Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 148 – I fought the other chuunibyou
“Reflect? Why do I have to…”
“Here I come!” [Youki]
I enhanced my body and quickly closed in on the Steel Arms of Azure Flame, aiming to strike his solar plexus with the hilt of my sword, but he blocked it with his steel gauntlet. From there, it turned into a clash of fists and swords. As we exchanged blows, I could tell he had some skill. He was strong, but I got the impression that he was not all that powerful. Probably because he couldn’t push me back with his fists, he retreated a bit. As I kept my eye on him, wondering what he’d do next, he made a move that lived up to his name; His steel gauntlet became enveloped in blue flame. That move resembled a fire attribute version of my favourite wind magic, Storm Blow. The magic he was using was a mid-level magic, Flame Arm.
Magic that envelops the body is hard to control, yet he activates it so easily. But why is the flame blue? Usually, it would be red or orange. Even I can’t pull off something like black lightning.
“Hmph, that’s more like it. Then I shall show you my true power as well.” [Youki]
“You dare speak to me like that even after seeing my azure flames? As expected of Magic Knight of Black Lightning.”
“Oh, so you know of me? Then, do you not understand that you cannot defeat me?” [Youki]
“I am the one who shines brighter than you. There’s no way I’d fall behind!”
By the looks of it, his switch also seemed to be flipped. His chuunibyou level was relatively high, too. He still couldn’t hold a candle to me, though.
“Hmph, it doesn’t matter how brightly you shine, or far ahead you go. My name is Magic Knight of Black Lightning. I will execute this mission swiftly. You are the target of this mission, so neutralizing you is my only goal.” [Youki]
“So you’re saying that I pale in comparison to you? Bring it on!”
Once again, our sword and gauntlet clashed. However, since he had enhanced himself with magic, I was in a less favourable position than earlier. He gradually pushed me back with his power, which had increased several times until I pulled back.
“It seems you’re all talk, Magic Knight of Black Lightning. Your time is over!”
“My time, you say? Sorry, but I’m not interested in such things. Rather than the world, I just… No, never mind. Instead, let me show you my full power!” [Youki]
I activated ‘Lightning Flash’, boosting my speed, and began moving at a high velocity. Using the hit-and-run approach, I slashed at him and retreated before he could counter, repeating this numerous times to bewilder him.
“So, now that you realize you can’t win with pure strength, you’re backing off?”
He hurled a taunt at me while blocking my sword with his gauntlet.
“What are you talking about? Now, the real fight begins!” [Youki]
With every hit I landed, I increased my speed and power. As my strike grew faster and heavier, his face started showing signs of anguish.
“Guh, this… this can’t be happening. Where are your limits?”
“Fuhahaha, now, with this, it’s over…” [Youki]
“Enough already!” [Cecilia]
Cecilia had halted the fight between two chuunibyou. I deactivated my spell instantly and quietly sheathed my sword. Given the situation, there was no choice but to listen.
“W-What? Why? Why did you put away your sword?”
He was clearly confused and did not understand the situation. As the senior chuunibyou, it was my duty to guide him.
“Hmph, listen well, Steel Arms of Azure Flame. For now, just sit in seiza. This is the path we, as fellow chuunibyou, cannot avoid as we fly through the town…” [Youki]
“Anyway, may I have your attention, please?” [Cecilia]
“Yes, I apologize.” [Youki]
I responded humbly and straightened my back. Once Cecilia entered her preaching mode, there would be no stopping her. It was our fault, so there was no room for excuses.
“Hey, Magic Knight of Black Lightning. Your attitude has completely changed…”
“Could you please listen as well?” [Cecilia]
“Guh, why do I have to…”
It seemed that Steel Arms of Azure Flame was trying to resist, but it would only be a matter of time before he gave in. Cecilia’s expression could quickly turn as cold as ice, similar to Sophia-san’s when she got mad at Clayman.
“Are you ready to listen now?” [Cecilia]
“…Yes.”
Even Steel Arms of Azure Flame succumbed to Cecilia’s overwhelming pressure.
The two of us, who had a flashy fight just a while ago, were sitting side by side in seiza. She gave us a long lecture about why the fight started, whether we had considered our surroundings since we were fighting on the roof and other reasonable points. The sheer force of her argument left us unable to argue back.
“Magic Knight-san, wasn’t your goal to find this person? I understand that he wasn’t willing to listen, but did it really need to escalate into such a flashy battle?” [Cecilia]
“Ah, well, I mean…” [Youki]
“And you, Steel Arms-san, even though you refused to listen to us and attacked, you quickly realized that it was a misunderstanding, didn’t you?” [Cecilia]
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
“So, despite understanding, you continued fighting and even let it escalate…” [Cecilia]
“Ah, yes. I wasn’t considerate enough.”
The two of us could only give vague and hesitant responses. I didn’t have any excuses or regrets, but I would still reflect on my actions. That was what it meant to be the Magic Knight of Black Lightning.
Perhaps sensing our genuine remorse, Cecilia finally ended her lecture.
“Firstly, when we first met, I behaved rudely towards you as I mistook you for Magic Swordsman-san. I’m sorry.” [Cecilia]
Cecilia bowed her head apologetically. Given all the trouble he caused, I actually thought there wasn’t any need for her to apologize. But knowing her personality, she likely couldn’t forgive herself for making a mistake. Cecilia was someone who was strict with herself but also strict and kind with others.
“I don’t think I’m the one who should be receiving an apology… It was more like I provoked the situation…”
He had none of the confidence he had earlier. Was he weak against Cecilia or something? I could understand that he had just been lectured by her right after their first meeting, but even considering that, he seemed way too deflated.
“I have something I want to ask.” [Youki]
“You want to ask Steel Arm-san?” [Cecilia]
“Yes, something caught my attention. Did you come up with the costume yourself? If you have any ideas, I’d like to use them as a reference…” [Youki]
“Is this really the time to ask that?!” [Cecilia]
Cecilia snapped at me, but I had to ask while I could.
It is essential to know how to match my costume when I find new gear in the future. Even among the different chuunibyou costumes, there must be a myriad of designs, so I want to learn all I can.
“This… I acquired it because I admire you, Magic Knight of Black Lightning.”
“O-hoh?” [Youki]
“Huh?” [Cecilia]
Cecilia looked sincerely puzzled, but I could comprehend it. In other words, this guy was inspired by my chuunibyou behaviour, so he became a chuunibyou himself. Wasn’t that it?
“I see. The chuunibyou aura emanating from me has taken root in you. Hmph, Magic Knight of Black Lightning has given birth to a new chuunibyou. That’s what it means, right?” [Youki]
“That’s not the point, Magic Swordsman-san! It’s spreading!” [Cecilia]
“In time, everyone will be engulfed in darkness…” [Youki]
“No, they won’t!” [Cecilia]
“Rest assured. In a world consumed by darkness, the only hope remaining… will be Cecily!” [Youki]
“Excuse me, may we return to the topic at hand?”
We forcefully got our derailed conversation back on track.
“…Is it all right now?”
“Yes, my apologies. So, um… when you said you admired Magic Swordsman-san…” [Cecilia]
“I meant it exactly as I said it. Is there a problem with that?”
“Um…” [Cecilia]
Cecilia was rendered completely speechless. Hearing him say that made me want to laugh.
“But earlier, during the fight, you said Magic Swordsman’s time had ended, didn’t you?” [Cecilia]
“Hmph, Cecily, that was a battle between two chuunibyou. We will elevate oneself and defeat the enemy. He was probably trying to surpass me in his own way.” [Youki]
“I suppose that’s the only way to interpret it.” [Cecilia]
Cecilia seemed to have developed some resistance to chuunibyou antics. She was getting better at knowing when to back off.
That is a good sign for a partner. It would be a problem if Cecilia turns into a chuunibyou herself, though. Not that it’s going to happen…
“But despite admiring me, there’s a lot I’m not impressed with about you. Thanks to your actions, Magic Knight of Black Lightning has also suffered reputational damage. What do you have to say for yourself?” [Youki]
“All I did was run around Minerva helping people!”
“No, you’re wrong. All you were doing was imposing your own sense of justice without thinking ahead. What was your goal? Don’t tell me you were acting without any purpose?” [Youki]
“That’s…”
“Why don’t you talk about it? Maybe we can help.” [Cecilia]
Cecilia and I played the good cop, bad cop routine pretty well. We needed to understand what was going through his mind, and without that, we couldn’t resolve this issue.
“I… I wanted to be appreciated by others. No matter what I did, people kept saying it was just expected of me. I began to lose sight of why I was putting myself through a blood-spitting training, and sacrificing my sleep to study… I couldn’t understand it anymore. And then I saw a future where no one would ever acknowledge my efforts.”
“That’s… who you are?” [Youki]
“As time went on, I heard rumours about Magic Knight of Black Lightning and it clicked. If I hid my true identity, donned a flashy costume, and used dramatic lines…”
I wasn’t sure what kind of position this guy held, but he seemed to have his reasons. His voice was trembling; it was clear that he was finally baring his true self. He wasn’t lying, I was sure of it.
In that case, I’ll also give it my all. Let’s do this.
“You said you were helping people, but that’s naïve!” [Youki]
“I know… what I was doing was nothing more than causing trouble.”
“No, you don’t understand. What you were doing was only helping yourself. When you don’t see satisfying results and you don’t even rely on anyone else, that’s the end of it. You were only trying to save yourself. You can’t expect others to appreciate that!” [Youki]
He probably thought he didn’t deserve to be scolded by me like this, but for his sake, I needed to confront him with the truth. Cecilia and I would correct his mistakes and save Steel Arms of Azure Flame.
RinkageTranslation 
Thank you!
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