Chapter 407: Proper Garbage Sorting Is Very Important!
Time passed minute by minute, and the discussions in the audience grew increasingly louder.
"Falling Star Sword Emperor still hasn't arrived?"
"Don't tell me he's really going to forfeit?"
"No way. I was looking forward to his fight with Her Highness. Why would he suddenly withdraw without a special reason like White-Robed Knight?"
"Speaking of White-Robed Knight, did you hear that rumor?"
"You mean the rumor about that 'Bad Luck' ability?"
"Right, the power to make wishes come true. Who knows whether it's real, but White-Robed Knight's withdrawal was definitely suspicious."
"I don't like that Shinomiya guy. His smile feels fake… and I heard every match he had at Kyomon Academy ended with his opponent forfeiting."
"Including White-Robed Knight, that's seven victories by default. Do you really think that's possible?"
"If Falling Star Sword Emperor actually forfeits, this will be incredibly boring. We didn't buy tickets to watch this."
"Can't they disqualify Shinomiya? Attacking an opponent before a match is a serious violation, right?"
"Probably not. There's no evidence, and no one even knows whether the ability is real. I heard the operating committee is discussing it too."
...
The five-minute countdown passed quickly. Four minutes vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only one minute before the referee had to declare Shinomiya Amane the winner by default.
Standing at the center of the field, the referee frowned. Deep down, he truly did not want to do it.
It was not favoritism. Although he was admittedly a fan of Luke, he would never make a dishonest ruling because of that.
However, Amane's smile had disgusted him from the very beginning.
After working as a referee for so many years, he could instantly recognize the truth hidden behind that expression.
Without a doubt, it was the smug smile of someone who had secretly interfered with the match.
Once the referee realized this, he completely lost any favorable impression of Amane. If there had been even a shred of evidence, he would have disqualified him immediately.
Unfortunately, if the rumors were true and his ability guided causality toward favorable outcomes, then finding evidence would be impossible.
They could not punish someone based purely on suspicion. As long as that principle remained, the committee had no grounds to act against Amane.
While the referee stared at the countdown with a deep frown, Amane suddenly spoke.
"Hey, Referee."
"When can I leave? Falling Star Sword Emperor clearly isn't going to appear."
"The countdown is almost over anyway. Why not just announce my victory now?"
"Continuing to wait is only wasting time."
Amane spoke with a smile. His tone held no urgency and instead sounded completely casual.
It was as though he had already decided that Luke could never appear.
The referee naturally understood what he meant. He looked at the smug boy with faint pity and silently sighed.
Honestly, he had seen plenty of competitors like this before.
Unless such people corrected their attitude, they would never achieve anything meaningful in the future.
The glory Amane enjoyed now might already be the peak of his life. From this point onward, he might never improve again.
Tragic, pitiful, and regrettable.
Ignoring Amane, the referee checked the time. Seeing that only around thirty seconds remained, he prepared to announce the result.
Although he hated doing it, he had to admit that Luke might truly be unable to appear…
But the instant that thought crossed his mind, footsteps suddenly echoed through the arena.
Tap—tap—tap—!
The footsteps should have been quiet, yet they passed through the cheers and shouting of countless spectators, reaching everyone's ears.
Luke had arrived!
Understanding the situation immediately, the referee released a huge sigh of relief.
He truly had not wanted to declare a suspected cheater the winner.
Stopping the countdown, the referee turned around and revealed a heartfelt smile.
Luke looked over and returned an equally sincere smile.
The two smiled at each other, as though everything had been communicated without words.
Then…
An empty ramen bowl was placed in the referee's hands.
"…?"
"???"
"?!"
The heartfelt smile froze directly on his face.
The referee stiffly lowered his head and stared at the bowl, completely unable to understand the situation.
Fortunately, Luke did not leave him confused for long. After handing it over, he spoke in an extremely grateful tone.
"Oh, you've really saved me."
"I was wondering where to throw away this empty bowl. I never expected you to take it so eagerly. Thank you so much!"
"Honestly, you can't blame me for this. I searched the waiting room for ages, but there wasn't a single trash bin meant for empty bowls."
"The organizers' preparations were seriously lacking. You made me waste so much time."
Technically, Luke was not lying. There really was no trash bin for empty bowls in the waiting room.
Garbage sorting in Japan was extremely strict. Throwing waste into the wrong category could result in a fine or even legal responsibility in serious cases.
"S-So… the reason you refused to enter for so long was because you were searching for a trash bin?!"
The referee's voice became distorted.
Of course, he knew what the waiting room contained. Competitors normally stayed there for only a few minutes.
At most, it provided tissues and bottled water, with one bin for tissues and another for plastic bottles.
There was no point preparing an entire row of sorting bins. Who would eat ramen inside the waiting room?!
In all his years as a referee, this was his first time seeing a competitor enter the arena carrying a ramen bowl.
In his shock, he forgot that his other hand was still holding the microphone.
He had been preparing to announce Amane's victory by default, so the microphone was already beside his mouth.
As a result, his unbelievable cry spread throughout the entire Seven Star Sword Art Festival venue.
For a moment, the words "searching for a trash bin" echoed across the Bay Dome.
The commentators, operating committee, audience, Ikki, Stella, and every other competitor fell into deathly silence.
After a long while, someone quietly asked,
"W-Wish Fulfillment… wins by making the opponent unable to find a trash bin?"
"…"
"…"
"Pfft—!"
Within the silent arena, that question and the following snicker were exceptionally clear.
Many people heard them. The words passed from one person to another, spreading throughout the entire audience in moments.
Before long, everyone's gaze toward Shinomiya Amane became rather strange.
Because they suddenly felt that this so-called Wish Fulfillment…
Seemed a little pathetic.
…
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