A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 12

Chapter 12   Battle of the Blessed ones

After learning our skills and choosing our weapons, we finally began proper training. Even though this school is a bit different from a regular one, our school life was going smoothly… except for one problem.

“Lately, I feel like I’ve been getting glared at a lot…”

It’s been about a month since we enrolled, and for some reason, I’ve been getting glared at by one of my classmates. On top of that, it feels like most of the other classmates are keeping their distance from us. The only ones who are interacting with me and Inori in a normal way are Kiriya and a few others.

Well, I have a pretty good idea why this is happening.

“Of course you are. But it’s only Toudou who’s glaring at you, right? The Kujou princess wouldn’t do anything that stupid.”

Yeah, the one glaring at us is Hikari Toudou, the girl who serves as a bodyguard to Kujou. To be more specific, she’s the one who picked a fight with Inori when Kujou accidentally fired at me.

We were supposed to have put that incident behind us, but it seems she still has some feelings about it. Sometimes she’d give me or Inori a harsh look, and whenever our eyes met, she’d glare at us.

“Well, yeah. Still, I didn’t expect that just being glared at could be so exhausting.”

“Mmm… I’m sorry, Brother. If I hadn’t done that unnecessary thing back then…”

“Don’t worry about it. Even if it is tiring, if people knew you were a ‘Blessed,’ we’d probably be in the same situation anyway.”

Inori looked a bit down, but I think what happened back then was unavoidable. Anyone would be furious if their family was almost killed, and then the person responsible just brushed it off as an accident without a hint of remorse.

Also, the reason she’s still glaring at us isn’t just because of that incident. I think it’s partly because Inori is a “Blessed” like her master. She might feel even more antagonistic toward us because of it.

But ultimately, only she knows the real reason.

“Well, why not just have a serious showdown with her once? If there’s a clear winner, it might help clear up some of those feelings,” Kiriya said, looking like he was watching something entertaining. But is it really that simple?

“Really?”

“Probably. And if you fight once, then afterward, if Inori and the princess shake hands, praising each other’s efforts and reconciling, it would leave everyone with no choice but to accept it.”

That… might be true. Even though we’ve said that the incident is behind us, that doesn’t mean that we’ve reconciled with Kujou or that there’s no resentment between us. That’s probably why things are like this.

But if we did reconcile with Kujou and there were no more conflicts between us, then Toudou—whether she’s considered a subordinate or not—would have no choice but to get along with us. At the very least, she wouldn’t be able to continue opposing us. If she did, it would be like publicly smearing the reputation of her master, who had supposedly reconciled with us.

Thinking about it that way, having Inori and Kujou, two “Blessed” individuals, fight once might not be a bad idea.

“But still…”

Inori is a “Blessed,” but so is the opponent. If they were to face each other head-on, it could be dangerous. If possible, I don’t want to throw Inori into such a situation.

However…

“I’m fine with it,” Inori said confidently, showing no sign of anxiety. “It’s just as troublesome for me, so it might be easier if we establish a hierarchy now.”

“Hierarchy? What are you, a monkey?” I shot back.

“But isn’t that just how humans are?” she replied with a casual shrug.

I let out a small sigh at Inori’s attitude. But come to think of it, isn’t combat between students forbidden in the first place? Using skills without permission is a no-go, right? In their case, it might not be a skill but rather their blessings, but I don’t think the rule changes.

“Well, if it would solve things, then fine… but fighting between students is prohibited, right?”

“If it’s part of a lesson, it should be fine,” Kiriya suggested. “If you get a teacher’s approval and request them as a training partner, it could work.”

Could it really work…? Well, if it would put an end to this troublesome situation, maybe… it’s worth a shot?

——◆◇◆◇——

“I can’t believe things actually turned out like this…”

Right now, we’re in the middle of a combat lesson. But today’s lesson is far from the usual. Typically, we’re divided up based on the nature of our individual skills and take lessons under teachers who specialize in similar abilities. However, today, all of our classmates have gathered in one place for this lesson, regardless of skill classification.

The reason for this unusual gathering is the match between Inori and Kujou, which we talked about the other day. At that time, it was just a casual suggestion, a “wouldn’t it be nice if it happened” kind of thing. But once we brought it up to Kazama-sensei, our male homeroom teacher, things escalated quickly. And here we are, three days later.

It seemed a bit strange how fast everything was decided, but apparently, the teachers were also concerned about the awkward relationship between the two “Blessed.” If this battle could resolve that, then it made sense for them to quickly arrange today’s match.

“Alright, we will now commence the mock battle between Sakura Kujou and Inori Sahara. The rest of you, watch closely to understand what a battle between ‘Blessed’ individuals looks like. It’s different from skill-based combat, but knowing about ‘Blessings’ won’t be a disadvantage,” Kazama announced.

Inori and Kujou stood in the center of the training ground, facing each other from a distance. Kazama addressed the students while keeping a wide circle around them, and the students, sensing the tension, watched the two with nervous anticipation.

“Sahara-san, I apologize for the incident the other day,” Kujou said. “It seems Hikari has continued to trouble you since then. However, I bear no ill will. I hope that after today’s exchange, we can get along better.”

“I don’t want to fight either, and I don’t think it’s good for us to stay on bad terms,” Inori replied. “So, after this ‘battle,’ let’s agree to hold no grudges, including regarding your bodyguard.”

“Of course. I agree completely. Well then, I look forward to today,” Kujou responded with a polite smile.

Inori was speaking unusually politely, but that was likely due to the circumstances, and also because she harbored a dislike for Kujou. On the surface, it seemed like both of them wanted to correct their current unsatisfactory relationship as if there were no hard feelings between them. However, the atmosphere surrounding them was far from that of people who genuinely wanted to be friends.

“Both participants, take your positions. —Begin!”

“‘Let the show begin!’”

At Kazama’s signal, both Inori and Kujo shouted simultaneously to activate their “Blessings.”

“—‘I must repel all evil!’”

“—‘I want everyone to keep smiling!’”

Although their words were different, they were both clearly signals to activate their powers. As soon as the two finished speaking their phrases, a change occurred in both of them.

The halos above their heads transformed from mere glowing rings into ones inscribed with intricate patterns. Simultaneously, Inori’s hair and eye color shifted from their usual shades to a radiant silver, while Kujou, who had been empty-handed, now held a menacing Japanese bow.

Kujou was the first to move. Perhaps realizing that whoever moved first would gain the upper hand, she had already transitioned into a drawing stance even before the bow fully manifested in her hand. The instant it appeared, she gripped the bowstring.

But that was as far as she got.

“Moving so leisurely will only get you taken down,” Inori taunted.

Before Kujou could notch an arrow and draw her bow, Inori had already rushed toward her at full speed, rapidly closing the distance.

“I’m well aware of that!”

Startled by the sudden voice from behind, Kujou’s eyes widened in surprise. But she quickly turned around and aimed her bow at Inori, even without an arrow notched.

Inori smirked as if to say, “What good will that do?” But in the next instant, Kujou plucked the bowstring without an arrow, sending Inori flying backward.

“Whoa!?”

Even though no arrow was notched, an invisible force surged from Kujou’s bow, rippling through the surrounding space. Pushed back by the impact, Inori let out a strange yelp and quickly put some distance between herself and Kujou.

That must have been the “Naruigoto” ritual, if I recall correctly. I don’t know much about it, but it’s supposed to be a purification ritual performed at shrines to ward off evil. She must have used her Blessing to perform it.

But that wasn’t all. When Kujou plucked the bowstring, an invisible shockwave radiated from the bow. At the same time, three arrows of light materialized in midair, glowing with a special aura. The three arrows floated around Kujou, their tips aimed directly at Inori.