Volume 5
Chapter 16
As Nozomu began his battle with Anri, Jin and the others were running through the forest to rendezvous with Mars.
They were trying to
meet up with Mars and the others as quickly as possible, but Deck, who was
running behind them, suddenly stopped.
"Hah, hah...
Deck, what's wrong?"
"... Jin. I'm
going back."
"... Eh?"
"Think about it.
We don't need this many people to tell Mars about the fight with Anri-sensei.
So the others should go support Nozomu, who's buying us time."
"That's..."
Jin pondered Deck's
words. It was true that they didn't need many people just to relay the message
to Mars.
"But Deck. What
about your injured arm? Even if you go to help, with that arm..."
Jin looked at Deck's
torn uniform sleeve, and Deck raised his arm as if it were nothing.
"The wound has
closed, and I can still hold a spear. There are ways to fight even without
close combat. Besides... we can't burden him any further, can we?"
What Deck said was
something Jin also felt in the back of his mind.
It was a joint party
for the exercise that they had proposed. However, Jin also felt that they were
relying too much on Nozomu and Mars.
Strategy planning,
base setup and trap placement, tactical command, and acting as a decoy alone.
Nozomu had proposed and executed everything.
Of course, Jin and the
others were not powerless or useless. Their cooperation was essential in the
recent battle against another class party.
Indeed, Nozomu was
leading this joint party. However, a question kept bubbling up in their hearts:
Was it really okay to leave Nozomu alone like this?
"... Jin, I'm
going back too."
"Hamuria..."
Following Deck,
Hamuria also declared that she would turn back.
She tightly gripped
her staff, perhaps still afraid from the battle with Anri. But even so, her
gaze was firmly fixed on Jin.
"... Thanks to
Nozomu-kun, we were able to defeat opponents we couldn't before, right? I think
it will be difficult for us to win from now on by ourselves. His strength is
absolutely necessary."
"Besides, no
matter how strong Nozomu is, we don't know if he can hold out against
Anri-sensei for long. So, anyone who can help, even a little, should go. Nozomu
won't complain either. Didn't he say it? That you should take command when he
and Mars aren't around..."
"... You're
right. Deck, Hamuria. Go back and support Nozomu-kun now. I'll go inform Mars
and the others about this."
Jin nodded at Deck's
words. Seeing this, smiles appeared on Deck's and Hamuria's faces.
"Yeah, we're counting
on you. Come before we're all wiped out."
"Jin-kun,
please."
The three nodded,
confirming their intentions, and then ran off to do what each of them needed to
do.
***
"What?! Why are
you here?!"
"Why? We came to
help."
Nozomu was surprised
that Deck and Hamuria, who he had instructed to rendezvous with Mars and the
others, had returned. As he asked in confusion, Deck declared without
hesitation that they had come to help, and then he stepped between Nozomu and
Anri, holding his spear to shield Nozomu.
"Nozomu-kun. Are
you alright?"
"Ah, yeah."
While Deck faced Anri,
Hamuria came to Nozomu's side and offered a hand.
Nozomu, still
confused, stood up and once again took a stance with his katana.
"Hmm. Deck-kun
and the others came back, huh?"
Anri put a hand to her
cheek and tilted her head cutely. Combined with her appearance and aura, it was
a very picturesque scene. That is, if she weren't holding a whip and a black
iron rod in both hands.
"Deck..."
"Jin is going to
call Mars and the others now. In the meantime, we'll hold out here. Is that
okay?"
Nozomu looked at Deck
with a face that seemed to want to say something, but Deck, still holding his
spear, didn't turn to Nozomu, simply stating those words.
The word
"we" uttered by Deck. That word slowly permeated Nozomu's heart and
began to stir.
Nozomu couldn't quite
describe that stirring. His body trembled, and his heart beat faster.
"... Yeah!"
Strength entered
Nozomu's hand as he gripped his katana. He firmly planted both feet on the
ground and stared straight at Anri. Seeing this, Anri opened her mouth with a
happy expression.
"... Alright!
Then, let's go~"
The ki radiating from
Anri's body swelled. Her body glowed faintly with concentrated ki, and that
light extended to her weapons. It seemed she had decided to get serious now
that Nozomu's comrades had joined him.
As Anri swung her whip
upwards, Nozomu and Deck dashed forward. Hamuria retreated further back, moving
out of the range of Anri's whip, and began chanting a spell.
"Deck!
Anri-sensei can fight in close combat too! Don't let your guard down just
because you closed the distance!"
"Understood!"
Anri's whip approached
Nozomu and the others.
They ran at full speed,
attempting to slip through the infinitely spread net of whips.
***
Around the time Nozomu
regrouped with Deck and Hamuria and resumed fighting, Mars and his team were
waiting at the rendezvous point. The mark of success for the assignment glowed
on Mars's pendant.
Mars and his team, who
had been searching for the Regina flower for their assignment, found another
party where the flower was growing and immediately chose to defeat the enemy
party.
First, Mars, who had
jumped in with a surprise attack, blew away several enemies. Seizing that
opportunity, Cami ambushed the opponent's mage.
Of course, even though
they were ambushed, the opponents were high-ranking students. The remaining
members quickly regrouped and tried to push Mars and his team back.
However, Mars
countered their push with his ki technique, "Rending Dust Hammer,"
which utilized his abundant ki, sweeping them away. The enemy party, whose
formation was torn to shreds, was ultimately unable to stop Mars as he charged
at them and was wiped out. Mars succeeded in gaining points from both the
assignment and the enemy party.
After that, they
delivered the assignment flower to headquarters and were about to rendezvous
with Nozomu and the others when Mars's Twin Stones of Misfortune glowed, signaling
them to head to the rendezvous point.
"... Nozomu, he's
late."
Mars's voice, filled
with concern for Nozomu and the others, echoed around. It had been a while
since they arrived at the rendezvous point, but Nozomu and the others were
nowhere in sight.
The distance from
Nozomu's base to this rendezvous point was shorter than the distance from where
Mars's Twin Stones of Misfortune glowed to the rendezvous point. Mars had
expected Nozomu and the others to already be there when they arrived.
Even if it took Nozomu
and the others some time to escape, it was taking far too long.
"Maybe everyone
was defeated..."
"It's possible.
The opponents who chased us to the base were Fourth Class. If they had pursued
us all the way to the base..."
As Tommy muttered,
Cami began talking about the opponents who had been chasing them, agreeing with
his opinion.
Tommy nodded at Cami's
words, but Mars looked skeptical, hand on his chin.
"Is that so? I
don't think he'd be easily defeated, even if he couldn't win..."
At that moment, a
sound of something approaching could be heard from deep within the thicket.
Mars and the others readied their weapons, thinking it was an enemy. But from
the thicket emerged not an enemy, but Jin, who was supposed to be with Nozomu.
"Haa, haa,
haa..."
"H-hey! Are you
alright?!"
"What happened?
Where's Deck? Where's Hamuria?"
Tommy caught Jin, who
was running towards Mars and the others, breathing heavily. Cami, seeing that
only Jin had arrived, asked what happened to their other comrades.
"Haa, haa...
An-Anri-sensei... as a special target... attacked the base..."
"!!!"
What Jin said plunged
Mars and the others into a whirlpool of shock. To hold Anri, who had attacked,
Nozomu acted as the decoy, and on the way, Deck and Hamuria turned back to
provide support. And while they were holding her off, Jin came to call Mars and
the others.
"... Understood.
For now, let's join Nozomu and the others."
"W-wait! Mars, do
you think Nozomu and the others haven't been disqualified yet?! Their opponent
is a school teacher! There's no way they can win, right?!"
It was Tommy who
stopped Mars as he tried to meet up with Nozomu. Cami, who was next to him,
seemed to agree with Tommy, nodding at his opinion.
If Jin's story was
true, a considerable amount of time had passed since Nozomu and the others
encountered Anri. Moreover, Nozomu was apparently fighting Anri alone at first.
It was understandable that they, being skeptical of Nozomu's abilities, doubted
Nozomu and the others's survival.
"Then what do you
want to do? Stay here? I'm going. I don't think he'd be easily defeated,
either. He might have already defeated Anri, you know."
Mars smiled
provocatively at Tommy and the others. Tommy and Cami frowned at his smile. As
a tense atmosphere hung in the air, Jin, still breathing heavily, slowly stood
up and began to return the way he came.
"... Jin?"
"H-hey..."
Tommy and Cami looked
on in confusion. Ignoring the two, Jin tried to return to Nozomu and the others
as quickly as possible.
"... Are you
alright?"
"Haa, haa...
I-I'm alright. More importantly, let's go quickly. If we don't go fast, we'll
put a burden on Nozomu-kun and the others..."
"Like I said!
They might already be disqualified!"
Mars worried about
Jin, who was still out of breath, but he said he was fine and tried to return
to Nozomu and the others.
Seeing his demeanor,
Tommy shouted, but despite his pained breathing, Jin's expression was calm.
"It's alright. I
think Nozomu-kun and the others probably haven't been disqualified..."
"What makes you
think so..."
Tommy, still unable to
believe that Nozomu and the others hadn't been disqualified, looked up at the
sky at Jin's words.
"... When we were
waiting for everyone, the enemy party that had been chasing us to the base
caught up. They were the Fourth Class..."
"What!"
Seeing Tommy, who
still couldn't fully believe Nozomu, Jin decided to tell him about how they had
just defeated a higher-ranked enemy party. Tommy's eyes widened at Jin's story.
"If it had just
been us, we would have been defeated immediately. But we were able to wipe out
the pursuing enemy party without losing a single person... Why do you think
that is?"
"Why, you
ask..."
By this point, even
Tommy could imagine whose help they had repelled the enemy. Still, as he
faltered, Jin presented the fact again.
"It was
Nozomu-kun. We were able to win thanks to the traps he set and his strategy.
I'm sure he'll be fine against Anri-sensei. This might not be a valid reason
since she's a teacher and not a student, but I just feel that way..."
" "
............ " "
"... Then, let's
go check."
"Eh?"
Jin suggested to the
two, who remained silent, that they go check. Indeed, staying here wouldn't
tell them what happened to Nozomu and the others, who were actually fighting
Anri. To know that, they had no choice but to go and see for themselves.
"So, let's go
check. It's fine if Nozomu-kun and the others are safe by the time we arrive,
right?"
"B-but. If
they're defeated, then we'll be defeated next, won't we..."
Jin delivered a
decisive blow to Tommy, who was concerned about further loss of strength.
"Either way, our
fighting strength will drop drastically if we lose Nozomu-kun and the other
two. Do you think we can win this exercise in that state? He's the brains of
this party right now, so if we lose our head, I don't think we can fight
properly. I think we'll just be scattered and defeated individually, don't you
think?"
"Ugh..."
Their party was
inherently inferior to other parties in individual strength. To overcome that,
they needed to gather numbers and coordinate seamlessly. And if Nozomu and the
other three were gone, nearly half of the party would be gone. There was no way
they could fight in this exercise like that.
"... It's decided
then. Let's go."
Perhaps convinced by
Jin's words, after a moment of hesitation, Tommy and Cami began to follow Mars
and Jin, who had started running.
As they began heading
towards Nozomu, Nozomu and the others were in a difficult situation.
***
The battle between
Anri and Nozomu's group was proceeding with Anri in the lead. The joining of
Nozomu's comrades and his almost hitting her with his attack, led Anri to
decide it was time to get serious.
She circulated ki
throughout her entire body and even into her weapons, making her whip even
sharper and attacking Nozomu and the others with literally unpredictable
movements.
However, Nozomu and
the others weren't going to take it lying down. Nozomu and Deck used their
numerical advantage to slip through the whip's attacks and try to get close to
Anri. Hamuria also used magic for long-range attacks.
However, even if they
disregarded their injuries and closed in on Anri, they were blocked by her
black iron rod, and long-range magic was either batted away by her whip or
dodged.
While they had held
out for a considerable amount of time due to Deck and the others joining,
Nozomu and the others were gradually being pushed back.
"Guh!"
Anri's whip struck
Nozomu's shoulder. Blood spurted from the spot where he was hit, but Nozomu did
not stop moving. He jumped sideways, hid behind a tree, and dodged the whip
that came at him again.
"Hah!"
While Nozomu was
drawing Anri's whip, Deck closed the distance with Flash Step. He swung his
spear in a wide horizontal sweep, but Anri easily parried it with her black
iron rod, then flicked her wrist, holding the whip.
"E~i!"
"Whoa!!"
Anri wrapped her whip
around Deck's leg, and with a silly-sounding voice, she threw his body with all
her might.
Seizing the
opportunity, Hamuria activated a spell. A fireball rushed towards Anri, but she
batted it away with a ki-infused whip.
"Th-this's
bad!"
Anri's batted-away
fireball. Beyond it was Nozomu, hidden behind a tree. At this rate, he would be
burned by friendly fire.
Almost simultaneously
with Nozomu jumping out from behind the tree, the fireball struck the tree. At
that moment, the exploding flames scattered, burning the tree and the
surrounding vegetation.
"Ah, that was
close... Wait, not again!!"
Anri's whip once again
approached Nozomu, who had jumped out from behind the tree. Nozomu tried to
dodge the approaching whip using Flash Step - Curving Dance - and the
surrounding trees as before, but her whip, now even sharper, weaved through the
gaps in the trees and accurately continued to target Nozomu.
"Damn it!"
In the end, Nozomu
couldn't slip through the whip's gap and temporarily retreated. He fell back to
Hamuria's position, out of the whip's reach.
"Are you
alright?"
"Yeah.
Thanks."
Hamuria cast a healing
spell on Nozomu, who had retreated. The light that enveloped his body
accelerated his healing, and the wound on his shoulder, struck by Anri's whip,
began to close.
Deck, who had been
thrown, also came to Nozomu and Hamuria's location.
"... As expected,
we're at a disadvantage."
"Yeah.
Anri-sensei is incredibly strong. It's unimaginable from her usual
demeanor..."
Deck sighed, recalling
Anri's usual appearance teaching in the classroom.
Anri didn't pursue
Nozomu and Deck when they retreated. Her expression was the same soft smile as
always, but there was no opening in her stance.
Anri didn't close the
distance immediately, nor did she let Nozomu and the others into her whip's
range, but she walked slowly, as if teasing them. The oppressive feeling from
her stance hadn't changed, but Nozomu somehow felt that Anri's cheeks were
loosening.
"Uhm, Sensei. Is
your rank A-rank?"
"Hmm~. My rank~?
Yes, it is~."
Hamuria timidly asked
Anri to confirm her rank, and she clearly affirmed that she was A-rank.
This fact made Deck
and Hamuria gasp.
"H-hey. Is A-rank
this strong?"
"... I wonder?
Even among A-ranks, their abilities vary, I think. Originally, for us students,
rank is based on academic performance, but for others like adventurers and
soldiers, it's based on their achievements. So, rank is just one
guideline..."
Deck asked Nozomu, but
Nozomu couldn't answer the question well.
For students, rank is
determined by their grades. For others like adventurers and soldiers, it's
based on their achievements, but it's not always the case that one's ability
necessarily correlates with a suitable rank.
It's entirely possible
that even if one has the ability, they haven't achieved sufficient results or
accomplishments.
Indeed, the pressure
Nozomu felt from Anri now was considerable, but he didn't feel the same level
of pressure as from his master, Shino.
In particular, the
pressure Nozomu felt during his final fierce battle with Shino was incomparable
to the pressure he felt from Anri now.
"... I think
there's no doubt that Anri-sensei's rank is A-rank. However, I think Sensei's
ability is quite high among A-ranks."
From that fact, Nozomu
concluded that Anri's ability was likely quite high within the A-rank. However,
even if Nozomu had estimated Anri's ability, it didn't give Nozomu and the
others an advantage.
Nozomu knew two people
with the same rank as Anri: Irisdina and Tima, but even Irisdina, the top
student, would undoubtedly struggle against Anri as she was now.
(That whip is
troublesome, anyway. If we don't do something about it, we'll be
overwhelmed...)
"... Nozomu-kun~.
What's wrong~? If you're not coming, I'll come to you~."
"Kuh!!"
Anri said that and
raised her whip.
Before the descending
whip reached them, Nozomu and the others scattered and moved away from the
spot.
Nozomu and Deck jumped
left and right, and Hamuria retreated backward.
Seeing Nozomu and the
others scatter, Anri immediately aimed and swung her arm. Her target was
Nozomu.
Nozomu tried to dodge
with Flash Step - Curving Dance, but as Nozomu changed his course, Anri's whip
also changed direction to follow him.
"Guh!!"
Anri manipulated her
wrist movement and the ki infused in the whip to change its direction, and the
whip struck Nozomu's upper arm. Unlike the battle before Deck and the others
arrived, Anri's whip was now reliably hitting Nozomu.
Anri's whip and
Nozomu's movements. In terms of sheer speed, the former overwhelmingly
surpassed the latter, but speed alone made it difficult to catch Nozomu's
complex curvilinear movements.
However, the reason it
became possible was simple.
(Hmm, what would
Nozomu-kun do next? There's still distance, so maybe he'll jump back a bit?)
As Anri thought that,
Nozomu jumped backward, clutching his struck upper arm. He had at least put
some distance between them.
(And the next moment~,
he'll pretend to retreat~, then rapidly advance~~)
Anri swung her whip.
Her target was the space in front of Nozomu. The next moment, Nozomu, who had
jumped back momentarily, activated Flash Step with full power the moment he
landed.
Anri had been watching
the students all along. Therefore, she knew exactly what their next move would
be.
"Wha!!"
As a result, Nozomu
himself ran into Anri's whip. Nozomu instinctively tried to dodge the whip
coming down on his head from above, but it already had momentum and he couldn't
fully avoid it. He tilted his head to avoid a direct hit to the head, but the
descending whip struck his shoulder squarely.
"Gah!!"
A cry of agony escaped
Nozomu's lips as intense pain shot through his shoulder. Anri raised her arm to
press her attack.
(And~, when I try to
attack Nozomu-kun~, Deck-kun will come from behind~)
Anri suddenly turned
around, still in the posture of having swung her whip. There, Deck, who had
moved behind her while Nozomu was buying time, was about to thrust his spear.
"Kuh!!"
Deck, whose actions
had been read, twisted his face in frustration but thrust his spear without
holding back. However, Anri parried the thrust spear with the black iron rod in
her other hand, then quickly closed the distance and delivered a roundhouse kick
to Deck's flank.
"Gah!!"
The amplified kick
easily sent Deck flying, and he was slammed into a tree trunk.
Anri turned away from
Deck, whom she had just sent flying. At that moment, a fireball grazed her side
and struck a tree behind her.
(Hmm. Almost there, I
guess~)
Anri, who had easily
dodged Hamuria's magic, then fired a ki blast at her. The fired ki blast hit
the staff Hamuria was holding, and the impact sent her flying.
(Indeed, for a
makeshift team, their coordination is quite good~. Nozomu-kun's movements are
good too~, and Deck-kun and Hamuria-san's support isn't bad~. The problem is
that they're a bit too predictable, perhaps~)
Anri secretly rated
Nozomu and the others quite highly.
Their coordination
itself wasn't bad. In fact, it was quite well-executed. The timing of their
attacks wasn't bad, and they were providing decent support for each other. It
was hard to believe this was the first time they had formed a party together.
Perhaps something had happened to connect them to this extent.
Anri was genuinely
happy that Nozomu, who had been isolated in the class, was able to do so much
with his classmates other than Mars, but even with some coordination, it wasn't
enough to slip past her whip.
Anri tended to be
underestimated due to her usual gentle demeanor, but she possessed considerable
insight.
Nozomu and the others
currently had clear roles: Nozomu as the vanguard, Deck as the mid-guard, and
Hamuria as the rear-guard. While their defense was solid, their individual
movements had not yet surpassed the movements Anri had seen from them before.
It wasn't particularly difficult for Anri, who had always watched over them, to
read their movements.
Their objective was to
buy time, but with Anri able to freely use her whip, buying time was becoming
difficult. Moreover, because Nozomu and the others's actions were predictable
to Anri, they were gradually becoming unable to parry her attacks.
(Just a little more,
Nozomu-kun and the others... oh?)
As Anri had parried
all of Nozomu and the others's attacks and was about to attack the kicked-away
Deck, Nozomu suddenly charged at Anri again.
"That's why~.
You're solid but~, easy to read~."
"!!"
Anri swung the whip
she was about to unleash on Deck, turning around and firing it at Nozomu. The
whip approached Nozomu from diagonally above at a clearly faster speed than
when they fought earlier.
Nozomu poured all his
ki into his legs and exploded it.
The extreme
compression and explosion of ki propelled Nozomu to top speed in an instant.
While the speed itself wasn't overwhelmingly fast, he tried to outmaneuver
Anri's whip with that instantaneous acceleration.
However, Anri wouldn't
fall for the same trick twice. At full power, she instantly changed the
direction of her whip, delivering a second sweeping attack from the side.
"Kuh!!"
Nozomu bit his lip as
the whip approached. He already knew that Flash Step - Curving Dance alone
wouldn't be enough to avoid her whip when she wasn't holding back. Even if he
tried to parry it with his katana, it would still leave him vulnerable.
(Then!!)
Nozomu ignored the
approaching whip and charged forward. At the same time, he poured ki into his
free hand, compressing it to the extreme.
(Anri-sensei's weapon
is blunt-force. If I take one hit with the extremely compressed ki, it might
work!)
Nozomu intentionally
ignored Anri's attack and tried to close the distance. His extreme
concentration allowed him to predict the whip's trajectory, letting the tip of
the whip strike precisely on the part of his arm where he had extremely
compressed his ki.
"Gh!!"
With a bash! sound, an
impact shot through his arm. A pain that reverberated through his core traveled
from his arm to his brain, and a cry of agony escaped Nozomu's lips.
But even so, Nozomu
didn't stop. He was just a few steps away from his katana's striking range. He
couldn't back down now.
Nozomu whipped his
arm, which was numb from the pain, and swung his katana. Anri had already
raised her black iron rod, ready to meet Nozomu.
But Nozomu didn't care
if his attack reached Anri. He just needed to close the distance and get Anri
into a situation where she couldn't use her whip. However...
"Wha!!"
Nozomu's katana
suddenly stopped in mid-air. When he looked at his katana, Anri's whip was
wrapped around its blade.
(Damn it! I forgot she
could control the whip with ki...)
The whip, which Nozomu
thought he had parried, was manipulated by Anri's wrist and the ki sent into
the whip. It cut into the trajectory of Nozomu's katana and wrapped around it,
stopping its movement.
Anri stepped towards
Nozomu. Nozomu's katana was tangled, and his upper body was completely exposed.
Anri swung her black iron rod at his defenseless torso.
"Kuh!!"
Nozomu instinctively
drew the sheath from his waist to block Anri's black iron rod, but his stance
was greatly thrown off. Furthermore, Nozomu was directly hit by Anri's
continuous kicks and was sent flying.
"Gah!!"
He was slammed to the
ground, gasped. Whipping his aching body, Nozomu somehow managed to stand up.
He saw that Deck and Hamuria had also somehow managed to get up.
"Kuh! Are you two
alright...?"
"S-somehow..."
"Y-yeah..."
Their voices answering
Nozomu's call were not good. Honestly, Nozomu thought it was impossible to buy
any more time.
(The most reasonable
judgment would be to retreat from this place... but Anri-sensei probably won't
let us.)
Anri's weapon was
suitable for mid-range, but she could also use magic. She wasn't using magic
now because she was using ki techniques, but if Nozomu and the others started
to retreat and there was no longer a concern about them getting close, she
might start using magic.
(It's better to assume
that patterned coordination and tactics will be read. Then, there's no choice
but to take an unconventional approach, but...)
Nozomu recalled his
one-on-one battle with Anri earlier. Although Anri wasn't serious at the time,
he had once gotten close to her. At that time, Nozomu's movements temporarily
exceeded Anri's expectations, allowing him to engage in close combat. If he
could take Anri by surprise again, another opportunity would arise.
"Nozomu. You have
a plan, don't you?"
"Eh?"
A dazed sound escaped
Nozomu's lips at Deck's sudden question. Seeing his expression, Deck smirked.
"You have a look
on your face like you have a plan. So... can we win?"
"...
Probably."
The method Nozomu had
thought of was quite extraordinary and had many uncertain elements. But if it
worked, they could repel Anri with just the number of people present.
"Then, let's do it.
It seems difficult for both Hamuria and me to fight any longer, and I can't
think of a breakthrough. So, we have no choice but to bet on that plan."
Nozomu looked at
Hamuria, and she also looked straight at Nozomu and nodded.
"... There's also
the option of retreating, and I think Anri-sensei wouldn't pursue if only one
person remained as a decoy."
"Idiot. That
would make our coming here meaningless!"
"That's right! To
win, we need Nozomu-kun's strength. Besides, I want to win against
Anri-sensei."
Hamuria gripped her
staff tightly. It was as if the timid girl from moments ago was a lie.
"We were always
the failures at the academy. We were constantly ridiculed by students from
other classes. Always losing and just looking down..."
Hamuria looked down,
words escaping her as she bit her teeth in frustration.
Indeed, the students
of the 10th class, including Nozomu, were considered complete losers and a
class of failures by students from other classes. Nozomu, due to rumors and his
own ability suppression, was particularly looked down upon even within the 10th
class, but it wasn't as if the other students of the 10th class had never
experienced similar treatment to Nozomu.
They had been given
scornful looks when walking in the hallways, or had hurtful words directed at
them in intentionally loud voices.
"But thanks to
Nozomu-kun, we were able to defeat people from other classes. You proved that
we can win."
That's why Nozomu, who
proved that they were not inferior to other classes, shone brightly to Deck and
Hamuria. They could believe that if they followed this person, they could win.
"So I want to
win. Against students from other classes, and against Anri-sensei. More than
anything, I want to prove to my classmates that we aren't inferior
either."
Hamuria looked
straight at Nozomu without hesitation. Deck also looked at Nozomu with strong
determination in his eyes.
Nozomu was overwhelmed
by their gaze.
Unlike himself, who
kept agonizing, they were aiming for victory without hesitation.
Nozomu saw Irisdina,
who had previously talked about her dream, overlapping with them as they looked
at him directly.
"... Got
it."
Nozomu, encouraged by
their eyes, made up his mind and spoke. He told them his plan, to those who
desired victory, to those who wanted to prove that they were not inferior.
"... Eh?"
"...
Seriously?"
Hamuria and Deck,
hearing Nozomu's plan, both gasped in surprise, their eyes wide. The plan
Nozomu had just told them was too outlandish.
However, their
bewilderment was momentary. They immediately tightened their expressions and
faced Anri with determination.
"Are you
done~?"
Anri's relaxed voice
reached Nozomu and the others.
"Yes, with this,
we'll win against you, sensei."
"Hmm~. Can
you~?"
"Yeah,
definitely."
"!"
Nozomu and the others
answered Anri, who was smiling provocatively, with an overly early declaration
of victory. Seeing this, Anri's expression quickly changed from a provocative
smile to a happy, gentle one.
Deck also followed
Nozomu's declaration of victory, and Hamuria answered by gripping her staff
tightly.
"…I see. Well
then~, show me~. Your 'growth'!"
Anri swung her whip.
The ki-enhanced whip sliced through the air, approaching Nozomu and the others.
Nozomu stepped forward, exposing himself to the whip's storm, and called out to
Deck.
"Deck!"
"Yeah, I
know!"
Deck was chanting a
spell behind Nozomu. The surrounding air gathered at the tip of his raised
spear.
Eventually, he created
a fist-sized mass of wind and plunged the spear with the wind mass deep into
the ground.
The exploding wind
mass kicked up a large amount of dust, concealing Nozomu and the others. Anri's
whip disappeared into the dust cloud, but she felt no impact. It seemed she had
missed.
The next moment,
several ki blasts appeared from the dust cloud and attacked Anri. She
immediately swung her whip and batted away the ki blasts. But the moment Anri
batted away the last ki blast, a shadow charged through the dust cloud. It was
Deck.
"Oooooh!!"
"I expect
that~."
Anri immediately
responded to Deck, who was charging in with Flash Step. She struck Deck's leg
with her whip, slowing his momentum and buying time. Then, she compressed ki at
the tip of her returning whip and swung it towards Deck's temple.
Deck instinctively
raised his spear to block, but he couldn't fully defend. The whip struck Deck's
spear, then wrapped around it, hitting his shoulder hard, and the contained ki
exploded simultaneously. Deck was burned and sent flying, collapsing to the
ground.
(Next will be
Nozomu-kun, I guess~? Or maybe Hamuria-san's magic~? But that alone won't reach
me~)
Anri looked back at
the dust cloud again, and suddenly heard an explosion, and then someone burst
through the dust cloud.
Anri readied her whip
again for interception.
"So it's
Nozomu-kun next~. But this won't be... eh?"
"Eeeei!!"
Anri thought it was
Nozomu who had charged in, but surprisingly, it was Hamuria. She charged
towards Anri at a speed that was unimaginable for a Mage.
"Eh?!
Ehhh?!"
Anri, who never
expected Hamuria, who should have been at the rear, to charge in, instinctively
swung her whip to intercept, but the whip was repelled in mid-air and didn't
reach Hamuria.
Hamuria, who had
charged at Anri, hugged her around the waist and slammed Anri's body into a
tree trunk without losing momentum.
"W-wait~. Let
go~~!"
Anri swung her black
iron rod down to try and dislodge Hamuria, who was clinging to her, but her
black iron rod was again repelled in mid-air. Looking closely, a thin membrane
of light enveloped Hamuria's body.
This membrane of light
was actually a magic barrier, and it was also what had repelled Anri's whip.
Furthermore, Hamuria
activated a spell she had pre-chanted.
Earth-colored chains
wrapped around Anri's body, binding her. The chains also restrained Anri's
whip, tying her whip to the tree along with her body so she couldn't control it
with ki.
"Eh? Ehhh?
Ehh!?"
As Anri was in
confusion, a sudden gust of wind blew. Nozomu was in front of her.
He had sheathed his
katana and was in a drawing stance.
Anri's body was
already completely restrained. She could forcefully break free, but by the time
she realized it, there was no time.
Nozomu's katana was
drawn. The slash, accelerated by using the sheath as a launchpad, cut Anri's
pendant in half.
"... With this,
we win."
Nozomu declared
victory again. His aim was to disqualify Anri by destroying her pendant, which
was proof of her participation in the exercise.
Everyone hid in the
dust cloud created by Deck. First, Nozomu fired a diversionary ki blast and
retreated simultaneously, falling back behind Hamuria.
Then, Deck also
charged in to attract Anri's attention, and Hamuria solidified her defenses
using a magic barrier.
Furthermore, Hamuria
chanted a binding spell, preparing to restrain Anri, and then Nozomu used the
ki technique "Vibration Strike" to send Hamuria flying towards Anri.
The plan was for
Nozomu to destroy Anri's pendant while Hamuria, who had tackled Anri,
restrained her with binding magic.
"Oh dear~. I
lost~."
Anri said with a
slightly regretful voice, but her expression was soft and very happy.
"It's frustrating
to have lost~, but it was good to see everyone's growth~."
Anri smiled
contentedly. For her, it was probably enough to confirm that her students had
grown more than she expected and that Nozomu had properly integrated into the
other party.
(Yes! This is fine!
Nozomu-kun and the others might go quite far~!)
"Hey Nozomu! Are
you alright?!"
Just then, Mars and
the others came from deep within the thicket. It seemed that Jin, who had
called them, had just arrived.
"No way... they
won..."
"...
Seriously?"
"Is everyone
okay?"
Jin, Tommy, and Cami
appeared from behind Mars. Tommy and Cami looked at Nozomu and the others, who
had defeated Anri, as if they had seen something unbelievable. Jin was helping
Deck, who was lying on the ground, get up.
"I'm fine."
Hamuria answered Jin's
call with a clear voice. Since she had protected herself with a magic barrier,
there were no noticeable injuries on her body.
"Yeah, I can move
somehow... but I'm disqualified..."
"Ah..."
However, Deck, who had
taken a direct hit from Anri's whip at the end, seemed to be different. His
pendant was glowing red, signaling his disqualification.
Nozomu's face
contorted when he realized this. He was frustrated that he had caused Deck to
be disqualified despite him coming to help.
However, Deck didn't
look dejected at all; his face was bright and clear.
"Don't worry
about it, Nozomu. In fact, I'm grateful. We actually won against
Anri-sensei..."
From his perspective,
retiring halfway through was regrettable, but he felt no regret or lingering
attachment.
He had won twice
against an opponent he thought he could never beat. They, who had always wanted
to win but couldn't, had faced an entity stronger than themselves with all
their might and achieved victory.
It gave him a sense of
satisfaction he had never experienced during his time in the 10th class.
That's why he was
grateful to Nozomu and held no resentment whatsoever.
"... Yeah."
Perhaps understanding
his feelings, Nozomu's hardened expression softened slightly.
"Congratulations,
everyone~. You all did very well~. Since you defeated me, a special target,
I'll give you these~."
Anri happily took out
the pendants she had collected from her pocket and handed them to Nozomu and
the others. There were over 20 of them. Considering the points for defeating a
special target and the points Mars had earned, this would be a significant
addition that would instantly put them in contention for the top spots.
"... I-I wonder
how high our ranking is now?"
Deck flinched at the
points they had earned. The other members seemed to be the same; only Nozomu
and Mars were unperturbed.
"It's hard to say
we're at the top, but we should be able to do pretty well."
"For now, let's
move on. We had a pretty big fight with Anri-sensei, so we need to
move..."
Mars and Nozomu calmly
assessed the situation and prepared to move on to their next action. The
exercise wasn't over yet. From here on, the level of the parties they would
fight would increase significantly. Weaker parties would be weeded out, and
only those with solid abilities would remain.
"I'm retiring
here, so I'll head back to headquarters. Thanks, Nozomu."
"Same here. If
Deck and Hamuria hadn't come, I would have been defeated."
Nozomu and Deck bumped
fists. It was the moment Nozomu realized they were not just bound by mutual
interest, but by trust.
"By the way,
Nozomu-kun. Well... umm~."
"Hm? What is it,
Anri-sensei?"
Anri suddenly called
out to Nozomu and the others, who were about to leave. Her face seemed a little
red. Moreover, for some reason, she was fidgeting with her hands and holding
down her skirt.
"About what
happened earlier~. ... Did you see it?"
"See what...
Ah."
The skirt Anri was
holding down. When he noticed that, the scene replayed in Nozomu's mind. The
white, dazzling skin visible beyond the gently fluttering skirt in the air. The
slender, well-proportioned legs. And the cute pink fabric.
Nozomu's face
instantly turned red as the memory resurfaced. Anri understood everything from
that alone.
"Y-you saw it~?!
My, my!!"
Anri, whose face was
even redder than Nozomu's, began to panic. She was so embarrassed that she
swung both hands wildly like a child, steam rising from her head.
"Wh-wh-what
should I do~?! I haven't shown it to anyone yet~! I've decided to only show it
to the man who will become my husband~~!"
"... Nozomu, what
in the world were you doing to buy time?"
"What's with that
disapproving look?! You've got it wrong! I was fighting properly to buy
time!!"
Mars, taking Anri's
sudden outlandish words seriously, glared at Nozomu. For Nozomu, it was an
unavoidable accident during combat, but he instinctively raised his voice at
the rapidly dropping temperature around him. But that only deepened the
misunderstanding around him.
"Wh-what should I
do~!! At this rate, Nozomu-kun, you will have to take responsibility~!!"
"Hey! What are
you blabbering about!!"
"Nozomu-kun..."
"Nozomu, you..."
Finally, the ominous
word "responsibility" came from Anri's mouth. Even Jin and the others
started giving Nozomu cold stares.
"H-how
enviable... n-no, how outrageous! ... What color was it?" "... I-I
only get to see that in my dreams..."
Somehow, a murderous
intent began to mix in Tommy's and Deck's gazes. A bit of their true desires,
envy, and delusions that shouldn't have been leaked, were mixed in.
"It's a
misunderstanding!!!!"
Nozomu's scream echoed
through the forest. He desperately tried to explain that it was an accident to
clear up his comrades' misunderstanding, but in the end, it took him over 30
minutes to do so.
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