Chapter 7: This much won’t give me away, right? Right?
Having lost her escort, Alice, Momoko was at a loss. If she moved carelessly, she risked being discovered by the enemy. However, at the same time, there was also a chance she could rendezvous with allies.
It would be a risky gamble, but Momoko decided to move from her current location. In any case, since there was a chance the enemy would find her even if she stayed put, Momoko held her breath and began to move.
“(I need to rendezvous with my allies, no matter what…)”
Momoko moved cautiously, staying alert to her surroundings and hiding as she went from one shadow to another.
◇◇◇◇
Meanwhile, Kazuma was walking along, casually chatting with Shinya, without encountering any enemies.
“No enemies around, huh~”
“Well, it’d be bad if there were.”
“True. We’re completely off guard right now.”
“Exactly. If we were attacked here, we’d definitely be done for.”
Kazuma laughed, prompted by Shinya who said so with a laugh.
“Hahaha, we’d probably get killed instantly, right?”
The two of them were talking like this, but this was training based on a real combat scenario, and before that, it was a class. In other words, their current attitude was being thoroughly observed and evaluated by the teachers.
Naturally, it was grounds for demerits. As has been said many times, this was training based on a real combat scenario. If they didn’t understand that and were treating it like a game, then this was the natural consequence.
Unaware of this, the two continued their idle chat as they walked. Strolling brazenly through the middle of the urban area, they were prime targets. If they were attacked, they would undoubtedly both be taken out in one fell swoop.
However, that was if they were ordinary students. Even if he was off guard, Kazuma was a former Hero. He was exceptionally sensitive to enemy presence and gazes.
Even if he were attacked while engrossed in conversation with Shinya, he could handle it without issue. However, Kazuma was in the Support Course, so if he did something like that, his true identity would be exposed instantly.
Right now, National Defense Force intelligence agents like Momoko, Manami, and Masafumi were undercover at the academy. The training exercise video data would undoubtedly be reviewed by them, and it was certain they would close in on Kazuma, the Crimson Knight.
“(Hm? Someone’s watching, huh?)”
Kazuma felt a gaze on him.
Noticing he was being watched from above, Kazuma looked up. Since it was an urban area, there was a building standing there.
This was a Virtual Space, so the only people around were students. In other words, whoever was peeking from inside the building was either an enemy or an ally.
Kazuma concluded it was an enemy since they hadn’t called out to him. He thought about telling his escort, Shinya, but since this was training, Kazuma decided to stay silent.
After all, he was in the position of being protected. Shinya, his escort, was the one who needed to notice and be vigilant.
Of course, Kazuma was also at fault. Shinya had completely forgotten it was training because they were chatting amicably, but the cause was Kazuma’s carefree attitude.
“(Satsuki-kun and Ohtsuki, huh… That’s a troublesome combination.)”
The one watching from inside the building was Kaori. She had spotted the two walking without any caution and had been tailing them.
She was currently hiding in the building, waiting for the right moment to launch a surprise attack, but because Kazuma suddenly looked up, she hurriedly hid.
“(No way!? Did he notice me?)”
Kaori, who had moved away from the window to hide, slowly approached it again and looked at the two walking below.
Kazuma had looked up just a moment ago, but now, seeing him once again engrossed in a trivial conversation with Shinya, Kaori let out a sigh of relief.
“(Good. That was just a coincidence then…)”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a coincidence. Kazuma had clearly seen Kaori inside the building.
“(Natsume-san, huh~. She’s a tough opponent to fight, but I’m not the one fighting, so it’s fine, I guess.)”
Kazuma glanced sideways at Shinya beside him. He casually wondered who would win if they fought, completely forgetting that he himself was the target.
“(…First, I’ll strike Satsuki-kun. The best plan is for Ohtsuki to shield him and take heavy damage. Satsuki-kun isn’t an ordinary Support Course student, but if I fight him normally, I can win. The only threat is Ohtsuki. Alright, the plan is set!)”
Kaori took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks to psych herself up.
Then, gripping her naginata tightly, she ran towards the window. With that momentum, she broke through the window and swung the naginata down towards Kazuma.
“What!? An enemy!”
“Too late!”
“Damn it! Kazuma!”
Hearing the loud crash of shattering glass, Shinya realized it was an attack and looked up. There was Kaori, aiming her naginata downwards as if to pierce.
Her target was Kazuma. Realizing this, Shinya tried to pull Kazuma and become a shield himself, but something unexpected happened.
“Whoops, my bad.”
Various things were scattered around the urban area. These ranged from small pebbles to cars and vending machines. Kazuma had picked up a pebble and had set it up with Transposition to swap places with a vending machine.
As the naginata came towards him, Kazuma apologized to both Shinya and Kaori, then threw the pebble and swapped it with the vending machine.
Thanks to that, the naginata Kaori swung down pierced the vending machine, and Kazuma escaped harm.
“No way!?”
“Shinya!”
“R-Right!”
Instantly, Kazuma threw the Iron Sand, which he had swapped into a plastic bottle from his pocket, towards Shinya. Shinya caught it and, manipulating the Iron Sand with Magnetism, launched an attack at Kaori.
“Kuh…!”
Quickly pulling her naginata out of the vending machine, Kaori slashed through the incoming Iron Sand.
However, even if it dispersed, it was still within Shinya’s range. The Iron Sand immediately moved as Shinya willed it and attacked her.
“Seriously, Ohtsuki, you’re such an annoying opponent!”
“Thanks for the compliment! But Natsume-san with her Body Enhancement is a bad matchup for me too, you know!”
In fact, Shinya’s Iron Sand stretched out like a whip, attacking Kaori, but she was a Gifted with Body Enhancement. He couldn’t match her speed. For a while now, Shinya’s attacks had only been cutting through the air, not hitting Kaori.
However, the same was true for his opponent. Shinya’s Iron Sand excelled in both offense and defense, so even if she got close and swung her naginata, it would be blocked by the Iron Sand, and her attacks wouldn’t get through. Both were struggling to land a decisive blow.
“(Ooh~, Magnetism really is convenient~)”
Kazuma, watching the fight, was impressed by the convenience of Magnetism.
It could be applied to both offense and defense. It was surely a very useful ability. If developed, it was an ability that could make one’s name renowned throughout the world.
“(Wouldn’t it be the strongest if you could control things like the iron content in someone’s body with Magnetism?)”
Kazuma thought of a sinister application. If that were possible, one could undoubtedly reach the pinnacle of strength. However, it was easy to imagine how society would view someone who used it in such a way.
“(Well, if you could do something like that, you’d definitely be feared.)”
Overwhelming power could become a symbol, but one misstep and it was nothing but terror. Kazuma had learned this all too well in the other world. He recalled how he was revered as a Hero by humanity but feared as a symbol of terror by his enemies.
“Aargh, this is so frustrating!”
“That’s my line! Damn it! My attacks aren’t hitting at all!”
Both lacked a decisive move and were just pointlessly expending stamina.
If they continued fighting like this, people would gather. It would be fine if they were allies, but if they were enemies, it would be over.
No matter how good Magnetism was for offense and defense, Shinya wasn’t skilled enough to protect Kazuma from two Gifted while fighting them off.
“(Hmm… Should I jump in and help? This much probably won’t give me away.)”
Unable to just watch any longer, Kazuma set up Transposition to swap a pebble and a vending machine.
All that was left was to move within his ability’s range. Kazuma barged in, interrupting the fight between the two.
“Kazuma!? What are you doing!”
“Don’t tell me—”
“Oh, you noticed? But you’re a little too late.”
Shinya was surprised, and Kaori realized something. She had seen that Kazuma was about to do something, but it was already too late. Kazuma threw the pebble in his hand behind Kaori and swapped it with a vending machine.
Kaori, whose back slammed into the vending machine that suddenly appeared behind her, froze.
“Wha-!? This is!”
“Shinya! Now!”
“Nice!!!”
Her movements completely impeded, Kaori was helpless as Shinya’s released Iron Sand pierced her chest, killing her. With this, the Terrorist team was down to three members.
“Yeah!”
“Hahaha! You’re really just like the rumors say, Kazuma! You saved me!”
“You did great too! Hahahahaha!”
The two exchanged a high-five, praising each other’s good fight.