Another side
“Kaido-senpai, good work.”
“Ah, thank you, Katsu-kun. It was, it was really bad, senpai. It was really bad.”
“That bad?”
Kaido’s face was pale as he fled, breathless, after his assault on Jiro.
The fight with Jiro lasted less than ten seconds, but that brief moment was enough to instill a deep fear in Kaido.
Kaido’s hands trembled as he accepted the drink Katsu offered him.
They were shaking so obviously, rattling away.
“What was that attack? When it was stopped, I met your eyes for a moment, senpai, and for an instant, I saw my torso split in two in my mind’s eye.”
“That bad?”
Just as he seemed to have caught his breath after drinking, Kaido instead calmed down and remembered the recent event, causing him to tremble even more.
“If you hadn’t held back, I would have definitely been in trouble. It’s wonderful to be alive.”
Kaido kept repeating “bad, bad.”
Katsu felt that something more than ordinary had happened and gulped.
“Well, thanks to you, Kaido-senpai, the plan went well. You truly outdid yourself.”
“That’s so casual!! What are you so laid-back about regarding what I accomplished!? I was almost cut down!! My abdomen was almost split in two! Even seppuku would have been more merciful!!”
Minami’s tone was very relaxed as she spoke to Kaido, who was constantly radiating a sense of tension.
It was as casual as a neighborhood aunt talking to a grade-schooler who had just finished a marathon.
“Well, I knew you could do it, Kaido-senpai, so that’s why I made that decision. And you came back safely as I expected.”
“No, I guess that’s true, but I still don’t feel satisfied.”
Kaido pointed at Minami, a sharp sound effect accompanying it, but Minami, as if unconcerned, drank her tea leisurely. She then placed her left hand to her mouth and lightly moved her right wrist downward, stating that she had trusted Kaido.
They had acted together; one charged in and exposed themselves to danger, while the other maintained a safe distance and protected themselves.
Unsatisfied with this fact, Kaido decided to question Minami later and, to confirm the situation, crawled on all fours toward an area that was brightly lit on only one side.
“So, Kitamiya-chan, what’s the situation with senpai’s movements?”
“As Minami said, I’ve managed to keep his attention focused downwards, but it’s only a matter of time before he notices us. Not to mention Jiro-san, his movements are truly incredible. If I hadn’t listened to Minami and attacked head-on at first, we would have been wiped out.”
Kitamiya knelt and peered down into the brightened area.
This was a space within the towering pillars of the arena, solidified and bound by a barrier that Minami had magically created.
Among the sparse pillars, Minami chose one to be as inconspicuous as possible.
While they had other bases, those were merely reserves. Minami believed that if this place was discovered, the same trick wouldn’t work again and that it would only serve as a decoy.
From within this space, they looked down and watched the scene of Kitamiya’s Golem fighting Jiro.
“Ugh, they’re being cut down with almost a single stroke. Kitamiya-chan, are you alright?”
“For now, I’m attacking constantly, and sometimes attacking from the water to distract him, but I don’t know how long I can keep it up…”
Kitamiya, with a stern expression, felt the direness of the current battle situation acutely.
The gap in strength was so wide that she could easily agree with Kaido’s words praising Jiro.
Even though isolating the footing and dropping him into the water would immobilize him, she was struggling just to guide him and keep him from moving from that spot.
She understood that even the maintenance of that space was only possible because Jiro was observing their actions, which made her even more anxious.
“Haa, Amī, how’s your magic recovery?”
Kitamiya, accurately grasping her own feelings, took a deep breath before her head got hot as usual and called out to Amelia, who was key to their next move.
“Hmm, is it about half? I healed with potions, but I can’t drink any more. In fact, I might have drunk a little too much, my stomach is, ugh~”
Amelia, who had unleashed a large-scale magic spell that created a huge tsunami with her first move, was dizzy as if suffering from anemia from being on the verge of a magic depletion. However, she drank the magic potion like chugging a two-liter bottle of cola, and her complexion recovered.
Instead, due to the large amount of liquid she had ingested, her stomach was distended, and she blushed, holding her stomach as if afraid of making a plop sound if she moved even slightly. She declared that she couldn’t drink any more.
“That’s enough. I made you cast such a big spell at first, but next time, please use something on a smaller scale.”
“No problem. I’m fine!”
Despite her condition, Amelia replied cheerfully, and Kitamiya smiled, re-energized, and focused on controlling the Golem.
The plan was proceeding smoothly.
Thanks to Kaido’s life-risking surprise attack, Jiro believed that Kitamiya and the others were underwater, and he remained in place, wary of his surroundings.
Because of this, Kitamiya’s Ice Golem had successfully kept Jiro in place and secured the best position to observe his movements.
With this, their initial goal had been achieved.
“Indeed, the more I watch leader’s movements, the more I realize they’re inhuman. Can we really win this?”
“Be serious. What will happen if you get weak? However, when you first suggested we observe him, I thought it was overkill, but it was the right decision.”
“Nfuh~”
“Can’t you do something about that smug look?”
“Well, Kitamiya is unusually praising me, so I felt I had to show it right now.”
Minami’s expression, which had been smug, turned sharp as she declared she had no regrets. Kitamiya inwardly sighed, thinking that she would be easiergoing if she didn’t have that trait, and focused on controlling the Golem.
In Kitamiya’s line of sight, a distant figure of Jiro and several of the Golems Kitamiya had prepared were visible.
Kitamiya felt as if she were playing a game, yet she was doing her best to control the Golems, and seeing them cut down with a single stroke made her break out in a cold sweat at Jiro’s strength.
The time it took to defeat each one was short.
She felt this way because she was intensely aware that she was actually fighting Jiro.
She had honed her skills during this training, polishing them to be able to counter Kio, the instructor known as the Oni King, even a little.
She had stepped into this battle with a certain level of confidence.
Yet, it was as if she had been brushed aside effortlessly.
To avoid getting on the same level as her opponent, she chose a spear, which had a wider range than a sword, and repeated hit-and-run tactics.
Furthermore, she had even prepared to switch from a spear to a bow for support, but she hadn’t had the chance to use it, as she had to keep recreating Golems.
Filling the surroundings with water using Amelia’s magic was to conserve the magic power Kitamiya’s Ice Golem consumed.
Creating a Golem also required magic power.
It was obvious that having material at hand was better than creating one from scratch, and seeing her magic power dwindle so rapidly made her think this.
“Observing is fine, but my magic won’t last much longer. We need to move to the next stage.”
She realized that confronting him head-on was futile.
Therefore, Kitamiya asked Minami for her opinion. They had only had the minimum necessary discussion, as creating a plan without knowing the field was reckless. Kitamiya racked her brain to find a way to win using the new techniques each of them had acquired.
What Kitamiya and the others had done was, in Minami’s words, simply like tackling a raid boss.
They repeatedly challenged the instructor as a group, were corrected, improved, challenged again, and repeated the cycle.
The instructor pointed out individual flaws and offered advice.
It was a practical and efficient teaching method.
Kaido and the others admired the instructor’s skill in providing both training to reduce weaknesses and guidance to enhance strengths, while enduring their frustrating days against an unforgiving opponent.
Kaido and the others sensed a similar atmosphere to the end of this training.
Although their opponent was Jiro, who was usually their ally, they were reminded by the instructor’s mindset training to engage with abandon, which had led to this situation where they used every available tactic without mercy.
“Indeed, it’s true that winning head-on is difficult, or rather, impossible, but it’s not like we can’t win otherwise. While leader has transcended humanity, fortunately, we can still see a path to victory against the instructors. The problem is how to land Amī’s big magic spell.”
Kitamiya couldn’t avert her gaze from Jiro as she operated the Golem, but she discussed the next steps with Minami face-to-face.
However, they concluded that they were lacking a decisive blow.
No, there was a decisive blow.
The big magic spell that Amelia had acquired during this training was the result of much thought, simply to find a way to inflict damage on Jiro.
Although she usually acted as a swift scout, her inner magic capacity was exceptional.
And since she herself wanted to learn magic, she saw this training as the perfect opportunity to supplement their firepower.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that due to her immense magic power, Amelia couldn’t perform fine magic control yet and could only cast large-scale spells, which didn’t require such delicate manipulation.
Even Jiro should take damage from that, shouldn’t he? Minami pondered, hiding the cold sweat trickling down his face and suppressing the anxiety that grew with each thought.
“What about having Katsu-kun and you provide support from the rear, and Kaido-san to stall him?”
“If you can hit the leader in three seconds, then that’s fine. However, at that point, there will be an announcement of Kaido-senpai’s demise.”
“You mean with me too!? If that’s the case, then it’s a regrettable announcement. If I have to stay put and stop senpai, I’m confident I’ll be finished in less than three seconds. Well, maybe if I’m really motivated, I can manage three seconds.”
“Even so, you’ll be instantly defeated.”
What Kaido had acquired were close-combat techniques and the method of sensing presence.
Surprisingly, Instructor Kio was not only adept at intimidation but also knowledgeable about how to make himself appear weaker.
He explained that some people deliberately concealed their strength, and it was necessary to gauge an opponent’s abilities in such cases to avoid letting down their guard and creating an opening.
It was the kind of lesson where one knew the theory but didn’t necessarily use it.
What Kaido had learned were techniques to increase or decrease his own fighting spirit and to erase it.
Furthermore, he had learned a fighting style that was as flexible as a willow branch to match these techniques.
Even using these, Kaido stated plainly, he had felt in their recent spar that he would be defeated in an instant.
“NO! It’s partly because I don’t want to shoot Kaido-san, but I need at least ten seconds to prepare the magic!”
Amelia, being the type of person who couldn’t say “just shoot me and don’t worry about me,” refused Kitamiya and Minami’s suggestions by making a cross with both hands.
“Three seconds for Kaido-senpai, can Masaru buy us the remaining seven seconds?”
“Two seconds… no, maybe one and a half. That’s still not ten seconds. It’s tough.”
“Either way, it means buying time against senpai when he’s serious is hopeless.”
“Hmm, five seconds with Kitamiya’s Golem and Kaido-senpai, and the remaining time… I have no choice. I’ll somehow manage it. I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow.”
“Minami? Are you going to do that?”
“I have no choice. If we lose here, it’ll be another day of forced training camp. I can’t afford to lose.”
Everyone’s expression turned grim upon hearing Minami’s words, especially the mention of forced training camp.
Before they began this battle, Jiro had been seen with the supervisor, radiating a faintly sweet atmosphere, while being similarly encouraged. In contrast, Kaido and the others were smiled at by Instructor Kio, who gave them a thumbs-up and sent them off, saying, “If you lose, it means my guidance was insufficient, so it’ll be another day.”
Therefore, even the usually unmotivated Minami was serious this time.
“Another month without the internet is impossible!”
Everyone found Minami’s reason for avoiding the instructor’s training to be characteristic of him, bringing a slight warmth to the mood.
“Well, if Minami is motivated, I guess it’s fine.”
Katsu smiled at his childhood friend, who was usually not the fiery type, and prepared for what was to come.
Another side End
Today’s Word:
It is common to use suggestion to gain an advantage in negotiations.
That is all for today.
Thank you as always for your corrections and feedback.
If you found this interesting, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc.
*The first volume of the novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
An e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19th.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content includes revisions and additions to the material posted on “Shosetsu ni Naro,” along with the inclusion of previously unpublished interlude chapters.
Please consider purchasing the new releases!
A manga adaptation will be featured in the September issue of Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
We hope you enjoy that as well.
We ask for your continued support of this work.
