Chapter 5.08

Chapter 5 Part 8

In the afternoon of the holiday, after training at the outer edge in the morning, Nozomu and his friends had lunch at Ushitotei and resting for a while.

Originally, they had no plans for today's training. However, because of Feo, they didn't have enough training yesterday. So, Nozomu and his friends gathered and trained again today.

However, there was no Ena on their side. She joined them when there were no customers in the shop, but right now, the seats at Ushitotei were filled with people having lunch in the afternoon, and the hardworking girl was still busy with her job serving customers.

Mars also tried to help, but Ena said, "You've been training, so have a good rest before helping me." So he's taking a break now.

"Even so, it was quite bad this time, right Nozomu?"

"Ahaha ... well yea~h. I've always felt his strange gaze, and I was wondering what his purpose was, but his reason was completely interest-oriented, and that alone caused such a fuss ..."

Nozomu answered Mars' words with a dry laugh.

"Sure, the Fox Tribe is known to be pretty capricious, but I've never seen such a lively Feo before."

Tom, who was in the same class as Feo, reiterated the difference when Feo and Nozomu have a duel and the Feo on a daily basis.

Feo, who was by his side, was scratching his head with a shady smile on his face.

"But, I don't think challenging him so suddenly is a good thing to do. If you want to know about Nozomu, you should talk to him and become his friend."

"Well, it's a bit painful to say this, but there are places where I'm a little lacking..."

However, he was reflecting on it now. With Irisdina's harsh words, Feo awkwardly made his gaze swim in the air.

"... By the way, Feo, I want to ask something."

"Hmm? What is it?"

As Shna opened her mouth as if she remembered something, Feo turned his gaze toward her.

"... Why are you here?"

The air froze in an instant.

As far as they remembered, Feo didn't come to train in the morning.

Nonetheless, he was sitting next to Nozomu's chair before they knew it.

"What? Why can't I be here?"

"Why you say?..."

Shna asked Feo why he was here, but he asked her back and she got perplexed by his words.

"Well, I've received my punishment, right?"

"...I don't think that's the place for me to say..."

"Well, it's alright. I think he's already repented..."

Feo made an excuse one way or another, but Nozomu accepted it because he had no particular reason to chased him away

The other members were surprised, but they didn't seem to disagree with Nozomu's decision. They probably already understand Nozomu's personality.

Although Feo seemed to be causing quite an uproar, there was no malice or harm. He was hard to understand because of his childlike behavior, but oddly enough, he doesn't have any ill will towards Nozomu.

"Speaking of which, it's about time for *SITC*."

"Ah. Is that why the inside of the classroom has been tense lately?"

*SITC* is an abbreviation for Special Integrated Training Class, which is a special class that will be held in the near future.

Usually, students of each class were training separately, but this training is held by gathering students from the same year regardless of the class difference.

This training is held for two days, and each student forms a party and earns points while performing various missions in the designated area.

On the first day, parties can only be formed within the same class to handle each mission, and from the second day, parties can be freely formed regardless of class.

The contents of the mission vary, such as escorting a designated object or person, defeating a specific training target, finding and securing a designated object, etc.

However, what is different about this training is that it is allowed to interfere with other parties.

If it is an escort mission, points will be given to the party that succeeded in obstructing the escort, and defeating a specific training target or finding a designated object is on a first-come-first-served basis.

Of course, there would be battles between parties here and there, but if they lost and became incapable of fighting, they would lose all the points they had gained so far.

What's more, the points they had when the special training ended would be reflected in their grades, so everyone would fight desperately to protect the points they had earned.

"... Yes. Haven't you been told a long time ago?"

"Sorry~ ... I totally forgot about it. Ahahaha..."

Feo tried to cover it up by laughing while scratching his head.

It seemed impossible that someone would forget a training that directly reflected one's grades, but in this boy's case, his gaze was always fixed on what he was interested in, and that was what he just did. Everyone in this place who knew about it couldn't help but sigh at the same time.

"... In other words, on the first day, Nozomu and I are enemies."

"Yeah. The party on the first day is formed in the same class, so inevitably we will be divided into three groups."

The eyes of the two maidens were directed to Nozomu.

Within their gazes, Nozomu could feel their enthusiasm that was unthinkable based on their beautiful appearances. Spontaneously shivered down Nozomu's spine.

Even though they deserved to be called flowers, they were still Solminati Academy students and were gradually starting to gain their presence as first-class warriors.

"...Please be gentle with me."

"No, I'll be serious. I think I should be ready with you as my enemy."

"That's right. I rarely have opportunities like this, so I'll do my best to fight you."

"Ahahaha....."

Nozomu made a slight appeal to the girls who were fully motivated and made a declaration of war, but he couldn't calm them down, and instead, he was completely swallowed up by their momentum and could only let out a dry laugh.

In a sense, the two were looking forward to fighting Nozomu, but Irisdina suddenly spoke to Nozomu as if she remembered something.

"Nozomu, that was for the first day, but what about the second day?"

"Eh?"

"Hmm, about the second day. There are no restrictions when forming a party on the second day ..."

Certainly, on the second day, there will be no class restrictions on recruiting party members.

However, Nozomu has very few friends, so he can only thinking of inviting Mars for the second day.

"Um, that. If you'd like, we..."

"Ah~!!"

Irisdina called out to Nozomu to invite him. Shna made a panicked voice when she heard it, but Irisdina couldn't care less about Shna and kept trying to speak her mind.

"Hey, Nozomu. Why don't you do it with me !?"

"Teamed up ... eh?"

However, just as Irisdina was trying to convey her words, her voice was suddenly crushed by Feo's loud voice speaking to Nozomu from the side.

Both Shna and Irisdina, who were overtaken by Feo, were dumbfounded by the sudden development.

"Eh? With Feo?"

"That's right! I have been listening to your conversation story, so why don't you teamed up with me this time? Even if I look like this, I can do various things, and as far as I can see your movements during our duel, I think that our compatibility is not bad! "

"Well, I think it's good enough ..."

Certainly, there was no limit to the number of people who could join a party, and he knew that Feo's abilities were quite reliable.

Nozomu was about to refuse, but he had no choice but to accept it.

Because there was a lot of pressure that he could felt from the side. The pressure was comparable to that of a dragon.

Nozomu felt cold sweat running down his back, but Feo wasn't the cause of the pressure. The ones who caused it were...

"Yess! It's been decided. Then for the second day ... Hmm? Why are you two have such scary faces?"

Feo finally noticed Shna and Irisdina were staring at him.

No,it's nothing

"Yeah ... nothing."

"Hmm, is that so? Then! Nozomu, let's meet again at the school~~"

Feo who had just said what he wanted to say, quickly left the shop after that. Whether he was unaware of the pressure of the two, or whether he was deliberately ignoring it. Surely it was like a tornado or a storm that came to lay waste and destroy, and it was Nozomu who took the blow.

"Um ... What's wrong with both of you?"

"... Does it even matter?"

"Well, you don't have to worry about it because it doesn't matter anymore."

"Ummmm"

Nozomu curl himself up in response to their absolute zero gazes.

He tried to shake off the cold atmosphere, and he spoke his mind with the last of his energy.

"U-ummm... both of you. Would you like to team up with me on the second day?"

"I don't need it. Aren't you glad? There's already someone you can rely on."

..

The black-haired girl refused Nozomu's request with just one sentence. That overly critical mental attack trampled Nozomu's heart, but he managed to withstand it. Nozomu dropped his shoulders and fell onto the table.

Maybe Shna wasn't too interested in his request either, she pierced him with a cold gaze like how she used to be.

He didn't mind having Feo at the party as there was no limit to the number of people at the party, but apparently, both of them did.

"Ha~a ... Nozomu-san, what were you doing ..."

Somia leaked a voice that seemed to be amazed by such a pathetic Nozomu.

Nozomu looked at Shna. As far as he could see from her attitude, he thought she would also reject him

"Alright"

"... Eh !?"

"... Ha !?"

Nozomu and Irisdina were taken aback by Shna's words.

Because of her attitude, Nozomu and Irisdina thought that Shna would refuse his invitation.

"I told you, I'll join your party. I thought I could leave the vanguard to you what? If you're not satisfied with me, then forget about it."

Nozomu shook his head in a hurry.

"Then it's decided."

..

Shna softened her expression, she was in a good mood perhaps because of Nozomu's approval, but in contrast, Irisdina's gaze towards Nozomu was as cold as a frigid cold wave.

"... Ha~a"

Somia, who was watching the situation from the side, was amazed by the two helpless people, and she could only sigh.

At that moment, Mars stood up.

"... Sorry, I remembered there was something I need to do. That's why I went out for a bit. Ena, I'll be back around dinner to help out with the store..."

"Ah~! Wait a minute, Onchan !?"

Mars just said a word and left the store without saying anything further.

When he left the store, he had a troubled expression on his face and said nothing to Ena when she called out to him.

"... What happened to Mars?"

"Who knows"

"... Ah, s-sorry everyone. I also remembered something to do..."

When Nozomu and the others were wondering what happened, Tima also hurriedly left the store as if she remembered something.

"What happened? Even Tima-san too..."

"... well, it's alright. Maybe she left something at the school yesterday so she went to get it. "

While everyone was wondering what was going on, only Hannah, who was listening while working at the counter with Irisdina, nodded with a convincing expression.

After that, their gathering was immediately disbanded, but in the end, Irisdina remained cold towards Nozomu from beginning to end.

====================================

Mars' POV

The destination after I parted from Nozomu and the others was the outer edge where everyone was training in the morning.

As soon as I arrived at the outer edge, I pulled out the greatsword on my back, swung it, and started warming my body up.

"Fu~! Ha~! Zea"

I swung the greatsword down from above at once, immediately I turned it around and launched a reverse slash, and with that momentum, I turned my body while swinging the greatsword.

While continuing to swing the sword, I gradually increased my speed and swiftly moved my body accordingly.

Every time I swung my greatsword, the wind roared, and the torn air swept through my hair.

The sun high in the sky shone mercilessly, and I still continued to swing my sword with all my might.

The wind, which had just stroked my hair, gradually became stronger, and finally, my swing began to produce wind comparable to a gust of wind.

Eventually, the wind blew away the sweat that had appeared on my forehead and pushed the grass growing on the ground down with just the pressure.

"Haa! Haa! Haa ..."

I didn't know how long I've been swinging my greatsword, but eventually, I started to run out of breath and my speed gradually slowed down.

I once again swung my greatsword. I swung it towards the ground, but just as the sword was about to hit the ground, I exerted all the muscles in my entire body to stop the falling sword.

The greatsword that was being swung stopped its movement as it almost hit the ground, and instead, the wind generated by the pressure of the greatsword blew up and ran along the ground.

"Haa, haa, haa ... fu~u ..."

I exhaled to lift my lowered sword up and prepared for my next move. I wielded the greatsword once again with a Seigan-no-Kamae attitude.

While slowly sending my Qi into the greatsword, I released my magical power at the same time.

Qi and magical power. While feeling two different powers at the same time, I activated the Qi technique *Dust blade*. The wind generated by the Qi began to swirl around the greatsword like a vortex, and eventually, the greatsword was enveloped by the wind blade.

Furthermore, while I put magical power into the greatsword to pass through the center of the wind vortex, at the same time, I chanted enhancement magic. I applied enhancement magic to the blade of the greatsword.

The greatsword gradually glowed with the magical power infused into the blade, but after a while, after the magical power was infused into it, the wind that enveloped the blade of the greatsword began to sway irregularly.

"Kuh!"

Immediately, I tried to recover the unstable Qi, but this time the magical power contained in the blade fluctuated, and the magic power became unstable.

"Damn !! ... Uwa !!"

I tried to pour magical power in a hurry, but it was too late, and the enhancement magic I applied was scattered. The magical power scattered in the air interfered with the Qi technique *Dust Blade*.

The unstable Qi technique was unable to maintain its shape, and the blades of wind spread to the surroundings. It cut through the surrounding vegetation indiscriminately and carved wounds on my body.

"Guh~ !!"

I suppressed my voice while holding back the pain that ran through my body.

The wound itself was not deep and barely bleeding, but more than the wound, regret and frustration increased the impatience in the depths of my heart.

"Damn!"

This didn't go well.

I was about to use Qi and magic at the same time.

It was all started when I met Nozomu and Iris Dina.

I thought that even if there was someone who used magic as my enemy, I would be able to defeat him by slashing him before he used his magic, and I thought that I could handle the magic if I had enough Qi.

While I was encountering an enemy that I can't reach by my own strength, I came to realize that Nozomu and Irisdina were stronger than me.

And as a result of squeezing my head, I came up with the idea of using magic to make me stronger.

If all goes well, I will be able to think of my magic powers that I rarely used as my new powers, and not only will I get the "sword of my own" that I've been yearning for, but I'll have more ways to fight in every sense.

However, I couldn't see any signs of improvement in the combination of Qi and magic.

I desperately struggled to keep up with Nozomu who was running ahead of me, but only impatience continued to accelerate within me. I felt like I was drowning in a bottomless swamp.

"~ !! Once again !!"

I gritted my teeth in regret, but I stood up once again.

I haven't treated my wound. As I wielded my greatsword and tried to use the technique one more time, at that moment, I heard a familiar voice.

"Haa, haa. Mars-kun ... You were here after all ..."

"You"

It was Tima who was supposed to be in the store with Nozomu and the others.

Maybe because she was running, her face was slightly red, and she put her hand on her chest to get rid of her rough breathing.

Seeing that figure, I felt my heart skip a beat.

"...Why did you come here?"

"A"

I was embarrassed to see her, so I turned my eyes away from her.

I asked her a question in a blunt tone.

A little lonely voice leaked from Tima's mouth, and when I heard it, I also felt pain in my chest.

"Umm ... Mars-kun, I thought you'd practice that technique again, so I was wondering if I could help a little ..."

"You don't need to do that ..."

Knowing she was worried about me, I was embarrassed and happy at the same time

However, since my training didn't go well, I took out my frustration on Tima, who was only worried about me. I know that's not the attitude I should give to her by any means.

B-but, Mars-kun, you are injured you need treatment first

"... Chi"

With such an attitude, Tima's was scared but she did not stop worrying about me.

Her gaze was directed at my wound made by the previously unsuccessful technique, and she looks as if she was the one who had suffered the injury.

Eventually, I gave up and casually presented my injured arm to Tima.

"Wait a minute ..."

Perhaps she was relieved that I was willing to be treated, Tima started chanting healing magic with a slightly gentle expression.

Light overflowed from her hands, enveloping my body. The pain that had been tingling disappeared, and the wound gradually began to close.

I was impressed by her dexterity. She's said to have a hard time controlling her magical power, but she's still a lot better than me.

"... You're good"

"Th-that's not true! I'm nothing compared to Ai..."

She said, "That's not true," in a hurry. Perhaps Tima's magic control wasn't as bad as Tima thinks herself.

"...Um, Mars-kun. Why are you so impatient... I don't understand..."

.

"I think you're a little too hasty. Isn't it fine to train a little slower?"

Tima simply spoke her opinion.

It's not that I didn't understand what she was saying. I hadn't been able to control the combination of Qi and magic, and the success rate was only about 10%, so it was just a fluke that I succeeded in the mock combat the other day.

.

I knew that Tima would say that.

Due to the mighty magic power that she was born with, Tima had been struggling to control her magical power.

I didn't know what happened to her in the past, but if I looked at her power and how she was scared of her surroundings, at least I might have been able to guess that she was still worried about her own power.

"...The treatment is over, right? Then, please step back a bit. I'll do it one more time."

"Mars-kun..."

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The impatience swirling within my heart easily blocked my judgment that my technique was still "premature", and I wielded my greatsword once again.

Although my chest hurts a little, I was driven by the craving and impatience that I wanted to catch up with him, so I couldn't hear Tima's words anymore.

===================================

Arcazam Administrative District.

At the Francilt Mansion, the owner of the mansion, Irisdina, and her sister, Somiriana, were having dinner, but the situation was different from usual.

Their appearance, eating food prepared by first-class chefs gracefully lined up in front of them, was full of elegance that only the chosen one had. However, it seemed that the dining room they were eating in was somehow in a tense atmosphere. The maids who refrained from being near them also had stern expressions as they were exposed to such an atmosphere.

The one who created such a tense atmosphere was Irisdina Francilt, the owner of the mansion.

Irisdina's POV

I was silently moving the knife and fork I had in my hand.

I usually talked to Somia about what happened at Ecross and what happened at Solminati, and talked about what I enjoyed on holidays, and have a good meal. However, I've been frustrated by what happened at Ushitotei today.

Although I am still young, I am the next head of the Francilt Family. Due to that responsibility, I never exposed my feelings to any misconduct and exposed my disgraceful behavior.

Yes, I just thought about something in my own heart...

"Umm, Ane-sama. Did you want to team up with Nozomu-san that badly?"

"Buh~ !!"

I was taken aback by Somia's words and suddenly exposed my disgraceful behavior.

"So, Somia. What are you saying so suddenly..."

"Ane-sama was in a bad mood since then. Your face is just like this."

While saying so, Somia lifted the outer corner of her eyes with her index fingers.

"Somia, your manner is bad. You're also from the Francilt Family ..."

"Ane-sama, don't change the subject"

I tried to remonstrate the bad-mannered Somia, but Somia stared into my eyes and I got stuck in words.

For a long time, I had been vulnerable to Somia's gaze staring straight at my eyes. The appearance of my younger sister seemed to arouse my desire to "protect" her. And I always listened to whatever she said.

Even so, I tried to correct my words without looking at Somia's eyes which were staring at me, so as not to expose my disgraceful behavior.

"What are you talking about? I'm not in a bad mood ..."

"You're in a bad mood, everyone has been scared of Ane-sama since we came back today."

In the blink of an eye, Somia blocked my escape route.

Certainly, the mansion's maids who saw me after returning were strangely frightened, and several maids desperately tried to hold back their voices. I dared not think about it, and it was strangely painful to be pointed out the fact by my sister.

"Well, Nozomu-san was a little insensitive, but wasn't Ane-sama's response a little too cold?"

"Muu..."

"Besides, Nozomu-san has already invited Ane-sama to his party, and wouldn't it be unwise to refuse? How will Ane-sama join his party now?"

"Guu~..."

Certainly, it's difficult to have a party with him as of now. Having refused so clearly, he might already consider having a party with another person.

Finally, I realized the facts that I previously dared not pay attention to, and I no longer groaned.

"... Haah.. Ane-sama should just apologize honestly. Or is there still something to worry about?"

"That is"

The feeling of anxiety and dissatisfaction about Nozomu within me.