A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 30

Chapter 30   ‘Heavens Eye’ Touka Amamiya

“By the way, which clans are offering you invitations?”

“Uh… ‘Creator’s Blessing,’ ‘Pure Prayer,’ ‘Pioneers’ Gathering,’ and… a bunch of others?”

The three clans Inori just mentioned are the biggest in this country. If a major incident happens, these are the first clans to be consulted.

“Those are all top-tier! You’ve got the top three clans in the country after you.”

“Well, I am a ‘Blessed One.’ It just means everyone really wants a ‘Blessed One’ in their ranks.”

That just shows how valuable being a ‘Blessed One’ is. And it makes sense—no matter how many skilled people a clan has, a ‘Blessed One’ has potential that’s on a whole different level.

“Why not join ‘Pure Prayer’? It’d be perfect for you since it’s got your name ‘Inori’ in it.”

Pfft. That’s true. But if she joins and ends up becoming the leader, it’d be like she named the clan after herself. That’d be hilarious to watch, though.

“Want me to use my blessing and knock you out?”

But Inori didn’t seem to appreciate Kiriya’s joke, raising her fist with a smile as she said it.

“Hey, don’t you dare! If you did that, I’d be dead for sure!”

“Then stop saying dumb things.”

She probably didn’t mean to actually use her blessing, but even getting hit by her regular strength would hurt quite a bit.

“If we’re being serious, though, wouldn’t ‘Creator’s Blessing’ be the best choice? It’s the biggest clan in the country, and even on a national level, it’s one of the top ones.”

Yeah, I think it’s ranked second or third in terms of influence and results across the country. They’ve even been number one a few times.

“But aren’t places like that super strict?”

“I don’t know, but they probably have quotas or something.”

“That sounds like such a hassle…”

Inori isn’t particularly interested in being an active ‘Blessed One,’ so she’s not too keen on the idea of having to work and meet quotas. Inori and I both have the kind of blessing that makes us want to live a ‘normal’ life. Neither of us wants to be treated special.

“So, Kiriya, do you have any clans you want to join?”

“Oh, well, there’s a clan that my family is tied to—a group formed by martial arts families, so I’ll probably join them.”

“There’s a clan like that?”

“Yeah, it’s called ‘Japan Samurai Federation.’ Pretty straightforward name, right?”

“That’s a really traditional name.”

“Traditional? More like outdated.”

“I think that’s better than trying too hard to come up with some overly fancy name.”

It’s just my personal impression, but I imagine people who practice swordsmanship are typically older or stern, with that “serious swordsman” vibe.

If a group of swordsmen went by a name like “Sword Master,” it feels like it would ruin that image.

——◆◇◆◇——

As I casually chatted with Inori and the others, we made our way to the gym. It seemed like we were supposed to line up by class, so we walked past the other students who were already in line and moved to the front.

The reason for lining up by class, apparently, was that being closer to the stage meant being closer to the top members of the clans—famous people. Ridiculous. It’s not like we’d get to talk to them directly or be called out later just because we were nearby. It wouldn’t matter where we sat.

But even though I thought that, it was clear from the envious looks from the other students as we passed by that they didn’t feel the same.

“You really see the class or status differences even in situations like this,” I said.

“More like differences in ability,” Kiriya responded. “Though I won’t say status doesn’t play a role either.”

“It’s like having an S-class seat at a concert,” Inori chimed in.

I see. When you put it that way, maybe it is a good spot? Nah, for someone like me who isn’t interested, it’s still pointless. If anything, I’d rather give the seat away.

“We will begin by explaining what a clan is.”

After some idle chatter, the event finally started, with one of the teachers taking the floor.

However, everything he explained was stuff we already knew. In fact, there probably wasn’t anyone who didn’t know it. We had even learned all of this in class.

To summarize what the teacher said:

Whether you’re a “Blessed” or have a skill, if you possess an ability, you must join the state-managed organization known as the Union. Within the Union, you’ll be assigned to an independent department known as a clan.

If you do not belong to a clan, you are not allowed to use your abilities.

The larger the clan, the better the facilities and authority. Whether working solo or in a group, it’s more efficient to join a major clan.

Those with better performance are more likely to be scouted by larger clans.

So, everyone should work hard!

That was the gist of it. There was nothing I didn’t already know—it was just a very basic overview.

This explanation was probably just an introduction to the clan briefing, meant to ensure we were all on the same page. If anything, the most notable point was that clans sometimes clash with each other, like factions vying for dominance.

Still, what’s the point of winning these factional battles anyway? Maybe you get a bit more authority, or you can brag to others. But that’s about it, right?

Well, there could be more to it than that, but I didn’t care enough to dig deeper.

“And now, we have the deputy leader of ‘The Creator’s Blessing,’ Amamiya Touka, here with us.”

…Wait, what? Did I hear that right?

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Touka Amamiya, the deputy leader of ‘The Creator’s Blessing.’ I’ve come today to explain about our clan. Though our time together is brief, I look forward to it,” she said as she appeared from the edge of the stage.

The woman who spoke was seated in a wheelchair, with a blanket draped over her lap and a black, frilled cloth covering her eyes.

Just from her appearance alone, she seemed like a person with too many attributes—so striking that it almost felt overwhelming.

Her long black hair was braided into a single plait that hung over her shoulder, and her skin was pale, almost unnaturally white. If she had been holding a parasol, you could easily mistake her for a sheltered noblewoman.

But in her case, she was just a recluse. Her pale skin was due to not going outside, and her long hair was simply because she couldn’t be bothered to cut it. That’s all there was to it.

However, the reason for the blindfold and the blanket on her lap was far from something trivial—they had real, important reasons.

“No way… is ‘The Heavenly Eye’ really here?”

“Isn’t she someone who rarely shows up in public?”

“Is the most famous ‘Blessed’ in the country really here?”

Though the students around me weren’t exactly making a commotion, I could hear them whispering her name. It made sense. Touka Amamiya was someone who hardly ever appeared in public. She only came out on rare, important occasions.

The fact that she was here, even for the sake of recruiting future clan members, seemed impossible.

“Why is she here…?”

Like the others, I was shocked that she had come here. In fact, out of everyone in this crowd, I was probably the most surprised. After all, I knew her personality well. She was the last person who would voluntarily show up at a place like this.

“What’s up with you, Seiji? You know about her too, huh? I mean, it makes sense. In a way, she’s the most feared person in the country.”

Kiriya must have interpreted my shock in his own way, nodding knowingly as he spoke to me.

“…Because there’s no information she can’t uncover, right?”

That’s the nature of her power—her Blessing.

“Yeah. Her blessing is a form of clairvoyance that lets her see through any place. It doesn’t matter if it’s inside a vault or a bunker—anyone with secrets would be terrified of her.”

Touka Amamiya’s blessing could be described as the “Heaven’s Eye,” a divine ability to see anything and everything. Calling it “clairvoyance” almost downplayed its power because she could see not just over distances but through obstacles and even into the past of a particular place.

She couldn’t see into the future, but even so, it was an overwhelmingly powerful ability.

However, it came with a price.

“It’s unusual, though. I heard she doesn’t come out much,” Kiriya remarked.

“Well, she’s basically a recluse,” I replied.

Though it’s partly because her rare ability is so valuable that she’s told not to go outside often, the truth is she’s naturally inclined to be a shut-in. In fact, that’s probably the bigger reason. Her clairvoyant ability, after all, came from a wish like, “I want to paint the entire world.”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“Nah, just thinking that moving around must be tough since she’s in a wheelchair.”

I couldn’t exactly spill the whole backstory, so I had to brush it off.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I heard even her blessing can’t heal her legs,” Kiriya continued.

“For her, even her legs are part of the ‘wish,’ so it’s probably inevitable,” I replied.

She lost her sight due to illness. But even then, she loved to paint so much that she agonized over it to the point of madness. Or maybe she really did go mad. In her desperation, she cut off her own legs, believing that if she made such a sacrifice, she could regain her sight.

Strangely enough, she was right. As a ‘Blessed,’ she regained her eyes and could see the world again. But in exchange, no matter what she tried, even using her blessing, she could never heal her legs.

“I’ve never heard that story before… Is it true?” Kiriya asked.

Ah, damn… I let that slip without thinking, forgetting that it wasn’t common knowledge.

“Um… yeah. I met her once, and she told me a bit about it then.”

“Interesting. Well, with your sister being a ‘Blessed,’ I guess you get to hear stories like that.”

Did I manage to cover it up? Having the excuse that my sister is a ‘Blessed’ is really handy at times like this. I feel a bit guilty for pinning it all on her, though.