Chapter 23: Battle Race Champ

"Fuu—... ssheh!"

The bearded guy slapped his own cheek again.
It was so loud that not only I, sitting at the next machine, but everyone in the arcade could hear it echoing.

"Kaah, that hurt! I’m just too damn powerful!"

Top Chat: Rare to see someone hype themselves up and self-praise like that
Top Chat: That sounded like it actually hurt lol

"You're a troublesome one, huh."

"Heh! What's wrong, lime-green girl, trembling in fear at my concentration?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"Hah?"

"Bearded guy, you don't have any games you actually like playing?"

Top Chat: Huh?
Top Chat: Elf-san?
Top Chat: Isn't Entarou a racing gamer?
Top Chat: As far as I remember, he's never streamed anything but racing games
Top Chat: Yeah, he's all about racing games

"I don't get what you're on about. I'm a gamer who's mastered 《Battle Race Champ》 to the point of pulling off tricks like this! There's no way I hate it."

"Well, sure, it's not that you hate it, but... hmm."

"Oops, that's enough talk. I'm fine with 'anything goes' in-game, but I’m not including off-track tactics in that. Let’s settle this first before we continue."

"Mm."

Top Chat: Off-track tactics... Elf-san, really?
Top Chat: Would Elf-san even do that?
Top Chat: If anything, she's the type to get hit with a trick and go, "Oh, that's allowed?!" and then embrace it with a grin
Top Chat: And then crush them head-on afterwards
Top Chat: Totally lol

The course chosen for the final third match was a fantastical bridge of stardust crossing floating islands in the sky. Its name: 『Starry Sky Highway』.

Top Chat: Ah, the infamous hard course shows up
Top Chat: Is it that bad?
Top Chat: The tricky part is the elevation differences, bridges, and sharp cliffside turns with no guardrails
Top Chat: If you fall, it's a massive time loss, plus the car tends to bounce and gets hard to control on curves—that’s why it’s brutal
Top Chat: Yikes, Entarou's got it rough
Top Chat: Lol they straight-up ignored Elf-san again

"Here we gooo!"

Top Chat: Ooh!
Top Chat: Let’s gooo
Top Chat: Elf-san as relaxed as ever

Right from the start, I took the lead. Charging up the first S-shaped bridge ahead, I eased the throttle a little and—took off.

"Whoop."

While airborne, I pulled a full rotation. I couldn’t change my trajectory, but I could at least turn the car’s nose toward the inside of the exit… no, even deeper inside. Landed, slammed the accelerator, and despite scraping one tire along the cliff edge, somehow managed to keep racing without falling.

Top Chat: That was close
Top Chat: Thought you'd fall for sure
Top Chat: Heard the theory before, but seeing it live… yeah, that's nasty
Top Chat: Don't all newbies fall right after the bridge jump corner?
Top Chat: They do
Top Chat: I did
Top Chat: Even after practice, people still fall constantly
Top Chat: Learn the course, lmao
Top Chat: So even with Elf-san losing that much time...

"Doesn't look like you're planning to pass me."

"Hah! Like the lime-green girl’s the type to panic just ’cause she’s behind a little?"

The bearded guy held his position at the front of the computer car pack.
Just like the second race, it seemed he'd be waiting until the decisive moment to strike.

"In that case, I won’t hold back testing this out."

Jumping off the bridge right before the corner—

Top Chat: Hiiiii
Top Chat: Falling falling falling
Top Chat: Saved!!
Top Chat: That was insane!

"Alright."

Jumped again just before another corner.

Top Chat: Nonononono!
Top Chat: Saved! SAFE!!
Top Chat: Elf-san, you're cutting it way too close!

"Ei!"

Corner jump.

Top Chat: Aaaaahhh
Top Chat: That wasn’t just one tire, the rear tires were completely off just now!
Top Chat: Elf-san, slow down already!

"Hahaha."

Top Chat: "Hahaha" my ass!!
Top Chat: Elf-san’s just toying with us at this point…!
Top Chat: Take responsibility and marry me, please!!
Top Chat: How many times are you gonna play around like this?!

I tested the feel of the bridge jumps and gradually started reducing my time loss.
Meanwhile, the bearded guy kept right behind me, trailing at just about 0.3 seconds.

"Orraaa! I’m comin’ for ya, final lap!"

Top Chat: Here we go, final lap
Top Chat: Nothing major’s happened so far
Top Chat: No way this ends without some big moment
Top Chat: The showdown’s gotta happen at one of the corners

I couldn’t tell where the bearded guy would make his move.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the experience to read him.
Most likely, somewhere in a corner on the final lap—but beyond that, I had no clue.

――So, I’d just have to force my way through.

"Ho!"

I went straight for a regular corner without any bridge jump. Keeping my eyes on the bearded guy in the rearview mirror until the last possible second, I braked, jerked the wheel to adjust my angle, and slammed the accelerator, diving into the turn.

Top Chat: That was clean
Top Chat: Elf-san nailed that cornering

"Ha!"

Another regular corner. Rearview mirror. Eyes locked. Do not look away. Do not look away. Do not look away. Alright—full turn of the wheel!

Top Chat: Another clean one
Top Chat: But Elf-san, aren’t you cutting those turns way too close?
Top Chat: Yeah, I noticed that too
Top Chat: You were taking smoother lines earlier, but this lap looks risky

"I’m keeping my guard up."
"Tch… damn it! Lime-green girl, you’re doin’ this on purpose, aren’t ya!"

Top Chat: Huh?
Top Chat: Wait, does that mean Elf-san’s deliberately delaying her steering so Entarou can’t predict her line?
Top Chat: No way
Top Chat: Seriously, who can still make the corner like that?!
Top Chat: I get the logic. I just don’t understand how it works
Top Chat: She’s Elf-ing again
Top Chat: What the hell does “Elf-ing” even mean lol
Top Chat: How many normal corners are left?
Top Chat: Two!

"Hoi!"

Top Chat: Entarou’s not moving! Not moving!
Top Chat: No, he can’t move!
Top Chat: Run, Elf-san, run!
Top Chat: Go go go!
Top Chat: One more to go!

"Toh!"

Top Chat: She made it! She made it!
Top Chat: That’s the last regular corner!
Top Chat: Yesssss!!

Keeping my guard up to the very end, I managed to prevent the bearded guy from making a move.
All the regular corners without bridge jumps were now behind us.

What remained was a single, final corner—the one tied to the bridge jump.
This was it.

Using the entry speed I’d dialed in after four laps of practice, I launched the jump.

"――I ain’t losing!!"

Top Chat: Entarou’s accelerating?!
Top Chat: He used it! Triple boost!
Top Chat: Wait, you can even use it on a jump corner?!
Top Chat: Elf-san, get outta there!

"Doesn’t matter! Whether you dodge right or left, I’ll ram into ya either way!"

The bearded guy locked onto my landing spot and dove in, his speed boosted by three acceleration items, closing the gap fast.

"Just what I was waiting for."

Top Chat: Huh
Top Chat: Where are you even looking?
Top Chat: Wait
Top Chat: He used a boost!

"――If you’re coming at me with three, I can take you down with four, right?"

Mid-air, I spun my car completely backward and slammed all four of my acceleration items.
My target: the bearded guy’s car coming from behind!

Top Chat: Head-on collision!!

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"

Top Chat: Ah, Hige fell
Top Chat: Elf-san barely didn’t fall
Top Chat: Found another ridiculous win strategy again

"I won."

Top Chat: Can we really just sum it up with that one line?
Top Chat: Well, it is Elf-san
Top Chat: She’s Elf-ing again
Top Chat: I think I’m starting to understand what “Elf-ing” means