[WN] Dragon Chain Ori : Volume 5 Chapter 14 [Re-Translation]

This is a re-translation.

Volume 5 Chapter 14

 

Mars, Tommy, and Cami continued walking through the dim forest. The task Nozomu had assigned them was to collect Regina flowers. Regina flowers were used as an ingredient for potions; mixing their nectar into a potion greatly increased its potency. However, this nectar didn't last very long, deteriorating within a few days of picking the flower. Potency aside, the fact that Nozomu chose flowers, which are easy to carry, as a task showed how thoroughly he prioritized mobility.

 

"...Hey, is he really going to be okay?"

 

"...Well, I think so too, but... we can't help it, can we? Jin said this was our only option..."

 

"...I couldn't care less. We don't have to go along with you guys in the first place."

 

Tommy and Cami, following behind, muttered. They were probably talking about Nozomu. I (Mars) was momentarily enraged by their words and blurted out a rough, dismissive remark to them. The two averted their gaze awkwardly, looking at my face. Their attitude irritated me even more.

 

"Besides, you're the ones who brought this up. Can't you even get your own intentions straight? Your leader, that is."

 

"!!"

 

Their leader. His name was Jin, I think. Perhaps thinking I was insulting him, Cami and Tommy glared at me. Cami seemed particularly annoyed by my previous words, glaring at me as if she wanted to stab me with the dagger she held. Huh, I thought they'd be scared, but they seem to have some guts.

 

"Hmph. So you still have some pride left, huh?"

 

"...Please don't mock us too much. We might not be as good as Mars, but we're still proud to have remained in this academy until now..."

 

"That's right! And what about you? You seem to trust Nozomu quite a bit, but will he show us something worthwhile? It won't do if we come back to find everyone wiped out."

 

Tommy and Cami challenged me without backing down. Heh, alright. That's what I want to see; otherwise, there's no point in teaming up.

 

"What are you talking about? You should have seen a glimpse of his skill in the last mock battle. Both Nozomu and I are serious about winning. You two will show us your strength, right?"

 

I deliberately spoke in a provocative tone to the two of them. If they were the type to get discouraged by something like this, I'd rather not team up with them.

 

"Fine. We'll show you, so open your eyes wide and watch closely!"

 

Cami declared powerfully. Tommy met my gaze head-on and didn't look away. Satisfied with their reactions, I started walking again. I glanced over my shoulder at the two following behind. Their expressions were sterner than before, but their morale seemed to have risen. They must have been truly annoyed by my mockery.

 

(Well, maybe I can expect something from them.)

 

Satisfied with their expressions, I continued walking forward again. Come to think of it, I used to think Nozomu was a spiritless guy until just recently... As I thought about Nozomu, a question that had recently become frequent resurfaced.

 

(...What is that guy hiding?)

 

Nozomu was hiding something. I didn't know what it was, but he was definitely hiding something. Because of that, he sometimes acted strangely recently. He insisted it was nothing, but even I, dull as I was, knew it was serious. Remembering that, for some reason, I felt irritated. Tima said I should wait until Nozomu talked about it, but maybe it was time to press him about it myself?

 

"...Hm?"

 

As I thought that, for some reason, a strange anxiety struck me. What was there to be afraid of? All I had to do was ask him. Contrary to my thoughts, the irritation and anxiety within my heart did not disappear, and I instinctively clenched my fist tightly.

 

After walking for about ten minutes, light began to stream through the dim forest ahead. The path ahead was likely an open area. I stopped and squatted down, motioning with one hand for the two behind me to also hide themselves. Peeking from behind the bushes into the bright area, I saw a large fallen tree, and next to it, Regina flowers growing. The fallen tree had likely removed the branches and leaves that had covered the sky, allowing light to shine through. These flowers must be blooming with that faint light coming through the gap in the curtain of trees.

 

"...Found them. But there's an extra bonus."

 

But I hadn't just found Regina flowers. I could see about four students next to them. They had probably come to pick Regina flowers, just like us.

 

"...So, what do we do?"

 

"...It's decided. ...We'll make our move."

 

Cami asked me with a provocative smile. Thoughts of Nozomu, whom I had been thinking about just moments ago, crossed my mind, but I clearly declared that we would attack. What Nozomu was hiding, and my growing dissatisfaction with him, weren't something I could ignore. But for now, I forced that dissatisfaction deep into my chest and focused only on swinging my sword.

 

Anyway, I would win this training and become stronger. For now, I would only think about that.

 

***

 

Around the time Mars and his group found the Regina flowers, Nozomu and his team continued to set up traps around their base. Due to time constraints, they could only create simple ones, but they still managed to set up a certain number.

 

"Phew. I guess that's enough."

 

Having finally finished setting up the traps, Nozomu let out a deep breath. Jin and the others were also there, their foreheads uniformly beaded with sweat.

 

"Good job, everyone."

 

Hamuria handed Nozomu and the others, who had been setting up traps, their canteens. Nozomu opened his canteen and took a sip of water. The water permeated their parched bodies, and Nozomu and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

 

"...But are these traps really good enough?"

 

Deck muttered anxiously, looking at the traps he had set. The traps they had set were numerous, but they weren't very well made. Many of them would be easily seen through by anyone who sees them.

 

"It can't be helped. We don't have time to make them carefully. In that case, the other traps can serve as a smokescreen for the main one."

 

"...So, all the other traps are just decoys?"

 

Nozomu nodded at Deck's words. Traps aren't just for taking down opponents. They can be used to restrain, buy time, or distract the enemy with other traps while you do something else; their uses are endless. That path is deep and wide. Nozomu, though somewhat skilled with traps, had no idea how much deeper that abyss went.

 

The traps Nozomu and his team had set up this time were meant to help them achieve victory, and Nozomu himself didn't believe they could win with just his immature traps. He was a swordsman, and traps weren't his forte.

 

"Even so, you seem quite used to making these kinds of traps. Why are you so skilled at it?"

 

Jin asked, staring at Nozomu. What was in his eyes was pure curiosity about Nozomu.

 

"Hmm? Oh, maybe because I sometimes went into the forest alone? I set them up everywhere to hunt prey or to buy time when running away from magical beasts."

 

" " " !!! " " "

 

Jin and the other two widened their eyes at Nozomu's answer. To them, entering the forest alone seemed like suicide, so it was understandable.

 

"B-But I thought Your rank wouldn't allow you to take requests to enter the forest alone..."

 

Hamuria asked somewhat timidly. More accurately, "Nozomu's rank wouldn't allow him to take requests to enter the forest alone." She was probably concerned about Nozomu, who had always been ostracized by his classmates. She didn't explicitly say that.

 

"Well, yeah. That's why I went into the forest regardless of requests. Though, I mostly just ran away when I encountered magical beasts..."

 

Nozomu internally smiled wryly at her concern and answered her question. However, what he was recalling was the seemingly endless dangerous zone marathon ordered by his unreasonable master. Perhaps because he remembered the hell of those days, a bead of cold sweat ran down Nozomu's face where Jin and the others couldn't see it.

 

"...I see. I think I understand why Nozomu-kun was able to move so skillfully in the mock battle. If you were constantly being chased by magical beasts, it makes sense that you could handle our attacks that well. I wouldn't want to do it myself, though..."

 

"Ah, ahahaha..."

 

Nozomu let out a dry laugh at Jin, who nodded in understanding. A significant portion of Nozomu's running practice had been due to his master Shino's tantrums, but it would be cruel to press him on that.

 

(Come to think of it, there was that one time I was sent into the forest at night just because there wasn't enough food for dinner... Thinking about it now, it was utterly crazy...)

 

At that time, when there wasn't enough food for dinner, Shino told Nozomu to "go get some side dishes!" and threw him into the forest. Nozomu encountered goblins who were also looking for food. He was chased by dozens of goblins and almost became their dinner. Nozomu nearly died on an errand, not during training. However, when asked to choose between his master, who radiated anger with a sword in hand, and dozens of goblins, Nozomu would choose the goblins every time, even if asked a hundred times.

 

"Ha, hahahaha..."

 

"N-Nozomu-kun! Speaking of which, I wanted to ask something..."

 

Nozomu continued to laugh a dry, pale-faced laugh. Sensing the chill from his demeanor, Jin and the others stopped discussing the topic further and tried to change it forcibly. At that moment, the bushes behind Nozomu and the others rustled.

 

"!!"

 

Nozomu snapped back to reality at the sound. He instantly stood up, turned around, and drew his katana. Sensing that something was amiss from Nozomu's sudden change, Jin and the others also drew their respective weapons and scanned their surroundings. Eventually, the rustling sound grew louder, and multiple figures emerged from deeper within the bushes.

 

"Finally found you."

 

The party that had been chasing Nozomu and the others earlier appeared. Their tier was Fourth Tier. At the front was a male student wielding a two-handed axe. He was probably the enemy party's leader. Next to him were a male student with a sword and a female student with a spear, and behind them, a female student and a male student with rods could be seen.

 

"As expected of the dropout class. You're pretty good at running away. ...Huh? Where's Mars?"

 

The enemy leader looked puzzled by Mars's absence. They probably didn't think much of the Tenth Tier in terms of skill, but Mars, being one of the top students in their year, was likely the only one they were wary of. Since he wasn't there at the moment, Nozomu's current combat strength amounted to four people, including him, but there was no reason to tell them that.

 

(Jin...)

 

Nozomu signaled with his back hand. He planned to immediately utilize the traps he had just set up.

 

"...I'm curious about that guy who's missing, but oh well. Since there are points right in front of me, I'll take them."

 

The enemy leader braced his spear. Nozomu, with his back hand, took something out of his pouch so that the enemy couldn't see it.

 

"Go!!"

 

At the enemy leader's command, the opponents moved in unison. The vanguards closed the distance rapidly, and the rear guards began chanting spells.

 

"Deck! Hamuria!"

 

"U-Understood!" "Got it!"

 

Jin gave instructions to the two. At his signal, the two turned on their heels and disappeared into the forest. At the same time, Nozomu threw what he had in his hand at the enemy's vanguards.

 

He threw light bombs and sound bombs. These were his preferred tools for distraction. The powerful flash and explosive sound temporarily paralyzed the opponent's vision and hearing, and in some cases, disoriented them. However, his opponents were also Solminati students. Still, it bought some time since they instinctively shielded their eyes, minimizing the damage.

 

"Jin! Retreat!!"

 

"Understood!!"

 

"Tch! Don't let them escape!!"

 

Nozomu and the others took advantage of the opening and dashed deeper into the forest. The enemy party, not wanting them to escape, began their pursuit again. Nozomu continued to run deeper and deeper into the forest, ignoring the angry shouts from the enemy party behind him. Just as the enemy party stepped forward to chase Nozomu and his team.

 

"Whoa!" "Kya!!"

 

The two who had been leading suddenly screamed and fell. When they looked closely at their feet, they saw ropes strung between the trees, hidden by the thick grass.

 

"What are you doing?!"

 

The leader tried to step forward, jumping over the two who had fallen, but this time, he tripped over grass that had been tied, causing him to stumble. In the meantime, Nozomu widened the distance. They ignored the angry shouts from behind them and ran directly towards their base.

 

Nozomu's base. In a heavily wooded part of the forest, Deck and Hamuria, who had retreated earlier, were waiting for Nozomu and the others to return.

 

"Ah, they're here!"

 

"Hey! Jin! Nozomu!"

 

Deck and the Hamuria, who had returned to the base earlier, cried out when they saw Nozomu and Jin coming back.

 

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

 

"I think we successfully lured them. They should be here soon!"

 

Nozomu and his group, having rejoined, quickly formed a formation to intercept the pursuing enemy party. Nozomu and Jin were in the front. Deck was behind them, and further back, Hamuria stood with her staff.

 

"...Hey, Nozomu. Are you really sure about this?"

 

Deck's voice was anxious. The party they were about to confront was definitely a higher-ranked opponent than them. That's why Nozomu had explained the means and methods for victory beforehand, but it seemed the anxiety couldn't be shaken off. But that was probably understandable. They had never teamed up with Nozomu before. Even though they had glimpsed his skill in the mock battles during class, that alone wasn't enough to fully trust him. For people to trust someone, it takes time, interaction, and a variety of accumulated experiences to get to know that person. However, Nozomu and his group still lacked overwhelming opportunities and time for interaction to build a clear relationship of trust.

 

Therefore, their party, including Deck, was driven by anxiety about whether the actions of Nozomu, an unknown factor to them, were correct.

 

"...Hey, Deck. We're out of options. With our current abilities, we lack various things to survive in this Solminati Academy. That's why I decided to borrow Mars-kun and Nozomu-kun's strength. ...You already know how good his judgment is, right?"

 

At that moment, Jin spoke to Deck. Jin was originally their leader. He had probably built a relationship of trust throughout their student life together. Deck nodded obediently at his words.

 

"We might not have even made it this far on our own. We might have been so focused on surviving the immediate battle that we would have been eliminated by another party in the initial chaos."

 

"Yeah, that might be true..."

 

Deck agreed with Jin's words in a subdued voice. Indeed, right after the training began, many parties were clustered together, leading to brawls between multiple parties everywhere. If they had stopped in such a place, they would have been instantly swallowed by the battles.

 

"Of course, it's natural that you can't trust him immediately. But for now, can you trust me? I'm the one who decided to borrow their strength. So for a while, will you believe in me and follow me?"

 

"...Understood. Sorry, for saying strange things. Nozomu, I'm sorry too. I just got a little anxious..."

 

"No, don't worry about it. It's understandable to feel anxious when someone you've never teamed up with suddenly starts giving orders."

 

Deck apologized to Nozomu and Jin, bowing his head. Nozomu also had the rumors about Lisa, and he had even taken three supplementary exams to advance to the next year. With those facts, Nozomu knew his own reputation among others. Therefore, he also thought it was unavoidable that there were people like Deck who felt anxious about teaming up with him. This was largely due to Nozomu's past actions of working alone.

 

Nozomu had always entered the forest alone for training with Shino and had taken classes alone due to his isolation at the academy. Because of this, his judgment skills became exceptional, but it made it difficult for him to build trust with his other classmates. In fact, in the third year, classes became more focused on party combat, and at that time, Nozomu had difficulty finding teammates, which almost caused him problems.

 

(...It can't be helped. It's my own fault for turning away from those around me until now.)

 

Nozomu sighed, mocking himself, and glanced at Jin next to him. Even considering their previous mock battle, Jin's skill was still far from perfect. His physical abilities might be superior, but in close combat, there were always openings to exploit. Yet, Nozomu felt that Jin was far better than him when it came to leading people. Jin had humbly bowed his head to ensure their survival. That feeling grew even stronger after seeing how he just persuaded Deck. From the start of the special comprehensive training until now, all Nozomu had done was explain how to survive and have them follow him; he hadn't been able to alleviate his teammates' anxieties like Jin had.

 

"...Hmm? Is something wrong?"

 

Noticing Nozomu's gaze, Jin asked Nozomu with a puzzled expression.

 

"No... It's nothing. I was just thinking you're a good leader. All I did today was tell you how to survive, at most..."

 

Nozomu glanced over his shoulder at Hamuria and Deck behind him. They were still tense, their shoulders somewhat stiff, but they no longer looked anxious. Jin's words from earlier had probably taken effect.

 

"...Honestly, I think you're amazing, Nozomu-kun. I couldn't believe it when I heard you went into the forest alone, but remembering your movements in the mock battle class, I understood. And Mars-kun acknowledges you too. It's frustrating, but I don't think I have the strength to be acknowledged by him..."

 

Jin let out a self-mocking laugh at Nozomu's words. Coincidentally, their expressions at that moment were very similar. Nozomu, unable to tell his companions about his hidden secret and unable to bridge the gap. Jin, troubled by his own lack of power to support his companions. Although the content of their worries differed, their appearances were the same: that of people who were aware of their own shortcomings and continued to struggle with them.

 

At that moment, Nozomu sensed multiple presences approaching from the front. Simultaneously, someone touched the alarm Nozomu had set up, and the propped-up spool fell.

 

"...Nozomu-kun."

 

"...They're coming."

 

Along with Nozomu's words, the enemy party from earlier appeared from deeper within the bushes. Their uniforms were torn in places, and their faces were dirty, indicating that Nozomu's traps had given them considerable trouble.

 

"Huff, huff. Found you..."

 

The enemy leader glared at Nozomu and his group with eyes as if seeing his sworn enemy, panting heavily. When setting up the traps, Nozomu prioritized quantity above all else. The goal was to exhaust the opponent mentally and physically. As a result, the enemy party, thinking they had bypassed one trap, would fall into another one further ahead, or would fall into suspicion, wondering if obvious traps were actually decoys and if the real traps were elsewhere, leading to considerable mental and physical exhaustion.

 

"I won't forgive you. I'll crush you..."

 

The enemy leader took out his two-handed axe with a furious expression and began to release ki from his entire body. The other enemy members also took up their respective weapons. They must have been incredibly irritated by Nozomu's traps. The expressions of the other members were just as distorted as their leader's.

 

"...Jin."

 

"I know..."

 

Jin nodded at Nozomu's single word. This was the final confirmation. The strategy they were about to execute, and the resolve to carry it out. If it succeeded, they would surely win, but if it failed, they would be at a disadvantage in an instant, and in the worst case, they would be completely wiped out. Nozomu couldn't release his ability suppression due to the anxiety gnawing at his chest, and since this was still a training exercise, he couldn't use extremely lethal techniques. Therefore, his team lacked the explosive power to overturn a disadvantage.

 

"Do it!!"

 

At the command, the enemy leader, accompanied by his party's vanguards, charged at Nozomu and his team. Nozomu and Jin also reinforced their entire bodies with ki and rushed to intercept them, but...

 

"What?!" "Eh?!"

 

The enemy party cried out in surprise. Nozomu and Jin, who had been running straight towards the charging vanguards, suddenly split to the left and right, allowing the enemy vanguards a path to their rear guards. If they continued like this, Deck and Hamuria, who were behind Nozomu and the others, would be quickly defeated, and Nozomu's team, having lost half its fighting force, would be overrun in an instant. But at that moment, Nozomu shouted loudly.

 

"Deck!!"

 

"Understood!!"

 

Deck, who had been holding his spear, kicked a stone at his feet. The kicked stone flew as if pulled by something and disappeared into the bushes. Then, ropes sprang out from the ground around the charging enemy vanguards one after another, forming countless ropes around them.

 

"Wh-What is this?!"

 

The ropes surrounded the enemy vanguards like a cage, immobilizing them. This trap was the same one Nozomu had used before when escaping the black magical beast. Nozomu's strategy was for Nozomu and Jin to charge at the opponent, stop the opponent's vanguards with traps, and then defeat the rear guards. Then the two would turn back and sandwich the opponent. Now that the vanguards were successfully stopped by Nozomu's trap, Nozomu and Jin, who had bypassed them from the sides, attacked the enemy's rear guards.

 

"Kuh!!"

 

In a crisis for their rear guard, the enemy's vanguard raised their weapons, intending to cut the ropes and escape. But at that moment, a sudden gust of wind interfered with their attempts to swing their weapons down.

 

"Wh-what?!"

 

As they looked in surprise towards the source of the gust, they saw Deck and Hamuria. They had used magic to obstruct the vanguard's movements, buying time for Nozomu and the others to defeat the enemy's rear guard.

 

To avoid cutting the ropes surrounding the enemies, they used the wind magic, "Rushing Wind Mass," striking them with a mass of wind. Because they significantly expanded its range and the ropes somewhat attenuated its power, it didn't unleash its full force. Still, it successfully diverted the vanguard's attention.

 

"Kuh!!"

 

"Take this!!"

 

The two enemy rear guards fired magic bullets at Nozomu and Jin, who were charging at them. But they were just linear magic bullets. Nozomu used Flash Step - Curving Dance to instantly evade the approaching magic bullets, and Jin also rolled on the ground to somehow avoid them.

 

If, at this moment, the opponents had unleashed sweeping area-of-effect magic instead of single-shot spells like magic bullets, both Nozomu and Jin might have been blown away. If that had happened, the vanguards, who had been trapped, would have escaped the trap, and Nozomu and his team would have been instantly at a disadvantage. However, the many traps they had set up until now had robbed the enemy party of their calm thinking. Irritated by the repeated barrage of traps and their inability to deal with lower-ranked opponents, they had lost their ability to react calmly, unaware that they could usually handle such situations.

 

"Hah!!"

 

"Teii!!"

 

Nozomu and Jin swung the weapons in their hands. Jin's sword slashed the male student's arm, and Nozomu's katana, still in its sheath, struck the female student's abdomen. The two enemy rear guards crumpled to the ground, their pendants glowing red, signaling their disqualification. Only three remained.

 

"Uoooooooooh!!"

 

The enemy leader, channeling ki into his two-handed axe, swung it horizontally. The ropes that had confined them were cut, falling to the ground. The three freed individuals, as if to say, "It's our turn now," rushed towards Deck and Hamuria.

 

Nozomu and Jin immediately turned around and rushed back. However, the opponents were closer to Deck and the others, so they reached them first.

 

"Die! You bottom-feeders!!"

 

"Ooooooh!!"

 

The enemy leader raised his two-handed axe and brought it down on Deck. He blocked it with his spear, but the opponent's physical strength was overwhelmingly superior, and Deck fell to one knee. Still, he put all his spirit into pushing back the opponent's axe, determined not to let them pass.

 

"Guuuh!!"

 

"Ooooooh!!"

 

"That's enough!" "You guys are getting a little too carried away!"

 

Deck desperately held his ground, even as the opponent's blade closed in, but he was attacked from both sides by the enemy's spear user and swordsman, who appeared from behind the enemy leader. But at that moment, Hamuria's "Gale Wind Mass" activated again. The charging mass of wind engulfed both Deck and the enemy vanguards.

 

"Kuh!"

 

"Whoa!!"

 

The spear user and swordsman, swallowed by the wind mass, were blown away. Deck and the enemy leader, who had been bracing themselves, weren't blown away but were momentarily stunned by the raging wind. However, Hamuria had again reduced the power of this spell. If she had cast the spell at full power, Deck might have been disqualified too. This spell, after all, was meant for stalling.

 

"Just in time!"

 

"Deck, good job!"

 

Nozomu and Jin caught up from behind. The two attacked the enemy party's spear user and swordsman, who had been blown away by the "Gale Wind Mass" and were stumbling, knocking them out with a single blow.

 

"D-Damn you!!"

 

"Guah!!"

 

The enemy leader shoved Deck away and, perhaps in desperation, charged at Nozomu. He radiated dazzling light from his weapon and his entire body, attacking Nozomu with full ki.

 

"Hmph!"

 

Nozomu let out a short breath and also dashed forward at full speed. Both charged straight at each other from the front. Eventually, Nozomu entered the opponent's range, and the enemy leader brought down his two-handed axe.

 

Goh! The two-handed axe rushed towards Nozomu with a sound that tore through the air. Nozomu rotated his body, linking all his muscles, and brought his katana down from above the descending two-handed axe. Then, Nozomu twisted his body and moved horizontally, deflecting the opponent's two-handed axe in the opposite direction. It was the same technique Nozomu had used against a Triclops before.

 

"Wha?! Guah!!"

 

The enemy leader's two-handed axe was driven into the ground with a cry of surprise. Covered in rising dust, Nozomu, while deflecting the katana along the handle of the two-handed axe, slashed both of the enemy leader's arms. The enemy leader cried out in pain, dropping his weapon. At the same time, Nozomu reversed his grip and struck the pommel of his katana into the opponent's abdomen.

 

"Guh..."

 

The enemy leader stopped moving for a moment, then collapsed to the ground, motionless. And the enemy leader's pendant glowed. At that moment, Nozomu's team's victory was decided.

 

"Phew..."

 

Nozomu exhaled deeply after confirming the glowing pendant. His tense muscles relaxed, and he felt his strength drain away.

 

"Hah~. Nozomu-kun, good work."

 

Jin spoke to Nozomu as he sheathed his sword. He too seemed brightened by the release of tension.

 

"We did it!!"

 

"Amazing! We really won!!"

 

Deck and Hamuria rushed excitedly towards Nozomu and Jin.

 

"Nozomu, thank you. And... I'm sorry for doubting if it would work..."

 

"Well, it was actually quite a tightrope walk, but I'm glad it succeeded."

 

Deck bowed his head to Nozomu again. But his face was joyful, and tears welled up in his eyes. Thinking about it, their opponents were students from a much higher tier. Usually, they would have just been beaten down. The fact that they had won against such an opponent. That must have been what made them happiest and touched their hearts the most. Hamuria was also teary-eyed like Deck, and Jin, though feigning calmness, had a relaxed smile on his face.

 

"Nozomu-kun, it's just for today, but thank you again..."

 

Jin extended his hand to Nozomu with a smile. Deck and Hamuria were also smiling at him, and Nozomu felt as if the wall that had been there just moments ago was now gone. Nozomu hesitantly grasped the extended hand. Jin and the others were still smiling at Nozomu, and the contempt that had once been in their eyes was gone. At the same time, Nozomu felt a slight tickle from their gaze.

 

"Ah, yeah."

 

Nozomu shook hands somewhat awkwardly. Jin and the others watched his reaction with warm smiles. Their expressions caused Nozomu to relax his tense face. But at that moment, an intense chill, accompanied by someone's gaze, assaulted Nozomu.

 

"!!"

 

Nozomu immediately released Jin and the others' hands, instantly drew his katana, and glared in the direction from which he felt the gaze. Jin and the others didn't understand what had happened, but sensing that Nozomu's reaction was serious, they immediately drew their weapons and scanned their surroundings.

 

"Oh~, it's Nozomu-kun~~. Yoo-hoo~~!"

 

A woman emerged from the bushes with a drawn-out voice. Her wavy brown hair and the voice they had just heard belonged to someone Nozomu and the others knew well. She was waving her hand vigorously at Nozomu and his team like a child. She was one of the academy staff members Nozomu and his group saw most often, and their homeroom teacher.

 

"Instructor Anri. It's you..."

 

Nozomu's monologue dispersed between Anri and Nozomu's team.

 

"Yup. And~, I'm one of the Special Targets for this Special Comprehensive Practical Training~~."

 

Anri Var. The homeroom teacher of the Third Year Tenth Tier. She stood before Nozomu and his team as a Special Target.

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