socalfunplaces Page 182
Page 182
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"...What?! The third match is a flying competition?!" Sugiyama Rika slammed her fist on the table. "It's a rigged competition! This is absolutely rigged!"
Mayumi Haga doesn't know how to use magic to fly, so why is the third match a magic flying item race?
The person in charge of informing the participants of the third match rules wiped his sweat and, facing the guardian of contestant Mayumi Haga, nervously explained, "Our competition system relies entirely on draws; we don't know who put this in..."
The main point is, if you want to compete for the right to mine spiritual veins, what are you going to compete for if you can't use magic?
In previous years, the fact that contestants could not use magic was not taken into consideration, because due to the intensity of the monster-fighting competition, ordinary people would basically not sign up for this kind of competition.
Except for Mayumi Haga.
This year, Mayumi Haga was the only exception; when she registered, the tournament draw box had already been made, and its contents could not be changed...
The worst part is that competitions like the Magic Flying Item Race, which require a little bit of basic magic skills, only account for one percent of all entries.
In other words, it was pure bad luck.
Oh no, it could also be Sugiyama Rika's bad luck.
In this world, the more a magical user is favored by the spiritual veins, the more likely they are to receive certain "preferential treatment".
For example, wish fulfillment, or occasionally making a jinx.
Thoughts that are spoken aloud or even just arise in one's mind can very well come true.
When Sugiyama Rika realized what was going on, she was practically begging Haga Mayumi to kneel down and apologize.
Mayumi Haga didn't think there was anything wrong with it. After the person in charge left, she said, "Since it's an item race with a competitive element, speed isn't necessarily required."
Sugiyama Rikka: ...
She hadn't expected Mayumi Haga to be so direct in her thinking.
To put it simply: "Although they can fly very fast using magic, the rules of the competition do not prohibit contestants from attacking each other, so by simply knocking everyone down, they can win."
No, no... competitions aren't that exclusive...
Hmm, that seems to be true.
Sugiyama Rika realized that Haga Mayumi's solution was indeed the best approach so far, which made things even more complicated.
The rules of this match are unfair to Mayumi Haga; she must find another way to win.
She clearly didn't know that for Mayumi Haga, who could hear the free-flowing telepathic communication microphones of the weirdos, most of the matches weren't so fair.
Ayasa Terasaki, however, had a different opinion. She said lazily, "That's unlikely."
This is an item-based race, so only items within the rules can be used. Since the main focus of the competition is still a speed race involving magical flight, the power levels of the items will be somewhat limited.
In short, it's very difficult to eliminate everyone using items.
First, Mayumi Haga, who relies on a paraglider to stay airborne, cannot catch up with the flight speed of others in windless weather.
No, even with wind, no matter how strong the wind, it cannot catch up with the flying speed of a beginner magician.
Magical flight is a compulsory course for all magical beings. Whether they are eccentrics or magical girls, they must learn how to fly when they first learn to control their own magic.
None of us are first-time flyers; this mode of transportation can easily outpace any other means of transport.
Most of the items will be placed in the middle of the track, so if it's a speed contest, Mayumi Haga has no chance of getting them before anyone else.
The speed of flight alone is enough to reject all current proposals.
Upon hearing this, Mayumi Haga abandoned her backup plan of using a self-destructing catapult to launch herself—no, to launch herself directly to the finish line of the race.
After all, the track isn't a straight line, and there are quite a few obstacles in the middle. If I really want to do it this way, I need to calculate the track carefully.
If the speed is too slow and it's impossible to launch it to the destination, is there really no other way?
Sugiyama Rika frowned as she pondered, clearly troubled by the problem.
Is it really the only option to try and replenish mana before each match?
How did this competition turn into a couple flirting...?
Haga Mayumi:......
Haga Mayumi: ...Don't talk nonsense.
Even Mayumi Haga felt that this kind of thing was a bit too shameful.
Although Hitomi Tono was somewhat eager to try it out.
Girls of that age, having tasted that pleasure, often develop a taste for it. However, Mayumi Haga, with her dragon attribute, who should have been even more eager for it, was very good at restraining herself, making it difficult for Hitomi Tono to find an opportunity.
Mayumi Haga noticed Hitomi Tono's restless advances and firmly refused: "No."
“…Oh.” Tono Hitomi’s eyes darted away as she left.
Damn it, Mayumi rejected me.
Just then, Crow Feather, who had been fighting with Megaran for snacks in the players' preparation room, suddenly tilted his head and croaked, "Caw?"
She raised one wing.
Flying? That's something she's good at!
Text: 289. A Frenzied Eating Spree!
"Due to venue limitations, the second game of hide-and-seek has been suspended and is tentatively postponed until after the third game, the magic flight game," the staff member said to Mayumi Haga.
The workaholic's face has jigsaw puzzle-like patterns; upon closer inspection, the entire face appears to be made up of jigsaw puzzle pieces, clearly indicating he is a freak.
Because she was a strange person who was born with the ability to use magic, the staff looked at Mayumi Haga with a hint of regret.
It's a real shame that the humans in front of us wanted to win the monster competition but unfortunately ran into this kind of competition format.
It can only be described as bad luck.
However, since the human in front of her did not possess magic, she was allowed to use a flight aid.
Whether it's modern technology or magical items, anything that can fly can be used.
An ordinary human being would not be able to find flying equipment during the time between the announcement of the competition rules and the official start of the competition.
However, considering that the human in front of him knows the magical girl Crimson, he might also possess valuable magical items.
In short, the staff member conveyed his message, and after informing Mayumi Haga of the match time, he prepared to leave immediately.
Suddenly, Mayumi Haga called out to him, "Please wait a moment."
Do you have any further questions?
“…I do have magical items. Could you please check if they can be used directly?” Mayumi Haga said.
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Soon it was time for the match to begin.
On the judges' panel, the magical girl Tianlan shrank to one side, feeling a little guilty.
She had bad luck and drew one of the few magical competitions. Now, among all the contestants, only Mayumi Haga doesn't know magic. Thinking about how she had defeated her friend, Magical Girl Azumi felt a little uneasy.
Friend... well, we haven't even exchanged more than a few words yet, but we're acquaintances by no means, and my luck really wasn't very good.
Especially when you have received a life-saving favor from the other party.
Sigh, sigh.
Upon seeing Magical Girl Crimson approach, Magical Girl Azure's eyes lit up. Crimson sat down beside her, and Azure quickly lowered her voice: "Did you give her any items for this match?"
“I’m a judge, it’s not right for me to do this…” said Magical Girl Crimson, “but Mayumi has her own way!”
"Um..." Is Mayumi Haga's solution paragliding?
Magical Girl Sky Blue didn't think that paraglider could defeat the other contestants.
Although some of the strange people can't fly very fast due to reasons such as magical power, they are a minority.
I don't know about other cities, but the strange people in Strange City fly faster than anyone else.
After all, the only way to escape is by flying.
And Mayumi Haga's paraglider... she had seen it before.
Although the otherworldly materials enabled it to fly very fast, it was still only at a normal speed, which was somewhat powerless compared to magic, something irrational.
Speed racing is dangerous...!
However, Crimson, the magical girl with whom she had a deeper relationship, appeared quite calm.
It seems that Mayumi Haga knew that she had a great chance of winning this match.
Is it unconditional trust?
No, rather than trust in Mayumi Haga, it's more accurate to say that they already know what trump card Mayumi Haga has up her sleeve, which is why they seem so confident!
This guy's face is all about getting his way; he's really easy to understand.
Magical Girl Iris overheard their conversation and became curious about Mayumi Haga's trump card, so she craned her neck to look down.
Ah, Mayumi looks a little different today...
Magical Girl Iris noticed a little crow she had never seen before perched on Mayumi Haga's shoulder, with a white patch on its forehead.
Could that be Mayumi's secret weapon for victory?
Realizing this, her interest in the little bird grew even stronger.
"Crimson, since that little guy can stand on the field with Yuga, that means that child is a [tool], right? And it meets the competition rules." Magical Girl Iris was very curious and couldn't help but turn to Magical Girl Crimson for confirmation.
Magical girl Crimson smiled and explained, "That child is called [Ravenfeather], a newly born Jewel Beast."
"Huh? But I don't sense any magical fluctuations..."
"So she's a partner exclusively for Mayumi, and I'm quite jealous of that!" Magical Girl Crimson said, though her expression was bright and cheerful.
After all, she had reached it before Raven Feather, and that was enough to satisfy her.
Moreover, regarding Jewel Beast...
Magical girl Crimson raised an eyebrow slightly. Ever since she learned that Karasu would be participating in the competition as Mayumi Haga's Jewel Beast, she had been looking forward to it.
If it's simply using the power of the wind to propel the Yuga Mayumi forward in the air, then it naturally doesn't count as an "item" and is more likely to be judged as an independent participant in a cooperative situation.
To avoid violating the competition rules, Ravenfeather must be used to its full potential as a Gem Beast.
Because her new body was created based on the Jewel Beasts, the contract partners of magical girls, Karasuha also possesses a range of Jewel Beast abilities. Except for not being able to assist Mayumi Haga in using magic, she has almost all of the other abilities.
This means that...
The magical girl's crimson eyes suddenly sharpened.
Mayumi Haga is getting a new skin!
Like the previous Guardian Set and Black Dragon Set, these are functional outfits that will be changed in special scenarios!
What will this flight suit look like?
Magical Girl Crimson is already incredibly excited, just waiting for the competition to start. She begs Ms. Terasaki Ayasa to use her magic camera to take a barrage of photos!
Noticing the intense gaze directed at him from afar, Haga Mayumi felt as if he were being pricked by thorns.
The crow feather on her shoulder, however, showed no sign of tension and was even taking out snacks from Mayumi Haga's backpack to eat.
After becoming Mayumi Haga's exclusive gem beast, Karasu also gained partial access to Mayumi Haga's inventory, but only to the pet's inventory space.
But this was still pretty good. She found a lot of snacks she used to love inside, and would always sneak some out and eat them like crazy when Mayumi Haga wasn't looking.
Mayumi Haga was a little worried that she might get a sore throat, since most of her food consisted of nuts. However, Karasu explained that she was now a Jewel Beast, not a living being, and therefore wouldn't be bothered by anything at the physical level.
Mayumi Haga wasn't unaware of this, but because of the unease she felt from recently strangling Karasuha, she didn't really stop her from frantically stealing things from her backpack like a rat.
But the competition is about to start, so let's not eat so many snacks yet.
"Karaba, the match starts in three minutes. Let's put the food away first," said Mayumi Haga.
Crow Feather readily agreed: "Oh! Get ready for takeoff!"
She stuffed the cracked sunflower seeds into Mayumi Haga's collar with her bird claws, then spread her wings, ready to pounce.
The light flashed by.
Text: 290. Raven Feather Morphology
The jet-black feathers drifted down, only to vanish upon contact with the ground.