The well-Balanced Yamamoto-san Gets Caught up in a Death Game

Chapter 53

“No way. What’s with these guys…”

Bure and Misaki’s preliminary final ended in less than ten minutes.

The cause? The duo now standing on the stage.

“Incredible! These two are overwhelmingly powerful! The A-rank adventurer duo, Nabal & Hasan! They’re unfazed even when attacked by all the other participants at once! They coolly deflect every assault—no, they’re actually pushing back, showcasing their true strength!”

It was genuinely surprising how dominant they were.

I’d heard A-rank adventurers were strong, but they’re truly on a different level…

Yet, my stats are supposedly higher, right?

But from what I saw, it doesn’t feel like I’d stand a chance at all.

For now, I’ll send Bure and Misaki a “good job” message. They might be feeling down, so I’ll choose my words carefully to avoid rubbing salt in the wound.

Oh, I got a reply.

Let’s see, Bre says…

“We were utterly defeated. Couldn’t even put up a fight. That’s A-rank for you.”

Seems he’s ashamed of his lack of ability.

Come on, Bre, I think you did well!

He was actively aiming for [Parry], but got outmaneuvered by feints and was taken down in no time. Given the difference in stats, it couldn’t be helped.

As for Misaki, I thought she’d exchanged a blow, but the next instant she was down for the count.

I wonder if she’s okay?

Since it was instant death, maybe she can revive without feeling pain? I’m a bit worried…

Oh, I got a reply from Misaki too.

“Frustrating. Could God win?”

At least she seems normal, which is a relief.

And about whether I could win or not…

I’m not sure.

As I am now, it might be tough…

My stats are high, but I hardly have any attack skills, and considering battle experience, it’d be pretty difficult.

Even with high stats, a difference of about a hundred can easily be overcome by skills and combat experience.

So I replied to Misaki with “Probably not?”, but…

“God could win.”

Hey, what’s with that mysterious trust, Misaki!?

Anyway, it seems all the matches have ended with Misaki and Bre’s fight just now.

Looking out the window, it’s already evening.

I was wondering if Mungaga had returned when I received a notification email from the organizers.

“Oh, it’s the list of finalists for the tournament.”

According to the email, the following teams have made it to the finals:

Sara & Sophia
Axel & Crow
Maris & Leon
Mitarai & TAX
Tatsu & Lily
(*´ω`*) & Apple☆
Nabal & Hasan
Iko & Gobzou (Seeded, joining from the main tournament)

There are some familiar names and many I don’t know.

They’ve included headshots, probably cropped from scenes during the festival, but I still can’t place most of them… Oh, there’s one I recognize.

“This Sara girl, she’s the one who stole Gaga’s sword…”

Remembering that unpleasant incident makes me frown.

But if even she made it to the finals, maybe the overall level of the festival isn’t that high?

No, with Gobzou, Iko, Nabal, and Hasan participating, it can’t be low-level.

Maybe Sara just got lucky and won her matches.

“So, the finals start tomorrow. And they’ll be held in that huge arena built on top of the arch-shaped structure, with spectators… I wonder if we’ll get any customers here?”

The food stalls have been bustling with long queues every day, so maybe I got a bit overconfident.

It feels like I was planning to open a small shop with a grand opening sale, only to have a massive shopping mall suddenly built in front of the station.

Still, we have to keep going.

“I should prepare for the possibility of many customers. My estimates were off for the food stall, and it was chaotic. Maybe I should contact Bure and Misaki for help? They’re probably free after losing and might be feeling down, so it could be a good distraction.”

I sent them a message, and after a short while, I got responses.

“I’ll help.”

“Okay.”

With that settled, I quickly let them know the shop’s location.

“Sigh… I wonder if tomorrow will be busy. I hope it will be.”

Wishing for that, I leisurely helped Mungaga with his experimental dishes and price revisions until late into the night.

■□■

The next day.

I went to the food stall location before the sun was high, and…

There are people!

What a relief…

I thought many would be heading to the arena early to secure seats, so this is great news.

I explained to the gathered crowd that we wouldn’t be opening the stall today, but that poison dishes would be available at our shop instead.

The reactions were mixed.

Some said they’d come by later, while others complained about waiting for nothing.

To avoid attracting too much hate, I apologized humbly while placing a signboard where the stall used to be.

Of course, the signboard has a map to Umi no Mozukutei, so anyone coming for poison soup after this can find their way to the inn.

Even as I was leaving after placing the signboard, people were peering at it, so I’d like to believe we won’t be completely deserted.

After setting up the sign, it’s time to hurry back to Umi no Mozukutei.

When I entered, for some reason Mungaga and Bre were facing off.

Wait, why?

“What’re you lot!? Debt collectors!? Are ya debt collectors, huh!?”

“No, we’re not! We were called by Yama to help out!”

Oh, right, I forgot to explain to Mungaga about calling in reinforcements. Oops.

“Oh, God.”

“Oi, you! What’s the meanin’ of this!? Explain yourself!”

“Yama, please do something!”

So, I explained to Mungaga about urgently hiring servers.

Mungaga’s stance was initially, “We don’t need that…” but after I carefully explained how busy it was at the food stall, he seemed to understand.

Actually, it’s fine while I can help out, but to ensure the inn functions properly after I leave, maybe we should recruit servers through the Commerce Guild.

I’ll need to discuss that with Mungaga later.

“It’s getting noisy outside the shop,” Misaki’s words brought me back to reality.

Could it be? I looked outside, and customers were already starting to line up!

I was a bit worried no one would come, but that fear was unfounded!

I rushed back inside.

“Mungaga! People are already lining up outside, are we ready!? Can I let the customers in!?”

“What!? It’s gonna be busy as hell! No problem! Let ’em in!”

“Sorry, Bre, Misaki, we didn’t have time for a proper briefing, but just take the customers’ orders and relay them to Mungaga!”

“Actually, I’ve been a shift leader at an izakaya before, so I can manage things smoothly. If you show me where the supplies like cleaning cloths and dishes are, I can handle it.”

Wow, Bre suddenly seems so reliable…

For a shut-in like me with no work experience, that background is too impressive!

Oh, but I’ve used family restaurants a lot for story ideas, so I’m not completely clueless about how things work.

I probably know more about the job than a complete newbie.

“Bre has lots of part-time experience.”

“Misaki, you worked exclusively at a yakiniku place, right?”

“The staff meals were delicious.”

Misaki’s ready for action too!?

Did I accidentally recruit some incredibly valuable help…?

Am I unexpectedly good at this?

“Please! I know it’s sudden, but I need your help!”

“Understood. It’s sudden, but I’ll do my best.”

“I’ll work hard.”

Aww, they’re both such good kids…

I can’t help but feel grateful.

Are they sure they’re not the real Gods here?

“Mungaga, I’m letting the customers in! Also, if you need help with dishwashing or peeling ingredients, just say so! I can handle at least that much!”

“Alright, I’ll count on ya then!”

After showing Bre and the others where the shop supplies are, I somewhat clumsily start guiding customers into Umi no Mozukutei’s dining area.

It seems like the people who were lined up since morning came straight here?

If we can handle this crowd, we probably won’t have another big group coming in for a while.

Alright, let’s do this!

“Welcome!”

Greeting the customers with my most cat-like voice, I braced myself for what was sure to be a hectic morning.

■□■

There was a time when I thought things would calm down after we got through the morning rush…

Seriously, it’s insanely busy!

I thought it would settle down after we handled the morning crowd, but it continued straight into lunchtime, with customers coming in non-stop!

It’s a good thing I’m in an avatar that doesn’t feel fatigue, because if I were in my physical body, I’d be exhausted and complaining by now!

In fact, it’s beyond our calculations that even with me, Bre, and Misaki working at full capacity, we can’t keep up with the customers! It feels like the work is endless!

No, wait, the people who ate in the morning are lining up again for lunch!

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that person before!

Come on, you’ve already gained [Poison Resistance], so why don’t you go watch the arena matches instead?!

But listening to the customers’ conversations, it seems many of them chose between getting good seats at the arena and having poison soup, and they opted for the soup. They figure that even if they go to the arena now, there won’t be any good seats left, so they might as well eat here and level up their [Poison Resistance]…

It’s hard to complain when they chose our poison dishes over the final tournament, but…

Hey, you’re all watching the final tournament on your float screens while eating our food!

You just wanted to kill two birds with one stone, didn’t you!? You can’t fool me!

“Oh, the tournament matchups have been decided!”

“Let me see.”

“No way, Axel and Mitarai are facing each other in the first round…”

“I’m looking forward to seeing how strong the previous champions are.”

Argh…

Maybe I should open my float screen for just a moment to check out the matchups?

I was a bit curious about them after all…