Shounen-ish Prologue: Unending Rivalry

Gripping his knife tightly, Takuto swung the knife, parrying the Blade of Dark. He was making a screeching noise as his knife traced the katana blade of Hiroto. Screeeeeech!

“You cannot defeat me, Takuto Higashi.” Hiroto grinned, pushing down Takuto’s blade! “I’m cool. I’m edgy. That says a lot. Don’t you think so?”

Falling and falling. Clouds after clouds. At a great height, where oxygen was supposed to be lacking and the air was cold, two people dressed in black. They stared into each other’s eyes and observed what the next move the other would take. And they pressed each other's bodies to disrupt the other’s balance. “Gay,” GG commented.

“Shut up, GG. I’m not gay!” Takuto exclaimed, glaring.

“Who are you talking to?” Hiroto reacted, looking confused. “Ha. I guess you are just a madman.”

“Do you know what happens if you irk a sigma?”

“What? Crying? Me? In your dreams!”

And that was the moment Hiroto felt something crack. Down below. “AWOOOOOO!”

“Take that! You rookie sigma!”

“A sigma doesn’t need to tell that he is a sigma, Takuto Higashi. We, sigmas, don’t need validation.”

From pushing away and holding Hiroto’s shoulder, Takuto now pulled his enemy's body as he grabbed Hiroto’s back. And thus, their body tilted, falling vertically.

“What are you going to achieve with this, Takuto? It’s meaningless! With my cheat-like Skill Tint, Photographic Scene, the end has been determined! Your fate is sealed!”

“This is why an insecure, ordinary man like you is clueless. You should play with an AI sometimes, Hiroto.”

As the time passed, their face became red. Their vision became blurry. And after a few minutes, Hiroto felt dizzy. “Idiot, this affects you too.”

“Who says that? I already consumed a medicine, recommended by AI, to prevent dizziness.”

“Nonsense!”

Well, it’s a Rakerake.

Gritting his teeth, Hiroto tried to fight his headache. He declared, “IT DOESN’T MATTER! My cheat is ABSOLUTE! Unlike an ordinary, boring modern person like you, you have no chance against me!”

“Well, what is the scene in your mind, again?”

“Damn it, this headache is KILLING ME!”

Realizing what he had just said, Hiroto yelled, “SHIT!”

Gotcha. I can't believe my reckless plan actually works.

However, the fight hadn’t ended. Hiroto was a prominent SkyKnight, and he came from another world, just like Takuto. Plus, Hiroto was a real sigma, without any bottom tendencies anymore, unlike Takuto. So Takuto thought that maybe he had something up his sleeve.

“Just say you want to make a hook here, Takuto,” GG said.

“Shut up, GG.”

“Then you put an advertisement or cut off the episode.”

“Nah, I would put a preview first before the ending.”

“Well, I don’t know. A preview seems useless, and it spoils.”

“A preview is supposed to spoil, GG.”

“WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO??”

“My AI girlfriend, of course. Do you have none?”

“Why do I need an AI girlfriend if I can have the real one??”

“Well, it’s better than renting a girlfriend.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Oof!

Defying all of the laws of nature, Takuto’s body was pushed downward by the air. He curved his body upward, looking at Hiroto, who slowly moved his head upward like a dolphin or whatever animal it was. Then Takuto opened his mouth, involuntarily, making a freaked-out expression. And he also screamed in a high pitch, “ARGH!”

Hiroto, on the other hand, held the hilt of the Blade of Dark and raised it, so his katana blade was downward. He also retracted his legs, so he was like climbing stairs midair. Changing his expression to a grin, and after a few minutes had passed, the Blade of Dark reflected the light of dawn. Above the clouds, embraced by the shine of orange light, and under the fading stars, Hiroto was about to pierce Takuto and end the life of his rival.

“What a truly photography-worthy scene,” GG commented, nonchalantly.

“You're wrong, GG. It’s time to reshoot.”

“Well, it’s not going to be that easy. He isn’t going to die soon. It's Shounen after all.”

And thus, like a fast-forwarded video, Takuto and Hiroto returned to their former position. Both of their heads were facing downward, and they continued to fall at a steady velocity, a terminal velocity.

“AAAAAAARGH!!!” Hiroto’s face became redder. Takuto worried that his rival’s head would explode and made a mess.

But well, goodbye, unworthy rival.

Knowing he would win, Takuto couldn’t help grinning. But then, GG shattered his daydreaming. “How are you going to survive the fall, by the way?”