"What is the Ouran-kai?"
"You asked the right question!"
At that moment, Byodoin and the students around him struck a new pose.
"The Ouran-kai is the largest guild in Ouran Academy, comprised of those who both revere and are enamored by the goddess-like beauty and ideals of Takamine Sakura. Together, we protect the peace of the city and its citizens from dangerous monsters!"
Byodoin’s fast-paced explanation was overwhelming, making it hard for Takeru to absorb the details. Just as he was pondering how to handle the situation, Sakura, having seen Takeru's message, hurried over.
"Is this where the Gate Break happened?!"
"Ah, Takamine-san, these people—"
When Takeru turned around, the members of the Ouran-kai were already gone. As an unofficial fan club, they couldn’t let Sakura see them, so they had disappeared like ninjas.
"They’re gone?"
Takeru couldn’t help but mutter to himself, wondering what all that pressure was for…
The Next Day
Takeru found himself recalling yesterday’s events. He had explained to Sakura that some passing students helped deal with the monsters from the blue gate. The fact that she came rushing to his aid after receiving just one message made him feel deeply grateful.
—I’ll never be able to repay Takamine-san for all she’s done for me…
With those thoughts in mind, Takeru opened the classroom door, only to find Byodoin standing there with a huge grin on his face.
"Good morning!"
"Whoa!"
The suddenness of it all startled Takeru so much that he reflexively closed the door again.
"Ha-ha-ha! You’re full of energy this morning!"
But before he could react, Byodoin threw the door open with full force and greeted him cheerfully.
"Huh—?!"
Panicking, Takeru looked at the classroom sign, which clearly said 2-C. He hadn’t made a mistake.
"…Why are you here?!"
"Because this is my classroom, of course!"
The way he said it, with such enthusiasm, made Takeru recall yesterday’s introductions. Indeed, Byodoin had been there. Not only that, but all the members of the Ouran-kai were his classmates too.
—You’ve got to be kidding me…
It dawned on Takeru that he might be stuck with this overly energetic guy from now on, a thought that filled him with dread.
Takeru’s fear proved accurate, as he could feel Byodoin’s gaze on him constantly.
Even during regular classes, he could sense Byodoin staring at him.
—What is this…?
When he went to the bathroom, Byodoin followed and stared at him from the side.
—What the heck is going on?
During lunch, Byodoin was still staring at him.
"What is that guy?!"
Takeru couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer and let out a loud complaint while sitting across from Sawamura during lunch. Concerned, Sawamura asked:
"A-are you okay, Kusanagi-kun?"
"…Sawamura, do you know anything about that guy?"
"That guy?"
"…Byodoin Souma."
Still feeling Byodoin’s intense gaze, Takeru kept his voice low to avoid drawing attention and getting more entangled with him.
"Oh, of course I know him."
As a Hunter enthusiast, Sawamura’s glasses gleamed as he eagerly answered the question.
Byodoin Souma.
The rightful successor of the Byodoin-style spear technique, a lineage that dates back to the Sengoku period. Known as a prodigy from a young age, he excelled academically and was one of only five A-rank hunters at Ouran Academy, making him a standout even among professionals. Last year, he was selected as one of the "Top 20 Hunters to Watch."
"An excellent hunter?"
"Yeah, after Hunter Takamine, he’s probably the best of our age group."
As Byodoin continued staring at him, Takeru found it hard to believe. While his spear skills were undoubtedly high-level, the overwhelmingly goofy vibe he exuded made it difficult for Takeru to take him seriously.
Still watching him with that silly expression, Takeru pointed his finger at Byodoin—
"…That guy?"
"Ahaha, well, he’s a bit eccentric, but that’s part of what makes Hunters so intriguing—they tend to be a little otherworldly."
Just a bit…?
Takeru, who had been roped into strange interactions with Byodoin from the very beginning, felt that calling him "a bit eccentric" was a massive understatement.
"You’ll understand in the next class."
Sawamura said with a mysterious smile, leaving Takeru puzzled.
Takeru, Sawamura, and Araki had changed into their gym uniforms and gathered in the training field. It was a dirt-covered ground, surrounded by a colosseum-like structure.
"So, this is the next class…"
The students of Ouran Academy were doing warm-ups, dressed in their combat gear, ready for Hunter activities. As Takeru looked around, a rugged teacher, who resembled a gorilla in both face and physique, was swinging a bamboo sword while shouting.
"Are you all ready?!"
Students responded enthusiastically, calling him "Gorisen," their voices filled with energy.
—Is that teacher from another era or something?
"Hunter training! In regular high schools, this kind of training can only happen when the Hunter Association is involved, but here at the academy, it’s part of the curriculum. Pretty amazing, right?"
Sawamura's eyes sparkled with excitement, but Takeru was still confused about what exactly was going to happen.
"…What exactly is Hunter training?"
"Oh, right. This is your first time since you’ve transferred back, Kusanagi-kun."
Sawamura explained what Hunter training was.
"Hunter training is practice fighting DS monsters."
"DS monsters?"
"Yeah, like that."
Sawamura pointed at a small tank-like machine, from which round, slime-like creatures were being produced.
"What… is that?"
"That's called a Doppel Slime. It turns into a monster that the DS House has stored in its memory. Oh, and DS stands for Doppel Slime, by the way."
As Sawamura provided additional details, Takeru watched the Doppel Slime. As Sawamura had explained, it wriggled and morphed into forms resembling goblins, orcs, and ogres. They looked exactly like real monsters.
"…"
Even Takeru, who had traveled through another world, had never seen anything like it. The sight was so bizarre that it left him speechless.
"Pretty amazing, right?"
"It’s impressive, but… is it safe?"
"Yeah, it was made by an excellent magus, so there’s no danger."
Hunters were those who fought monsters, while magi were researchers of magic. Though the Doppel Slimes looked just like real monsters, Takeru couldn’t help but worry. However, in this world, it was normal, so no one else seemed concerned.
For now, Takeru decided to think of it like a fire drill. But just then, Araki, who had been silent until now, muttered something under his breath.
"There's no way something like that could be dangerous for you."
"Hm? Did you say something?"
With a smile full of pressure, Takeru glared at Araki, whose face immediately turned pale as he quickly shook his head.
The class began, and the students of Ouran Academy started using magic and weapons to take down the monsters. As Takeru watched, he gauged the overall level of the students, estimating that they were slightly weaker than the members of Wind Guard.
"Hm?"
Most of the students were fighting one-on-one with the monsters, but there was one student who had been surrounded by a group of ogres.
"Sawamura, is that okay? They’re all focusing on one person."
"…Yeah. He’s special, even among the students of Ouran Academy."
When Takeru wondered if it might have been a bug with the Doppel Slimes, Sawamura confidently assured him otherwise. Hidden behind the massive ogres, the student's figure was hard to see, but a voice could be heard from within.
"Haha! Feast your eyes on the ultimate technique of Byodoin Souma!"
"In an instant, the ogre's head exploded.
The fallen ogre transformed back into a Doppel Slime, and the parts that had burst apart stuck back together and returned to the DS House on their own.
"How was that? That’s Byodoin-kun!"
As Sawamura muttered, impressed, the surrounding students were buzzing with excitement over Byodoin's performance.
Meanwhile, Takeru found himself pondering something strange.
"…They sure do make a big deal out of things."
"Eh?"
"Oh, never mind."
He recalled how he had pinpointed the monster’s heart when he had saved himself. If he had simply infused magic into a strike, the ogre’s head would have burst like that, and it would have been much easier. The single strike that didn"t splash blood was a far more sophisticated technique, he mused—just as the thought crossed his mind.
"Next! The students from Kazami High, come on up!"
Called by the instructor, Sawamura, Araki, and Takeru, the trio from the gym class stepped forward, faced with grinning goblins.
"You can use weapons or magic; whichever is easier for you!"
As the instructor spoke, Sawamura and Araki readied themselves. Since they chose to defeat the monsters with magic, they didn"t carry weapons, but Takeru borrowed a sword, wary of showing his magic and messing up the power control.
"It's been a while, so I"m feeling nervous…"
The goblins cackled mockingly. Just as Takeru thought how predictable that was, the goblins charged at them.
"Fireball!"
"Woooooah! Die!"
Sawamura and Araki repelled the goblins with their magic. The goblins screamed and turned back into Doppel Slimes.
"I did it!"
"Yeah! Did you see that?!"
And then Takeru—
"Gya gya gya!"
"…"
—was too slow.
He walked forward slowly, slicing the goblin's neck as he passed by.
So quick that no one noticed he had struck, only Byodoin and the instructor caught sight of Takeru's movement.
"Gigi…"
As he thought it was over, he turned around to see the goblin was still standing there, not turning back into a Doppel Slime.
"Huh?"
"Sawamura! The Doppel Slime just pretends to take damage! Keep attacking!"
"Yeah, Kusanagi-kun, I know that. I get that attacking living things is scary, but this is training…"
"No, I actually cut it, though…?"
Even though he was sure he had struck it, as he tilted his head in confusion, the goblin took a few steps forward.
"Gi, gigi gigi…"
After a few steps, its movements stopped, and its head dropped.
Then, it transformed into a Doppel Slime and returned to the DS House.
Silence.
The instructor and the classmates from Ouran Academy were astonished. Gradually, murmurs began to rise.
—Huh? Did it not realize it had been struck?
—No, wait… when did he even cut it?
The fluid movement from a relaxed state was so natural that no one present had seen it.
—This guy probably thinks this is easy.
Araki muttered nonchalantly.
Hearing that, Takeru felt a pang of anxiety rising within.
—This is bad…
He had been careless, thinking it was okay since he hadn’t used a Physical Boost and was just moving naturally. Even Sawamura, beside him, looked surprised.
"K-Kusanagi-kun…?"
"That was a pretty dumb Doppel Slime!"
"Huh!?"
Sawamura was startled by Takeru's sudden loud outburst.
"But come on, Sawamura! It’s not every day that something doesn’t realize it got hit, right!?"
He glared at Araki, signaling for him to back him up.
"Haha! That was seriously a dumb slime!"
"Right, Araki!"
"Uh, yeah!"
Seeing the two of them, the others began murmuring in agreement.
"Oh, yeah. That's right. It's not normal for that to happen, is it?"
Sawamura, still somewhat puzzled, nodded in agreement and laughed.
Meanwhile, Byodoin watched Takeru with a curious expression, amused.
