Chapter 5 Part 5
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
"Te~eiyaaaa!"
"Fu~
!!"
The
outer edge of the Academic City, Arcazam.
In
a place a little far from the city, two women attacked each other with their
own specialized weapons, and sparks scattered.
One
of them was Mimuru, a beast girl with a flexible body and cat-like ears.
The
other one was a girl wielding a rapier with long jet-black hair fluttering in
the wind. She was Irisdina Francilt.
Some
distance away from where the two were fighting, Nozomu, Mars, Shīna, and Tom
were watching their fight.
"As
I thought, Irisdina-san is amazing. She can perceive Mimuru's movements
accurately ..."
"But
that Mimuru is also quite good. Even though Irisdina pushed her, she can
definitely dodge Irisdina's deadly attack."
Tom
was impressed by Irisdina's abilities, but Mars was also impressed by Mimuru's
physical strength.
Nozomu
and Shīna were also watching the fight between the two attentively and held
their saliva in their mouths due to the tension.
The
reason why Shīna and the others are in this place goes back a bit in time.
=================================
Students
who had finished their lessons left their classrooms with the bell’s closing
chime.
Nozomu
and Mars, like the other students, left the classroom and walked towards the
main gate.
"So,
are we going to train at that place again today? "
"Yeah,
Irisdina and the others will come too, so let's wait at the main gate."
Nozomu
and Mars were supposed to meet with Irisdina and the others at the school’s
main gate in order to train at the outer edge, which was their daily after
school routine.
When
Nozomu and Mars arrived at the main gate, Irisdina and the others hadn't come
yet, and they were killing time while chatting, but some time after they started
chatting, Somia ran from Ecross's school building towards them, waving her
hands.
"Nozomu-sa~~n!"
"Oh~,
did Somia-chan come first?"
"I'm
sorry to have kept you waiting! What about Ane-sama ..."
"I
haven't seen her yet. Let's wait a bit longer, and if she still doesn't come,
why don't we go to her classroom?"
"That's
true. I think that's a good idea."
Nozomu
was a little worried that Irisdina was late, but he didn’t think it was good to
make a fuss about it, so he agreed with Mars' opinion.
At
that moment, a voice was directed at them.
"Hmm?
You guys ..."
A
wind-like voice flowed towards the three, and they turned their gazes towards
the voice as if invited by the wind.
"Shīna
...?"
When
Nozomu turned his face towards the voice, there was Shīna Juliel, an elf girl
with long blue hair fluttering in the wind.
"Hello,
Shīna-san!!"
"Fufu,
hello Somia-san"
"By
the way, are you alone? What about Tom and Mimuru?"
Somia
greeted Shīna cheerfully with her carefree smile. Shīna smiled and greeted
Somia back.
Nozomu
realized that he couldn't see Mimuru and her lover, who was always by Shīna's
side; therefore, he asked what happened to them while looking around.
"Well,
umm ..."
Shīna
looked away while holding her temples down; perhaps from a headache. Nozomu and
the others were tilting their heads, to her, who had such a worn-out
expression.
"Well,
what are you doing staying at the main gate anyway?"
"Ah!
We are waiting for Iris and Tima,because we made a promise to train at the
outer edge."
"T-That's
right ..."
Nozomu
answered Shīna who asked another question, but his reply was a bit awkward.
"...
Hey. Do you always train with Irisdina and the others after school?"
"Well,
not every day. We usually do it a couple of days a week."
"Is
that so ……"
After
hearing Mars's words, Shīna was thinking about something with a hand on her
mouth for a while.
Then
she raised her face as she decided something in the depths of her heart. She
made a request to Nozomu.
"Hey,
if it's alright, can we also participate in your training?"
"Eh?"
Her
request was for them to allow her and her friends to participate in the
training at the outer edge.
"We
are also going to train, but to be honest, there is a limit to what we can do
with just three people. In addition, because the three of us have our own
specialized skills, we have a good balance in training; however, sometimes it's
good to train with other people as experience. I'll talk to the others, but if
you'd like, can we join in?"
Certainly,
the roles in Shīna's party of a vanguard and rearguard were clear.
As
the vanguard, Mimuru was in charge of disturbing their opponent.
Shīna
supported the vanguard with accurate shooting using her bow and arrow behind
Mimuru.
Furthermore,
Tom gave instructions using a variety of magical support along with a wide
field of view at the rear.
Because
their roles were divided so clearly, their party was very well-balanced and it
was easy to formulate a strategy, but at the same time, there were some
difficulties in their flexibility.
Each
role was fixed, and there was no substitute for it.
In
other words, if even one person was killed, there was a chance that the party
itself would collapse all at once.
In
fact, when they fought the black demon beasts for the first time, Tom, who was
in a position to give instructions, was the first to be defeated, and their
group was nearly wiped out. No, they would have been annihilated if not for
Nozomu.
Seeing
Nozomu's calm and quick judgment up close, Shīna realized that what she needed
now wasn't a formidable power to repel the enemy, but the ability to respond to
various situations like him; therefore, she approached Nozomu with that in
mind.
"I
see ... I think it's alright. I'll ask Iris later. What do you think,
Mars?"
"Isn't
it alright? It seems that Shīna and Mimuru can do quite a lot of things, and
I'm not against it.
"I'm
glad ... Thank you."
Shīna
waited for an answer and was a little nervous until Nozomu answered. When she
heard Nozomu's words of approval, she felt relieved, loosening her shoulders
and smiling. Irisdina and the others hadn’t agreed to it yet, but at least they
could be convinced since Nozomu and Mars were on board with the idea.
Shīna's
beautiful appearance was comparable to Irisdina's. Until a while ago, she had a
hard ice-like expression on her face, but now, Shīna's spontaneous smile made
Nozomu's heart beat a little faster.
Just
as Nozomu was about to feel nervous in another sense, they heard a groaning
sound, and the three of them turned their eyes towards the source of the voice.
"Uuh
... I still have a headache. Why use violence. I was just dozing off for a
minute. So cruel ..."
"But,
it's because Mimuru was asleep in Inda-sensei's class ..."
It
was Mimuru who was groaning while holding her head and Tom who had an
astonished expression while walking beside her.
"B-But!
I didn't think she would swing the textbook with all her might !? As a bonus,
Inda-sensei even told me to write a 20 page reflection by the end of school!
"
Mimuru
raised her voice, venting the feelings deep inside her chest. It seemed like
she fell asleep during Inda-sensei's lesson and she was punished.
When
Nozomu glanced at Shīna who was next to him, Shīna said, "Is that the
reason?" Then she shrugged her shoulders with a bitter smile.
"This
is Inda-sensei we’re talking about. If it wasn't for me, you would have had to
go through a whole sermon in the staff or interview room after school. Would
you have wanted that instead?”
"Ugh…………"
It
looked like Tom was the one who suggested writing a reflection as punishment.
Judging by Mimuru's facial expression, it would have been worse otherwise.
Inda-sensei
was a very talented teacher, but she was also known for being serious and
strict. While taking charge of the second class, Inda-sensei sometimes took
charge of the first class as a substitute for the busy Jihad Roundel. Mimuru,
who fell asleep in this type of teacher's class, would suffer the consequences
...
"Finally,
it's over. Mimuru, you're taking too long."
Shīna
called out to Mimuru as if she was tired of waiting.
"It
can't be helped! I wrote 20 pages of reflections !!"
"If
you don't like it, just take the class seriously ..."
"I-I
took it seriously!"
"Well,
you fell asleep in about 10 minutes tho... "
"Wha,
Tom!"
Mimuru
tried to gloss it over, but even her lover, Tom, began to find fault in her.
"...
That's not how you take it seriously. You didn't take notes either, did you? I
was saying that because nowadays, we might have a sudden exam on the
spot."
"Uu~
... Alright! But, I'll have Tom show me his notes!!"
Mimuru
glared at her traitor lover with tears and drawing closer to Tom while groaning
"u~ u~".
Since
Tom thought he had done a little too much, he scratched his cheek and showed a
bitter smile, accepting Mimuru's request.
"Haha
... Well, that's okay, Mimuru."
"Tom,
don't spoil your lover too much."
"Hmm!
Tom is always on my side, so it's okay !!"
Perhaps
because Tom had returned to her side, Mimuru stuck out her chest as if she had
regained her momentum and turned her proud face towards Shīna.
Originally,
Mimuru had been the one to suffer the consequences, but it seemed that for Tom,
it was more important to be by her side instead. The reflection writing and her
dozing off during class were no longer on her mind. In these situations, she
would fall asleep again in the next lesson.
As
Shīna was holding her head due to Mimuru's selfish behavior, Irisdina and Tima
came and called out to Nozomu.
"Nozomu,
I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"S-Sorry
to make you wait ..."
"N-No,
I haven't waited that long."
"That's
right. I wasn't even bored."
Irisdina
and Tima apologized for being a little late, but since both Nozomu and Mars
were talking to Shīna and her friends, they didn't feel like the wait was that
long, telling them not to worry.
"Iris,
actually, Shīna and her friends are requesting to participate in our
training."
"Hmm?
Is that so?"
Nozomu
relayed Shīna's request to Irisdina.
"Yes,
would you please let me participate?"
"...
I think it's fine. What about Ai?"
"I
think it's okay. Nozomu already agrees to it hasn’t he?"
Neither
Tima nor Irisdina had any reason to decline, so they were willing to accept
Shīna's request.
Shīna
was also relieved that her request was accepted.
"I'm
glad. Then, please treat me well."
"Oh,
about that, I also agreed to it!"
Mimuru
listened to Irisdina and the others' conversation and raised her face. She
regained her energy due to Tom's voice, but she was still rubbing the spot on
her head that was hit by Inda-sensei. It still hurt.
"Su~re,
with more people training together, we can have a variety of experiences and
the range of training will expand."
"Alright!
If we've decided to do so, let's go! Let's go right away!! Hurry up!"
Since
Mimuru was in a good mood from their request being accepted, she wrapped her
arm around her lover's arm, grabbed Mars' arm with her other hand, and rushed
out.
"Wha,
Oi!"
"Mi-Mimuru!
Uwa!"
"Ah,
Mars-kun!?"
"Please,
wait a minute!"
Tima
and Somia hurriedly started chasing after Mimuru who suddenly rushed out while
dragging the two men.
"Haa,
good grief ..."
"Haha!
It looks fun. Alright, we'll follow them too."
"Eh~?
Wa!"
"Wait,
Iris!?"
Shīna
was astonished by Mimuru’s sudden high spirits, but Irisdina wondered if Mimuru
was having fun, so she also grabbed Nozomu and Shīna's hands and started
running after Mimuru.
"Wait
a minute! Fast, it's too fast!"
"If
we don't hurry, we'll lose sight of them! Do your best, Shīna-kun!"
"Hahaha
..."
Shīna
couldn't keep up with the sudden turn of events, and sometimes her legs would
get tangled, but Irisdina kept running. Nozomu gave himself up, and only a
bitter smile appeared on his mouth.
However,
at that moment, Nozomu noticed something strange. Someone was peeking at him.
"Hmm?"
Nozomu
traced the source of the gaze he sensed, but he couldn’t clearly identify it;
however, Nozomu remembered this gaze.
(This
is ……)
"Nozomu,
we don't have time to be in a daze. If we don't hurry, we'll lose sight of
them!"
"......
Eh?"
Nozomu
tried to look for the person gazing at him, but suddenly the power pulling his
hand became stronger, so he hastily accelerated.
In
the end, when they arrived at the outer edge of the city, Nozomu and Shīna were
exhausted, and Irisdina was in a good mood as she smiled because she felt like
she was returning to her childhood for the first time in a long time.
====================================
"Take
this!"
"Fu~!"
After
discussion, they decided to first get to know everyone’s special abilities and
battle styles. Then Irisdina and Mimuru would fight in a mock battle first.
Mimuru
tried to take advantage of her high physical capabilities, which were the
characteristic of the beastman, but she still couldn't break through that gap
in power due to Irisdina's swordsmanship and high-speed magic casting by
[Immediate Deployment].
In
the beginning, Irisdina didn't go on offensive because she was waiting and
observing; however, after she had determined Mimuru's abilities from exchanging
blows to an extent, Irisdina gradually increased the intensity of her attacks.
"Hyaah!"
"Ha~
!!"
Irisdina's
rapier grazed Mimuru's cheek. Moreover, Irisdina immediately activated her
magic, wind swirling around Mimuru. Mimuru and Irisdina were trapped inside the
wall of wind.
"This
is bad!!"
A
voice escaped from Mimuru's mouth.
The
generated wall of wind completely separated the space between them and the
outside, and within that narrow space, Mimuru couldn't make full use of her
agility.
Of
course, that was Irisdina's goal, and she didn't miss this opportunity.
Irisdina
used her body strengthening magic, closed the gap with Mimuru in an instant, and
unleashed a storm of thrust towards Mimuru.
"Haaa!!"
"Wawwa
wawwa!"
Mimuru
managed to dodge the storm of thrusts with her reflexes, but Irisdina's
thrusts, which were strengthened by physical strengthening, were not only fast
but also heavy, and Mimuru was gradually pushed.
Since
Mimuru had reached her limit, the knife was blown away from her hand and the
rapier was struck at her throat.
"Game
over ... Right?"
"...
Ahh, that's right. I lost."
After
Mimuru admitted defeat, Irisdina put her rapier back into its scabbard and
Mimuru also picked up the blown knife.
"Thank
you for your hard work. It was a good match."
"Thank
you, Nozomu"
Nozomu
handed the water bottles to the two who came back.
"Thank
you! A~a, I couldn't win after all"
She
didn't think she could beat the A-ranked Irisdina, but she still felt disappointed,
and Mimuru dropped her shoulders for a short time. Her ears, which were usually
moving energetically, seemed to hang down.
"But
Mimuru is amazing. You can last that long against Irisdina-san, so I think you
should have a little confidence."
"Is
that so? Ehehe ..."
However,
as expected, Mimuru recovered very quickly. As soon as Tom complimented her a
bit, she smiled and her ears rejuvenated. Still, her face became red. Perhaps
she was embarrassed at being praised by her lover.
"Next,
Nozomu and I will do it. Be my opponent for a bit."
"Alright,
but wait a minute"
"Mars-kun
..."
"...
I know ..."
Mars
asked Nozomu to be his opponent, and Nozomu agreed.
Tima
was worried that Mars would do something reckless again, so she called out his
name in a faint voice.
Mars
knew he was a little reckless in today's mock battle, but maybe because there
was still a hint of impatience in his heart, he answered Tima's plea but his
voice was a little stiff.
Nozomu
and Mars faced each other and prepared their own specialized weapons.
Mars
took out the greatsword from its scabbard and held it in a Seigan-no-Kamae
(Kendo Stance), and Nozomu lowered his back and put his hand on the hilt of the
katana that was still in the scabbard.
"Who
do you think will win?"
"Hmm.
Mars has higher physical strength, but his opponent is Nozomu ..."
"I
don't know what will happen if he uses attacking techniques such as [Phantom]
..."
"He
had never used it in mock battles until now. It was because it was too deadly
...... Anyway, how come Shīna, Tom, and Mimuru knew about his technique?"
When
Mimuru asked about which one would win, Tom and Shīna predicted that it would
depend on what tactics Nozomu used, but Irisdina responded to the speculation
by asking why they knew about Nozomu's technique.
Shīna
and her friends were petrified at once.
Irisdina's
doubts were justified, and both Somia and Tima by her side also turned their
gazes to Shīna and her friends.
They
didn't know how Nozomu befriended Shīna and her friends.
Nozomu
and Shīna had been told by Jihad that they shouldn't talk about the black demon
beast to anyone else, not even Irisdina and the others.
However,
Irisdina and the others also felt concerned about this matter.
Reason
being, Nozomu was clearly acting strange before the incident of the black demon
beast occured.
Nozomu
didn't want to answer no matter how many times he was pressured to answer the
questions, even though it was so obvious he did something reckless again.
They
knew something was going on, but they couldn't make any progress as if they
were being blocked by a transparent ice wall.
Two
weeks after the incident, Nozomu and the others seemed to be gradually recovering
over time, but what stuck to their chests hadn’t disappeared.
Irisdina
didn’t think she should interfere too much, but just as she was wondering why
Shīna knew about Nozomu's technique, she instinctively asked.
Now,
because of her own words, the lid covering her heart opened albeit slightly and
resulted in a strangely awkward atmosphere.
"Well,
various things happened ..."
Shīna
whispered to Irisdina who stared at them.
"Various
things ……?"
"Yes,
various things ..."
The
two were completely silent.
No
one was able to say a thing, remaining silent; however, Nozomu and Mars looked
at each other's appearances because they weren't aware of the conversation
between Irisdina and the others.
Finally,
when Nozomu lowered his body's center of gravity further, Mars also exhaled and
started sending Qi throughout his body.
Nozomu
also focused his Qi on his feet and as he tried to move forward, a voice could
be heard, telling them to stop the battle.
"Could
you give me a minute?"
It
was not a loud voice, and when everyone turned to the source of the voice, they
could see a male student in Solminati Academy uniform walking towards them.
"……
You"
"Yo,
Nozomu. Can you give me a little of your time?"
Golden
hair, ears and tail. His slit pupils and the smile that appeared on his neat
face should have been attractive, but on the contrary, his smile looked
suspicious because they had no idea what he was thinking, and in his right hand
he carried something like a sling bag.
3rd
year, 2nd class, Feo Rishitza.
He
was the previous Fox-tailed boy who collided with Nozomu in the corridor.