Cardfight!! Vanguard: Generations Volume 4 [Ryouta Rival]

- Part 15

The rain fell between me and Machida as we stood across from each other.

"...Machida-san. What are you doing here?"

"I was getting my watch fixed so I can go back to hiding."

As if to prove it to me, Machida showed me his watch. It looked completely brand new.

"Does that mean I just found you?"

I said it as a joke, but Machida seemed offended by it.

"Huh? Of course not. It only counts if you find me at my hiding spot. As long as I'm not there, I'm practically invincible. Well, for half an hour, at least..."

So he still had to return to his hiding spot, huh? I suppose it would be a massive oversight by the staff if he could freely roam the island whilst being a hider, so he had a thirty minute grace period before he had to be back at his hiding spot.

"What happens if you're not back by then?"

"I'm eliminated. And well, since Ikeda's gone, I guess by extension Ryouta's group is also out."

For some reason, Machida snickered at the end of his sentence. Was this what he was truly aiming for when he broke his watch...?

"Ah, it feels good to have power over Ryouta for a change. Once he hears about this, I'm sure he'll fold like the bitch he is and do whatever I say to make sure I don't screw things up for him. After all, I could easily just break the rules and get his whole group out. It's like having the give up button a whole five hours early!"

He sure was enjoying himself. It doesn't surprise me that Machida found joy indulging in his own grandiose when nobody asked.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

An ominous smile emerged on his lips.

"Not really. All it sounds like is you might sabotage your group on a whim."

Logically, there would be no reason for him to do so, especially considering he helped Ryouta pull off his plan to stop Shimada earlier today. Plus, he wanted to win the special exam so that B Class could get a burst of class points through the 3x multiplier.

However... there was one thing that bugged me about all his actions so far.

Machida was working under Shimada as a traitor for Ryouta's group.

Even though I was the real traitor early on, the true traitor Machida had yet to make any moves that would ruin their chances of winning. In fact, his designated role by Shimada seemed to conflict with what he actually wanted.

It was hard to get a read on Machida's true motives. Plus, he caught me off guard by appearing after I handed Oshita over to Mikazuchi-sensei.

Did he overhear our conversation? Or, more concerning...

...did Shimada tell him about the underworld?

If so, then Machida knows I'm on edge. And despite me betraying Ryouta's group, I still put two eggs in his basket: Matsushita and Kawaguchi. I was betting on their group winning the exam so D Class could siphon class points.

I know there's a high chance that, if I go through with my plan, Shimada could use my own strategy against me and order Machida to blow up the group at the last second to prevent them from winning. That would prevent my class from getting any additional Cl.

Was this Shimada's warning? Or was it his premonition? Or was Machida just acting on his own, trying to scare me?

"That's a funny idea. I could end things for Ryouta and the others, just like that..."