Track 7

Did you hear about what happened after that D-BATTLE yester— *psh psh psh*

Yeah, and how *whisper whisper* right?

(Everyone’s talking about yesterday’s raid…)

Hey. Can you fill me in on what you’re talking about?

Huh!? O-Oh, yeah. Sure.

It’s rare for you to come up to us, or anyone actually… Though I guess you’d be curious since you’re involved.

Ahem. Basically, it looks like the area that was being used for D-BATTLING was found out…

And now the anti D-BATTLE teachers are protesting for that place to be deleted entirely.

So D-BATTLE’s on the chopping block…

Pretty much. But the D-Club’s trying to convince them otherwise.

…

Hey.

Yeah?

Not gonna lie… I was completely surprised by your whole vibe yesterday. I mean, I’ve always thought you were more of the chic type, you know?

But I think that was really cool of you.

R-Really?

Yeah. You were dope.

BLASPHEMY!!!

Dope? More like you became dopey.

Wha- Who are you!?

Oh, it’s you two.

We watched that fight yesterday.

Had I known you possessed such a fastidious and small-minded nature, I would never have deigned to confess my affections towards you…

For real, thank god it didn’t work out.

Nanaki Nanamegi, confessing to a commoner trash like yourself was the worst decision of my life! Oh, how will I ever live down this fucking disgrace!

Ah, you’re dropping the whole posh talk…

Hmph! And I hope you drop dead. May our paths never cross again, if you please.

…

What the hell… yeah, you can say that again.

For real…

Ahaha… Honestly, I like that she’s not putting up a front—

People are multifaceted by nature. The more you come to know someone, the more you’ll find parts of themselves to love and hate.

Sometimes, they exceed your expectations, and other times, they fall short. And as that cycle repeats over and over again…

Eventually, they become an existence you can no longer simply label as someone you love or hate.

(…Oh, it’s just like what Mr. Saku-chan said.)

(Guess I’ll have my lunch here today. There’s a lot I wanna think about after what happened yesterday—)

!

Why are you here…?

What? Is there a problem? Am I not allowed to exist?

No, it’s just…

(A little awkward, given everything that happened yesterday…)

Muneuji’s not with you today?

He has student council.

Oh, okay.

…

Uh… Did you hear the news?

About?

How D-BATTLE might get shut down.

What…?

People were talking about it because of what happened yesterday.

…Oh. I see.

…

…

(So that means…)

(We’ll never be able to do that again…)

…*sigh*

!?

Um, did you really have to breathe at the same time as me!?

You’re one to talk…!!

…………

…Hey, can I ask? Why did you start D-BATTLING?

Why do you care?

Well… I got dragged into it because the girl I turned down held a grudge against me.

Though to be honest, I think my attitude back then wasn’t that great either…

…

Because of that, I ended up battling without knowing what was going on.

I know. I saw when I passed by you guys. Also, we talked about it already.

Oh… Right.

…I mean, it was kinda the same for me. I was having a dumb argument with someone and then got dragged into it.

…But then it felt really nice to get back at those malding meatheads.

So you just kept at it to blow off steam?

…I had other circumstances too, but that’s none of your bus—

You did it for my sake, correct?

HYWAH!?

Muneuji!? Aren’t you supposed to be at the student council?

We finished the meeting early. It just so happens that we were debating what to do about D-BATTLE.

D-Did you… f-find o…

It is alright, there is no reason to hide it.

After all, you participated on my behalf after hearing a rumor about how the student council was investigating D-BATTLES, correct?

………I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Fret not, I appreciate it. However, I must apologize for not coming clean.

Apologize… for what?

The truth is, contrary to your beliefs, the student council is for D-BATTLES.

WHAT!?

In fact, the Shout It Out Fair & Square D-BATTLE club, a.k.a. the D-Club, was established under our authorization.

I had no idea… Then why did everyone think that you guys were against it?

That is because it was a rumor that we deliberately let circulate.

We were concerned that if our endorsement was made public, there would be a direct confrontation between the students and teaching staff under the pretense that D-BATTLES are “student council-approved.”

And so, after discussing with the D-Club, we decided to keep our stance on the matter a secret…

But then people started thinking you were opposed to it because you guys weren’t saying anything.

Is what seems to be the case.

What’s more, the whole ordeal turned into something much larger than we expected.

As a beta test for the concept, our idea was to restrict and monitor who exactly had access to the area.

So that’s what the invitation cards were for…

However, last night… the number of users completely exceeded our expectations, and as a result, it prompted movement from the D-BATTLE antis causing the teachers to get involved.

I truly apologize for casting a shadow over your battle.

It’s fine, I mean, it’s not even your fault in the first place…

EXACTLY, KAGUYA-KUN!! THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO APOLOGIZE!!

HWATH!?

Club President Setsumei!

(What’s up with everyone just popping out of nowhere today?)

What happened yesterday is our, the D-Club’s, responsibility, and our responsibility alone.

It was a result of our security negligence, we have tarnished the student council’s name…

Nay, it was a blunder on the student council’s part.

No, what are you saying, it was due to our carelessness.

I beg to differ, it was our fault.

No, please, we are the only ones to blame.

No, we are.

No, it was us. No, us. No—

Arrrgh, stop it already!!

That’s it!!!!!

Excuse me?

What’s it?

Nanamegi-kun, Kurama-kun, your synchronization in the match yesterday opened my eyes to D-BATTLE’s potential…!!

Which is why we would like you to have a rematch.

Huh?

(A rematch…)

(With him…)

…

I understand now the true purpose of D-BATTLE.

It is a way, a place for you to vent your everyday frustrations to someone head-on in a fair and healthy way. Your fight set me on the path to that enlightenment!

I know that the existence of D-BATTLE is beneficial to the school, I just need a chance to prove it.

We actually saw a decline in malicious comments online among the student body following D-BATTLE’s trend.

Really…?

We will not force you. However, we would greatly appreciate it if you were to accept our proposal.

……I mean, I guess, since you’re the one asking…

Th-Then I don’t mind either…

D-Does this mean…?

They accept.

Hngggggh~~~!!! I’m eternally grateful, my zealous D-BATTLERS!!

There’s no time to waste, I’ll let the others know and start preparing right away!

Understood. I shall relay the information to the teachers and student council members, including the president.

We will let you two know once everything has been finalized. Farewell.

They left.

Well, whatever… I won’t let Muu-chan down at least.

Right, for Muneuji and the D-Club.

But for the record, it’s not like I wanted a rematch or anything.

Yeah, me too, obviously.

But uh… I guess… it’s gonna happen, huh.

Mhm, right. Sounds rough.

Should we… rehearse… for it or something…?

I mean… I guess we could…

Okay… Then… see you later…

Yeah, bye.