Chapter 19 – Training Room

R̀eɑｄ ​ｏη K̃a​ｔR​ea‌d̂ί&n;g̀Ｃａfe

An untimely explosion drew a crowd, but Hosanna waved his wand and drove away the throng before leading me, who was still in a daze, toward the U.P. building.

“Director! Where have you been?! There was an explosion in the southern area just now… Huh? Mari?”

“Ah, hello…”

“Ah, welcome.”

Yuika, who had been rushing out of the building upon spotting Hosanna, tilted her head when she saw me. As I habitually bowed my head in greeting, she smiled warmly, as if she had never been flustered, and accepted my greeting.

“It’s nothing. I just used a bit of magic.”

“Huh? What on earth would make you use magic in the village…”

Yuika casually responded to Hosanna’s words, but then her expression changed as if she had just realized something.

“Wait, Director?”

“What do you mean, ‘wait’? If you’re thinking that I forcibly brought Mari here even resorting to magic, then yes, you’re right.”

How can he say that so shamelessly? As I stared at Hosanna in disbelief, Yuika sighed, pressing her forehead.

“Wasn’t the plan to go fetch her only if she didn’t come?”

“That’s why I went to get her. It’s lunchtime, and she wasn’t here.”

“Lunch is from 12 to 2…! It’s still late morning now! Did you go fetch her under the pretext of brunch or something?!”

I wasn’t sure whether to be surprised that this wasn’t the first time or that Yuika seemed so accustomed to this situation.

While I was inwardly pondering, Hosanna laughed and said,

“What’s the big deal? We’ll just have a meal together while we’re at it.”

“Huh? Are we… eating together?”

“Huh? Of course.”

Why is that ‘of course’…?

Of course, I had been having meals with Andreina-nim quite often lately, but that was only with Andreina-nim, so it wasn’t as burdensome. Eating with others was still a daunting task for me.

But Hosanna didn’t seem to care about my reluctance and continued,

“Don’t worry. I’ll make a decent brunch.”

“I-I don’t really feel like eating…”

“Are you going to let your stomach growl loudly again?”

“Ugh…”

Please don’t bring up such embarrassing moments so casually.

I lowered my head to hide my flushed face, and Hosanna spoke to Yuika.

“Well, I’ll go ahead and prepare in the dining room, so you bring her along.”

“Huh? I don’t mind, but why aren’t you doing it, Director?”

“She didn’t react even when I grabbed her arm earlier because she was out of it, but now she’s fine. So, once she calms down, you bring her. You’re both girls, so she’ll probably feel less awkward, right?”

Now that I think about it, Hosanna had grabbed my arm and led me here. I hadn’t noticed because I was so distracted by the crowd, but his words reminded me of it.

As I carefully brushed off the arm that had been grabbed, Yuika approached with an awkward expression.

Hosanna was already inside the building and out of sight.

“I’m sorry. The Director was a bit too forceful in bringing you here.”

“I-It’s okay. I don’t really mind…”

I was actually very much not okay and was extremely self-conscious, but the words that came out of my mouth were the complete opposite.

But this was the only way to reassure the other person and make them look away from me. So, even if I wasn’t really okay, this was all I could say.

As I muttered this while avoiding eye contact, Yuika made a thoughtful sound and then smiled.

“I see. If Mari says so, then that’s a relief. But next time the Director tries to be so forceful, make sure to tell me. I’ll definitely stop him.”

“C-Can I go home then…”

“Ahaha… That might be a bit… But since you’re already here, why not give it a try? You might become much stronger than you are now. Aren’t you interested in getting stronger?”

“Getting stronger…”

“It’s still hard to believe, but we’re the ones who are supposed to save our respective worlds, right? We’re still like ‘hero candidates’ for now!”

Yuika spoke cheerfully, as if telling a fun story, but it didn’t really resonate with me.

The idea of being a hero or someone who saves the world felt like an overwhelming burden to me.

However, I could answer positively to the question of whether I wanted to get stronger.

If I became stronger, I wouldn’t have to be dragged around by people like this.

The problem was that the method of getting stronger ultimately required interacting with people.

As I remained slumped, Yuika scratched her cheek and then, as if she had a good idea, said to me,

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Huh? W-Wha?!”

“Heave-ho.”

Before I knew it, I was being lifted into the air and found myself cradled in Yuika’s arms.

It was the so-called princess carry. I was so shocked that I clasped my hands to my chest and exclaimed,

“W-What are you doing?!”

“Mari. Have you been eating properly? You’re so light.”

“I’ve been eating well lately… No, that’s not the point…!”

“Oh right, the Director told me to bring you. I think we’ve spent too much time here. Shall we go?”

“Wait…!”

Yuika, who had been dodging my questions, started walking.

I struggled to break free from Yuika’s hold, but then I locked eyes with someone watching us nearby.

Only then did I take a look around. While it was just Yuika and me in front of the building, when I widened my gaze, I noticed a few people watching our little struggle.

I didn’t wonder how long they had been there. Instead, I hid my reddened face under my hood and tugged at Yuika’s clothes, whispering quietly.

“P-Please hurry…”

“Huh? Okay.”

Yuika tilted her head at my request but then smiled slightly and quickened her pace.

I crouched down and held my breath until we were out of sight of the onlookers.

–

“I’m here!”

“Why are you so late… What’s with that look?”

At Hosanna’s incredulous voice, Yuika chuckled and gently set me down, still hiding my face under my hood.

“Well~ There were some circumstances. By the way, have you already finished preparing the food?”

“It’s not like preparing this takes much time. Hey, kid. Stop being shy and come to the table.”

Even though he’s a kid himself… I almost blurted out in defiance, but I remembered someone who had called Hosanna a kid in front of his house and got hit by a water cannon, flying far away, so I swallowed my words.

Instead, I focused on the delicious smell wafting past my nose. The sweet aroma stimulating my appetite made me lower my hands from my face and turn my head.

Is that… butter? Sniffing, I followed the scent and saw the plates on the table, my mouth falling open.

On the plate were French toast with melted cheese, fried eggs, and two slices of well-cooked bacon.

As I gulped and stared at the food, Hosanna, who had already started eating with a fork and knife, swallowed what was in his mouth and said,

“Why are you just gulping and staring? I made this for you, so sit down and eat.”

“B-But…”

“No buts. Hey, Yuika. This won’t do. You feed her.”

“Oh, can I really?”

“N-No need…!”

I quickly sat down and grabbed the fork and knife. I wanted to avoid the disaster of Yuika cutting the food and feeding me.

Yuika couldn’t hold back a laugh at my quick movements, but I felt more relieved than embarrassed.

At least I avoided the worst…

Hosanna smiled at the sight and resumed eating with a clatter. I cautiously followed suit, keeping an eye on Hosanna.

The bread had been cut diagonally to make French toast, so I couldn’t enjoy the crispy texture I liked, but as soon as I took a bite, the rich buttery flavor filled my mouth, and my eyes widened.

It’s delicious…! I ate at a fairly fast pace, even while keeping an eye on the two.

I tried not to make too much noise, so it wasn’t extremely fast, but I managed to finish at the same time as Hosanna, who had started eating earlier.

“Phew…”

“Have a cup of warm milk too.”

“Ah, th-thank you.”

As I was savoring the aftertaste of the meal, Yuika handed me a cup of warm milk. I took it with both hands and carefully drank it.

The warm, smooth taste enveloping my tongue and passing down my throat… Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I drank milk. Embarrassingly, before being summoned, I always drank carbonated beverages.

But for some reason, I felt like if I drank something as stimulating as carbonated drinks now, I’d be in for a rough time. There might be a way to drink them, but if the opportunity arises, I’ll have to be careful.

“Phew…”

“Well then. Now that we’ve eaten, let’s do some mana training to help digest the food.”

“Huh? Mana training…?”

“I told you, didn’t I? What I’m going to teach you is how to handle mana. Of course, what you need more than handling mana is an absolute amount of mana, but even I can’t solve that problem.”

Hosanna said this and took the plate in front of me into the kitchen. After quickly washing the dishes, he returned, gestured for me to follow, and left the dining room.

I hesitantly got up and followed Hosanna.

The place we arrived at was a room inside the building. Strangely, the room was completely empty, without even a single piece of furniture, and there were no windows.

It’s not like it’s a punishment cell or something. For some reason, the thought sent a shiver down my spine.

“From now on, this will be your training room.”

“This room…?”

I clearly showed my displeasure, and Hosanna laughed.

“Well, it’s a bit bare, isn’t it? But because there’s nothing here, you’ll be able to feel it better.”

Feel what? His words sounded strange, and I was startled, but Hosanna drew a circle large enough for a person to sit in the center of the room with a feather pen he had pulled out from somewhere, then straightened up and said,

“Now, come here and sit.”

“Yes…”

It would be ridiculous to back out now, so I obediently entered the circle and sat down. Hosanna, standing across from me, said,

“First, what you’re going to do is meditate! And through meditation, you’ll try to feel the mana.”

Feel mana through meditation?

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Q: Wasn’t Mari already able to feel mana? Is this a plot oversight?
A: I-I’ll explain it in the next chapter!!!

–

Thank you for reading today!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Think of it as a mental asylum, that will definitely make things better.

If not, let’s make it a mental asylum.