Chapter 19: The Helper Character
The first training session of the afternoon concluded, and next up was virtual training using VR machines.
Kazuma and the others changed their clothes, moved to a different location, and arrived at the room where the VR machines were installed.
The content of this class was combat against Ibinom in Virtual Space.
Only Kazuma, being an ordinary person, was permitted to wear a Powered Suit.
Before the training began, Kazuma was ordered to stand by within the Virtual Space.
“Why?”
“Satsuki, I’m well aware of your abilities from the Academy Battle Tournament. If someone like you had a weapon in addition to a Powered Suit, it’d be like giving a demon an iron club.”
“I don’t think that’s true!”
Kazuma protested to the teacher, but his pleas went unheard.
“To be frank, I don’t think you need training.”
“You’re quite blunt, aren’t you~”
“Kenzaki Souji is one of the most skilled individuals in the country. He has already subjugated many Ibinom and was undoubtedly the strongest among the students.”
“So, that means I, who defeated such a senpai, am the strongest, right?”
“Well, that’s true, but… Ahem. Anyway, what I want to say is that training is meaningless for you.”
“Even though everyone else is fighting desperately!”
Kazuma gritted his back teeth, but since it was virtual training using VR machines, his classmates wouldn’t die.
“You’re like a helper character, so just bear with it.”
“Can’t be helped, huh~”
(Just as I’d heard, he’s really gullible… I’m worried he’ll be tricked by a bad woman.)
The teacher worried about Kazuma’s easygoing nature, but it was already too late.
He had already been deceived and killed by bad women many times.
He was a hopeless idiot.
“Hm, a distress signal.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“The scenario for this training assumes Ibinom have appeared in the city. Evacuation is complete, and it’s just Ibinom subjugation, but their strength is set to a difficult level for the current students.”
“And so?”
“I’ve ordered them to send a distress signal if they absolutely can’t defeat them. You understand now, right?”
“Haaah. So, it’s an excuse for my training, is that it?”
“That’s right.”
Once Kazuma was told the location of the distress signal, he immediately rushed to the scene.
There, several classmates were struggling against a quadrupedal, beast-type Ibinom.
Several classmates had already fallen into a combat-incapable state, and it could be judged that repelling the Ibinom was impossible.
Kazuma instantly assessed the battle situation and, with his only weapon, a katana, in hand, dashed towards the Ibinom.
“I’ll provide support!”
“Kazuma! You’re a lifesaver!”
Slipping past his classmates, Kazuma closed in on the Ibinom, dodged its attacking claws, and sliced off a leg.
Unable to bear it, the Ibinom lost its balance and nearly fell, but it held on with its remaining three limbs.
Without pause, Kazuma followed up with another attack and cut off another leg.
With this, the Ibinom was completely immobilized.
Kazuma confirmed this, distanced himself, and turned to his classmates.
“Can you handle the rest?”
“Eh, ah, yeah…”
When Kazuma looked back, he saw his classmates looking dumbfounded.
Kazuma wondered why they were making such faces and could only tilt his head in confusion.
“Anyway, move quickly! I’ve stopped it for you, but if you guys don’t do your best, the training will be meaningless, right?”
“Ah, yeah! That’s right! Hey, everyone! Let’s do it!”
The classmates, once again made aware of Kazuma’s true strength, finally started to move.
Although it was immobilized, it still had two limbs left.
Like a wounded beast is ferocious, the Ibinom thrashed about, trying to prevent anyone from approaching.
Approaching it now was dangerous, but its immobility also presented a chance.
The classmates, paying close attention, closed the distance and delivered the finishing blow to the Ibinom.
“Phew~~~…”
“We won.”
“Yeah, thanks to Kazuma. If it were just us, we would’ve lost.”
“I heard from the teacher. Apparently, this time the level was set to be borderline winnable or unwinnable.”
“Seriously? I thought it was stronger than usual, but so that’s why.”
“If you could’ve won without me, you probably would’ve gotten a high evaluation.”
“Yeah. But maybe we were lucky to see you fight firsthand.”
“I don’t think it was anything that amazing, though.”
“No, no, you’re more amazing than you think.”
“Well, yeah!”
Lured by Kazuma’s boisterous laughter, as if he were a fool, the classmates also raised their voices in laughter.
Kazuma and the others laughed for a short while, but distress signals rose from other locations, and it was no longer a time for laughter.
“A distress signal. Well then, I’m off.”
“Yeah!”
Raising one hand, Kazuma started running in the direction of the distress signal.
Watching his back disappear in an instant, the classmates once again realized Kazuma’s amazingness.
Kazuma headed to the location of the distress signal and, just like before, provided support and had his classmates defeat the Ibinom.
This training was a bit too much for the classmates, and many teams failed.
Among them, there was only one team that succeeded in subjugating an Ibinom.
“As expected of Makimura. You can see she’s grown a lot since the Academy Battle Tournament.”
“Indeed~”
Kaede participated in the Academy Battle Tournament as a first-year representative, where she was turned into a Modified Fiend by Kazuma’s hellish training.
Therefore, she possesses the strength to overwhelm not only other first-years but even third-years nearing graduation.
The content of this training was tough for first-years, but for Kaede, it was simple.
Compared to having Kazuma as an opponent, an Ibinom was no enemy at all.
“What’s the evaluation like this time?”
“Let’s see. I’ll tell you specially, Satsuki, but it’s mostly high evaluations. Normally, when the level is raised this high, some students inevitably give up. But this year’s first-years, perhaps due to someone’s influence, have many who don’t give up easily. They tried to fulfill their roles to the very end. That attitude is highly commendable.”
“I see…”
“Moreover, many of them have improved their skills. This is also likely due to someone’s influence.”
“Well, that’s just great!”
As a result of most first-years being roused by the thought that they couldn’t keep losing to Kazuma, the overall ability of the entire first year improved.
The teaching staff was also surprised by this, but since it wasn’t a negative influence, rather than leaving it alone, they were actually pleased.
Since the students were diligently training on their own initiative, it was a situation the teaching staff should welcome.
In that case, the teaching staff had no complaints.
“Now, about Satsuki…”
“Yessir! A perfect score, right!”
“…Well, if you perform that well~”
Kazuma didn’t defeat the Ibinom himself but skillfully supported his classmates so they could grow.
His smug face and overconfident attitude were irritating, but what he said wasn’t wrong, so the teacher sighed in exasperation.
“Haaah… That’s right. Even as you are now, joining the National Defense Force is a certainty. If only your usual attitude and behavior were more solid, I’d have no complaints.”
“I’ll do my best!”
“That’s what people say when they’re not going to do it…”
It’s a phrase working adults often use.
The teacher, understanding that “I’ll do my best” often means “I won’t do it,” let out a grand sigh as if giving up.
“Well, never mind. By the way, Satsuki, are you not participating in the student council president election battle?”
“Ah~, the academy’s last big event, right?”
The student council president election battle, held in the final semester.
It’s held at every academy and has become the final major event.
Only first and second-year students are eligible to participate, and a tournament is held to decide next year’s student council president.
Technically, Support Course students can also participate, but basically, there are no participants from there.
This is because their abilities are too far removed from those of the Combat Course.
In that regard, if Kazuma had participated from the Support Course, the first-ever Support Course student council president in history would have been born.
If Kazuma had known about that, he probably would have participated, but now that he’s in the Combat Course, he likely has no desire to join.
“What are you planning to do?”
“I’m good~. Being student council president isn’t really my style.”
“I see. Well, there’s still time before the participation deadline, so think it over carefully.”
Even being told that, it didn’t really click with Kazuma.
As expected, he thought he wasn’t the kind of person to become student council president, so Kazuma decided not to think about it.