Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

[LN] Volume 3: Chapter 4.3

Volume 3 Chapter 4.3

Ripples of Impending Danger Part 3

Translator : PolterGlast

When Deck and Hamuria had rejoined with Nozomu and resumed the battle, Mars and the others were waiting for them to arrive at the rendezvous point. A seal of approval for having completed the task was shining on Mars' pendant.

After Mars wiped out the other party that had come to retrieve the Regina flowers, they delivered the flowers to the headquarters. There they learned that their other team was attacked because the [Twin Stones of Misfortune] that Mars had with him was shattered, and they decided to go to the rendezvous point as agreed.

"......That guy is late."

A voice of concern for Nozomu and the others leaked out of Mars' mouth.

It had been some time since they arrived at the rendezvous point, but there was no sign of the other team waiting there.

Sitting on a rock, Mars quietly waited for Nozomu and the others, while Tommy and Cami looked restless, their expressions full of anxiety as they moved their bodies and walked around for no reason.

'They are late. Maybe they've all been defeated......"

"It's possible. That guy has ability suppression in the first place, and if a group of higher ranks raided the base by surprise, then-......."

Cami agreed with Tommy's words, who couldn't contain his uneasiness. As for Mars, he did not think that Nozomu would be easily defeated by a surprise attack, but he did not dare to speak out about it.

While Tommy and the others were getting more and more anxious and falling into negative thoughts in the meantime, they suddenly heard the sound of someone running from behind the bushes.

Mars and the others, thinking it was an enemy, readied their weapons, and then Jin, who was supposed to be with Nozomu and the others, jumped out from behind the bushes.

"Haa, haa, haa...... thank goodness everyone is here."

"What happened? Where's Deck? Where's Hamuria?"

Tommy caught Jin who was still breathing roughly, and Cami, knowing that he was the only one who made it to this place, asked what happened to the rest of the team.

"Haa, haa ....... A-, Anri-sensei ...... is a special target ...... and she attacked our base......."

The story told by Jin's mouth struck both of them into a whirlpool of astonishment.

"......All right. Let's go join up with Nozomu and the others for now."

"W-wait! Are you sure they haven't been disqualified yet? The other party is a school teacher, you know? There is no way they can survive!"

Tommy stopped Mars from trying to join up with Nozomu.

Cami next to him nodded her head in agreement with Tommy.

It had been quite some time since Nozomu and the others had made contact with Anri. It was not unreasonable to assume that they had dropped out.

"Then, what are you gonna do? Staying here? I'm going though. I don't think he'll be defeated that easily. And I don't mind if you choose to stay. I don't expect anything from you who just all talks after all."

Mars smiled at Tommy and Cami as if to provoke them, and they both frowned at his attitude.

As the atmosphere turned sour, Jin, who was still breathing heavily, suddenly rose his head and started heading back the way he had come.

"......Jin?"

"O-oi......."

"......Are you okay?"

"Haa, haa ....... I'm fine. More importantly, we should go. If we don't join up with them soon, we'll put a burden on Nozomu-kun and the others......"

Aside from the two who were puzzled, Mars called out to Jin, who was still not breathing properly, but he said it was no problem and stood alongside Mars.

"As I said, they might have already been disqualified!"

"It's all right. I think Nozomu-kun and the others haven't been disqualified yet......."

Tommy, seeing Jin like that, yelled impatiently, but Jin, while gasping for air in pain, did not doubt that Nozomu and the others were still alive.

"What makes you so sure?......"

"We've seen him fighting evenly against Mars many times in class, haven't we?"

"But now, his opponent is a teacher, you know? There's no way we can handle fighting a teacher......"

"If we're not careful, we'll be wiped out too. If that were to happen......"

"In any case, our party's strength will plummet if we lose Nozomu-kun and the other two. Do you think we can survive this exercise under such conditions?"

Cami hesitated, and Tommy was concerned about being wiped out along with them, but Jin shrugged both of their concerns off.

"Besides, he's got a good eye for tactics. You know that, don't you? Since Nozomu-kun is the leader of this party, if we were to lose our leader, I don't think this party will be able to fight properly, you know? This party will be torn apart, and eventually, each of us will be defeated."

"Ugh......."

Their party is inevitably inferior to other parties in terms of individual capabilities. To overturn the situation, they would need to have the numbers to work together in a coordinated manner.

And if Nozomu and the others were to be defeated, nearly half of their team members would be gone. If this were to happen, it would be impossible for them to survive the exercise.

"......It's decided then, let's go."

Mars ran off, followed by Jin. Tommy and Cami looked lost for a moment, but eventually tightened their expressions as if they had made up their minds and began to follow them.

◆

Once she became serious, Anri had the upper hand in the battle against Nozomu throughout the fight.

The fact that Nozomu was able to single-handedly keep Anri at bay by just a hair's breadth also served as a catalyst for her to give it her all.

Anri's whip had grown even sharper as she spread her Qi not only over her entire body but also over her weapons.

Combined with the sheer power that could crack rocks and her superior skill, she went on the offensive with ferocity.

However, Nozomu and his team were not going to be silently beaten.

Nozomu and Deck, taking advantage of their numbers, dodged the whips and tried to get close to Anri.

Hamuria was also using magic to launch a long-range attack.

However, even if she were to disregard the possibility of being wounded and tried to get close to Anri, she would be stopped by the black baton, whilst her long-range magic would either be deflected by the Qi-infused whip or be evaded.

With Deck and Hamuria joining the fight, they were able to hold out for quite a long time, but they had already been reduced to the point where they could not hold out any longer.

"Haa, haa...... we're utterly inferior after all."

"Fuu, fuu. You're right. Anri-sensei is really strong. It's hard to imagine from her usual behavior......"

Deck sighed as he remembered the always smiling and relaxed figure of Anri.

"Hm, hmhm~~~m......"

On the other hand, Anri was humming with her cheeks more relaxed than usual, but there was no opening in her stance at all.

"U-umm. Sensei, you are A rank, right?"

"Hmm~. My rank~? That's right~~"

"H-hey, is A rank truly this strong?"

"I'm certain that Anri-sensei's rank is A-rank. And a fairly high one at that ......"

Hamuria timidly confirmed this to Anri, and Deck's shoulders slumped at the difference in ability between him and someone of A-rank.

Even within the same rank, there is a difference in ability.

In particular, it is easy to understand that there is a clear difference in experience and other hidden factors between students who are ranked based on their grades at the school and teachers who have achieved A rank based on their achievements.

Even Irisdina and Tima, two of the leading A-rankers known to Nozomu, would no doubt have a hard time if they had to deal with Anri.

(Come to think of it, Mena-san was also a formidable fighter. Perhaps she too is an A rank ......)

Nozomu pondered so as he recalled the maid of the Francilt family.

(Anyway, that whip is kinda troublesome. If we don't do something about it, we're going to be overwhelmed at this rate......)

"What's wrong, Nozomu-kun~~? If you won't come, I'll come instead~~"

It is better to think that any conventional coordination or tactic would be predictable. Then the only way is to deviate from that pattern.

Nozomu recalled the time he had just fought Anri in a one-on-one fight.

Even though she wasn't serious, he was able to get close to her at one point.

The point is to exceed Anri's expectations and surprise her. In that case.......

"Nozomu. You have a plan, don't you?"

"Eh?"

"Cause you've got that look on your face. At our current pace, it is difficult for me and Hamuria to keep fighting, and I can't think of a way out of this. Then, we have no choice but to bet on your plan."

Deck was asking Nozomu to execute the plan without even asking him what the plan was. Nozomu was momentarily overwhelmed by the lack of hesitation in his words.

"......Are you sure? If we mess up, we'll be wiped out for sure."

"Yeah, no problem. All we need is ...... determination."

Hamria nodded in agreement with Deck's words as she gripped her staff tightly and her mouth turned up with determination in her eyes.

"We were always at the bottom of the barrel at school. We were always ridiculed by the other classes. We were always losing, always lowering our heads down......"

These words were uttered through clenched teeth. This is definitely a feeling that everyone in the tenth class has had.

Nozomu was particularly despised because of the rumors that had been circulated and because of his ability suppression, but other students of the tenth class had experienced the same thing.

In the corridors, on the training grounds, and in the streets, there were times when the higher classes looked at them with contempt and hurled insulting words at them in a volume that could be heard.

"But you, Nozomu-kun, proved it. That there is no such thing as an absolute-lose situation."

Every time they see Nozomu fighting on equal terms against Mars in every practical class, they think.

If only we could be like him .......

So they took action to try again. They bowed their heads and threw away the pride they had kept in the form of ignorance.

"That's why we want to win. We want to prove to the other classes and Anri-sensei that we can be victorious."

Without hesitation, the two of them looked straight at Anri, who was a far more powerful person than they were. Nozomu was amazed at the strong will in their eyes.

Unlike himself, who was still troubled by his own situation, they were moving forward without hesitation.

He could see Irisdina and Shina's figures overlapping with them as they struggled to move forward.

"......Alright."

Encouraged by their determination, Nozomu opened his mouth. To show a way for those who want to win, to prove to them that they are not defeated, to show them a way to be victorious.

"......Eh?" "......Seriously?"

Hamuria and Deck were both surprised at the outrageous strategy.

However, their agitation was only momentary. They immediately tightened their expressions and let their fighting spirit overflow.

"Are you done~?"

"Yeah, we are going to win this, Sensei."

Nozomu and the others responded to Anri's provocative smile with an early declaration of victory.

"...... I see. Then~, show it to me~~. Show me how you guys have grown!"

The whip swung at high speed. The whip, reinforced with Qi, sliced through the air and came toward Nozomu and the others.

Nozomu stepped forward, exposing himself to the storm of whip strikes, and raised his voice.

"Deck!"

"Yeah, let's go!"

Deck stood behind Nozomu and focused his Qi on the tip of his spear.

Eventually, he created a mass of Qi the size of a clenched fist, and thrust the spear deep into the ground.

The burst of Qi billowed up a large amount of dirt and soil, concealing Nozomu and the others. Anri's whip sliced through the cloud of dust.

(There's no response. I missed, huh~~)

At the same time as she retracted her whip, several air bullets shot out of the cloud of dust and attacked her.

She immediately swung the whip to knock down the projectiles, however, in that same moment, Deck charged out of the cloud of dust.

"Oooo!"

"That's predictable~~!"

Anri immediately responded to Deck, who lunged at her with his [Flash Step]. She fired two speed-oriented strikes at his legs to slow his charging momentum, and then followed up with a powerful strike to the side of his head.

Deck quickly raised his spear to protect himself, but he was unable to defend against it completely.

When the whip hit Deck's spear, it spun around and struck him hard in the shoulder.

At the same time, the Qi contained within the whip exploded. His body was blown away and he fell to the ground.

(Is Nozomu-kun next~? Or maybe it's Hamuria-san's magic~? But that alone won't be enough to reach me~.)

When Anri looked toward the cloud of dust again, a sudden burst of sound could be heard, and someone came charging through the cloud of dust. Anri readied her whip again to intercept.

"So the next one is Nozomu-kun, huh~~. But this is not enough to- ...... eh?"

"E―――ii!"

It was not Nozomu who charged toward her, but to her surprise, it was Hamuria.

With a speed that was unbelievable for a mage, she rushed toward Anri as if she was flying.

"Eh~, ehh~~~!"

Anri did not expect that Hamuria, who was supposed to be a rearguard, would rush in.

She quickly swung her whip to intercept her, but for some reason her whip bounced in the air.

What was going on? While Anri was shocked, Hamuria rushed at her and hugged her waist, then slammed her body against the trunk of a tree behind her.

"Wait, wait a sec~~! Let go of me~!

Anri swung her baton and tried to pull Hamuria off of her, but her baton bounced off in mid-air again. Upon closer inspection, a thin layer of light enveloped Hamuria's body, protecting it.

A magic barrier. It is an all-purpose shield that protects against both physical and magic.

Furthermore, Hamuria invoked the magic she had been chanting beforehand. An earth-colored chain wrapped around their bodies and restrained them.

The chains also entwined around Anri's whip, binding it to the tree so that she could not manipulate it with her Qi.

"This is our victory."

While Anri was perplexed, Nozomu, who had somehow managed to close the gap between them, drew the sheathed katana and unleashed it.

The slash cut Anri's pendant in half.

The token of life in this exercise was sliced in two, and fell silently to the ground.

".......A~a~. You got me~. It's frustrating~, but... I'm pleased to see everyone's growth."

Confronted with defeat, Anri's eyes widened as she saw her pendant fall to the ground, followed by a satisfied smile as she saw the growth of her students.

The crucial point of this strategy was to exploit the weakness of Anri's whip, which made it difficult to incapacitate her opponent with a single blow, and to exploit the gap in her mind that a mage would never charge at her. For this reason, Hamuria, who had fortified her defense with a magic barrier, was blown away by Nozomu's [Qi-jutsu・Shock Cannon] and blew her away toward Anri.

Although taking advantage of the fact that it was just an exercise, the strategy itself was quite a walk on a tightrope, and now Nozomu and the others were relieved at the success of their plan.

"Oi, Nozomu, are you all right?"

"No way ...... they win ......."

"......Seriously?"

At that moment, Mars and his team came from behind the bushes. While Tommy and Cami were astonished at their friends' victory over Anri, Jin rushed over to Deck, who was lying on the ground.

"Deck, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I can move somehow. But I got disqualified......"

His pendant glowed red, indicating that he had been disqualified after taking Anri's serious whip strike earlier.

Nozomu's face contorted as he realized this.

He felt bad that despite the fact that Deck had come to his rescue, he had been disqualified.

"Don't worry about it, Nozomu. I'm rather grateful. We were able to defeat that Anri-sensei, after all......"

Deck, however, did not look depressed at all, and his face was beaming with a smile.

For him, it was enough that they, who wanted to win but couldn't, were able to go all out against someone stronger than any of the students and win.

The smile on Deck's face, which looked satisfied, loosened Nozomu's hardened expression.

".......Yeah."

"Congratulations, everyone~. You all have done well~. Since you defeated me, a special target, let me give this to you~."

Anri happily handed over the pendants she had obtained so far from her pocket to Nozomu and the others.

"......W, with this, what rank do you think we're in now?"

"I can't say for sure that we're at the top with just this, but I think we're getting there."

Considering the points for defeating a special target and the points that Mars had earned, it would be enough to put them in competition for the top spot.

"Anyway, we need to move. We've had a big fight with Anri-sensei, so we need to get out of here first ......"

In response to Nozomu's words, Jin and the others nodded their heads. The exercise is not over yet.

The level of the parties fighting from here on out will go up drastically. This is because a certain amount of time has passed since the exercise began, and it is expected that the less skilled parties have been weeded out.

"I'll retire here, so I'm going back to headquarters. Thank you, Nozomu."

Deck held out his hand to Nozomu. Nozomu was a little surprised, but he responded by gripping Deck's hand firmly.

A new bond of trust. His heart gradually warmed up.

"By the way, Nozomu-kun. That...... um~~"

"Hmm? What's the matter, Anri-sensei?"

When Nozomu and the others were about to depart, Anri suddenly stopped them. Her face seemed to be blushing. On top of that, for some reason, she was holding her skirt while fidgeting.

"About what happened earlier....... did you see?"

"See what? ....... ah."

A vivid scene returned to Nozomu's mind.

Her silky white skin was visible behind her skirt, which fluttered softly in the air. Her slender, slim legs. And the cute pink fabric. Nozomu's face turned red at once upon remembering the sight that flashed through his mind.

"Y-you did see it, didn't you~!? You saw my, my!"

Anri must have sensed it from Nozomu's change of expression and her face turned even redder than Nozomu's and she began to get flustered.

She was so embarrassed that she was swinging her hands around like a child, and steam was rising from her head.

"W-w-what should I do~!? I haven't shown it to anyone yet~! I've decided to show it only to my prospective husband~~!"

"...... Nozomu, what the hell were you doing to stall for time?"

"What's with that look? Don't get me wrong, I was stalling for time by fighting properly!"

Taking seriously the outrageous words coming out of Anri's mouth, Mars suddenly glared at Nozomu.

For Nozomu himself, it was an accident during the battle, but the stares from those around him, which were becoming sharper and sharper at an unbelievable speed, made him raise his voice unintentionally.

"W-what should I do~~!? Since it comes to this, I'll just have to ask Nozomu-kun to take responsibility~~!"

"Wha, sensei! What are you saying!?"

"Nozomu-kun ......"

"How envio- ...... n-no, you shameless bastard ...... what color was it?"

"Meanwhile, I can only dream of it ......"

However, this only deepened the misunderstanding among those around him. Finally, Anri even said the disconcerting word "responsibility" to Nozomu, and that made Jin and the others gave him an icy stare. Some of them even expressed their own desires and envy, which should not be leaked.

"The worst ......"

"Just as I thought you were actually an amazing person......"

On the other hand, the girls, Cami and Hamuria, were staring at Nozomu with freezing eyes. The evaluation of Nozomu, which had just exploded among the girls, now plummeted at a frightening rate.

"You've got it all wrong――――!"

Nozomu's screams echoed through the forest. He desperately tried to explain to his companions that it was an accident, but he ended up spending a considerable amount of time trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

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