chapter2 · 018-ep18

Episode 18: How About a Little Sparring?

Intermediate.

Watching that word sit there on the simple floor sign, I climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Sōsuke: Beginner.

Mibu: Advanced.

And me: Intermediate.

We scattered about as cleanly as it's possible to scatter.

"...What's Intermediate actually like, I wonder."

I muttered it quietly, to no one in particular.

Somehow, I'd pictured a room full of nothing but students.

This kind of thing seemed like it'd be easier to run split by age.

But the moment I actually reached the room I'd been guided to, that image folded without a fight.

"...Not what I was picturing."

That was my honest takeaway.

A space like an oversized meeting room.

Podium and whiteboard up front.

Meeting chairs and tables folded up and leaned against the wall.

And the people who seemed to be participants — twenty or thirty of them.

The faces were nothing like I'd imagined, either.

Some looked late twenties; faces that read thirty, even forty, were a perfectly normal sight.

Wait, why are there actual working adults here?

Wasn't this supposed to be more of a young-people program?

...Actually, thinking about it — nobody ever said that.

And still.

"Talk about an away game..."

It slipped out.

The Intermediate group.

I'd figured there'd be more students from other schools, all chattery and chaotic.

It read as way more serious than I'd imagined.

I looked around.

Well, to be accurate, a handful of uniformed kids were there, but

in the end I couldn't work up any urge to talk to them.

Present, but that was it.

Because I'm a first-year, and

anyone whose face I don't know is nine times out of ten older.

And I don't have the guts to shoulder the risk of butting heads with a senpai.

And amid all that, among the apparent-participant high schoolers, one presence stood out hard.

Tall.

Good posture.

Features refined enough to read from the profile alone — and on top of that, chatting naturally with the older participant beside him.

Even his laugh was soft.

"Oh no, not at all. Me? I've still got a long way to go."

A voice like that drifted over.

How do I put it — very likable.

But that wasn't all.

It was supposedly his first time here, and yet he fit the room uncannily well.

"...Ugh. The dude's a straight-up Dekisugi-san."

He's not stuck-up.

Not trying to stand out, either.

Plus: tall, high-spec, and handsome.

In that sense, a completely different brand of standing out than Mibu.

"That's the type that ends up top caste in class, you know?"

Muttering that half-cynically, I stepped back from the cluster and put my shoulders to the wall.

A little while later,

a man appeared at the front of the room.

Around thirty.

Solid build.

A suit, sure, but the face of somebody who'd come up through field work.

Next to that Kujō Masaomi who'd briefed us, though, noticeably less force coming off him.

"Saeki. I'll be handling the Intermediate group."

His voice wasn't especially loud.

It was a kind-sounding voice.

The murmuring room quieted on its own.

"This isn't a fundamentals-only room like Beginner. Nor is it practical-combat handling like Advanced. Intermediate sits in between."

Saeki spoke evenly.

"Assuming the basics are there — how far can you fight? Where will you grow from here? That's what we'll be watching."

I see.

So Intermediate is a vaguer place than I thought.

But maybe that's more realistic.

It's not like something as sudden as Awakeners could be neatly sorted by age or occupation anyway.

"As Kujō-san covered in the opening orientation — show your ability here, and you may be granted promotion to the Advanced class, scouted for an expedition team, or given dungeon entry permission. Those who want that should brace themselves accordingly."

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

This is the stuff.

Expedition teams. Dungeon entry permission.

Every fantasy-tier item on my heartfelt wishlist.

Raise my Level, unlock achievements,

get stronger faster than anyone — for that me, it's the perfect environment.

Thinking so, I dropped my gaze just a little.

Where nobody could tell, I opened my achievements list in the corner of my awareness.

"Haven't unlocked a thing in ages, after all."

Lately it had become a habit to check it whenever I had a free second.

Or rather — I can't settle down without checking.

The last one I got was that one.

From the bout I fought with Sakagami.

【B: Defeat an Awakener whose Level is higher than yours in a single hit】

【Vital Point Correction】

Slightly improves the effectiveness of strikes that land on vital points.

And that's the Skill it gave me.

Weeell, no perceptible difference so far, honestly.

I mean, I haven't fought anyone.

Can't get into dungeons.

I'm in the mood to go pound a Greyfish for old times' sake.

So — yeah. Honestly, I'm getting antsy.

Saeki's explanation went on.

"Today is orientation, first and foremost. But well — since we're all here anyway..."

At that, the room's air shifted a little.

I lifted my head too.

"As an icebreaker, something light—"

Ah.

Could this be—

Saeki looked around the room.

"How about a little sparring?"

There it is.

Knew that was the flow.

The room buzzed.

Classic developments like this get my heart dancing.

Some looked game; some were visibly this-is-a-hassle about it.

The working-adult types mostly wore day one, seriously? faces.

Fair.

Not everyone's dying to step up when they don't even know who they'd be facing.

"Any volunteers?"

Saeki asked.

For one clean instant, the room went silent.

Nobody raised a hand.

Well, that's the usual outcome.

Even the game ones from a minute ago were watching to see who'd move first.

This is where Japanese modesty really comes out.

I mean, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Japanese myself, but—

—even as I thought that, my hand went straight up.

"Yes. If going first is fine."

In that instant, several gazes converged on me.

Ugh, being watched like this is uncomfortable.

But it can't be helped.

There are achievements you can only unlock in player battles, after all.

And for that matter, I've already picked out the next one I want.

"Oh — a high schooler."

Saeki looked mildly surprised.

"Seriously?"

"Kid's got guts."

"Isn't that pushing it?"

Amid that jumble of voices,

"In that case, I'll go."

a soft voice came from near the front.

I looked.

It was that high schooler from up front.

"...Rio. Didn't you come just to watch?"

First-name basis.

So they know each other.

"I did. I wanted to see what kids my age are made of."

"I put you in Intermediate as a formality, but you're one of the ones running expeditions on weekends."

The room's air changed, just slightly, at that.

Expeditions.

Plenty of people reacted to the word.

Myself included.

Wait, hold on.

That means he's on the actual dungeon front lines, like Mibu.

"I'm begging you — don't hurt the guy."

Saeki said it with a sigh mixed in.

Rio gave a small, faintly troubled smile.

"It'll be fine. I know where the lines are."

It was a gently put reply.

"...Well. If you say so."

No no no no.

Do not throw the guy who comes with a "don't hurt anyone" warning label at me on turn one.

I raised my hand in a "wanna unlock some achievements~" kind of mood, not because I wanted to brawl with a genuine expedition-tier fighter.

—But at the same time: an opportunity, maybe.

Honestly, I am curious how strong the expedition crowd is.

How strong are they?

How much of a fight can the current me put up?

If I can learn that early on, so much the better.

And so, Rio and I moved to the center of the room.

The other participants and Saeki positioned themselves around the walls, ringing us in.

My eyes met Rio's.

He was smiling.

Refreshing.

He's plainly handsome, and — making a good picture at a moment like this included — I thought, being good-looking really is an advantage.

"Fujigaya Rio, second-year. Nice to meet you."

"Oh — yes. Himuro Ren, first-year. Nice to meet you too."

Even as I returned it, I thought:

A senpai after all.

Good thing I never worked up the courage to chat with him.

...No, none of that matters right now.

"Ready? Use of Skills is strictly forbidden. Keep it to what won't wreck the facility and won't drag in the people around you. If it gets dangerous, I'm stepping in."

"Yes!"

Wait — Skills?

Mine are all passive, so I literally can't turn them off!?

And more to the point — Fujigaya-senpai here can use these so-called Skills?

Before I could lodge any of those objections, Fujigaya answered in a bright, clear voice, so I hurried to get out a "Yes" of my own.

"Sparring — begin!"

And thus, with a whole pile of things still making no sense to me, the so-called sparring began.