Volume 6
Interlude
If Story – If The
Master Lived Route
This happened after Nozomu realized he had been running away, when he was promoted to the third grade.
The battle that made
Nozomu realize the fact that while saying it was for Lisa's sake, he had been
shutting himself away to protect his own weak heart.
Having received
Shino's life-risking teachings, Nozomu had finally begun to look forward.
Due to the injuries he
sustained in the battle with his master, his grades at the end of the term were
poor, and even upon entering the third grade, he remained in the 10th-rank.
But still, Nozomu's heart was bright.
A fresh start. With a
clear mood, intending to face his classes with a new attitude, Nozomu was in
the classroom waiting for the arrival of Anri, who had become his homeroom
teacher once again.
"Umm... Good
morning, everyone~. For now~, please take your seats~."
Anri entered the
classroom, her voice somewhat lacking its usual clarity.
Her face, which should
have been smiling, was filled with a look of bewilderment.
What in the world was
wrong?
The 10th-rank
students, while tilting their heads at Anri's unusual expression, took their
respective seats.
Anri, after confirming
that all students were seated, checked attendance with the register in her hand
and began to relay announcements.
"Umm, everyone,
your third-grade life has begun~. The class format will change significantly
from what you had until the second year, so I think there will be a lot of
difficult things~, but let's do our best~! Of course, I'll be doing my best
too~, so please feel free to rely on me~."
At those words, an
indescribable atmosphere began to drift through the classroom.
The 10th-rank
classroom, having started its third year. There were almost no changes in the
students within the class, but the number had slightly decreased.
The end-of-term exam,
the culmination of a year's work. The students who were gone had been deemed to
have insufficient grades on that exam and had been expelled.
Also, seeing that the
classmates had hardly changed, it was clear that most of them had not been able
to advance to a higher rank.
It was no exaggeration
to say that the results of this end-of-year exam determined one's life for the
next year.
Those who achieved
better grades would receive treatment befitting them. Conversely, if one
couldn't achieve sufficient grades, another year of life in the lowest rank
awaited.
But the students in
the upper ranks were also making desperate efforts. Overtaking them was by no
means an easy task.
That's why the 10th-rank
students who couldn't advance to a higher rank in the previous exam must have
had mixed feelings. In such an atmosphere, the only one who was motivated was
probably Nozomu, who had been involved in a commotion far more outrageous than
any end-of-term exam.
Perhaps sensing the
atmosphere in the classroom, Anri was cutely thrusting her fist up, saying "Everyone,
let's do our best~!", but the students' reaction was still not good.
"Umm..."
Swallowed by the
gloomy atmosphere of the almost unresponsive students, Anri's powerfully raised
fist drooped dejectedly.
"Oh- right~. I'd
like to introduce a new friend to everyone~. A transfer student has come to
this classroom today~."
Anri pattered towards
the classroom entrance with quick steps.
Her faltering tone and
her gaze wandering in the air. It was obvious she was trying to forcibly change
the subject, but her small, cute movements were reminiscent of a small animal.
At the sight of Anri,
Nozomu's cheeks were about to relax, but he tilted his head at a word he
couldn't just let slide.
Transfer
student.
Having lived in this
city for two years, Nozomu, at least, had never heard of such a thing. It
seemed to be the same for the other students, as everyone's eyes widened in
surprise.
Triggered by the word
"transfer student," whispers began to spread here and there.
What kind of person
has come? Why at this time? Why skip the first and second grades? If they're
coming to this class, they can't be that great, right?
Ignoring the reactions
of her students, Anri placed her hand on the classroom door.
Her mouth was drawn in
a somewhat tired-looking line. For some reason, that bothered Nozomu. But his
question would soon be answered.
"Umm... Well
then, I'll introduce her to everyone~."
Anri threw open the
classroom door at once.
Appearing from the
opened entrance was a beautiful woman dressed in a white uniform with a single
sword at her waist... however, with the prefix "former."
A rather petite build
for a woman of her age. Her height had simply shrunk due to the passage of
time.
Her bare legs peeking
from her skirt gave a pure shock, followed by a surge of emotion from the
depths of one's stomach. Namely, to hide them, not show them.
"Sh-She's a
student in this class from today? This is Shino Mikagura-san~."
"Umu! I am Shino
Mikagura. A pleasure to meet you."
An old woman in her
eighties, clad in a pure white uniform, stood before the 10th-rank
students.
Everyone present was
gaping, mouths wide open. It was only natural.
Incidentally, a few
were looking down and covering their mouths. Was it because a stream of curses
would erupt if they opened their mouths, or would they vomit something else?
Either way, everyone was at a loss for words at the mismatch of Shino and a
student uniform. Except for one person...
"What the hell
are you doing?!?"
"You can see for
yourself! I have come to this academy as well!"
The one who had let
out a shout that could be heard throughout the academy was her one and only
beloved disciple and the successor to her sword art, Nozomu.
On the other hand, his
master, Shino, was puffing out her chest with a confident look in response to
her disciple's cry. Of course, given her attire, Nozomu had no idea what the
basis for that confidence was...
"That's not what
I'm talking about! Why are you at this academy!"
"I came to see
how my adorable, cute disciple is doing. There's nothing strange about that, is
there?"
"Why are you
making a 'what a strange thing to ask' face?!"
Banging on his own
desk, Nozomu raised his voice, but Shino just tilted her head in confusion.
"Besides, weren't
you dead, Master?!"
Or rather, the person
in front of him was supposed to have died just the other day. Since she was a
person precious to Nozomu, if she were alive, he would undoubtedly shed tears.
But faced with the
absurd sight before him, Nozomu couldn't help but shout at the top of his
lungs.
On the other hand,
Shino folded her arms with a grave expression.
"That's what I
thought too, but..."
"Gulp..."
"When I came to,
I was crawling out of my own grave! For some reason, my sleeping sickness seems
to be cured too. Goodness, this world is full of things I don't understand even
at this age. Ahahaha!"
"I'm the one who
doesn't understand your outfit!"
Pointing at his
master's outrageous attire, Nozomu raised his voice.
To be honest, Nozomu
didn't want to point it out either, but he too had reached his limit in various
ways.
Nozomu, who had
finally been able to turn over a new leaf after reflecting on his future school
life and himself. It goes without saying how great a presence the person known
as Shino was to him.
If he were to see the
person he respected in such an outfit... it was only natural.
"And why are you
a 'student'?! In your case, Master, it should be as an 'instructor'!"
"Umu, it's true
that Jihad-dono mentioned something like that... Well, um... Th-That way, I can
observe my disciple's behavior better! I've taught you everything about the
Mikagura-ryu, but you still have your immature parts. As a master, it's my duty
to watch over that properly!"
"Then it would be
better to be an instructor, so why are you coming to the academy as a student!?
I've never heard of an S-rank student!"
"I-I've never
heard of one either ~~"
Reacting to Nozomu's loud
voice, Anri drooped her shoulders and muttered weakly. It seemed she too had
been pushed around by the master's outlandishness.
A tired look, rare for
her, who was always bright and full of energy. It might be cruel to ask what
had happened.
"Well, what does
it matter? There's no age limit to becoming a student at the academy, is
there?"
"That's... true,
but~~"
Shino cut down Anri's
protesting voice in a single stroke. It was true that there was no age limit,
but still, this was just too much.
What in the world did
this recluse do...?
While caught between
the impulse to ask and the reluctance to hear, Nozomu took a deep breath to
calm himself.
"There are a lot
of things I can't accept, but I'll concede a hundred steps on you becoming a
student... but couldn't you have done something about that uniform!"
"Hmm? What do you
think, doesn't it suit me?"
Placing her hand on
her hip, Shino pinched her skirt as if to show it off. At that moment, Nozomu's
last bit of composure was blown away in an instant.
Incidentally, a few of
the students who had been covering their mouths ran out of the classroom, but
Nozomu couldn't blame them. To be honest, he wanted to run away from there
too...
"In the opposite
sense! It's so borderline in so many ways, I don't even know where to start
criticizing it!"
"What do you
mean, opposite!"
However, he was the
only one who could stop this mass of calamity now. Driven by that strange sense
of mission, Nozomu continued to raise his voice.
"It means exactly
what I said! Don't you realize, you simpleton!"
"What did you
say! And here I was, mustering up all my courage!"
"I get that you
need courage to appear in public after being a shut-in for so long, but you're
going in the wrong direction!"
"Umm~ you two~.
Please calm down a bit~."
In this case, the
courage Shino spoke of was, of course, the courage to show her splendid
appearance to Nozomu.
On the other hand, the
courage Nozomu spoke of was the courage for his people-hating master to start a
new life in the city.
The fact that she said
it was for his sake, in addition to her being alive, should have been a happy
thing for Nozomu. But the tragic sight before him had completely ruined that
emotion.
Incidentally, their
feelings for each other were also causing a strange misunderstanding, but such
a deep thought could not possibly occur to the two of them in their heated
state.
Gradually... no, with
the force of a forest fire in the dry season, the two were heating up, and Anri
was desperately trying to extinguish the fire.
"Besides, why
don't you understand a maiden's heart! That's why things got so troublesome,
isn't it?!"
"...I can't deny
it, but you're just as hopeless as I am, Master!"
"That's why~.
Please listen to what Sensei has to say~~!"
But the fire had
already spread to a level that Anri couldn't handle. As if her words were a
gentle breeze, the master and disciple's argument heated up even further.
"You un-cute
disciple! Where did that modest attitude from the other day go!"
"I'd be that way
if you were being a proper master. ...Or rather, I was like that until just a
moment ago! But the master now is just a calamity!"
"Waaah~! The two
of them won't listen to me~~!"
Finally, Anri-sensei
had tears in her eyes. The surrounding students were maintaining a policy of
non-involvement in the face of the overly fierce argument. Or rather, there was
no way they could intervene in such an argument.
"Especially that
uniform! To be honest, I'd believe it if you told me it was a new weapon!"
"...What did you
say!"
At that moment, snap!
a sound like something tearing echoed in the classroom. Followed by a BOOM! and
a large shadow covered Nozomu.
"...Huh!?"
A large object fell
from above the dazed Nozomu. It was the teacher's desk, made of hard wood.
Shino, who had snapped
at Nozomu's stream of insults, had kicked the desk, and the poor Nozomu was now
pinned underneath it.
"N-Nozomu-kun~.
Are you okay~!?"
A panicked Anri rushed
over to move the desk and try to help Nozomu.
But as she was about to
touch the desk that had been sent flying by Shino, clang! it was cut in half
with a high-pitched sound.
From under the
now-separated desk, Nozomu crawled out.
"Hah, hah... that
was close..."
"Tch!"
"Did you just clicked
your tongue, you reckless master!? Are you trying to kill me?! If it had hit me
in a bad place, I could have died!"
"As if you'd die
from something like this! Besides, you properly drew your katana and clad it in
ki before the desk hit you, didn't you?"
"That's not the
point!"
Yes, Nozomu had, in
the nick of time, drawn his katana with a reverse grip, clad it in ki, and
placed it between the desk and himself.
Therefore, although he
had been knocked down by the force of the desk, he hadn't hit his head or
anything, and he was able to escape easily by cutting the desk.
That being said, for
Nozomu, this treatment was unbearable. His head was already boiling from the
earlier argument, and with his opponent being his master, his self-restraint
had completely disappeared.
"I've had enough!
Give me back that emotional moment!"
"Hohou! You want
to fight? Very well! This is a perfect opportunity to test the condition of my
fully recovered body! And while I'm at it, I'll beat that spirit of yours back
into shape and remind you of your master's greatness!"
"Saying that in
that outfit has zero persuasive power!!"
They both stepped in
at the same time and swung their swords. A storm of sword clashes raged within
the narrow classroom.
Desks were bisected,
chairs were sent flying, and stationery was scattered.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Uwah! It grazed
me! It just grazed me!!"
"Someone! Help
meeeeeee!"
As the screams and
roars of their classmates echoed, the battle between the two swordsmen grew
even more intense.
"Kakaka,
exhilarating, exhilarating! I feel like I've gotten 60 years younger!"
"Tch! She's
getting faster?! This old hag has become even more troublesome!"
"St~o~p~! Don't
break the classroom~~!!"
Easily parrying
Nozomu's blade, Shino delivered a blow as if in return.
Somehow deflecting the
swung-down katana, Nozomu spat out a curse. And Anri, with teary eyes,
desperately shouted "Waaah~," but there was no sign that the two of
them heard her.
"Zeyah!"
"Gah!"
Shino's kick caught
Nozomu's body and sent him flying to the back wall of the classroom. Just
before, Nozomu had placed his scabbard in the path of the kick and avoided a
direct hit, but he had hit several desks when he was sent flying.
As Nozomu was wincing
from the pain of the bruises, a dashing shadow came into the corner of his
vision.
"!"
Forcing his aching
body up, Nozomu readied his katana. By that point, Shino had already caught
Nozomu in her blade's range.
"Too slow,
Nozomu!"
An upward slash like a
flash of light assaulted Nozomu. Nozomu reflexively twisted his body to escape
the katana's trajectory.
Shino's slash, while
scraping the floor, passed before Nozomu's eyes and sliced through the back
wall of the classroom.
At the same time, the
ki technique "Dust Severance" was activated. The exploded countless
ki blades deeply gouged out the back wall of the classroom.
A single gash opened
in the wall. From it, the eyes of the homeroom teacher of the next class met
Nozomu's.
"...Huh?"
"Ah, sorry."
Nozomu sent a brief
word to the homeroom teacher of the next class and returned to the battle. To
fight the powerful monster before him. And to not expose any more of his
family's shame.
However, the means to
achieve that purpose, with Nozomu's head already hot, was something that had no
room for mercy or hesitation.
Nozomu slammed ki into
his blade and thrust it at Shino.
Ki Technique:
"Core Pierce".
A ki technique with
extremely high lethality, combining "Phantom" and "Dust
Severance."
But Shino curled her
lips and, unbelievably, met the tip of Nozomu's thrust-out blade with the
opening of her own scabbard.
Nozomu's sword pierced
the opening of the scabbard. Perhaps because she was pouring more ki into the
scabbard than Nozomu, it didn't dig in any further and didn't budge an inch.
The next moment, the
ki technique "Heart Pierce" was activated. However, Nozomu's Heart
Pierce exploded inside Shino's scabbard, and all the ki blades were canceled
out by the ki applied to the inside of the scabbard.
"Hah!?"
Ignoring the surprised
Nozomu, Shino used the explosion of Nozomu's Heart Pierce to her advantage and
did a full turn, slamming a momentum-filled kick into Nozomu's solar plexus.
"Gaah!"
"Wah! Who are you
people?!"
Widening the hole that
had been pierced by Shino earlier, Nozomu's body was sent flying into the next
classroom.
The homeroom teacher
of the 9th rank let out a cry of astonishment at the suddenly appearing Nozomu.
Furthermore, Shino,
who had been chasing Nozomu, jumped into the next classroom. Her figure was
full of fighting spirit, and her eyes were shining lively. She was so full of
life that it was hard to believe she had died just the other day.
"Hahaha! Nozomu,
round two~!"
"Damn it! Give it
a rest, you idiot master!"
"Stop it
already~~~~~~~~!"
And so the commotion
caused by the two spread to the next classroom, and the master and disciple
continued to rampage until Jihad and Inda came to stop them.
Caught up in this
master-disciple battle, three classrooms were damaged to the point of being
unusable, and the equipment inside was almost completely destroyed. Inda, upon
seeing the damage, was so stunned that she stood frozen for a while. It was a
wonder that there were no human casualties.
Well, one could say
that it only ended at this level because Nozomu didn't release his ability
suppression...
What would have
happened if Nozomu had released his ability suppression? It's terrifying just
to imagine.
Because of this
commotion, Shino was expelled soon after transferring. Nozomu received a
one-week suspension. It was only natural. It might even be called lenient.
Incidentally, Shino
was later hired by Solminati Academy as a part-time instructor by Jihad, who
regretted wasting her overly high abilities and carefully considered her overly
outrageous personality.
But even after that,
this master and disciple would continue to cause outrageous commotions, but
that is another "what if" story.
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