Tsubaki Sugoizo

Tsubaki was fiery in both word and deed, carrying a massive golden hammer on her back—one taller than she was. The red flames clinging to her body like clothing roared, warping the air with their heat and creating shimmering distortions, while scorching the weeds around her feet.

Tsubaki had been so tiny, and now look at her...! As her owner, I'm bursting with pride. Other than the fact that she'd turned humanoid, she's perfect. Sugoizo!

But if possible, I would have preferred not to reunite right now.

"Mimimi? The Blue Witch is here!? Why!?"

Tsubaki was every bit as astonished as Hiyori and I were at this utterly unexpected reunion. The moment she spotted Hiyori, she leaped in surprise like a character in a manga (or a cat), her eyes going round.

Hiyori awkwardly waved and darted her gaze around.

"Ah, yeah. It's been a while, Tsubaki. Glad to see you're doing well."

"Mi, fine! Did you meet Mokutan, Sekitan, and Fuyou? Is everyone well? Spider-san too?"

"They're all doing well. Oh, right—I have a souvenir from Sekitan. An assortment of vegetable oils. He said he bought it with his first paycheck. I'll give it to you later."

"Sekitan, sugoizo!"

Tsubaki smiled happily and spouted flames, but then her smile vanished, and she eyed Hiyori suspiciously.

"So why is the Blue Witch here? Are you here to cheer for me?"

"No, well, that's... You see, I didn't come here to cheer for your duel... Oh, I get it, Kinrenka. Is that why you brought me here? You didn't want to fight your sister's friend? But why bring me into it...? No, you probably don't even know about my relationship with Tsubaki. Damn it, I'm going to lose my mind. This is all Tsugika's fault!"

"???"

Tsubaki stared suspiciously at the emotionally unstable Blue Witch clutching her head in distress, then sniffed and tilted her head. She looked around, and at the edge of the plaza, a little away from the dueling area, she met my eyes as I sat there with my knees hugged to my chest under the protection of defensive magic.

"Huh? There's someone who looks like Dairi."

"Hey, Tsubaki."

"!? That's Dairi's voice. Dairi? Is that really you? You feel different."

"I had the gremlin implanted in me removed. You feel different from when you were a juvenile too, so we're even."

"Mimimi! Dairi came back to life! Dairi!"

Tsubaki ran over joyfully and tried to leap at me, but defensive magic bounced her back, sending her onto her backside. My heart ached at the sight of my adorable pet rubbing her forehead and looking dejected.

Sorry. Let me stay in the safe zone until the duel is over.

"The duel's about to start, right? Tell me all about it when it's over. You've traveled this far too, haven't you?"

"Sure. But my opponent still hasn't come. They're late."

"Kinrenka appointed the Blue Witch as her proxy in the duel. You're fighting her."

"Huh?"

When I pointed at Hiyori, Tsubaki blinked.

Tsubaki saw the Blue Witch looking over here as if she had a headache, then looked at me.

Then she looked at the Blue Witch again, and back at me.

After looking back and forth five or six times, Tsubaki nodded with a sharp expression.

"Got it. I'm amazing. Dairi, watch me show you how amazing I am!"

"Seriously? You intend to beat Hiyori?"

"I got stronger. I won't lose. I'll become number one! So say I can win!"

"Oh, you've got guts. You'll wi—"

I was about to cheer her on as requested when I noticed Hiyori's gaze and shut my mouth.

Right. How could I not cheer for her, when she was working so hard for my sake? I couldn't cheer for my pet.

"No. Sorry, but I'll be cheering for Hiyori..."

"Mi..."

When I tried to retract my earlier statement, Tsubaki lowered her eyes, looking terribly sad. I shut my mouth again.

Even after more than eighty years, this devoted pet still remembered my voice. How could I not cheer for her? It would be awful to take Hiyori's side here.

"Actually, I'll cheer for Tsubaki... No, Hiyori... Aaargh, my head is starting to hurt...!"

If I cheer for Hiyori, my pet will be sad.

If I cheer for my pet, Hiyori will be sad.

I pride myself on having gotten pretty good at understanding the subtleties of human relationships, but understanding them has only made this painful. Human relationships are such a pain!

"Agh, fine, I've decided. Tsubaki, go get some practice! I'll only cheer for Hiyori! Sorry!"

"Mi!? Dairi, that's mean. I won't share any rapeseed oil with you, even if I win!"

Tsubaki stuck out her tongue angrily and, cheeks puffed up, walked toward the roped-off dueling area. I felt sad.

I feel pathetic. I swore I'd love Hiyori above all else for at least another thirty years, yet I couldn't immediately decide to cheer for her. It was utterly faithless.

If my feelings wavered over something this trivial, I could never hope to live up to Hiyori's feelings, which carried the weight of eighty years. How useless.

While I was moping, events moved on. Tsubaki entered the dueling area, swung her colossal golden hammer around, and fearlessly attacked the Blue Witch.

"The Blue Witch is cheating. You reek of Dairi. He pets you lots every single day!"

"Huh!? Ah, yeah. Petting. Well, yeah. Hahaha..."

"I'll beat the Blue Witch too. I'll get the rapeseed field and the petting. I'll become number one!"

"Uh... If Tsubaki's fired up, that's fine, but could we at least agree not to kill each other?"

"? Obviously. If a packmate dies, that's sad. Whoever says 'I give up' loses!"

Kinrenka had described the duel as one to the death, but both parties agreed to remove that condition.

Thus, the all-out battle between mother and daughter began.

They put some distance between them, and the duel began the instant the pebble they tossed into the air touched the ground.

Hiyori thrust both empty hands forward and began chanting rapidly.

"The warrior restrained by chains――――"

"Mimimii!"

Tsubaki likewise thrust one hand at Hiyori and let out a spirited cry, while her colossal golden hammer warped and writhed, beginning to envelop her entire body.

It was Abyss Gold, a magic-responsive metal that readily changed shape in response to magical control.

The use of staffs was prohibited, but the use of magical metals was not. Since this was an old dueling law, it apparently had not accounted for restrictions on relatively new technology.

I had seen Hiyori transform Abyss Gold several times.

The speed at which Tsubaki transformed Abyss Gold was even greater than Hiyori's. It changed shape swiftly, as if alive, spreading wider and wider.

Even so, Hiyori completed her chant before the transformation was complete.

Or so it should have been.

"!? Impossible—magic-power seal? Where did you learn this!?"

"Mimimimi! No magic! Fisticuffs! I am Tsubaki Sugoizo!"

Hiyori was shocked mid-chant and cut off the spell.

It was impressive that, despite her flustered tone, she smoothly drew and fired her secondary weapon, a handgun, while speaking, but Tsubaki was no slouch either. She quickly moved Abyss Gold into the bullet's line of fire and deflected the shot.

Tsubaki finished transforming Abyss Gold, becoming a golden giant in full-body armor over three meters tall. Crimson flames spilled from the gaps in the armor like breath, giving her an intimidating presence.

"Transform! Mimi, prepare yourself!"

Tsubaki's fierce battle cry came out muffled from inside the fiery metal giant.

Hiyori leaped far backward to dodge the huge golden fist of Armored Tsubaki as it came swinging at her with agility out of proportion to its size. When the missed fist punched into the ground, dirt and gravel flew, and an impact like a small truck dropped from the third floor shook the area.

Whoa, she's strong! Tsubaki, you're seriously amazing! You're awesome and cool!

Can she even use an advanced technique that even Hiyori still can't reproduce after watching Hatobato demonstrate it?

She was armed with magical metal, which did more than make up for her disadvantage in physique—it let her surpass it. She had speed and power too.

As expected of Hiyori's daughter—and my pet. She had the cards needed to challenge the Blue Witch and find a chance to win.

Tsubaki launched a furious assault on Hiyori, whose magic power had been sealed.

She kicked sharply enough to cut through the air, punched heavily enough to make the earth tremble, and seized openings to throw her with impressive skill.

Her movements clearly showed training in some kind of martial art, multiplying the combat power of her flame-wreathed giant armor many times over.

"Mimimimimi, mimimi's mimimi! One more mimii!"

"Tch...!"

The fact that Tsubaki was her daughter was certainly one reason Hiyori was stuck on the defensive. Unlike Hiyori, Tsubaki didn't know she was her mother and was coming at her with all her might.

On top of that, Tsubaki's highly tricky fighting style was troublesome.

Tsubaki had mastered a combat style built around Abyss Gold. Just when it seemed she was trading punches with the flame-wreathed giant, her fist would suddenly turn into a hammer or a sword.

If she focused her awareness on her fist, heat would build up in the armor's abdomen, and a pile bunker would shoot out amid an explosion of flames.

If you carelessly grappled with her, she would manipulate the metal and make it crawl over you, attempting to restrain you.

Even the flames enveloping her were not merely decorative; they could attack as well.

Naturally, the flames were hot. If Tsubaki challenged you to close combat, the heat wave would sear your body. An ordinary person would be burned black just by standing nearby.

Hiyori was stimulating her magic power and converting it to cold to neutralize the heat, but the magic-power seal kept her from producing enough output to form it into magic. She looked like she was having a very hard time.

Sweat poured like a waterfall from Hiyori's forehead as she parried punches and brushed aside kicks.

Strong.

Tsubaki is strong! She's putting on one hell of a show!

"Have you given up yet!? Blue Witch, have you given up!?"

"Don't underestimate me, Tsubaki...!"

Tsubaki's powerful roundhouse kick broke the sound barrier and sent Hiyori flying a great distance. Hiyori grinned ferociously.

Hiyori thrust a hand into her neckline, tore off her necklace, and pulled out the amulet. She then took out her Transcendent ID card from her pocket and clenched both items tightly together.

An invisible force field spread out centered on Hiyori's fist.

It was Hollow Silver.

When Hollow Silver is brought into contact with an amulet, it generates a magic-dampening field. It wasn't strong enough to nullify powerful magic, but it was sufficient to neutralize Tsubaki's flames.

Hiyori lowered her stance and sprinted like an arrow, drawing back her fist at the flame giant with all the momentum of her charge.

"Let her have it, Hiyori!"

"Leave it to me! The Hiyori Dairi believes in is invincible!"

Responding to my cheer, Hiyori smiled.

Hiyori wasn't even using body-enhancement magic. She was fighting with her raw physical ability.

Even so, the Hollow Silver punch, powered by her full weight and leaving sound behind, snuffed out the flames around the golden giant and drove deep into its abdomen, launching Tsubaki high into the air with a force so shocking it made me recoil.

"Mii!?"

The Abyss Gold armor, supposedly tougher than steel, crumpled, and Tsubaki let out a pained scream.

Hiyori looked up from the ground at Tsubaki flailing helplessly in midair.

Then she beckoned gently with her left hand, swirled cold air around her right hand, and began chanting a spell.

"Moonshadow and cool breezes, all――――"

"Mi!? W-why can you use magic!?"

Hiyori had watched Hatobato's magic-power seal.

She had also watched it being undone.

Given enough time, she could even undo the magic-power seal placed on Tsubaki.

"You might as well become ice!"

"Mimii!"

Tsubaki's descending fist collided with Hiyori's magic-infused fist.

In that instant, all the golden armor covering Tsubaki transformed into transparent ice and shattered into pieces.

Tsubaki landed on the ground with a splat and stared at both hands in stunned disbelief.

Her armor completely destroyed by ice-forging magic, Tsubaki unsteadily rose to her feet, spouted flames, and took a fighting stance.

But when she saw Hiyori crack her knuckles and take a stance to meet her, her courage faltered.

"Tsubaki. I don't want to hurt you. But if you're determined to keep fighting, I'll beat you down."

"Mimimi...!"

Tsubaki gritted her teeth in frustration, but then obediently rolled onto the ground and exposed her belly to Hiyori.

"I give up. I lose!"

Thus, the duel between mother and daughter ended with the mother's victory.

But Tsubaki was really damn strong too.

Applause for Tsubaki Sugoizo, who put up one hell of a fight!