Chapter 5: Feed Me♪

Looking out over the grounds, which had fallen silent after Sotomichi Tenma’s grand speech, Zaou Yakushiji made a decision.

“Everyone, your attention! School is dismissed for the day.”

He gave no reason. The message was clear: figure it out for yourselves. His thinking was likely that they’d been given a shock to the system and hadn’t fully processed it yet, so they should use this time to absorb it. Originally, there were supposed to be four more matches, but in their current state, the results wouldn’t be good. He calculated that if they resumed the battles another day, after digesting what they’d learned today, the quality of the fights would be much higher.

“You are dismissed!!”

With that, Yakushiji left the grounds. It was almost criminally negligent, and ending the school day on a whim would be unthinkable at a normal school. But this was an adventurer’s academy, and Yakuza was the homeroom teacher for Class A, where the most exceptional students were gathered. He had been given considerable authority—though it came with great responsibility.

“…”

The crisp clack, clack, clack of his shoes echoed as Yakuza returned to the staff room, and for some reason, he seemed to be smiling.

“What’s your take on this, Yakushiji-sensei?”

The one waiting for Yakuza in the middle of the covered walkway was the proctor from the placement exam. She was wearing the same tracksuit and glasses as that day, but the gaze that peered from behind her lenses was incredibly sharp.

“So you were watching, Momokura-sensei.”

The proctor—Momokura Mei, or Mojo for short—gave a nihilistic smile in confirmation.

“You showed me something quite interesting. They may not have figured out your exact intentions, but it seems they understood what you were looking for. Sotomichi, Harukaze, and Hearn.”

One of those was not like the others, but some things are better left unsaid.

“Haha, if they’d figured out my intentions, that would have been the real problem.”

“True. You’d be fired for leaking information.”

Mojo chuckled, looking more like a man than a woman.

“The Class A selections for the second- and third-years are already finished, based on their past performance, but…”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard. How many were there?”

Mojo was the head teacher overseeing Class A for all grade levels. As such, Yakushiji was asking for information he didn’t have access to.

“Two from the second-years, and only six from the third-years. And yet――”

“From the first-years, we already have three confirmed candidates, is that it?”

“Hey, now. I get that you’re fond of your students, but aren’t you jumping the gun?”

“Oh? Am I wrong?”

“…Well, it’s true those three are good. In Harukaze’s case, though, it’s this, and this.”

Mojo pointed to her head and her heart—a metaphor for his mind and spirit.

“Give him a solid vanguard, and he’ll move like a fish in water.”

“Yes, he showed his understanding this time by making Sotomichi do the work.”

“It seems losing his comrades in the placement exam hit him hard.”

“Indeed. Although, before the break, I still sensed a certain naivete in him…”

“Ah, the funeral over the weekend. He must have shed a skin there. That spear apparently belonged to Kuroda.”

The two teachers speculated that being entrusted with it by the family had given him a stronger sense of purpose, but of course, that wasn’t it at all.

“In any case, that was intense. A ‘wake-up call’ is an apt way to put it.”

It was a truly fitting metaphor, as that speech had opened the students’ eyes.

“So, what’s the plan going forward?”

“For now, I’ll have the remaining four teams fight tomorrow, and the day after, the two winning teams from that group will face off.”

“Which means Harukaze’s party gets――a bye straight to the finals, so to speak.”

“Correct. That party has Harukaze and Sotomichi… It’s a poor analogy, but they’re like a poison.”

It hadn’t sprouted yet, but four-fifths of that party was poison. It would be some time before that became clear… but they were only human, not gods. It was no surprise that the two teachers misjudged.

“They don’t need any more stimulation. You think it’s fine to leave them to their own devices?”

“Yes. In fact, the actions of those two today were completely unexpected.”

And because of it, the outcome would be even better than anticipated, Yakushiji smiled.

“Sotomichi was an obvious prodigy… but it was your keen eye, Momokura-sensei, that discovered Harukaze.”

“Hmph… Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“I’m merely stating a fact. If you focus solely on his magic, he is certainly mediocre, but…”

“His head and his heart are strong. And unlike Sotomichi, whose strength comes from being twisted and deviant.”

“Exactly. He possesses a strong, straight core.”

It goes without saying that they were overestimating him completely. Shion himself would never dream he was being evaluated so highly.

“It’s always useful to have a kid like that in the rearguard.”

“People who can fulfill the role of commander—a leader—are unexpectedly rare.”

“Adventurers tend to have strong personalities, after all.”

“That’s precisely why it was a pleasant surprise to see him handle a difficult character like Sotomichi so well.”

“I also put Sotomichi in Harukaze’s party hoping it would be a learning experience, but he showed us a result I never expected.”

He skillfully used the strong personality of Sotomichi, turning him into a spark to ignite the others. That was the teachers’ assessment, but it was far from the truth. From Shion’s perspective, he was simply annoyed with the tone-deaf Tenma and had given him a dangerous plan with a “go on, I dare you” attitude. He had thought that, if executed, it would likely be effective for the immediate goal of victory. But he hadn’t considered for a second that it would have any long-term effects. In fact, he never even thought Tenma would actually do it. The teachers were calling it a pleasant miscalculation and an unexpected result, but things were far more miscalculated for Shion. And the funniest part was that he himself hadn’t realized it.

“I was worried Sotomichi would be a handful, but it seems we won’t have to pay him too much mind.”

“Haha, you’re right. It seems we can leave him to Harukaze without any problems.”

“One less thing for a teacher to worry about isn’t a bad thing.”

Entrusting a student they thought would require a lot of attention to another student. One might question their methods as teachers, but this, too, was the unique style of the adventurer’s academy. A school is a place to learn to act as a group, and of course, that is emphasized for adventurers. It is, but individual ability is respected even more. Therefore, if a teacher believes a student can be trusted, they won’t hesitate to give them responsibility. For Class A, this was especially true. This was the love of the teachers at the adventurer’s academy. Any student aware of this would surely be motivated. But Shion was different—a self-centered child who hated words like “responsibility.” If he had heard this conversation, he might have collapsed from sheer rage.

“Being the homeroom teacher for Class A is a lot of work. It makes my head spin.”

“Oh, are you complaining?”

“Of course not! It just means the job is rewarding.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“We have a lot of promising students this year. The three we mentioned, of course, but many others as well.”

“I’m not familiar with all of them. What kind of kids do we have?”

Mojo bought two juices from a nearby vending machine and handed one to Yakushiji. It seemed she was settling in for a long talk.

“First, there’s Rudolph von Sinnemann, also in Harukaze’s party. He tends to be a bit of a purist… but that’s likely just due to his youth. He’ll be a monster once he matures. In terms of raw combat skill alone, he’s among the top of the class.”

Rudolph, called a “pretentious pretty-boy” by Shion, was apparently rated highly by the teachers.

“‘von’… so he’s German nobility?”

“Yes. Apparently, he came to Japan to live with his grandfather.”

“Hoh. He’s come a long way.”

“Go west, young man—or east, in this case, I suppose.”

As he spoke, Yakushiji searched his mental list of promising students. Since she had brought him up, he figured she must be talking about the most exceptional ones.

“Then there’s Shiori Daigo, also in Harukaze’s party. She’s a bit lacking in aggressiveness, but unlike Rudolph, her spirit is strong. She seems like a classic Yamato Nadeshiko, but I suspect she’s tough on the inside.”

“Hee hee, a woman must be tough. But is she another one from a noble bloodline?”

“Yes. Prominent families can be rather difficult, no matter the country.”

“Is that why you put her in Harukaze’s party?”

“Of course. During the introductions, both of them spoke up to praise Harukaze.”

By using Shion, whom both of them held in high regard, as a buffer, she had aimed to foster a good relationship. It was a well-thought-out plan, as expected of a teacher.

“You have to pay attention to the students’ relationships, too… Being a teacher is hard work.”

“You’re a teacher, too, you know.”

“Well, you know, I haven’t been a homeroom teacher recently. Anyway, who else is there?”

“Let’s see… Shinonome Ringo is quite interesting as well.”

An image of a girl with out-turned, short hair and red cheeks surfaced in Yakushiji’s mind.

“Ah, that girl.”

“Yes. Like Harukaze and the others, she’s a child who was sent to an unexpected place by the teleportation accident.”

“She certainly is interesting. She has explosive potential.”

“Right? Normally, to be blunt, she’s average, but…”

“It’s her emotional waves. When they reach their peak――”

“She might just be number one in Class A. In fact, the teacher who went to rescue her was taken down by her.”

The student named Shinonome Ringo was a timid girl. To put it unkindly, she was gloomy. But she wasn’t just gloomy. When she reached a certain breaking point, she would snap with terrifying force. Once she snapped, she was completely uncontrollable. The only saving grace was that she could still distinguish friend from foe.

“Her instability is her fatal flaw, but…”

“If she were stable, I feel like she’d lose that explosive power. So we’ll have to maintain the status quo.”

“Did you pair her with someone who can handle her well?”

“No, unfortunately. I actually wanted to put her with Harukaze, but…”

Shinonome Ringo was a vanguard. And all the vanguard positions in Shion’s party were filled. There had been a proposal to remove one of the three—the two nobles or the psycho—but…

“I wanted to leave the two prideful ones to Harukaze, who can act as a buffer, and there was no one else who seemed capable of handling Sotomichi.”

In the end, Ringo did not end up in Shion’s party.

“It’s a shame to let that explosive power go to waste.”

“But, it will probably be fine. Harukaze and Sotomichi have lit a fire under everyone.”

If the others came at her seriously, Ringo would have no choice but to get serious, too. When she was cornered with nowhere to go――she would explode. At least, that’s what Yakushiji believed.

“I see… In any case, it’s a bumper crop this year.”

“Yes, and among them, Momokura-sensei, your favorite is still――”

“Ah, it’s still Harukaze. Part of it is because I discovered him myself, but…”

“But if it weren’t for the teleportation accident, he would never have caught your eye.”

“When you think about it that way, I wonder if he’s lucky or unlucky…”

For the four who died, it was undoubtedly a tragedy. However, for the school, it was a plus, as they had discovered a promising talent.

“It might not be a bad idea to change the way we do the placement exams a bit starting next year.”

“I agree. Let’s think of a way to get a broader view and propose it.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Whoops, it’s getting late. Shall we go get a bite to eat?”

“If you’re buying.”

“Honestly… you’re hopeless. But fine, I’ll treat you. Follow me!”

The two teachers left, chatting amiably.

And as for Shion, the subject of their high praise…

“…What did you want to talk about?”

He was on the rooftop, facing Tenma.

Tenma had said he wanted to talk, and Shion, overwhelmed by his intensity, hadn’t been able to refuse.

“It’s about this morning. You said I invite ruin, didn’t you, Shion-kun?”

“…That’s right. (You sacrificed your arms without a moment’s hesitation. You’re dangerous.)”

Just seeing the empty sleeves of his school uniform swaying made him feel sick. Sotomichi Tenma really hadn’t reattached his arms. What’s more, he’d tossed the severed limbs into the incinerator. Shion, who had witnessed it, was genuinely disgusted.

“I don’t think you’re wrong. Not even about me getting out of it alone.”

He cackled brightly, but the content of his words was no laughing matter.

*(Hey, you useless snake. Think I can just push this bastard off the roof?)

*(Pointless. A fall from this height would be nothing to him. Besides, he’d just dodge it.)

*(Shut up! I know that!!)

*(Why ask me, then…)

Was it just his imagination, or did the wind blowing across the rooftop feel unusually cold? Also, the fact that the snake was the more realistic one here said something troubling about him as a primate.

“It’s been this way since I was a kid.”

Leaning back against the rooftop railing, Tenma looked up at the sky, his face tinged with melancholy.

*(Hey, he’s starting his tragic backstory. What do I do?)

*(How should I know? Why are you asking me? You two are the same species.)

*(There’s no creature that understands each other less than humans!)

Even so, seeking wisdom from a snake seemed like the wrong move.

“I can’t seem to get fired up about anything. It’s not like I’m a pessimist or anything, you know? It’s just that deep inside my chest… it never gets that whoosh of heat.”

If he was going to say that, the same was true for Shion. There hadn’t been a single time in his life he’d tried so hard at something that his chest felt hot.

“Normally, you have moments like that in life, right? Especially when you’re a kid.”

“…When you’re a child, your small world is everything.”

Asked for his agreement, Shion responded with a well-decorated phrase.

“That’s why you can be thrilled by any little thing, like a new discovery. The beauty of the first sunrise you ever saw, the first friend you ever made, the sense of accomplishment when you finish something for the first time… there are an incredible number of things that can move your heart. When you grow up and get taller… you can see even further, and even more感動 awaits.”

Humans live their lives gaining such感動, Shion pontificated, but what does a brat of fifteen or sixteen know?

“We savor those moving moments as we grow old――but you never had that, did you?”

Given the flow of the conversation, that had to be it.

“Yeah… No matter what I saw, what I heard, what I felt, I didn’t feel a thing.”

“But the you I know doesn’t seem that way. That smirk on your face looks like you’re enjoying yourself from the bottom of your heart.”

“Haha, calling it a smirk is so mean… But you’re right.”

The question was what he considered enjoyment.

“It’s the usual. You know? A so-called thrill junkie? That’s me. I love, love, love putting our lives on the scales and seeing which way they’ll tip. Only when I’m playing with my life as a chip does my chest feel hot. Ahh, I can feel that I’m alive.”

It was a common enough story. Putting yourself in a disadvantageous situation and gaining a sense of accomplishment by overcoming it. You could call it a kind of spiritual quest. However, that type of person isn’t cut out to be an adventurer. Sure, many adventurers seek thrills. But there’s no one who would willingly lay their life bare like that. Because adventurers work in parties. A person who would expose others to danger is someone who deserves to be cast out. Tenma himself probably thought he was only using his own life, but he was a cog in the party machine, and if that cog moved erratically, it would affect the whole.

“Then you should just go play in a dungeon by yourself.”

Shion’s words hit the mark. Adventurers generally moved in parties, but it wasn’t impossible to go in alone illegally. There were people who made their living that way, after all.

“You’re right. I probably should. But, I’m human, too――I get lonely.”

Tenma made a gesture as if clutching his chest with his non-existent left hand. His face was filled with an unbearable anguish.

“If I’m going to play with my life, I have to do it alone so I don’t bother others. That’s wrong. But being alone is lonely… but if I get close to someone, I have to hold back, and I can’t do that either. I’m selfish, aren’t I? But I can’t help it… It hurts, it’s painful, Shion-kun…!”

In fact, Tenma had troubled others with his癖 on several occasions. Each time, he’d been met with looks of disgust, which he’d brushed off, but apparently, he’d been bottling it up inside. It was probably because Shion had seen through his dangerous nature at first glance and had spoken to him kindly. Before he knew it, Tenma was revealing his innermost thoughts.

“I know this Totentanz-like癖 of mine isn’t right! But I can’t stop it, and I hate my twisted self from the bottom of my heart. But what I hate even more is that somewhere in my heart, there’s a part of me that accepts this twisted self.”

His eyes had already lost their focus, and the smile on his face was distorted and cracked. Sotomichi Tenma was now laying bare the depths of his soul. It was because he had judged Shion Harukaze to be a person worthy of trust—a gross miscalculation.

*(What the hell is with this chuuni punk!? If you’re going to be a chuuni, keep it in your delusions, you piece of crap!!)

To call a person’s once-in-a-lifetime confession “chuunibyou”… Shion’s humanity was questionable.

“Hey, Shion-kun… what should I do…?”

Tenma closed the distance between them, so close they could have kissed.

*(Like I give a damn!)

But the sight of Tenma, tears streaming down his face, looking up at him with vacant eyes, was terrifying, so Shion thought desperately. He had to come up with some plausible words—he was a master at making others dance with pretty words. Not exactly a skill to be proud of as a human being, though.

“Durch Leiden Freude. Through suffering, to joy.”

“…What are those words?”

“Someone said them, a long, long time ago.”

He took a deep breath, preparing himself. Preparing for what? To spin his tongue like a con man.

“If you were just a man who indulged in pleasure, it would be hopeless. I wouldn’t have been able to find a single word to say to you. But you’re different. You’re conflicted. You’re wavering between your nature and what’s right, tormented by the thorns of your anguish. That’s why I’ll help you. Just as I told you this morning. If you’re trying to change, I want to lend a hand.”

I still don’t want to get close to you. Please just die somewhere I don’t have to see it. That was Shion’s true feeling. But he covered it up, decorating it with pretty words. Shion Harukaze’s weapons were his words. An unbreakable iron mask and the eloquence of a master swindler. With that shield and sword, he fought.

“That said, I can’t give you the answer. Only you can find the end of your struggle. The answer that comes from within your own heart is the only one for you, so there’s nothing I can do. Still, there is one thing I can say.”

To be able to lend credibility to words he didn’t mean was a tremendous talent. In a sense, it was a cheat—though it only manifested when he was acting for his own benefit.

“What is it?”

Tenma looked up at Shion with teary eyes. Was he really a boy?

“Worry, suffer. As long as you don’t stop doing that――you will surely reach joy.”

Grabbing his shoulders, looking straight into his eyes, Shion told Tenma.

“――”

“I’m praying for you. That the joy you find at the end of your suffering is one that will fulfill you.”

Shion offered a faint smile. The reason he never broke his expression was to use a smile effectively in moments like these. Whether one saw it as cunning or as a tear-jerking effort depended on the person.

“…Do you think I can find the answer?”

“You can. At the very least, as long as you keep asking yourself, the possibility isn’t zero. I believe in you, and if there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it. So… hey, let’s start from here. And someday, if you find your answer, tell me.”

“Guh… th-thank… hic… thank… you… thank you…”

For not looking away from me. For facing this hopeless me head-on.

It was a “thank you” filled with a multitude of emotions, but of course, none of them reached Shion.

*(Crying faces are generally unsightly. Well, mine is an exception, of course.)

For Shion, who could not share in Tenma’s anguish, the current situation was utterly incomprehensible.

You really are something else…

*(Shut up! Anyway, what should I do…)

Shion wanted to leave the sobbing, downcast Tenma and go home, but the atmosphere of the place made that impossible. All he could do now was paste a benevolent look on his face and watch Tenma. What an unproductive use of time.

“――Yeah, I feel better.”

After a short while, Tenma lifted his face, looking incredibly refreshed.

“Ahaha, this is kind of embarrassing.”

“…Yeah. (I don’t give a damn.)”

“Oh, right… I have a favor to ask. Is that okay?”

His eyes wavered anxiously. What could it be?

“What is it?”

“Um――can I call you by your first name?”

Is this a shoujo manga!? Shion swallowed the retort and nodded. The thought of “just let me go home already” filled his chest.

“Then, I’ll call you Shion-kun. You can call me Tenma, too.”

I’d rather not—the fact that he couldn’t say it was what made Shion a small-fry. Because he was scared.

“Then, I’ll call you Tenma.”

“Okay! Oh, hey, hey! Are you free now? If so, let’s go get something to eat. My treat!”

“Let’s go.”

Our little small-fry bit on the words “my treat” without a moment’s hesitation.

Y-You…

*(There’s nothing more delicious than a meal paid for with someone else’s money!)

How many times did he need to be told there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

“So, let’s go to the park. See, there’s this amazing crepe place there.”

“Oh… you mean the mobile food stand?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s got a great reputation. It’s usually swarming with students after school, but…”

It was now 1 p.m. There wouldn’t be any students. Even if there were a few skipping class, it would be a small number. That’s why now was the time to go, Tenma smiled.

“Class A got out early. We’re lucky.”

“Right?”

Chatting as they left the school, the two arrived at the park and found their target stand. There were a few housewives and elderly people, but the crowd was small.

“Welcome. Have you decided what you’d like to order?”

“Yeah, I’ll have two bacon and salad crepes, two strawberry cream crepes, two orders of chicken nuggets on the side, and a café au lait to drink.”

Shion had intended to order without restraint since it was someone else’s money, but…

“Um, let’s see… I’ll have two chocolate bananas, two strawberries, two marrons, the condensed milk ones look good too… yeah, two of those. Oh, this pomegranate one looks interesting, so two of that. And two fruit mixes. For my drink, a strawberry milk, please.”

There was always a bigger fish.

Well, it was Tenma’s money, so he could do what he wanted, but… still, what was with this amount? It was a lineup that looked like it could make someone collapse from a sugar overdose. Not only Shion but the staffer, too, was staring blankly.

“Oh, Shion-kun. Get the money out of my waist bag.”

“O-Oh…”

It was only natural, since he couldn’t use his arms.

Shion unzipped the small bag attached to his waist, and—

“Gah!?”

He completely freaked out.

It was stuffed haphazardly with thick wads of cash.

The conclusion was obvious: Tenma was rich. And Shion hated rich people. His already negative opinion of Tenma plummeted even further.

“Oh, a wallet? I don’t really carry one of those.”

*(That’s not the issue here.) “…Ma’am, how much is it?”

“Uh, um…”

The staffer timidly stated the amount, and Shion took out the cash and paid.

“Here are two chocolate bananas and four strawberries to start. We’ll bring the rest out as soon as it’s ready.”

Obviously, they couldn’t make it all at once. Shion took the tray from the staffer and headed to a table set up near the stand.

“That was surprisingly cheap.”

“…Do you always shop like that?”

“Well, I’m not hurting for money.”

Shion was profoundly irritated by that statement, but he didn’t let it show. Cursing him out might have made him feel better, but it would have made him look bad. As long as he prioritized his appearance and self-preservation, Shion would never reveal his true feelings.

“…I see. By the way, how are you going to eat?”

His left hand was gone from the wrist down, and his right arm was gone from the elbow down. It was a natural question.

“Huh? Isn’t it obvious?”

Tenma tilted his head with a curious look, as if to say, “What are you talking about?”

Annoyed by the gesture, Shion urged him on with his eyes.

“Shion-kun――Feed me♪”

Shion’s vision went black!