Baka to Tesuto to Syokanju:Volume1
Novel Illustrations
Novel Illustrations
These are the novel illustrations that were included in volume 1.
Front cover & insert
Back cover & insert
Title page
Contents page
Page 4
Page 25
Page 37
Page 51
Page 71
Page 117
Page 133
Page 219
Page 259
Page 279
Page 285
"...Um..."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"...Yuuji, when were the Taika Reforms again?"
"You're already a third year and you still don't know? You really are dumb, Shouko."
"...We haven't been taught that part yet. You're just too smart."
"It's easy to memorize. Just remember 'Accident-Free Reforms'[1] [2]."
"...'Accident-Free'?"
"It's because there were no accidents that occurred during the Taika Reforms. Make sure you remember that. "
"I will."
"They happened in the year 625."
"...All right, I've memorized it."
"Good. Make sure you remember."
"...Don't worry, I won't forget."
The First Question
Please answer the following question:
To reduce the weight of frying pans, magnesium is used in the manufacturing process. However, this will cause an undesirable result when used in cooking. Describe what happens and name an alloy that could be used to replace magnesium.
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
A violent chemical reaction will occur when magnesium is exposed to direct fire, causing it to burn. Instead, duralumin could be used to replace magnesium.
Teacher's Comment:
Correct. The question specifically asked for an alloy, so answering "iron" would be incorrect. You weren't tricked.
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
Because the gas bill wasn't paid.
Teacher's Comment:
That is irrelevant to the question.
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
Futuranium could be used (<- it'll be super hard).
Teacher's Comment:
That hasn't been discovered yet, has it?
This is my second spring here in Fumizuki Academy.
To welcome new students, both sides of the slope leading to the academy were filled with dazzling, flowering cherry blossoms. I'm not the type of elegant, classy person to stop and appreciate the sight but it was just so beautiful that I couldn't help but become mesmerized.
That happened for just an instant, though.
My mind was certainly filled with the thoughts of spring, but they weren't about cherry blossoms. However, I was eager to find out what my new classroom and who my comrades of war, whom I will be sharing it with, will be.
"Yoshii, you're late."
A stern voice greeted me once I reached the gates. I turned my head and looked towards the direction of that voice. A short haired athletic-looking man with a lightly tanned complexion was standing there.
"Ah, Iron- I mean, Mr. Nishimura. Good morning!"
I bowed my head slightly as I greeted him. After all, he IS the demonic counselor, Mr. Nishimura. You're definitely in for trouble when he calls your name.
"Did you just call me 'Ironman'?"
"Ha ha, you're just hearing things."
"Oh, really?"
That was close; I nearly called him "Ironman" like I always do.
By the way, he was nicknamed "Ironman" because of his hobby of entering triathlons. Of course, his habit of wearing short sleeves even in the coldest winter days contributed to that as well.
"That aside, you're not going to just greet me are you?"
"Oh, sorry. You look... pretty dark today."
"...Are you more concerned with my skin tone rather than a proper apology for being late?"
"So that was what you meant. I'm sorry for being late."
"Good grief... You never learn."
He let out a sigh as he mumbled that. What he said made me sound like a person who comes late on a regular basis.
"Sir. I don't always arrive late, do I?"
He was my homeroom teacher last year, so he should know the number of times I was late for school.
"Never mind that, just take this."
He took an envelope out of a box and handed it to me. My name, Yoshii Akihisa, was clearly written on it.
"Thanks."
I nodded politely to him and took the envelope.
"Why is the school handing out the results of the placement test in such a troublesome way? Wouldn't it be easier to just post it on a bulletin board?"
It seemed very inconvenient, putting each student's result into an envelope and handing them out personally.
"We would have done that if we were just another regular school, but our school is the first in the world to use such a cutting-edge examination system. This is why we're handing out the results individually."
"I suppose so..."
I answered him as I fumbled with the envelope. I couldn't wait to find out which class I had been placed in.
Students who were second-year and above at Fumizuki Academy are allocated into different classes from Class A to Class F, depending on the class examinations. Simply put, geniuses will be in Class A, idiots in class F, and everyone else in between. Your intelligence level will be indicated by your class placement. In order to protect my manly pride, I will do whatever it takes to not be in Class F.
"Yoshii, to tell you the truth..."
"Hm?"
The envelope was glued shut, and I was still trying to open it.
"After a year observing you, I wondered, 'Could Yoshii really be an idiot?'"
"You're greatly mistaken about that, sir. I would have to add 'Moron' to your nickname if you were being serious about that."
I wasn't trying to brag. I didn't study much for last year's examination, but I felt pretty good about how I fared in it. Surely he must have changed his opinion of me when he saw my results.
"Indeed. When I looked at your results, I realized how mistaken I had been."
"I'm glad to hear that."
I just couldn't peel it open. Oh, well, guess I'll have to tear the top part off.
Which class will I be in? Is it Class D? Maybe Class C?
"Be glad, Yoshii. My doubts for you have completely disappeared."
I unfolded the piece of paper inside, and read the words written on it.
"Yoshii Akihisa - Class F"
"You really are an idiot."
Thus, my life in the worst class began.
The Second Question
Write down an idiom which has the following meaning:
(1) Fail to do something you are good at
(2) Encounter consecutive unfortunate events
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
(1) "Even a monkey can fall from a tree."
(2) Having a leaking rooftop on a rainy day
Teacher's Comment:
Correct. There are other answers for the first part of the question, such as "Horses losing their front hooves" and "Even fish may drown". Other answers for the second part would be "Good things don't start coming, bad things never stop happening", "A year full of misfortune", etc.
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
(1) "Even horses will drop from a tree."
Teacher's Comment:
That would be an incredible scene.
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
(2) Have both a leaking rooftop and landslide occur
Teacher's Comment:
Aren't you too unlucky?
"What the...? Isn't this room too large to be a classroom?"
Stepping onto the third floor that I never had a chance to visit last year, I saw a classroom five times larger than usual right in front of me.
Maybe this was the Class A that people had been talking about. Let's see what's in there.
"Congratulations to everyone for making it to the second year. My name is Takahashi Youko, and I am the homeroom teacher for Class 2-A. Nice to meet you."
I stopped and looked into the classroom through the big window. There was an intelligent-looking woman with spectacles standing in the front of the classroom. She had her hair tied up on the back of her head and was dressed up neatly in a suit.
When she stopped her speech, her name showed up not on a blackboard, but on a plasma TV that was huge enough to cover the whole wall. How luxurious! How much money did they spend on that?
"First of all, please check the things that you were given. Everyone should have a laptop, a personal air conditioner, a fridge, an adjustable chair, etc. Are they working properly?"
There was more than enough space, facilities, and equipment. It was easily enough for fifty students to use.
The fridges were filled with drinks and snacks. Every student had their own air conditioner which they could adjust to whatever temperature they wanted.
If you looked around the classroom, you would notice that the ceiling was made of glass. High-class paintings were hanging on the walls, and there were ornamental plants around the room. The interior design looked like the lobby of a five-star hotel.
"Besides the textbooks and reference books, the food and drinks in the fridge are provided by the school free of charge. If you need any other facilities or equipment, feel free to let us know."
I could smell the fragrance of red tea; it seems that some students had made some.
"Now, let me introduce the class representative. Kirishima Shouko, please come forward."
"...Yes."
The person who stood up and answered the call was a girl with long black hair. Her appearance resembled that of a Japanese doll.
She was a gentle-looking girl who had a beautiful face and a dignified aura that made her look like she was free from secular affairs.
Everyone in the classroom was looking at her.
Class representative- the person in this class who scored the highest on the placement test.
In other words, the smartest person in Class A was also the smartest person amongst the second-years; this explained why she was receiving so much attention.
"...My name is Kirishima Shouko. Nice to meet you."
Although everyone was looking at her, she still introduced herself as usual.
It seemed that everyone was staring at her eyes, but when I looked carefully, all of them were actually female. It seemed that the rumors were true!
She was very famous as soon as she enrolled into this school. Everybody knew how beautiful she was, and a lot of guys had confessed to her. However, none of them ever succeeded. Since then, there were rumors saying that she liked girls... I see the tide doesn't start without wind.
"Everyone in Class A, please work together with Kirishima from now until the end of your second year and study hard together! The 'war' starts now, so please don't lose to anyone else."
The homeroom teacher concluded the speech, and Kirishima bowed before returning to her seat.
Oh, no, I should hurry to my classroom.
I quickly walked down the corridors at a very fast pace.
Standing below the sign with "Class 2-F" written on it, I hesitated.
Would being late to class give my classmates a bad impression?
Was anyone in the classroom disgusting, scary, or hard to deal with?
What kind of comrades will I have for the rest of the year? The more I thought about it, the more nervous I became.
"Well, maybe I'm just worrying too much."
It was just being late; there was nothing to worry about.
Come to think of it, we were classmates; there was nothing to be afraid of! Maybe they would start worrying about me if I was late because I wasn't feeling well! (Actually, it's because I overslept.)
Calm down, there was nothing to worry about. I need to trust the comrades whom I will have to work together with from now on.
After I made up my mind, I pushed the door open and greeted my classmates in the room with my most sincere voice.
"Sorry I'm late♪"
"Hurry up and sit down, you idiot!"
My perfect image was ruined!
"Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Come to think of it, this person was being rude. Being a teacher doesn't give you the right to speak like this.
I glared fiercely at the guy who was standing behind the lectern.
He was unexpectedly tall, probably close to 180 cm. His body was slim but not thin, which made him look like a ruthless boxer. Slowly looking up, I saw a pair of eyes filled with willpower; a wild-looking, handsome face; and short hair on his head that looked like a mane.
"...Yuuji, what the hell are you doing?"
This guy was not a teacher; he was my so-called friend, Sakamoto Yuuji.
"Because the teacher's late, I'm taking his place."
"You are replacing the teacher? You? Why?"
"Somehow, my score is the highest in Class F."
"So that makes you the class rep?"
"Ah, it seems so."
Yuuji cunningly smiled. After listening to what he had said, I smiled as well. In other words, if I could take care of Yuuji, no one could stop me from doing anything in this class.
"Therefore, everyone in this class is my subordinate."
Yuuji proudly overlooked the classmates who were sitting on the ground.
...Yes, everyone was sitting on the ground.
Why? The answer was simple: there were no chairs.
"On the other hand... this classroom really befits the name 'Class F'."
I should find a place and sit down first.
"Sorry, can you please let me through?"
Suddenly, a weak voice came from behind me.
A stupid-looking old man with untidy hair and dressed in a wrinkled shirt was standing there.
"Can I put a chair there? It is homeroom now."
Since he didn't wear a uniform and looked far from being a teenager, I thought he might be our homeroom teacher.
"Roger that."
"Okay."
Yuuji and I answered him separately and returned to our seats.
The teacher waited until we were seated, stood behind the lectern, and spoke slowly.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Fukuhara Shin. I will be the homeroom teacher for Class 2-F. Nice to meet you."
Mr. Fukuhara originally planned to write his name on the dirty board, but he wasn't able to. Oh, my spirit! The school didn't provide chalk?
"Does everyone have a chabudai[3] and a cushion? Please raise your hand if you don't have one."
There were around fifty students squeezed into this small little classroom without writing tables. There were only tatami, chabudai, and cushions. What new and luxurious facilities! I've known about this since my first year, but seeing it firsthand still shocked me.
"Sensei... my cushion doesn't have any cotton in it."
There were a number of students who complained about the faulty equipment.
"I see. Bear with it."
"Sensei, the leg of my table is broken."
"Did they give you some glue? Glue it yourself later."
"Sensei, cold air is blowing in from the broken window..."
"I see. I'll report it to the school and request for plastic bags and tape to repair it."
In the corner of the room were spiders freely making webs, and there wasn't a single spot on the wall that was clean or without graffiti. This is terrible; is this an abandoned house?
"If you need anything else, try to take care of it yourself..."
There was a smell of mildew filling up the classroom; it must be coming from below these old tatami.
"Let's begin the self-introductions! We will start from the person sitting beside the corridor."
When Mr. Fukuhara finished his speech, one of the students in the circle stood up and started to introduce himself.
"My name is Kinoshita Hideyoshi, a member of the drama club."
It was Hideyoshi speaking.
He had a unique way of talking. With a slim body and loosely-tied shoulder-length hair, at a glance- no, even when I looked at him carefully, his cuteness could easily make me, someone who knew him, think that he was a girl. That's right, that was Kinoshita Hideyoshi, my classmate from last year.
On the other hand, if he dressed up in a female uniform and changed his way of speaking, he would definitely be treated like a girl. This could happen easily in a class filled with smelly guys like this.
"So then, nice to meet you."
Hideyoshi smiled subtly, and ended his self-introduction. So... so CUTE! Wait a second, Yoshii Akihisa, don't fall for it! He's a guy!
"Tsuchiya Kouta..."
The next student had already started his self-introduction while I was still mumbling the warning I had to give myself numerous times last year.
Who was it? Ah, I knew this guy as well.
He was still as reticent as usual. He didn't have a huge body, but you could see that he was good at sports from the muscles he had. I didn't know why he was so shy. Was it because he didn't want to stand out too much and get into trouble? Well, there were all sorts of people in the world.
However, I could only see guys in the classroom; there were no girls in the last class. Was it the same everywhere else in the world?
"...is my name. I grew up overseas. Although I can speak Japanese, reading it is still a bit hard for me."
While I was thinking, another introduction had begun.
"My English is very poor because I grew up in Germany. My hobby is..."
OH! It was a girl this time; it was a precious treasure to the whole class. Finally, at least there was one girl in the class.
"My hobby is beating up Yoshii Akihisa ☆."
Who was it? Who had this special, extreme, and dangerous hobby?
"Hello..."
The person who was smiling and waving at me was...
"Ah, Shi... Shimada, it is you!"
"Yoshii, nice to see you again this year."
Another person I knew, and my natural enemy from last year- Shimada Minami.
Why? Why were so many people I knew in the same class as me? Wasn't it strange? Was this an example of "Birds of a feather flock together"? I couldn't believe I was actually on the same level as these people!
"Nice to meet you."
Okay, it seemed that the person in front of me had just finished, and now it was my turn.
I took a breath, and rose up from the ground.
Let's start my self-introduction! The first impression was very important. In order to make a lot of good friends, I have to make sure to stress that I was a positive and optimistic person.
Suddenly, an idea ran through my mind. I decided to use a relaxing joke to start my speech. I tried my best to speak in a funny way, and started my self-introduction.
"Er, my name is Yoshii Akihisa. Feel free to call me 'Darling'."
"DAR--LING!"
The chorus of rough voices was more disgusting than I could have ever imagined.
"Sorry, I take back what I said! Nice to meet you."
Although I had a fake smile on my face and returned to my seat, I still felt like I was going to vomit. I never imagined that they would really call me that. Class F was really horrible.
Because of my feelings, the self-introductions never seemed to end.
Just when I nearly fell asleep from the monotonous introductions and names, someone opened the door. A girl stood at the entrance, putting her hand on her chest and trying to catch her breath.
"S-sorry I'm... l-late."
"What?"
Everyone shouted, but this was expected. When something like this happens, anyone would be shocked.
"Actually, you came at just the right time. We are introducing ourselves now. Please introduce yourself to the class, Himeji."
"O-Okay! My name is Himeji Mizuki. Nice to meet you..."
Himeji used a voice even smaller than her petite body.
Her skin was as white as new snow. The long and soft hair down to her back showed the gentle nature of its owner. With her cute appearance, she truly stood out in a class filled with guys.
However, her beautiful outlook was not why everyone was shocked.
"I have a question!"
One of the guys who had already introduced himself raised his right hand.
"Ah, y-yes, what is your question?"
Being questioned immediately after stepping into the classroom, Himeji couldn't hide her surprise and nervousness, but her actions were reminiscent of a cute little animal's. It was so cute.
"Why are you here?"
What an impolite first question.
But this was the same question everyone in the class wanted to ask.
Her cute outlook did attract attention, but more importantly, her marks were very high. She had the second-highest score on the enrollment exam, and she was always amongst the top ten.
A good student like her shouldn't be in Class F. No matter who you ask, the answer would be that she belongs in Class A.
"About this..."
With a nervous look on her face, her body stiffened up, and she said:
"I had a fever during the placement test..."
After hearing that, the entire class nodded as if to say, "So that's why."
Leaving in the middle of an exam results in a zero grade. In other words, she didn't finish the placement test last year, so she was allocated to Class F.
Listening to Himeji's answer, many people in the class started saying their own excuses.
"Now that I think about it, I was allocated to Class F because of fever as well."
"Yeah, it was chemistry, right? That was hard."
"I didn't do well because I heard that my brother was involved in an accident."
"Shut up, you singleton."
"My girlfriend didn't let me sleep the night before the test."
"Yeah, right. That's the biggest lie I've ever heard."
These guys were more idiotic than I could imagine.
"Nice... nice to meet you."
During the noisy discussion, she ran to the space between Yuuji and me. I never thought that I would be in the same class as her, never mind sit next to her. To be honest, my heart was beating wildly. She was really very cute, and it made me think that welcoming her in a lousy classroom like this should be a serious crime.
"I am so scared..."
Himeji sighed and lied on the table when she got to her seat.
Great! Since we were sitting so close together, this was a great chance to talk! Our love would start from this incident, and eventually, we would become destined lovers. That's right; this first sentence would be the key to the door of our happiness and future together.
"Hime-"
"Himeji."
Yuuji, who was sitting beside me, spoke and raised his voice over mine. Damn you, Yuuji! My future plan "From Classmates to the Red Carpet of Marriage: Our Springtime Meeting- 654 episodes" ended before it could play for more than 2 minutes! What am I supposed to show to the audience for the next 653 hours and 58 minutes!?
"Y-Yes? Is anything wrong?"
Himeji looked at Yuuji, panicked, and carefully straightened out her skirt. Was it because sitting on a cushion could easily wrinkle it?
"My name is Sakamoto, Sakamoto Yuuji. Nice to meet you."
"Ah, my name is Himeji. Nice to meet you."
She bowed her head deeply and gave a salute greeting. Her family education must have been very good.
"Well, are you still feeling sick?"
"I would like to know, too."
I unwittingly cut into the conversation. I was sitting beside her during the placement test, and she didn't look too well at the time. I wondered if she felt better now.
"Yo-Yoshii?"
Himeji was shocked when she saw my face. Did you have to be that shocked? Was I that ugly? No way, this was impo-
"Himeji, sorry that Akihisa's ugly face scares you."
What? What was going on here? Maybe Yuuji was trying to cover for me, but he was only making it worse.
"That... That's not true! You see, my eyes are filled with energy, and my face is slim and beautiful; I am not ugly at all! Actually, I-"
"Now that you mention it, your face doesn't look bad at all! Actually, I know someone who's interested in you!"
What? I never imagined that Yuuji would have such good information. I needed to confirm this.
"Eh? Who is..."
"Who... Who is it?"
Himeji's voice covered my voice. Well, it didn't really matter since we were asking the same question. It seemed like girls this age were interested in topics like this.
"I remember. Kubo..."
Kubo? Who was the girl with the surname Kubo?
"Toshimitsu, I think!"
Kubo Toshimitsu --> ♂ (Sex: MALE)
"..."
"Akihisa, are you crying secretly?"
I was stained now; I couldn't be a bridegroom anymore.
"Don't worry; half of that was a joke."
"What? What about the other half?"
"Oh, right. Himeji, are you feeling well?"
"I am fine now."
"Yuuji, what about the other half?"
Since Yuuji was ignoring me, I raised my voice to catch his attention.
"You over there, be quiet."
The teacher knocked the table a few times, the knocking sounds serving as a warning.
"Sorry-"
*Crashing sound*
Suddenly, the teacher's wooden table collapsed into wood chips. The table couldn't even take a few knocks; how bad did we have it here?
"...I'll get a new table to replace it. Please be patient."
The teacher felt embarrassed, and quickly stepped out of the classroom.
Once again, I realized how lousy our equipment was.
"Ah ha ha..."
Himeji had a forced smile on her face.
Looking at her like this reminded me that people like Yuuji and I deserved to study in a classroom like this, but it must be hard for a student like her.
Well, it was our own fault for not performing well in the test. Being able to take care of our own health was a kind of strength as well. But being allocated to Class F just because of leaving the exam due to a fever was ridiculous. They should have at least given her another chance.
Anger towards the unfairness of the placement test swirled up inside me. If that's the case, we should try our best to get some better equipment for her.
I talked to the class rep, who was yawning at the moment. "Yuuji, come here."
"What do you want?"
"We can't talk here; let's go to the corridor."
"Fine by me."
I stood up and walked towards the corridor. At that time, Himeji and I somehow made eye contact.
"Well, what's up?"
It was homeroom now and no one was in the corridor, so we could speak freely.
"About this classroom..."
Of course I meant this one.
"The Class F classroom? It's worse than I imagined."
"You also think so, right?"
"Of course."
"Have you looked at Class A's equipment?"
"Yeah, it's so different from ours. I've never seen a classroom like that before."
On one side was a classroom with a blackboard full of cracks and without even any chalk to write on it with, and on the other was a classroom with an expensive plasma TV. Nobody can accept a difference in treatment like this, right?
"I have an idea. Since we are second-years now, let's have a Summoner Test War!"
"A War?"
"Yes, and the enemy is Class A."
"Why?"
Suddenly, Yuuji looked at me with wariness.
"Nothing special; it is just that our classroom is really lousy."
"Don't lie to me. A person like you, who has no interest in studying, now wants to have a War over the equipment? We'd be more likely to win the lottery."
Damn! His sixth sense was still as good as ever.
"No... No, that's not right! If I didn't want to study, I wouldn't have chosen this school-"
"You chose this school because it's cheap and has a good reputation in universities, right?"
No! I explained my reason to him before.
"Ah, that's... It's because..."
What should I do? I couldn't think of anything better.
"It's because of Himeji, right?"
Shock!
Since my real intention was actually seen through by him, I unwittingly straightened my back.
"How... How do you know that?"
"You're so simple! I just tested you a bit, and you gave it away yourself."
The wary-looking eyes disappeared, replaced by Yuuji's smile. I was cheated!
"That's not the only reason-"
"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to explain anymore, I totally understand."
"I just told you, it's not what you think!"
Damn! I couldn't even communicate with this guy.
"Don't worry; even if you hadn't suggested it, I had already planned to declare war against Class A."
"Huh? Why? Yuuji, you're not studying either, are you?"
That's why he didn't care about the class equipment.
"I just want to prove that grades don't mean everything."
"?"
"I even came up with a plan to defeat Class A- Oh, the teacher's back! Let's get into the classroom."
Yuuji urged me to get in the classroom.
"Let's continue with the self-introductions."
After bringing in the new table (this one was lousy, too), homeroom continued.
"My name is Sugawa Ryou. My hobby is..."
The monotonous introductions continued as usual.
"Sakamoto, you're last."
"Roger."
Yuuji answered the teacher's call and rose up from his seat.
He kept his usual kidding mode on as he walked slowly towards the lectern with the dignity of a class representative.
"Sakamoto is the class representative for Class F, right?"
Facing Mr. Fukuhara's question, Yuuji replied with a nod.
It was the perfect match: the worst class rep for the worst class. Instead of saying it's an honor, it might actually be a shame.
But Yuuji didn't think like that. He stood confidently behind the lectern and looked down at us.
"I am the class representative of Class F, Sakamoto Yuuji. You can either call me 'Sakamoto' or 'class rep'."
Most of the students in the class didn't really care about who he was, since he was only the least idiotic of the idiots in Class F. Most thought that it was like the pot calling the kettle black.
"Now, I have a question for everyone."
He looked into everyone's eyes, and spoke slowly.
Maybe it was because he got the timing right, as everyone was looking at him now.
When he confirmed that he had everyone's attention, he moved his eyes to every corner of the classroom.
A classroom with the smell of mildew.
Old and dirty cushions.
Chabudai with dirt left from sweat.
We followed his sight, looking at these one by one.
"Class A has not only air conditioners but also adjustable chairs."
He took a deep breath, and calmly said:
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"Of course!"
The cries from the souls of every member in Class F rang through the corridor.
"Aren't you? Even I am dissatisfied with the current situation. As the class rep, I can see a big problem in here."
"That's right!"
"No matter how cheap the school fee is, it is unthinkable to let us use such equipment! We must tell the school to improve it!"
"We pay the same fees as Class A does, but the treatment is too different!"
Complaints were coming from everywhere in the class.
"You are right. Therefore..."
Satisfied with the reaction of the classmates, Yuuji showed a fearless smile on his face.
"As class rep, I have a suggestion."
Showing his tiger-tooth to his fellow comrades, he stated:
"I plan to declare a Summoner Test War against Class A."
Class F representative, Sakamoto Yuuji, had ignited the flames of war.
The Third Question
Please translate the following sentence into Japanese:
"This is the bookshelf that my grandmother had used regularly."
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
"これは私の祖母が愛用していた本棚です. (This is the bookshelf that my grandmother had used regularly.)"
Teacher's Comment:
Correct. You must be working very hard!
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
"これは" (This)
Teacher's Comment:
You only know how to translate "This"?
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
"☆●◆∇┐♪*×"
Teacher's Comment:
Please use a human language to answer the question.
Declare war against Class A.
This suggestion sounded too unrealistic for Class F.
"It's impossible to win!"
"I don't want to get even worse facilities."
"I'm satisfied as long as Himeji is here."
Cries like this were filling up the room.
Well, even a blind man could see the difference in fighting ability between Class A and Class F.
It has been four years since Fumitzuki Academy adopted an examination system with scores not limited to 100. Under this system, students would answer as many questions as they could in one hour. As a result, there was no limit to how high a student could score. The score could increase indefinitely, limited only by the student's intelligence.
Besides that, there is a "Shoukanjuu[4] Summoning System", which was accidentally created by combining science with supernatural power. Under teacher supervision, students can summon their Beings, whose power is equal to their respective summoners' results, and fight against each other.
The overall average score now is fairly low, and this was the latest system invented to encourage the students to study. With this system as the core, students are allowed to have inter-class wars called "Summoner Test Wars", in which the students' Beings fight against each other.
The results of the tests are very important in the War and the difference in results between Class A and Class F is huge. If we fought head-on, one student from Class A could probably beat three from Class F at the same time. Actually, if the student was good enough, they might be able to take four or five of us out at the same time.
"We will win for sure- no, I'll show you that we'll win."
Despite knowing that the difference in our fighting ability was huge, Yuuji still confidently declared that we would win.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"That's impossible, right?"
"What makes you so sure about this?"
Objections came from every corner of the room.
Well, no matter how you look at it, this was not a winnable War. I still couldn't deny it even though I promised Yuuji that we'd start the War together. Even if it's impossible, I still won't give up!
"Of course, I have my theory. We have some strong factors that will help us win."
The whole class raged after Yuuji said that.
Was it even possible for us to win? Even though we were Class F, the worst class in Year 2?
"Let me explain."
My bad friend stood behind the lectern and showed a daring smile on his face, overlooking us from above the ground.
"Kouta, stop leaning on the tatami and peeping at Himeji's underwear. Come here for a bit."
"! (shook his head)"
"What!?"
Tsuchiya Kouta desperately shook both his head and his hands, trying to show that he didn't commit such a crime. Himeji pressed down her skirt and hid; the boy covered the mark the tatami left on his face, and walked towards the podium.
He was simply amazing. He was the only person who dared to be that shameless, and use such an inappropriate pose to peep at a girl's underwear; he is much braver than someone like me, who could only think of using a small mirror to peep.
"Tsuchiya Kouta. This guy is the famous Muttsurini[5]."
"! (fiercely shaking his head)"
Tsuchiya Kouta might not be well-known by name, but the name "Muttsurini" was different. This name was respected and feared by the male students, and despised and disdained by the female students.
"He is THE Muttsurini..."
"How's that possible? Muttsurini looks like THIS?"
"But there's the evidence. He was brazenly peeping!"
"Well, he does live up to his name!"
With a sorrowful look, he was using his hand to hide the mark the tatami left on his face. I heard that he would never admit to what he did under any circumstance. Well, one eyewitness was better than ten hearsays.
"?"
Himeji looked like she had a lot of question marks above her head.
Could it be that she didn't know where the nickname "Muttsurini" came from? Should I explain it to her?
"Himeji need not be forgotten. Everyone should know how good she is."
"Yes? Are you talking about me?"
"Yeah, you're the main force; I'm looking forward to your performance!"
If we were really going to start the Summoner Test War, no one would be more trustworthy than her.
"You're right; we have Himeji on our side!"
"If she's here, we won't lose to those nerds from Class A."
"Nothing matters as long as she's here."
Who was it? Who was the person that kept sending love messages to Himeji?
"We also have Kinoshita Hideyoshi."
Kinoshita Hideyoshi, although his scores weren't outstanding, was still famous for being the star of drama club, having a twin sister, etc.
"Ooooh..."
"He's Kinoshita Yuuko's..."
"Of course I'll give it my best shot."
"I know you're a guy who means what he says."
"Wasn't Sakamoto called 'Whiz Kid' when he was in primary school?"
"Does that mean he wasn't feeling well during the placement test, like Himeji?"
"Then we have two people with Class A ability in our class."
We might be able to win! Especially with this kind of atmosphere!
That's right; somehow, the morale of the class skyrocketed.
"Also, we have Yoshii Akihisa."
Total silence.
Then the morale dramatically dropped.
What!? Was my name so destructive? Why did he bring it up!?
"Wait a second, Yuuji! Why do you want to mention my name now!? There is no need for it!"
"'Yoshii Akihisa'? Who is that?"
"Never heard of him."
"You see! The great morale is gone. I'm not like Yuuji and the others; I'm just a normal peasant. Please treat me normally- Wait, why the staring? It's not my fault the morale dropped!"
*Sigh*. Even if someone in the class had heard of me, it wouldn't be anything good anyway. Since no one knew about me in the first place, I didn't have to purposely make things worse.
"If you don't know, then let me tell you! His title is the 'Punishment Bearer'[6]."
Oh, no, he said it.
"Isn't that another word for 'idiot'?"
Someone in the class gave a fatal opinion.
"N-no! That's just a small nickname for a sixteen-year-old mischievous teenager."
"Yes, it is another word for 'idiot'."
"Can you please not agree so surely, Yuuji, you idiot!"
"Punishment Bearer" was a punishment given to students who had a problem studying. I was one of them. But it was only because I wasn't good at it!
"Excuse me. Can you tell me what it means exactly?"
Himeji leaned her head to one side, and it looked like she was confused. Since she was a student who always stood at the top of the pyramid, it was reasonable that she was unfamiliar with the title.
"Simply put, it's a student who does odd jobs for the teachers. Their Being has the privilege of being able to touch physical objects, and it can help out with work."
That was right; normally, a Being could not touch any normal object. All they could touch or interact with were the other Beings. They were like phantoms. The floors of the school had been specially made so the Beings could stand on it.
But my Being was different. Just like Yuuji said, it was a special one that could touch physical objects.
"Oh, I see, that's magnificent! I heard that the Beings aren't only cute but also have incredible powers. Being able to touch normal objects is pretty convenient."
Himeji gazed at me with sparkling eyes filled with admiration and respect; to tell the truth, it made me itchy and uncomfortable.
"Ha ha, that's nothing special!"
I just waved it off.
Actually, this really was nothing special. If I could order my Being freely, it would be a wonderfully useful ability. Even a relatively weak Being, summoned by someone with a low score like mine, had much more power than a human could dream of. Crushing a rock is as simple as ABC.
Sadly, I was never able to benefit from it; if anything, it caused the opposite result.
The Being could only be used under a teacher's supervision, and teachers would only allow me to summon it when they needed it for heavy work: that was the truth. And to me, there was no benefit at all. Since it can be used only while under a teacher's supervision, I almost never get the chance to use it for my own purposes.
Besides, the Being's health and energy are directly connected to mine. For example, if my Being carried a heavy object and ran around the school, I would be tired. If the heavy object dropped onto my Being's leg while working, I would feel the pain. Not only was I denied use of it for personal advantage, but also the pain from its work was transferred to me. It was just plain punishment.
Therefore, being a "Punishment Bearer" was nothing to be proud of, and made nothing more convenient. It was only punishment for students who had bad marks and lacked the will to study, and this is why it is synonymous with "idiot"...
"Wait a minute; since he is the 'Punishment Bearer', then if he was beaten in the War, he would suffer as well, right?"
"That's right! We would instantly lose a man."
They found out. This was why I wanted to avoid fighting. If my Being was beaten, I would feel the pain with it!
"Don't worry about it. A worthless lowlife like him is no more a liability than he is an asset."
"Yuuji, that does not help at all."
"Anyway, to show our strength, I plan to conquer Class D first."
"What!? You can't just ignore me like that!"
We were standing so close together, but my hatred just couldn't get through!
"Everyone is dissatisfied with the current situation, right?"
"What we want is the systematic tables and chairs from Class A, not the chabudai!"
"Of course!"
"Then everyone, take your pen in your hand; we are preparing for battle!"
"Uuuooo...!"
"U-uuuooo..."
Affected by the astonishing momentum in the class, Himeji also raised her small fist. I felt the need to protect her, but in the end, she will probably be the one protecting me.
"Akihisa, declare war on Class D. You must succeed, even at the cost of your life."
Such determination! If it was so important, why shouldn't he do it himself?
"Won't they beat on the lower class's messenger?"
"Don't worry; they won't hurt you. Just act like you were forced to go."
"Really?"
"Of course! Who do you think I am?"
A definitive response with no chance for rebuttal.
It must be true. Although Yuuji loved to joke around, he was not at all a liar.
"Don't worry. Trust me; I would never lie to a friend."
An encouraging sentiment.
I still thought that he was up to something, but I just had to do it. I had no other choice.
"OK, leave it to me."
"I'm counting on you."
The class sent me off with cheers and applause. I left the classroom and headed towards Class D with a solemn and stirring atmosphere.
"I was tricked!"
I escaped into the corridor, and ran for my life. I finally dove, rolled, and crawled back into the classroom. I-I was nearly killed! Those bastards in Class D! If they caught me, they would have killed me! I collapsed on the ground, out of breath, and glared at Yuuji.
"It's just as I thought."
How can you say it so calmly? You bastard, I'll rip you to pieces!
"What do you mean 'just as I thought'?! You knew that this would happen!"
"Of course. How else could I be class leader?"
"At least feel guilty about it!"
Even though I have known him since last spring, there are some things about him I just don't understand.
"Yoshii, are you alright?"
Himeji ran to me when she saw my tattered clothes.
"Yeah, I'm fine; just a few scrapes and bruises."
Shimada came, too. The care of my classmates helped take the edge off the immense pain.
"I see, that's good... There are still places that I can punch."
"Ahh! Give me a break! I'm dying!"
I held my hand to my chest and rolled around in agony. Even if she is a girl, Shimada can't be taken lightly.
"Don't bother with him; we're having a meeting now."
Yuuji opened the door and walked out of the room; he must have been looking for a room to have his meeting in. Shouldn't you at least show some concern for your friend? Come to think about it, was Yuuji really a friend? This isn't the first time I wondered that; I probably think about it once a day.
"Let me know if it's still painful later on."
Himeji said that, and quickly followed behind Yuuji.
"It still hurts?"
A guy with a petite body like that of a young girl, Hideyoshi, tapped on my shoulder and walked out.
"... (walking sound)"
Muttsurini rubbed his face and walked towards me.
"Hey, Muttsurini, has your mark from the tatami gone away?"
"... (shakes head)"
"Don't bother denying; I know you're him."
"... (shakes head again)"
"In one sense, it's pretty impressive that you can still deny it."
"... (shakes head again)"
"What color were they?"
"Sky blue."
He answered instantly.
"Muttsurini, you sure do live up to your name."
"... (shakes head again)"
Just when I was having a nice chat with the class pervert,
"Yoshii, you need to come too."
Shimada forcefully grabbed my wrist and dragged me out.
And here I was thinking I'd have a chance to be lazy...
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Once is enough."
"Yes, madam."
"One day, I will Das Brechen you- wait, how should I say it in Japanese...?"
Shimada's mouth suddenly slowed down.
What was Das Brechen? I think that's German, right?
"...'Break'."
Muttsurini's voice came from nearby.
"That's right. I need to break you in."
"'Break me in'? Shouldn't you use words like 'train' or 'tutor'?"
"Then I'll pick the one in the middle, and use Züchtigung instead."
"...I don't know what that means."
"In Japanese, I think it should be... 'torture'?"
"That's even worse."
"Is it?"
Why does she only know words like these, and no normal ones?
"By the way, Muttsurini. How do you know the phrase 'break in' in German?"
"...Learned from normal life and moral principles."
What kind of moral principles does someone like you have? Which principles made you learn words like "torture"?
"Muttsurini, you never change! Your brain is rich in knowledge of sex, but poor in everything else."
"... (kept shaking his head)"
We continued our useless discussion as we walked around the school. Yuuji, who was walking in front of the team, had already reached the top floor. He opened the door, and went out under the sun.
The sun was dazzling, shining bright in a clear cloudless sky.
The blinding sunlight and wind in spring made everyone but Muttsurini cover their eyes; Muttsurini didn't need to because he was busy staring at Himeji's skirt being blown by the wind.
"Akihisa, you did declare war, right?"
Yuuji sat on the stairs in front of the iron fence.
"I essentially told them that we would attack this afternoon."
"So shouldn't we at least have lunch first?"
"That's right. Akihisa, can you please eat something normal this afternoon?"
"If you really care, then please treat me to some bread."
I was someone who could never put anything in my stomach. Nothing except feelings, of course.
"Huh? Yoshii never eats lunch?"
Himeji looked at me in disbelief. Her life must be regular and scheduled. And it seems that she grew up well because of that.
"Of course I eat lunch!"
"Does that count as actually eating something, though?"
Yuuji cut into the conversation.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Well, I mean, isn't your main food... just salt and water?"
Yuuji sounded sorrowful and sympathetic.
That was so rude. I can only take so many insults!
"I eat sugar too!"
"Yoshii. 'Eat' doesn't really apply to water and sugar."
"That's right. You should say 'lick' instead."
Everyone was looking at me with a strange kindness, but it didn't make me feel good.
"You should have planned ahead of time and saved some money for food. Serves you right!"
"That's because I-I barely have enough for living expenses!"
Actually, my parents were working overseas, so I was living alone. Of course they sent money every month... I just happened to spend most of it on games and manga. Hobbies are expensive!
"Well, if you don't mind, let me make lunch for you."
"Eh?"
The gentle words came so suddenly, and I couldn't help thinking that I heard something wrong.
Lunch? From a girl? Handmade?
"Really? I haven't eaten anything but salt and sugar for the longest time."
"Sure. If you don't mind, I will start tomorrow."
"That's great, Akihisa. A handmade lunch with love, right?"
"Yeah!"
In a situation like this, I needed to honestly show her that I was glad. Even if Yuuji's teasing was unpleasant.
"...Haha. Mizuki, you're so nice, making lunch ONLY for Akihisa."
I wasn't sure why Shimada used a bored voice and said something spiteful like that. What if Himeji said, "I won't do it then," or something like that? How were you going to compensate me?
"Ah, no! Actually, I can make one for everyone..."
"We can have it as well? Really?"
"Yes, if you don't mind."
Ohhh, even Yuuji's getting one as well. She was too kind. However, I felt a bit disappointed that I wouldn't be able to enjoy it alone.
"... (nod)"
"...Let me see how good you are at cooking!"
Now Himeji had to make six people's lunches, herself included. It must be tiring.
"Okay, then I will bring everyone's lunch to school."
Even in situations like this, she never showed even a bit of unwillingness on her face.
"Himeji, that is so kind of you."
This was coming from the bottom of my heart. It really was difficult to bring six lunches to school; I simply couldn't understand it.
What a selfless and attractive person she was!
"There, there's nothing like..."
"I'm saying this kind of late, but when I first saw you in class, I felt like I-"
"Oi, Akihisa, if you're dumped now, you won't have any lunch tomorrow."
"-have known you before."
I successfully avoided being dumped. Luckily, I changed "fell in love with you" before I finished the sentence. My judgment was simply amazing.
"Akihisa, confessing out of one's own desire to is something a typical pervert would do."
I hated my judgment now.
"Akihisa, sometimes you do things I could only imagine."
"But... a lunch with love..."
But that was only to save myself from starvation. It was all because of poverty!
"Enough chit-chat; let's continue discussing the War!"
Oh, that's right. I had completely forgotten why we came here.
"Yuuji, I have a question. Why Class D? If we are fighting in order, our first target should be Class E. And if we want to fight once and for all, shouldn't we pick Class A?"
"Now that you mention it, you're completely right!"
"That's true, but I have a different plan."
Yuuji boldly nodded his head.
"What plan?"
"Although my plan goes much deeper, the reason for not attacking Class E is simple: it's just not worth our time."
"Huh? But they are at a higher rank than us, right?"
Since the class division was based on the result, then of course Class E would be better than us, Class F, right? Why did he say that it was not worth our time fighting with them?
"Ha, that's true according to the placement test results, but the actual situation is different. Have a look: who do you have around you?"
"Er..."
I did as Yuuji said and looked around at the people nearby. Hmm, who do we have here...?
"Two beautiful girls, two idiots, and a silent pervert."
"Who are these beautiful girls you're referring to?"
"What? Yuuji, you're reacting to the mention of beautiful girls?"
"... (face getting red)"
"Muttsurini, not you as well? What should I do? I can't think for all of us."
"Everyone, calm down! Just let Muttsurini endure it."
"That's, that's right."
"Wait a minute. Before we continue this meeting, I want to protest that beautiful girls are affecting people's minds."
"Anyway..."
Yuuji cleared his throat, and continued his explanation. Was he trying to ignore my existence?
"If Himeji can fight with us, Class E isn't a match for us, even head-on in brute strength. Since our final target is Class A, it is meaningless to waste our time fighting with Class E."
"Then how about fighting Class D head-on?"
"We don't have a one hundred percent chance of winning."
"If that's the case, we should target Class A from the beginning."
My target was Class A, not Class D. My cause for the War is different from Yuuji's.
"That's because it's our first battle. You guys want to have a great fight and grab everyone's attention, right? Furthermore, this is what we need to defeat Class A."
This was the plan for winning against Class A? But Yuuji was still keeping the details to himself.
"Ex... excuse me!"
It isn't often that Himeji speaks loudly. What was going on?
"Himeji? What's wrong?"
"Err, that... what you were talking about just now is the Summoner Test War that Yoshii and Sakamoto discussed earlier, right?"
"Oh, you're talking about that. Just now, Akihisa came to talk to me about how you-"
"So that means!"
To stop Yuuji from continuing his needless speech, I purposely raised my voice.
"If we can't beat Class D, then what we said before is meaningless."
Facing my doubt, Yuuji laughed out loud.
"With all of you helping, we can definitely beat them."
Win against Class D? With our help? In the War?
This was a strange feeling.
These words gave us the encouragement to get our momentum going. Even though the situation looked hopeless, we felt revitalized and confident.
Yuuji's words seemed to have some kind of magical power.
"Great. It looks like this is going to get interesting!"
"Let's pull those Class A nerds back down to Earth!"
"... (praise)"
"I... I will try my best."
Defeat Class A.
It might sound crazy; it might be a dream that would never come true.
But if we never did anything, dreams would never come true.
Since we're all stuck in the same class together, it wasn't so bad to try and work for a common goal.
"Alright, let me explain the battle strategy!"
We stayed on the top floor, enjoyed the cozy wind, and listened to the strategy that would bring us to victory.
The Fourth Question
Please answer the following questions:
(1) What value of X satisfies the equation 4 sin X + 3 cos 3X = 2 and is found in the first quadrant?
(2) Which one of the following expressions is equivalent to sin (A+B)?
① sin A + cos B
② sin A – cos B
③ sin A cos B
④ sin A cos B + cos A sin B
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
(1) X = π/6
(2) ④
Teacher's Comment:
That's right. You can write the angle with the symbol π instead of °. Your answer is perfect.
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
(1) X = probably 3
Teacher's Comment:
I think you're trying to slack off by saying "Probably". Even though you're close, I can't give you credit.
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
(2) Probably ③
Teacher's Comment:
I have seen plenty of students' attempts before, but you're the first who tried to slack off on a multiple-choice question like this.
"Yoshii! Kinoshita's troop started the fight with Class D in the corridor!"
With her ponytail swinging behind her, Shimada, who was placed in the same troop I was, ran towards me. Under careful observation, you could see that she was tall, with long legs, so why doesn't she look like a girl? Which part of her was wrong?
"Ah, maybe it's the flat chest?"
"Let me break your fingers one by one! Evenly!"
Oh, no, I think I just stepped on a landmine.
"L-Let's just stop there. We need to focus on the War!"
The troop that was fighting on the frontlines was the vanguard led by Kinoshita. The backup troop we're in was located between the frontlines and Class F. I don't remember accepting an offer to be troop leader, but now I have to take the responsibility to lead everyone, so I need to focus.
First, we need to get a feel for the atmosphere of battle. If I listen closely, I think I can hear sounds of battle coming from the vanguard troop.
"Now Come! You Loser Dog!"[7]
"I... Ironman? No! I don't want to go to the remedial room!"
"Shut up! The prisoners of war will be staying in the remedial room and will be specially lectured until the battle ends! I'm not sure how long it will take to end, but it looks like I'll have enough time to lecture you!"
"P-Please, let me go! I don't have the confidence to get through the torture!"
"Torture? That's not true. It's just a marvelous educational lecture. By the time it's over, I'll have educated you into a standard student whose hobby is studying, just like Ninomiya Kinjiro[8]!"
"D-devil! Someone help me...! No...!!!" *Door closing*
OK, now I have a good understanding of what a Summoner Test War is.
"Shimada, give the order to the troop."
"OK? What order? What do you want me to say?"
During a dangerous time like this, there is only one order I can give:
"Retreat!"
"You coward!"
She used the hidden art that attacks both eyes!
"Ow, my eyes!"
"Did it wake you up, you big idiot!? You're the troop leader! How can you run away without putting up a good fight?"
Was the pain in my eyes necessary to clear my mind? If she wanted to say something like this, she should have just punched or slapped me instead of stabbing my eyes!
"Listen up, Yoshii. Our mission is to back up Kinoshita's vanguard troop, right? During the time they're replenishing their test scores, we need to hold the front line. If our troop runs away from our important mission, the vanguard troop won't be able to replenish their scores smoothly."
It was rare to see Shimada give a serious opinion.
What she just said is true; the mission we carried was very important. Our performance could greatly affect the result of this War. Instead, I was thinking about running away just because I was afraid of suffering from a remedial...
Shimada, you are so brave! I don't know why, but I'm even shedding tears (maybe from the pain of being stabbed?).
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. I'll throw away the fear of the remedial room, and focus on winning the fight."
"Good. I don't think we have anything to worry about, though. Although we may be weak in fighting one-on-one, fighting together against one enemy at a time should be fine."
That's right. Even though we have lower scores, it's not the deciding factor in the War. Depending on our tactics, we may still have a good chance of winning this War.
"You're right. OK, I'm full of energy!"
"That's the spirit, Yoshii!"
We all raised our fists. No problem, we can do this!
As our morale rose, a scout went up to Shimada.
"Shimada, the vanguard troop is losing!"
"Retreat!"
Wait a minute, that was totally different from those righteous speeches you just gave!
"Yoshii, we can retreat first, right?"
I had a feeling that this might cause a big problem, but maybe it was just me.
"OK, we should run away first! It's too difficult to fight now."
"That's right, we already did our best."
I looked back towards the direction where Class F was.
Yokoda (Class F) who was supposed to be staying in the classroom was standing right behind me.
"Yokoda? Why are you here?"
"I'm here to give you a message from the class rep."
Yokoda looked at the memo, and read the message out loud:
"'If you dare to run away, I will kill you!'"
"Everyone charge...!"
When I came to my senses, I was on my way to the battlefield. It was all for the victory of Class F!
Suddenly, there was a pretty girl in front of me running in my direction.
"Yoshii, you're here to support me!"
Oh, it was Hideyoshi. What should I say; this guy looked cute no matter the time or place...
"Hideyoshi, are you OK?"
"Yeah, I somehow managed to survive. But my score was greatly reduced."
"I see, then how about your Being?"
"Too tired to move; it can't continue fighting anymore."
"OK, then you better do some tests to replenish your score!"
"You're right. There may not be enough time to have tests for each subject, but it still helps to have even one or two subjects' scores replenished."
He immediately ran towards the classroom, and following behind him were the members of the vanguard troop. It seems that their numbers were fewer than when they left. A lot of people must have been sent to the remedial room.
"Yoshii, do you still remember the rules of a Summoner Test War? If a teacher's not around, you can't summon your Being!"
"I know that!"
It was just as Shimada had advised. While we're using our test scores to fight, we need to comply with the rules on the following page:
2. A student may have only one Being. The strength of a student's Being is equal to their last test score. The cumulative score is the sum of every subject's latest test score. 3. A student's score will be reduced proportionally to the strength that their Being loses in the fight. Once a student's score is reduced to zero, their Being will die and they will receive remedial classes in the remedial room. 4. A student may replenish their score infinitely as long as their Being is not dead. 5. If a student fails to perform the summoning after their opponent summons their Being, that student will be considered as forfeiting the fight, and therefore will receive remedial classes in the remedial room as punishment. 6. The valid range in which a Being can be summoned is a circle with a radius of ten meters from the supervising teacher (may vary between teachers). 7. The fight may only be carried out by the Beings. Any summoner who is involved in actual fighting will be punished. 8. The war ends only when the opposing class representative is defeated. As long as they are under teacher supervision, a student may use any method or tactic in order to win the War. This is the 'war' that uses test scores as weapons. Those who wish to participate must be mentally prepared. |
These are probably all of the rules! Although there were some changes and some more specific rules, these are the general rules for this War. If you didn't read through them carefully, you might have missed the main point of the War: basically, "the War uses the Beings to decide the result, but the students can use other methods or tactics besides test scores".
It seems that the Head Teacher was supervising now, so the subject we were fighting under now was the cumulative score mentioned in the first rule...
"Yoshii, look!"
Shimada, who was running beside me, shouted loudly. What happened?
"It's Mr. Igarashi and Mr. Fuse! Those Class D bastards, they brought the Chemistry teachers here."
I looked carefully. The Chemistry teachers for Year 2, Mr. Igarashi and Mr. Fuse, were standing at the corridor that linked the new school building to the old one.
I see. The duration of the War would be much longer if there was only one teacher supervising- in our case, the school's Head Teacher- so they're trying to increase the number of supervisors to finish us off in one shot?
That's why Hideyoshi needed to retreat earlier than we had originally planned.
"Shimada, are you confident with your Chemistry score?"
"Not at all; I only get around 60 every time."
That's what could be expected from Class F. No matter how much you lower the standard, 60 was not a good result.
"OK, then, we'll need to stay away from Mr. Igarashi and Mr. Fuse and head towards the Head Teacher."
"Head towards Ms. Takahashi? Understood."
Shimada and I sneaked through the corridor and headed towards the corner.
Everyone, look! These was the heroics of the backup troop leader and his subordinates.
"Ah, isn't the one sneaking over there my Onee-sama from Class F? Mr. Igarashi, hurry here!"
"Damn, I was being careless."
One of the students in Class D discovered Shimada, and brought one of the teachers, Mr. Igarashi, here. Oh, no, if we don't summon our Beings and fight, it would only take one hit to send us to the remedial room.
"OK, Shimada, I leave this to you. I'll be on my way."
"Wait a... It's normally not like this, right? It should be 'Leave this to me, you better go now', right?"
"Those lines are useless in the real world!"
"Y-Yoshii! You're so mean!"
"Onee-sama! I won't let you run away!"
"It's Miharu! It seems I need to fight for my life..."
I was standing more than ten meters away from Mr. Igarashi, so I can rest and observe how Shimada will fail. The girl from Class D had already summoned her Being.
Shimada also prepared to counterattack; she stared at Miharu and shouted,
"Summon!"
At Shimada's shout, a magical circle with some geometric shapes was formed below her feet. This was proof of activating the summoning system under a teacher's supervision. After that, her Being appeared.
The Being that appeared, besides wearing a military uniform and wielding a military-styled sabre in its hand, had a ponytail and strong-looking eyes that were exactly like Shimada's, but its height was just around eighty centimeters. If I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be "the chibi version of Shimada Minami". And the opposing Being was also the chibi version of its owner, but it was holding a normal sword.
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time ever since I was dumped by Onee-sama..."
"Wait a second! You should give up already!"
The battle would start any moment now. Although I was not the one on the battlefield, I couldn't stop shaking when I thought about it.
"Shimada, about the 'Onee-sama' thing she mentioned..."
"I don't want you. Onee-sama will only be Miharu's onee-sama no matter what!"
"Don't get close to me! I'm just a normal girl who likes boys."
"You're lying! Onee-sama should love Miharu as well!"
"You don't know anything about me!"
Somehow, I had a feeling that Shimada was in a world far away from me.
"Onee-sama, I'm coming!"
Both Beings went close to each other, and the battle finally started.
"HAAAAA!"
"YAAAAA!"
Their shouts filled the corridors.
Their Beings held their weapons high, and started to fight head-on with brute force.
"You!"
"Miharu won't lose!"
Both Beings were channeling their forces through their swords. Even those who were watching the fight were thrilled.
"Shimada, your opponent's score is higher; fighting head-on isn't good for you."
"I don't need you to remind me of that, but I can't control my Being well enough to do any special techniques!"
The swordfight was broken immediately. Shimada's Being did not have enough power, and its weapon fell to the ground.
"That's it!"
"Damn!"
The opponent immediately pushed Shimada's Being to the ground, and their strength values (scores) appeared above their heads.
Chemistry
53 VS 94
Shimada, why did you inflate your score? Actually, could you even score up to 60?
"Onee-sama, this victory is mine."
The opponent's sword was held to Shimada's Being. If it was just the wrist or the leg being attacked, the score would only be reduced a little bit, but if the neck or the heart was stabbed, the Being would be dead- which would also mean that she'd be sent to the remedial room. Shimada couldn't move at all.
"N-No! I don't want to go to the remedial room!"
"'Remedial room'? Hu hu..."
Shimizu had a happy-looking smile on her face. She dragged Shimada's hand and left the scene.
Eh? Shimizu, that's the direction to the infirmary, right?
"Hu hu hu. Onee-sama, there should be an empty bed available in the infirmary right now."
"Y-Yoshii. Back me up now! I have a feeling that the infirmary is more dangerous than the remedial room!"
That's right, I have the same feeling as well. But...
"I will kill you... Those who stand against Miharu's love with Onee-sama, I will kill you all..."
I am sorry, Shimada. I don't have the courage to rush forward.
"Shimada, I will never forget you!"
"Ahh! Yoshii! Why are you saying that before you fight?"
"Death to all who try to stop me!"
The hands and legs of Shimada's Being had been attacked, so it couldn't move at all. Now the enemy was rushing towards me! I'm going to die!
"Yoshii, look out! Summon!"
A voice came from my side; it was Sugawa from my class! Thank you! You look like a messiah right now!
Chemistry
76 VS 41
Sugawa's Being slashed the enemy into the ground.
Aw, yeah, Sugawa won! It seems that Shimizu lost too many points in the previous fight, making her lose this one instantly.
"Shimada, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm saved. Thanks, Sugawa. Iron- no, Mr. Nishimura, hurry up and bring this dangerous person to the remedial room."
"Oh, isn't it Shimizu? I will give you a good lecturing, come with me."
Unlike Shimada's Being, Shimizu's was dead, so she was sent to the remedial room; this was the condition we called "Killed in Action".
"Onee-sama! Miharu will never give up! Don't think that you can graduate from this school safely!"
After leaving some lines which were filled with dangerous words, Shimizu was forcefully sent to the remedial room.
From many different points of view, this really was a dangerous duel.
"Yoshii."
"Shimada, you must be tired. You should head back and replenish your Chemistry score!"
"Yoshii."
"Then, Sugawa, we should be on our way now. The War is still going!"
"Yoshii!"
"Y-Yes?"
"How could you leave me alone and run away just now?"
"...I don't remember doing such a thing."
This really was a battlefield. The killing intent made my skin hurt... but there was only Shimada behind me.
"..."
"..."
A short moment of silence. Wh-what now? Why do I have a feeling that this is not good?
"DIE, Yoshii Akihisa! Summo-"
"Someone help, Shimada's gone mad now! Bring her to the main troop immediately!"
Sugawa stopped Shimada's actions and tried to persuade her at the same time.
"That's not true! He is the enemy! My greatest enemy!"
I couldn't deny what she had said.
"S-Sugawa, sorry to bother you."
"Understood."
"Let me go, Sugawa! Yoshii! I will not forgive you!"
"Quick, quickly bring her back! I'm going to be killed by her scary glare!"
"Wait, let go...! I'm going to kill you!"
After leaving some lines which were filled with some threatening words, the scary figure was taken away. For now, I am safe.
"Good. While Hideyoshi's troop is replenishing their scores, we need to hold the front line! We can't let the enemy take another step forward!"
Angry shouts and cries never stopped coming from the corridors.
"I won't let you do that! If we can get through the front line, there will be only troops that are replenishing scores beyond it! We need to get through here now!"
To counter my commands, someone who looked like the commander of Class D gave out an order as well.
This is my battlefield; I need to gather my courage!
"Commander Yoshii! The troops at the corridors on both sides have been defeated! We only have two men left around Mr. Fuse!"
"I'm the only man standing at the corridor where Mr. Igarashi is! Need backup as soon as possible!"
"Toudou's Being can't make it, please help us!"
Damn, the situation is worse than I thought.
I feel like requesting help from the main troop, but that would reduce the number of people needed to execute our plans. We can only rely on ourselves to hang on here!
"Tell those around Mr. Fuse to stay in guarding status! Swap the guys around Mr. Igarashi with those fighting using their cumulative scores, make good use of time, and defeat the enemy! As for Toudou, I'm sorry, but we have to give up on him!"
"Understood!"
Everyone changed formation as told; it seems that they still considered me a leader.
"Those bastards in Class F, they're clearly aiming to waste time!"
"What are they waiting for?"
Looking at our fighting methods, those in Class D should have started to realize what we were trying to do. That's not good; it's getting harder to carry out our mission now...
"Damn! The scout brought the report; Class F brought the World History teacher Mr. Tanaka here."
"World History teacher Mr. Tanaka?"
"Class F bastards, do they want to have an extended battle?
It seems Class D's scout troops discovered that our class brought Mr. Tanaka to mark scores.
Mr. Tanaka taught World History, was old, had slow reactions, and had a pretty loose marking standard that was welcomed by the students. However, his marking speed was not very fast. If we wanted a longer War, bringing Mr. Tanaka would be the right choice.
"Yoshii, Class D brought the Mathematics teacher Mr. Kiuchi."
Sugawa, who had just taken Shimada away, came and gave me the report. It seemed that he brought new information after he reached the main troop. That Mr. Kiuchi, right?
Mathematics teacher Mr. Kiuchi had a strict marking standard, but his marking speed was very fast. It seemed that Class D was using a totally different tactic and wanted to finish us off quickly.
However, to accomplish our mission, we couldn't be beaten so easily.
Yuuji entrusted only one mission to me: to maintain the front line, hold up the blockage line, and drag out the battle as long as possible, at least until those classes that were not involved in this War finished their classes.
To achieve this target...
"Sugawa!"
"What's up?"
We could only use tactics instead of brute force, at least to steer the situation towards a direction that benefited us.
"In order to win more time, go spread false information immediately."
"False information? Fine by me, but the enemy will realize it immediately, right? The Class D front line commander has a loud voice, so even if the tactic succeeds, he can immediately reorder the formation."
Just as Sugawa said, Class D's commander Tsukamoto was really loud. Although it was really convenient to overhear their tactics, giving false information to confuse them would not be easy at all.
"No problem; the target of the false information isn't Class D."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I want you to spread the false information to the teachers, and make them go to other places."
"...I see, that will definitely have some effect."
"Right?"
"Yeah, leave the content of the false information to me. I'll think up a good lie to tell them."
"I'll leave it to you."
After Sugawa had said that, he ran off. Sugawa loved to do this sort of thing, right? He seemed really happy doing so.
"If we can't win in a one-on-one fight, we'll have to rely on teamwork!"
Anyway, as a commander, I stayed at the back of the troop. It was my mission as troop commander to stay safe, not because I was timid.
"Tsukamoto, there's no end to this!"
"Just hold on a bit longer; I'll go bring Ms. Funakoshi here!"
The bad information for us Class F came when the situation was stalled.
Class D was going to bring Mathematics teacher Ms. Funakoshi (age 45, female, single). Their aim was to have her become another supervisor instead of mark papers. To tell the truth, this was not good for us at all. If the battle range increased, the difference in our troop forces would be even larger.
What should I do? It was probably time for me to join the front line and fight now.
Just as I was thinking this...
*Dang, dang, dang, dang*. "School announcement, school announcement."
A familiar voice came from the school broadcast.
It was Sugawa's voice! I see, if he had headed directly to the teachers' office, he might be spotted by Class D students; that's why he headed to the broadcast room instead. Good job, Sugawa!
"Ms. Funakoshi, Ms. Funakoshi."
In addition, the broadcast was talking about the Ms. Funakoshi that everyone wanted to get their hands on now. Excellent work, Sugawa!
"Yoshii Akihisa is waiting for you behind the gym."
...Huh? Sugawa? What's going on?
"He wants to cross the line between student and teacher and speak to you as a man."
Oi! This is too dangerous! She is Miss Funakoshi, right? Are you sure? The Ms. Funakoshi that used scores to threaten students into dating her, right? Doing this could definitely make her go straight to the gym, but she'd be waiting there forever before she saw me, which meant my virginity was in danger!
"Commander Yoshii... you are too manly!"
"Oh, my spirit, I am so touched. I could never imagine that you would sacrifice so much for our class!"
The vanguard troop members were all really touched and crying; they even wanted to shake my hand to show their respects.
No, that's not right! I never gave such a command!
"Oi, did you hear the broadcast just now?"
"Yeah. I didn't realize that Class F really wants to win this War."
"Can we win against a class with such strong determination?"
The murmuring sounds from Class D kept coming through. Please! Don't make the situation about me! It only makes it harder to deny!
"Everyone, we cannot let Commander Yoshii's sacrifice go in vain!"
"We must win!"
Ah! Even our morale rose dramatically! Give me a break!
"Commander, we're getting the upper hand now! Let's take this chance and defeat them!"
"..."
"Commander?"
"...Su..."
"'Su'?"
"SUGAAAAAWAAAAAAAAAA!"
One more name was added into my death note.
"Kudou Shinya's dead!"
"Nishimura Yuuichirou's cumulative score is now 40!"
"Morikawa isn't back yet! Has he been defeated?"
Our side was able to temporarily fight against the enemy due to the morale boost. However, the lack of troop strength was starting to affect the situation; bad information was flowing back now.
Kudou and Morigawa were dead (sent to the remedial room), and now our number went down from originally eighteen people to only five. This was probably our limit.
"Akihisa, just hold on a little bit longer!"
Just when I started to think about retreating, an encouraging voice came.
I looked around, and saw Yuuji and the others at the far back. Support had finally come!
But come to think about it, how could their sound travel so far? They were so far away from me, so why could I hear what they said so clearly?
"It's their backup troops! Defeat Yoshii and his men before they combine their forces, or else it will be dangerous for us!"
The voice of Class D's front line commander, Tsukamoto, was clear as well.
Damn! Even if Yuuji's troops were here, they were still far away from where I was. If we are defeated before they arrived, all of us will be sent to the remedial room!
"Nishimura Yuuichirou's dead!"
Four people left.
Yuuji, all of them were... still very far away from us!
What should I do? What should I do? Yoshii Akihisa!
"Mr. Igarashi, I am Suzuki from Class D. Summon!"
"I'm not going to lose! I am Tanaka from Class F. Show yourself, my Being!"
Damn! Tanaka was caught as well?
Chemistry
92 VS 67
Tanaka immediately turned into a lost soul.
There were only three people left.
It seems that Yuuji and the others won't make it in time.
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
"Forward!"
The enemy army was rushing at us fiercely; could it be that they also felt that it was an important time now?
Chemistry
25 VS 66
Although we had successfully defeated Suzuki, we were not in good shape.
"Teacher, Sasajima Keigo from Class D is here! Summon!"
Chemistry
99 VS 41
After defeating Shibazaki, Sasajima brought his Being and rushed towards me. I was in the range of summoning, and if I didn't summon my Being now, I would be sent to the remedial room.
"Yoshii Akihisa! Your head is mine!"
There's no other way! I can only fight him head-on!
I took a deep breath, and gathered all my strength.
"I am not going to lose to you!"
Making use of the time made when the enemy Being rushed towards me, I shouted out loud,
"Summon!"
After that, a magical circle appeared below my legs.
Some sort of material was taken out from my body, and I was filled with a feeling of being freed.
What appeared besides me was another me which was wearing a special uniform.
"Class F troop commander Yoshii Akihisa is here waiting, where is my- Ouch, that hurt!"
My shoulder suddenly suffered immense pain.
It really hurts! Don't appear right in front of the enemy! The pain that bounced back really hurt!
"The commander is an idiot! I can handle him alone; everyone, step back!"
Additionally, I was humiliated as well! It was just because the position where I summoned my Being was a little bit bad!
"Die, Yoshii!"
The enemy rushed towards my Being that was on the ground.
"It won't be that easy!"
First, rush to the enemy and maintain low position, and then...
*Dashing sound*
Making use of the time lag, I made the enemy trip and fall on the ground.
"What?"
Sasajima's split self easily tripped over.
"Ah! Kirishima's skirt flipped!"
I pointed to a spot behind Class D and shouted that out loudly.
"What?"
This was surprising. She was really famous, the beautiful and talented Class A representative and Year 2 representative Kirishima. Not only had the Class D boys turned around, but even the Class D girls had also turned around to look.
Female students, since we are studying together, please have a little bit more interest in guys! Come to think about it, Kirishima was interested in girls as well.
Although my brain was thinking about this sort of useless stuff, my movements didn't stop because of it. Making use of the time gained when everyone's focus was diverted, I took off one of my shoes and threw it towards the window with all my strength.
*Window-breaking sound*
Along with the breaking sound, the window glass scattered around.
"What? What happened?"
The sudden accident shocked everyone. Good, then there's no problem now!
"Wa, Shimada! What are you going to do with that?"
In order to avoid punishment later, I performed this act, and then I grabbed the fire extinguisher and pulled out the safety ring.
*Spraying sound*
The powder was sprayed along with the sound.
"Wa! What's going on?"
"*Cough* Isn't it the dry powder from the fire extinguishers?"
"I can't see a thing in front of me!"
With the low visibility, it was quite impossible to continue the fight.
"Shimada, why did you do that!?"
I shouted another line just to be safe. Now everyone would think that Shimada was the culprit, right?
"Shimada from Class F! You're such a mean girl!"
"Unforgivable! I'm going to add her to the 'Most Unwilling to Be Her Boyfriend' top ten rankings!"
"That's right! Make her unable to find any boyfriend before she graduates!"
"But it was so cool... Onee-sama..."
...I think I did something that can't be settled by the breaking of only one or two ribs.
I-I am sorry, Shimada. I won't let your sacrifice go in vain!
I lowered my head and stayed silent to pray for her sacrifice. I turned back, and saw Yuuji and the others just meters away from me.
Good, we finally joined forces!
"HAAA!"
I lifted the empty fire extinguisher and threw it towards the water sprinkler on the ceiling.
Right on target! Then there should be no problem...
*Water-spraying sound*
Just as I thought, the water sprayed, and the powder fog was fading away with the water.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Yoshii! Mr. Igarashi, Kondou Yoshimune from Class F is here!"
The person who appeared in the scene with the clear view and gave out the challenge was Kondou, one of the members of the main troop lead by Yuuji.
"Summon!"
Chemistry
43 VS 91
"Damn! Retreat first! Everyone, keep up the pace!"
Enemy troop commander Tsukamoto's retreat command came from not far away.
"Don't chase after them. Combine forces with Akihisa and return to the classroom."
This was the command of Class F's representative, Sakamoto Yuuji. He gave this passive command because he was probably afraid that stepping too deeply into enemy territory would attract the enemy's main force. Otherwise, he should have been laughing out loud crazily and going after the retreating enemy.
"You look like you're fine, Akihisa."
"Yeah, not too bad!"
Somehow, I managed to avoid danger.
After I had a Chemistry test to replenish my score back in class...
"Akihisa, good work!"
General Yuuji actually said something nice, and honestly praised me? Did he just take the wrong medicine?
I looked at his face with questions.
He had a bright smile that made it hard to look at his face, which made me a bit unhappy.
The guy in front of me-
"Did you hear the school broadcast?"
"Yeah, I heard it very clearly."
Just as I thought, he was laughing at my misfortune! Unforgivable!
Although I felt like throwing him out a window, I didn't have time to deal with him now because there was a more important person I had to eliminate immediately.
"Yuuji, do you know where Sugawa is now?"
Where was the cute little Sugawa that I wanted to see the most now? He could be hiding somewhere; in that case, I'm going to find him even if I have to dig into the ground.
"Didn't he come back a while ago?"
With respect to my determination to kill, Yuuji said something out of my expectations.
Ohhh! He came back? I felt my heart beating very fast!
There was no need to hurry; I need to calm down. No problem, there was no problem at all. I had just grabbed a knife from the Home Economics classroom, and my sock was filled with sand and rocks as well.
"I can do it. I can definitely kill him..."
"Are you going to kill him?"
Ah, Sugawa... I want, I want to see you soon.
"By the way, I have something that I forgot to tell you."
It seems that Yuuji had something to say, but leave it for later! The most important thing now is-
"The content in the broadcast was my idea."
You bastard!
"Aghhhhhhhhhh!"
I dashed towards Yuuji, pulling out the knife and aiming for the liver that was hard to defend but could easily become a deadly wound while my right hand held the sock with sand and rocks and was aimed at the blind spot on Yuuji's head-
"Ah, Ms. Funakoshi."
Damn! I need to retreat first. Eliminating Yuuji was important, but my virginity mattered even more!
I kicked the chabudai along the way, rushed into the cupboard with the cleaning tools, and closed the door tightly. Now she won't know where I am, right?
"Don't bother with that idiot; it's about time to finish the war."
"That's right. There are students leaving the school now, so now is the time."
"... (nodded)"
"Good! Let's go get the head of Class D's rep!"
"OOOHHH!"
I could feel everyone leaving the classroom.
Actually, I needed to go together with him. But Ms. Funakoshi was outside; I can't just jump out and die.
Damn! At this rate, Yuuji will run away!
"Ah, Akihisa."
"I was lying when I said Ms. Funakoshi was here."
Along with the footsteps, the classroom was now empty.
...Lying?
I peeped out from the gap of the cupboard.
There was no one there.
...I was cheated!
I kicked the cupboard door open, and dashed out to the corridors.
Since we were starting our final attack on Class D, the enemy should be at the corridors that linked the old and the new school buildings.
I moved cleverly, stayed out of sight of those who had finished classes, and dashed towards the destination. Now the enemy troops and our troops were mixing with the students and fighting against each other.
"Hide well amongst the students going home! Try to create a situation to fight one enemy together!"
My enemy's voice was spreading across the battlefield.
"You, go around that way! I'm going to challenge this guy with Mathematics!"
"Then I'll use Traditional Japanese to challenge him!"
"I'll use Japanese History!"
From where I was standing, I could see my classmates surrounding the student from Class D individually. Our side used the lowly tactics that made use of the chaotic situation when classes had finished in order to get close to the enemy, surround them, and then attack together.
"I have defeated Tsukamoto from Class D!"
A really loud voice rang.
It seems that the Tsukamoto who had been giving us a hard time had been beaten. Now that homeroom meetings in each class have ended, it was much easier to get a teacher to supervise the battles, which was why this plan could go more smoothly.
But all of this meant nothing to me now... if I don't kill Yuuji!
"Yuuji, where are you!?"
I headed towards the direction where the sound was coming from just now.
Mixing with the students made it harder to find him, but he was very tall, so I could definitely find him in a- There you are!
"Yuuji, wash your neck and prepare..."
I rushed towards him, and at the same time,
"The backup troops are here! Don't worry, everyone! Calm down and look around you before you act, and make sure that you don't get surrounded!"
Damn! Isn't that Class D's representative, Hiraga?
"That's Class D's main troop! They finally made a move!"
It sounded like someone from my class.
Now the main troops from both sides were gathering in the corridors.
"Half of the main force will aim for Sakamoto's head! The rest will go help our classmates who are being surrounded!"
"OOOHHH..."
Hiraga gave the command, and Yuuji immediately was surrounded by Class D's main troop.
Yuuji placed the main troop around himself. Although he wouldn't be in any immediate danger, the whole situation was getting very complicated.
Also, I couldn't even get close to Yuuji, who was being surrounded by layers of enemies. Damn!
Can't I get revenge for what happened to me?
"Class F, retreat first! Blend with the students to disturb the enemy's movements!"
Yuuji's voice was still as clear as ever.
The situation was really bad now; we better retreat.
"Don't let them get away! Fighting one-on-one is definitely to our advantage! Hunt them all down!"
Only Class D could carry this tactic out because they were stronger individually.
Now their main troop was separated and started hunting down our troops individually. At this moment, the defense beside Hiraga was much weaker, but Hiraga was the representative for Class D, which meant that his score was the highest in the class. To deal with Class F, as long as they didn't get surrounded, they wouldn't be in danger. Splitting the force now was quite good judgment.
I was running around the battlefield when Hiraga suddenly appeared in front of me. The defense around him was so weak that there was no personal guard around him.
"Chance!"
Since I couldn't kill Yuuji, I'll just do what I needed to do in this War.
I quickly ran towards Hiraga. Luckily there was the Modern Japanese teacher Ms. Takeuchi and the Traditional Japanese teacher Mr. Mukai there, so even if I couldn't finish him in one hit, I could still do some decent damage to him!
"Mr. Mukai! Yoshii from Class F will-"
"Tamano Miki from Class D. Summon!"
"What! A personal guard?"
Although we were hiding amongst the students going home, they were still looking out for suspicious people- for example, Class F students!
"Too bad, Ms. Funakoshi's boyfriend."
Hiraga's face was filled with the smile of victory.
"Y-you are wrong! That's just bullshit from Yuuji!"
"Don't be shy. Go, Tamano, show him our most sincere wishes."
"Understood."
Tamano had already summoned her Being, armored with Traditional Japanese scores.
"Damn! I was that close to defeating Class D by myself!"
"What are you talking about, Ms. Funakoshi's boyfriend? Even if the defense around me looks weak, my personal guard will appear when Class F students approach. Besides, even if there was no personal guard around me, a minion like you wouldn't be able to defeat me anyway."
Hiraga had a look of disgust on his face, and looked down on me. That was driving me mad!
So I learned from him, and counter-attacked with one of my eyes closed and said,
"I feel the same way; it is too hard to do it all by myself. Therefore..."
I purposely stopped and took a breath.
"Himeji, it all depends on you now."
"What?"
Hiraga's face had "what the hell are you talking about, you idiot?" written on his face.
"Er..."
Himeji shyly tapped on Hiraga's shoulder from behind him.
"Huh? Himeji? What's up? This isn't the corridor heading to Class A, right?"
Hiraga still didn't know what was going on until now. That's understandable; no one normally would think that she was in Class F, right?
"I-it's not like that."
Himeji was shy and feeling uneasy, which made her look even cuter. Hmm, she really was cuter than Hideyoshi- wait, it was wrong enough to think that Hideyoshi was cute.
"Himeji Mizuki from Class F, nice to meet you."
"Ah, nice to meet you as well."
"Er... I would like to challenge Hiraga with Modern Japanese."
"...I see, OK."
"Er... S-Summon."
Modern Japanese
339 VS 129
"Huh? What?"
The confused Hiraga made his Being pose, and both of them were confronting each other.
However, he didn't stand a chance... Clearly Himeji's Being was much stronger, and it easily held a long sword that was twice as long as its height.
"I... I am sorry."
Himeji's split self used speed that didn't fit its huge weapon to immediately get close to the opponent.
Without giving the opponent any chance to counterattack, she defeated Class D's representative in one hit and ended the War.
The Fifth Question
Fill in the ( ) in the following sentence with the correct answer.
Light is a wave and a ( ) as well.
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
[particle]
Teacher's Comment:
Good answer.
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
[an object that will bounce away all things that get close to it]
Teacher's Comment:
Your answer always surprises me!
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
[hero's weapon]
Teacher's Comment:
I like to play RPGs as well.
Class D Representative Hiraga Genji died in battle!
"Oooo...!"
The speakers announced this information throughout the school amid the victorious shouts from Class F and the cries from Class D.
"Amazing! I can't believe we actually won against Class D!"
"Now we can say goodbye to the tatami and the chabudai!"
"Ah, now that rotten stuff will belong to Class D!"
"Long live Sakamoto Yuuji!"
"That guy's not too shabby!"
"Long live Sakamoto!"
"I love Himeji!"
People were praising Class Representative Yuuji from every direction.
I looked at the direction where Yuuji was standing earlier, and saw him surrounded by the Class F students and standing among the crestfallen Class D students.
"Ah, it's nothing! After being praised by you guys like this, what should I say?"
Yuuji scratched his cheek and turned his face away. Surprisingly, he was pretty shy.
"Sakamoto! I want to shake your hand!"
"Me, too!"
Everyone was treating him like a hero. From looking at this situation, you could understand how much we disliked that classroom. The tatami in that classroom were really rotten, so it was normal for us to dislike it.
OK, I should blend in with the crowd and find a chance to get close to Yuuji.
"Yuuji!"
"Oh, isn't it Akihisa?"
Yuuji turned his head back.
I went close to him with a refreshing smile on my face.
"I want to shake hands with Yuuji as well!"
And then held my hand out.
"Oooo!"
*Crushing sound*
"Yuuji... I just want to shake your hand, so why are you holding my wrist like this?"
"Shut up... Of course I have to restrain your hand like this... Hmph!"
"Wa!"
My hand was twisted in the wrong direction.
I couldn't stand the pain, so I shouted out like an impaled pig and accidentally dropped the knife I had been holding in the other hand.
"..."
"..."
"Yuuji, it is good to win this War with everyone."
"..."
"I never knew that completing jobs with fellow classmates could give you such a good feeling. I am so touched that even my wrist joint is feeling the pain!"
"What were you planning to do just now?"
"I just want to use this hand, which is so painful that it feels like it could break at any time, to shake your hand and share the joy of victory!"
"Oi, someone go and get a pair of pliers!"
"W... wait! I'm sorry!"
"Hmph."
He finally let go of me. It was extraordinarily painful!
Come to think about it, what was he going to do with pliers?
"*Mumbling*"
It seems that Yuuji was mumbling about something. What was he talking about?
"Nails..."
I will never fight with him again.
"I never imagined that Himeji actually belonged to Class F... Unbelievable."
Someone's voice was coming from behind me.
I turned my head to see who was talking, and saw Hiraga, who could hardly walk properly, slowly coming towards us.
"Ah, I... I'm sorry for what happened just now."
Himeji also ran towards us from the opposite direction.
"No, you don't have to apologize. This is just the result we get for not fighting Class F seriously."
The world of competition was very harsh. They lost because they were being cheated, but there was nothing that Himeji needed to apologize for.
"I will hand over the classroom according to the rules. However, it is very late now, so can we do it tomorrow?"
This was so sad for the general who lost the battle! During the next three months, they won't be able to declare a Summoner Test War, so he would have to suffer the hatred from his fellow classmates in that lousy room. The class representative would be a hero if their class won the war, but if they lost, they'd be a sinner.
"Of course there's no problem with doing it tomorrow. Right, Yuuji?"
Looking at his current state, I really couldn't bear to ask him to hand over the classroom now, so I turned to Yuuji and asked for his opinion.
"No, there's no need for that."
I couldn't believe the answer that was coming from Yuuji's mouth.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because I never planned to get Class D's classroom."
Yuuji told us his plan as if it was like that from the beginning, but I had no idea about that at all.
"Yuuji, what's wrong? It took us so much effort to get these normal facilities, right?"
"Haven't you forgotten something? Our final goal is to defeat Class A!"
Defeating Class A, this was Yuuji's and my final goal.
"If that's the case, why isn't Class A our target? Isn't this very strange?"
If we were going to fight them head-on sooner or later, then why didn't we just attack Class A directly instead of wasting energy doing things here and there?
"Go measure your own capability! This is why you got the nickname 'Idiot Brother' from the secondary school students nearby."
"What are you talking about? Stop saying lies that are half true!"
"Ah, I am sorry. It should be the primary school students nearby, right?"
"...That's not the wrong part."
"What...? Do you really have such a strange nickname?"
D-Don't look at me! Stop looking at me with those looks on your faces!
"Anyway, I don't plan to take away any of your Class D facilities."
"Of course, this is the best outcome for us... but are you sure?"
"Of course, but I have one condition."
That's right. If we let them go so easily, then this War would have been meaningless.
"Let's hear it."
"Don't worry, it's nothing special. When I give you the signal, I want you to break that thing by the window. That's all."
Yuuji's finger was pointing at the external section of the air conditioner outside the window.
However, that machine didn't belong to Class D. Class D's facilities were just normal things that you could find in a slightly poorer high school, which didn't include anything like air conditioners. It was there because there was no space in its owner's class, so it was placed outside Class D's classroom.
"The external section to Class B's air conditioner?"
"Of course, breaking it might cause you to be scolded by the teacher, but this trade should sound good enough for you, right?"
If they "accidentally" broke it, they would at most just get serious warnings from a teacher. However, if doing so could help them avoid staying in the broken room for three months, there was no better deal than this.
"This definitely sounds good to us. But why do you want to do this?"
Hiraga's question was very reasonable. If our aim was Class A, why are we doing unrelated things like targeting Class B and breaking their air conditioner?
"It's related to our tactics against Class B."
"Is it? Then I shall gratefully take your offer."
"I will talk to you again the day after tomorrow, at around this exact time. You can go back now."
"OK, thanks. Hope you can defeat Class A according to plan."
"Haha, stop saying things you don't mean. You're actually thinking that we'll definitely lose, right?"
"That's right. Class F can never win against Class A. That's just wishful thinking."
Class D's representative, Hiraga, raised his hand and then left the scene.
"Everyone! Thanks for the hard work today! Tomorrow we'll be replenishing the scores we've used, so everyone should head back and have a good rest! That's all for today!"
After Yuuji gave out the commands, everyone chatted with each other and walked back to the classroom to pack up their stuff before leaving.
"Yuuji, should we go as well?"
"Yeah!"
The feeling of winning was really great, but to tell the truth, I was really tired. We will continue the war tomorrow, so I should just head back and rest!
"Ah, w-wait, Sakamoto."
"Huh?"
Just as Yuuji was preparing to leave with everyone else, someone stopped him. That person was Himeji.
"Oh, Himeji, it's you!"
"Actually, I have something to ask Sakamoto."
She pressed her hand against her chest, looking a bit excited. It must be something important; maybe I should avoid them and leave.
"Oh, I know."
After saying that, Yuuji walked to Himeji and chatted with her in front of me. I hardly heard what they were talking about, and somehow I felt a bit lonely.
Himeji just stared at Yuuji like she was really concentrating and totally forgetting my existence; it had to be something important.
Huh? Could it be that... Himeji actually didn't realize my existence? Could she have never noticed me at all? Damn! If that's the case, I'll just pull up her skirt until I'm satisfied!
"This is a good chance, Akihisa. Let's just pull up her skirt right now! Isn't it about time to see the underwear of such a pretty girl?"[9]
What!? Are you the devil in my heart? Damn! Are you here to tempt me onto the path of the delinquent? Don't look down on me! My sense of justice will not lose!
...
...
...
...Eh? Where is the angel? Where is the angel in my heart? Wait, come out now! Isn't this showing that I only have an evil heart?
"Anyway, I was a little bit interested in the beginning, but because that guy came and talked to me about it, I became more interested in it."
While I was fighting with my own mind, the two of them were walking towards me.
"Eh, why would Yoshii say something like that?"
Both of them continued to chat, neither of them knowing about the fight I had in my heart.
"Come to think about it, he did mention what happened during the placement test. Maybe it's related to that, which means even idiots have things they won't give up."
Yuuji was talking in a very friendly way, adding some jokes into the conversation. Looking at him, what was he talking about? Could it be a love confession? Did Himeji like Yuuji?
"'Placement test'? Oh, that's right..."
"I can only say this much, but Himeji, I think your guess is correct."
I see, no wonder Yuuji looked so proud. Being loved by such a cute girl, there was no reason he wouldn't feel happy.
...By the way, why hasn't the angel in my heart come out yet?
"Oi, Akihisa. We should go back now."
"Ah, OK. Have you finished chatting with Himeji?"
"Yep, now her resolve is stronger. Right, Himeji?"
After being asked by Yuuji, Himeji's face immediately turned red, and I could even imagine a "Boom" sound effect above her head. This skill was really stunning.
"Oh, is it? I'm not sure what's going on, but let's go. Bye, Himeji."
"Ah, yes! See you tomorrow!"
Himeji's face was still red. She kept waving her hand and watched Yuuji and me leave the classroom.
"Nothing's wrong with pulling up her skirt, right?"
The angel in my heart, you were too slow! And even you agree with pulling up her skirt!?
"Yuuji."
"Huh?"
"Was it really necessary to fight Class D? There are many other ways to break the air conditioner, right?"
"Ah, you're talking about that?"
We were on our way home, and because our houses were in the same direction, we usually went home together.
"There are many other reasons, such as getting everyone used to the Summoner Test War, putting pressure on the other classes, improving our self-confidence, increasing our morale, and so on."
"I see. Then, why aren't we taking Class D's facilities?"
"That's because our final target is Class A. If we take Class D's facilities, some of the students could be satisfied with just that and start to go against the Summoner Test War. To avoid something like that from happening and to maintain the energy everyone has due to dissatisfaction, I purposely made that decision."
Surprisingly, this guy thought a lot. After listening to Yuuji, I couldn't imagine him as a person with bad results. Or I should say... I saw the "Prodigy" in him again.
"Can we win against Class A?"
"Of course. Leave it to me."
"Thanks, for the trouble I caused because of my stubbornness."
"Not really. The reason I came to this school is to do something big in the Summoner Test War."
Yuuji unintentionally looked into the distance.
When Yuuji was a kid, he was called "Prodigy". However, his past glory had faded. Yuuji never said anything about it, but he's most likely where he is now because of his lack of motivation to study.
Test scores become the power of the Summoned Beings in the Summoner Test War. Although Class F's results were obviously bad, if they used their intelligence and strength in this War and won against Class A, it would prove that those who couldn't study could also stand on top. I think that's what Yuuji wants to prove.
"To achieve our goal, you need to help me. Anyway, let's concentrate on replenishing our scores tomorrow."
"Cheh."
This meant that we were going to have tests tomorrow. We used up a lot of scores today, so it looks like we're going to have tests on every subject tomorrow. Oh, no, it would be tests for the entire day!
"Don't just play games; read some books before you sleep!"
"Alright, alright. I will at least read the boo... Eh?"
This is so strange; why is my bag so light? Maybe...
"Ah, my textbooks! I left them under my chabudai!"
"Idiot, hurry back and get them."
"Aww... Then you go back first."
"Then again, why should I wait for you?"
"I knew it, you are heartless."
I was nearly home. Complaining wasn't going to help, so let's just get the books and go home!
I thought about that and ran to the school, which only had a few students participating in club activities left.
"Oh, man."
I sighed and put on my indoor shoes, then headed towards the Class F classroom.
"I'm back..."
Just like I had gone back to my own home, I shouted once and walked into the classroom. Because of the chabudai and tatami, this room looked more like home than a classroom.
"Y-Yoshii!?"
"Eh? Himeji?"
Himeji was in the classroom that I thought was empty.
"W-What's wrong?"
She looked panicked. What's wrong with her?
I looked towards Himeji's seat (?), and saw a cute paper letter and an envelope on her chabudai.
"Ah, t-this is..."
What was she doing? Although I don't know what they're for, it looks just like she had prepared the paper and envelope and was ready to write a love letter to Yuuji.
"Face the truth: it is a love letter."
Shut up, devil in my heart! I won't be deceived by your lies! Even if you say so, what proof do you have to show that this is a love letter?
"This is, ah..."
"OK, I understand, no problem."
"Eh... Wa!"
With a crashing sound, Himeji tripped on her chabudai.
The letter she had been hiding behind her back flew in front of me, and I accidentally saw one of the sentences:
"I like you."
"..."
"Nothing can prove that this is a love letter more than this, right?"
"..."
"Understand? This is the truth."
"..."
"Isn't it time to give up?"
I folded the letter that had flown towards me, and returned it to Himeji.
To show that I was a caring person, I joked,
"This letter of misfortune is really special!"
"Are you prepared to neglect it until you die!?"
What are you talking about, you stupid devil!? Every time you say something, it causes me misfortune! I won't be cheated anymore!
"Er, I think you're mistaken..."
"You don't have to do that. Just come to me and tell me, I can do it directly. Ah, don't worry, I will go borrow the stun gun from Yamashita next door."
"Yoshii, this is not a letter of misfortune!"
"No way! This is definitely a letter of misfortune! I am feeling very misfortunate now!"
"Yoshii."
I swung my arms like a kid, and suddenly something soft grabbed my hand. When I looked properly, Himeji was holding my hand, trying to stop me from going berserk.
"Calm down; acting like this will make you harm yourself."
Her voice was filled with warning.
When I calmed my darkened heart down, these hopeless facts were starting to corrupt my heart.
"...There's nothing I can do... I have to accept it."
My knees felt powerless, and I just knelt down. What's going on? Why did I get this losing feeling two days straight?
The person who would receive the letter is Yuuji, right? I'm concerned about it.
"The person receiving it is our class...?"
"Yes, he is our classmate."
Himeji blushed, but she answered my question without hesitation.
Then it was obvious. That's right, that person is Yuuji. However, I didn't want to name him and embarrass Himeji.
"Is it? What's good about that guy? Maybe his appearance is acceptable!"
"Ah, no, what attracts me is not his appearance. Ah, of course I like his looks!"
"Damn! I hate that guy from the bottom of my heart."
"Is that true...?"
"Yeah, for me, a person with no confidence in my looks, that sounds too good."
"Eh? Why!? You look very handsome! My friend is interested in you!"
"Eh? Are you sure?"
Even I think that her friend is mad.
"Yeah. Although I'm not too sure about the details, whenever she saw you and Sakamoto walking together, she would say, 'Muscular-looking Sakamoto and beautiful-looking Yoshii walking together look pretty as a picture.'"
"Your friend is a good person; you have to be good to her."
"Other things she says are 'Yoshii is obviously the uke[10], right?' and so on."
"I take back my words. Stay away from her. That world is still too early for you, Himeji."
Yuuji and I... Ugh!
"Anyway, besides looks, isn't his inner side good as well?"
"Ah, er... yes..."
"That's right, his liver looks very strong and healthy!"
I'd be able to sell it at a good price, I think.
"That's an organ inside the body."
"That, although I think it's not possible, is that person's personality good?"
"Of course, no problem!"
Whaaa...? I never imagined that Himeji would speak so loudly. I'm scared. I never knew that she liked Yuuji so much.
"What's good about his personality?"
"Very... very gentle...."
'Gentle'?
The person who cheated me into getting assaulted by Class D and nearly broke my arm was a gentle person?
"I'll give you the numbers now; have you prepared your pen and paper? Don't worry, he's a very good brain surgeon."
"My brain is perfectly fine!"
How could it be possible!? What made you think that he was gentle? What kind of cruel family did you grow up in, Himeji!?
"Gentle, bright, and optimistic... he is my idol!"
Listening to her honest opinion, it gave me a strong feeling that made me unable to laugh at her.
"About that letter..."
"Y-Yes?"
"Good luck."
In a situation like this, I couldn't do anything to destroy their relationship. Since Himeji liked Yuuji so much, as a fellow classmate, I couldn't stop myself from cheering for her.
"Yes!"
The smiling Himeji was just too adorable; I really envied Yuuji from the bottom of my heart.
The next day, I went to school as usual.
In order to replenish the scores we lost in the war, we have to undergo a whole day of tests. I need to do my best now.
"Good morning..."
Along with the *kala kala* sound effect, I opened the classroom door.
It was still tatami and chabudai in the classroom. I still felt a little remorseful for not getting Class D's facilities.
"Oh, Akihisa. You were almost late!"
"Ah, good morning, Yuuji."
Yuuji had arrived earlier than me in the classroom, and he sat down near the chabudai beside mine, the English textbook in his hand. It seems that he was still planning to do some last-minute studying before the test.
"Anybody complain about anything?"
"Huh? Complain about what?"
"About Class D's facilities."
We all put in so much effort and won the War, but in the end, we didn't take the enemy's facilities; it would be normal for some of us to feel unhappy about it.
"Ah, that! I explained it to everyone, so there's no problem at all."
"Oh."
I think it's because of Yuuji's performance yesterday that people follow his orders so well. Besides, now that they know it's possible to win against higher-level classes, they probably lost interest in Class D's facilities.
"By the way, are you all right?"
"What?"
"About what happened yesterday."
Wait, which event is he talking about...? Ah, is it about Yuuji's execution?
"Ah, even an idiot like me will give up doing stupid stuff like that after knowing that my nails will be pulled off for doing it."
"No, I'm not talking about what you planned to do to harm me."
Then what is it you're talking about? I totally don't know what Yuuji is trying to tell me.
"What are you trying to say...?"
"Yoshii!"
"Wa!"
My speech was interrupted by a punch from nowhere.
"Sh-Shimada, good morning..."
"This is not the time to say good morning!"
Shimada looked like she was really angry.
I was lying on the ground now and was able to see her underwear, but I was not feeling happy at all.
"You idiot, if you couldn't save me yesterday, that's fine. But how dare you use the fire extinguisher to break the window, and then blame it on me...!"
Oh... now I remember.
"And thanks to you, my ranking on the 'Most Unwilling to Be Her Boyfriend' list is even higher now!"
That's surprising; I thought you were at the top of that list already.
"...I was planning to tie you up for interrogation and torture."
Suddenly, Shimada calmed down.
By the way, before you tie me up, haven't you hit me enough already...?
"I think you've had enough punishment already, so I shall forgive you this time!"
"Yeah, I couldn't stop my nose from bleeding until now!"
"No, I didn't mean that."
"Huh? Then what do you mean?"
"The first test we have today is on Math."
Shimada looked really happy, as if from the bottom of her heart, and said,
"And Ms. Funakoshi is supervising it."
The moment I heard this sentence, I dashed out of the classroom and ran down the corridor.
"Hahhh... That was tiring."
I lied on the table and sighed.
We finally finished the tests on four subjects. The tests alone were exhausting, but suffering Ms. Funakoshi's questioning at the same time made me even more exhausted.
By the way, I introduced an otaku[11] that was living around my house (thirty-nine years old, single... male, I think?) to Ms. Funakoshi, and told her that's all I wanted to tell her yesterday.
"Hmm. You look exhausted."
Hideyoshi said that as he came out of nowhere.
He had a ponytail hairstyle today. Oooh... this is exactly what I like. He's a guy, but he was tempting me with that pose now!
"... *nodding his head like mad*"
Muttsulini, who was always quiet and whose presence could hardly be felt, was beside Hideyoshi.
"Good, let's have lunch now! I will have ramen, katsudon, and fried rice with curry today."
Yuuji was still looking energetic and was still standing; you couldn't see any bit of tiredness on his face. What material is he made of? And he eats too much for his lunch.
"Hmm? Yoshii, you guys are heading to the cafeteria? Can I come with you?"
"Ah, Shimada, you want to come as well? No problem for me!"
"Then I'll go with you guys."
"... *nod*"
Muttsulini nodded and agreed; maybe he was planning something. Idiot, there was nothing good from a tomboy like Shimada.
"Yoshii, are you thinking something bad about me?"
"Definitely NOT."
Her sixth sense was scary.
Anyway, I finally got the chance to rest during lunch break. I should eat something nice to recover my strength! But you couldn't really get anything nice from the cafeteria.
"Then I will be luxurious today, and have a salted water meal today..."
"Err, everyone..."
When we stood up and prepared to head to the cafeteria, someone's voice stopped us.
"Hmm? Ah, Himeji, is that you? Want to go to the cafeteria together with us?"
"Ah, no. Err... it's about l-lunch. That, I promised everyone yesterday..."
Himeji looked at us uneasily. What's wrong?
"Ohhh, could it be the lovely lunch?"
"Y-Yes, if it's OK with everyone."
She brought out the package from behind her after she said that.
Really!? Himeji, you really are a good girl! Thanks to you, I might be able to live a few days longer!
"Of course it is OK for everyone! Right, Yuuji?"
"Yeah, that's right. Thank you."
"Is it? That's great."
Himeji showed a happy smile. This is so strange; she's the one who made the lunch, but she's happier than us who are eating it for free. I really don't understand what gentle girls are thinking.
"Hmph... Mizuki, you're pretty aggressive..."
Shimada stared at me fiercely as if I was a murderer who killed her dad.
I don't understand what fierce girls think either.
"Then, since we have someone who made lunch, let's eat at the rooftop instead of at the classroom."
"That's right."
For such high-class food, it's not acceptable to eat in a lousy room filled with rotten tatami and the stench of male sweat. We should go to an enjoyable location such as the rooftop, enjoy the food there, and feel grateful to the chef.
"Is it? Then you guys can go there first."
"Huh? Yuuji, where are you going?"
"I'll go get some drinks, as a treat to you guys for the effort yesterday."
"Ah, then I'll go with you! You can't carry so many drinks at the same time, right?"
It was very rare to see Shimada being so caring. Did she take the wrong medicine?
"Thanks."
"OK."
Yuuji agreed without a doubt. If it were me, I'd surely feel wary of being taken to some place and getting beaten up badly.
"Remember to save a share for us."
"Don't worry, but I can't guarantee anything if you get back too late."
"I don't think I'll be late. Let's go!"
Yuuji and Shimada took their wallets and left the classroom. Looks like they're heading to the convenience store on the first floor.
"We should get going as well."
"Yeah."
I took the package from Himeji and walked to the rooftop.
These boxed lunches are pretty heavy. It seems like she put a lot of effort into making lots of different dishes; I am so touched.
"Great, the weather is pretty good!"
"Yeah!"
We reached the rooftop and opened the door, and a clear, cloudless sky welcomed us. This was the best weather for eating boxed lunches.
"Ah, I brought the blanket."
Himeji took out the blanket for picnics out of the basket. She seems to be well-prepared; maybe she brought the whole picnic equipment set.
We felt excited and started preparing together. There was no one else on the rooftop, as if we had booked the rooftop for ourselves; that's great.
"This feels really good..."
"... *nod*"
I lazily laid myself on the blanket, enjoying the sunlight and the breeze that was blowing towards me.
"Er, I'm not very confident..."
Himeji opened the cover of the meal box that was only used during New Year's time.
"OH!"
All of us gasped in surprise.
It looked so delicious. There were karaage, tempura, onigiri, bamboo shoot rolls... whatever dishes you could name, all were there in the meal box.
"Sorry, Yuuji, I will start..."
"... *took a piece*"
"Ah, Muttsulini, you are too cunning!"
Then, he smoothly put the food into his mouth...
"... *collapse*"
*Sound of Muttsulini collapsing*(?)
Muttsulini boldly collapsed, and his muscles were slightly twitching.
"..."
"..."
Hideyoshi and I looked at each other.
"Wa! Tsuchiya!?"
Himeji panicked and dropped the disposable chopsticks that she was preparing to give to us on the ground.
"... *sudden standing*"
Muttsulini stood up.
"... *Great!*"
Then, he faced Himeji and raised his thumb.
He probably tried to say "delicious"!
"So, so that suits your taste? That's good."
Muttsulini's thinking must have been delivered to Himeji, because she looked so happy.
However, Muttsulini, why do your legs keep shaking? You look just like a boxer who was about to get KO'd.
"Don't restrain yourself; eat as much as you can!"
Himeji showed her smile, and told us to eat more.
When she put it that way, it looked like we couldn't refuse at all. I even had a feeling that I should eat all of it no matter how awful it was.
...But I still couldn't forget Muttsulini's empty-looking eyes and shaking body.
"Hideyoshi, those dishes, what do you think?"
I whispered to Hideyoshi, using a low volume so that Himeji couldn't hear.
"...No matter how I look at it, that was not faked."
"That's right, now we're in deep trouble."
"Akihisa, is your body strong?"
"To tell the truth, my stomach is very weak. It's degenerated because I rarely eat anything."
Of course, Hideyoshi and I were using our happiest-looking faces to talk to each other; we couldn't allow Himeji to discover our conversation and the shock in our heart.
"Leave this to me!"
Hideyoshi bravely spoke in a low voice.
"Stop kidding, this is too dangerous!"
"No problem. Although I might not look like it, my stomach is very strong. Even sprouted potato can't harm me."
(?)
"But..."
"Don't worry! Believe in my iron stomach..."
He had the appearance of a pretty girl, but he was saying some manly lines. At this moment...
(?)
Yuuji appeared on the stage.
"Ah, Yuuji."
Before we could stop him, he used his hand to take a piece of fried egg.
*Sounds of munching*. *Sounds of Yuuji collapsing*... *Sounds of juice cans hitting the ground*.
The juice cans fell to the ground, and rolled everywhere.
"S-Sakamoto!? What's wrong!?"
Shimada appeared behind him and saw what happened. She immediately dashed towards Yuuji.
...There's no mistake about it: Himeji is a real killer chef...
I looked at Yuuji, who was shaking crazily like Muttsulini.
After that, Yuuji, who was on the floor, used his eyes to ask me:
Did someone put poison in the food?
This is not poison; this is the true ability of Himeji.
I also used eye contact to answer his question. This was the secret technique that could only be used by us since we've stuck together for a long time; it was very useful in a situation like this.
"Ah, my leg... suddenly cramped."
Yuuji told a kind lie because he was afraid to hurt Himeji's feelings. Himeji, maybe it is just like what you said yesterday; Yuuji is a gentle guy.
"Ahaha, it must be because you've been dashing up and down the stairs, right?"
"Ah, maybe that's the reason."
"Really? I thought Sakamoto was pretty strong and healthy."
Shimada, who was totally unaware of the situation, showed a doubtful face. It seems we should make her get off the stage before she speaks too much.
"By the way, Shimada, the spot where you placed your hand..."
(?)
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"A bug just died there not long ago."
This was total bullshit.
"What!? You should've said so sooner!"
She panicked and moved her hand away. That made her look a bit more like a girl.
"I'm sorry. You better go wash your hand."
"You're right. I'll be right back."
Shimada left the scene. Now the danger was lowered by a little bit.
"We can't let Shimada eat something like this, right?"
"Of course."
HAHAHA... the frank laugh of three guys spread all across the rooftop.(?)
Akihisa, it's your turn now!
D-Don't be silly! I will definitely die!
What happened just now has lowered my determination...
Yuuji, eat it! Himeji definitely wants to see you eat it.
Does she? I thought this was for you, Akihisa.
No way! You don't understand a girl's mindset!
No, if you put it that way, you are the one here who doesn't understand...
Shut up! Stop struggling!
"Whoa! Himeji, what's that!?"
"Huh? What?"
Himeji turned around and looked in the direction where my finger was pointing.
Eat this!
Huh!?
I took the chance and stuffed all the food into Yuuji's mouth.
Yuuji's eyes had already turned white, so I grabbed his lower jaw and helped him swallow the food. When you're eating, remember to munch carefully and swallow it slowly.
"Hoo, finally finished it."
"...I didn't know you were so good at torture!"
Although I was being commented like this by Hideyoshi, I didn't care at all.
Yuuji was lying on the ground and shaking even more crazily than earlier, but I still didn't care.
"I'm sorry, I think I saw wrong."
"Ah, I see."
I never would have imagined that Himeji would fall for such a classic trick; this is so helpful. But she is too pure; I'm worried for her now.
"The lunch was very delicious. Thanks for the food."
"Yeah, your cooking skill is very good."
Thanks to Yuuji, the meal box was cleared without any problems. Our hearts were as clear as the sky now!
"Aww, that was fast. Have you finished it all?"
"Yeah. And Yuuji kept on saying, 'Delicious, delicious,' while he was still eating it."
Yuuji, who was at the corner of our eyes, weakly shook his head.
Don't worry, you've left a good impression on Himeji. Maybe she'll make lunch for you again.
"Is it? I'm so happy..."
"No, no, no, we are the ones who are happy. Right, Yuuji?"
I signaled Yuuji to show a reaction. Since he was still conscious, there should be some reaction from him.
"Augh... augh... Th-Thanks, Himeji..."
This is so terrible; his eyes look very empty.
"Speaking about good food, there's a café in front of the station that just opened not too long ago..."
In a situation like this, the person who changed the topic was me. This was all to keep Himeji from saying, "Then I will bring lunch for you guys tomorrow."
"Ah, the comments about that shop are pretty good."
"Huh? There's a shop there?"
"Yeah. To thank you for the lunch, Yuuji will treat you there."
"You bastard, don't simply make promises in other people's stead."
It seems our tactics were successful. We have finally avoided the crisis.
Now we were just chatting about everything and enjoying this warm time together.
"Ah, that's right."
Himeji put her hands together.
"Huh? What's up?"
"Actually..."
She put her hand into the bag and searched for something.
"I prepared dessert as well."
"Ahh! Himeji, what's that!?"
"Akihisa! Even I will die if you do it again!"
Yuuji risked his life to stop my plan.
Tch, you little bastard, your reaction was pretty quick, huh?
Akihisa! Are you planning to kill me!?
There's no other way! This mission can only be done by you, Yuuji! I will leave this to you!
Don't be an idiot! I won't do it even if you use that shonen manga-like frank smile and ask me to.
You're hopeless!
If you say that, why don't you do it yourself!?
What!? Why are you posing like that!? What are you trying to do to me!?
I am going to punch your heart using my fist, and then stuff everything into your mouth after you faint! Take this!
No! Crazy killer...!
Yuuji held his fist firmly, but exactly one second before the fight began, Hideyoshi quietly stood up.
...Let me do it.
Hideyoshi!? Don't be reckless, this is life-threatening!
And you actually want to sacrifice me!?
Of course! Compared to a smelly guy like you, Hideyoshi, who has a pretty appearance, is so much more important.
No problem. My stomach is very strong; eating these will at most cause me to get dyspepsia.
That's true: Hideyoshi's stomach can nullify the poison, so maybe he can resist these desserts.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
"Ah, nothing! Nothing at all!"
"Ah, could it be...?"
Himeji's face suddenly darkened.
Did our unwillingness to eat these desserts get exposed!?
"I'm sorry. I left the spoons in the classroom!"
The desserts inside the container were fruit mixed with yogurt (or looks like it, anyway), so chopsticks were really not suitable for eating them.
"I'll go get them now."
Himeji disappeared at the stairs' entrance. Now is the time.
Use this chance and eat them!
Hideyoshi held the container in his hand, looking like a warrior who treated death like returning home.
"...I'm sorry. I will never forget your kindness."
"Sorry. And thank you."
Facing us who were bowing and quiet, Hideyoshi smiled and spoke, as if nothing would happen:
"Don't make it like I'm going to die. I don't plan to do so yet!"
"T-That's right!"
"Ah! Hideyoshi, we're counting on you!"
"OK. Leave this to me. I'll start eating now!"
Hideyoshi raised his head, and ate the entirety of what was inside the container.
"*Munch munch*. What, this is just normal... Ack!"
Life is like a flower of virtuosity, and another flower has fallen in the blink of an eye.
"...Yuuji."
"...What?"
"...Sorry for forcing you to eat that food just now."
"...I'm glad you understand that."
The person who proclaimed himself "Iron Stomach" was now lying on the floor, white foam coming from his mouth.
"By the way, Sakamoto, about the next target..."
"Huh? Regarding the Summoner Test War?"
"Yeah."
After the very eventful lunch, everyone revived and casually enjoyed the tea, especially Hideyoshi. He was trying to drink as much green tea as he could. I heard that green tea can help kill bacteria!
By the way, Shimada only managed to buy green tea. Although she was very angry, we were very grateful.
"The next opponent will be Class B, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
This reminded me that Yuuji mentioned something yesterday about destroying Class B's air conditioner that was outside Class D. What was that about?
Since Class B's air conditioner had nothing to do with attacking Class A, would that mean we will be dealing with Class B next?
"Why Class B? Isn't our final target Class A?"
Class A was our target. Everyone must be wondering why we were challenging Class B, which was one rank lower than Class A, right? By the way, I didn't understand why, either.
"I'll be frank."
Yuuji suddenly turned serious.
"No matter what tactics we use, we can never win against Class A with our fighting ability."
Admitting we lost before fighting? This was not what Yuuji would do.
However, this was not news to us. Fumitzuki Academy divided the classes from Class A to Class F, and Class A wasn't just any ordinary class; you could say that their abilities were in a totally different dimension from the others'. For all fifty people in Class A, forty of them were still beatable; they were just normal students whose results were a little bit better than Class B's.
The remaining ten students were totally different. Especially the Class Representative Kirishima Shouko; her ability was totally beyond anyone's imagination. Even if we managed to take them by surprise and surrounded her, we'd end up getting beaten badly.
No matter what tactic you used, if you could not defeat the Class Representative, you could never win the War. Since we couldn't defeat her, we had no chance of winning at all.
"Then our final target will be changed to Class B?"
Although it was still some distance away from Class A, Class B equipment was pretty good as well; I believe that no one would be unhappy about it.
"No, that's not going to happen. Our final target will still be Class A."
"Yuuji, this is totally different from what you just said, right?"
I continued the conversation after Shimada. Being able to defeat Class A or not meant a lot to me.
"If we fight as a class, we can never win, so I decided to challenge them to a duel."
"A duel? How are we going to do that?"
"We'll use Class B to achieve that."
"Use" Class B? How?
"Do you know what happens when the lower-ranked class loses in a Summoner Test War?"
"Eh? O-Of course!"
Actually, I didn't know.
"Yoshii, if the lower-ranked class loses in the War, their equipment will be one rank lower."
Luckily, Himeji reminded me from my side. I see, so that's what would happen!
"The equipment will be downgraded, right?"
"That's right... which means that if Class B were the lower rank, their equipment would be downgraded to Class C."
"Of course. That's common sense, right?"
"And what if the higher-ranked class loses?"
"They will be sad."
"Muttsulini, go bring me a pair of pliers."
"Wait! Are you trying to transform my body into one that will never need nail clippers?"
I didn't say anything wrong. They would be sad, right?
"They will need to exchange their equipment with the lower class."
Himeji helped me answer the question again; she was such a good girl.
"Yeah, I am going to use this rule to negotiate with them."
(?)
"'Negotiate'?"
"If we win against Class B, I will ask them to attack Class A so that they won't have to exchange equipment with us. Even if they lose to Class A, they will only get Class C equipment, which is much better than Class F equipment. This should work smoothly."
"Hmph. Then?"
"Then I will use this to negotiate with Class A, warning them that 'we will start attacking you after you have finished fighting with Class B'."
"I see..."
It would be tiring for them to fight another War after they finished a fight with the second-highest class in the same Year.
Although this was the same for Class F, we had our unhappiness which motivated us. We might not be as smart, but we were very motivated.
However, it was very different for Class A; they wouldn't get anything from winning a War, and they didn't want to waste time with an opponent like Class F. The morale between Class A and us would be very different.
"However, there is a problem with this strategy. It might cost more energy, and the process will be troublesome, but a Summoner Test War is a much more secure way to win against Class A compared to a duel, right? Also..."
"'Also'?"
"Are you sure that we can win the duel? Surely they already know that Himeji is in our class?"
After Class F won against Class D, everyone would definitely focus on the winner. Himeji was not our secret weapon now; therefore, they must have prepared tactics to fight against Himeji.
"I am well aware of this and am well-prepared; don't worry."
Yuuji looked confident, which was totally different from me who was really worrying now.
"Anyway, we'll need to fight against Class B first. I will fill everyone in on the details later."
"Is it? Well, it's fine by me as long as you have tactics for it."
If there was no chance of winning, he wouldn't be able to say something like that.
"By the way, Akihisa."
"Huh?"
"After the tests today, go declare war on Class B."
"No way. You can go do it yourself."
No matter what you say, I won't change my mind.
"Well, then, let's decide on who will do the job using Rock-Paper-Scissors."
"'Rock-Paper-Scissors'?"
Well, at least this is better than him forcing me to go.
"OK. I accept the challenge."
"Good. Then, whoever loses will go, okay?"
Yuuji nodded and said,
"It'll be boring if we just play normally; let's include a psychological battle as well."
This was Yuuji's suggestion.
About the psychological battle, it's that, right? Everyone says what they'll use, and then guesses whether the opponent will do as they said or lie. I see, this is interesting.
"I understand now. I'm going to use rock."
Yuuji made a pose for Rock-Paper-Scissors, and told me,
"Are you? Then I am..."
Yuuji, what will you think? Am I going to be honest and use rock, or am I going to use something else? This is a battle of wits as well.
"Going to kill you if you don't use rock."
Wait...! What kind of psychological battle is that!?
"Ready? Rock, paper, scissors!"
"Waaa!"
Paper (Yuuji) vs. Rock (Me)
"Then it's decided; you will go."
"I will not go!"
I will not accept this! This was so different from the psychological battle I imagined!
"Are you still worrying about being beaten up badly like with Class D last time?"
"That is one of the reasons!"
"If that's the reason, you can rest easy; I can guarantee that it won't happen again."
Yuuji stared into my eyes.
I won't be cheated again! You keep using the same technique in asking me to do the dirty work!
"Because there are a lot of people in Class B who like handsome boys."
"Really? Then there's nothing to worry about!"
Only I can complete this difficult mission. The responsibility is huge!
"However, you're so ugly..."
Yuuji gave a long sigh. Nonsense, that was not true!
"You're so impolite! I am a handsome boy when I look at myself from 365 degrees!"
"There is an extra 5 degrees."
"I think there's only 5 degrees."
"I hate you two."
I only mixed up 365 days in a year and 360 degrees in a circle, so why are you using a magnifying glass to look at my small mistake!? Damn!
"Anyway, I'll leave this to you..."
Yuuji's voice came from behind me as lunchtime ended; the afternoon which was full of tests had just started.
"...I'd like to listen to your explanation."
The tests in the afternoon had ended safely; it was now after school.
I used my hand to cover the sleeve that Class B had pulled to pieces, and walked towards Yuuji slowly.
"This was just as I thought."
"Argh! I'm going to kill you! I'll cut you into pieces!"
"Calm down."
"Urgh!"
A... attacked in the heart... This is terrible.
"I'm heading back home now. Tomorrow morning we will have tests; don't oversleep."
After saying that with a frank tone, Yuuji left the classroom. You're a devil!
"Urgh... my stomach..."
My whole body was in serious pain. It looks like I can't move at all before the effect that Yuuji's technique caused on my body disappears.
I could only lie on the ground and watch every one of my classmates leave the classroom. No one's worried about me or bringing me to the nursing room. Am I so hated? Then again, I think Himeji will worry about me and come to me.
Because I couldn't move my body, I turned my neck and looked around the classroom. I saw Himeji still remaining in the classroom, holding her back and looking around as well. She looked very suspicious; it seems like she was guarding something.
...Ah, now I remember: Himeji wrote a letter yesterday. Maybe she was thinking about where she should put it?
"Urgh..."
I felt shy about continuing to watch her, so I slowly crawled out of the classroom.
The Sixth Question
Please answer the following question:
Write down the molecular formula for Benzene.
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
"C6H6"
Teacher's Comment:
It's very easy, isn't it?
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
"Ben + zene = Benzene"
Teacher's Comment:
Do you despise Chemistry?
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
"B-E-N-Z-E-N"
Teacher's Comment:
Come to my office later, together with Tsuchiya.
"Good job, everyone. Thanks for all your efforts in taking those tests."
Yuuji said that as he stood behind the lectern and put his hand on the table.
We had tests the entire morning. The tests finished not too long ago. Now we were getting ready for lunch. To replenish the scores we lost in all our subjects, the amount of tests we took were scary.
"We will begin the Summoner Test War with Class B this afternoon. Are you ready to kill?"
"Oooo...!"
Morale was still high, and it was our class's only weapon.
"The goal of this War is to hold the enemy in their classroom; therefore, we can't afford to lose the battle at this corridor."
"Oooo...!"
"Himeji Mizuki will be the commander there. Guys, be prepared and ready to die."
"I... I will try my best."
Himeji shyly walked out of the crowd; maybe she didn't want to shout like the boys did.
"OOOO...!"
The morale of the front line troops went over the limit since they were able to fight alongside a beautiful girl.
In conclusion, the key to this War was the battle at the corridor; if we lose there, we're finished. Therefore, from the fifty students in Class F, we sent out forty into that battle. This troop will be led by Himeji, who's the strongest student in our class and the second strongest in the whole school, so we should be able to win that battle without any hassles.
(?)
When the bell that announced the end of lunch break rang, the War with Class B finally began.
"OK, everyone, let's go! The target is the systematic tables!"
"Yes, sir!"
To successfully hold the enemy in their classroom, we must take control of the momentum.
We rushed to the corridor outside Class B at full speed.
Since a lot of the students in Class B were good in non-science-related subjects and since the Mathematics teacher Mr. Hasegawa has a larger summoning field, we picked Mathematics as our main subject for battle; in other words, if we wanted to finish the battle fast, Mr. Hasegawa would be very useful.
There was English Composition teacher Yamada-sensei and Physics teacher Kimura-sensei there on our side as well. This time, we need to increase the number of supervising teachers and finish the enemies off as fast as possible!
"I can see the Class B students!"
"They brought Ms. Takahashi!"
The Class B students walked slowly toward us, but there were only ten of them. They should be the vanguard, and they just wanted to test our ability.
"Don't let them escape alive!"
Along with this threatening shout, the War against Class B had officially started.
Cumulative
1943 VS 764
What!? He's too strong! It's like they're on a totally different level!
Mathematics
159 VS 69
Physics
152 VS 77
The difference between fighting abilities was overwhelming; our frontline troops kept on losing. If we don't send in reinforcements before their scores are reduced to zero, our numbers would greatly decrease.
Just as I was trying to see whether we had any reinforcements or whether the route was being cut off by our enemies...
"I-I'm late... S-Sorry..."
Himeji hardly caught her breath and arrived at the scene; I thought she should be running all the way to the front line.
"Himeji Mizuki is here!"
One of the students in Class B shouted. It seems that Class B already knew about Himeji not being in Class A and made appropriate investigation, I guess?
All the students in Class B were shocked when they heard that. It was very easy to see that they were scared of Himeji.
"Himeji, although you just arrived, can you please...?"
"Y-Yes. I'll go now."
Himeji immediately dashed into the middle of the battlefield. Looking at her gave you the feeling of calmness. I really feel like taking a photo right now and keeping it as a souvenir.
"Mr. Hasegawa, I am Iwashita Ritsuko from Class B, and I would like to challenge to Mathematics Himeji Mizuki from Class F!"
"Ah, Mr. Hasegawa, I am Himeji Mizuki; nice to meet you."
Himeji was immediately targeted by the enemy; maybe the enemies wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible?
"Ritsuko, I'll help as well!"
Another girl from Class B stepped forward and summoned at the same time. Two of the ten students from Class B were present here; it seems that they were really scared of Himeji.
"Summon!"
The magic circle appeared after the summoning, and the Being that we were all familiar with stood in front of us.
The enemies' Beings pointed their sword and spear at Himeji's Being, but it seemed to be very calm and just held the greatsword that we've seen before.
It was now a face-off between the three Beings with the faces of their respective owners, but...
"Eh? Himeji's Being has an accessory."
"Ah, yes. Because I'm pretty good in Mathematics..."
"You can wear an accessory in the subject you're good at?"
Himeji's two-head-tall Being had a beautiful-looking bracelet on its left wrist beside the greatsword on its hand.
"T-That's...!?"
"She's not an enemy we can handle!"
The enemies started panicking when they saw the bracelet.
Ah, this reminds me: wearing the bracelet means...
"Erm, I'm going to attack."
Himeji tightly held her hand; following her action, her Being dashed towards the enemy from its left-hand side.
"Wait a minute!"
"Ritsuko! Dodge the attack first!"
Both of their Beings jumped to the side with dramatic actions. Suddenly, the bracelet on the wrist of Himeji's Being emitted a bright light.
*Beep!*
"Ahhh!"
"Ri... Ritsuko!"
The instant the left arm emitted the light, one of the enemies' Beings that couldn't escape in time was covered in flames.
Mathematics
412 VS 189 & 151
So, wearing the bracelet means that the Being is capable of using a special ability? Although I have forgotten what the requirement score for that is, I did remember somewhere in the rules stating that students who score above a certain amount are able to equip on their Beings a bracelet that allows them to use a special ability. This rule has nothing to do with me, so I totally forgot about it.
"S-Sorry. I can't be gentle on the battlefield!"
Himeji's Being stuck to the enemy that had lost control due to dodging the previous attack, and cut both it and its weapon in half, killing it instantly and winning the fight.
"Iwashita and Kikuiri have died in battle!"
"What!? How's that possible!?"
"Himeji Mizuki's scarier than the rumors say!"
The remaining eight students from Class B looked extremely shocked; it was not surprising for them to look like that.
By the way, Himeji, you're too strong.
"E-Everyone, please do your best...!"
Himeji said something that didn't sound like a command from a commander, but it was extremely effective.
"I'm going to unleash my power!"
"Himeji's the best!"
The number of Himeji believers had dramatically increased.
"Himeji, you can have a rest now!"
"Ah, yes."
The enemies' morale had significantly dropped, so it was better to let Himeji rest now. A special ability could deal a huge amount of damage, but it would cost a lot of points. Even if there was no Himeji in the fight, defeating the enemy vanguard was just a matter of time now.
"Switch with the main troop and retreat at the same time. Don't die in battle!"
And that was the enemy's command. Anyway, we've achieved our target successfully. Let the enemy step back slowly, restrict their actions in the Class B classroom, and then the battle for today should be close to the end. It was thanks to Himeji's extraordinary fighting ability that the plan's going so smoothly, thank you very much!
"Akihisa, I'm heading back to the classroom now."
"Huh? Why?"
Hideyoshi had walked towards me while I was looking over the overall situation of the battle.
"Heading back"? Did something happen to the main troop?
"The Class Representative for Class B is..."
"The guy named Nemoto."
"You said 'Nemoto'; could it be Nemoto Kyouji?"
"That's right."
The guy called Nemoto Kyouji had a very bad reputation. According to the rumors, he was a pro at pulling dirty tricks and would take whatever actions needed to achieve his goal. There were rumors about "poisoning the opposing team in a ball game", "bringing weapons when fighting others", and so on. I didn't really believe that he could be that bad, but being careful wouldn't harm us at all.
"I see, then we should head back as soon as possible!"
"Although I don't think that Yuuji will fall for his trap, we better head back just to make sure everything is okay."
After we informed Himeji about this, Hideyoshi and I brought a few men back to the classroom.
"Wha, this is terrible!"
"I never would have imagined that they would actually do all this."
"This is so mean."
When we got back to the classroom, we saw not only holes all over the chabudai but also pencils and erasers all broken or split into two.
"This is bad; now we can't replenish our scores smoothly."
"Yeah, this might be a minor problem, but it will certainly affect our score replenishment."
By the way, I think that Nemoto is a petty coward.
"Don't worry about it too much. Although it'll take some time to repair, it won't affect our plan too much."
"Well, Yuuji, we'll follow what you say."
Something didn't seem right.
"How did the classroom get this bad, and Yuuji, how did you not know anything about it?"
There were no problems in the classroom before lunch break, so it must have happened sometime between the start of the battle and now. However, Yuuji should have been in the classroom at that time and been able to stop them, right?
"They wanted to sign a treaty with me and I went to negotiate with them, so the classroom was empty during that time."
"What treaty?"
"Well, if neither of us can win the War before 4 PM, then we will maintain the situation of the War as is and continue it from there at 9 AM tomorrow morning, and until that time, both sides cannot do anything related to the Summoner Test War."
"I see. And you agreed?"
"That's right."
"But if it comes to the point where stamina determines the result, we should have the advantage, right?"
"That's true for all of us except Himeji."
Ah, I see.
"After forcing them to stay in the classroom, the War will end for today; the true battle will start tomorrow."
"That's right. It seems that we can't take them down today."
"At that time, Himeji's fighting ability will be more important than that of the whole class."
That meant the battle would be focused on certain areas? Then it should be the same as the battle against Class D and let Himeji finish off the Class Rep, I guess?
"That's why you accepted their suggestion: to let Himeji fight in perfect condition?"
"Yes. This pact is good for me."
Is it? Good, then, if you say so.
However, I keep feeling a little bit strange about this. They destroyed our tables, and then signed a treaty that was good for us at the same time. I don't think Nemoto Kyouji is such a naive person.
"Akihisa, we should head to the front line now; they may have used some dirty tricks again."
Hideyoshi ran out of the classroom after he said that.
"Yeah. Yuuji, we'll leave this to you."
"Oh, I will go prepare new pencils and erasers."
Yuuji raised his hand and said goodbye. I turned away from him and chased after Hideyoshi.
I managed to catch up with Hideyoshi quickly without running at my full speed.
"I keep thinking that we haven't seen the last of them!"
"Yeah. I don't think they'll stop here; we better be careful."
What would be the next dirty trick they'll use? Damn, they have stronger fighting ability than us, so why aren't they fighting us face to face?
We were about to reach the battlefield.
"Remember to be careful!"
"You, too, Hideyoshi!"
After reminding each other, we went back to our troops.
"Yoshii! You're finally back!"
The person who welcomed me back was Sugawa. Huh? Wasn't Shimada supposed to be controlling the troop?
"Sorry to keep you waiting! What's the situation now?"
"Very bad for us."
"Huh!? Why!?"
The enemy's main troop never appeared, and our fighting ability is better than theirs; why are we in a bad situation now?
"Shimada was captured and is being held hostage."
"What!?"
Now they're using a hostage!? Do they really believe that they can win through dirty tricks!?
"Therefore, the enemy has only two people left, but we can't attack them at all. What should we do?"
Now my troop is confronted with the enemy because of this incident.
"Hmmm... let me see the situation before I make the decision."
"Then we should head there now. The enemy is blocking us in the corridor there."
Sugawa led the way, and I followed behind him.
After walking through the human wall formed by my troop, it was clear that the situation in front of me was exactly as Sugawa said: Shimada and her Being were being held hostage by two Class B students.
And they had the Remedial Teacher beside them as well.
"Shimada!"
"Y-Yoshii!"
Why does this sound like a soap drama?
"Stop right there! If you come any closer, I'll deliver the final blow to her Shokanju and send her to the Remedial Room!"
One of the enemies that captured Shimada stood out and restricted my actions.
Not only would they let our precious female classmate die, but they deliberately held her hostage to threaten us and lower our morale. It was a really smart strategy.
If we blindly dashed forward before we managed to defeat them, they would defeat Shimada and use the fact that she was sent to the Remedial Room to make us feel guilty.
...This is nothing at all.
"Everyone, prepare to attack!"
"Leader, are you sure about this!?"
There's no other way! There are always sacrifices in War! This is not revenge for being tortured every day; it's just one of those decisions that a leader must make!
"W-wait, Yoshii!"(?)
Even the enemy was telling me to stop; so uncool.
"Don't you want to know how we caught her?"
"It's because she's an idiot."
"I'm going to KILL you!"
Huh? What? Why does Shimada sound stronger than me even though she's being held hostage?
"This girl believed the false information about you being injured and left the troop to look for you in the infirmary alone."
What did he say!?
"Shimada..."
"W-What?"
Am I thinking too much? It seems like Shimada's face was pretty red.
"Trying to kill me while I was injured, are you a demon!?"
"That's not why I went!"
This is so scary. Now I can't have a nap in the infirmary in peace.
"Was there anything wrong with visiting you to see how bad your injuries were!? I was worried about you!"
Huh...?
"Shimada, is that true?"
"Y-Yes. Can't I do that?"
Shimada looked a little bit angry and turned her head to the side.
Really. Her, worrying about me. That Shimada...
"Haha, now you understand. So, listen to me and don't try anything."
"Everyone, attack!"
"Why!?"
Why? Do you really need to ask that?
"She is not the real Shimada! She must be an enemy in disguise!"
You guys picked the wrong person to fake! That Shimada would never be so gentle! If she were the real Shimada, she would definitely be very happy to send me to hell!
"Oi, wait a minute! This person is the real Shimada!"
Class B students, look how uncool you are.
"Shut up! You still want to keep using that dirty strategy after we've seen through it? How ugly!"
"I'm telling you that she's the real one...!"
English Writing
33 VS 65
English Writing
18 VS 59
Defeat those two first! Deal fatal blows to their Shokanjus!
"Aaah...!"
"Help me...!"
Both of them were immediately taken away by the Remedial Teacher. This felt really good.
Then, all that's left is...
"Everyone, be careful! The enemy might drop the disguise at any time and attack us!"
This was the impostor who was trying to imitate Shimada!
"Y-Yoshii, you're so mean... I really was worried about you..."
"Stop your silly act, you second-rate actor!"
The real Shimada would never say something like that!
"It's true! I really was worried about you!"
"Surround her. Even if she is from Class B, she can't fight this many of us at the same time."
"It is true! They told me 'Yoshii saw Mizuki's panties and can't stop his nosebleed', so I got really worried!"
"Cease attack! She is the real Shimada!"
She's the only person who would fall for such an stupid lie.
"Shimada, are you alright?"
I lent my hand to Shimada who was sitting on the ground. Damn you, Class B; how dare you use such a dirty trick!
"..."
(?)
"It's good that you're okay. I was worried about you!"
"..."
"Go have a rest in the classroom. You must be very tired, right?"
"..."
"By the way, these guys really are cowards. Do they have no pride as human beings?"
"..."
There was no reaction from Shimada.
(?)
"Ah... Shimada. Actually..."
"...What?"
She finally turned her head and looked at me.
I put on an apologetic face and flashed my best smile at Shimada, who was now staring directly at me.
"I knew that it was you all along!"
She went berserk.
"...Where am I?"
When I regained consciousness, I saw a ceiling covered in dirt. This is... ah, our classroom.
"Ah, you finally woke up?"
The cute voice came from my side. Could it be the healing voice of Himeji?
"I was worried about you. Yoshii, you looked like you were beaten up by someone and then pushed down some stairs."
Correct answer.
"Even if it is a Summoner Test 'War', there's no need to injure someone like this, right?"
No, instead of calling it a war, you should call it a one-sided slaughter...
"It's nothing important. How's the Summoner Test War going?"
I tried to sit up on the tatami, and felt pain all over my body.
"According to the treaty, we're now in a ceasefire. The War will continue tomorrow."
"And the situation?"
"We sort of attacked the front of their classroom as planned. However, our losses were greater than we imagined."
Yuuji read the damage report on the paper one by one. Although it was sort of within our expectations, this was still a huge loss. It seems that we didn't have a total win in the battle at the corridor, and since we put most of our men in there, the result was not good for our overall strategy.
"Although some accidents occurred, it seems that things went smoothly for now?"
"You could say that."
However, the opponent was that coward Nemoto Kyouji; he must have some hidden plan.
*knocking on the door*
"Oh, Muttsurini. Is there anything to report?"
Before I realized it, Muttsurini was beside me.
Muttsurini was a member of the intelligence team today, so he didn't take part in the battle. His job was to stay alert and record what was going on in the enemy troops.
"Huh? Something strange is going on in Class C?"
*nod*
According to Muttsurini's information, Class C was preparing for a Summoner Test War. If they aren't planning to challenge Class A, then there's only one other reason...
"They want to take on the easy target. They're such cowardly bastards."
As Yuuji just said, they were planning to attack the winner of this War. It is easier to take on opponents who are tired and exhausted.
"Yuuji, what do you plan to do?"
"Hm, what should I do...?"
Yuuji raised his head and looked at the clock. It was 4:30 now- not too late.
"We better sign a treaty with Class C as well. If we threaten them with using Class D to attack them, I believe that they'll give up the idea of attacking us."
"Also, they don't believe that we'll win, right?"
It shouldn't be too hard to sign a treaty with Class C.
"Okay. Let's go now."
"Yeah."
I injected power into my aching body and stood up. My body seemed to be fine.
"As a backup plan, Hideyoshi, you stay in the classroom."
"Huh? Why? Is it not okay for me to go with you guys?"
"If your face is seen, my hidden strategy that I'm saving for emergency situations won't work."
"I don't quite understand what you're talking about, but if you say so, I'll just do as you say!"
Hideyoshi stepped down obediently. But what is this emergency situation Yuuji was talking about?
"Then, let's go. It will be a little dangerous since we're short on numbers."
Without Hideyoshi, Yuuji, Himeji, Muttsurini, and I headed towards Class C.
"Yoshii, it took me a long time to wash your blood off my fingers; I'm going to make you pay for that later."
"Was it Yoshii's fault?"
While we were in the corridor, we saw Shimada, who was using her handkerchief to wipe her hand, and Sugawa, who had his bag on his back.
"Ah, Shimada, Sugawa. Nice timing. Let's go to Class C together."
Although I don't think it will happen, the Class C students might attack us, and it'd be dangerous to be going there with only a few of us. Also, we need extra people to guard Himeji. I kept on thinking and called on my two best friends in front of me at the same time.
Of course, as my best friends, they won't reject my invitation.
"Hmmm, okay?"
"Ah, no problem for me."
Now I have backup I can trust.
"Hurry up, or Class C's Rep will head home."
"Yeah, let's go!"
After Shimada and Sugawa joined the team, the six of us continued to head towards Class C.
"I am Class F's Representative, Sakamoto Yuuji. Who's the Class Representative here?"
There were still a lot of students remaining in Class C. It was just as Muttsurini reported: they were preparing for a Summoner Test War and waiting to pick off the easier target.
"I am. What do you want?"
The girl who appeared in front of us had very short hair. Wasn't Koyama the star of the volleyball club?(?)
"I am here to negotiate with you as Class F's Representative. Are you free now?"
"'Negotiate'? Huh..."
Although I don't like to badmouth girls, Koyama was so far away from being gentle and steady. After she heard what Yuuji said, she showed an evil smile on her face for some reason.
"Yeah, I'm here to propose a treaty of mutual non-aggression."
"A treaty of mutual non-aggression... What do you think, Nemoto?"
Koyama turned her head and spoke to the group of students in the corner.
Huh? "Nemoto"?
"Of course not. There's no need for that, right?"
"What!? Nemoto!? Why is Class B here!?"
The person who brought a group of people and walked towards us was our current enemy: Class B's Representative, Nemoto Kyouji. He had short hair, an unshaven beard around his mouth, and evil-looking eyes. He looked totally different from Yuuji who had a pair of sharp eyes.
"How terrible, Class F. You broke the pact. I thought we agreed that we wouldn't do anything related to the Summoner Test War?"
"What did you say...?"
"Weren't you the ones who broke the pact first? I'm just doing what you were going to do!"
After he said that, the group of people at his back started moving. The person who was hiding behind him was Mr. Hasegawa, who was short and was staying on the battlefield for now.
"Mr. Hasegawa! Yoshino from Class B wants to challenge-"
"Not so fast! Sugawa from Class F will accept that challenge! Summon!"
Just when Yoshino from Class B planned to attack Yuuji by surprise, Sugawa jumped out and accepted the challenge for Yuuji. Good job, Sugawa!
"We didn't violate the pact! This is just between Class C and Class F-"
"It's no use, Akihisa! Nemoto will definitely use the words 'anything related to the Summoner Test War' as an excuse!"
"Yes, that IS what I'll do.♪"
"Nonsense!"
"'Nonsense' is a very useful theory!"
"Akihisa, run!"
"Damn!"
Leaving Sugawa who was fighting at the back, the rest of us left Class C as fast as we could.
Mathematics
161 VS 41
"Don't let them get away! Defeat Sakamoto!"
Nemoto's voice and the sounds of footsteps came from behind.
Honestly, the current situation was very dangerous. Not only could we not fight Class B students face to face, but our only hope, Himeji already used up too much of her Mathematics score. Nemoto must have known that, so he called Mr. Hasegawa here. It was a dirty trick, but it was an effective one.
"Hah, hoo..."
"Himeji, are you alright?"
We were running down the corridor at full speed, but Himeji's steps were slowing down. She was not good at sports, and for a physically weak student like her, it must be very hard to run like this.
"Y-you guys... please go on ahead..."
Himeji said that while trying to catch her breath. We wouldn't be able to escape the enemy's attack with her like this, but we couldn't lose her here as well. If we lose Himeji's fighting ability, who knows what would happen in the War tomorrow. Also, I can't just leave a girl here and run for my life!
Is there nothing we can do now...?
"Yuuji!"
"What, Akihisa!?"
"Leave this to me! Yuuji, retreat with Himeji!"
I stood and looked back, and Himeji and Yuuji ran past me.
I never imagined that I'd have a chance to say some cool stuff like this. Do I look cool or what?
"Y-Yoshii, d-don't worry about me-"
"Got it. I'll leave it to you."
Yuuji stopped Himeji's words, and agreed with my suggestion. This was the Yuuji I knew, never letting his feelings affect his judgement and calmly making decisions according to the situation.
*stops running*
"Wait, Muttsurini, you need to escape as well. I think the key to tomorrow's battle is you."
Muttsurini stopped with me at the same time. I feel grateful for that, but I think he has a more important mission to accomplish; we can't lose him in a situation like this!
"Then it should be okay for me to stay. Right, Leader?"
Shimada stopped running, and stood beside me.
"...Can I rely on you?"
"Of course you can. Leave everything to me!"
(?)
"... (Good luck)"
Muttsurini gave us a big thumbs up, and then ran away from the scene immediately.
"...What should we do now? Leader?"
"Ah, I have an idea."
"Huh? Really?"
Shimada looked at me with disbelief.
Wha--- It seems like she doesn't trust me. What an impolite vice leader.
"I don't want to end up in the Remedial Room either, leave this to me!"
"Found them! Yoshii and Shimada from Class F!"
"Kill them!"
The enemies approached us quickly. Hasegawa-sensei was there as well.
"Class B students! Stop there!"
To decrease their morale, I purposely used strong language to stop them.
"You are pretty brave. Do you think you can stop us with only two of you?"
"No, before we fight I have something to say to Hasegawa-sensei."
If we showed our enemies any weakness, we would lose control of the situation, so I continued speaking strongly.
(Yoshii, what are you thinking? Are you going to complain to Hasegawa-sensei and say that they disobeyed the pact?)
(Well leave it to me, I have an idea.)
I whispered softly to Shimada who was starting to worry. Ah, she worries too much.
"What is it, Yoshii?"
Hasegawa-sensei walked to the front. She was still trying to catch her breath, maybe she needed more exercise?
"Do you know that Class B disobeyed the pact?"
If she was a teacher, she wouldn't stand beside students who were disobeying the rules. That's definitely true for someone who was responsible for being a judge.
(That cunning Nemoto must have thought of a good excuse.)
"From what I have heard, the one who broke the pact was Class F, wasn't it? If you are complaining that you got attacked because of this, before saying anything about the pact, you should check your personality first shouldn't you?"
The teacher's comment was a little rude. Nemoto must have twisted the facts when he was explaining the situation to Hasegawa-sensei, just as Shimada said.
(It is just as I imagined, so what are you planning to do?)
"..."
(I am looking forward to your strategy.)
Shimada winked.
Confronted by her expectation, I made the following reply.
"We are dead..."
"This guy's an idiot!"
How rude!
"Sakamoto! Yoshii... Is... Is he going to be all right?"
"Of course! I can't make any guarantees about the others, but he will definitely have no problem."
"But..."
"He is not really good at studying. However, even if you get a bad result, it is not everything right?"
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"That idiot... He is not a normal Punishment Bearer."
"Shokanju Summon!"
Four enemies summoned their Shokanjus at the same time.
We kept on running, but the corridor was full of dead ends. It was just a matter of time before we arrived in the battle area.
"Yoshii, what should we do?"
"You're asking me?"
"Then who should I ask?! Anything is fine, just think of something!"
Shimada and I were running side by side and shouting to each other at the same time.
"Okay, I got it! Shimada, you try to take them on!"
"Okay okay, and then?"
"My chances of escaping will be higher."
"I will definitely finish you off one day!"
Now we were at the end of the corridor. There was only a wall with a window in front of us.
"Shimada, summon your Shokanju now."
"Summon it?"
"Then use it to receive damage instead of me."
"Go die!"
"Wa! Why did you suddenly go berserk? Are you a berserker?"
I kept running, while dodging the punches that Shimada threw at me.
Damn. Now we were at a dead end.
I rested my back on the wall and looked forward, and saw the enemies getting closer and closer.
"You guys must be very tired of running around!"
"By the way, do we really have to chase them?"
"There is nothing else we can do. While we were foolishly playing with them, Sakamoto's group escaped."
"Then let's finish them and go back!"
When they realized we had nowhere to run, the four of them looked like they had used up all their energy and started chatting in front of us.
Since there is no reason to chase us, why not just let us go!?
"Oi, are you done chatting?!"
Shimada was angry and scolded them when she saw that they were being so impolite. Oh, in a situation like this, she was still very aggressive.
"... Ah!"
"What?"
"You really are the lousiest class."
How dare he say something like that! I must say something back!
"We are not the lousiest class! It's just the students that are lousy!"
"Yoshii, shut up!"
Huh? I was trying to fight back, why is she so angry?
"Don't look down on us just because we are Class F!"
"Oh really? What can those from the lowly Class F do?"
"See for yourself! Shokanju Summon!"
Shimada shouted out and the Chibi Shimada that I had seen many times before appeared.
"This is what I will do! I'll make you taste the difference in our ability!"
The guy from Class B who was quarreling with Shimada also summoned his Shokanju. It held its knife and dashed towards us. Although the enemy couldn't do any complicated moves, it had enough power.
"You!"
Shimada let her Shokanju rush forward.
The enemy's strong attack hit Shimada's Shokanju and---
Mathematics
159 VS 171
"You, are you really from Class F?"
No, they had the same ability! What's going on?
"He he, it is your fault for choosing mathematics. For this subject, it doesn't matter if I don't understand kanji[12]!"
Oh, Shimada is so cool!
"By the way, Shimada, what's your score for Ancient Literature?"
"Just a single digit!"
She is so certain! That's also cool!
"Kudo, do you need help? You don't want to be sent to the Remedial Room, do you?"
"Damn, please help me!"
Kudo regretted it and bit his lips. It was really a shame to ask for help when fighting Class F.
The situation was looking bad for Shimada. Both Shokanjus were using their weapons and fighting with all their strength. Neither of them could leave now. If the number of enemies increased, she would definitely lose.
"Shimada, do you need help? You don't want to be sent to the Remedial Room like this right?"
"You'll just get in my way!"
"How mean!"
I regretted it and bit my lips. She's so mean!
However, this was no time for jokes. No matter how tired I was, I shouldn't just run away in a situation like this. It was time for me to join the battle.
"Shokanju Summon!"
A familiar magical circle appeared beside me. The Shokanju that had the same amount of fighting ability as my mathematics score, slowly revealed itself.
Its strong-looking face!
Its sturdy body!
Its fast and swift moves!
Its absolute strength.
"Don't worry about Yoshii! You can see he's just a weakling!"
"Pay me back! Pay me back my handsome descriptions!"
"Go away, you weakling!"
"Shimada, are you really my partner? Why are you insulting me?"
It was true that my Shokanju only had a bokutou[13] on its hand and looked very weak.
Now I was surrounded by enemies (one of them being my classmate)!
"Now we're in trouble."
Shimada's face was slightly twisted.
Although she could win against the enemies, the difference between the scores was small. It was obvious that Shimada had consumed a huge amount of marks.
"Farewell!"
The Class B student controlled her Shokanju and attacked; Shimada's Shokanju couldn't dodge it. Now is the time for me to show up!
"Taste my kick!"
I made my Shokanju dash forward and trip my enemy from the side.
"Ah!"
Underestimating my ability and being unfamiliar with controlling a Shokanju, the enemy tripped over easily.
"This is not the end of it!"
I used my bokuto and swung towards the enemy, hit it into the ground. Now is the time!
"Ah----"
My Shokanju quickly grabbed the back of the head of the enemy Shokanju, and thrust its head towards the ground.
Boom! It made a loud noise that could be heard anywhere along the corridor.
"Huh?"
Everyone said that at the same time.
The result of the battle was decided instantly.
Mathematics
166 VS 51
The score of the battle just now appeared in the air.
This is so embarrassing! Her score is three times more than mine!
"What! Sanada's score is higher right? Why was she defeated by such a weak Shokanju?"
Kudo from Class B complained to the teacher. This had nothing to do with the teacher, what can you get from her?
"Huh? My Shokanju is still alive?"
The Shokanju that was beaten into the ground stood up, the power was really not enough...
"Yoshii, what happened?"
"Ah... I guess these are maybe the few advantages of being a Punishment Bearer?"
From everyone's performance in the war against Class D, I realized that controlling Shokanju was not an easy task.
The extraordinary power and the difference in size, all made controlling Shokanju more difficult. Therefore everyone only used dash attacks or simple attack methods, and let the scores determine the result.
"What do you mean by advantages?"
"In other words, I am accustomed to controlling my Shokanju!"
As a Punishment Bearer I had summoned my Shokanju countless times, and the pain and fatigue that were reflected back at me gave me a few advantages---- it forced me to make my Shokanju perform more complicated actions. If I only knew how to perform simple actions such as "run" or "swing the knife," I could never do those extra jobs given to me.
"It must have been a fluke!"
The enemy raised its knife again and attacked me. However her terrified expression made me a little bit happy.
"Ha!"
Facing the enemy's knife, I made my Shokanju block its attack. As the score showed, our power difference was threefold. If I took the damage directly, the bokuto would definitely break into two, so I must defend the attack by diverting the enemy's attacking force.
"Ah!"
The enemy's knife was thrown sideways, and its body was open for attack.
"Haaa!"
I made my Shokanju dash forward to hit it on its waist, then gave it another hit on its head.
Mathematics
126 VS 51
The value shown had made a few changes. Even though I bullied the enemy like this, we still had a huge gap in our power. My Syokanju is really weak!
"We better take them seriously!"
"Although I don't want to bully Class F like this, we can't just stand here and watch this mess."
The other two people at the back walked out. No matter what, this situation was just too bad right?
"Ah, wait a minute. At least make it fair, two versus two!"
"Yoshii, you are mistaken, it's not four against two anymore."
"Huh? Has backup arrived?"
"It is five versus one now!"
"Shimada, do you intend to betray me?"
Just how much does she dislike me?
"I'm coming, take this!"
Along with some useless shout, the enemies' Shokanju attacks came. I let my Shokanju duck to dodge the attacks.
"This guy!"
"The undead guy!"
Wa! The number of enemy Shokanjus had just increased by two! Was this the so called "death by dismemberment" punishment?
The enemy Shokanjus stood side by side and rushed towards me. I should avoid being surrounded before trying to defeat them.
"We should be able to kill him in one hit..."
"But none of our attacks land on him..."
"This guy is just like Metal Slime."
I am not that weak!
"Hey!"
I angrily dashed into one of the enemy and gave him a punch to the stomach, right on target!
And I hurt my hand. That was the result of the reacting force.
"Should we start now?"
"Damn! I'm retreating for now!"
Kudo realized that he couldn't win in a one on one fight so he decided to retreat. He wasted a lot of marks in the fight just now, so it was a good idea to run away. Now it became three versus two--- No, Shimada had also spent a lot of marks too, so it is now three versus one.
"Shimada, now!"
I gave an instruction to Shimada who was not being attacked by the enemies at the moment, and who was looking towards the fire extinguisher I used before.
"Roger!"
Shimada picked up the fire extinguisher and pulled out the safety switch. Now we should be able to run away-----
"..."
--but she was not moving. What's going on?
"Quickly, use it!"
"Ah, I wonder what should I do?"
She had an extremely smug look on her face.
"Sh-Shimada! What do you want?"
Shimada decided to reveal her true colors in such a dire situation! It was very hard to fight against three opponents at the same time!
"What do I want? Ah, right----"
"I will do anything you want!"
"Then, firstly, let's change how we call each other!"
"I will do it! Please!"
"Then, I will call you Aki, and you will call me Minami-sama."
"Mi-Minami-sama! Is that fine?"
"This holiday, I feel like going to 'La Pedice' in front of the station, and eating some crêpes there."
"Damn! I only live on salt water! How can you even consider such an expensive idea--- Ah! Okay okay, I will treat you, Minami-sama! Please, I will treat you, just don't leave me alone!"
"Good, and one last thing."
"More? Give me a break!"
Shimada looked really happy.
"Say you will love me forever."
What! This is like looting a burning house! I will remember this!
"You will love me forever."
I repeated exactly what she told me. Now she shouldn't have any complaints right?
"Idiot!"
(Blowing sound)
The fire went out.
We had white powder all over our bodies and barely escaped with our lives.
But why did Shimada look like she was in a bad mood?
"Ah----I'm exhausted!"
"Y-Yoshii! Are you alright?"
Himeji opened the door and dashed out. Her bouncing breasts were really dazzling.
"Yeah. This is nothing---- Ah, it hurts!"
Shimada fiercely stepped on my foot. For some reason Shimada was really angry with me today.
"Humph!"
"S-Shimada, what did I do wrong?"
(Scary stare!)
"Ah, n, no, Minami..."
That murderous gaze was focused on me now.
Although she specially gave me permission to drop the "sama" honorific, the name I used for her couldn't be reverted.
I really couldn't get used to calling her Minami in such a short amount of time.
"Why did the relationship between you two become so good?"
"Huh? You mean us?"
If our relationship was good, she wouldn't be stepping on my feet and threatening me at the same time, would she?
"Ah, you're back? Thanks for all your hard work."
"You look fine."
"Yeah, I'm back."
Yuuji and Hideyoshi walked out as well. Muttsurini didn't seem to worry about us so much, but he also slightly nodded towards me.
"Then everyone."
"Huh?"
Yuuji looked at everyone and said,
"Here's the current situation. It looks like Class C is our enemy. Since they haven't attacked us yet, they will be declaring war on us immediately after this war ends. To be honest, we don't really stand a chance if we fight Class C immediately after Class B."
They are probably thinking the same thing. Even if we win this war, they won't give us any time to rest, and will attack us immediately.
"Then what should we do? Even if we win this war, we will only be an easy target for Class C right?"
"That's true..."
"Don't worry."
Confronted by a troubled group, Yuuji stared with his energetic wild look and said,
"Since they are going to attack like this, I will counter their attack in my way."
"Your way?"
"Yeah, I will return them a big favour tomorrow morning."
We were dismissed after that and continued the War tomorrow.
The Seventh Question
Please answer the following question:
What are the comparative and superlative forms for the words "good" and "bad"?
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
"good — better — best
bad — worse — worst"
Teacher's Comment:
Correct Answer.
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
"good — gooder — goodest"
Teacher's Comment:
I am surprised that you made such a common mistake. The comparative and superlative for good and bad is not just adding "er" and "est"; don't forget it next time.
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
"bad — butter — bust"
Teacher's Comment:
The meanings of these three words are 'bad', 'butter', 'bust'.[14]
"I am going to use the hidden strategy that I mentioned yesterday."
This was the first sentence Yuuji said when he came to school the next morning.
"Strategy? It's still not time for the war yet, right?"
The time now was 8:30 a.m. and the war was scheduled to continue at 9:00 a.m.
"I am not using it on Class B; our target is Class C."
"Ah, I see. What are you planning to do?"
"I plan to let you, Hideyoshi, wear this."
Yuuji took a female uniform out from his bag after he said that.
The uniform used black and red as its base color. It was a rare piece of artistic work for people in society and students from other schools.
Come to think of it, Yuuji, how did you get hold on this? What had happened to you?
"No problem, but why do you want me to wear this?"
Hideyoshi, as a guy you should care a bit more shouldn't you?
By the way, after wearing it Hideyoshi looked more like a girl, almost like his twin sister in Class A---
"I would like you to act like Kinoshita Yuuko, and pretend to be a messenger from Class A."
I see, that's why he wants Hideyoshi to wear a female uniform!
Hideyoshi had a twin sister in Class A. They looked exactly the same, just like monozygotic twins. The differences between them were their test results and the way they spoke.
In other words, pretend to be his sister, and using the name of Class A, put pressure on Class C?
"Hideyoshi, quickly go and change your uniform!"
"Oh, OK..."
Hideyoshi took the uniform from Yuuji, and changed into the uniform in front of them.
What's wrong? What is this strange feeling in my chest? Although he is a guy, I just cannot take my eyes away from him!
"..." *Sounds of picture being taken*
Silent Pervert used the speed that almost gets his finger on fire and kept pressing the button on the camera.
Luckily, I am not the only one having this strange feeling.
"OK, I have finished changing. Huh? What's wrong with you guys?"
Our faces must have looked very complicated I think?
"What should I say? I'm not very sure either!"
"You guys are so strange."
No, it is your outlook that is strange! Why do you look so pretty?
"Then, let's go to Class C."
"Yeah."
Yuuji left the classroom with Hideyoshi.
"Ah, I want to go as well."
I quickly followed them.
I had been thinking about this yesterday. There was a very long distance between Class C and Class F. Although this was mostly due to the different sizes for each classroom, I still hoped the school could build it in a simpler way.
We continued walking, and eventually stopped in front of Class C classroom.
"I am sorry, Hideyoshi. You need to go in alone."
Since he needed to pretend to be a Class A messenger, Yuuji and I who were Class F members couldn't stay beside him. Therefore we planned to hide somewhere and observe how things went.
"I don't really feel like going..."
Hideyoshi looked very unwilling to do it. That's understandable, pretending to be his sister and cheating the enemy is not a good experience to go through.
"We are counting on you."
"Ah...There is no other way..."
"Sorry, but please provoke them as hard as you can. Make them hate Class A from the bottom of their hearts. I think you should be able to do it."
Hideyoshi is a genius in acting, with the nickname of 'Star of the Drama Club'. Although he is not good at studying, his performance in other areas is pretty impressive.
"Ah...Don't put too much hope in me..."
Hideyoshi sighed and powerlessly walked towards Class C. He looked very unhappy. Could he really cheat them in his current condition?
"Yuuji, are you sure Hideyoshi is fine? I think we better switch to another plan..."
"I think there should be no problem."
Really? I kept on feeling that Hideyoshi looked like he didn't want to do it at all. I just hope that his acting skill weren't affected by his mental instability.
"I'm worried..."
"Shhhhh! Hideyoshi is going into the classroom."
Yuuji put his finger to his mouth. We were so far away; they shouldn't be able to hear us. However it was better to play it safe so let's just follow what Yuuji said.
*Sounds of door opening* We heard the sound of the door that Hideyoshi opened.
"You dirty pigs, shut up now!"
...Wow.
"Hideyoshi really lived up to his name."
"Yeah, there is no better way to provoke them than this."
Even if he didn't say anything, Class C's hatred toward Class A should rise dramatically I think?
"W-What did you say!"
The shout must have come from the Class C class leader, Koyama. I could feel the anger in her words without looking at her face. This was expected, they got scolded like pigs without knowing what was going on...
"Don't talk to me! Or your disgusting pig smell will spread to me as well!"
You walk up to them yourself and then blame them for spreading pig stench? Wow, aren't you overreacting?
"You're the Kinoshita from Class A right? Don't think that you can be so arrogant just because your test results are good. What are you doing here in our classroom?"
In terms of notoriety in the school, Kinoshita Yuuko was more famous than Hideyoshi. Also, Hideyoshi was wearing a female uniform now; there was no way they could see through him. Besides that, he had successfully provoked them, which has lowered their judging ability. This was just perfect.
"For me, the most unacceptable thing is that Class A's classroom is built beside this ugly and smelly classroom! For people like you, a pig sty is more than enough!"
"What! Are you trying to say that we are on the same level as Class F?"
Oi, Koyama! He never said anything about Class F!
"Although I don't feel like dirtying my hands, I will give you a special offer and let you go straight into the pig sty."
Is this the minimum level of acting skill required to get into drama club? Or is our school just too weird?
"You guys are preparing for a Test Summoning War right? Make sure you are well prepared, as we are going to clean out all of you dirty pigs later!"
After Hideyoshi said that, he purposely stomped hard onto the ground while he was leaving the room.
"Was that ok?"
Hideyoshi looked refreshed and walked towards us.
"Yeah, you have done well."
"We have no time to bother with an opponent like Class F! Everyone, prepare for the war against Class A!"
The scary shouts came from the Class C leader Koyama. It looked like the plan was going very smoothly for us. Still, why was I feeling a little bit guilty?
"The plan is successfully done. We should start our preparations for the war against Class B."
"Ah, OK."
There was no time to get distracted by minor things. The Test Summoning War was going to start in ten minutes.
We quickly walked back to the Class F classroom.
"Make good use of the doors and walls! Do not make the fighting area bigger!"
Hideyoshi's instruction echoed in the battlefield.
At exactly nine o'clock, the war against Class B officially started. We resumed from the position we were in the war yesterday, which was right in front of Class B's classroom, and started attacking.
According to Yuuji's instructions, our aim was to keep the enemies in the classroom.
While we were following those instructions, there was a new problem.
Something was not quite right with Himeji.
Although she was supposed to be the commander, she hadn't given any instructions at all. Besides that, it seemed that she was not willing to take part in the war. What happened to her?
"Try to use only one subject at a time to defeat the enemy! Keep an eye on the backup!"
Therefore the person who was leading the troop now was the vice commander, Hideyoshi. He followed Yuuji's instructions and achieved several objectives in just a few hours.
"The left entrance is under counter-attack by the enemies!"
"We are lacking in the Classical Literature force. We need backup!"
The left entrance that was under enemy attack was supervised by Takenaka-sensei right?
That didn't sound good at all. There were a lot of students in Class B who were good in literature related subjects. If we didn't counter their attack with our strong fighters, it might give them a chance to break through our troops.
"Himeji, please provide support to the left wing!"
In Yuuji's plan, Himeji had an important task to do in the afternoon. Although I felt sorry for troubling Himeji so early, it couldn't be helped.
"Ah, th-that..."
At this important moment Himeji didn't join the fight immediately. She looked like she was going to cry; panicking and walking around. That was not looking good; the enemies were going to break through!
"Haaa!"
I shouted, pushed through the crowd, and dashed towards the left entrance.
After that I whispered something to the supervising teacher Takenaka-sensei.
"Bla~bla...if this is announced...your image..."
"!"
Takenaka-sensei pushed my head low, and started to look around.
I never imagined that I would need to use the threatening information I prepared in case of emergency--- Classical Literature version! This was not part of the plan.
"I-I need to leave for a while!"
Just as I expected, we had a bit more leeway now.
"Those who still have some classical literature marks head towards the left entrance! Those who consumed their marks immediately go to replenish it!"
This was just a temporary solution, but it should solve the problem for now.
Now is the time.
"Himeji, what's wrong?"
I quickly asked Himeji what I was wondering. I didn't know what happened, but it looked like there was something wrong with her. Not knowing the cause would put us at a disadvantage in the war.
"A-Ah, I am fine!"
Himeji quickly shook her head, her long hair also swung around according to her action. Her action was so exaggerated.
It was obvious that there was something wrong with her.
"There must be something wrong right? Can you let me know if there is anything? Maybe what you say might affect our plan."
"R-Really it's nothing at all!"
She kept on denying it, but she looked like she was going to cry at any time. There must be something wrong with her!
"The subject at the right entrance has been changed to Modern Japanese!"
"What happened to the mathematics teacher!"
"Maybe kidnapped by Class B!"
Even the right wing's subject had been changed into one that Class B was good at, we were in serious trouble now!
"I am going to fight!"
Himeji quickly ran out and planned to join the fight after she said that. However---
"Ah..."
She suddenly stopped moving and turned her head down.
What happened? It looked like Himeji saw something and then behaved like that.
I looked towards the direction that Himeji was looking at.
At the end of the sight was a bastard leaning at the window and looked down on us--- Nemoto.
What did Nemoto do?
It was not very clear from where I stood, so I started to look carefully but I didn't see anything special---
"!"
Suddenly, something in his hand jumped into my sight.
It was a very normal item. It was not hard to get it, but it was also something that you could not buy.
The item in his hand was---
The letter that the shy Himeji wanted to hide from me three days ago.
"I see, so that is what happened!"
I was wondering when I heard about the treaty with Class B. That cheap and cunning Nemoto would never suggest such a fair treaty.
It seemed that he was planning to paralyze Himeji. If that was the case, then it was reasonable for him to suggest such a treaty. If Himeji couldn't fight, that treaty would be very beneficial for Class B.
It really was a good tactic. There was neither any loss, nor any risks involved.
"Himeji."
"Y-Yes..."
"Since you are not feeling well, don't force yourself to join the fight. The Test Summoning War hasn't ended, you need to take care of your health."
"Yes."
"OK, I have something else to do and need to leave now."
"Ah..."
Although Himeji looked like she wanted to say something, I just turned away from her and ran away from the scene because I had something more important to deal with.
"Nemoto, you have done something very interesting."
I couldn't stop myself from saying something like that.
That bastard, I must kill him at any cost!
"Yuuji!"
"Huh? What's up, Akihisa? Are you running away from the war? If you are I will use scissors to stab you!"
When I rushed back to the classroom, Yuuji was writing something on the notebook. When I took a closer look, it had all the information for both the enemies and our sides remaining forces.
"I need to talk to you."
"Then I shall force myself to listen to you!"
Now I had no time to reply his joke, and it seemed that Yuuji realized that my attitude was different from normal. He looked at me seriously, so I looked at him with a serious face as well.
"I need the uniform that Nemoto is wearing right now."
"What happened to you?"
D-Damn! This sounds like I am a pervert!
"Ah, no, that, er..."
Actually I wanted the letter in the uniform, but I couldn't explain it... what should I do? If I don't clarify, I will become a guy who is a pervert that wants a uniform that is worn by another guy. I would definitely face the destiny of cruel questioning.
"Sure, no problem. When we win the war, I will think of a way to get it for you."
He agreed? Don't give me this reaction! It was just like saying "It's not surprising that you have such interests!"
On the other hand, I couldn't explain the situation. Darn... Although it was painful, I could only accept this misunderstanding for now.
"Is that it?"
Yuuji looked at me with a helpless face. Of course that was not all I wanted.
"Also, I hope you don't send Himeji into this fight."
"What is the reason?"
"I can't say."
Although Himeji was going to tell him later, this was not something for me to let him know.
"I can't send her no matter what the situation is?"
"Yes, no matter what the situation is."
Yuuji used his hand to support his chin, considering the request that I had just made.
The request I made now was really unreasonable.
Not using Himeji in the fight against Class B did not just greatly reduce our fighting ability, it was also a suicidal action. It was very possible that we would lose this war because of this request, and Yuuji would need to take responsibility for the result.
"I am begging you, Yuuji!"
I bowed deeply towards Yuuji.
I also understood that this request was too selfish. Not only would it fail to give Yuuji any benefit for accepting my request, he would need to bear a huge amount of danger. Honestly if I were him, I would not accept such an unreasonable request like this without explaining the situation.
"I can agree only on one condition."
"A condition?"
"You will take the mission that is planned to be done by Himeji. I don't care how you do it; you must accomplish it at any cost."
However Yuuji accepted my request, he really was made of a higher caliber than me.
"Of course, leave it to me! I will definitely complete the mission!"
The corner of Yuuji's lip slightly rose.
"So what should I do?"
"Attack Nemoto at the right time with any subject."
"Any backup?"
"None. The class B entrance needs to be blocked."
"Your requirement is really hard to meet!"
I am in big trouble now.
The fight now was at both entrances of the Class B classroom. Because of the location, the fight could only be done one by one. This was a key step for earning more time in order to achieve Yuuji's plan. To get close to Nemoto, who set up a formation in the classroom, one must have a very strong individual fighting ability. That's right, someone with similar power as Himeji, and I did not have such power.
"What happens if I fail?"
"Failing is not an option; you must accomplish the task even if it costs your life."
He spoke in a very strong tone that was totally different from normal. It seemed that this mission was closely related to the whole strategy.
What should I do? How can I accomplish this mission?
"Well, I am counting on you now."
Yuuji stood up and prepared to leave the classroom, leaving me who was in deep thought just now.
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"I am going to Class D to give them instructions. It is about the agreement last time."
Class D... Most probably about that air conditioner machine outside their classroom.
It was not important. What should I do, how can I accomplish the mission for Himeji...
"Akihisa."
Before Yuuji walked out the classroom, he turned his back to me and said:
"Your test results are really bad; however, just as Hideyoshi and Silent Pervert, you have something that others can't compete with. That's why I can trust you so much."
"Yuuji..."
"Do it well, I won't change the plan."
After saying that, Yuuji left the classroom.
What I am good at? My adept syokanju controlling technique is useless when fighting in a confined area.
"Ah!"
Although it was not really an advantage, I still had one special technique compared to the others. There was a way to complete the mission which could only be done by someone who had scores as low as mine. However it needed a lot of determination.
"It must be very painful!"
Just imagining what was going to happen caused a huge pain to go through my body.
The amazing thing was that I gathered my resolution easily.
"OK! Now is the time to teach the evil person a good lesson!"
I gave my cheek a few good slaps to cheer myself up.
Now there is a way, with a high success rate, and it can be done if I have courage! I have no reason to run away. Consequences? Who cares!
"Minami! Muto and Kimishima! Come and help me for a while!"
I shouted to the three people who were in the middle of testing to replenish their score.
"What happened?"
"What for?"
"I am in the middle of a test now."
The three of them have consumed a lot of marks in the battle yesterday, so their mission was to take tests to replenish their scores.
"Stop the test, come and help me. It is a mission that will decide the result of this war."
"It sounds pretty important."
"Yeah, no joking from now."
"What should I do?"
"Duel against my Syokanju."
"Are the two of you serious?"
The supervisor for syokanju duel from Class D--- English teacher Endo-sensei, reminded us again.
"Yeah, of course."
"I am going to duel with this idiot sooner or later."
Minami and I stared at each other.
"But there is no need to come all the way to Class D and fight, is there?"
Just as the teacher said, we purposely came to Class D to duel. Also both of us were Class F students, around us were Class F students as well. This must be a very strange situation for Endo-sensei.
"There is nothing we can do about it, this idiot is 'Kansatsu Shobunsha.' If we are fighting in the lousy Class F classroom, the power of the Syokanju will definitely make the whole classroom collapse."
"Both of you, please think about it again!"
"No, I have decided. If I don't repay what she normally does to me, I can never sleep peacefully."
"Alright. There is a saying: two might understand each other better after the fight, it seems that this is also part of education!"
Endo-sensei deeply sighed and stayed away from us after saying that.
Now we can summon our syokanjus.
I took a deep breath, and spoke loudly.
"Syokanju Summoning---"
The familiar syokanju appeared in front of my eyes. Although there were a lot of troubles for being a "Kansatsu Shobunsha," this was the first time I felt thankful for having this title.
"Go!"
Minami's syokanju appeared in the scene to reply my fighting will. I made my other self hold it's bokuto tightly, so tight that the bokuto almost became one with its hands, and dashed towards the enemy. Go!
Facing the enemy that had the wall at its back, my syokanju made use of the inertia produced from the dash and swung out a strong punch.
*PONG*
"Darn!"
The act was too obvious and the enemy dodged it easily.
After that, the pain from the Syokanju's punch on the way bounced back to me.
"OHHH!"
I commanded my Syokanju to give a more powerful hit.
The enemy easily dodged to the side and the punch landed onto the hard wall again.
"Ouch..."
My fist suffered a great pain again.
The hit that was enough to shake the whole classroom, would also have a huge reaction force. There was a huge amount of pain going from the top of my head to the bottom of my leg and it gave me a sickening feeling.
"Aki, we are running out of time."
Minami looked at the clock on the wall and said.
It was now two fifty-seven in the afternoon, only three minutes away from the starting time of the mission.
"Isn't it about time for you to give up? Using so many people to block the entrance of the classroom, it makes the classroom so hot."
The voice of Class B's class leader, Nemoto, came from far away.
"What? The gutless Lord Class Leader of Class B is planning to surrender now?"
The familiar voice that replied belonged to Yuuji. Since Himeji couldn't join the fight, so he needed to use our main troops and commanded them?
"HA!"
The Syokanju moved again.
That huge move still failed to hit the enemy.
It looked like the syokanju lost the ability to learn and kept on hitting the wall with full power. Before the pain faded away, a new pain appeared immediately.
"What? It should be you who needs to give up right?"
"It is none your concern."
"Oh really? Even though the condition of your savior, Himeji, is not looking good?"
"For opponents like you, there is no need to bother Himeji. I left her to rest at the back."
"Hmph! It seems you are pretty good in talking, loser class leader."
"Loser? If you are talking about Class F, you will be enjoying that feeling very soon."
"HA!"
This is the fourth attack.
The warm liquid dripped down from my fist.
When I looked at it, it seemed that I had lost quite a lot of blood. There was a small pool of blood on the ground now.
"There is a loud noise from the wall for a long time, what is going on?"
"Who knows? Maybe you are too disgusting and cause others to give you some trouble?"
"Hmph, say whatever you like, the winner will be decided soon. Everyone, dash out together!"
"Reform the ranks! Step back first!"
"What? Boasting and running away at the same time?"
"Aki, it is about time."
"Yeah, I know."
I gave the comrades around me a signal with my eyes.
Everyone nodded silently.
"Yoshii, Shimada, what are you planning to do?"
Endo-sensei suddenly turned back and looked at us.
I needed to finish the job before he realized our fake duel and recalled the syokanjus.
"OHHHHHH!"
I used all my force and roared.
It must be done in the fifth time! There is no turning back!
"I will leave the rest to you, Akihisa."
After luring all the main troops away, Yuuji used his usual and clear voice to make the announcement.
It is exactly three o'clock in the afternoon, the mission starts now!
"HAAAA!"
I concentrated all the syokanju's power in it's fist, and punched at the wall.
Our aim from the beginning was the wall that separated Class D and Class B. The duel with Minami was just an excuse to summon the syokanju.
"Urgh!"
The pain that ran through my whole body was stimulating the nerve.
However, only I could do this. With the price of suffering the pain that bounced back, my syokanju had the ability to touch physical objects.
*Sounds of wall collapsing*
A clear collapsing sound opened the way to Class B.
"What?"
Beyond the collapsed wall was Nemoto's face, distorted due to extreme shock.
Almost all the enemy's troop had left the classroom to chase after Yuuji's main group.
It is a rare opportunity now. Since the main troops have gone, the defense force around the class leader is extremely weak now, it is now the time to win!
"Die, Nemoto Kyoji ----"
We dashed forward and prepared to challenge Nemoto, who was still stunned because of all the sudden changes.
"Endo-sensei! Class F Shimada wants to----"
"Class B Yamamoto accepts the challenge! Syokanju Summoning!"
"Damn! It is the personal guards!"
The personal guards that remained in the classroom blocked the way in front of us.
We were only twenty meters away from Nemoto, however we were inside a small classroom which made this distance look extremely long.
"H-Hahaha! You really surprised me! However it is so unfortunate! Your surprise attack plan still failed!"
Nemoto Kyoji purposely laughed loudly in order to cover his action just now.
It was true that our surprise attack plan had failed. The personal guards already surrounded Nemoto. Since we have lower scores, we couldn't really break the current state anytime soon. However we achieved our goal.
I know this is a sudden change of topic, but let me explain the characteristic of each subject!
Every subject has a different teacher teaching it. Depending on the teacher, the situation of the test will differ as well.
For example, mathematics teacher Kiuchi-sensei marks the paper very fast.
For example, world history teacher Tanaka-sensei is very loose in terms of marking.
For example, English teacher Endo-sensei, which is in the scene now, tends to give away some marks when he is marking the paper.
Then, how about health education?
Health education teacher isn't very fast in marking papers and his marking criteria is not really loose. Also the summoning area is not very far and the teacher doesn't run very fast.
The characteristic of health education, is the teacher's---
*Sounds of people landing*
The entrance was blocked. The classroom was filled with unimaginable heat. Suddenly a student and a teacher appeared in the scene; a clear landing sound spread all over the classroom.
Because the air conditioner was broken, the windows were opened to let the air flow.
Two people climbed down from the roof using the rope, then jumped into the classroom and landed right in front of Nemoto Kyoji. That's right, the characteristic of health education was his extraordinary ability to move around.
"Class F Tsuchiya Kouta."
"You..you bastard!"
"Will challenge Class B's Nemoto Kyoji with health education."
"Silent Pervert----"
Because the personal guards were fighting us, Nemoto Kyoji had no bodyguard to protect him. Now he had no way to run.
"----Syokanju Summoning."
The short knife in Silent Pervert's syokanju hand flashed, and instantly killed the enemy.
The war against Class B officially ended here.
The Eighth Question
Please answer the following question:
Females will manifest second sex characteristic after ( ), and thus develop the feminine characteristics.
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
"Menarche"
Teacher's Comment:
Correct Answer.
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
"tomorrow"
Teacher's Comment:
Aren't you a bit too hasty?
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
"It is called menarche, the first period a female ever has. In medical terms, a period is called a menstrual period. Menarche is closely related to age and weight factors. It usually appears when the female's body weight reaches 43 kg, but the age differs between each individual. In Japan, the average age is 12 years old. There are other factors besides weight, such as race, weather and social environment that will affect the time when menarche occurs..."
Teacher's Comment:
You wrote too much.
"Akihisa, you are really desperate!"
This was the first thing that Hideyoshi told me after the war ended.
"Urgh...it hurts, really hurts..."
Anyway my hand was really hurting. Although not all the force was bounced back to me, the pain that was generated by destroying the wall barehanded was not a joke.
"This sort of strategy...really suits you."
"D-Does it? Don't you think you should praise me more?"
"This is a manly and amazing operation that forces yourself into an extremely dangerous situation and then makes use of the sense of crisis to complete it."
"...Are you trying to say that I'm an idiot?"
Destroying the wall in school was not a small matter. I was forced to stay in the teacher's office to receive psychological counseling. If this wasn't my first school misconduct, I might not have been able to go up to the next grade, or might even have been kicked out of the school.
"Well, this is the strength of Akihisa."
Yuuji tapped my shoulder.
Being idiotic is my strength? That is not something to be proud of!
"Now, let us start the meeting that make some people happy but also humiliate others. What do you think, Loser Class Leader?"
"..."
Nemoto, like a balloon without any air, quietly sat on the ground.
"Originally, I planned to take the equipment from your class, and then give you the pretty little Japanese style tables as presents. However, I could give you a special deal, which allows you to escape this punishment."
Yuuji's announcement seemed to cause some unexpected reactions.
"Calm down, everyone. I have said it before, our target is Class A. Our goal is not here."
"Yeah, he's right."
"This place is just a transition point for us. So as long as Class B agrees to our conditions, we shall spare them for now!"
Everyone in my class showed that they understood what Yuuji declared. Yuuji had said something similar when we were fighting Class D, so our classmates also understood him much better.
"...What is the condition?"
Nemoto weakly asked.
"The condition is related to you, Loser Class Leader."
"Related to me?"
"Yeah. This time you have used enough of your dirty tricks, and to tell the truth, I have disliked you since last year."
Although what Yuuji said was impolite, Nemoto really did what Yuuji said, so no one jumped out and helped him. And he seemed to understand his situation as well.
"I will give you, Class B, this one and only special chance."
Yuuji added what I asked him to get yesterday morning into the condition.
"Go to Class A and tell them, Class B is well prepared for a Test Summoning War. If you do that, I won't take your class equipment away. However remember not to declare war against Class A; or else you will not be able to avoid the war. All you need to do is to let them understand that you guys are planning to fight the war, that's all."
"...That's all?"
Nemoto's eyes were filled with disbelief. If this went according to the previous plan, this would be all we wanted from him. However...
"Yeah, as long as the Class B leader wears this and does exactly what I said just now, I will spare your life this time."
This is a tactic to get his uniform, but I think Yuuji also mixed a bit of his personal feelings into it.
"S-Stop kidding me! How dare you tell me to do such stupid act!"
Nemoto started to panic and was unable to talk properly; I think he really hates this!
"Class B members will definitely do what Lord Yuuji said!"
"Leave it to us! We will definitely make him wear this female uniform!"
"If doing this can protect the classroom equipment, we have no other choice!"
These were all the warm supports coming from the Class B members. From their actions, I could imagine what dirty stuff Nemoto normally did.
"Then we have a deal."
"Oi! D...Don't come any closer! You guys are pervert...Urgh!"
"Let him quiet down first!"
"Oh, thanks."
Suddenly, a guy from Class B gave their class leader a punch in the stomach. Even Yuuji was shocked by how fast they changed their attitude.
"Now, let's change the clothes for him. Akihisa, I will leave this to you."
"Understood."
I came closer to Nemoto, who was lying on the ground and starting to take his clothes off.
Although there was no other punishment worse than taking the clothes off of a guy, there was nothing else I could do since this was one of my purposes.
"Urgh...Urgh..."
Nemoto made some noise. Oh no, maybe he was going to wake up soon.
"Ahhhh!"
"Urgh!"
To ensure he didn't wake up, I gave him another punch. After that I took his male uniform that I was familiar with, and prepared to help him put on the female uniform.
"Err...How do I put this on?"
The female uniform was totally different from a male uniform. I didn't even know where to start.
When I was confused and didn't know what to do next----
"Let me help you."
One girl from Class B nominated herself to help.
"Really? Thanks for the help. This is a rare chance; give him some good make up as well!"
"That's impossible, because the foundation is already rotten."
That was harsh.
"I will leave this to you then."
I gave Nemoto to that girl and took his uniform away from the scene.
Maybe it was around here?
I looked around in Nemoto's uniform, and finally found an object.
"...Found it, found it."
I took the familiar looking envelope and put it into my pocket.
Now, what should I do with this uniform? Well, I decided to just throw it away., since this was an opportunity to let Nemoto enjoy the touch and feel of a female uniform on the way home.
I thought about all these things, and walked towards the Class F classroom before everyone else returned.
After throwing Nemoto's uniform into the rubbish bin, I withdrew the envelope from my pocket.
"Now it's time to return this to its rightful owner."
I put the letter into Himeji's bag which was on the table, and the mission is now officially ended.
"Yoshii!"
"What!?"
Suddenly, someone shouted behind me. I made some idiot scream, to my embarrassment.
"W-What's up?"
I looked back in panic, and saw Himeji standing right there.
"Yoshii....."
Her eyes looked like she was going to cry.
"W-What's up?"
I thought she had seen me touch her bag, so I really started to panic. All of a sudden, Himeji hugged me very tightly.
"Waaaa!"
"T-Thanks for your help...I-I really don't know what to do...."
The person who really doesn't know what to do should be me right? Damn! Is this the newly invented tactic that forces people to change the focus?
"A-Anyway you need to calm down first. If you cry like this I will be in trouble."
"Y-Yes."
To soothe Himeji, I lightly pushed her away from me.
Ah, damn! Why did I push her away! I won't get a chance like this again!
"I'm sorry, I was too excited..."
Himeji wiped her eyes which had turned a bit red after crying.
Ah! I really want to say please hug me tightly again!
"I want...want to..."
"What?"
Ah! It slipped out of my mouth! I'll be in deep trouble if I can't say something to get myself out of this!
"...to hit the wall again."
Stupid me! I really am an idiot! Are you a terrorist? Why do you want to hit the wall again!
"Er, if you do it again, you won't be able to go to the next grade..."
Yeah, I understand. I already know that. Don't look at me like that!
"...Then I need to join the others."
"Ah, please wait."
I felt really weak and tried to turn and run away, but Himeji pulled my sleeve.
"W-What's wrong?"
"Er..."
Maybe she wanted to introduce a good doctor to me? Damn! I didn't think that what I said before would bounce back to me so soon. Why do I need to face such humiliation every single time!
"The letter, thanks for your help."
Himeji lowered her head, and thanked me with a very low voice.
"It's nothing! I just accidentally found the letter and took it out from Nemoto's uniform."
"That's...a lie isn't it?"
"No, that's not true..."
"Yoshii you are really gentle. When I needed to leave my seat during the class division exam, you also stood up and shouted at the supervisor, 'She shouldn't fail just because she isn't feeling well and needs to leave!'"
Come to think of it, something like that had happened before. Because the supervisor was too cold, I couldn't help but feel mad.
"Also, this war...was started because of me right?"
"Eh? Ah, No! How could that be possible?"
"Hehe, you can't hide this anymore, because when I finished my self-introduction, I saw Yoshii ask Yuuji out to discuss something."
She saw that we were discussing something? Then I couldn't hide it anymore.
"I am really, really happy. Yoshii you are so nice, just like you were in primary school..."
What? I can't help but feel that this situation, in this scene, is very strange. I even had a numb feeling that I have never felt before. Although I didn't quite understand what happened, I didn't like this situation at all!
"T-That letter, I wish you all the best!"
Anyway let's just change the topic for now, else this might develop to a point beyond my imagination.
"Ah...Yes! I will do my best!"
Himeji smiled and answered. Looking at her smile I could not help thinking: this girl really likes Yuuji! I knew I couldn't compete with Yuuji from a long time ago. Although I didn't like it, I couldn't do anything about it.
"Then, when are you going to confess?"
Let's try to gossip a little bit, I can at least do this, right?
"Er...I think it will have to wait until everything is finished..."
Himeji's face turned red when answering my question.
"Really? I think confessing directly is much better than a letter!"
"I...is that so? Yoshii prefers that?"
"Yeah. If I was the guy, saying it in front of me would make me happier!"
Because of Nemoto, this letter has become a bad memory. I thought this was better for Himeji herself.
"Really? Don't forget what you just said!"
"Eh? Ah, I know."
My opinion might be different from Yuuji's, but Himeji looked very happy, just like she got very important advice.
"T-These clothes, the skirt is too short!"
"Don't worry about it; if you walk slowly you should be fine."
"S-Sakamoto you bastard, how dare you make me do this...."
"Stop wasting time! You have an outdoor photo shoot later, you won't make it in time if you don't hurry up!"
"W-Wait, I never heard about that before!"
Suddenly some quarreling sounds came from the corridor. It seemed that the show had started.
"What happened?"
"No idea."
Now there was a new outdoor photo shoot session besides sending a message to Class A. It seems today would be a beautiful memory that Nemoto was never going to forget.
"Anyway, good luck."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Himeji gave an energetic answer and then left the classroom. What light paces she had!
Now its time for me to return to the group.
I followed Himeji, and prepared to leave the classroom.
"...Wait, before that."
I walked towards Yuuji's seat, and took his bag.
"Let's leave some rude words in Yuuji's text book!"
I am not one of those who can congratulate a lucky guy easily!
The Ninth Question
Please answer the following question:
Please list the five basic nutrition required to maintain human life.
Himeji Mizuki's Answer:
"① Fats ② Carbohydrates ③ Proteins ④ Vitamins ⑤ Minerals"
Teacher's Comment:
Exactly what we expect from Himeji, well done!
Yoshii Akihisa's Answer:
"① Sugar ② Salt ③ Tap water ④ Rain water ⑤ Spring water"
Teacher's Comment:
Aren't you the only one who can survive with these?
Tsuchiya Kouta's Answer:
"It is called menarche, the first period since the female was born. In medical term, this period is called the menstrual period. Menarche is closely related to the age and weight factors. It usually appears when the female's body weight reached 43 kg, but the age factor would differ between each individual. In Japan, the average age is 12 years old. There are other factors beside weight, such as race, weather and social environment that will affect the time that menarche occurs..."
"Menarche may occur before the female was ten years old, which is termed isolated premature menarche. Besides that, menarche that occurred after fifteen years old is called delayed menstruation. Also, if the menarche never occurred until eighteen years old is called primary amenorrhea..."
Teacher's Comment:
I am sorry to inform you that the health education examination had ended an hour ago.
After that, I went to the teachers' office for personal lessons with them. Then I went home exhausted and fell asleep as soon as I collapsed onto my bed. I was totally fatigued and dropped into dreamland like a piece of torn cloth.
We had a meeting after the exam for replenishing our scores the next morning.
It was the final tactical meeting before facing our last opponent, Class A, and saying goodbye to the Class F classroom.
"First of all, I would like to thank everybody who helped Class F make it this far. I am really grateful for all the help you guys offered."
"Yuu...Yuuji, what's wrong with you? It is so unlike you to say something like that!"
"Yeah, I think so too, but these words come from the bottom of my heart."
I am touched by his words. Who could have ever imagined us, the Class F students, would achieve so much in this war...
"Since we made it this far, we will do everything to win the war against Class A. We will prove to the teachers together that exam results are not everything, OK?"
"YEAH---!"
"THAT'S RIGHT---!"
"There is more to life than studying!"
Before the last fight, I feel that our hearts are joined together as one.
"Thank you very much. About the fight with Class A, I plan to challenge them to a duel."
I was not surprised because I had heard about it just before the meeting. However, those hearing it for the first time seemed to be a bit shocked; the room was filled with unease.
"What does that mean?"
"Who will represent us in the duel?"
"Are you sure we can win this?"
"Calm down everyone! I am going to explain my plan now."
Yuuji slammed the table to calm everyone down.
"The people who will be dueling, of course, will be me and Kirishima Shouko."
The Class A class leader is Kirishima Shouko and the Class F class leader is Sakamoto Yuuji. If someone needed to be chosen to represent the class in a duel, it would definitely be the class leader.
I understood everything up until this point.
However, I did not understand how Yuuji could win the duel.
The enemy is Kirishima. Not only is she the head of student union, her test results are also higher than Himeji's, who is already too good for Class B students. Although this sounds really bad, but----
"Idiot Yuuji can never win against--- WAH!"
A Stanley knife suddenly flies pass my cheek. Damn you Yuuji, are you planning to kill me?
I don't think he is that cruel. No matter how bad Yuuji is, he wouldn't consider purposely killing his friends...
"Next time the target will be your ear."
It seems that I am not Yuuji's friend.
"But just as Akihisa said, Shouko is much stronger. If I directly challenge her, I might not stand a chance to win."
Since you admit you can't win, there is no need to throw that Stanley knife towards me right?
"However wouldn't it be the same as our fight against Class D and Class B? We will definitely lose if we fight with them head on."
But we have continued to win until now.
"This time it will be the same. I shall defeat Shouko and Class F will get Class A's classroom. It will not change the result that the victory will belong to us. "
Yuuji has led us to victories in the Test Summoning Wars that we thought we could never win, so although it still doesn't sound very convincing, there is no one in the class who will disagree with his ideas now.
"Leave everything to me! I shall let everyone see the power of the former 'Whiz Kid'."
"OHHHH----"
It seems that there is no need to ask everyone's opinion. We all have faith in Yuuji.
"Now, let me explain the tactic in detail... I plan to challenge her within a limited scope."
"Limited scope? Which subject do you want to pick?"
"Japanese history."
Japanese history? Even if Kirishima was not very good in Japanese history, I never heard of Yuuji being very good in it either. Why did he want to pick Japanese history?
"However I would like to limit the scope of the examination. The difficulty will be at the primary school level and the maximum score will be one hundred. Syokanjus will not be used and the result will just depend on the score in the examination."
A primary school level exam with a maximum score of one hundred?
Under these conditions, it will be generally assumed that both of them will be scoring one hundred and the person who makes the first mistake will lose. In that case, the challenge will be how focused they are. It seems there is a higher chance for us to win this compared to fighting directly.
"However if both of you have the same scores, you will get new questions right? In that case the difficulty of the questions might increase. Isn't this a disadvantage for Yuuji, who has stopped studying for a period of time?"
"Yeah, Akihisa is right."
Although it seems like we have a chance at winning in this plan, this is also a dangerous gamble. And the key person in this plan will be Yuuji?
"Hey, don't underestimate me. In any case, a tactic that purely counts on luck is not a tactic at all."
"What? Yuuji, you know how to make Kirishima lose focus in the exam?"
"No. I don't think that girl will be defeated by primary school level questions just because of her losing focus."
That's right. Besides that, the techniques that could be used in a supervised exam could never affect Kirishima. Then what can he do to win?
"Yuuji, stop hiding the plan from us! It is about time to let us know what your trump card is!"
Everyone in the class nodded after Hideyoshi had spoken.
"Ah, Sorry. The opening speech is longer than I expected."
Yuuji shakes his head, and starts talking again.
"There is only one reason that made me choose this duel. That is because I know that girl will definitely answer one question incorrectly."
One question? Which question is it?
"That question is ---- 'Taika Reform'."
"Taika Reform? Is it the sort of question asking when did who do what? Will these sorts of primary school student level questions come out in the examination?"
Although I don't think the school will prepare that sort of question for the students here, but the school which aims for encouraging students to further their studies might have questions like that.
"No, not such a detailed question. It is a much simpler one."
"You mentioned simple, could it be asking about the year?"
"Oh Hideyoshi, BINGO! It is just like what you said, if the question about the year comes out, it will be our victory."
In what year did the Taika Reform happen? Such an elementary question, will that smart Shouko answer incorrectly? Even I know that 'Nightingale cried. Taika Reform'[15], even I can remember the year using this sentence!
"Taika Reform happened in year 645. This question is so easy even Akihisa could get it right."
Please...Don't...Look at me...
"However Shouko will definitely answer this question incorrectly and victory will belong to us. At that time we can say goodbye to this lousy classroom as we planned."
Come to think of it, there is something that I have been curious about for a long time---
"Errr----Sakamoto."
"Eh? What's wrong, Himeji?"
"Do you know Kirishima...very well?"
That's right. Yuuji had been using "that girl" or "Shouko" to call Kirishima. If they didn't know each other very well, he wouldn't use such words to refer to her.
It couldn't be, that this guy in front of me... Not only Himeji likes him, even Kirishima who is smart and pretty can't escape from him?
"Yeah, she is my childhood friend."
"Everyone, GO!"
"What? Why does everyone follow Akihisa's order and hold their slippers on their hands?"
"Shut up, you are the enemy of men! We shall use you as a sacrifice before we defeat Class A!"
"What did I do wrong?"
There is no need to trade words. All men in the class reach the same agreement. I am blessed to be able to study in such a united class.
"Are those your last words? Wait, Sugawa, it is too early to take off your socks. We shall put that forbidden weapon into his mouth after we subdue him."
"Understood!"
Enemy of men, enjoy forty-seven pairs of high school male students' smelly socks!
"Err, Yoshii."
"Eh? What's up, Himeji?"
"Does Yoshii like Kirishima?"
"Ah, so-so! She is a very pretty girl!"
"..."
"Eh? Himeji, why are you preparing to attack me? And Minami, why are you holding the teacher's table and aiming at me?"
"Everybody calm down!"
Hideyoshi claps his hands loudly to stop the situation from getting worse; he is really calm.
"Humph, Hideyoshi don't you hate Yuuji?"
"Cool down and think again everyone. It is Kirishima Shouko that we are talking about right? I don't think she will be interested in males such as Yuuji."
Oh, that's right.
"Actually, she should be interested in the other person..."
"You are right."
All of us suddenly focus on one particular person.
"W-What? Could it be I did something wrong?"
Himeji starts to panic. Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. Although you didn't do anything, it is very likely that someone will do something to you.
"Anyway, Shouko and I were childhood friends, and I purposely taught her the wrong answer to that question when we were young."
Although I still doubt his relationship with Kirishima, I will let it go for now since Kirishima only likes girls.
"That girl will not forget anything she learned because she is the best student in second year."
A smart brain which will remember things easily will be the key to her failure this time.
"I will make use of this to defeat her, and change our tables to----"
"High-class system tables!"
"A duel?"
"That's right. Class F and Class A class leaders will represent their classes in a duel to decide the victory of Test Summon War."
This is the usual war declaration.
The messengers who were sent to declare war with Class A were the leader Yuuji, and the key members of our class such as Himeji, Hideyoshi, Silent Pervert and me.
If we do this every time, my uniform will not be torn all the time.
"Err, what are you guys planning?"
The person who is negotiating with Yuuji now is Hideyoshi------- 's sister Kinoshita Yuuko. She looks exactly like the female version of Hideyoshi. However, if I admit I am interested in her that would mean that I am admitting to having the same feelings towards Hideyoshi...
"Our aim is definitely winning this war."
Kinoshita Yuuko shows that she is suspecting us. That is understandable, because we are the lowest ranked class, who seeks to challenge the top student in the year --- Kirishima to a duel, which is totally unreasonable. It makes sense that she is afraid that we are planning something here.
"Although I think this is a good idea to get rid of the troublesome Test Summoning War, there is no need to take the risk."
"You are really smart!"
An expected answer, now the negotiation officially started.
"By the way, how was the war between your class and Class C?"
Yuuji crosses his hand and uses his hand to support his lower jaw. He acts calmly and said.
"Although it took a while, we were too good for them, so no problem at all."
Class C was taunted by Hideyoshi and had a war with Class A. The war only took about half a day. Now Class C is using Class D's level of equipment in class.
"Class B seems to be interested in having a war with you!"
"Class B... You mean THAT from yesterday?"
"Yeah, the quality of the class can be easily seen from the class leader. Although they haven't officially declared war, who knows what will happen later!"
"But Class B already had a war with Class F. So within the three months preparation period, they should have no right to declare war themselves right?"
One of the rules of Test Summoning War is there are three months preparation period in between wars.
The class that loses in the war will have no right to declare another war in three months. This is to prevent the losing class from challenging the winning class, and make the war become an infinite loop.
"You should know that, no matter how things appear in the war, the war was ended through a 'Peace Treaty,' so they are not restricted by this rule... Not only Class B, things are the same for Class D."
That's the reason why we didn't take away their class equipment.
"Is that a threat?"
"That doesn't sound too good; how about calling this a request?"
I have a feeling that Yuuji looks exactly like Nemoto. Using this sort of negotiation technique makes him no different from villains.
"OK, I understand. Although I don't know what you are planning, there is no way our class leader will lose. I accept your suggestion."
"Eh? Really?"
She accepted so easily. Although I never took part in the conversation, I shouted out because I was too surprised.
"Because, I really don't want to fight with a class with a class leader like THAT..."
Ah, that reminds me. Nemoto was wearing the female uniform when he went to Class A. I never imagine something like that indirectly helping our suggestion being accepted so easily, which is quite a pleasant surprise.
"But we have some conditions. This war will not only be the duel between the class leaders. That's right, let's do it like this. Both classes select five different people, and have five different duels. The class that wins three fights out of five wins the war. How about that? If that's the case, we will agree with your suggestion."
"Hmmmm..."
At first she seems to be not too wary but actually she is really alert, we shouldn't underestimate her.
"I see, you are trying to prevent us from sending Himeji?"
"Yes, even though I don't think that will be a big problem. However, if class leader Kirishima is in very bad condition and Himeji is in top form, there might be some unpredictable accidents."
This is really disrespectful to Himeji.
However, she wasn't bluffing, because Kirishima is such a scary person.
"Don't worry! I will represent our side in the fight."
"No way, I will not totally believe you."
She later said, this is a war, not a competition. And she is right.
"Really? Then I shall agree to your condition!"
I can't believe Yuuji said that.
Are you serious? Five different duels, do we stand a chance to win?
"Really? I am so happy~"
"However, we will decide the subjects. It is fine that you give us a little bit of an advantage right?"
I see, he was planning to negotiate like that. It is important for us to get the power to decide the subjects. The opponent will not be so kind to accept the one-on-one duel and to let us pick the subjects. Therefore to make them accept the condition, Yuuji chose to accept their condition of five different duels.
"Eh? Hmmm..."
Kinoshita is thinking carefully. This is a negotiation representing the class. The outcome of this negotiation can greatly affect the war, so she has to be really careful.
"Accepted!"
"WAH!"
I was shocked.
"I accept Yuuji's suggestion."
Suddenly there is a calm and powerful voice.
No one noticed when Kirishima arrived. I know that she is a quiet person, but I never knew she could hide her presence from everyone like an experienced martial artist.
"What? Class leader, are you sure?"
"In return I would like to add another condition."
"Condition?"
"Yeah."
Kirishima nods. She carefully scans Himeji from top to bottom while she is hiding behind Yuuji, and said.
"The losing side shall accept any request from the winning side."
T-This is the biggest crisis of Himeji's virginity and outlook on life! What, what, what, what should I do? If something like this happened... I would be so panicked that I couldn't even sleep! I don't even have money to get a digital camera!
"...(sound of taking photo)"
"Silent Pervert, it is too early to take pictures now! Are you planning to lose the fight on purpose?"
Why did this happen? This would definitely affect the morale of the class. Did she plan this from the beginning? Kirishima Shouko, she really lives up to the name of the head of student council, what a scary person she is.
"Then how about this: three of the subjects will be decided by you and we will decide the remaining two, what do you think?"
Although this still doesn't fully give us the advantage of deciding the topics, Kinoshita Yuuko's suggestion still gives us a slight advantage. Now, what should we do?
(Himeji, are you ok with that?)
(Eh? What are you talking about?)
(I mean if we lose, Himeji, you will be...)
(Although I am not sure what is going on, but I don't think it's a problem.)
(Accepting that so easily... are you sure? If we lose, Himeji and Kirishima will----)
"The negotiations are complete."
"Y-Yuuji! How could you decide this by yourself! Himeji hasn't agreed with the condition!"
Even if you are the class leader, this is too selfish! This is related to Himeji's happiness!
"Don't worry. I will not give Himeji any trouble."
He said it with confidence. He really thinks that we will win this for sure?
"When will the duels start?"
"Hmm, how about we begin at ten o'clock?"
"OK."
Kirishima gives people a unique feeling. The way she speaks is sort of similar to Silent Pervert.
"OK. Since the negotiations are done, let's head back to the classroom first!"
"That's right. We need to report this to the class."
After the meeting, we left Class A classroom.
The last fight is right around the corner.
"Are both of you ready?"
The supervising teacher today is Takahashi-sensei, who is the homeroom teacher of Class A, and who has helped us a lot in the recent wars. The specs she put on today have a beautiful design with intelligence, and her long legs in the tight skirt are quite charming as well.
"Yes."
"No problem."
The battlefield is Class A. Not only because it is wider here, the floor is also far superior to the lousy tatami, which could break anytime.
"The first duel officially starts now. Please stand forward."
"I will go!"
Our opponent's class sends Hideyoshi's sister, Kinoshita Yuuko.
And the person representing our class in this fight will be ------
"Allow me!"
Her brother, Kinoshita Hideyoshi.
Hideyoshi definitely knows what his sister's weakest subject is and how to disturb her concentration. The key to this duel will be how does Hideyoshi confuse his sister feeling-----
"By the way, Hideyoshi?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know Koyama from Class C?"
"What? Who is that?"
Eh? Why did I have a bad feeling about this?
"It is alright if you don't know. Can you come here for a while?"
"Eh? Sister, why are you dragging me to the corridor?"
Hideyoshi's face looks like those Class C students when they were being scolded by him while he was acting like his sister...
"Sister, it is now time for dueling------ Why are you grabbing my hand?"
"Did you do anything to Class C students? Why did I become the person who scolded Class C's student pigs?"
"Hahaha. About that, I was doing what I think is the true nature of you, sister-----Ah, sister! No... Don't turn my joint in that direction... "
(*sounds of door opening*)
Kinoshita Yuuko opens the door and walks into the classroom.
"Hideyoshi said he had something urgent to attend to and went back. Do you want to send someone else to replace him?"
"N-No... We give up in this duel."
Even Yuuji doesn't dare to say anything to oppose Kinoshita Yuuko, who is smiling and wiping the blood on her hand with her handkerchief.
Takahashi-sensei types on the notebook computer and the big screen on the wall shows the result of this fight.
Class A Kinoshita Yuuko VS Class F Kinoshita Hideyoshi
Signs of life WIN VS DEAD
No one can say for sure that Hideyoshi is still alive.
"Next."
"I will go. The subject we choose is Physics."
The person representing Class A is Sato, and the person representing Class F this time will be---
"OK, Akihisa I am counting on you."
"Eh!? Me!?"
What! I am representing my class in a duel! There is no way back if I lose!
"Don't worry, I have trust in you."
Really? Yuuji, you...
"Huh... In this case, it is about time for me to get serious."
"Yeah, there is no need to hide anymore. Let everyone here understand your true power."
"Hey, is Akihisa really strong?"
"Nope, I've never heard about it before."
"Yuuji is kidding again, right?"
Those Class F students, who are supposed to be my comrades, indeed said some very cruel comments.
Well nothing can be done about that. It is normal for them to think like that when they looked at my past performance. However, things are different today.
"You are Akihisa? Could it be...you are..."
My opponent Sato seems to have discovered something and starts trembling.
Her observation is pretty good.
"Ah, you have discovered that? You are right. I had never showed my power until now."
To prepare for the fight, I fold up my sleeves and slightly shook my wrist to warm up.
"Then you are..."
"That's right, It is just as you thought. Although I have been hiding it till now, actually I am ----"
I take a deep breath and announce to everyone in the class:
"----left handed!"
Class A Sato VS Yoshii Akihisa
Physics 389 VS 62
This is so strange. How on earth do I still lose after I showed my true power?
"You idiot! Does the examination result relate to which hand you used?"
"Mi-Minami! The reaction force is painful enough already, I beg you please stop beating me, ok?"
It seems that I can't win against an enemy who has 6 times more marks than me with just agility.
"OK, the real fight starts now."
"Wait, Yuuji! You never trusted me from the beginning!"
"Trust? What is that? Is it edible?"
I really feel like giving him a punch with my golden left hand.
"Now, the third group please prepare now."
"...(stand up)"
Silent Pervert stands up.
The power of choosing the subject starts to act in our favor now.
This is because 80% of Silent Pervert's total marks for all subjects are scored from the health education subject. In this subject, not even Class A student can challenge him.
"Then it is my turn now!"
Class A sends out a girl with short, light coloured hair who looks like a boy. Who is she, why don't I recognize her?
"Nice to meet you, I am Kudo Aiko who transferred here in the end of last semester in first year."
She has a flat body which makes her look like a boy.
"What subject do you want to select?"
Takahashi sensei asks Silent Pervert.
"Health education."
Silent Pervert selects his strongest subject.
"You are Tsuchiya right? You seem to be very confident in health education."
Kudo starts to talk to Silent Pervert. What is the situation now? She is a transfer student, so she doesn't know the true power of Silent Pervert? But she seems to be really relaxed.
"However I am also very good with this subject... unlike you, I am stronger in practical matters!"
W-What kind of announcement is that? For some reason, my heart is bouncing really hard!
"Hey, you there, you're Akihisa right? You look like you don't know how to study. Let me teach you Health Education when we have time, ok? Don't worry, I will teach you with practical exercises."
How does she know my heart is beating like mad now? And she tells everyone she wants to teach me health education!
"Ha, just what I ..."
"Aki will never have that chance, so there is no need to learn health education!"
"That's right! He never needs to learn it!"
"Shimada and Himeji, please take a look at Akihisa. He looks really sad!"
I won't be so unlucky right? Even a person like me will get the chance to use my knowledge from Health Education!
"Both sides please prepare to summon."
"O---K. Syoukanju Summoning!"
"Syoukanju Summoning!"
Syoukanjus that look very similar to their owners appear with their weapons on hand. Silent Pervert's syoukanju is the same as the one he had when fighting with Class B. Its weapon consists of two kodachi. On the other hand, Kudo's syoukanju...
"What? Why is her Tomahawk so huge?"
Her syoukanju is holding a very big Tomahawk which looks really powerful. It also wears a wristband on its hand which means it can use special ability. Oh my spirit! She is really strong!
"Let's decide who is stronger, the one who is good in theory or the one who is good in actual practice."
Kudo has a tender and beautiful smile. After that the wristband on her syoukanju begins to shine and she starts her attack.
Her syoukanju's huge Tomahawk has thunder surrounding it and she rushes towards Silent Pervert with impossible speed.
"Bye bye, Silent Pervert!"
Then, the strong hands of her syoukanju swing the Tomahawk. This is an attack that can't be dodged!
"Silent Pervert!"
Just when the tomahawk is going to cut his syoukanju into two---
"Accelerate."
The wristband on Silent Pervert's syoukanju's hand starts to shine, and its light totally covers its owner.
"Huh?"
The opponent looks like she can't understand what is going on. Not only her, even people like me have no idea what had just happened. How can Silent Pervert's syoukanju escape from the opponent's attack range?
"Accelerate end."
Silent Pervert quietly said.
All of a sudden, blood busts from every part of Kudo's syoukanju as it falls to the ground.
Class A Kudo Aiko VS Class F Tsuchiya Kouta
Health Education 446marks VS 572 marks
In-incredible! His score might be higher than the sum of all my subject scores!
"In the war against Class B, he wasn't in his top form."
Yuuji starts to explain to me, who is in total shock at the moment. I never knew that Silent Pervert can be so scary when he concentrates!
"Im-Impossible...How could I..."
Kudo is kneeling on the ground, she looks like she is really shocked as well.
"It is 2 VS 1 now, who's next?"
Takahashi-sensei still continues the competition with her emotionless face. It looks like she doesn't really care even if the students from her class lose.
"Ah, y-yes, it is my turn now."
We definitely send out Himeji, who is the only person in Class F that can fight with Class A students directly.
"Then I will be your opponent!"
The person who walks out from Class A is---- Kubo Toshimitsu!
"You finally appear, vice president of student council."
Yes, his name is Kubo Toshimitsu!
His ability is just below Himeji, ranked third in the second year. He is the vice president of second year student council because Himeji didn't perform well in the class dividing test.
"This is the fight that I worry about the most."
Yuuji has his point for worrying.
Kubo's ability is almost as good as Himeji's. The difference between their total scores is less than twenty. Now that Himeji has been fighting for the last few days, we can't really say for sure she can win this....
"What is the subject?"
Takahashi-sensei asked them.
By the way, whose side has the right to choose the subject now? Hideyoshi's fight is a real mess and I have no idea now.
"I choose the sum of all subjects."
Just when I am thinking deeply, Kubo simply answers the teacher's question.
"Hey wait a second! Don't simply decide----"
"It is fine with me."
"Himeji?"
Himeji stops me from protesting. Are you sure you will be fine?
"Then......"
Same as the last few fights, Takahashi-sensei continues to maneuver on the computer.
Both side summon their syoukanjus, the duel is decided within seconds.
Class A Kubo Toshimitsu VS Class F Himeji Mizuki
Sum of all subjects 3997 marks VS 4409 marks
"Really?"
"When did she improve so much?"
"With scores like this, she can even challenge Kirishima Shouko!"
Voices of surprise came from everywhere.
The difference is more than four hundred? Although I knew that Himeji is really strong, this is not a score that a normal human can get!
"Damn! Himeji, how did you get so strong......"
Kubo is regretting now, and questioned Himeji. Their ability was about the same until recently. No one expects the difference to be so huge, that's why he is concerned about it.
"I-I like everyone in the class, and Class F is the class with classmates who are willing to sacrifice for others without asking for anything."
"You like Class F?"
"Yes. That's why I can continue working hard."
Himeji's words are so comforting.
Really? Himeji, you actually like Class F, a class formed by stupid male students. However I am in this class, which makes me feel really warm deep inside my heart.
"The score now is 2 VS 2."
Takahashi sensei had slight changes in her look, which is rather strange. Is it because of Himeji's incredible growth or the fact that Class F can actually fight against Class A?
"The last duel, both sides please prepare."
"OK."
The person walking out for Class A is the strongest enemy---- Kirishima Shouko.
The person we sent from our class is definitely---
"It is my turn now."
The one and only, Sakamoto Yuuji.
"The subject is?"
Maybe it's because they think there is no way Kirishima Shouko will lose, there isn't any noise coming from Class A. They just quietly look at both of them.
"I would like to choose Japanese history, the scope will be limited to primary school level and the maximum score is one hundred."
The noise suddenly comes from everywhere.
"There is a limit to maximum score?"
"Primary school level? Doesn't that mean full marks?"
"This fight will be determined by how focused they are..."
This will also give us a chance to win.
Class A also realizes that, so they start making some noise now.
"Understood. I will need to prepare some questions. Please wait here for a while."
Takahashi-sensei closes the lid of her laptop and walks out of the classroom.
Takahashi-sensei is enthusiastic in education, maybe she has collected some primary school level question sets?
I watch the teacher leave the scene and return to Yuuji immediately.
"Yuuji, I am counting on you."
I firmly hold Yuuji's hand. We did all we could do. It all depends on the result of Yuuji's duel now.
"Yeah, leave it to me!"
He firmly holds my hand as well.
"...(puts out his hand)"
Silent Pervert walks towards us and shows Yuuji a victory hand pose.
"Your power helped me a lot, thank you very much."
"...(ha)"
Silent Pervert's mouth slightly rises, and stands back to where he was just now.
"Sakamoto, thanks for telling me all those stories."
"Ah, you mean stories about Akihisa? Don't worry about it, and do your best."
Huh? My stories? What did Yuuji say?
"Yes I will."
Himeji gives him an energetic answer. Yuuji also has a happy smile on his face. It is a caring and gentle face.
"Now the final duel is Japanese history. Participants Kirishima and Sakamoto, please come to the video classroom."
Takahashi-sensei returns to the classroom and gives order to both class leaders.
"OK."
Kirishima gives a simple answer and leaves the classroom.
"Well, I need to go now."
"Sakamoto, take care."
"Yeah."
Yuuji is sent off by Himeji and heads towards the final battlefield.
The final fight finally starts. It doesn't matter if we are going to cry or laugh, the test summoning war is going to end.
"Everyone, please look at the screen here."
Takahashi-sensei controls the machine, and the big monitor diplays images in the video classroom.
Kirishima takes her seat first, and then Yuuji also walks into the classroom and sits down.
"Now we are going to distribute the paper. The test is fifty minutes, maximum score is one hundred."
The Japanese history teacher on the screen is placing the test papers on their tables with the back of the papers facing up.
"Any actions that are considered as cheating will result in a mark of zero, understand?"
"Yes."
"I know that!"
"Then we start now!"
Both of them turn their paper over.
"Yoshii, it finally begins!"
"Yeah, finally."
"If that question doesn't appear, Sakamoto will..."
"His concentration and focus are worse than the opponent's. If the duel goes into extra time, he might lose. However..."
"Yes, if it appears..."
"Yeah..."
If it appears, this will be our victory.
Everyone is swallowing their saliva, and anxiously staring at the monitor, reading the questions that appear on it.
Will it come out? Will it come out?
"Please fill in the right year in ( )"
Year ( ) Heijo-kyo established as capital
Year ( ) Heian-kyo established as capital
It really is primary school level questions. Maybe even I could answer them as well.
Will that question come out?
Year ( ) Kamakura Bakufu established
Year ( ) Taika Reform
"Ah!"
It appears.....
"Y-Yoshii!"
"Yeah!"
"This means, it is our..."
"Yeah! Our Japanese-style tables will be..."
"Changed into the high-class system table!"
Everyone in Class F shouts at the same time.
"This is the biggest ever victory for us, lousy Class F!"
"OHHHHHH!"
Our cheer sounds like it shakes the whole classroom.
"Japanese History Duel, Limited Scope Test, Maximum Score: One Hundred"
Class A Kirishima Shouko 97 marks
VS
Class F Sakamoto Yuuji 53 marks
Japanese style tables in Class F become paper boxes.
The Final Question
Question: Please fill in the correct year in ( )
In the year ( ), Christianity was first introduced in Japan.
Kirishima Shouko's Answer:
"1549."
Teacher's Comment:
Correct answer, nothing to comment about in particular.
Sakamoto Yuuji's Answer:
"On a Winter filled with pure white snow, I held your cold and shivering hands on 1993."
Teacher's Comment:
No matter how romantic you make your answer look, a wrong answer is still a wrong answer.
"3 VS 2, Class A wins."
This is the first sentence Takahashi-sensei said to us when we stepped into the video classroom.
Yeah, I know, we lose. We were defeated without a doubt.
"Yuuji, I won."
Kirishima walks towards Yuuji, who is kneeling on the ground.
"Kill me!"
"Good that that you're prepared! I will kill you! Hold your breath and die!"
"Yoshii, please calm down!"
Himeji holds me back from behind.
"This idiot scored fifty-three! If he scored zero, maybe it was because he forgot to write his name! A score like this..."
"This was the best I could do."
"You're a big idiot!"
"Aki, calm down! You can't even score more than thirty right?"
"I can't deny that."
"Then you have no right to blame Sakamoto!"
"Damn! Himeji and Minami, why are you stopping me!? I must cut his throat open as punishment!"
"That isn't called punishment, it's called execution!"
Himeji tries her best to stop me.
Damn! Idiot Yuuji, your life is saved by Himeji's kindness.
"However, it was really dangerous! If Yuuji didn't underestimate the difficulty of primary school questions, I might have lost this duel."
"I have no excuse to give."
Exactly as the enemy expected?
"By the way, our promise..."
Ah.
This reminds me about that promise we had with Class A to do one thing for the winner.
"...(Taking photos)"
This is what you would expect from the Silent Pervert, he is already prepared!
I can't just stand here and do nothing. I must help him take pictures.
"I know, tell me what you want!"
Yuuji simply answers her. Are you trying to act cool? You aren't the person who is in trouble now!
"Then----"
Kirishima glances at Himeji, then moves her focus back to Yuuji.
After taking a small breath, she says: "Yuuji, go out with me."
She said it.
...What?
"I just knew it. Can't you give up already?"
"...I will never give up, I will always like Yuuji."
Eh? Eh? What is going on?
What happened?
Why does Kirishima want to date Yuuji? Doesn't she only like girls?
"I refused you a lot of times already, right? Don't you want to try dating other guys?"
"...I only have Yuuji inside my heart, I am not interested in anyone else."
That means---- the rumours about Kirishima not being interested in the opposite sex, it was because she only loves Yuuji? She was only interested in Himeji, only because Kirishima was alerted that females were close to Yuuji?
"Where is my right to reject?"
"None. This was a promise, we will go on a date now."
"Ah! Let me go! Let's forget about the promise----"
(Powerful grab, dragging sound)
Kirishima holds the back of the Yuuji's shirt and drags him out of the classroom.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The classroom is dead silent.
What just happened now was far beyond everyone's imagination, none of us could say a word.
"Then, everyone in Class F, the war has ended."
A wild roar is transmitted into our ears while we are in total shock.
We turn our around to look for the source of the voice, and see the teacher from Office of the Dean of Students, Nishimura-sensei (Iron Man).
"Huh? Nishimura-sensei, do you have some business with us?"
"Yes, I'm preparing to explain the tuition for Class F."
Eh? Us, Class F?
"Congratulation! Because you lost the war, the homeroom teacher changed from Fukuhara-sensei to me. This year, you guys have the chance to study like mad."
"What!?"
All the males in our class screamed a pitiful yell.
Iron Man had another title, "Demonic Teacher," simply because he was very strict with the results of his students. Also because he is in charge of the tuition room management in this war.
"Listen up, you guys performed very well in this war. To tell you the truth, I never expected Class F to achieve so much. However, even if 'result doesn't mean everything,' it is still a powerful weapon in your life. Even if result is not the most important thing in life, it doesn't mean we should not put effort into it!"
Damn! If Yuuji was as smart as a primary school student, we would never have had to listen to the reasoning from Iron Man! He was called the "Whiz kid," but a person who normally just slacks off could never win in a subject that required memorizing. Yuuji you big idiot!
"Yoshii, I will give special supervision to you and Sakamoto, because both of you are the first ever 'Kansatsu Shobunsha' and A-class war criminals for this school."
"I won't just let you have your way! No matter what, I will try to hide from your supervision, and have the same relaxing school life!"
"...Won't you regret what you've done?"
Iron Man sighs. It seems that he is shocked how slack I am.
However, I actually want to start studying, just a little bit.
"Anyway from tomorrow onwards, besides the normal lessons, I will give all of you an extra two-hour after-school lecture."
This is because we are going to have another war three months later, so that we can escape from Iron Man.
Good! This is the first time in my life I am enthusiastic about studying, so let me start studying hard now!
Just when I am full of energy, Minami quietly walked up to me and said,
"Aki, since the after school lecture starts from tomorrow, today we should go to have the crepes in the coffee shop that you promised me last time."
"What? Minami, isn't that something to do on a weekend?"
Could it be that she wants me to give her a treat twice in a week? Then, before the next living expense is mailed to me, I'll have to drink only salted water!
"N-No! Yoshii needs to watch a movie with me!"
"Eh? Himeji, we never even discussed this right?"
Even Himeji does this to me? What is going on? Although it feels good, it also means I don't even have the money to drink salted water! I will definitely die if I can't think of something to get out of this!
"Ni-Nishimura sensei! Tomorrow is too late, let's have the lecture today! There's an ancient saying that goes 'strike while the iron is cold' right?"
"It's 'while the iron is hot,' you idiot!"
"That's not important!"
"Hmmm, watching you be so enthusiastic, I'm very happy----"
Iron Man suddenly stops speaking, looking at Minami, Himeji and I.
"However don't overwork yourself, just go have fun today!"
Iron Man's face gives a smile filled with evil while saying those unreasonable words.
"Damn you Iron Man! You knew I was in a crisis and now you give me more trouble instead of helping me! In the graduation ceremony I'll bring a baseball bat full of nails and wait for you under the legendary tree!"
"This is a rather innovative way of expressing love!"
I am going to release all the hatred that I have accumulated from the past.
"Aki! You can't get away from this by trying to act like you are working hard!"
"N-No! I really wanted to study!"
"Yoshii! Watch the movie with me first!
"Himeji, do you actually like me instead of Yuuji?"
"Sakamoto? What are you talking about? Since a long time ago I, for Yoshii---"
"Aki! Just come with me!"
"Wah! Minami, the head is a vital part of the human body, please be gentle with it----"
The results of this Test Summoning War for me is developing a small enthusiastic motivation towards studying and greatly reducing my living expenses. Although I didn't reach my target, an ending like this isn't so bad at all!
Anyway, there is something I'm very sure about. That is----
"Hey, take me to have crepes now!"
"G-Go to the movies with me!"
"No, no, no! My living expenses! My nutrition! "
My main food will be tap water from the public park, that is all.
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- ↑ "Accident-free" in Japanese ("mujiko") sounds similar to both "625" and "645": "mu" is "6" and "ko" is "5", but "ji" can be read as either "4" OR "2". 645 is the correct year.
- ↑ In the english dub anime, the quote is "Taika Alive, 645 despite the year being 625"
- ↑ A short-legged Japanese table.
- ↑ "Summoned Being"
- ↑ Derived from "muttsuri" ("silent pervert"), and a play on the name Mussolini.
- ↑ "Kansatsu Shobunsha" literally means "a person who is being punished and is under observation".
- ↑ さぁ来た！この負け犬が！
- ↑ Also called Ninomiya Sontoku (1787-1856), a famous role model in Japan. For more information please check wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninomiya_Sontoku
- ↑ Akihisa sometimes converses with his inner "angel" and/or "devil"; this is shown in italics.
- ↑ In yaoi terms, the uke is the person "taking it", so to speak.
- ↑ A loanword from the Japanese language that is equivalent to "hobbyist".
- ↑ The Chinese characters used in Japanese writing.
- ↑ Also known as a bokken, it is a Japanese wooden sword used for training.
- ↑ In the novel, the answer is in English, the teacher's explanation is in Japanese.
- ↑ Part of the sentence pronounces the same as 794, the year that the capital was moved to Heian-kyō, marking the start of the Heian period.
