Chapter 5 Part 14
Translator : PolterGlast
Mars'
POV
Tommy,
Cami, and I continued walking in the dim forest. The task Nozomu suggested was
to collect Regina Flowers.
Regina
Flowers are used as the raw material for potions, and mixing this flower nectar
with potions will significantly increase the potion's effectiveness. However,
this nectar is not something that can last long and will deteriorate within a
few days after the flowers are picked.
Well,
in addition to its effectiveness, he chose this flower because it is an
easy-to-carry item. I can see how much Nozomu takes mobility issues into
account.
"...Hey,
will they be okay?"
"...Well,
I was worried about that too... It couldn't be helped since Jin said he had to
do this..."
"...It
doesn't really matter, and that's because we have to cooperate with you
guys."
Tommy
and Cami who were following behind were muttering sharp words. Maybe they're
talking about Nozomu. Hearing their sharp words made me instinctively speak to
the two of them in a harsh tone.
They
both looked at my face awkwardly. Their attitude made me even more annoyed.
"Generally
speaking, it was you guys who brought the stories. I wonder because of whom
that we couldn't unify our intentions properly. Isn't it because of your
leader?"
""
!! ""
Their
leader. Was he named Jin? Cami and Tommy glared at me, perhaps because they
thought I was ridiculing them. Perhaps, this damn Cami gets so angry because of
my words, she looked at me as if I was pierced by her dagger. Hee, I thought
she was scared, but it seems that she still has the courage.
"Fuu~.
So, you still have a bit of pride in you..."
“…Don't make fun of
me. We're not as good as Mars, but we still have the pride that we're still
students of this school…”
"That's
right! Then, how about you? It seems you have a lot of faith in Nozomu, but can
you keep your attitude like that? When we come back and they have been wiped
out, then our conversation will stop here."
These
guys, Tommy and Cami, charged towards me as they didn't want to give in. Good.
With this, there's a meaning for us to work together.
"What
are you saying. You should have seen a part of his ability in the last mock
battle. Nozomu and I are seriously going to win. So, will you guys show me your
strength instead?"
I
dare to say it to the two of them in a provocative tone. If they're the type of
person who can't do this much, then, I'll have to reject them from here.
"Bring
it on! I'll show you, so peel your eyeballs and take a closer look!"
Cami
declared so strongly and Tommy continued to glare at me while confronting my
gaze from the front. After I was satisfied with their attitude, we started
walking again.
I
glanced over my shoulder at the two following behind me. The two of them had
more rugged facial expressions than before, but their morale seemed to have
increased. It seems my ridicule lingers in their minds.
(Well,
I can expect a little from them)
As
I was satisfied with their facial expressions, I continued walking forward
again. Speaking of which, Nozomu wasn't lively until recently...
When
thinking of Nozomu, a question that I've been feeling a lot lately comes back
to my mind.
(...
What is that guy hiding?)
I
don't know what it is, but he must be hiding something. Because of that, he
often looks strange these days. He insisted that nothing was wrong, but I knew
it wasn't a trivial matter.
When
I remembered that, for some reason I get restless. Tima said we should wait
until Nozomu speaks for himself, but should I press him with questions from
here on out?
"……Hmm?"
When
I thought about it, I was struck by a strange feeling of anxiety for some
reason. What on earth do I need to be scared of? I just need to ask him a few
words...
Contrary
to my thoughts, the irritation and anxiety in my heart never dissipated, and I
spontaneously clenched my fists tightly.
After
we walked for about 10 minutes, light began to shine in front of us, albeit
dimly. Perhaps our destination is an open place. I stopped and crouched down
then instructed the two behind me to hide with one of my hands.
When
I looked at the place where the light was coming from behind the bushes, there
was a big fallen tree, and Regina flower was growing beside it. Perhaps the
fall of a big tree caused the branches and leaves that covered the sky to
disappear, and light began to shine through it.
Light
shone through the gaps in the tree curtains. These flowers may be blooming due
to this slight of light.
"...
We found it. Also, there's a bonus."
However,
it wasn't just Regina flowers that we found. We can see about four students
beside it. Maybe they came to pick Regina Flowers like us.
"...So
what are we going to do?"
"...It's
decided....we will fight them."
Cami
asked me with a provocative smile. I couldn't help but think about Nozomu, who
had been in my head until now, but I clearly declared that we will go on the
offensive.
I'm
quite worried about what Nozomu is hiding and his dissatisfaction with the
increasing number of members in our party.
But
now it's time to push that discomfort into my chest and concentrate solely on
swinging my sword.
After
all, I will survive this training and become stronger. Let's think about that
for now.
================================
When
Mars and his team find Regina flower, Nozomu and his team continue to set traps
around the base. Due to time constraints, they could only set up simple traps,
but they were still able to set quite the number.
"Fuu~.
Is it something like this?"
Finally
finished setting the trap, Nozomu sighed loudly. There were also Jin and the
others around him, and sweat was dripping down their foreheads.
"Thank
you, everyone"
Hamria
handed the water bottle to Nozomu and the others who had finished setting the
traps. They opened their mouths to take a sip of water from the water bottle
that was handed over. Nozomu and the others breathed a sigh of relief at the
water seeping all over their bodies.
"...But
are these traps good enough?"
Deck
muttered anxiously while looking at the traps he had set. Certainly, there were
a lot of traps he had set, but they weren't very good. There were many traps
that could be easily detected.
"It
can't be helped. We don't have time to make it properly. Also, those traps are
only used to cover the real thing."
"...In
other words, are all the other traps just decoys?"
Nozomu
nodded at Deck's words. A trap isn't just about defeating your opponent. There
are endless uses for them, such as restraining, gaining time, and alerting the
opponents with other traps so they will hesitate to take action. Nozomu is a
bit adept at setting traps. Compared to the others, it was quite vast and
profound, but he himself didn't even know how far ahead he really was.
Nozomu
thought, what his team set up this time was just a means to find a way to win,
and Nozomu didn't think he could win with just those immature traps. He's a
swordsman, so setting up traps was not his forte.
“Even so, you seem to have gotten quite used to
set up this kind of trap. Why are you so used to it?”
Jin
asked while looking at Nozomu. His gaze was a genuine curiosity about Nozomu.
"Hmm?
Oh, I guess it's because I sometimes go alone to the forest. I'm used to
setting up traps here and there to hunt prey or stalling time when escaping
from demon beasts."
"""Ehh!!"""
The
three of them, Jin and his friends, opened their eyes wide due to Nozomu's
answer. It was no wonder. From their point of view, just entering the forest
alone seemed like an act of suicide.
"But
I believe you can't accept any request to enter the forest because of your
rank..."
Hamria
asked a little reluctantly. To be precise, "Nozomu's rank makes it
impossible to accept requests to enter the forest alone." She was probably
worried about Nozomu, who had been her classmate for a long time. She just
didn't say it very clearly.
“Well that's true, that's why I was in the forest
despite the request. Well, when I encountered the demon beasts, I ran from
place to place…”
Nozomu
answered her question with a bitter smile. However, he remembered his past
dangerous marathon ordered by an unreasonable master. Perhaps because he remembered
the hell of that time, Nozomu's cold sweat was flowing in a place where Jin and
his friends couldn't see.
"...I
see. I think I understand the reason why you can move so well in mock battles.
Of course, if you can endure being chased continuously by demon beasts, it's
understandable that you can handle our attacks so well. If it was me, I didn't
want to do it tho."
"A-hahaha..."
Nozomu
let out a dry laugh at Jin who nodded as he was convinced. Of all the runs
Nozomu has done, there are many because of his Shishō, Shino's tantrum. But it
would be terrible to pursue it any further.
(By
the way, there was a time when I was sent to the forest at night just because I
didn't make enough side dishes for dinner... Even if I think about it now, it
doesn't make any sense...)
At
that time, the amount of supper was not enough. Shino said, "Get some side
dishes!" and Nozomu was thrown into the forest. He encountered goblins who
were also looking for food. Then he was chased by dozens of goblins. He had almost
become dinner for the goblins.
It
was not even training if Nozomu died from it.
However,
if he had to choose between Shishō or dozens of angry goblins holding a knife
with one hand, even if he was asked a hundred times, Nozomu would choose Goblin
every time.
"Ha,
hahahaha ..."
"N-Nozomu-kun!
Anyway, I wanted to ask you something..."
Nozomu
continued to laugh dryly with a ghastly pale expression. Jin and his friends,
who felt chills by Nozomu's atmosphere, stopped talking about this topic and
tried to forcefully change the topic. At that moment, the bushes behind them
let out a rustling sound.
"
!! "
Nozomu
instantly regained his composure. He turned and immediately stood up. Place his
hand on the handle of his katana and prepare to slash at any moment.
Perhaps
because Jin and his friends felt that Nozomu's sudden change in behavior was
not trivial, they prepared their own weapons.
Eventually,
the rustling noise became louder, and multiple figures emerged from within the
bushes.
"Finally,
I found you."
What
appeared was the party chasing Nozomu's party before they got here. Their
opponents were 4th class students. A male student was holding a two-handed ax
as the vanguard. Probably he was the leader of their party. A boy with a sword
and a girl with a spear could be seen beside him, and a girl and a boy with a
staff could be seen behind them.
"As
I thought, this is where the dropout class is. You guys are only good at
running away .... Hmm? That guy, Mars, isn't here?"
The
enemy leader was suspicious that Mars cannot be seen. Even though they didn't
see the 10th class as a threat, but Mars, who had abilities on par with the
upper grades, was probably the only thing that made them wary. Actually, he
wasn't here right now, so Nozomu's current party strength was only four people,
including Nozomu. But Nozomu had no reason to say that to his opponent.
(Jin……)
Nozomu
gave instructions behind his opponent's back. He decided to take advantage of
the trap he had just set up.
"...I'm
worried because I can't see where that person is, but that's fine. There are
points in front of us. Let's catch it."
The
enemy leader readied his weapons. Nozomu took something out of the pouch behind
him so his opponent couldn't see it.
"Do
it !!"
The
opponents began to move all at once with their leader's command. The vanguard
closed the gap at once, and the rearguard began chanting magic.
"Deck!
Hamria!"
"Y-yes!"
"I
know!"
Jin
gave instructions to the two. With his signal, the two turned around and
disappeared into the forest. At the same time, Nozomu threw what was in his
hand at the enemy's vanguard.
It
was the Flash Ball and Noise Ball that were thrown. Nuisance tools that he
likes to use. Powerful flashes and sounds temporarily paralyze the opponent's
sight and hearing, and in some cases, can render them unconscious.
However,
their opponents were also Solminati students. They instantly covered their eyes
and minimized the damage. Still, Nozomu and his party were able to gain a bit
of time.
"Jin!
Let's go!"
"Alright!!"
"Kuh!
I won't let you guys go !!"
Nozomu
and Jin rushed into the depths of the forest. And the enemy party started
chasing again as if they didn't want to let Nozomu's party go. Nozomu kept
running while listening to the angry voice of the enemy from behind.
When
the enemy party was about to chase after the Nozomu's party.
"Uwa
!"
"Kya
!!"
Two
students who were at the front suddenly screamed and fell. When they looked
closely at their feet, a rope was stretched between the trees, hiding in the overgrown
grass.
"What
are you two doing!"
The
leader jumped over the two who had fallen and tried to step forward, but this
time the leader's legs were tied by the grass and fall forward.
Meanwhile,
Nozomu's party continued to drift away. They ran straight towards their base
while listening to the angry voices coming from behind.
===================================
Nozomu's party base.
Deck and Hamria who retreated earlier were waiting for Nozomu and
Jin to return.
"Oh,
you arrived!"
"O~i.
Jin! Nozomu!"
Deck
and Hamria who saw the return of Nozomu and Jin, raised their voices.
"I
made you wait"
"They
were caught by the traps. But, I think they'll be here soon!"
After
they regrouped, Nozomu's party formed a formation to intercept the enemy group
that was rushing after them. The vanguard is Nozomu and Jin. Deck is behind
them and behind Deck is Hamria standing with a staff in her hand.
"...
Hey, Nozomu. Is it really okay?"
Deck
raised a restless voice. The parties they would face were certainly opponents
above themselves. That's why Nozomu had already talked about strategies and
methods to win in advance, but it seemed that Deck still couldn't shake off the
anxiety in his heart.
However,
it is natural. They never teamed up with Nozomu before. No matter how much they
got a glimpse of Nozomu's abilities in mock battles, that alone wasn't enough
to make them trust him.
In
order for a person to believe in someone, it is necessary to accumulate various
events such as time and interaction to know that someone. However, there is
still an overwhelming lack of opportunity and time to interact with Nozomu and
to establish a clear relationship of trust between them.
Therefore,
their party members, including Deck, were worried whether their decision to
trust Nozomu, which they were not familiar with, was correct.
"...Hey,
Deck. We don't have any more time. We don't have enough strength to survive in
this Solminati Academy with our current abilities. That's why we need to borrow
the powers of Mars and Nozomu ... Haven't you already know of his high judgment
ability?"
At
that time, Jin called out to Deck. Originally, Jin was their leader. Perhaps
they have built a relationship of trust in their student life. Deck nodded
obediently to Jin's words.
"I'm
not even sure we could have made it this far if we were alone. We might have
been so busy overcoming the battle in front of us that we might have been
defeated by another party due to the chaos in the early stages."
"Well,
maybe that's true..."
Deck
agreed with Jin's words in a sunken voice. Of course, many parties were
swarming, so the parties fought each other immediately after the start of
training. If they stopped at such a place, they would be swallowed up by the
fierce battle in the blink of an eye.
"Of
course, I understand that you can't trust him right away. But can you give me
face here? It was me who decided to borrow their help. So can you believe me
and follow me for a while?"
"...
I understand. I'm sorry, I said something strange. Also, Nozomu, I'm sorry. I
was a little worried..."
"No,
don't worry. It's inevitable that you'll be anxious if you're suddenly
instructed by someone you've never teamed up with."
Deck
apologized to Nozomu and Jin then he lowered his head. Nozomu understood his
reputation from his surroundings. About his rumors with Lisa, and about him
taking three additional exams to get promoted.
So
he thought it was inevitable for someone like Deck to feel uneasy about teaming
up with him.
This
was largely due to the fact that Nozomu had been acting alone until now. Nozomu
had been taking classes alone because he was isolated at school. So he went to
the forest alone all the time to train with Shino.
As
a result, his ability to judge situations became extraordinary, but in return,
it became difficult for him to build relationships of trust with others. In
fact, in the third grade, the lessons were focused on party battles, and at
that time, Nozomu couldn't find a partner to teamed up with. It seemed that
others see him as a hindrance.
(...
It can't be helped. I've turned away from my surroundings until now so I reaped
what I sow)
The
self-deprecating Nozomu sighed and glanced at Jin next to him. Even considering
the previous mock battle, Jin's fighting ability wasn't good enough. Nozomu's
physical strength is better than Jin's, and in close-quarter combat, there are
plenty of openings to take advantage of.
However,
Nozomu felt that Jin was far superior to himself when it came to leading
people. Jin took the initiative to lower his head so he could survive. That
feeling became even stronger when Nozomu saw how Jin persuaded Deck. From the
beginning of the special training until now, Nozomu had only told his party how
to survive and made them follow him, but he didn't relieve his party members'
anxiety like Jin did ...
"...Hmm?
Is something wrong?"
Jin
noticed Nozomu's gaze and spoke to Nozomu with a suspicious expression.
"No
... it's nothing. I thought I was the leader. But, all I did today was just
telling you guys how to survive ..."
Nozomu
glanced at Hamria and Deck behind Jin. Maybe they're still nervous. Although
they were a little stiff, they didn't look anxious anymore. Maybe Jin's words
worked.
"...
I honestly think you're better than me. I couldn't believe it when I heard you
have been going to the forest alone, but I was convinced when I remembered your
way of fighting in our last mock battle. Also, Mars-kun acknowledged your
strength. It's frustrating, but I don't think I have the power to be recognized
by him..."
Jin
showed a smile at Nozomu's self-deprecating words. Surprisingly, the facial
expressions of the two of them were very similar.
Nozomu
couldn't move forward without telling his friends about his hidden secret. Jin
suffered from his lack of power to support his friends. Although there was a
difference in content that the two of them were worried about, their appearance
was the same. It was the human figures who realized their incompetence and were
constantly bothered by it.
At
that moment, Nozomu felt multiple presences coming from the front. At the same
time, someone touched the warning network set by Nozomu, and the wooden rod
that was attached to a tree fell.
"...Nozomu-kun"
"...They're
coming"
Right
after Nozomu said that, the enemy party they encountered earlier appeared from
within the bushes. Seeing that their uniforms were torn and their faces dirty,
it seemed like they were struggling because of the trap that Nozomu's party had
set up earlier.
"Haa,
haa. I found you..."
The
enemy leader glared at Nozomu's party with bloodshot eyes while breathing
roughly.
When
setting up the traps, Nozomu's party only emphasized the numbers. Nozomu's
purpose was to make the enemy side mentally and physically exhausted.
Therefore, if the enemy side thought that they had crossed and avoided a trap,
they would be caught in the trap beyond it. The outright visible trap seemed to
say, "This trap is actually just a decoy, and there may be another trap
ahead." So, they were both physically and mentally exhausted from being
overly suspicious.
"I
can't forgive you guys anymore. I'll crush you ..."
The
enemy leader took out his two-handed ax with an angry expression and Qi began
to radiate from his entire body. The other enemy party members also prepared
their own specialized weapons. Surely, they were frustrated by Nozomu's trap.
Their facial expressions were as distorted as their leader's.
"……Jin"
"I
know……"
Jin
nodded at Nozomu's words. That was the final confirmation. They were ready and
determined to execute their strategy. Fortunately, they can definitely win, but
if they make a mistake, they will be crushed in an instant, and in the worst
case, they will be wiped out. Nozomu was unable to release his ability
suppression due to the anxiety that eroded his heart, and since this was
training, he was unable to use his extremely high killing techniques, so his
party didn't have the explosive power to erase their inferiority.
"Do
it!!"
With
that command, the enemy leader rushed towards Nozomu's party along with the
vanguards of his party. Nozomu and Jin also strengthened their entire body with
Qi and ran towards them to intercept.
""What~!?
""
"Eh~!?"
Nozomu
and Jin ran straight towards the enemy's vanguard, but Nozomu and Jin suddenly
split into left and right and gave way to their rearguard.
At
this rate, the enemy vanguard would quickly take down the rearguards of
Nozomu's party, Deck and Hamria, who were in the back. After that, Nozomu's
team, which was about to lose half its strength, would be defeated in the blink
of an eye.
However,
at that moment, Nozomu shouted.
"Deck
!!"
"Yeah!!"
Deck
kicked the stone at his feet. The kicked stone flew as if it was being pulled
by something and disappeared into the bushes. Then, ropes appeared one after
another from the feet of the enemy's vanguard, and countless ropes were
stretched around them.
"Wh,
what is this !?"
The
stretched rope surrounded the enemy's vanguards like a cage, and they were
trapped inside. This trap was the same one Nozomu used to escape from the Black
Demon Beast.
Nozomu's
strategy was for Nozomu and Jin to charge towards the enemy, stopping the
enemy's vanguards with a trap, and simultaneously defeating the rearguards.
Now
that the vanguard had been successfully stopped by Nozomu's trap, Nozomu and
Jin, who took a detour, attacking the enemy's rearguards from left and right.
"Kuh~
!!"
Due
to the crisis, the enemy vanguard tried to cut the ropes to escape by swinging
their weapons. However, at that moment, a sudden gust of wind interrupted those
who were about to swing their weapons.
"W-what
!?"
They
were surprised to see the gust of wind. There were Deck and Hamria, who had
obstructed the movement of the enemy's vanguards with their magic to give
Nozomu and Jin time to defeat the enemy's rearguards.
They
used wind magic, "Driving Mass of Wind" and were careful not to cut
the ropes surrounding the enemy. It
didn't have the original power as it was slightly far away and was slightly
weakened by the stretched rope. However, it was still capable of attracting the
attention of the enemy's vanguards.
"Kuh~
!!"
"This!!"
The
two enemy's rearguards rushed in and fired magic bullets at Nozomu and Jin.
However, after all, the magic bullet only moves linearly. Nozomu instantly
overcame the oncoming magic bullet with "Instant Move -Curve Dance-"
and Jin also managed to dodge it by rolling to the ground.
At
this time, if the opponent were to release wide-ranged magic instead of
single-shot magic like magic bullets, both Nozomu and Jin might have been blown
away. If that happened, the vanguards caught in the trap would escape from the
trap, and Nozomu's party would be at a disadvantage.
However,
the many traps that had been set so far had robbed the enemy of their calm
judgments. Frustrated by the repeated storms of traps and failure to deal with
their inferior opponents, they didn't realize that they could usually deal with
it, and they lost their calm judgment and ability to deal with it.
"Ha!!"
"Te~e~eei!!!"
Nozomu
and Jin swung the weapons they had in their hands. Jin's sword slashed the
boy's arm, and Nozomu's sheathed katana slammed into the girl's belly along
with its scabbard.
Two
enemy's rearguards were defeated, and their pendants glowed red to announce
their disqualification. This leaves only 3 enemies remaining.
"Uoooo!"
The
enemy's leader swung down his Qi-enveloped two-handed ax. The ropes that
trapped them were torn and fell to the ground. The three vanguards who were
freed rushed towards Deck and Hamria saying, "Now it's our turn."
Nozomu
and Jin immediately turned around. However, since their enemies were closer to
Deck and Hamria, the enemies arrived at Deck's place first.
"Be
crushed! You bottom class !!"
"Ooo
!!"
The
enemy's leader swung his two-handed ax and dropped it towards Deck and Hamria.
Deck blocked it with his spear, but his opponent was overwhelmingly stronger
and Deck dropped on his knees. However, he still didn't want to give up and
tried to push the opponent's ax with his determination.
"Guu
!!"
"Ooo
!!"
"This
is as far as you go!"
"Wait,
isn't this a bit too much! You guys!!"
Although
the opponent's blade was approaching in front of him, Deck desperately blocked
it, but he was pinched by the opponent's spearman and swordsman who appeared
from behind the enemy leader. However, at that moment, Hamria's magic,
"Driving Mass of Wind" was reactivated. The rushing mass of wind
engulfs the enemy vanguards along with Deck.
"Kuh~!"
"Uoo
!!"
The
spearman and swordsmen who were swallowed by the mass of wind were blown away.
Deck and the enemy leader weren't blown away, they were standing on their feet,
but they were still caught in the violent wind and were momentarily paralyzed.
However,
Hamria had weakened her magic power before releasing it. Deck might be
disqualified if she used her magic as usual. She used this magic just to buy
time.
"We
made it in time!"
"Deck,
thank you for your hard work!"
Nozomu
and Jin caught up from behind. Attacking the spearman and swordman of the
enemy's party who were blown away by the "Driving Mass of Wind", and
knocking them out with a single blow.
"D-damn~
!!"
"Guah
!!"
The
enemy leader abandoned Deck and rushed towards Nozomu. His entire body emitted
a dazzling light. He fully used his Qi and attacked Nozomu with it.
"Fuh~!"
After
exhaling for a moment, Nozomu also started running with all his might. The two
of them plunged in a straight line from the front. Eventually, Nozomu entered
the opponent's attack range, and the enemy leader swung his two-handed ax.
The
two-handed ax approached Nozomu with a sound tearing the air. Nozomu rotated
his body and interlocking the muscles of his whole body. He launched his katana
towards the two-handed ax that was swung down from above.
Nozomu's
body rotation causes his slash to flow sideways, deflecting the trajectory of
the opponent's two-handed ax in the opposite direction. It was the same thing
he did when he previously fought against the Cyclopes.
"Wha~
!! Gua !!"
The
enemy leader's two-handed ax was driven into the ground. While being covered
with scattered earth and sand, Nozomu slashed the enemy leader's arm while
deflecting the handle of the two-handed ax with his katana. At the same time as
the enemy leader let out a voice of agony and dropped his weapon, Nozomu struck
the handle of his katana into the opponent's belly.
"Guh~
..."
The
enemy leader stopped moving for a moment, but eventually, he fell to the ground
and the enemy leader's pendant glowed. At that moment, the victory of Nozomu's
party was decided.
"Fuh~
..."
Nozomu
exhaled when he saw the light in the pendant. His tense muscles seemed to
relax.
"Haa~.
Nozomu-kun, thank you for your hard work."
Jin
spoke to Nozomu while sheathing his sword. His expression was bright, perhaps
because he was also released from the tension.
"We
did it !!"
"Wow!
We really won!"
Deck
and Hamria rushed towards Nozomu and Jin excitedly.
"Nozomu,
thank you. And... I'm sorry I doubted you..."
"No,
it was actually walking on a tightrope, but I'm glad we succeeded."
Deck
bowed to Nozomu again. However, his face looked happy and tears appeared in his
eyes. If they thought about it, their opponents were students from a class much
higher than themselves. Until now, they had only been beaten by them.
They
are capable of defeating such an opponent. Above all, it must be their sincere
feelings that make them happy. Hamria also cried like Deck, and Jin pretended
to be calm but his mouth was smiling loosely.
"Nozomu-kun,
we'll be working together only for one day, but once again, I'm in your
care..."
Jin
reached his hands out to Nozomu while smiling. Both Deck and Hamria also smiled
at him, and Nozomu felt that the wall they had before was gone.
Nozomu
nervously presented his hands out. Jin and his friends were still smiling at
Nozomu, and their eyes were no longer the color of contempt that had been
directed at Nozomu. At the same time, Nozomu felt a little embarrassed due to
their gazes.
"Y-yeah."
Nozomu's
appearance who was shaking hands looked somewhat strange. Jin and his friends
smiled at such a situation. Nozomu also relaxed his expression, which was
previously tense. However, at that moment, a strong chill shot through Nozomu's
back due to someone's gaze.
"
!! "
Nozomu
immediately let Jin's hand go and held his katana. He looked in the direction
where he felt someone's gaze. Jin and his friends didn't know what had
happened, but they felt that Nozomu's behavior was not trivial, and immediately
readied their weapons and observed their surroundings.
"Ah~,
It's Nozomu-kun. Yahho~~!"
A
woman came out of the bush with a slow-paced voice. Nozomu and the others felt
familiar with her wavy brown hair and her previous voice. She is waving her
hands towards them like a child. She is one of the school staff who meet Nozomu
and his friends most often and she is also their teacher.
"Anri-sensei.
Are you ..."
Nozomu
was talking to himself but it was conveyed to Anri.
"Yup. I'm also~ ... one of the special targets of this special training~."
Anri
Var. The homeroom teacher of the 10th class in the 3rd year, and the homeroom
teacher of Nozomu and his party members. She stood before them as the special
target.