After taking down the dangerous [Demon Beast] on our way back from our subjugation quest, Ester and I went back down to the baths. Following us was Kurumi who was talking to absolutely nobody. Perhaps she was just messing with us, but Ester and I kept our distance from the crazy lady. We avoided making any comments since Kurumi seemed to be a noble of some sort; it would be bad to accidentally offend one and be charged with some random crime. Well, let's leave her to talk to her imaginary friend.

I allowed the warm waters of the open air bath to soak me from my neck down as Ester also stepped into the bath and sat beside me. Considering the amount of work I did today as a former couch potato, I guess I deserved having this break.

"Fuuaaah~ This is the life..." I said while letting my sore muscles receive treatment from the warm water.

"You seemed to have mellowed down a little Luka," Ester told me while brushing her hair out of her face. Mellowed down? I suppose so.

"Hmm... It's been a long day after all. Though, please don't forget that I'm a very healthy boy with very healthy desires and all, Ester," I warned nonchalantly.

"It's fine isn't it? You promised not to grope me without permission."

"What if I went ahead and did it anyways?"

"..." Ester looked at me directly and chopped me on the head.

"Alriiiight~" I sighed. No touching. Got it. Now that I think about it, if I went ahead and did it with a girl, would it be considered yuri even if I am actually a guy? I'll ask Kami-sama later then. Kami-sama knows all.

Kurumi eventually finished talking with her invisible companion and joined the two of us in the baths. She too had a satisfied expression upon entry and soaked in the sensation of the bath. However, I couldn't help but stare at her chest. I quietly compared them to Ester's and sighed slightly. Then, Ester smacked me on the head with her fist. Ouch.

"You were thinking of something dirty weren't you?" Ester interrogated.

"Aren't I always thinking of something of the sort?" I replied while holding my head with my hands. From across the bath, Kurumi started laughing and waded over to join us.

"You two are quite close to each other ja~. Say, is adventuring any fun?" she asked.

"I don't know if it's fun, but I have a debt to pay Ester here," I said.

"Adventuring... is a lifestyle." Ester nodded to herself as if agreeing with her careful word choice.

"Hoo? Very interesting ja! May I join the both of you ja~? I wish to experience this so-called 'adventuring' myself!" Kurumi said.

Ester considered her reply very carefully before saying, "As long as you can pay for your own room and food, I don't mind if you join our party."

"Excellent! I'd also like to selfishly request a sparring match with Luka ja~ You seem strong, so I want to fight you ja~" Kurumi added on.

"Ehh? Sure." I accepted the challenge without thinking about it.

"Fufufu. This will be revenge for taking a head start on me while fighting that [Demon Beast] from earlier ja!" Kurumi said.

"Huh.. Let's have a bet while we're at it," I said.

"Hoo? Interesting. Very well ja! What shall we bid?"

"If I win... let's see... You'll have to follow my orders for a full day."

"A high price! Well then, if I triumph over you, you will become my dog for a day!"

Ester squirmed slightly as she overheard our conversation. Arara... this is starting to get my blood boiling.

Kurumi stood up and faced me. Unfortunately, I was distracted by two fairly round reasons bouncing up to make eye contact.

"Our duel will be tomorrow! So rest up and eat well! I will meet you in front of the town's fountain!" Kurumi declared.

The sun was up in the air right before noon.

Kurumi came in the same armor as before. The green and white uniform was as flamboyant as ever. Her sword was resting in its decorated sheathe that seemed to be made of the finest piece of white leather and had some sort of golden design on it. Her cape fluttered in the gentle wind and gave off a dignified aura befitting that of a noble preparing for battle. Her boots, despite showing much sign of travel, were cleaned of any dirt and mud. Kurumi's long hair draped over her shoulders while her ponytail swayed gracefully from side to side. This girl was seriously looking forward to the fight huh?

Unfortunately for her, I came prepared too. After paying off Ester slightly, I went ahead and bought myself a green jumpsuit that seemed to provide a small amount of magical resistance- according to Carol at least. Hopefully, my investments would be worth it. The thing was worth twenty five silver shurlings! I could live almost four days in an inn with that type of money! On the brighter side, wearing the jumpsuit allowed for much more mobility in contrast to wearing the stiff leather armor Ester bought me a day ago. I'll probably sell it later on. By my waist was my trusted knife that I've grown accustomed to over the short amount of time I spent with it. It was my comrade in a sense. A partner that would not let me down.

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"Come! Show me your mettle, Luka!" Kurumi called out.

"As you wish!" I dashed directly at her. I had a very simple plan to go by, but I could not guarantee a victory since I have no clue what Kurumi was capable of. Using her incredible tact and agility, she nimbly evaded my first swing using my knife. I continued my pursuit as I mixed in a number of kicks, punches, and slashes in my onslaught. Kurumi did well to evade it all, but upon one of my swings, I changed the direction of the knife from forehand to backhand. Viciously, I put my body weight behind the strike the way a snake would lunge at its enemy.

However, Kurumi was barely getting started. In retaliation, Kurumi grabbed the wrist of my hand and attempted to twist my arm. I went with her momentum and aimed a jump kick at her defenseless back. Noticing this, she let go of my wrist and drew her sword to cut me down while I was off balance in the middle of my attack. Thanks to the boosted awareness and instincts that Kami-sama gave me, I was able to twist my body away from getting slashed by Kurumi's double edged sword. As a result, I landed awkwardly on my side and rolled into a fighting stance with my knife in my right hand. Kurumi positioned herself with the sword in front of her with the hilt being slightly lower than the waist. The point tilted towards my face at an angle and reflected the sunlight into my eyes in an annoying manner. Smiling, Kurumi twisted her sword. The reflection completely distracted me, and Kurumi rushed in to seize the opportunity. I barely managed to catch the sword's movements and block the attack, but I was blown back by Kurumi's momentum and the weight of the sword. Things started to take a turn for the worst as Kurumi's constant attacks pushed me into a corner. I could only evade or parry her attacks while I was forced to be on the defensive. Every time her arms moved, my eyes had to catch the moment and angle it moved towards me in order to judge the most optimal time and place for intercepting her blade. Kurumi quickly caught on to my methods and used her wrists grasping the sword to trick me every now and then as the sword would occasionally tilt farther forward, backward, or approach from a completely different angle than what I thought. My movements began to slow down as Kurumi began to cut apart my jumpsuit.

"So... relentless today.. are we Kurumi?" I asked.

"Of course. It's revenge after all," Kurumi said while going for an overhead strike.

I twisted aside and jabbed to counter attack. My efforts were futile as she simply partied it away.

"It's time to get this over with." Kurumi sheathed her sword once again.

"Fine. It's almost lunch anyways."

Solemnly, with her left hand open and the palm facing me, Kurumi began to mutter some words I can't hear. However, the movement of the gentle gusts of wind became abnormal. Perhaps it was just me, but this could be the world of an Enemy Stand. Fortunately, my intuition was spot on as a huge gale of wind burst forth from Kurumi's open hand and hurled itself towards me. I stepped aside, but the winds laid waste to the town's road. Unfortunately, the magical knight had yet to finish with her attack. She launched one after another as I was forced to run around. To make matters worse, she drew her sword and slashed at me while preparing her magic attacks. How troublesome.

"Let's see how you fare against this barrage!" Kurumi yelled. She shot three of funnel-like projectiles composed of magically constructed wind and hurled it at my left, right, and front. Seeing this, I did a somersault into the air, but the strength of the three gales below me produced an extra draft of air that pushed me farther back while I was in the air.

"This is it! Luka!" Kurumi jumped up at an unnatural height with her sword above her head and swung downwards. Barely comprehending what was happening, I quickly spin horizontally and push off the side of Kurumi's blade using my own knife in rebellion. My landing did not proceed smoothly afterwards. Standing up, I realized that I was slowly losing my stamina.

"Good! Very good, Luka! So persistent and never giving in! So versatile yet so flexible! I'll give you a taste of one of my stronger attacks then!" The knight stood in her arrogant pose with her sword held back and her free hand making a finger gun. The air seemed to escape my lungs. It was getting difficult to breathe and move. Could it be that Kurumi was waiting for this moment in order to prevent my movement?

"Eat this," she yelled. "[Wind Spirit's Anger]!"

I took a direct hit from the blast. Unfortunately, I'm the main character with plot armor. I stood still and took on the attack with my entire body.

"You got me there Kurumi! But are you ready for the backlash?!" I asked.

"Impressive indeed Luka! I'm glad I got to duel you on this fine day! Come!" Kurumi replied in excitement.

Well... I'm out of tricks. I would use my ability, [Flip], but I can't shame a girl out in public can I?

After a few more minutes, I found the edge of a sword being held to my face. The weirder of the sword was pouting ever so slightly.

"You didn't unleash all of it onto my body yet... I wanted more!" Kurumi complained.

I could only laugh it off while slowly standing up in defeat. Even perverts have honor you know?