Chapter 24.1. We’re Gonna Race!

The five of us moved to the Bubble Tube for the kids’ club to race. Since it is for younger children, it is built around the first floor, but it is elaborate, with wiggly S-shapes, uneven surfaces, etc. For the older children, the tube extends to the third floor, with a complicated track.

The tubes extend to the third floor and form complex trajectories for the older kids. A center dedicated to floating races for adults has located a short distance from this park, but somersaults are the norm. The tubes are interrupted, and there is a path to jump, which looks interesting, but they won’t let a 9 year old play on it yet. Too bad, tch.

The [Floating Race] is regulated and uses a [Floating Board] with a set magic value allocated to  acceleration performance, maximum speed, and turning performance. The allocation is free but based on accumulated experience, and there are several patterns.

It is a game that both magicians and ordinary people can play together. Magicians are inevitably stronger because they have physical enhancements and faster reaction times.

In the professional game, there are races for magicians, which are very flashy and include interference by magic. There is also a race for ordinary people. The races are spectacular, with entire forests used as racetracks. Professional races can float several tens of meters, so there is no need to build a race track. So they can be held anywhere.

There are many race types, such as getting the targets set up in a place or going through a cave. Of course, with that much intensity, there is a risk of injury from broken defensive walls, but that would be the same in my previous life. We race in cars that can flip over if we go too fast. The passion for racing always exceeds the danger.

I like to play but not watch, but this sport is quite popular. I think it is because the only equipment used is a [Floating Board], and the rules are simple compared to other sports.

It is important to have simple rules and to be able to play with less equipment. That is why soccer and other sports like flying through the air are interesting, but even more popular.

“I’m not going to lose today…oh!”

“Kon~!”

Tamamo raises one hand, and Kon-chan is on her shoulder calls out. Tamamo let out a strong sigh and seemed to be fully motivated. He seems to want to win. Fufun, I won’t lose.

“We won’t lose either!”

Sei-chan and the others raise their hands in the air, determined not to lose.

“Hmmm, I won’t lose either!”

I (Miu), of course, sniff excitedly and get to the starting line. Young girls are serious even when they are playing.

So I get serious, too.

[Floating Race, Select device type]

[Hero]

[Demon King]

[Princess]

[Dragon Knight]

[Jester]

For some reason, there was a status board in front of me that only I could see.

[Demon king]

I choose [Demon King]. Then, my body is filled with mana, and my center of gravity shifts to the lower half of my body, and I become sturdy, as befits a [Demon King Board]. No, it doesn’t look the same, you know? Maybe it’s gravity or something like that. I, the bishoujo Miu am always pretty. The laws of magical physics must have changed.

At first, I thought, this is nonsense. But I soon realized it was a sub-game of a game. The title of that game is Final Dragon World Tree ……, and it’s going to be long enough, so it doesn’t need a title anymore.

The fact that it’s an open world and elaborates is no joke. It is also chock full of sub-games. In the original, these games were just treated as small things, background news or something, but in the game, they get set up too.

[Hero] has average acceleration, top speed, and turning performance, [Princess] specializes in turning performance, [Demon King] specializes in top speed, [Dragon Knight] specializes in acceleration performance, and [Jester] can use obstruction magic from the beginning. Please don’t be picky anymore. As expected, there are no boxes with jamming items on the route. I can use the jamming magic when I accumulate a gauge during the ride.

It’s unfair, but I’m a mob protagonist with game specs. I’m going to give this body the seriousness it deserves.

The five of us stand on the starting line, and a holographic signal appears. People who race on the tube show the video on the monitor in the park, so gentlemen and children start watching to be healed. Hey, those gentlemen are children’s attendants, aren’t they?

Beep, beep, start!

The light turns green, and everyone launches their boards and runs off.

“I won’t lose~!”

Hoku-chan, on her dragon knight board, is the first to go.

“I’ll follow!”

“Uryaaa!”

Wait, wait, wait!

Nan-chan and Sei-chan, who were on dragon knight boards too, accelerated and ran ahead. Our gap was too big, but I couldn’t help it. Tamamo was in fourth place, and I was the last one driving slowly. The [Demon King] board specializes in maximum speed. And it’s peaky, with the worst acceleration and turning performance.

This sub-game. I don’t have any tricks to get off to a good start. So I’m late. Well, I don’t think I’ll use it. Because even in the game, it was one out of three times I could start dashing.

“I’m going to chase you!”

The only disadvantage is at the beginning. I still have a secret plan.

Stop the board while it accelerates. Immediately start it up. Repeat. The board flows by the laws of inertia, and each time it is started up again and again, then my board accelerates. You may not think it makes much of a difference, but that little bit of time pays off later.

I call it the RTA stair run. The name comes from the fact that during RTA challenges in zombie games, you can climb stairs faster than you normally would by holding and unfolding your gun. I don’t care what it’s called.

Brun, Gatan, Brun, Gatan, and the board make noise and goes up and down violently. But I never fall off the board. Even if he crashes into a wall and falls, this level of genius driving is a lie. It didn’t work in the game.

“Hey, hey, I’m catching up to you!”

Once I reach top speed, you’re mine. I’m going to overtake them.

The gray-haired beauty, aka me, my ice blue eyes shining brightly, my beautiful hair flowing in the air, the soap bubbles from the soap tube dancing in the air as I drove on.