Third Round (4): The Match is Concluded!

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As I was having a close match with Saras-senpai, the sound of the signal gun indicating the end of the match reached my ears. It came from the direction of our base… In other words, Maria had been defeated.

I looked up at the sky once and then, gently lowered the sniper rifle I had been holding. As I stepped out of the building, Saras-senpai, who had also come out from the opposite building, approached with his hand raised.

When I said, “Congratulations,” he responded with “Thank you,” extending his right hand, and I shook it in return. Afterward, he let out a sigh, loosening his shoulders.

“Well, I’m glad I won. But I was pretty much stuck here, and considering the time it took to settle things, it seems like our teammates struggled quite a bit. As expected of the strongest team of the first years.” (Saras)

Hearing that, I was a bit at a loss for words and started to say, “We’re not the strongest…” but Saras-senpai stopped me.

“You can think however you like, but after this competition, Team Catrap will be recognized as the best of the grade. That’s how strong we (Eagle) are.” (Saras)

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“And personally, if it’s just a one-on-one, well… Yeah. I think I lost.” (Saras)

He said, lowering his brow slightly, surprising me.

“No, it was probably you, Saras-senpai, who had the upper hand. I was just barely holding on. If the match had gone on longer, I think I would have lost.” (Lux)

Saras-senpai shook his head.

“No, if that’s the case, then we’re evenly matched…” (Saras)

He said, pointing to the sniper rifle I borrowed from Bianca.

“Your beloved rifle… Well, for a counter battle, it’s not bad, but honestly, I was stumped. I didn’t expect this kind of shooting exchange. But more than that, the way we fought gave me an advantage, so I can’t say it was really an even match…” (Saras-senpai)

“No, this was to stop Saras-senpai…” (Lux)

“Ah, I figured as much. That’s why I had to take you down, but well, it was a good lesson. Shall we head out? Everyone’s probably waiting, and soon the referee will start telling us to hurry.” (Saras)

Though I felt like I should say something more, I was urged by Saras-senpai to head to the meeting spot.

 

—

 

As Saras-senpai had said, everyone was already gathered at the starting point. When Heinz noticed us, he waved his hand lightly.

“Sorry. We were beaten.” (Heinz)

He said.

“No, I was being pushed by Saras-senpai the whole time.” (Lux)

I replied, and we exchanged some words of encouragement.

Heinz told me that even though they were being pushed, they were holding their ground up until a certain point. The situation changed when a Shooter (Gunner) arrived to reinforce them. The Shooter (Gunner) had taken down Sonia, who had been leading, and after confirming there were no enemies nearby, they joined the attack.

In front of us, Saras-senpai patted Bianca’s older brother on the shoulder. It turned out that the Shooter (Gunner) was Sheikh-senpai. Sheikh-senpai, who had been born and raised in a military family and received elite training. Even though I knew about Bianca’s family, I had unfortunately underestimated the danger, which was a mistake on my part.

I feel a little disappointed.

“Is it about time? Line up!” (Instructor)

At the referee instructor’s command, we lined up.

“Team Eagle versus Team Catrap, Team Eagle wins! Salute to each other!” (Instructor)

We saluted each other, and the instructor continued.

“Team Catrap played more cautiously than in the previous two rounds. It wasn’t bad, but as expected, Eagle’s raw strength is superior. It’s tough to win with a straightforward approach. The smoke grenade idea wasn’t bad, but in this case, it might have been more effective to use it for disruption early on… And also…” (Instructor)

As we listened to the instructor’s analysis, our mid-term competition ended with a loss in the third round. (Lux)

 

—

 

*Today’s Diary*

 

We lost. Completely outmatched.

Even though Saras-senpai said that if it were just a one-on-one, I would have won, I don’t feel that way at all.

I thought our strengths were to do our best and take it easy, but having come this far I wanted to win.

Maybe I should have used my beloved rifle (Counter) for the match?

Bianca, who had been listening to the commentary in the classroom, recommended, “Why not carry a mid-range sniper rifle too?”. It seems I was doing better than expected, but still, I feel more comfortable with my beloved rifle (Counter).

Tomorrow is Saxon’s match, and the day after is the finals.

I have no idea who will win, but for now, I’ll focus on cheering for Saxon tomorrow.

 

—

 

Sixth day of the second semester interclass competition.

Saxon’s team, Earl Crush, faced off against the third-year team that had defeated Gera in the previous round.

Saxon’s team had caused a big upset by defeating the third-year team in the second round, but the team that defeated Gellar was still a level above them.

Just like us, they were overwhelmed by the difference in raw strength and lost in the end.

Still, Earl Crush, along with Catrap, made a remarkable progress, and they were welcomed with big applause from the first-year classrooms. However, Saxon himself was still in a bad mood, saying “Damn it” five or six times after returning to the classroom.

The next day, in the finals, the winner was Team Eagle.

Thanks to the efforts of Saras-senpai and Sheikh-senpai, Eagle achieved a glorious result, winning their second consecutive title. The match was a tense one, and when the victory was secured, we all applauded loudly. Thus, the week-long mid-term competition came to an end. Once the academic exams are over, the long winter break will begin.

Before I knew it, the year-end was almost upon us.

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