Episode 12: First Practical Combat Class
Kazuma had been caught up in various incidents on his first day of school, but now he was enjoying his school life amicably with Akira, Taichi, and Kousuke. And today was the end of the school week; starting tomorrow, the academy would have a long weekend including Saturday and Sunday.
He had already made plans to hang out, so Kazuma was ecstatic. Kazuma was moved by the fact that he could finally experience a normal youth.
However, despite it finally being the weekend, the three of them seemed off. Since arriving at school, they, who usually got excited over trivial conversations, were sighing a lot today. Wondering what on earth was wrong, Kazuma asked the three of them.
“You guys are sighing a lot today, did something happen?”
At his question, the three of them blinked their eyes as if a pigeon had been shot with a peashooter, but they quickly remembered that Kazuma had just been discharged from the hospital and there were still things he didn’t know.
“Ah, well, I guess it can’t be helped that you don’t know, Kazuma, but today’s Friday, right? Did you check the timetable?”
“Eh? Well, I did check it, sort of, but it only says ‘Practical Training,’ you know?”
“That practical training is what’s depressing us…”
Even when told that, Kazuma couldn’t understand at all, so Taichi explained it to him.
“This ‘Practical Training’ is a joint class with the Combat Course. However, its content is like hell for us in the Support Course. It’s combat training using a Virtual Space…”
“Wha-!? Is that… like the stuff you see in games?”
“Yeah. That understanding is correct. We use VR machines to do combat training in a Virtual Space, but the content is protecting ordinary citizens. In other words, we’re in the position of being protected, but we get hit normally.”
“Eeeh!? Isn’t that awful?”
“It is awful. Just because we don’t die in the Virtual Space, they unleash their Gifts on us with full force. The only saving grace is that there’s no pain. But it’s scary having things like fire, ice, and lightning flying towards you…”
Hearing that, Kazuma’s face also turned pale. However, unlike the other three, Kazuma could fight, so he could resist. But if a Support Course student were to defeat a Combat Course student, they would definitely stand out.
Kazuma, who had decided to live peacefully, wanted to go through school life without standing out as much as possible. But even knowing there was no pain, he wondered if he could endure it. Because Kazuma had fought in another world, there was a risk he would instinctively counter-attack if attacked. So, as Kazuma was wondering what to do, Kousuke spoke up.
“Kazuma, Support Course students can fight too, you know, technically.”
“Seriously!?”
“Well, we’re not much of a fighting force, so the Combat Course students yell at us not to do anything, though.”
“What the heck is that…!”
“It can’t be helped even if you get angry, right? In reality, just as they say, we’re the Support Course. We can’t say anything to combat-type Gifted.”
“That’s true, but…”
“That said, if you show a certain level of skill, they’ll shut up.”
“Ooh!”
“However, the hand-to-hand combat we do in class doesn’t work at all against Body Enhancement Gifted.”
“Uwaaah!!!”
At Kousuke’s statement that built him up only to let him down, Kazuma couldn’t help but hold his head in his hands.
While they were doing that, the first bell rang, and morning homeroom began. When the homeroom teacher finished relaying announcements, the next bell rang, and preparations for class began.
Of course, as for what class it was, it was the practical training he had just heard about from the three of them. Kazuma, letting out a reluctant sigh, changed into the designated attire.
He was initially bewildered by the baggy rubber suit, but Kazuma was surprised when it automatically conformed to his body’s lines, becoming a tight-fitting suit.
And then, he was delighted. Seeing girls wearing similar suits in the room where the academy’s virtual machines were installed, alongside his three friends, Kazuma found himself leering.
“I get how you feel, Kazuma. But if you stare too much, the Combat Course students will beat you up.”
Kousuke put his arm around Kazuma’s shoulder, who was looking at the female students, and gave him a warning.
“I-I’m not staring!”
“Idiot, they’ve noticed. If you keep leering like that, the Combat Course girls will beat you up, you know? Incidentally, I got beaten up.”
“Based on personal experience?! That’s bad!”
Kazuma became terrified by Kousuke’s personal account and averted his eyes from the girls. However, since their body lines were clearly visible, Kazuma, feeling a sense of lewdness, couldn’t help but look. It was the sad nature of men.
As the two of them were engaged in such trivial talk, Akira and Taichi joined them.
“Come to think of it, are there group assignments for this?”
Kazuma suddenly asked the three of them something that had piqued his curiosity.
“No, we don’t.”
When Akira answered Kazuma’s question, Kazuma tilted his head at the meaningful reply.
“Does that mean… the Combat Course students do?”
Seeing the three of them nod, Kazuma made a disgusted face, going “Ugh.” But it couldn’t be helped.
The practical training class was, after all, primarily for the Combat Course. Since the objective was for them to learn interpersonal combat training while protecting the Support Course students, it was natural for the Combat Course to be given preferential treatment.
“Well, it can’t be helped. It’s the same at any academy that the Combat Course gets preferential treatment. After all, they’ll be fighting to protect the citizens in the future.”
What Taichi said was correct. Kazuma and the other Support Course students were undoubtedly students of the academy, but it was still unavoidable that Combat Course students, who would go on to fight to protect the citizens in the future, were given preferential treatment.
“That’s how it is. We mustn’t forget that we are, fundamentally, the ones providing support.”
With Kousuke’s words concluding the matter, the group assignments for the practical training began. Unfortunately, the Support Course students were grouped by their attendance numbers, so Kazuma ended up separated from his three friends.
Suddenly thrown into a place with no friends, Kazuma became as meek as a borrowed cat.
(A-awawawawa…!)
Leaving Kazuma, who was panicking internally, the class began. Boarding the VR machine with the Combat Course students, Kazuma dived into the Virtual Space.
In his first Virtual Space, Kazuma’s eyes sparkled, and he was moved by the scene before him. It looked like reality, but it was all artificial. Nevertheless, Kazuma was greatly excited, thinking this sight was wonderful.
As Kazuma was getting carried away all by himself like that, someone called out to him from behind.
“You, I haven’t seen your face around, have I?”
“Heh?”
Called out to, Kazuma, who let out a dumbfounded sound, turned around. Standing there was a Combat Course student with jet-black hair tied in a ponytail, carrying a Naginata. Incidentally, in the Virtual Space, they were no longer wearing the suits that clearly showed their body lines from before.
That female student was wearing equipment she had set for herself. Therefore, she was dressed in something like a uniform equipped with protectors.
“Er, ah, um…”
“What is it? Why don’t you speak clearly?”
“Well, actually, I was hospitalized due to a traffic accident on the first day of the entrance ceremony. And I was just discharged recently…”
“Ah, so you’re Mr. Unlucky.”
“M-Mr. Unlucky? What’s that?”
“It’s a nickname we came up with. I don’t know your name, but I heard there was someone who got into a traffic accident on the first day of the entrance ceremony. But since they were in the Support Course, I wasn’t very interested. So, everyone just called them Mr. Unlucky without knowing their name.”
“I-I see.”
To Kazuma, who was bewildered by the indescribably simple-minded nickname, the girl with the ponytail chuckled and began her self-introduction.
“Well then, I should introduce myself. It’s pitiful to keep calling you Mr. Unlucky. My name is Natsume Kaori. As you can see, I’m a Body Enhancement Gifted. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, thanks. I’m Satsuki Kazuma. My Gift is Transposition.”
“Eh? A molester!?”
“It’s not that ‘chikan’! It’s ‘chikan’ as in Transposition, for swapping objects!”
“Ahahaha, just kidding. I know. Well then, Satsuki-kun, nice to meet you.”
Laughing cheerfully, Kaori offered Kazuma a handshake. Kazuma looked at her hand and got the impression that she wasn’t a bad person.
“Likewise.”
Kazuma shook Kaori’s hand, hoping to get along with her if possible. Of course, with ulterior motives as well.