Ch.14Episode 4. Shadows Moving in the Night (2)

“Then I’ll go in first.”

“Oh my, thank you for your help.”

“Not at all. I just happened to have some free time.”

I walked out of the storage room behind the main building.

Helping organize supplies had completely eaten up my free time.

I sighed as I looked at the sky that had already turned pitch black.

“Where did all my free time go?”

Feeling a bit reluctant to return straight to the dormitory, I turned my steps toward the training arena.

I needed to grow just as much as I was helping them grow.

It wasn’t about an instructor’s pride, but about developing the strength to respond to any situation.

Today, I’ll train to maximize the efficiency of my abilities.

Thinking about my training method, I arrived at the arena furthest from the main building.

The moment I grabbed the door handle, I sensed someone inside. Someone was already using it.

Without opening the door, I peeked inside.

In the arena stood seven wooden dummies and a female student facing them.

The student was none other than Yu Ari, but I caught my breath at her unexpected appearance.

She had tied up her long bangs that usually covered her eyes, revealing her entire face.

Her lifeless black eyes and the dark circles beneath them showed a more haggard appearance than I had imagined.

Yet, she was still captivating enough to stare at in awe. It seemed a waste to keep such beauty hidden.

After staring intently at the wooden dummies for a while, she pulled something out from her chest and threw it.

Pa-pa-pa-pak!

Numerous kunai flew past the moving wooden practice dummies and embedded themselves in the wall.

The moment she pulled her extended arm back toward her body, all the kunai lodged in the wall were simultaneously extracted.

In an instant, they crossed paths dozens of times, showering toward the humanoid wooden dummies and slicing them to pieces.

Watching the strange phenomenon of kunai accurately penetrating her targeted areas despite not having strings attached, I realized she was using a skill.

The name of that skill was “Dismemberment – Heaven’s Net.”

The wooden dummies showed just how horrific the sight would be if this technique were used on an actual person.

“…Who, who’s there?”

Sensing someone’s presence, she quickly turned her head toward the door.

She hurriedly untied her bangs.

I clicked my tongue in disappointment as her hair fell back to cover her eyes as usual. She was so pretty.

I slowly opened the door and entered so as not to startle her.

“Ah! In-Instructor? W-why are you here…? It’s, it’s almost 11 o’clock now!”

She must have been exercising for quite some time, as traces of sweat remained on various parts of her workout clothes.

“Ah. I thought I’d do some training. As your instructor, it wouldn’t look good if I lost to you all.”

I approached her casually. When I got close enough, she stretched out a hand toward me and shouted.

“…W-wait!”

“Hm?”

“D-did you see…?”

“See what?”

“Y-you saw it, didn’t you?!”

“Saw what exactly?”

I tilted my head in confusion, though I knew perfectly well she was asking if I’d seen her face.

“M-my face!!”

Her voice echoed throughout the arena. The echo of “my face” spreading through the room made me burst into laughter involuntarily.

“Pfft! Ah… what do you think?”

“Y-you saw it! That laugh!!”

I quickly composed my expression, but it seemed I’d been caught.

“I-I’ll have to k-kill you…!”

“No. Please don’t kill me.”

She pulled out a kunai with trembling hands.

“Want one? This might help you calm down.”

I offered her a moist cookie chip.

“N-no thanks!”

“Really? They’re delicious…”

“Daaaaamn it! I tied my hair up on purpose because I was worried my face would show if my hair got sweaty! Why did you have to come here?!”

She protested vehemently, though I’d already explained my reason.

Her excitement stemmed purely from the embarrassment of having shown her face to me.

No matter how many times I explained, it wouldn’t appease her.

So that’s why she tied up her bangs—to prevent her face from showing when her hair got wet with sweat?

“You’re pretty, so why do you hide your face?”

I approached with a sly smile. She responded by pointing her kunai at me defensively.

“I-I don’t need your empty compliments!”

Her face was red as she shouted while waving her kunai around. Even her neck was flushed.

“I mean it.”

“Th-then! If I a-asked you out, w-would you date me?”

“Huh?”

I made a dumbfounded sound at Ari’s sudden confession.

“Y-you said I’m pretty! If you’re not lying, th-then you’d date me, right?!”

The moment I heard those words, I realized Ari had completely lost her senses. She was clearly speaking without understanding what she was saying.

It was almost like she had given up.

The Ari I knew might use somewhat direct speech, but she was by no means someone who didn’t feel embarrassment.

There was no way someone with such low self-esteem could make such a bold statement.

“I have no intention of getting involved with students in that way.”

“Th-then what if I wasn’t a student?!”

Her rapid escalation made me think I should start applying the brakes.

Just as I was about to draw a clear line, mischief welled up inside me.

Maybe I should tease her a bit more to get closer?

I knew well that what she was saying wasn’t sincere.

But this situation was an opportunity to get closer to Ari, who had been keeping her distance.

“I don’t see why not?”

“Eh…!”

I moved closer and placed the cookie chip bag in her hand.

Ari flinched and trembled at my touch. I patted the back of her hand before letting go.

“Eat that and calm down first, okay?”

“Y-yes…”

She couldn’t lift her head for a while.

* * *

“How is it? Tasty, right?”

“Y-yes…”

She ate the cookies quietly, nibbling away.

Through her hair that had fallen back down, I could see her bright red ears. They looked like they might burst if I touched them.

“That’s good.”

I smiled and looked at the completely destroyed dummies.

Her skill with Heaven’s Net seemed quite practiced.

Perhaps those who can grow on their own will do so even if left alone.

Well, with Ari, the concern isn’t her abilities but her mental state.

“Um!”

“Yes?”

I turned my head to look at her.

“I-I-I wasn’t serious! I was j-just teasing you! I w-wasn’t confessing or anything! D-don’t misunderstand! If you imagine anything w-weird, I’ll k-kill you!”

She grabbed my jacket tightly and shouted with a tearful voice.

Her eyes, visible through her hair, were moist. Ah, she’s really cute.

“I won’t imagine anything weird. Don’t worry.”

I patted her hand to comfort her. She pursed her lips and whimpered.

She still seemed to be suspicious of me.

“By the way, your ability is impressive. Slicing seven wooden dummies to pieces with just a gesture.”

“…”

When I changed the subject, Ari let go of my jacket and plopped down beside me.

“It’s n-not impressive at all. This is… like a ‘curse’.”

A curse, huh?

It wasn’t strange that she felt that way.

After all, an ability she used unintentionally had torn apart all her relationships.

“Really? Why do you think so?”

I knew the reason, but I asked calmly and waited.

“Well…”

It must be difficult for her to talk about.

She probably wants to stop feeling hurt and disillusioned by others.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m not going to force it out of you.”

“…C-can you say that even knowing I’m t-trash?”

“Yes, I can.”

Because you’re not trash.

“As long as I’m your instructor and you’re my student.”

“…”

“I’ve said this many times, so it might sound like nagging, but I have no intention of giving up. Or abandoning you.”

Until you—no, all of you—become official heroes.

“So when you’re too exhausted and want to talk freely, tell me then. By that time, you’ll know I’m not just all talk.”

“…Okay.”

“Good. That’s admirable. Now that you’ve calmed down, we should clean this up. I’ll help you.”

“N-no, there’s no need…”

“It’ll be faster with two people.”

I walked over to the scattered wooden dummies and picked up the pieces. The cut surfaces were smooth.

This level of precision would require extremely delicate control…

She seemed quite skilled.

“Where should I put these?”

I asked, holding the dummy pieces.

“J-just put them back together.”

“Put them together?”

“L-like this.”

When she joined two severed pieces, they made a sticky sound and repaired the cut part. As she attached the other pieces, it quickly returned to human form.

Wow, so the dummies have abilities too?

Probably a self-repair ability?

“Oh, that’s cool.”

As I was admiring the wooden dummy, I felt a vibration in my jacket’s inner pocket. I took out my phone.

It was the Association President.

“I need to take this call. Keep cleaning up.”

“Okay.”

I quickly left the arena and answered before the call could end.

“Hello?”

[It’s me, Brain God.]

“Please call me Yujin, not Brain God, Mr. President.”

[Very well. Then, Yujin, we’ve discovered a small Akcheon hideout. It seems two heroes on patrol found it and are currently engaged in combat with villains affiliated with Akcheon.]

“Shouldn’t you request support from heroes who are available?”

[Instead of you?]

“Excuse me?”

[You haven’t faced any villains for about 20 days. Aren’t you getting restless by now?]

Ah, who does he think is a battle maniac…

Complaints bubbled up inside me, but I couldn’t refuse in a situation that required mutual cooperation.

“…Understood. Just give me the map coordinates. I’ll head there right away.”

Time for some action after a long while.