This man pressed forward with a lot of intensity and while spreading powerful magic energy all around, and suddenly proposed to Reina.
This isn’t what you do when you care about the other person. He’s clearly only thinking of himself.
Reina has helped me so much ever since we got here, so there’s no way I can ignore someone causing her problems.
“Wass with you!?”
“What’s with you!? You’re the one who ran here all of a sudden and started saying nonsense. You’re bothering Reina.”
“This good! That girl made it! Hey you! Be my wife and make me food forever!”
What is he even saying?
Then again, Tiltue also showed up all of a sudden and went after me.
Could it be that this is actually normal on this island?
But I asked them to hold back their magic energy for Reina’s sake, and everyone’s doing that except for this guy that’s tossing his power around and giving orders.
It’s like he thinks he’s superior and everyone just has to listen and that’s that.
I look back at Reina, and see Luna holding her with a worried look on her face.
For now at least, it doesn’t look like she’s suffering from magic energy intoxication, but she’s not feeling well either.
“If ya get in t’way, I’ll toss you away!”
He says while pointing his horns at me to threaten me. I think he’s serious.
I roll up my sleeves and glare him back.
I know I’m pretty irritated right now, but I don’t feel like containing it.
And just as I’m firing myself up to hold this guy back, a fireball flies between us.
“Hahaha, a man fighting for a girl! That’s interesting, but I can’t let you keep on doing this to our guests.”
“Suzaku…”
“Shutup! Don’t butt in!”
“Hey hey, you’re the one interrupting my fun, Gaius. Then again, it’s not like I don’t get you.”
No, that’s really not what I need you to understand.
But she doesn’t care about how I feel, and walks between us with a daring smile on her face, as her flames burn high and bright.
“And so, I want to decide this with divine beast sumo!”
“““Uooooh!”””
The moment Suzaku declares that, the divine beast people and beast people around us yell loudly.
It’s not just a couple of people either, it’s almost everyone around.
Pretty much the only ones not joining in are our friends, Elga and Luna.
That said, Luna just looks in awe of the intensity around her, so I don’t think she’s going to be helping us.
“W-what is going on!?”
Reina is shocked by this sudden development. Same here.
I turn to Elga, and he looks exasperated, with his head in his hand.
“Elga, what’s divine beast sumo?”
“Ah. We respect our ancestors very much, and when there’s a situation where we just can’t give in, we make a vow to them, stake our pride, and wrestle. And if you lose, you have to relent to your opponent.”
“So basically… They want me to bet Reina and fight that Gaius?”
“Yeah… But we can’t do that to a guest. I’m gonna stop it.”
Says Elga, as he walks towards Suzaku and the others, who are at a fever pitch.
“Does anyone object!?”
“Of course! Arata and Reina are guests! Why are you draggin’ them into something like that!?”
“Tch, it’s Elga…”
Suzaku says like she’s annoyed, as Elga glares and walks towards her.
“What’s the big idea? Didn’t I say they’re my guests?”
“They’re your guests, but this is my place. I make the rules!”
“That’s crazy!”
Elga doesn’t back down, as Suzaku tries to have things her way. And then he points at Gaius.
“Divine beast sumo against Gaius? That’s way too favorable for him!”
“I’m strong!”
Elga argues that it’s unfair for me to go against someone so proud of his strength, but Suzaku snorts like she’s making fun of him.
“Ah! So what!? It doesn’t matter who’s got the advantage. You make a vow to your ancestors and then you fight. That’s it!”
“Arata and Reina don’t even have anything to do with this place!”
“They do! Gaius wants Reina! Arata got in the way! What more do you need between men!?”
It’s like an argument between thugs. Sorry Elga, I know you’re trying to help.
That said, things are heating up between them, but this is going nowhere.
In any case, I just have to protect Reina. And I understand the situation now.
“Reina, can you leave this to me?”
“…Yes, I trust you.”
“You’re going, mister?”
“Yes. It looks like that guy just wants Reina, but we can’t hand her over to him.”
“Ooh… You’re cool!”
Luna says with a wry smile, seemingly impressed. Reina on the other hand has her face completely red.
I guess the mood in this place is getting to her, and giving her magic energy intoxication again.
At this rate, the banquet being held for us is going to go up in smoke. We need to settle this quickly and go on with the banquet.
I approach Elga and Suzaku, who are still heating up, and interject.
“So I just need to win at that divine beast sumo?”
“Ou, Arata! You feel like going at it!?”
“Hey Arata! You don’t need to go along with these idiots!”
I smile a little at how similar they are despite being on opposite sides.
That’s right, Elga said Suzaku raised him. That’s why they sound so similar.
“It’s fine, I’ll do it. But I don’t want to bet Reina becoming his wife.”
“Ehh… Then what? Gaius is dead set on her.”
Not really her, just her cooking.
I feel exasperated, but I guess our sensibilities are just different.
“Anyway, how about the right to be friends? I think it’s important for both parties to be on the same page here.”
“Strong males attract females. That’s the natural way.”
“Then…”
I feel like this will be the first time since I was reincarnated into this world that I’ll be purposefully using my strength.
The moment I decide to do that, the mood around me changes.
“…!?”
“So I just need to prove I’m stronger?”
I honestly don’t feel good about this sort of display of power.
It was just luck that led me to be reincarnated here with this body anyway.
I didn’t work for it, so it’s not really my power. Still, there are times when I have to use it, and this is definitely one of them.
“Ehh… That’s the spirit. I like manly men too. But this bad joke’s gone on too far. You’re right, let’s have a divine beast sumo match for the right to be Reina’s friend!”
“Boss!? I wan’ her to be mah wife!”
“Hey Gaius, you’re the one goin’ around makin’ a mess anyway, so be quiet!”
“Guh…”
Suzaku’s sharp glare makes Gaius back down with a frustrated look on his face. Their balance of power is very clear.
“But then you’ve got nothin’ to gain from this. Let’s do this, if Arata wins, he can ask anythin’ that’s within my power.”
“Really?”
“Divine beast people don’t go back on their word. What? You interested in my body or somethin’?”
“I’m not.”
“Kakaka! Cold-blooded.”
Suzaku laughs, seemingly not bothered by what I said.
Still, having the chief of the divine beast people helping me with anything sounds good.
Even Elga doesn’t know a way to get off this island, but she’s been living here for a lot longer, so maybe she can help.
And even if she doesn’t know anything about that, there’s no doubt that it’ll be great to have her on our side.
I came here out of my own free will and decided to live here, but I’m sure Reina wants to go home.
I can’t lose this when she’s been supporting me so much.
“All right. Get ready!”
Suzaku says, and beast people immediately stand in a circle, and some draw a big circle on the ground.
I guess that’s where we’ll be fighting.
It must have a radius of about ten meters. A regular sumo ring is about five meters in diameter, so this one’s pretty big.
Gaius walks to the center of the circle, and I undress from the waist up, position myself facing him, and we glare at each other.
I would normally be considered tall, but Gaius is on another level. Even a pro wrestler from my previous world would look like a kid compared to him.
“I’m takin’ the girl!”
“It’s exactly because you talk like that that I’m not letting you anywhere near her.”
And so, I can’t back down.
“Great warrior Gaius, divine beast ancestor Behemoth.”
“Human, Arata.”
We say our names in the middle of the circle, and after seeing that, Suzaku creates a fireball and holds her palm up to the already dark sky.
“Well then, fight with all you got and don’t sully your pride! Divine beast sumo… Go!”
An explosion that feels like it packs the same intensity as the sun goes off high in the air, and we collide against each other with our pride on the line.
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