Ultimate Antihero:Volume 1 Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Part 1

Ten days had passed since Homura enrolled into New Tokyo Sorcery Academy.

At first the students were scared at Homura’s existence, but because Homura himself didn’t especially show any intention of getting entangled with the students, they had considerably calmed down.

As expected they showed cautiousness when Homura’s figure was visible to them, but people who were scared of him even when his figure couldn’t be seen anymore was already few.

At the afternoon of the day where even the nervousness came apart in that situation.

The class 3-A where Homura and the other member of 101st platoon belonged to, was taking a class of sorcery at the courtyard where green lawn was spread all over.

“Are you guys listening? Among the demons there are varieties that moved around in the air extremely agilely.

In that kind of situation it will be hard to hit with sword attack and gun attack.

What will be useful in that situation is no element first grade sorcery・Magic Light BulletPhoton Bullet.

Just as you guys know, Photon Bullet turn your own magic power into energy bullet to shoot, it’s the basic of basic that a magician first learn. Naturally, everyone here can all use it without exception right? But just shooting Photon Bullet like that, won’t be able to catch agile enemy just like I said before.”

While explaining, the instructor that was in the prime of his life used sorcery to summon big black machine like a basketball in his right hand.

It was called target, a magic instrument that performed a role just like its name said.

When the instructor poured his magic power into it, the target was activated.

It let out faint wings from its sides and soared to the air until really high, before it moved around fiercely like winged insect.

And then, the instructor fired three shots of magic power energy the size of softball to that moving target.

• kyun* Raising sharp wind voice, the three rapid shot headed straight to the target to pierce it.

But, the speed of the bullet was fast, yet it was only to the level that human could normally watch by eye.

It was far slower compared to gunshot.

The target naturally avoided it nimbly, the light bullet was absorbed into air.

Ascertaining that, the instructor continued.

“Even demon has intelligence. Even if you shot them just straightforwardly like this, it will only end in them reading the trajectory and evade. Then what should you do? The answer is simple.”

The instructor once again formed three light bullet of softball size around him.

And then, similar with before he shot three rapid-fire aiming at the target at the sky.

The light bullet from before flew straight forward. But, this time it was different.

The light bullets wriggled like snake in the air drawing complicated trajectories, approaching the target.

They moved around left and right while holding back the target.

The target moved about in confusion as if being lost of where should it escape from the movement of the bullets, in the end after the target flew to right evading the first bullet, it was aimed and hit by the remaining two light bullet and got scattered in the sky.

“Got it? You just need to chase if the opponent run. Because Photon Bullet is a simple sorcery, it’s a convenient sorcery that can be controlled finely like this. No matter how much able you are in handling fourth grade of fifth grade grand magic, magician that cannot skillfully handle this basic sorcery will die soon in the battlefield. That’s why if you treasure your life, get better in using this Photon Bullet competently as the first thing. If you can do [five shot simultaneous manipulation] this magic will become something usable enough even in battlefield.”

“Yo, you are telling us to calculate the trajectory of five tracking bullet alone!?”

“If you become top class then this is a sorcery where you can simultaneously control ten shot. It’s not something particularly difficult. But, I’m not going to tell you guys to suddenly control five shot at the same time, so don’t worry. First you start from three shot. If it’s just three then even you guys can do it. After all, the academy put together this curriculum so you can do it.”

Saying that, the instructor lifted up the cane-type <Arms> he held in his hand to the sky.

Thereupon the sorcery core embedded at the center of the cane shone, automatically activating the sorcery that was registered as the class’s use.

In front of every single students that received this class, similar targets like before were summoned.

“Those targets are all set in movement level that can be shot down if you can [properly control three Photon Bullets simultaneously]. First your assignment is to shoot down this target. Those who can do it can go home for today. Those who cannot will stay behind until they can. Understand?”

“ “ “Yee~ss……” “ “

The students returned back reply that wasn’t filled with any enthusiast at all toward the given assignment.

No, there were also people who properly replied, though the majority was languid so their reply was completely drowned.

There was a lot of foreigner that lost their birthplace taking refuge in Tokyo life sphere, so the race of the students was also in great variety, but the lowness of their motivation was generally shared.

But, there was one person with motivation that was even lower than them who was like that, he was sitting cross-legged at the last row.

It didn’t need to be said who was it. The <Evil God User>, Kamishiro Homura.

Part 2

“Fua…”

While of the students began to start their assignment with each of the targets activated, Homura was yawning in boredom.

Well, it was only reasonable.

After all Homura who was <Evil God User> had learned all the currently existing 666 sorcery and 333 forbidden art, and then even the non-exist 1 mystery, a master of thousand sorceries.

Receiving this kind of class at this late hour had no meaning at all.

On the other hand if he was asked whether there was anything else that he needed to do, there was also nothing like that.

That was why Homura didn’t particularly do anything, he was just blankly observing the class situation of the students.

After all they were comrades that he might fought together with when there was emergency occurring.

It was important grasp the battle power beforehand.

And then, after a while what he felt was,

(Their quality is comparatively good huh.)

In reverse with the non-existence motivation of the students, most of the students immediately cleared their assignment.

The standard of their quality was considerably higher than he imagined.

Just as the instructor said, the curriculum was properly arranged by taking into consideration the low motivation of the forcefully gathered students, Homura guessed it was an achievement of this academy.

Like this if they formed a platoon then he guessed they could deal with something like <Soldier class> with some leeway left.

(Well, at minimum they won’t be a hindrance, perhaps.)

The students who cleared their assignment left the courtyard one after another while making lighthearted talk with each other.

But, as expected no matter where it was there would always be people with bad grade―

“Waa-, wait wait~-“

“Uoo-! Oi what are you doing!”

“I, I’m sorry~-“

One person, there was a bespectacled female student getting too desperate at chasing the flying around target on the sky, she crashed around at the surrounding students.

Homura knew her face.

Koga Ayumi. His classmate in 3-A.

She belonged to 27th platoon.

She was not particularly a standing out student, but her motivation was fairly high that he had memory of her.

If he remembered right before this, she took a memo of the instructor’s talk while listening seriously.

But how sad. Seriousness and the real ability wouldn’t be necessarily in proportion of each other―

“Aaa, auu”

Ayumi was manipulated by the target.

Since some time ago she was already shooting several dozen shots of Photon Bullet, but she was toyed by the target’s movement that moved around to the left and right and couldn’t even graze it.

On the contrary, when she was chasing with her gaze the target that was swiveling round and round as if ridiculing her,

“My eyes, my eyes is turninggg~”

Dizzily, her eyes ended rolling around.

Her unsteady gait was staggering, she looked like she was going to fall even now.

(…What a sight, I guess this is what people called a sight that one cannot bear to see.)

Homura sighed while standing up. And then he approached Ayumi,

“Looks like you are having fun by yourself huh. Koga.”

Just like that he supported from behind the slim shoulder of the girl who almost fell behind on her butt.

“Eh, tha, thank you very…―hii-!”

The moment she was going to say thanks for the support and turned her neck behind, Ayumi’s expression froze.

That was because the one who supported her, was the man that was a pawn of evil gods―or so the rumor said.

The big eyes behind the glasses opened so wide it couldn’t possible became any wider, the slim shoulders were trembling clatteringly in fear.

(Well, this is the normal reaction.)

It was just the girls of 101st that were too understanding, the emotion the majority of human harbored toward <Evil God User> was fear.

It could be said to be reasonable. No matter how he had saved the world, the power of <Evil God> that he used at that time was something that was excessively ominous after all.

That power’s ominousness was no different at all with demon.

It was only natural to fear. It was inevitable to cower. Even Homura wouldn’t blame anyone for that after all this time.

However, he didn’t plan to turn back without doing anything after already thinking that he couldn’t bear to look and calling out like this.

“Next, try to do it after taking off your glasses.”

“Eh? Err…”

“It’s fine already so just try it.”

Saying that, Homura took away the glasses from the scared Ayumi who didn’t understand why she was catching the eye of the <Evil God User>.

“Aaa-“

“Uoo, this glasses’ minus is severe eh.”

“My, my eyes, is really bad, so, that’s why…. That’s why, that, return it, please-. If I don’t have that, it’s hard to see the target.”

Ayumi raised a protesting voice with all her might using her cramped throat.

But, Homura put the glasses he took on himself, putting it at a place where the girl couldn’t reach, without answering her demand he said one more time.

“It’s just right if you cannot see well. Think that you got tricked and just try aiming without glasses.”

“……uu, ye, yes.”

Against Homura who didn’t hand over the glasses until the end, even though Ayumi was making a slightly reproachful expression, but she realized that there was no way she could talk him down.

Reluctantly, she looked up to the sky with her blurred eyesight, and faintly caught sight of the black shadow floating at the vaguely cloudy blue sk.

But, it was fine that she could sight of it, yet she couldn’t properly see it.

What she could see was just a blurred black, she didn’t understand the detail of the movement.

Because she didn’t understand the movement, where it was going to, she also couldn’t chase it with her eyes.

(Like this, there was no way I can hit it you knowww)

However, Homura didn’t seem like he would return the glasses until she tried once.

That was why Ayumi gave up chasing with her eyes, for the time being she would just make sure she didn’t lose sight of the shadow.

She didn’t focus her eyes, widened her field of vision, for the time being she would at least settle the target at her field of vision.

After all that was the limit of what she could do with this blurred field of vision.

But, mysteriously―

“E, eh?”

Ayumi noticed.

Doing it this way, she could see the target’s movement well.

And then that realization was correct.

If asked why, that was because the Photon Bullet that Ayumi fired next easily shot down the target as if her hard fight before was just a lie.

“Li, lies…why…!”

Unable to believe what she had just done, Ayumi was dumbfounded.

Towards that girl, Homura returned the glasses he stole while saying.

“Even though Koga’s sight is bad but your kinetic vision looks quite good. But because of that you chased the target too much with your eyes. The trick to hit target with quick move using guided missile, is not to chase the target’s movement, but to have a wide field of vision and settle the target inside your sight. And then, matching the target’s movement it’s not you that move, but you create the image of the target’s movement to calculate the Photon Bullet’s trajectory. If you do that you don’t even need to move your eye, the whole body is visible so the manipulation of the guided bullet also become easier.”

You got that?

When Homura asked that, Ayumu nodded even while showing her confusion.

“Eh, ah, yes-“

“Good child. ―Well though actually, it’s inefficient at the point you are using something like guided bullet.”

“Eh?”

Homura leaked out a murmur with small voice.

Ayumi didn’t understand his meaning and tilted her head,

“Hee. Somehow I’m surprised. For that infamous traitor, <Evil God User> to be this kind.”

Suddenly at that moment, a bright voice of a girl came from behind.

When Homura turned back, there two female students were in the middle of walking here.

A short haired girl that looked lively with strongly bright eyes, and tall and good postured girl.

Homura compared the two’s faces with his memory of the class register.

The short haired one was Anna Dronin. The tall one was Rosalind Wagner.

Each of them could boast of steadfast popularity, Anna with the boys from her lovely appearance that was popular with man, and Rosalind with the girls from her neutral and dignified look that was like Takaratsuka actress, they were the central characters of 3-A.

And then both of them were also in the same 27th platoon like Ayumi as member.

“Ah, Anna-chan! Rosalind-chan!”

“Yee―s Koga-cchi. When your glasses was taken away suddenly, I thought that surely this is bullying, but it looks like it’s nothing like that.”

“Ri, right.”

“There is no way a sexy guy like this is gonna do something mean to woman you know.”

When Homura exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulder, Anna laughed pleasantly.

“Ahaha. Is that something you should say yourself~?”

“Well, that’s how it is, it’s a misunderstanding that I’m bullying her. If you get it then can you pull back your killing intent?”

With a glance Homura directed his sight at Rosalind who was standing beside Anna without saying anything.

Thereupon, Rosalind’s eyes turned round in surprise.

“…You noticed?”

“You really think I’m not gonna notice?”

Homura made a cynical smile while replying so.

Just as he said, since a while ago Rosalind―, saying it accurately since the moment Homura approached Ayumi, she had already prepared to assault Homura immediately if he tried to do something.

It seemed the person herself intended to completely cover her killing intent, but Homura properly noticed it. It was just that she was an opponent that he could handle even if she assaulted him without even moving a fingertip of his body, so he didn’t get cautious at all.

“…Sorry to misunderstand.”

Rosalind whose killing intent was exposed apologized to Homura with a slightly awkward expression for her groundless suspicion.

But Homura shook his head left and right towards that apology.

“It’s not like you need to apologize.”

Rather Homura was in admiration.

Against <Evil God User> that had unceasing terrifying rumor about him, she had the spirit to prepare to draw her blade against such an opponent for her friend’s sake.

She was still immature, but she was quite a gutsy girl.

“Seems like Koga has good comrades.”

Fuh, after taking a glance at Ayumi and saying that, Homura turned on his heel.

Since the girl had cleared her assignment, he had no more reason to care about Ayumu.

Thereupon, toward that back,

“Ah-! Err! Thank you very much-!”

That voice was not the small voice like a mosquito’s noise until now, with a clear loud voice, Ayumu gave her word of gratitude to Homura.

As for Homura, he answered shortly “Ou” to show he received that gratitude.

“<Evil God User>-san. After this we have patrol duty together at the border so today is no good, but if it’s okay with you can you go for some meal together with us next time? My interest to you is a little picked up.”

“Well, if I feel like it at that time.”

After vaguely setting aside Anna’s invitation next, Homura left that place.

Translator's Notes and References

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