A Meaningless Duel

Morning eventually came, but I wished it hadn’t. Amada kept nagging me about letting Anojin join when we woke up.

Hinabe was also supportive of him. The last thing I wanted to talk about in the morning was that stupid crusader. She saw my irritated expression, but decided to keep trying to persuade me until we headed outside our apartment.

As we headed back to the guild, the word quickly spread about our fight with Astra. I felt glaring stares running down the back of my spine as we strolled down the busy streets. Amada and Hinabe also felt disturbed by the attention.

Some vendors offered me free food and items. I hated the overwhelming recognition. I kindly refused every offer, but Amada gladly accepted them all. She hated the attention but couldn’t turn down free things.

As we entered the guild, we were greeted by a warm round of applause and cheers. Just as Amada grew tired of Anojin’s persona, I grew weary of the attention I constantly received.

No one formed a crowd. They sent their congratulations from the benches, giving us breathing room to walk. It felt like we were walking on the red carpet, and the guild members were the paparazzi. I appreciated their gesture and thanked them with waves and a smile.

The girls and I strolled our way to our usual bench. Thankfully, it wasn’t occupied. However, I expected Anojin to be here. The applauding came to a stop once we sat down.

The air turned awkward until one guild member broke the silence. “Alright, let’s celebrate Mr. Satori’s victory!”

Everyone agreed with them and cheered again. The workers came to the benches, carrying booze and filled plates. It was a feast. Everyone ate their fill and washed it down with booze.

The drunk men offered us drinks as they wrapped their arms around our necks. Their bitter, acidic breath disgusted me. Hinabe looked visibly uncomfortable but tried her best to fit in.

…

During our feast, Amada scouted the area while eating a roasted chicken leg. She looked behind me, towards the entrance, and found Anojin walking towards them.

His silhouette looked different from yesterday. He had more steel on his back. He arched his eyebrows, searching for something with lingering anger. His body naturally healed his paralysis. A warm smile rose from her face.

Before she opened her mouth and said my name, Anojin shouted my name from the entrance, “Takumi Hitaro!”

His fierce eyes stabbed me as he marched towards our bench. Noon had not arrived, yet something made him furious. Nonetheless, I’m glad he was here. Giving him an answer can get Amada off my back.

“Oh, Anojin,” I replied, brushing the drunk man’s arm off my shoulder. “There you are. I need to talk to you.”

I had to stop being mean to him and try to be professional. So, I gestured for him to have a seat as I ranted. “Have some food with us. After an annoying amount of convincing from Amada, I’ve decided to-”

“I challenged you!” Anojin dropped a massive piece of metal in front of him, interrupting me. The thud of the impact slightly vibrated the wooden floor around my bench. The commotion had everyone stop celebrating.

I glanced at the large piece of metal. The curved, pentagon-shaped metal was outlined by orange paint. It had a unique orange crest emblem carved into its center.

“What’s that?” I curiously asked.

“It’s my shield! I just picked it up from the blacksmith.” He gradually picked up his shield from the floor and holstered it on his back. “Now, then…” Anojin raised his finger and aimed it at me. “I challenge you to a duel! The winner gets to stay with the girls!”

I let out a sigh. “No need. I wanted to tell you that you can joi-”

“Enough talk! I will have my revenge against you, you fake hero!”

His bickering started to annoy me. However, I kept my composure. “There’s no point! I’m trying to tell you-”

Anojin ignored me and ranted further, charming his voice as he looked at the girls. “Miss Amada and Miss Hinabe don’t need someone like you on their team. You’re an evil man. They would benefit more if I were on the team, not you!”

He refused to listen to reason. Why didn’t you let me finish speaking? I could only hold myself together for so long.

Anojin went on to bait me further, “Aw, is the self-proclaimed Mr. Satori afraid to fight the best crusader this world has to offer? I would be scared too if I were you.”

“Alright!” I reached my breaking point. I slammed my hands on the table and stood up. “You want to do so badly? Let’s do this outside.”

“Hold on, you guys,” Amada informed us, trying to be rational. “Let’s calm down for a second.”

My mind was blinded with anger. I rudely ignored Amada’s request and walked to the entrance.

Anojin gave Amada a warm thumbs-up. He assured her, “Don’t worry, Miss Amada. I’ll set you guys free from that monster’s hold.” He left the girls at the bench as he followed behind me.

The guild members witnessed Anojin’s challenge. They remained silent until we left. I thought they were going to watch or stop us. However, once we closed the door behind us, they carried on with the celebration.

“Back to the celebration!” shouted the drunk man who sat next to me.

Amada and Hinabe overheard everyone’s comments about us. “They’ll be back soon. Anyways, let’s celebrate in their names!”

Since they often saw us bickering, they didn’t take his challenge seriously. They ignored us.

…

We found a section on the street that wasn’t crowded near the guild. Any idling on the street made way for us. The duel wasn’t a test of strength; it was personal. Our abilities don’t work well in long-term battles, so we wanted to settle it unarmed.

He dropped his heavy shield behind him but kept his armor on. After punching that warthog the other day, his armor didn’t faze me.

We circled around each other, feeling each other out. Our eyes locked on, glaring with ill intent. “After I win this, I can free the girls from your reign.”

A chuckle slipped out of my mouth. “Free them?! They’re not on a leash! What do you take me for?!”

“But your violent nature towards me can’t be explained! I heard you also treat Miss Amada like that as well!”

“She does get on my nerves.”

Anojin raised his voice in shock. “So, you’re not denying it?!”

“Hold on-”

After losing his composure, Anojin was the first to make a move. He charged at me with all his might. I planted my feet firmly on the ground and tried to block the attack. He slammed himself into me.

His armor was too heavy for me to hold. His weight pushed me to the ground. His momentum caused us to roll around the dirty soil.

Eventually, we stopped moving, and Anojin was sitting on top of me in a full guard position. He released several punches to my face. I instinctively raised my arms to block his incoming attacks.

After several blocks, I saw an opening. I didn’t have much fighting experience, but I needed to win by whatever means necessary. So, I stuck my two fingers in his nose. Then, I shifted my weight to the side and forced him off me.

Our brawl didn’t look pleasant to watch. To the bystanders, it looked… childish. We did everything we could to win the fight. Hair pulling. Wet willies. Groin kicking.

We weren’t trained in martial arts; this was just a street brawl. There was no good reason to fight Anojin. My dislike for him was my only reason for this. We continued to wear each other down until one of us admitted defeat.

Half an hour had passed, and Amada and Hinabe made their way outside the guild. They peacefully enjoyed their meals and took their time to find us.

When they arrived at the commotion near the guild, they stared at the aftermath of our duel with a disappointed look drawn on their faces.

…