Chapter 16: A Breakthrough Move
Having found a troublesome duo, the four had decided to take a detour. However, when they tried to turn back the way they came, the situation took a turn for the worst.
“You’ve got to be kidding…!”
Kaori’s expression was one of utter shock; at the end of her gaze was a single enemy. Fortunately, they hadn’t been spotted yet, so there was no immediate danger of being attacked, but if they were found, combat would be unavoidable.
They had been walking through back alleys to avoid being seen by enemies, but that had backfired. Even though they could hide behind things, it was a single path, so there was no escape route. They could neither turn back nor proceed forward.
“Huh? But there’s only one of them over there, and they haven’t noticed us yet, so couldn’t we just launch a surprise attack first?”
Kazuma, who had instinctively hidden behind a building, mimicking the other three, suggested that Kaori, at least, should be capable of a surprise attack.
“It’s not that I can’t. But if we’re found and a fight breaks out, Inoue and Tamura will probably notice us…”
“No, Natsume-san, if the surprise attack is successful, couldn’t you take them down in one hit before they notice?”
“If it goes well, yes. But what if it fails?”
“…We’ll figure it out then!”
“…Haaah.”
Kaori clutched her head at Kazuma’s optimistic thinking, but what he said didn’t seem entirely wrong either. Hiding here and waiting for the enemy to leave was an option, but if they were found, it would be all over.
So, when faced with whether they should launch a surprise attack as Kazuma suggested, she found herself pondering it.
“Ah, that’s right. Kizaki-san, you’re a wind user, right?”
“Eh, yeah. I am, but did you think of something?”
“Can you make something like a Wall of Wind?”
“Um, it’s not that I can’t, but why?”
“This is a single path, so if we block one side, they can’t pass through. I think that would give us an advantage. Look, if we block the side with the two enemies and all four of us charge the single one, don’t you think we can do it?”
Hearing that, Kaori considered it. Kazuma’s proposed strategy was very simple. If it went well, they could definitely defeat the one enemy. Moreover, even if it failed, the Wall of Wind could buy them some time, so either Kaori or Megumi could take Kazuma and Kyoko and escape.
“It might just work…”
“If you say so, Kaori-chan, I’ll do my best, but… are you sure?”
“Yes, probably no problem. But Megumi, the burden on you will be greater. Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah. If it’s this narrow, the Wall of Wind doesn’t need to be that big, and for those two, I think if I make it a bit taller, they won’t be able to get over it. So, it’s totally doable!”
“Understood. Well then, Satsuki-kun, Seto-san. I’ll go on ahead, so you two stay hidden for a while.”
“Roger!”
“Yes!”
With the plan decided, Kaori started running towards the enemy they had encountered when turning back. Then, Megumi, after creating a Wall of Wind to block the path without the duo noticing, approached Kazuma and Kyoko.
“You two, looking okay?”
Megumi was worried about whether they would panic since a battle was about to begin. Even though they were classmates, there was a huge divide between the Support Course and the Combat Course. It lay in whether or not one possessed a Gift capable of killing people.
The Combat Course trained to defeat Ibinom in the future, but that wasn’t all. It also included dealing with Terrorists, so anti-personnel combat training was essential. Therefore, the values of Combat Course students and Support Course students differed.
“I’m fine.”
“I-I’m a little scared…”
In contrast to Kazuma, who was unfazed, Kyoko was frightened by the battle that was about to begin. Seeing Kyoko trembling, Megumi hugged her reassuringly.
“It’s okay. Kaori-chan and I will definitely protect you.”
“Y-Yes…!”
Kazuma, watching this scene up close, regretted not having trembled and acted scared himself. He foolishly thought that if he had, Megumi might have hugged him too.
Soon after, the battle began. It seemed Kaori, who had gone ahead, had encountered the enemy, as fierce sounds of combat rang out. They couldn’t see what was happening, but from the sounds and vibrations reaching them, the three understood that Kaori’s fight was intense.
And indeed, those sounds seemed to have reached others as well; from beyond the Wall of Wind Megumi had erected, two men were shouting angrily.
“Damn it! Why is there a Wall of Wind here?!”
“Who cares about that! We can hear fighting over there! Let’s hurry and go provide backup!”
“I know, but it’d be faster to break through here!”
“That would be a waste of time! Besides, if they’re doing something like this, there might be multiple enemies!”
“Tch! Fine! We just have to take the long way around, right?!”
Hearing the two arguing, the three felt relieved that the plan had worked. Then, Megumi headed off to support Kaori, passing Kazuma and Kyoko. The remaining two, Kazuma and Kyoko, watched from the cover of a building so as not to interfere with the battle.
While Kazuma and Kyoko watched, Kaori and Megumi were fighting a single female student. However, that female student must have been strong, as she was fighting valiantly against the two of them all by herself. Kazuma and Kyoko gasped at the ferocity of the battle.
(No way… That girl’s insanely strong!)
Kazuma too was shaken by her unexpected strength. They were just students, after all. He had thought that even if she was strong, it wouldn’t be to this extent, but the female student in his line of sight wasn’t yielding an inch, despite facing two opponents. In fact, far from it, she was starting to push them back.
Kyoko hadn’t noticed, but Kazuma saw the expressions on Kaori and Megumi’s faces and realized they were growing anxious. It seemed Kaori and Megumi were worried that if things continued like this, the two men from before would join up, and their chances of winning would disappear.
(At this rate, we’re definitely going to lose. I have to think of a move to break this deadlock…)
The best option would be for Kazuma to make a reckless charge, but if that happened, the situation would reach the worst possible conclusion. Mainly for Kazuma, though.
(I guess it can’t be helped. Let’s just lose quietly.)
In the end, Kazuma was about to accept defeat to hide his true identity, but seeing the two fighting desperately before him to protect them, he changed his mind.
“Seto-san. Hey, I’m gonna go die for a bit.”
“Eh? Um… eh?”
Kyoko, completely unable to understand Kazuma’s words, blinked her eyes repeatedly. Leaving Kyoko like that, Kazuma leaped out. Moreover, he did so while letting out a loud shout to draw attention to himself.
“UOOOOOOOOHHH AAAAAAAAAAH!!!”
As Kazuma let out a war cry, the three combatants all turned their eyes towards him at once. Kaori and Megumi’s eyes widened in astonishment, while the female student they were facing stared at Kazuma in disbelief.
“What is that…?”
The female student fighting Kaori and Megumi was completely distracted by Kazuma. And utterly so. That was understandable, as she had never before witnessed a Support Course student doing something so reckless to help the Combat Course.
However, the same was true for Megumi. She had never expected Kazuma, a Support Course student, to jump out like that, so she was frozen in surprise.
But, there was one person who reacted and moved first. That was Kaori. Only Kaori managed to react and move in response to this unexpected situation. Yes, only Kaori knew. That Kazuma was different from other Support Course students. That’s why she was able to snap out of her confusion first and act.
“You’re wide open! Kaede!!!”
“Kk!?”
Kaori didn’t miss the opening created when Kaede’s attention was diverted by Kazuma, and she swung her naginata down. No matter how strong Kaede was, she was still just a student. It was probably inevitable that her attention would become scattered when faced with an unforeseen situation.
However, Kaede, who had been fighting two opponents alone, wasn’t defeated so easily even when a slight opening was exploited.
“Kuh!”
Though her expression was pained, Kaede managed to block Kaori’s naginata at the last possible second.
“Impressive! But we still have one more on our side!”
“Leave it to me, Kaori-chan!”
As if understanding Kaori’s intention, Megumi unleashed a full-power attack towards Kaede. A cannon of wind assaulted Kaede. She desperately tried to defend, but she had used too much strength blocking Kaori’s naginata and couldn’t stop the wind cannon Megumi unleashed.
“No. I can’t block it completely! Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Unable to completely block Megumi’s wind cannon, Kaede was sent flying. With that momentum, she crashed into a wall and, due to a death judgment, disappeared from the Virtual Space.
Just when they thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, Kaori and the others spotted Inoue and Tamura running towards them. The formidable enemy Kaede was gone, but fighting consecutive battles in their exhausted state would be tough.
However, even if they tried to retreat, they wouldn’t be able to get away as things stood. Kaori, having made that judgment, decided to act as a decoy herself to let the other three escape, but then Kazuma shouted.
“Natsume-san! I’m counting on you for those two! And sorry! Thanks for protecting me!”
Without waiting for a reply, Kazuma ran off, drawing the approaching enemies towards him. Kaori couldn’t stop him and clenched her fists in frustration.
But she quickly composed herself and led Megumi and Kyoko away from the scene.