Editing Ultimate Antihero:Volume 1 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 5===

{I’m already free from this platoon.}

With that sentence as the beginning, the confrontation between Sumika and Nakajima was not something peaceful from the start. But finally after getting this far, a dangerous air as if they would be going at each other soon began to drift off.

Unable to bear it, Ichinotani Chikori who at first remained a spectator stepped forward in between the two.

“Le, Leader and also Nakajima-kun, let’s calm down a little? Okay?”

“There is no way I can calm down! I and also Chikori-san, if we weren’t saved by that person we might have really died back there!”

That was why Chikori’s attempt was futile.

Sumika had already been completely fired up.

While her golden hair stood on end from rage, Sumika pushed back Chikori and drew closer to Nakajima.

“Nakajima-san! Are you thinking about just how much danger we encountered because you ran away on your own!? Although it ended well because of Homura-san’s assistance, but if Homura-san didn’t come just what was going to happen to us! Yet despite so you didn’t even apologize and in addition even quit the platoon, isn’t there a limit to just how rude one can be!?”

“I don’t care! You two almost died only because both of you are greenhorns! Don’t make it my fault!”

But Nakajima was also similarly fired up.

He yelled angrily with a voice so loud that spit flew at Sumika’s face.

“Are you planning to shift the blame!?”

“In the first place it’s fine even if we ignored the scramble! If we did that the National Defense Magicians would take care of it, yet you, Hoshikawa, accepted the mission on your own so…! Everything is your fault!”

“The trainee platoon is also a member of National Defense Magician! We have a responsibility to respond to the scramble!”

“Hah-! You're acting like a good kid as usual aren’t you―! As expected from the S-rank magician-sama. But ignoring the scramble is done by all trainee platoons! Everyone cuts corners in this. After all by raising achievements in repelling demons, you will only pointlessly stand out and just get placed on the front line in the future, not taking the scramble is just obvious!”

“Wha-, are you seriously saying that!? Humans that can handle sorcery are still few in number. If we who are just that few in number don’t do this seriously then just what’s going to happen! What’s going to happen if we cannot protect everyone!”

“Like I care! Besides why do I have to bet my life for other people’s sake, just because I happen to be able to handle magic power and got conscripted! If you want to become a superman that much then just do it yourself! Who wants to go along with you!”

When he returned a sharp parting remark like that, Nakajima now couldn’t turn back anymore.

Pushing open the door with force as if to break it, he exited outside while his shoulders were heaving in rage.

After Nakajima left, Sumika dropped her waist on the pipe chair in the platoon room and blew out her breath.

“Really, what a low awareness……!”

That disappointment was not directed at just Nakajima alone.

Not limited only to him, the majority of people in this academy had low motivation.

Well, it was not something so unjustifiable.

Even though humans that could manipulate magic power were already few even in the best of times, the number of magicians was greatly decreased from the war with <Demon King Typhon>.

That was why people who possessed even the slightest bit of aptitude were forcefully enrolled into the magician training academy.

And then from the shortage of human personnel, there were a lot of cases where <Soldier class> demon’s exterminations like this time were handed over to the students in the trainee platoon.

It couldn’t be helped, because of the fact that the demons couldn’t be killed except by an attack that was using magic power.

However, to tell children to be understanding about such a problem of society was unreasonable.

Just why do they have to do something this dangerous?

It was not like Sumika couldn’t understand that feeling.

(However, even if one can understand one may not accept it.)

She understood that it was scary. Even she was scared of the exchange of life. Even today she had just almost died.

But, right now the only ones who could  oppose the demons were them.

And so, why couldn’t everyone become serious about this, no matter what it made her really irritated.

In this area…Sumika was also still immature.

As a result, Sumika who had a high awareness as a magician felt uncertain somehow.

Too serious. Gloomy. What are you doing acting like a good child? She was ridiculed like that, estranged, while she was a possessor of the greatest fighting strength that was S-rank Magician where there were only ten people in the world, she was washed away to the 101st platoon that was scorned as [baggage platoon]. She was stuck with taking care of poor students that couldn’t be accepted anywhere else.

Even so Sumika didn’t rot, in order to make her platoon able to fight somehow even with all the difficulties, she was always wracking her brains over and gave out instructions, but she had never been rewarded even once.

Even though she had given her best, the existence of the humans by her side made all of her effort for nothing.

No matter how much she did her very best, the result was always always tilting in a bad direction.

And today the end result was she was almost killed by something like an orc.

Her that if she was alone she could kill something like an orc instantly.

“Haa……..”

Sumika released a big sigh and covered her head with both her hands.

Will that couldn’t be understood. Her useless teammates.

The anxiety of Sumika’s heart reached the peak.

And then the petite girl with loose and disheveled hair that was pushed back just now, Ichinotani Chikori called out reservedly to Sumika who was like that.

“Leader, cheer up. Leader didn’t do anything bad you know…?”

Those words of Chikori were her consideration towards the totally exhausted Sumika right from her heart.

But, …Chikori was also a factor of that exhaustion.

Looking from Sumika’s position, Chikori also had the same fault like Nakajima.

That was why Chikori’s words of encouragement snapped apart the frayed mind of Sumika.

“That’s just obviousssss-!!!!”

“Kyan-“

“Chikori-san. Even you are not unrelated to this problem. Even though I told you to stop, yet you rushed off on your own! In the end you were taken hostage! Do you not have self-awareness, do you know just how much trouble you caused me because of your rash action!?”

“Bu, but, that time the orc was heading to the town area…”

“Then what you should have done was to circle ahead to the town and evacuate the citizens! Just why do you think I had you and Nakajima-kun form a group!? That’s because the two of you cannot win against an orc alone! I have told you that thoroughly in the briefing! I told you to absolutely not fight if one of you is not there! Despite that just why did you commit something so foolish like entering battle by yourself-!”

“A, auu”

Being pierced through by eyes that were carrying burning rage, Chikori’s face paled and her expression was going to cry.

However Sumika didn’t stop. Chikori’s words from before made her lose all self-control of her emotion, all the various resentment that had been piling up since she enrolled into New Tokyo Sorcery Academy turned into an overflowing muddy stream that even Sumika herself couldn’t control.

“I’ve…-! Even though I’ve been thinking very hard for strategies that could be accomplished even with little magic power, just why can’t you move exactly like I said!? Chikori-san and Nakajima-kun too, and also Shiori-san that always just do the bare minimum of her work even though she is actually an excellent magician! Everyone, everyone is always doing just whatever they please-! You all cannot be useful satisfactorily, so at least please just listen to what I saiddd-!!”

“..................-“

“…ah,”

Instantly, Sumika thought ‘now I’ve done it’, that was what her expression looked like.

Just now she had said really too much.

Looking at Chikori’s expression that had been completely stabbed by her words, made Sumika aware of that.

(Even though I’m the one, that knows best just how much Chikori-san has worked hard…)

“E, err, Chikori-san. Just now is…”

Trying to apologize for her own slip of the tongue, Sumika spun her words. But at that time,

“Aa― my ears hurt. Just why a girl’s yelling face can reverberate this much in the eardrum I wonder.”

The door of the platoon room opened, and a single male entered the room.

It was the one who saved the life of Sumika and Chikori just before, the <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura.