"Good morning, Kagura-san." After a short exchange of glances, Chiaki smiled kindly and greeted her.
"Good morning," Little Shi responded calmly. She then sat down next to Seiji and poured some tea for herself.
Just like usual … if there was anything different, it would be that she was now sitting closer to Seiji.
Mika blinked as she looked towards Chiaki.
Chiaki smiled in response.
"Little Shi, perfect timing." Seiji forced himself to ignore the subtle atmosphere. "I have something important to tell you."
He explained the Bloodwine Ritual tournament to his adopted younger sister, including the matter of Summer Night and Yui.
Something flashed in Shika Kagura's eyes as she listened in silence.
"… Activate this card and sign your name and mine on it. That's the battle." Seiji showed the red card in his hand to her as he finished speaking.
"Activate it, then. As Brother's Spirit-branded Retainer, I shall do my best to fight for Brother! "Shika Kagura spoke in a calm and resolute tone, giving off a powerful aura.
Her aura was so strong that it seemed as if she was glowing … simply put, she was so cool!
'My adopted younger sister is so cool.'
"Thank you, Little Shi." Seiji sincerely thanked her as he inserted his Mana into the card.
The white runes on the card instantly lit up and projected a complex spell formation. The spell formation then transformed into a screen with large amounts of red text on it.
It was the Bloodwine Ritual tournament's rules!
Seiji began reading it carefully. Shika Kagura, Mika, and Chiaki all began reading seriously as well.
After spending some time to finish reading, the summary was …
The tournament participants would be in groups of two. Two people would have to sign together with a clear will and resolution for the tournament contract to be effective.
If the contract failed, there would only be one chance to sign again. If the contract failed again, the tournament participation card would immediately become invalid.
If the contract was successfully signed, then the tournament participants would be confirmed. The participants couldn't give up without permission. Otherwise, they would be severely punished by the contract.
There would be sixty-four groups of one hundred and twenty-eight participants. The tournament format would be team battles followed by individual battles.
First round: All participants would be split into two groups, red and blue. After one group defeated the other, they would proceed to the next round.
Second round: All participants would fight one-on-one. The winner would be the final victor.
Surrendering would be punished by the contract. The punishment would be different depending on the situation.
Admitting defeat without fighting seriously would result in the most severe punishment. If they fought seriously and admitted defeat because they were no match for their opponent, the punishment would be relatively light.
When one of the combatants loses the ability to fight, the other can reasonably admit defeat and will not be punished. If both participants lost the ability to fight, the tournament would be considered as losing.
The organizers distributed "Lifesaving Talismans" to all the participants. They would automatically activate when a participant's life was in danger, forming a powerful protective and healing barrier.
Once the Lifesaving Talisman was triggered, the wielder would be judged to have failed. Other participants would not be able to carry out any offensive actions. Otherwise, not only would they receive the most severe contract punishment, but they would also have to bear the corresponding consequences. The organizer would not be responsible.
"Requiring one person to be defeated before being able to logically admit defeat … seems rather harsh," Chiaki commented.
"It's probably because of the ritual."
"First, we'll split into two groups. After one group is eliminated, the remaining group will fight one-on-one … is this also part of the ritual?" Mika asked in confusion.
Seiji rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Perhaps … or perhaps the organizers believe that this will allow the tournament participants to better display their true abilities."
In a team battle, there was a lot more room for performance and more variables.
Sixty-four teams, a total of 128 people, engaged in a chaotic battle … Compared to defeating the opponent, it was more important to protect oneself!
It was just like survival. Compared to killing the number of enemies, it was more important to survive. Only by surviving to the end could one successfully get the chicken dinner.
The essence of PUBG was survival! Not killing enemies or seeking death in some way … Cough, don't let your mind wander.
"Giving all the tournament participants a 'Lifesaving Talisman' … it seems to be a rather precious talisman. Although I don't know how effective it will be, it's still a last resort. "He looked at the projection screen again.
"Don't take too many risks just because you have such a guarantee," Chiaki warned.
"Of course."
Then, there was a moment of silence.
"Little Shi, is there anything you'd like to say?" Seiji looked towards his adopted younger sister.
Shika Kagura shook her head.
"In that case … sign your name." Seiji forcefully squeezed the card according to the instructions.
The words on the screen instantly changed to show the incantation for the tournament contract.
He carefully read it over and confirmed that it was the same as the instructions just now.
Seiji squeezed the card again.
The contract instantly transformed into a dark red mystical spell formation. There were two blank spaces on it, which were where the signatures were supposed to be.
Seiji raised his hand. Little Shi also raised her hand and pointed at the signature area.
The spell formation instantly activated and flashed with a white light. At the same time, the faint sound of a female voice chanting an incantation could be heard. It felt like a ritual.
The two of them solemnly signed their names.
The next second, the spell formation glowed brightly and transformed into two balls of mist that wrapped around Seiji's and Little Shi's palms, forming a blood-red miniature spell formation in their palms.
The tournament contract was successfully signed!
Seiji glanced at the mark on his own palm, and then looked towards Little Shi's.
The two blood-red marks soon faded away. The white runes on the tournament participation card disappeared, and the card slowly turned black, becoming ineffective.
"Next up is to prepare for the tournament … let's work hard together, Little Shi."
"Okay, Brother."
"Our goal is to win, but it doesn't mean that we absolutely have to win, so don't feel too much pressure," Seiji told her sincerely.
"Brother …" Something flashed in Shika Kagura's eyes.
"It's fine as long as we work hard. Don't force yourself."
'Victory is important, but it's not as important as you.' Seiji used his expression to convey this to her.
Shika Kagura understood and felt warmth in his heart. A gentle expression appeared on his face.
Upon seeing this, Mika and Chiaki finally understood just how important Shika Kagura was in Seiji's heart.
Although they already knew, they were still rather jealous.
…
"How's the situation?"
"The Haruta Family's Haruta Seiji and the Tendo Family's Shigure Tendo have already signed the tournament participation contract."
"The Haruta Family's' trash 'and the Tendo Family's' imbecile '… it seems that they both really want to prove themselves. Heh heh, with them participating, this tournament won't be too boring. "
"These two's names just happen to match each other. It's as if they're fated opponents."
"You can remove the 'as if' from the equation. They're fated opponents."
"Why's that?"
"Haruta Seiji's older sister, Haruta Yui, killed Shigure Tendo's older brother, Raizen Tendo."
"I see …"
"Their names match each other, their circumstances are similar, and they have a grudge against each other. Heh heh … they're basically like mortal enemies from a shonen manga. I just don't know which side is the main character, and which side is the antagonist. "
"I think Shigure Tendo is the main character. His older brother was killed."
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