Stupid Heroes ~We Draft Candidates~ (WN): Chapter 21

 

Chapter 21: Teaching Swordsmanship for Dropouts 2

 This was the second day of Ren's sword lessons. While many of the students were disinterested, only a small group of them were looking at him with enthusiasm.

 However, their expectations were not fulfilled this time either.

"I brought a special instructor with me today."

"Where is this special instructor?"

"I'll introduce you now. Wait a minute."

 Ren showed his back. As Kazuki and the others looked at him and wondered what he was doing, he turned around and they saw Ron hanging from his hand, still biting him.

 Kazuki and the others only think of Ron as a puppy.

"...Special instructor?"

"Yes. Special instructor, Ron-kun."

"Hey, doesn't it hurt?"

"……It hurts."

 He was being bitten. How could it not hurt?

"Wait!?"

"It hurts, but I'm fine. The fangs are still small, so it won't cause serious injury."

"Is that the problem?"

"That's the problem. Now, Ron. Let it go."

 When Ren lightly rubbed his neck with his other hand, Ron opened his mouth and stopped biting his finger.

"Good. You're getting the hang of it."

"...You're bleeding."

"It's fine. It's just a scratch."

“Is that Ren-kun's dog?”

"...Well, something like that."

 It's not a dog. He just can't tell the truth about Ron.

"I see. So, he's going to teach?"

"I'll have you avoid Ron today. No sword wielding. He's just a kid."

"...It'll bite, right?"

"That's what you're trying to avoid."

"Right."

"If you're afraid of Ron, you can't fight war wolves. Today's goal is to lose your fear."

"...I understand."

 Ron is actually stronger than the war wolf, but Kazuki and the others don't need to know about it now.

"So who wants to go first?"

"Ah, me."

"Well then, Iguchi-san. Same position as last time."

"Got it."

 He stood near the wall and took his stance, just as before.

"A word of caution."

"Yeah."

"Ron is faster than the stone from last time, which means he's faster than a war wolf."

"All right."

“As I said earlier, don’t swing your sword. This training doesn't even require you to think about swinging a sword."

"Why?"

"This play will become a battle when he felt your bloodlust."

"Ha?"

 Battle, that's not the word you use for puppies.

"Ron will jump at you just for fun, so don't be alarmed if he bites you. If you hit him or brush him away, he'll bite you even worse, so stay calm."

"...Wha, wha."

"What?"

"Isn't it dangerous?"

"That question is strange. Since it's sword training, it can't be without danger."

"...That's true."

 It's as Ren says. However, in this case, it's just words to round out Kotaro nicely.

"Okay, let's go. Ron, the man in front of you is your playmate."

"Woof."

"Okay, go!"

 With Ren's command, Ron leaps into the air. He is small, but his leaping ability is beyond compare to that of a war wolf. In an instant, he was right in front of Kotaro's face.

"Whoa!"

 Kotaro panicked and avoided Ron by turning his body away from him. However, he had already lost his balance. The avoided Ron immediately reversed and jumped up as soon as he put his feet on the ground. Iguchi was hit by the body blow.

"Ron! Get back!"

 Ren's voice flew quickly before he could bite. In response to that voice, Ron jumped into Ren's chest.

"Yes. Ron wins."

"Kouun."

"That's an overwhelming victory. That's great, Ron."

 Ren picks up Ron with both hands and rubs his belly with his finger while praising him. Ron seems somewhat pleased, as if he knows he is being praised.

"Compared to that..."

"I let my guard down."

"Just let your guard down?"

"I didn't expect him to jump that high."

"It's not that you let your guard down, it's that you can't follow his movements. It's just a little faster, so then."

"Yes..."

 If you can see the movement, it shouldn't be a surprise. However, this is not an easy task.

"Ron doesn't have any preparatory movements. You have to see the movement, respond to the speed, and then avoid it so you don't lose your position. That's what we're going to do today."

"Okay. Well then, one more time."

"No. Let's move on to the next person."

"Eh, that's not going to happen, is it?"

"Maybe you'll get your turn soon."

"......I guess so."

 And so it turned out. No one could avoid it, not even once or twice.

"...Ren-kun."

"What?"

"Can you show us how it's done?"

"……Again?"

"I'll take a good look at it today. Come one, please."

"...Well, it's okay. Ron seems bored too."

"Sorry."

"Well, I'll try it, but if you want to see it, look at the whole thing."

"Whole?"

"Bend over your face and upper body and dodge like an acrobat. I didn't mean to teach you that, but everyone did it."

"......Might be right."

 It wasn't that they wanted to do so. They just couldn't afford it and had to avoid it that way.

"It's important not to lose your balance, so you have to be constantly aware of your center of gravity in your movements."

"I understand."

"Then let's begin. Ron! Come!"

"Woof!"

 Called by Ren, Ron gleefully jumps into him. Ren dodged by twisting his body. Landing on the opposite side, Ron was instantly back in the air. Ren also dodged that. From there, Ron's movements became more difficult to follow than Ren's.

 Ron bounces like a ball without stopping for a moment. Ren, on the other hand, continues to avoid it while spinning around like he's dancing.

"Ron! Stop!"

 At Ren's call, Ron jumped up into the air. This time, Ren did not avoid it and remained motionless. Ron landed on his head, again with perfect balance.

"Like this."

"...That's too amazing."

"I didn't do it to impress you."

"That's right, but what I learned is that I can't imitate Ren-kun's footwork."

"It depends on practice, but look at my hips more than my legs."

"Waist? But the waist is..."

 There was nothing remarkable about the hips. But that's the point.

“To balance, you need a fulcrum. It's easy to understand if you think of it as the hips."

"So, even though it looks like you're moving flashy, you're not moving everything, are you?"

"Well, it's like that. It's a matter of perception."

"...Ren-kun is strong after all."

 Kazuki said this with a look of admiration.

"You're mistaken about something. I am weak."

"But we are no match to you."

"If there's one thing that makes me different from you guys, it's that I'm aware of my weaknesses, and I'm trying to figure out what I can do about them... that's a bit cocky."

 Ren doesn't have any special talents when it comes to fighting. This is the same as Kazuki and the others. If there is any difference between them, it is the result of Ren's efforts.

"No... we haven't done anything from your point of view, have we?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that you're not trying to be strong."

"But we're not good at fighting."

"Why?"

"Because of the blessings given to us."

 Kazuki's title is a production job. She's not for fighting. However, it is the same for Ren who does not have a fighter title.

"Can you think of it this way? The blessing is something we're good at."

"I know that."

"Special skills are what we are good at. Just because it's not written there doesn't mean you can't do it or that you're not good at it."

"Is that so!?"

 Kazuki wasn't the only one who was surprised. Everyone has a look of surprise on their faces. That changes to a look of dismay with Ren's next words.

"I don't know?"

"Hey!?"

"The only thing I can say is that everyone can still defeat a war wolf. Are you saying you can't fight that?"

“…………”

 War wolves are weak as magical beasts. However, there are far more people who can't defeat than weak war wolves.

"You can do it, but you just assume you can't."

"Maybe so......"

"Do you get it?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Then we're done."

"Eh!?"

 Ren suddenly declared the end of the training.

"What I need is for you to understand this. If you understand, then you can defeat the war wolf now. I have fulfilled my promise."

"But class time isn't over yet."

"Goal Reached."

"Tell me a little more. Even if you say that, I'm not confident."

"...Even though you say you can."

"Anyway, tell me a little more."

"...I understand. Then I'll teach you the basic exercises. You can do it anywhere, so if you want to, you can continue."

"Yes."

"Wait a minute."

 After saying that, Ren began to draw circles on the ground. He drew eight concentric circles, in front, behind, left, right, and diagonally. When he finished, he wrote numbers in the circles.

“Yes. Done.

"……This is?"

"First, stand in the center of the circle."

"Yes."

 Kazuki stood in the center as she was told.

"I'll give you a number, so put your foot in the circle with that number on it. For example, two."

"Ah, um, two."

 The circle with the number two was on the right side. Kazuki stretches her right leg there.

"Next is four."

"Four... is it okay with either leg?"

"Normally, it's the closest leg, right?"

"...That's right."

 Four is the opposite left side. Katsuki put her left foot inside the circle.

"Next is five."

"Five..."

"You have to get it in your head the first time you see it."

"Yes. Five."

 Diagonally to the right. She raised her right foot and move it to that circle.

"...There was a game like this."

"Not exactly. Now, here's the real fun. I'm going to pick up the pace of saying the numbers, so follow me."

"Okay."

"I'm going to start. Eight, one, three ...... already?"

 Kazuki can't keep up with Ren's pace at all. In an instant, she couldn't move her legs.

"...Example."

“There is no such thing as an example for this. What you have to pay attention to is quickly judging where to move your feet and keeping your balance. It's the latter that you need to practice."

"Earlier."

 What Ren is teaching is the practice for the practice they had just been doing.

"Yes. It's okay to take it slow at first. Then you should do it for about 30 minutes."

"Thirty minutes?"

 Ren's training is not that of a normal person.

"...Then that's enough. When you can do that, increase the pace. Repeat that. Change the number of circles each time."

"Why?"

"If it becomes like a conditioned reflex, it's pointless. You have to think about it and move your body."

"Okay."

"When you can do it to some extent."

"Is there more?"

"...I have no intention of telling you to do it."

 Ren's expression suddenly becomes sullen. He clearly shows the feeling that he has gone to great lengths to teach.

"...I'm sorry. Tell me."

"Activate magic while doing this. Healing magic is enough."

"...Why magic?"

 Kazuki doesn't understand why magic comes up in sword training.

"Or just Hasegawa-san is fine."

"It's true that Manami is a mage, but."

“Hasegawa-san, can you use magic while running at full power?”

 Ren asked Manami, a mage.

"Eh, magic isn't like that."

 Magic is something that requires concentration. Manami has been taught this way.

"Perhaps you still think that because you're in the rear guard, the enemy won't attack?"

"...It's not."

"Do you think the rear guard has to stay in one place all the time?"

"Eh?"

"What is a rear guard anyway? At least I don't think the magical beast would think about attacking head-on, fair and square."

"……I agree."

 Manami can't come up with a counterargument to Ren's words. She only realizes that she is wrong.

"Even mages need to move around. You have to train your physical strength for that, and you should be able to use magic even when you move around."

"Takashiro-kun is..."

"I'm Ren. Ren in katakana."

"Then, call me Manami. Takashiro-kun's way of calling me feels very distant."

"...It's meant as an honorific."

 As expected, Ren didn't even say that he was deliberately creating a sense of distance.

"I don't use first names for my classmates."

"Well."

"Oh, um, well, then..."

 At this point, Kazuki spoke with a slightly flustered look.

"What?"

"I prefer Kazuki."

"Ha?"

“…No, not just me. Yes. Let's decide what we should call each other. Is that a bad idea?"

"I don't mind. I'm Kotaro, but I prefer Kou."

 Kotaro immediately agrees to Kazuki's proposal.

"Then Iguchi-kun is Kou. Satoko is Satoko."

“I prefer Riko. I like the kanji of my name, Satoko, but I don't like how it reads. So I'm going to change it."

 Riko said as if she was going to change her name.

"Then, Riko. Manami is Manami."

“Ah, wait a minute. I think I'll go with Mana or something...... but Mana is a little bit... I'm still good with Manami."

“Then, Manami. Is Ren-kun fine with Ren?”

"Why change it there?"

"Is it no good?"

"I don't mind."

“Ah, then… Ren.”

 Kazuki, hesitantly, calls out Ren.

"Hey, Kazuki? Are you embarrassed?"

 Riko interrupted her.

"Eh? That's not true."

"...No way?"

"I... I'm not like that."

"...Kazuki, you, come on."

"Come on, let's keep practicing. I'm the only one doing it yet."

 Interrupting Riko's words, Kazuki changed the subject. Everyone around feels that, but they're not child enough to point it out.

"Well, I guess I'll do it."

"Oh, well then, I guess I'll give you the number. Sounds interesting."

"Oh, then please."

 Hyde and Heinz were watching them from afar. But there was nothing that could be called a harvest.

"I can only see it as playing."

“Yes. But even in that play, his moves are certainly outstanding."

"……Yes."

"Is he strong?"

"Even if you ask me that."

"Don't fool me. One of you is still close to him."

 It's about Lang. Lang tries to reach out to Ren whenever she gets the chance. And she doesn't try to hide it.

"It's a personal move. I don't understand the need for it."

"Is that so? But even so, you must have the information."

"No, I really don't know. If I were to evaluate him, I would say that he is indeed smart. But I have nothing to prove his strength."

"Hmm."

 As Hyde says, it has never been proven that Ren is strong.

"I don't think you should worry about him."

"Why is it so?"

"It's never any sort of strategy. No matter how much I look at him, I don't think his ability is beyond Class A. The only thing that stands out is his comparative lack of ability."

"...That's true."

 Heinz cannot accept Hyde's words obediently. However, he knew from their past relationship that Hyde was not very good at bargaining. This made it even more difficult for him to discern the intentions of the Izrim Magic Kingdom. Fortunately for Hyde, he was not the only one.

"Have you grasped the movements of the Luine Kingdom and the United Kingdom of Mercenary?"

"That's..."

"I'm not asking you to tell me what's in it, only whether or not you know what's going on. And by the way, we have nothing at all."

"Neither do we."

 Both countries have not moved at all. That's a fact.

"No contact here or there. I don't know what they're doing."

"Does that bother you?"

"That's right. Especially Luine."

"Yes. But will they come in here?"

"If there is a need, they will come. If they don't come, it means they don't have to."

"They won't come in contact with us until the very end. That's what she said."

 This line came from Hyde's carelessness. It was not a good thing to tell it to Heinz. As expected, Heinz reacted to these words, and at once his expression changed to a stern one.

"...What do you mean? Why would she say that?"

"That's……"

"Speak."

"...Luine's bid target is up to your country. Whether it's overlapped or avoided."

"That's what she said? And our country?"

"You will move to conceal your true intentions."

 This is not something to talk to Heinz about either.

"Huh. It seems that the Izrim Magic Kingdom has acquired an excellent civil official, no, a schemer, without knowing it."

 This statement proves Hyde's words to be correct.

"I just listened to what she had to say."

“I see. She just asked him for a minute, and that's how she found out. He declared that he wasn't a hero candidate."

"Yes."

"...Aiming for that? But will it be accepted?"

"What are you talking about?"

"...No, I was just trying to figure out why he would say something like that."

"Yes."

"I have no idea. I need more information."

"I see……"

 Hyde's blunder gave Heinz an idea.

◇◇◇

 Near the two of them, they saw the same scene and had a different conversation.

"It's okay to be carefree as a dropout. They think it's training."

 Seeing what Ren and the others are doing, Yuya speaks with an astonished look.

"Yes. But it looks fun."

 Shizuru, who replied, seemed to be in a bad mood.

“You train while playing? I think that's a good point. Up to elementary school age, maybe."

"...But it looks fun"

 It is not an envious look. It is a stern look, staring in the direction where Ren and the others are.

"What's wrong? Could it be that Shizuru wants to join them?"

"No way. Why do I have to join such a group?"

"That's right. Finally, Shizuru understands. We should associate with people who match our talents."

"Yes."

 That is the very idea of talent supremacy. They have no idea how arrogant they sound.

"They should just enjoy the moment. It's too late for them to rush when they find out how they will be treated after graduation."

"Yuya, I feel sorry for them."

"Why?"

"Because they don't have the talent. It is not their fault."

"I see. You have to feel sorry for them."

"Yes."

 Yuya and the others certainly have excellent talents. But that talent is not something that they have grasped on their own. They are proud of it, after all, and they are not ashamed of it.

"But they're going to be on different paths than we are. It's no use worrying about it anymore."

"...That's right."

“More importantly, it seems that registration in the adventurer’s guild will be permitted.”

"Is that so? How can that be, after all that happened in the practical test?"

 The guild's registration was to be determined based on the results of the practical training in the [Forest of No Entry]. The results were disastrous, with three deaths.

"We showed our strength. We defeated that many magical beasts."

 The Class A hero candidates. But that was enough. The people who evaluated them didn't care about the deaths of the Class C candidates.

"And we were recognized for that?"

“Yes. I guess I can say goodbye to my boring life now."

"I see."

"The official approval will come soon. Then we'll go to the guild."

"But I can't fight."

"There's a rear guard role. Jin and I are the vanguards, and Shizuru and Mei are the rear guards. We will become the strongest."

 Jin and Mei have been listening quietly, but when it came to their own, they can no longer remain silent.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to participate."

"Me too."

"Eh!? Why is that!?"

 Both of them rejected Yuya's proposal. Yuya was surprised by that.

"I want to act freely as part of my training."

"Same."

“Isn’t it fine if the four of us train together?”

"Then I can't act freely. Besides, even if I form a party, I want it to be different people."

"Same."

 It is not that both of them don't want to form a party. They don't want to be partnered with Yuya.

"Why!?"

"Don't get angry. It's to broaden my knowledge. I want to see how various people fight. There should be a lot to learn."

"Same."

"...You can't learn anything from an adventurer!"

"I don't think so. That's why I have no choice but to take another action."

"Same."

 No matter what Yuya said, their intentions would not change. This self-centeredness of Yuya is the reason why they do not want to work with him in the first place. Yuya, who does not understand this, still does not give up.

“Are you going to disband the Four Heavenly Kings!?”

"...What are those four heavenly kings? I don't remember calling myself that in the first place."

"Same."

“Mei! Is that all you have to say since a while ago!?”

"No, because it's not worth talking about."

"What did you say!?"

"You get angry as soon as things don't go your way. Is that really worth talking about?"

"...I'm not angry. I just want to form a party with the four of us."

 At Mei's point, Yuya suppressed his feelings and changed his tone to something calmer.

“I don't want to. The reason is almost the same as Jin's. Besides, if I work with Yuya, I won't be able to train, will I? You would try to beat all the enemies by yourself."

"I wouldn't do that."

"I have already decided. I will not team up with you guys."

"I've thought it over. I will not work with you."

"No way..."

"Hey, why don't you think about it? I'm sure the four of us can make it work."

 Just when Yuya was about to give up, it was Shizuru this time. After all, these two are very similar.

"I don't think so. I'm going to say something on this occasion. You two don't seem to be interested in going out with other of our classmates, but I'm not."

"Eh?"

“At least I want to team up with Ren-kun. I believe experience also counts as ability, and his experience as an adventurer should surpass mine."

"Mei and Ren."

"I'm not interested in romance. Right now, I'm only thinking about training myself. If I think it's for my own good, I will ask anyone to teach me."

"I see……"

"That's how it is. Party with someone else."

 While Shizuru was silent, Mei once again told Yuya that she had no intention of forming a party.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Threatening me at the end?"

“Even if you say you want to join us later, it’s too late.”

“I won’t ask it. I'm going to take you at your word. We are going our separate ways."

"……I understand."

 Even if they don't do so now, they will eventually. Yuya and Shizuru thought that they would spare no time and spend time together until then. If that will eventually happen, Jin and Mei thought that they would choose that path now.

 It's not about which is better. However, it is quite questionable whether there is a consideration for the other person in the four people's thoughts.