A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life

Chapter 29 Clan Briefing

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About a week after receiving the phone call from my senior, on the first Monday of the week, we students were instructed to move to the gymnasium—or rather, the martial arts hall?

“Isn’t gathering in the gym so outdated these days?”

“Yeah, really. They could just broadcast whatever they need to say via video, no matter where we are. At the very least, let us watch it while sitting in our classrooms.”

Kiriya reacted to the grumble I let out while heading to the gym, and honestly, I agreed with him. They could just set up TVs in the classrooms and stream the necessary footage there. Heck, they could even make us install an app on our phones if they wanted.

Even if it’s only for a year, there’s really no need to go through the trouble of gathering all the students in one place just to make an announcement. It takes time to move everyone, and it’s a waste of time.

Besides, listening to someone talk while standing is just tiring.

“Standing isn’t exactly exhausting for me, but, you know, it’s mentally draining,” I said.

“But isn’t everyone kind of excited about this one?”

“Is that so?”

Thinking that wasn’t quite right, I looked around, but as Kiriya had pointed out, it seemed like we were the only ones complaining. The rest of the students appeared to be filled with anticipation.

“Well, we are meeting the top members of a famous clan. It’s only natural that some would be a little excited.”

The clans, while technically part of the nation, are like different departments—Division One, Division Two, and so on.

But that’s just on paper. In reality, each clan operates almost independently. While there are times when they collaborate, they usually compete with each other. It’s not like they’re in violent conflict, more like rival factions or competition over performance rankings.

These clans range in size, from large ones to small ones. The top members of the bigger clans are practically celebrities. You can’t meet them easily, and some even have photo books published, so it’s understandable that people get excited about meeting them.

But still…

“Even though you say that, you don’t seem particularly excited yourself.”

Compared to the other students, Kiriya, walking next to me, didn’t seem all that thrilled.

“I’ve met them a few times already.”

“Oh, right, your family’s involved with important people.”

Although I don’t usually think about it when we’re having a normal conversation, Kiriya’s family is classified as part of the upper class. It’s not surprising that he’s met some big names from the clans.

“Besides, even if we get to meet them, it’s not like we’ll actually have a conversation with them, so what’s the point?”

Exactly. I feel the same way. Even if you get to see them up close, if you can’t exchange words, it doesn’t mean much.

But our conversation seemed to hit a nerve. Inori, who was walking beside us, chimed in with some criticism.

“Wow, what a boring way to think. Kiriya, you’re the type who’d rather watch a recorded version of a live concert than attend it in person, huh?”

“Hey, I’m not that clueless… but I get it. Thinking about it like that, I can see why people would get excited.”

Kiriya seemed to understand Inori’s point, but I doubt he could truly grasp how other students felt.

“In Kiriyas’s case, it’s probably because he can meet them anytime, even outside of special events, so it doesn’t feel special. Actually, aren’t most people in this class like that? I don’t see anyone getting too excited.”

“Huh, you’re right.”

He nodded, as if realizing something, after glancing around at the other students again.

“By the way, what about you guys? Isn’t this a chance to meet some famous people you wouldn’t normally see?”

“Even if they’re famous…”

Like Kiriya, we’re also in a position where we could meet the top clan members if we wanted. In fact, I had just spoken with one over the phone. So, it’s not like it feels all that special to us.

Of course, I’m not about to say that out loud.

“Yeah, we can meet them if we really want to.”

Despite my intention to keep quiet about being a “Blessed One,” Inori went ahead and mentioned it. We had decided to stick to that narrative from the start.

We could have kept it hidden, but if it ever got out that we had connections with the top clan members, it could turn into a hassle. So, we figured it would be easier to just say that we can meet them because of Inori.

“Huh? Oh, right, Inori’s a ‘Blessed One.’ That makes sense. Yeah, I guess it wouldn’t be strange if you’ve met them before. In fact, they probably come to meet you sometimes, huh?”

“Well, yeah, they’ve come over to my house a few times.”

Actually, I’ve even gone to their homes before. Though, it’s only been a few of them, not all.

“Oh wow, being a ‘Blessed One’ really opens a lot of doors. I’ve only ever seen them at some party a few times, and that’s it.”

“Wait, you’ve never spoken to them directly?”

“Of course not. Only a handful of people can actually talk to them. Think about the scale of my family. Do you really think I’d get the chance to have a casual chat with them?”

“Uh, I don’t know anything about the scale or power dynamics of your family.”

As someone born into a regular household, I couldn’t care less about the power struggles or connections between upper-class families.

“Oh, right. So… what should I say? Maybe ‘small fry’?”

Kiriya thought for a moment before describing his family that way, but that can’t be right.

“Doesn’t calling your own family ‘small fry’ make you feel a little sad?”

“Yeah, but that’s the reality.”

Kiriya smiled wryly as he said that, but even so, his position is different from that of the average person. Even if he says ‘small fry,’ it’s only within the upper class. To regular folks, all those families are on a whole other level.

“Wait, there are even ‘small fry’ families when it comes to teaching martial arts? I don’t even know what that means.”

I don’t really get it either, but I’m sure even in the upper class there are mainstream martial arts schools and prestigious old families.

“Yeah, there are. You should come over sometime. Then you’ll get a feel for what my family’s like.”

“Oh no, is that how you invite girls to your place?” Inori teased.

“No, it’s not like that! I’m inviting both you and your brother!”

Kiriya raised his voice at Inori’s joke, but from my past interactions with him, I knew he wasn’t actually angry.

But what caught my attention more than that was the fact that Inori was joking around with someone else. A while ago, I never could have imagined her having this kind of conversation. Maybe deciding to attend school really was the right choice after all.

“Alright, if the opportunity comes up. Though, I guess it’ll have to be during a long break.”

“Yeah, since you have to submit paperwork in advance to go outside, it’s not something you can just do on a whim.”

That’s right. Even though this school is in Japan, it’s located on an artificial island in the middle of the ocean. So, we can’t just go off and hang out whenever we want during breaks.

Whether you take a plane or use a teleportation device, it still takes time to complete the necessary procedures.

Besides, if you want to have fun, there are plenty of stores on the island. Various businesses have been brought in from all over just for that.

Though the customers are mostly just students and the people working on the island, the number of patrons is limited. But since a lot of wealthy students attend the school and spend large sums, and the school is supported by funding from various countries, these shops likely won’t go out of business as long as the school exists.

“So yeah, if I were the head of my family, I might have had some opportunities like that. But since I’m just the son, I never got a chance to talk to the top members of famous clans.”

I guess that’s how it is. But in this regard, it’s probably our perception that’s off. After all, while we might have been born into ordinary families, our lives haven’t exactly been normal since then.

“Isn’t it true that a portion of the students here get assigned to a clan by the time they graduate?”

Some students at this school will return to their home countries eventually, but to work as an ability user, they must belong to a clan—or more specifically, to the national organization that oversees ability users, known as the “Union.” This is true in every country.

However, not everyone can join a major clan, and to do so, you have to meet certain qualifications. In a sense, it’s like job hunting.

The difference from regular job hunting is that you can’t do anything outside of clan work. As long as it’s within the clan, you can work in areas like administration, sales, or production, but you must be a clan member.

That being said, the employment rate here isn’t bad. Around 80-90% of students secure a clan to join before they graduate. Just as students can only look to clans for work, clans can only hire from the pool of students here.

Whether big, medium, or small, every clan needs new members. That’s why scouts approach students early, and as a result, most of them already have a clan lined up by the time they graduate. In that sense, it’s pretty easy—it’s like getting a job on an escalator. You don’t have to try too hard to find employment.

However, if you want to get into a good clan, you still need solid grades, so it’s not like no effort is required at all.

“Isn’t Inori already getting offers?”

Yeah, that’s true. Both Inori and I are “Blessed Ones,” but since only Inori’s identity is known for now, she’s been getting offers from every clan in the country. Occasionally, even I get invited, with offers like, “How about joining us together with Inori?” It’s like they’re trying to shoot the horse before aiming for the general. I’m definitely being treated as an extra, but I guess that’s to be expected.

“Oh? Yeah, I guess so. But honestly, it doesn’t matter to me since all the clans feel the same.”

Despite getting offers from top clans that most students would die for, Inori doesn’t seem to care much and isn’t even worried about deciding.

“Not caring about offers for that reason—how enviable. If kids from the second group or lower heard that, they’d probably resent you.”

“Yeah, maybe? I’ll be careful from now on,” she replied with a casual tone to Kiriya’s warning, finally realizing that her attitude might not be well-received at school. Though, her response seemed somewhat lackadaisical. I can’t help but wonder if she truly understands. This laid-back attitude of hers might be a result of early interactions with the wrong influences.