We hid in one of the parks scattered around the academy, avoiding the people chasing us.
“…I’m sorry… I’m sweating…”
I had noticed that Nanami-san’s body temperature had risen, but along the way here, she had broken into a light sweat.
“Uh, um… what should we do? Do you have a change of clothes?”
“…I do, but I need to wear them during the mock battle, so just wiping off for now is fine.”
“Then, I’ll keep watch. There’s no building around here where you can change…”
“Thank you… Just wait a bit.”
Nanami-san kept a lookout to make sure no one was around. I peeked out from behind cover, hearing no voices—until suddenly…
“Did we search this way?”
“No, didn’t they go over there?”
“Let’s check here just in case. We need to inspect every hiding spot one by one.”
(This is bad… they’re coming this way!)
“Fujiwara-kun…?”
“(Nanami-san, I’m sorry!)”
As she tried to poke her head out to see what was going on, I hurriedly pulled her back into cover.
Holding my breath, I heard footsteps entering the park.
“…No one here. This spot’s clear, let’s move on!”
“Right!”
If the student had a skill for detecting others’ presence, we would have been finished. After they left, I began to get up slowly.
“Mmm…”
“…?”
A sudden sensation of softness registered in my left hand. As I tried to stand, I had accidentally pushed Nanami-san down, who had been wiping her body, and… well…
(Sorry…!)
I quietly apologized, knowing we couldn’t afford to make a loud noise. However, she instead pulled me closer as I tried to get up.
“…It’s better if we stay still for a little longer.”
“Y-yeah, but if we keep like this…”
“…It should be fine soon… ah…”
Her face was extremely close. Though my hand was no longer on her chest, I found myself awkwardly positioned between her legs, an entirely embarrassing situation.
“…I’ve finished wiping off the sweat, so it’s okay now.”
Even at a time like this, Nanami-san was concerned about me—how kind was she? Guilt and various emotions swirling inside, I managed to pull away from her and get to my feet.
“I’m really sorry. I almost hurt you out of panic…”
“It’s okay. That was nothing, I’m fine.”
“R-really?”
“Don’t worry about it. If it’s Fujiwara-kun then…”
“Huh?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Nanami-san finished adjusting her clothes. Then, as if noticing something, she reached out towards my hair.
“…You have a leaf stuck there.”
“Thanks. If I’d gone back to class like that, I would’ve looked pretty silly.”
“They might’ve guessed where you were hiding.”
Even after all that happened, Nanami-san wasn’t mad—in fact, she smiled at me.
I need to be more careful with my words in front of everyone, to avoid causing Nanami-san any trouble. While I’m grateful for being invited to parties, I’d really like to stop being chased around already.
The second period today featured our first mock battle class.
We headed to a training field, different from the regular gym, changed into our gear, and entered. The instructor, Bessho-sensei, looked to be a woman in her mid-thirties, and her demeanor suggested she was a martial arts master of some kind.
“The training field has been set up to reduce the power of offensive skills. Therefore, skill usage is permitted, but weapons are prohibited. The targets attached to your armor will represent ‘weak points.’ Striking these spots will score points. Your performance in the mock battle will contribute to your ‘combat evaluation,’ so don’t slack off. That’s all.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Since martial arts begin with proper etiquette, everyone responded loudly. After donning armor over our training wear, we prepared for our respective matches. Though mixed-gender matches are planned for the future, today’s battle was between boys, with my opponent being a male student named Kira, a ‘martial artist.’
The training field was spacious enough to host four matches simultaneously. Everyone was nervous before their turn, so fortunately, I wasn’t the center of attention today.
“Don’t take it personally, but in this type of match, no matter how strong you are, you don’t stand a chance.”
Indeed, an ordinary ‘baggage carrier’ wouldn’t stand much chance against a specialized fighter, even if their strength and agility were slightly higher.
“Begin!”
“Oooohhh!”
With a shout, Kira’s magical power surged—he likely had a skill that enhanced his physical abilities, which could close any gap in stats.
“Haaa! Power Fist!”
Even blocking his punch, the impact carried through as if it could still cause damage.
However, this wasn’t a brawl. The goal was to score points.
《Skill ‘Fixation’ activated. The spatial coordinates of the target are fixed.》
“Huh? What…?”
I briefly froze Kira’s movements and scored a hit on his target before releasing the skill.
“Clean hit, five times! Ten points! Match!”
“No way…! What was that ridiculous ‘speed’…?”
“It’s not just speed. Fujiwara-kun effectively used his skill… It looked like Kira-kun froze for a moment…”
Because I used ‘Fixation,’ a skill no ordinary ‘baggage carrier’ would normally acquire, I had gained a decisive advantage.
“…You’re on a whole different level. In the next year, I’ll have to work on taking even one point from you.”
“Yeah, I look forward to the next match.”
I should consider holding back on using ‘Fixation’ in future matches. As I thought this, Kayama, Nagakura, and Inosato approached me.
“Please, Fujiwara-san, spar with us!”
“It would be an honor to face you, Fujiwara-sama…”
“You two can wait. I’ll be the one to fall to Fujiwara-san!”
It seemed their feelings toward me had grown rather warped, but since they wanted a match, I had no reason to refuse.
“Sensei, would it be alright if I faced all three of them at once?”
“I did think that one-on-one might be too easy for you, but are you sure? Even you might struggle against three at once…”
“Yes, I think I can handle it.”
By the time I gave my answer, everyone in the room, including Nanami-san, had their eyes on me.
(…I hope I don’t look too cocky… but holding back would be worse…)
“Alright then, we’ll have a special 1v3 mock battle. Begin!”
“Oooohhh!”
《Skill ‘Fixation’ activated. The spatial coordinates of the targets are fixed.》
The three of them attacked in staggered intervals rather than all at once, so it ended up like the match with Kira—fix, strike, and repeat.
“Clean hit, fifteen times! Thirty points! Match!”
The three collapsed to the floor, and the room erupted in cheers, loud enough to shake the training field. Bessho-sensei even raised my right hand, signaling my victory.
“Wh-what was that…? Is he some kind of martial arts master…?”
“Seeing the target stop dead and then boom, points scored in a flash—that’s so satisfying to watch.”
“He’s not stopping time, just freezing his opponents’ movements…?”
“We need VAR to review that. I’d love to watch it in slow motion!”
If they used VAR (video assistant referee), would they figure out my moves? Since even the viewers of the videos hadn’t yet unraveled it, it shouldn’t be an issue for now.
“You’re so talented that I think you’ll need individualized instruction from now on… Alright, I’ll recommend that you be allowed to take my specialized course.”
“Thank you, sensei.”
It seems I’ve unlocked access to some combat-related sub-class skills. Though I wondered if I was overdoing it, it seems like performing well in future lessons will only benefit me.
