The Seventh Prince Runs Away from Awkward Situations Chapter 95

The day of the competition dawned again without fail.

This meant that Ria, who had been avoiding me ever since last night, had no choice but to be in the same space as me.

Thanks to that, an awkward silence hung between Ria and me, sitting some distance between us inside the large tent where participants waited.

The only thing filling that gap was the noisy conversation of other participants and spectators.

Jing, who had at least softened the awkward air for the past few days, had left his seat to check the match bracket.

Ratel was a human who didn't even have the concept that ventilation was needed for awkward air, so he was as good as absent.

Well, we can't stay like this forever.

The gloves that Ria, who was staring straight ahead almost unnaturally, was fiddling with caught my eye.

"Those are things I haven't seen before."

When I suddenly spoke to her, Ria, startled, finally turned her head and met my eyes.

"......Yes. Idan gave them to me. Saying the ones I used before were torn."

Seems she received them on that day she went to talk to Idan.

Watching her holding them quite preciously, I was reminded anew of how much she cherished Idan in the novel.

The gap between the Ria in the original work and the current Ria probably is proportional to the desperation of wanting to meet Idan.

I swallowed a sigh inwardly and opened my mouth.

"I was sorry about last time."

At my unexpected apology, Ria hurriedly shook her head.

"......No, I'm more sorry. You said it out of worry."

She continued speaking while fiddling with the gloves on her hands.

"But Idan is really a good brother. So Ran doesn't need to worry. After the competition ends, if you talk to Idan, Ran will understand too."

There probably won't be any occasion for me to like Idan in my lifetime, but I didn't say it out loud.

Even in the original work, Ria was the one who gathered the courage to leave on an adventure because of just Idan.

There was no need to make trouble right now.

Besides, I also had the self-awareness that I interfered unlike myself this time.

Bbuuuuu---

Before awkward air could hang between Ria and me again, fortunately, the horn sound announcing 30 minutes before the start of the match rang.

I should slowly get ready.

I put my hand in my pocket to take out my gloves.

But what should have naturally been there wasn't grasped.

"What is this?"

As I muttered without realizing it, Ria approached me with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?"

"My gloves are missing. They were there until this morning."

"What?!"

Ria, more startled than me who actually lost the gloves, looked around hurriedly.

"There will be people selling gloves around here. The temple also lends gloves. There's still time left before the match so go quickly, Ran."

At Ria's urging, I, who shook off my seat and got up, obediently moved my steps outside the tent.

Even without checking the match bracket, my opponent today was bound to be Idan.

I didn't want to face him with bare hands either.

However, even while moving my steps, a strange sense of déjà vu didn't disappear.

Because there was a corner somewhere that felt fishy to simply say the gloves fell out of my pocket.

As the match start time approached, pushing through people gathering in the spectator seats and waiting room, a small tent installed simply in one corner finally came into view.

Located a bit away from the spectator seats, it was the space created to handle miscellaneous tasks as Ria mentioned the other day.

Since time was tight until the match started, I added speed to my steps.

And it was the moment I reached out my hand toward the door.

"Mmph!"

Strong hands grasped my mouth and neck and pulled.

I twisted my body reflexively, but the opponent wasn't one person.

One realization flashed through my head as I was dragged away helplessly.

It seemed Idan had no intention of listening to Ria's request.

***

Ria, left alone with Ratel after Ran disappeared, couldn't take her eyes off the tent entrance with a worried expression.

"Are you that worried?"

Ratel, who was quietly watching such Ria, threw out a question.

Briefly surprised at Ratel speaking first, Ria calmly nodded her head.

"Of course. If he doesn't return within the time like this, he'll be treated as disqualified. He worked hard until now."

Ratel momentarily had a question whether that man ever made efforts to the extent that the modifier 'hard' could be attached, but seeing no meaning in nitpicking such things, he didn't bother to argue.

Perhaps being treated as disqualified like this would be better for that man.

However, Ria's thoughts seemed entirely different, as she shook off her seat and got up.

"I can't. I'll go check if Ran found the way properly and come back."

"It will be better to just get disqualified."

Ria, who was about to burst out of the tent immediately, stopped abruptly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Literally what I said. It will be better for that man to be disqualified like this than fighting Idan today."

At Ratel's explanation, Ria's face relaxed a little.

"Ratel was also worried about Ran."

"Don't jump to conclusions. If I was worried about that man, I would have stopped him from entering this match in the first place."

Despite the sharp retort, Ria still thought Ratel was worrying about Ran.

"Don't worry too much. I already told Idan anyway. Not to bully Ran too much. Since my brother doesn't like bullying weak people."

"It's useless. Your brother has no intention of leaving that man alone anyway."

Ratel, listening to Ria's evaluation of Idan, spoke as if asserting.

"Idan can't be that cruel of a person. Originally, he doesn't like hitting people that much either."

Ria spoke with emphasis again to clear up the misunderstanding about Idan, but what returned was a sneer.

"Seems you don't know well about your family."

At Ratel's sneer, this time Ria flared up.

"Idan is my family. I know him better than you."

Ratel's golden pupils stared at Ria as if piercing through.

"Do you really think Idan said those words because he was angry at that man?"

At Ratel's question, Ria frowned as if she couldn't understand.

"What on earth are you talking about? If not that, then why......."

"It is to give you a shock."

Ratel's firm voice cut off Ria's words.

"What does that......."

"To show you right before your eyes the appearance of the person you chose getting miserably injured."

As if saying this morning was terrible, Ratel gave a simple answer.

"Don't say nonsense. What would Idan gain by doing such a thing."

Unlike Ria whose voice trembled with agitation, Ratel just looked at her with quiet eyes without emotional change.

"Well, maybe he simply wants to show off his power or......."

Ratel, dragging out the end of his sentence, turned his gaze that was holding Ria to the tent entrance.

Ria, following his gaze, met eyes with Idan who was returning after checking the match bracket.

"Or making it so you wouldn't even dare to dream of entering the competition ever again."

Ratel's low voice rang in her ears.

Thinking it was nonsense, the reason words of denial didn't come out immediately was because Idan's two eyes she met were unfamiliar today.

Dark brown eyes with a somehow anxious look didn't know to leave her.

No, precisely, he wasn't looking at Ria.

He was looking at Ria's hands.

The two hands wearing the gloves Idan gave.

Ria took off the gloves and looked down as if possessed.

The padded cloth part to protect the knuckles stood out.

Since other participants also all padded gloves with equipment to protect knuckles, there was nothing strange.

It definitely should have been so, but Ria moved her hand without realizing and applied force to the part where the protector was attached.

Rip.

Even though she didn't apply strong force, the protector tore off helplessly.

And inside the space between the protector and the glove, something fell to the floor along with Ria's heart.

***

Clang.

The thing that fell making a heavy sound was a piece of metal.

Although the tip was blunt, it was clearly a blade.

A prohibited item with no room for excuse.

Ria's face turned pale.

As if the nightmare of 3 years ago was surfacing, Ria's body trembled.

Suddenly coming to her senses, she looked at us.

"I, I really didn't! Just in case, this time I didn't even put in things like blades. I checked everyth......ing......."

Muttering blankly, she slowly turned her head.

The place her head, turning as if creaking, headed was where the people of Group 12 and Idan were gathered.

Someone with brown hair whose head rose one above the others even in the crowd of participants.

Idan, feeling Ria's gaze, also slowly turned his head toward Ria.

The moment felt like eternity, but only for a brief while.

Ria watched blankly as Idan's mouth opened.

"Ria!"

Until his bewildered voice called her.

There was no one inside the tent who didn't know Ria's name.

The gazes that briefly focused on Idan soon turned to Ria.

The time it took for the series of processes to happen might have felt like eternity to Ria, but in reality, it wouldn't have been long.

At most just a few seconds.

What prevented the repetition of the past was someone unbound by all of that.

Faster than Idan, faster than people's gazes, Ratel's hand moved.

His palm covered the floor concealing the blade.

For a moment, a very brief moment, Ria thought light flashed.

Although she couldn't even confirm the afterimage of the light that faded in an instant.

But it was enough to snap her out of her dazed mind.

"What? What happened?"

Participants who felt something strange surrounded Ria and Ratel.

"Hey, what are you hiding!"

"Get that guy to move his hand! He's hiding something!"

"Did you come hiding a weapon this time too?"

Ria tried hard to come to her senses, not falling into the illusion of having returned to 3 years ago.

Because Ratel shouldn't be suspected because of her.

"N, No. This is......."

"There was a bug."

It was none other than Ratel who stopped her words trying to make a hurried excuse.

"A bug? Then why did Idan call Ria?"

"Well, maybe he had something to say to his sister for the last time."

Ratel, answering nonchalantly, raised his body and removed the palm that was touching the floor.

Contrary to Ria's worry who almost screamed in shock, there was nothing underneath.

No, it wasn't that there was nothing.

To be exact, black powder remained.

However, there was no moment for anyone to confirm it closely.

Because a wind blowing from somewhere swept it away.

The somehow unnatural flow of air scattered quickly and no one noticed it.

Ria chased with her eyes the thing that floated in the air blankly and disappeared.

"What is going on here?"

Ria turned her gaze to the owner of the stiffly hardened voice.

It was Jing with a somewhat angry face.

"Wasn't there perhaps a bug?"

Ran, who entered behind him, answered.

His eyes slowly turned toward Idan.

"It seems Ratel missed a big bug."

A sneer slowly spread across his face.

***

Bbuuuuu---

At the signal announcing the start of the match, the waiters who couldn't find evidence to argue immediately scattered.

I didn't miss Idan examining Ria anxiously in the midst of that.

It was the moment suspicion turned into conviction.

And the moment the real culprit of the incident 3 years ago was revealed.

However, there was nothing I could do right now.

Since I couldn't rebuke Idan without evidence.

I tore my gaze from Idan and looked at Ria.

Ria seemed not to have completely escaped from the shock yet.

"Ria, nothing changes. There is only one thing for us to do."

"......Yes, I know."

Ria answered.

Good, at least she didn't lose her mind.

However, I soon realized that was my misconception.

"There is only one thing we can do. Winning."

Her voice was boiling with rage.

Seems she didn't come to her senses but flipped out completely?