#624 Interracial Competition

Hey, it’s me.

I find myself in a terrible situation.

No, things were going smoothly midway, okay?

I participated in the sumo tournament, right? I grappled with my opponent in the first round.

I didn’t really want to do it, but I was coaxed that I could show my kids how cool I am.

At the end of the day, I’m just a peasant motivated by vanity.

I want my kids to look up to me!

Since Junior and Norito were watching me, I had to avoid losing the first round disgracefully!

Thus, I tried my best to grab my opponent’s mawashi and keep myself within the ring.

Nokotta, nokotta.

Fortunately, the Hand of Supremacy picked up all of sumo’s 82 finishing moves, selected the best one from them, and unleashed it semi-automatically!

Thanks to this, I managed to get my victory mark and raise my fatherly level.

I’m anxious to see how far I can go from here on out.

In addition to Orkubo and Gobukichi from our farm, the Demon King, Arowana, and Hendra made it to the second round. 

I shudder at the thought of facing one of them next, as I doubt I’d win. 

But it was at this moment, when we waited anxiously for the second round to begin, that it happened: the match format was suddenly changed!

Instead of deciding the winner in a tournament format, the mermen team and the other races’ teams would be split into a team competition.

This turn of events was confusing, as if a fox had bewitched me. But in a tournament facilitated by the Mermaid Kingdom, it was a matter of pride for them not to be beaten to a pulp. 

I was puzzled, but I still went along with the proposal.

After all...

In a tournament format, you don’t know how many more rounds you’ll have to fight, but in a team competition, you only have to fight once!

If I could uphold my father’s dignity with just one victory, there was no way I wouldn’t take advantage of such a shortcut!

That being said, in a team competition, I have to listen to other people’s inputs, so it can’t be decided just because I say it’s a good idea, but...

“I don’t mind.”

The Demon King readily agreed.

“Merfolk also have their pride that they cannot compromise. We are the guests. If our hosts are willing to do everything they can to entertain us, let’s return that favor!”

“I will go along with your plans, my Lord.”

“Our Lord’s will is the path we will follow.”

Orkubo and Gobukichi follow suit.

There are five members, so if four agreed, it was as good as decided.

Thus, a group wrestling match was held between the mermen team and the human-demon union team.

It was an abrupt change, of course, but the mermaids in the audience were pumped.

Then comes the first battle.

The first competitor is Gobukichi, our shock corps head.

On the other hand, the mermaid team’s first wrestler is an unfamiliar merboy.

“Oh, wow, it’s Tetra. I haven’t seen him in a while,” says Platy as if she knows the boy. “He’s my little brother. We don’t have much contact because of our huge age gap, though. But I guess he’s at that age now where he can participate in the games.”

You mean he’s my brother-in-law?!

A related party enters the ring.

But his opponent is Gobukichi.

How will Tetra deal with the fastest person on our farm? 

...

He didn’t even last a second.

From the audience’s perspective, there was a lot of zooming around, and all we could see was Tetra, the crown prince, flat on the ground.

You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about but think of it as super speed or something along those lines.

Gobukichi’s bout was so fast that everyone failed to notice it was long over.

“Gobukichi-zeki wins!” sonorously announces the gyoji.

Our team of land-dwelling members won the first match!

“Yes! As expected of Mr. Gobukichi, I knew he would win! After all, it’s 100,000 years too early for that boy to win against my Gobukichi! He clearly didn’t know his place! Oooohohohoho!!!”

For some reason, Teacher Carp is prouder of Gobukichi’s victory than Gobukichi himself.

Are you sure about that, teach?

It was a member of the royal family who lost, you know? 

I wondered if it would be all right for a public servant to lambast royalty publicly, but let’s focus on leading the team to victory.

We’re off to a good start with one win.

Three wins are needed in a five-member team competition, so we only need two more.

Who would be the next wrestler to maintain this momentum?

It’s Mamoru, a Heavenly One of the Demon King’s Army and the fifth member of our Human-Demon Union!

In fact, he’s representing the demon race along with the Demon King.

“I was somewhat lonely being the only representative of my race, see. At first, I invited Belphgamilia, but as expected, he refused, saying that it’d be too much of a hassle, so I turned to Mamoru.”

As one of the Heavenly Four, he was in charge of cleaning up after Belphgamilia.

Anyway, he accompanied the Demon King perforce. Upon entering the ring, he scraped by and won his first match, all the while crying out that he had zero experience in sumo, unlike the rest of us. 

And then, with the team competition hastily set up, he makes his second appearance as the second player.

His opponent seems to be Arowana.

“No! I’m sorry, I can’t do this!”

I don’t blame Mamoru if he’s about to cry.

“I won’t be a match for him! My opponent! My opponent is the Mermaid King! That’s not an opponent I can win against!!!”

“Mamoru, it’s unbecoming of a Heavenly One to give up on winning before competing against someone. I have faith you can put up a good fight to the best of your ability, even if you can’t win.”

The Demon King sure is a benevolent lord, encouraging his subordinate who’s breaking down before the battle.

But that doesn’t mean Mamoru is going to be inspired right away.

“But... The Mermaid King is the king of the sea! Not only in terms of ability but also in terms of status, he is a dangerous opponent to beat! If I mess up, this could lead to an international incident!”

“Lord Arowana isn’t concerned about such trifles. If anything, he is a man who feels the gallantness of going all out and of unreserved admiration. Forget about status and title and give it your all.”

“Still! I don’t think I’m going to win!”

As usual, Mamoru is burdened with king-sized hardship without even knowing it.

That’s a member of the Selfless Workaholics for you, all right.

But since we’re just going ‘round in circles, I’ll add a few words of my own.

“Think about it, Mamoru. Arowana is the Mermaid King, the symbol of the mermaid tribe. If any blunder happens, it could lead to war.”

“Right?! And that’s too much for me to handle! Can’t someone else take my place?!” 

“Should we do that then? Have the Demon King go in your stead, for example?”

“Ah...!”

If I mention just those lines, I’m sure even the perceptive...no, ultra-perceptive Mamoru would get it.

If Arowana is the champion of the Mermaid Kingdom, the Demon Kingdom’s champion is the Demon King.

A quibble with the Demon King, head of the Demon Kingdom and a wise ruler, will be an insult to the entire demon race.

What would happen if the Demon King and Arowana, ruler of two nonaggressive territories, collided directly with each other?

There is no way for both sides to win a one-on-one match—only one winner and one loser.

This grudge could aggravate things later on, so...

“I understand. I will fight the Mermaid King!”

“Ohh!”

“I just have to time things right and lose at the moment of peak suspense, don’t I! I get it! That’s a retainer’s duty!”

As expected of Mamoru, he’s also well-versed in deliberately entertaining others.

In the second round, Arowana stepped into the ring to the utmost cheers from the merfolk.

Overwhelmed by his appeal, Mamoru was frozen stiff and thrown down into defeat. 

He was unable to live up to his claims. 

The third game was between Hendra and the Demon King.

It seemed as if the positions of ruler and ruled were neatly reversed.

Hendra flawlessly cornered the Demon King for a second but ultimately lost.

The Demon King is so tactful in situations like this that he rarely gets stressed out.

After the third round, the score was 2-1, a heated back-and-forth battle.

Who knows how this competition will end?

----------

just to refresh a few sumo terms:

mawashi-the thick-waisted loincloth used specifically for sumo

gyoji-sumo referee

harite-open hand attack

nokotta-something the referee shouts during the bout, indicating to the wrestler on defense that he is still in the ring. (courtesy of Wikipedia)