A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 74

Chapter 74   Final Day Fun

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“—Well, that concludes everyone. You should now have at least some understanding of what it means to fight against a higher-ranked opponent, a ‘Blessed One.’ Of course, even these two are still in the midst of their growth, and compared to true powerhouses, the difference is like heaven and earth. There are countless individuals stronger than them. However, you should now grasp the minimum standard of a ‘Blessed One.’ From here on, use that as your benchmark when you think and act.”

“”Yes!””

After battling multiple teams, we had finally faced them all, bringing this unreasonable match of us versus all the other trainees to an end.

We managed to stay undefeated until the very end, but… I’m seriously exhausted.

Toward the end, fatigue had built up so much that some of the later teams gave us a harder fight than Kujou and her team, who I had battled first.

Even though there’s a difference in abilities due to blessings and skills, circumstances can always turn the tide. I’ll have to keep that in mind.

But the sun is still high in the sky. Well, maybe not high, but it hasn’t set completely yet. Normally, we’d still have about two more hours of training—are we going to do something else after this?

“This concludes today’s training.”

“Huh?”

Just as I was wondering what was next, those unexpected words made me let out a dumbfounded sound. But I wasn’t the only one.

A quick glance around revealed others with similarly surprised expressions, as if questioning whether it was really okay to finish so early.

But… what’s going on? While some looked confused, others seemed completely at ease, accepting the announcement without question. Some were even waiting expectantly, looking excited.

Is something else about to happen?

“What’s the matter? Are you dissatisfied with ending early?”

“N-No, not at all!”

One of the trainees quickly denied it after being addressed by Tenma. It wasn’t dissatisfaction—it was confusion.

As if to clear up that confusion, Tenma let out a deep breath, crossed his arms, and spoke in a commanding tone.

“Many of you will be finishing your training today. For those remaining, things will continue as usual, but starting tomorrow, there will be fewer of you. However, parting like this would feel a little dull, wouldn’t it? So, I’ve prepared something for you!”

As soon as Tenma made this declaration, the attendants of Kamiarizuki appeared. They were carrying something—what was it?

“Talk to your heart’s content! You have endured and overcome the hardships of training together. Even if you end up as enemies one day, even if you already know you are bound to oppose each other, for now, everyone here is a comrade who has survived these trials. At least for today, forget about the past and the future—enjoy yourselves to the fullest!”

As the attendants began setting up the equipment they had brought, the full picture became clear. It was a grill. Not the kind used to catch fish in the sea, but the type made of metal, meant for cooking something over an open flame.

With the setup they were preparing, the charcoal nearby, and the carefully arranged ingredients, the answer was obvious.

“…What’s this? I don’t hear any reactions. Are you dissatisfied?”

“N-No… That’s not it…”

“I-It looks… fun?”

Some of the trainees still seemed skeptical, as if unsure why something like this had suddenly been prepared.

But knowing Tenma, his intentions were exactly what he had just explained. In fact, some of the trainees had been watching the incoming ingredients with excited expressions the entire time.

“Then make some noise! Raise your voices! Shout!”

“U-woooah?”

“Louder! Shout!”

“”U-UOOOOHHHH!””

“”WAAAAAAAH!””

“Good. Now, do as you please. With adults like us around, we’d only be in the way. You’re not children who need constant supervision anymore. We’ll be taking our leave.”

With that, Tenma left, and the trainees eagerly rushed toward the food—the meat.

“But be careful. If anyone causes trouble or, heaven forbid, starts a fire, that person will have a very… fun time ahead of them.”

At Tenma’s warning, everyone froze for a moment—then immediately resumed as if nothing had happened.

“A barbecue after training, huh…?”

“They actually do stuff like this?”

“It finally feels like summer break now.”

Even though they said “finally,” I had never actually experienced a barbecue before. Given my past, it wasn’t surprising. I’d roasted meat over a campfire while out in the wild, but never as part of a big gathering where people laughed and talked together. It actually seemed pretty fun.

“Right? We do this every year, and it’s one of the few things you can just enjoy. Honestly, for some of us, this is the only thing that makes all the training worth it.”

As I was talking with Inori, Kiriya spotted us and walked over, adding his own thoughts.

I could understand why I was looking forward to it—this was my first time, after all. But the others? Haven’t they all done this before? Maybe it’s just my own bias, but I kind of imagined people like them attending way fancier social gatherings, like upscale buffet parties or something.

“A barbecue, huh? But all of you are rich, aren’t you?”

“Well, yeah, if we wanted to, we could just buy all the meat and ingredients ourselves. But the atmosphere here is different. Even if we had a party or a barbecue at home, the guest list would be restricted because of family ties, and there would be all sorts of rules to follow. The air would have a political stiffness to it. And more than anything—our parents would be there. Getting to let loose like this, just with people our own age… even if we’re not exactly friends… it’s actually pretty rare.”

Ah, that makes sense.

All these people are gathered here now, but many of them wouldn’t normally hang out together. Some are outright enemies, while others just aren’t close.

A chance for people like that to gather without worrying about family status or politics—it’s probably not something they get often.

“Yeah… I guess that makes sense. But still, I always imagined rich kids just going out and partying with their friends all the time.”

I said it half-jokingly, just being honest about my assumptions, but Kiriya only gave a wry smile.

“Well, it’s not like those types don’t exist. There are some idiots who love partying and just spend their parents’ money to mess around with their friends. But that’s just a small handful of fools. Those kinds of idiots stand out, so it makes it seem like they’re the norm. But a lot of us are actually pretty normal. Especially the ones here—not many of them are like that.”

“Really?”

“Think about it. Do you really think those kinds of people could survive this training?”

“Not a chance.”

“Yeah, they’d never last.”

Inori answered immediately, without hesitation. And yeah, she’s right. No way they’d make it through.

“Since this isn’t mandatory, some people just don’t participate from the start. And then there are the ones who sign up just to show off, but drop out halfway because they can’t handle it. Very few actually stick it out until this final barbecue.”

So that means the people who are still here are the serious ones—the more disciplined ones, even among the elite families.

Now that I think about it, none of them seemed particularly foolish when talking to them. Guess that was the reason why.

“That said, there are some idiots who stuck it out till the end of training.”

“There are?”

“Of course. If you make it to the end, you get bragging rights among your peers.”

“That’s the reason?”

Well… I guess that still takes a certain level of perseverance and endurance.

The reason might be dumb, but if they endured all the training just for that, it’s still kind of impressive.

“What other reason do you think they’d have? You really think they’re training hard to protect the people of this country?”

“Not a chance.”

“Yeah, no way.”

“Didn’t even hesitate, huh? But you get it, right? I can’t even argue against it because that’s just how it is.”

I mean, come on—people who spend their time partying, messing around, and acting like idiots? If they’re training and fighting, it’s for themselves, not for the sake of the country.

And if they ever did do something “for the country,” it’d just be a performance—something to make themselves look patriotic, but ultimately done for their own benefit.

“Anyway, let’s go grab some food. There’s no order or anything—just take what you want.”

Oh, right.

This is a rare chance. No point wasting time on pointless conversations—I should just enjoy it.