Chapter 19: Two Scumbags
The two spoke gently to the bewildered Kazuma, and the three of them decided to watch the match together. Kazuma sat next to Shunsuke and watched Kaori and the others’ battle unfold on the monitor.
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Unaware that Kazuma had withdrawn from the Virtual Space, Kaori and the others were wandering through the city to rendezvous with their other team members. However, their expressions were somewhat downcast. They seemed to be worried about something.
“…Satsuki-kun. I wonder if he’s okay.”
“…Probably, he’s fine! Satsuki-kun isn’t like a normal Support Course student! So, I’m sure those two are the ones who are surprised!”
Megumi worriedly voiced her concern for Kazuma, and Kaori encouraged her. Although they had only known him for a very short time, Kaori knew that Kazuma was not an ordinary Support Course student.
Of course, Megumi must have known that too. After all, she had seen Kazuma rush out without regard for his own safety when she was fighting Kaede.
“You’re right! Yes, I’m sure of it! Just as you said, Kaori-chan, Satsuki-kun isn’t like a normal Support Course student! So, he must be okay!”
“Yes, that’s right. So, let’s hurry up and meet our allies so we can go help Satsuki-kun!”
Unaware that Kazuma was already dead, the two of them grew excited. In this combat training, there were no communication devices or announcements. Therefore, they didn’t know how many allies remained or how many enemies had been eliminated.
There was a reason for this: to prevent the students from losing their tension. In the past, announcements were made whenever someone, ally or foe, was eliminated. However, this often led to students letting their guard down towards the end of the exercise.
If there was only one enemy left, some would think they didn’t need to fight, and if there were no allies left, some would give up, making it impossible for them to maintain their tension and complete the training until the end. Therefore, to maintain tension, no announcements are currently made when someone is eliminated, whether ally or foe.
Thanks to this, more students now maintain their tension, wondering how many enemies are left or if there are any allies, and complete the training without giving up until the very end.
That said, some students still slacked off, telling themselves it was just training.
Putting that aside, the three of them shifted their focus and walked around the city to meet up with their comrades. Kaori walked at the front, Kyoko in the middle, and Megumi at the rear.
Unfortunately, although Kyoko’s Gift was support-oriented, it wasn’t suited for reconnaissance, so she was merely being protected. Furthermore, Kazuma had sacrificed himself to save the two of them, so she felt a little indebted.
Kyoko was falling into negative thoughts, wondering if the other two were disappointed by how different she was from Kazuma, despite being in the same Support Course.
Of course, that wasn’t the case. Kazuma was the abnormal one; Kyoko was normal for a Support Course student. Therefore, the other two weren’t particularly bothered. However, Kyoko didn’t know what they were thinking, so she continued to feel guilty.
Walking with a downcast expression, a stark contrast to the other two, Kyoko didn’t notice Kaori stopping and bumped into her.
“Kya!”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine. I’m the one who should apologize for not paying attention.”
Kyoko hurriedly bowed her head and apologized. Because she was thinking that she mustn’t cause trouble for the two of them due to her own fault, Kyoko was shrinking back even more than usual.
“Kaori-chan. Could it be… enemies?”
Megumi, who was at the rear, sensed that someone was nearby since Kaori had stopped. It could be an enemy, or it could be an ally. In any case, Megumi adopted a combat stance.
“I heard two sets of footsteps. I’ll go check, so can you two wait here?”
“Huh? But wouldn’t it be safer if we went together?”
“That’s true, but if it’s an enemy, it’ll be easier for me to escape alone.”
What Kaori said was correct. Since Kaori was a Gifted with Body Enhancement, it was better for her to act alone. Besides, Kazuma, who had been Kaori’s partner, was no longer with them, so either Kaori or Megumi could move freely. One of them just needed to protect Kyoko.
“Alright then, Kaori-chan. If it’s an enemy, give us a signal with some kind of loud noise. And if it’s an ally, come back and get us.”
“Okay, I understand. Well then, I’m off.”
“Yeah. Be careful.”
Kaori waved to the two of them and ran off alone. The remaining two watched Kaori’s back, left to do nothing but wait. However, it wouldn’t be strange for enemies to appear while they were waiting, so Megumi became even more vigilant of her surroundings than before.
Until a moment ago, she had felt a sense of security because Kaori, a reliable ally, was with them, but now they were completely alone. If they were attacked, they might struggle depending on the opponent. If that happened, she didn’t know what would become of Kyoko, the person she was supposed to protect.
“Don’t worry, Kyoko-chan! I’ll definitely protect you!”
“Y-Yes…”
In any case, the two of them were now dependent on Kaori. If they were lucky, their allies would increase, giving them an advantage. If they were unlucky, they would part ways with Kaori. In other words, they would return to the initial situation: just Megumi and Kyoko. Although it was just returning to the beginning, it would be mentally tougher for Kyoko. It was probably inevitable if her escorts decreased from two to one.
Meanwhile, Kaori, having separated from the two, headed towards the sound of footsteps. She moved as quietly and swiftly as possible. If it was an enemy, it might lead to a fight in the worst-case scenario, but if it was an ally, it would be the best possible outcome.
However, since this was entirely up to luck, Kaori prayed to God as she approached the source of the footsteps. Please, let them be allies.
Perhaps her prayer was answered. When Kaori headed towards the sound of footsteps, she found a male student wearing a Blue Armband, the mark of an ally, and a Support Course student, who was the escort target, walking while warily scanning their surroundings.
Upon finding the two, Kaori trembled with joy and immediately jumped out from behind a building. However, the Combat Course male student, who had been警戒ing his surroundings, mistook Kaori for an enemy and intercepted her.
“Hmph!”
“Hey!? What are you doing, attacking me all of a sudden!”
“Hm? Natsume! I thought you were an enemy.”
“Ah, sorry. I should have called out first.”
“Yeah, I wish you had. You can’t blame me for mistaking you for an enemy when you suddenly jump out like that.”
“Ugh… Sorry.”
“Well, it’s fine. More importantly, are you alone? It doesn’t look like you have your escort target with you.”
“I’ll tell you about that later. Megumi and Seto-san are waiting a short distance away. I’ll explain the details after we rendezvous.”
“I see. Understood. The more allies, the better. Let’s meet up with them right away.”
Luckily, Kaori was able to rendezvous with allies and returned to the other two.
At that moment, Megumi and the others were in a critical situation.
“Heheh, lucky. I can’t believe we’d run into you here.”
“Alright, let’s kill ’em quick.”
The two, who had received no signal from Kaori, were hiding behind a building. Unfortunately, Inoue and Tamura emerged from a position where their hiding spot was visible.
Thanks to that, the two were quickly found, landing them in a critical situation.
“…What happened to Satsuki-kun?”
“Huh? Who’s Satsuki?”
“The person you guys were chasing!”
“Aah, that guy.”
“We killed him.”
“Wh-!?”
“That was a masterpiece, wasn’t it~?”
“Oh yeah. I messed up his legs real good with my Earth Manipulation~. Then, this guy here roasted him to death with his fire~”
Megumi gasped at Tamura’s words. Kazuma had been killed. Moreover, the ones in front of her were a pair of lunatics. Despite being the same age, they didn’t consider Support Course students as fellow human beings; frankly, they were the lowest of the low.
“I won’t forgive you…! I’ll never forgive you guys!!”
“What are you so pissed about~?”
“It’s just training, ain’t it? Besides, we’re on the Terrorist side. We ain’t done nothin’ wrong, right? If anything, it’s the weak ones who are at fault.”
“Don’t screw with me! We came here because we admire the National Defense Force who protect everyone, and we want to be like them! People like you who just bully the weak don’t deserve to be here!”
“Pfft, what are you talking about? We’re chosen people. So, it’s only natural that we’re forgiven for a few things.”
“Yeah, yeah. And who do you think you are, anyway? Preaching at us like that. Do you even have the right?”
“No! But there are things I can’t forgive! So, I’ll teach you right here! That you guys are nothing special!”
Enraged, Megumi activated her Wind Ability and soared into the sky. There were two enemies. However, Megumi, who could move freely in the air, had an overwhelming advantage.
Megumi was dominated by anger and was not calm. That would prove to be her undoing.
“Earth Manipulation!”
“Kyaah!”
“Damn it! Kyoko-chan!”
“Gyahahahaha! Forgetting the civilian you’re supposed to protect while being an escort, what an incredible idiot.”
“Gghh!”
What irony, to be pointed out by Tamura. Megumi couldn’t say anything back; all she could do was grit her teeth in frustration.
“Hey, get down here quick. Or else, you know what’ll happen, right?”
“Uuugh…!”
Inoue shouted a threat towards Megumi, who was floating in the sky. At the same time, Tamura tightened his Earth Manipulation hold on Kyoko. Seeing Kyoko groan in pain as the restraining force intensified, Megumi deactivated her Gift and slowly descended from the sky.
However, as she descended, Megumi regained her composure and fired a Wind Cannon at a nearby building. A large number of windowpanes shattered, making a loud noise. The two, unable to comprehend Megumi’s sudden, inexplicable action, burst out laughing.
“Hahahahahaha! Has she lost her mind? Or is she the type to take her anger out on objects?”
“Hahahahaha! Who cares about that? Well then, don’t do anything, okay? From now on, you’re the target. Make sure you entertain us more than the last one.”
Their faces contorted in amusement, the two licked their lips and directed their Gifts at Megumi. Kyoko looked at Megumi worriedly, anticipating the cruel acts that were about to begin. It was a desperate situation. There was no way for Megumi to be saved.
But Megumi hadn’t given up. That Wind Cannon she had fired at the end wasn’t to vent her anger, nor was it an attempt to intimidate them. It was to signal Kaori and the others who were likely nearby. Of course, enemies might come as well, not just Kaori and the others, but the signal had definitely reached them.
In that case, all that was left was to endure. Megumi steeled her resolve and prepared to receive the Gifts from the two.
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Kazuma and the others in the Monitor Room
Kazuma: “Hey, are those guys really our classmates?”
Shunsuke: “Well, yeah, but they awakened at fifteen, so, you know… it’s that.”
Kaede: “Chuunibyou, right!”
Shunsuke: “So much for my attempt at being indirect!”
Kazuma: “Still, this is awful. They’re practically criminals.”
Shunsuke: “I’m sorry they’re our classmates.”
Kaede: “Next time they become our enemies, I’ll be sure to teach them a lesson…”
Kazuma: “No, you two don’t have to apologize…”