all came down to that one question?

Junior: Right!?

Dino: That really was unfortunate at the end there, wasn’t it, Faith

Faith: ….!

Wh-What are you talking about…?

Dino: What do you mean what? …The last question. You knew the answer, didn’t you?

Junior: Yeah, it sure looked like it, didn’t it!? Why the hell didn’t you press the button?

Faith: Kh! I did not… You’re probably just imagining things?

Keith: Nah, no way. With ya up on stage like that, it was pretty obvious. Everyone could tell

Faith: ……

I just happened to know the answer and I thought maybe I should say something. ….But in the end, we lost

Dino: Yep yep, it’s too bad

Faith: ……

But hey…. Did I just see you talking to him? What’s that about? Do you know him?

Dino: “Him”?

Keith: He means Brad

Dino: Ahh! That’s right, we went to high school together. He’s my treasured friend. Maybe even one of my best friends!

You know, I was soo surprised to hear you and Brad are brothers. And to think, I’ve known you both all this time… It’s so super Love and Peace ☆

Faith: I can’t believe it….

Dino: Brad’s here for the Quiz Tournament too. Maybe it’s fate that the Million City High School Quiz Championship keeps bringing us together!

Faith: …? What’s that mean?

Keith: We did this too. The three of us. Back in high school

Faith & Junior: Eh–

Dino: Yep, sure did! We were the grand champions too! We were all so happy～! It made for a super spectacular memory ♪

Faith & Junior: HAAH!!!??

Dino: Keith, why didn’t you say anything? I thought for sure you’d told them…

Keith: Was I supposed to? Seemed to me like it’d just cause problems if I did

I didn’t really even do anything. Brad got himself all worked up and put all his energy into doin’ special trainin’ and stuff, and then he breezed through and won the whole thing

Dino: That’s not really true, though～? You went to those training sessions too, Keith. And you gave it your all at the match, too, in your own way

Keith: Ahh, I don’t really remember that～

Dino: You’ve always been consistent in pretending like you don’t care. But even so, Brad and I both know the truth

Junior: Dammniiiiittt～～～～～～!! Hearing that makes losing sting way more!

Next time! Next year I’m definitely gonna win the Quiz Tournament! Dino-sensei, Keith…..sensei! Starting tomorrow, we’re gonna train!

Keith: …..See, this’s what I meant. Problems. Startin’ tomorrow’s way too early 

Dino: If a student’s so motivated, it’s only right that we lend him a hand. Alright, I’ll do everything I can to help!

Junior: HELL YEAH～!

Faith: Ochibi-chan, wasn’t the only reason you joined the tournament so we could hold a concert?

Junior: Uhhh, that’s….

Faith: Seeing the other schools inspired you, did it? ….Like North, maybe? They were pretty impressive, weren’t they?

Junior: !!!??

Dino: They really were! Their student council president Marion Blythe in particular was a force to be reckoned with

Junior: ! Sh….. Sh-Sh-Shut it!! That’s not it at all! I’m just pissed, so it’s making me want to work harder!

I’m signing up next year too, for sure! And then I’m gonna win it! And you’re coming with me, right, Shitty DJ!?

Faith: Eh….

Junior: You’re coming, right!?

Faith: …….. Not if we’re just going to lose again

Junior: Wha–!?

Faith: If you’re really serious about winning, I’ll come

Junior & Dino: !!

Dino: Well said, Faith! That’s the true spirit of the Million City High School Quiz Championship! It’s the spirit of youth!

Thanks showing us such a good time, you two. Next year, we’ll definitely be aiming for revenge～!

Keith: …..Ughhh, I’m exhausted just thinkin’ about it. I’m tellin’ ya, I didn’t even do anythin’～

Sage: Bianchi-san!? Not even Jude-kun will be able to pull off such an impossib—

[Bing!]

Jude: Andrew Wiles

[Correct buzzer noises]

Junior: HOW!!!??

Sage: That’s amazing, Jude-kun! You can get the questions right just because Bianchi-san asked you to?

Jude: No? It was an easy question

Junior: FUCKING, HOW!!!??

Commentator: 『Now that they’ve come this far, Central High School is catching up quick! What an exciting turn of events!!』

『Buuut! I hear calls from the audience that it’s taking too long to narrow down our last school! In order to round things off to a smooth conclusion, we’ve prepared a special, ultimate question!』

Junior & Will: …..!

Commentator: 『This question will take the same format as the button bashing quiz, but there’ll be absolutely no fouls allowed! The very moment you’re wrong, you’ll be kicked to the curb!』

『On the other hand, if you’re right, you can earn 10 points in one fell swoop! That’s enough to steal the lead all in one! Definitely an ultra special question!』

Junior: What the–!? Then what were we even doing all this time!?

….Damnit, if I buzz in too early, we’ll be eliminated… I can’t use the same strategy for this question that I’ve been working with so far

But I’ve just gotta knuckle down and do it. We don’t even know what kind of question it’ll be yet… Alright! Bring it on!

Faith: ……

Will: ……

….There’s no way. Even if it turns out to be a question I’m confident I can answer, I won’t be brave enough to hit the button

What will I do if I’m wrong…. If it’s my fault that we get eliminated….

Akira: …….

Jude: No matter what question they throw at us, if Bianchi says the word, I’ll answer it at once

Bianchi: That last one was just a fluke. You make it sound like we’re cheating. Cut it out

Sage: I hope it’s one I can answer. I want to contribute a little bit too ♪

Nico: Munch…. Munch….

Commentator: 『Well then, this is it everyone! The final question! The traditional French pastry, galette des rois, contains what little surprise within it!?』

Junior: Gah～～～～......! Of course it was one I don’t know!

Sage: It’s a food question! Nico, do you know it?

Nico: ….I don’t really know sweets

…. I’ve got 2 guesses, but I’m not sure….

Jude: Nobody press the button

Bianchi: Quit that, Jude

Will: ……

….I think, I know the answer

But…. My hand’s shaking so much I can’t press the button…..

I said I just wanted to make memories, but I got Akira caught up in this, and the teachers have given me so much support too

Junior: Aaahhh shit! I really don’t have a clue…. I’m screwed…..

Faith: ……

Junior: No! I don’t wanna have to give up here!

Faith: Ochibi-chan—

[Bing!]

Commentator: 『What’s this———!!!??』

『Could it really be?! Is someone really stepping up?! Out from the middle of a deadlock, the one who rises up to press the button is…..』

『South’s Otori Akira….!!』

Will: ….. Akira….?

Akira: Answer it, Will

Even if you’re wrong, it’s fine

Will: Huh….

Akira: Even if you’re wrong, I’m the one who went ahead and pushed the button all on my own

Will: …..!

Commentator: 『So, what is South’s answer!?』

Will: Fève!

[Correct buzzer noises!]

Commentator: 『That’s absolutely correct! The second team to pass the preliminaries for Group A is South Million High School! Congraaaatulations!!』

——— 

Bianchi: Well well, we lost ♪

Jude: Shall we just pretend we didn’t, Bianchi?

Faith: ……

Junior: ……

It’s a small mercy that Hikari has only two participants, just like us… No, I’m effectively answering everything alone though, aren’t I?

So I guess it’s not really a mercy at all….

Akira: ……

…...Will’s really struggling, isn’t he? You can tell just by looking at him

I’ve been offloading this all onto him ‘cause I don’t even want to be here, but it really is a dick move of me to be sitting here doing absolutely nothing….

[Bing!]

Akira: But, what can I even do? Even if I listen to the questions, I don’t got a clue what it is they’re asking

Maybe I shoulda showed up for one of Brad’s training sessions after all?

No, what am I even saying? It’s not like I really care or anything….

[Correct buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『Another point to South thanks to Will Sprout’s quick thinking! And another premature button press from Hikari Academy! Too bad～!』

Junior:  Dammmitttt～～～! I screwed it up again!

Oi, Shitty DJ! Get your act together and help out already! I’m sure you can do it if you actually bloody try, right!? I don’t know what’s got you so messed up, but you’ve been out of it since the start of the match!

Faith: ……

…..I mean, it’d be really uncool if I got something wrong

And to do it here, with him watching….

Commentator: 『The linguistic origin of “vulgar” is—』

[Bing!]

Junior: Latin!

[Incorrect buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『The linguistic origin of “vulgar” is Latin, but what was the original meaning of the word!?』

Will: Of the common people….? (1) 

[Correct buzzer noises]

Junior: Shit, I fucked it again! I hit the button too soon! Stay calm…. I just need to stay calm!

Faith: ……

———

Marion: The rules state that once a school has won, they’re to return to the audience and spectate. Take a seat

Ren: ….Alright

Gast: ……

Marion: Oi, what’s with that face. We won, don’t look so grim

Gast: ….You really did just answer all the questions yourself

Ren: I didn’t have the chance to speak either

Marion: What, are you dissatisfied? I knew the answers, so I answered. That’s all there is to it. If you want to do more, you’ll have to prove you’re even more impressive than me

Well, not that that’s possible

Gast: Kh…..

Victor: You’re back, are you? Well done. A clean victory

Marion: Hmph, of course it was…. Eh–

Marion: EMU High again….!

Jay: What a great showing. I feel like I’ve been baptized

Robin: Agreed. I think even my own boys felt that way

Victor: This here is Robin-sensei, of Central High School. As fellow solo leaders, we opted to watch the proceedings together

Marion: Kh, I told you not to make friends with our enemies! EMU High goes without saying, but that includes Central as well

That happy-go-lucky attitude, as if they’re nothing but tourists here for some sightseeing, runs completely contrary to all common sense

Robin: Oh my….

It’s true that they have no particularly strong fixation on winning. However I’m sure that they, more than anyone else here, are enjoying this event to the fullest

Marion: Enjoying it…?

Jay: That’s right. All it takes is one look to see those boys are having a blast

There are a lot of them, but they all seem to get along really well. How did they develop a relationship like that? School spirit?

Robin: Fufu, who can say?

Marion: Hmph, this is a Quiz Tournament, not a birthday party. “Friends” are unnecessary

Victor: You can hardly say that so decisively. There are an infinite number of reasons one might take part in the tournament. “Because it seems fun” is a perfectly viable reason

It might be the Quiz Tournament, but it must be remembered that you are all still high school students

Marion: ! Shut your mouth! Are you mocking me!?

This is a serious competition. Just because we’re high school students doesn’t mean the standards are lower. You’re wrong

Victor: ….My my

Gast & Ren: ……

———

Commentator: 『What ingredients were used in the very first mascara!?』

[Bing!]

Bianchi: I know this one! The answer is vaseline and powdered coal!

[Correct buzzer noises]

Sage: Yay! That’s amazing! I knew you could do it, Bianchi-san ♪ 

Jude: Marvelous….

Junior: Shit! They get one right by pure luck and look how happy they are!

Commentator: 『A marguerita pizza’s red, white, and green are representative of what!?』

[Bing!]

Nico: The flag of Italy

[Correct buzzer noises]

Bianchi: You got one too, Nico-chan! We’re on a winning streak ♪ 

Sage: You hit the button faster than the eye could see. When it comes to food questions, Nico’s the one to trust

Junior: C-Crap…. There really was a question on pizza, and we missed it!

Commentator: 『Which mathematician proved “Fermat’s last theorem”!?』

Junior: W-what? A math question…?

Nico: Did we study that in school?

(1) In Japanese, the word in question is アルバイト, which means “part-time job” in Japanese. Junior correctly identifies the word as a transliteration of the German “arbeit”. Will informs us that the word originally means simply “work”. I couldn’t think of any work-related word in English that had a strong enough linguistic shift to make this question interesting or reasonable, so I changed it up a bit.

Faith: If you already knew that then quit nagging at me. Just leave me alone

Junior: As if!

Faith: ….There’s someone here I really don’t want to run into. If I’d known he was coming, I wouldn’t have shown up

Junior: Hah!? What the hell do I care!? You’ve come this far, so just suck it up! You’re seriously pathetic

Faith: ……

Ugh, just shut it already. Fine, fine, see, I’m standing—

Faith: …..!

……This sucks. I wanna go home

Junior: Hey, it’s starting!

———

Commentator: 『Alright, let’s get this show on the road, starting with the preliminaries for Group A! Remember, this is a fast pashed button-bashing battle to the top! Our contestants need 10 points to move forward』

『 Question 1! ….The chemical symbol “Sn” corresponds to what element!?』

[Bing!]

Commentator: 『So fast! Starting us off in this momentous battle is…. North High’s Marion Blythe!』

Marion: The answer is tin

[Correct buzzer noises!]

Marion: Hmph. Too easy. I didn’t even have to think about it

Commentator: 『As expected of the reigning North High student council president! He hasn’t been here three years running just for show! He’s a strong contender for the crown! Marion Blythe!』

Sage: Wow! That’s incredible!

Will: Ah–! If he can pull out that speed consistently, we won’t be able to even get an answer in

Junior: ….Cool

Wait no! I’m not gonna lose!

———

[Bing!]

Dino: Ooooh, amazing! Junior hit the button!

[Incorrect buzzer noises]

Dino: Aahhh, too bad! He got it wrong! But he’s doing well, just hitting the button is already a task and a half ♪ 

Keith: Nah, yer coddlin’ ‘em too much….

Dino: It’s not coddling. Junior’s worked hard for this. So hard just thinking about it almost brings me to tears

Keith: To tears….

Dino: Junior’s always been a really serious student, and his grades show it too. They’re always outstanding…. But, just how far can he get on his own?

It’d be nice if Faith could work up a bit of motivation… He’s got a good head on his shoulders too. If he just put in the effort, they’d actually stand a fighting chance

Keith: Yaaaawn…..

Dino: Keith! You’ve been laying down ever since the start. You should sit up properly and watch your students! They’re trying really hard, you know!?

Keith: I’m watchin’ ‘em… I’ve just got a stomach ache from doin’ nothin’ but teach day in and day out

….I was wonderin’ if Faith’d be the type to get all worked up over this sorta thing or not, but I guess he’s not

Dino: ? What do you mean?

???: Dino, Keith

Dino: !? Brad…!

It’s really you! I thought I caught a glimpse of you earlier, but I wasn’t really sure…

Brad: I’ve come along to oversee South High. Allow me to introduce you to Oscar Bale, a fellow teacher there

Oscar-sensei, this is Dino and Keith, from Hikari Academy

Oscar: ! It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name’s Oscar Bale. I teach health and physical education

Keith: Ooh, you sure look the part, too. Those’re some insane muscles

Dino: I’m Dino Albani! My favourite food is pizza! Nice to meet ya ♪

I don’t know how much you’ve heard from Brad, but the three of us have been friends since high school

Oscar: Since high school? I had assumed you’d become close as fellow faculty members, but… Your bond is truly wonderful

Dino: Isn’t it just～? Still, here at the Quiz Tournament we’re rivals…. It’s kind of exciting ♪

Keith: Oi, Brad. Don’t put so much pressure on your brother, yer gonna sabotage him

Brad: ….I don’t recall pressuring him, though

Dino: Eh? Your brother?

Keith: That’d be Faith. Look, see how he’s lookin’ over here wondering what the heck we’re doin’?

Dino: Eeeh!? Faith is Brad’s little brother!?

Keith: Ya shoulda at least told him we know each other. Back when he started at Hikari woulda been great

Brad: I didn’t think it necessary

Keith: Ahhh, poor kid. He’s got such a dicey relationship with his big bro, he can’t even work up the will to fight. Preeetty sure that counts as sabotage

Brad: ….That was not my intention. I didn’t even know Faith would be here until today

[Correct buzzer noises]

Commentator: 『North High reached 10 points in a flash～! And with that, this round’s winner is decided!』

『Just one more school left! Will it be South High, or Hikari Academy — or perhaps Central High… Which school will pull through to claim victory!?』

Dino: F-First place is already decided!?

Oscar: As you’d expect of North High… To think that they’d be so overwhelming

Dino: There’s a ton I want to talk about, but for now we should focus on cheering them on!

You can do it, Juniorrr! Faithhh! Let’s Go, Hikari Academy～～～!!

Keith: So loud… Don’tcha think yer gonna weird ‘em out?

So? You two’re here with yer students too, yeah? What’re they like?

From the looks of things, South’s got a real serious guy up there

Oscar: That’s Will! He’s the head of the horticulture club. A very diligent and unimpeachable student

Keith: Meanin’, the other one’s not so diligent, eh?

Oscar: …..!

Brad: Keith, don’t be cruel

Keith: Haha, sorry sorry. But just lookin’ at him, ya get kinda a “The South” feel, don’tcha think?

Oscar: It’s true that Akira has some behavioural issues, but he’s definitely not a delinquent at heart….

Brad: In this quiz tournament, it’s not always advantageous to be an honours student or have outstanding grades. Akira has his own role to play

….I’m sure that’s a concept you can fully understand, wouldn’t you say?

Keith: Oup… I’ll shut up now. Gotta make sure we take in the kids’ full majesty

Nico: Munch munch….

Sirius: 『In sports and martial arts, there is virtue in not obsessively chasing after victory. There’s no reason that same logic shouldn’t extend to a Quiz Tournament』

『In which case, perhaps it would be best to think of it as “fighting so as not to lose” instead』

Shin: ……

Sirius: 『Are you prepared to fight?』

Shin: YES!!

Akira & Will: !?

Sirius: 『Are you prepared to claim victory?』

Shin: YES!!

Sage & Nico: !?

Sirius: 『And, are you also prepared to face losses?』

Shin: YES!!

Junior & Faith: !?

Sirius: 『With “Fair and Square” as our motto』

Shin: YES!!

Billy & Gray: !?

Sirius: 『Let us see the proof of your resolve』

Shin: YES!!

Ren & Gast: !?

Sirius: 『That is all from me. I sincerely look forward to witnessing your radiance』

Shin: You’re the best!! Sirius-sensei～～～～～!!

Siams: ……

———

Commentator: 『Well then, we’ve kept you waiting long enough! It’s the “Million City High School Quiz Championship”! I will be your host from here on out… Your long time favourite “Commentator”!!』

『Here’s how the Quiz Tournament will go down: the schools that pass the preliminaries and the semifinals will face off head-to-head in the final round to determine what school is the ultimate victor!』

『At their core, the questions are quite orthodox, but their theme and format is not. Watch out, because there are some trick questions in the bunch!』

『In the preliminaries, teams face off against several of their fellow schools at once as they race to be the first one to hit their button to answer a variety of questions! The first two schools to 10 points continue on to the semifinals!』

『So, what are we waiting for? Let’s introduce the schools who’ll be facing off in Group A in the preliminaries!』

『South Million High School! Hikari Private Academy! Central Million Municipal High School! And North Million High School!!』

『Just what kind of battles, what kind of drama will unfold!? You won’t even want to blink!』

Will: W-We’re up against Ren right from the start…

Akira: Yaaaaawn～.....

Will: Wha– Akira…. Didn’t you say you weren’t going to lose to Ren?

Akira: Hm? Oh yeah, I did

But wait, we’re not with those white jerks from earlier?

Will: I guess St. Eclipse Academy’s in another group. And last year’s winners, EMU High, too

That said, we can’t let our guards down. We’re paired up against North High, and their GPA proves they’re a cut above the rest

———

Marion: Oi, you two. From here on out, you’re forbidden from speaking unless absolutely necessary

Cast aside your idle thoughts and focus on nothing but winning. Just because EMU High isn’t in our pool does not mean we can rest easy

Gast & Ren: ……

Marion: Well, I’ll determine the correct answer for everything. All you two have to do is shut up and watch

At least in Ren’s case, his grades give me some peace of mind, but… Gast. Don’t you so much as open your mouth

Gast: Haah?

Marion: I’m well aware you’re only participating in this event to avoid expulsion. I don’t need your help in this tournament

But if you dare to get in my way, I’ll give you a taste of my whip. Understand?

Gast & Ren: ……

———

Junior: Hey, we’re kinda at a disadvantage, aren’t we?

Faith: Aha. So you picked up on that, did you, Ochibi-chan?

Junior: No, I’m talking about the numbers! There’s only 2 of us! We’re the smallest damn group!

Faith: You have to have between 2 and 4 people to participate, after all. If you’re looking for something to blame, blame the school and all our classmates who didn’t want to join in

Junior: 3 people would be one thing… but they’ve got FOUR!?

Junior: How do they even all fit over there!!!??

Sage: A..haha…. I kind of feel like I should apologize? 

Nico: No need. We haven’t done anything wrong…. Munch munch….

Junior: He’s eating something! How is he always eating!

Sage: We might not have done anything wrong, but I’m still sorry

Bianchi: Our main goal here is honestly just to make memories

The real reason all 4 of us joined is because we just couldn’t leave anyone behind

Jude: Exactly. Bianchi being here gives everything real meaning

Bianchi: And yet if you suddenly vanished, we wouldn’t have any troubles at all, hm?

Jude: Bianchi and I are a single unit. So effectively, you could say there’s only 3 of us

Bianchi: No, that doesn’t make any sense at all. Please don’t suddenly start spouting such creepy theories

Nico: Munch munch munch….

———

Junior: I really can’t make sense of those Central High guys at all…

They’re just here to enjoy themselves? I mean, that’s nice and all, but it’ll really suck if they actually try really hard

Akira: He’s kinda…. really white….

Will: I’ve heard that St. Eclipse Academy’s uniform is all white. Maybe it’s emblematic for them

The school is quite steeped in tradition. Did you know it has an even longer history than the Quiz Tournament?

Akira: Hmmn? But they’ve still never taken part in the tournament?

Sirius: 『We have long held a reputation for being conservative due to our efforts to preserve tradition, but we hope that in participating in this event, we can turn over a new leaf』

???: This school really feels like a mystery, all wrapped up in enigma

Akira: Hmn?

Sage: Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to just blurt that out…

I’m Sage Skyfall, I’m here representing Central High. You’re… students from South, right?

Those of us from Central are going to be taking part for the first time this year too. I’m pretty nervous… So it’d make me really happy if we could be friends ♪

Akira: ….You’re nervous, but you’re still calm enough to be trying to make friends?

Sage: Ahaha, that’s a large part of why I came too. I hope we can all make some great memories ♪

Will: It’s nice to meet you. My name’s Will Sprout. This is Otori Akira—

Akira: Oi, what’s up with him….

Will: What’re you talking about, Akira?

Akira: Him! What is he eating!? He’s got so much!

Nico: Munch munch…. Munch….?

Sage: Ahaha. He only just finished his bento, but he couldn’t hold back when we saw the manju for sale 

Nico: I bought everything they had. This should tide me over for a while… Probably… Munch much

Akira: Daaaamn～～～ You’re really rubbing it in with all the food porn over there! You’re making me hungry!

Nico: I’m not sharing… Munch munch….

Bianchi: Hey, one second! Did you shorten that uniform yourself!?

Akira: Yeah?

Bianchi: You hardly ever see short jackets like that anymore, but they’re coming back into style and they’re totally dazzling! And it’s so well balanced too, you’re a genius! No way～ You’re just too cute～ ♡

Akira: W-what? Genius…. I mean, that’s true, but…?

Bianchi: What’s the lining made of!? Could it be embroidered…. What’s written on your T-shirt? Let me see let me see—

Akira: ! Oi! Don’t just go touching me however you—

Jude: You prick…

Did you just swat away Bianchi’s hand? What if your elbow had hit them…. What would you have done if Bianchi had stumbled or fallen???

Akira: What the hell, where did this thug come from!?

Jude: Apologize to Bianchi. Know your place, weakling, and repent immediately for hurling such abusive language at them. I’ll give you 10 seconds. Your countdown to hell. 10—

Bianchi: Jude, please stay out of it

Jude: Okay, Bianchi ヾ(^▽^*))

Akira: ???

???: Oi, shut it with the chitchat

Akira & Jude: Aahn?

Siams: Listening to you’s grating on my ears. Quiet down

Akira & Jude: What’d you say….?

Will: Akira…!

Bianchi: I told you to quit it!

Will: Stop picking fights with everyone you meet. Nothing about what he just said was wrong, was it?

Bianchi: Precisely. I’m sorry they’re being so loud…. Hm?

That all white uniform, you must be from St. Eclipse Academy!? Stooop～ I can’t believe I’m finally seeing one in the flesh. This is so exciting ♡

Siams: H-hey…. Don’t touch me—

???: Don’t get involved with them, you good-for-nothing

Bianchi: What’s this?

Shin: Seriously, could you guys quiet down? Sirius-sensei’s still speaking…. Or should I just kill you?

Jude: You want to kill us….?

Shin: Yeah, murder you. Tear you up into little tiny bits and burn the pieces. And I’m the kinda guy who always follows through, you know?

Jude: Really? What a coincidence. I also always follow through on my threats

Bianchi: H-Hey, stop that! Both of you!

Akira: Oi, asswipe. You were just staring at me, weren’t you?

Siams: ….Hah? Who’d wanna look at you? Conceited much?

Akira: Aahn? Just meet me outside, you white jerk!

Siams: You stupid or something? We’re already outside. Is white jerk all you got? You’d better work on your vocabulary, man

Akira: You wanna fuckin’ go!?

Siams: Bring it on, give it all you got!!

Will: What are you two doing!? Don’t just start picking fights out of nowhere—

Sirius: 『FAIR AND SQUARE』

Akira & Siams: Haah….?

Jude & Shin: ….?

———

Sirius: 『If you’re going to fight, then please ensure all quarrels are held on the stage, fair and square. Is that not why you’re all here?』

Akira: Tch, what the hell….

Jude: Fine by me, that’s just what I want. Let’s head on up to the stage then and—

Shin: I’m sorry! Sensei!

Akira & Jude: ….?