The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 36

Chapter 36: I Really, Really Don’t Want to Do a Mock Battle 2

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

I readjusted my stance, holding the wooden sword in front of me. But this wasn’t a real stance. My hips were shallow, and the blade’s line was deliberately misaligned. It was just bait, meant to make my opponent think, “Now’s my chance.”

“…Come on, Leon. You’ll miss your chance if you hesitate.”

I deliberately tossed out a light remark, letting my shoulders relax. Leon’s brows drew slightly together. For just an instant, hesitation flickered across his face—before it shifted into determination.

Got him.

“Haaaah!”

The sound of his foot hitting the ground rang out, and Leon closed the distance with blinding speed. A straight thrust from the step-in. His form was flawless, with no waste at all.

Normally, this was where you’d block head-on and turn it into a contest of strength, or deflect the blade aside. But me?—I chose to crouch down instead.

“—!?”

Leon’s wooden sword, carried forward by momentum, slammed into the tree trunk behind me with a loud thunk. The dry, sharp sound was followed by a slight pause in his movement from the impact. His face flashed with a look of regret. 

Yep, there’s the opening.

Without moving my feet, I glanced down, scuffing the dirt with the tip of my shoe. Then, scooping a handful of sand into my palm, I flung it straight at Leon’s face.

“Uwah!?”

Blinded, Leon instinctively shut his eyes. In that moment, I slipped smoothly beneath his guard, darting between his legs and circling around behind him. Before he could turn, I gently pressed the tip of my wooden sword against his back.

“…That’s enough!”

I made sure to say it in a referee-like tone. Rubbing his eyes, Leon looked back at me with a stunned expression.

“…It’s your loss.”

Hell yeeeeesssssss!

I pumped a victorious fist in my heart. Cunning? Yeah, I was cunning. But a win was still a win. Now, all I had to do was keep Leon’s mood up. If he accused me of cheating, I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.

As I considered how to spin this, Leon stayed silent, staring at me for a while. Then he let out a deep breath and smiled.

“…That was a real learning experience!”

“…Huh?”

The dumbest sound slipped out of me.

“Not just overpowering with strength, but watching your opponent closely and using the situation to your advantage… So there are ways to fight like that too, huh?”

His eyes sparkled brighter than when he’d been swinging the wooden sword moments ago.

“Eh, well… I guess… Yeah, sometimes.”

Why? Why was he thanking me with such a refreshing smile? All I did was pull a one-off trick and win cheaply!

“Come to think of it, I could’ve used that tactic back in the forest. From now on, instead of relying only on my own strength, I’ll broaden my view and learn more ways to fight!”

“…Ri-Right.”

Stop. Stop looking at me with those earnest eyes of yours.

Something prickled uncomfortably in my chest. It was like I’d suddenly become some proper master giving noble guidance.

“Next time… I absolutely won’t lose next time!”

“…Y-yeah, sure.”

Don’t worry, I won’t be winning next time anyway. Honestly, it should be me saying, “I absolutely won’t win next time.”

Afterward, Leon earnestly discussed what he could improve and what he’d learned. He was so serious about it that guilt started gnawing at me—enough that I ended up saying, “Alright, I’ll at least check your grip.”

“Like this… And then relax your fingers a bit, swing with your hips instead of your arms.”

“I see… Ah, if I do that, the blade’s angle stays straight.”

“Yeah, exactly, just like that—”

Before I realized it, I was standing behind Leon, adjusting his posture by lightly pressing on his shoulder and wrist. …Yep, it looked exactly like a master giving hands-on instruction to his disciple.

“—Shin-san.”

A chill like an icicle stabbed down my spine. When I turned, there was Iris. She was smiling, but her eyes? Not even remotely smiling.

“…I’m here to get you since it’s almost my turn, but… You two seem awfully close, don’t you?”

“Huh? I’m just giving Leon some pointers. Of course I need to be close, right Leon?”

“Y-yeah…That’s right!”

“Hmm…”

Iris’s gaze drifted from my hand on Leon’s shoulder, back up to my face, then back down again. And Leon…

Why the hell is his face a little red now? Stop reacting in ways that will cause misunderstandings!

“…Shin-san, please teach me too.”

“Eh?”

“I’m not very good with swords… But I think I can improve under your guidance.”

The unspoken part—‘at the same distance as with my big brother’—weighed heavily in the air. That part was definitely not my imagination and I wasn’t brave enough to ignore that pressure.

“Alright then… ;et’s start with your stance. You don’t need to hold the sword, just adjust your hips—”

As I began explaining, Iris took a step closer. Too close. When I tried to rest my hand on her shoulder, like I had with Leon, she instead grabbed my wrist and guided it to her waist.

“…Like this?”

“Huh, ah… Yeah, that’s right.”

Out of the corner of my eye, Leon was watching me with a strangely worried look.

Hey, help me out here!

Meanwhile, Iris’s unsettling gaze from the front practically screamed: ‘You better keep the same distance as you did with my big brother.’

“…Then, like this, lower your hips a little—”

“Fufu~ Shin-san, you really are kind.”

“H-huh? Am I?”

“Yes. You’re even more gentle with me than you were with my big brother.”

No no no. The only reason I was being careful was because I was terrified. Good thing the concept of sexual harassment hadn’t really taken root in this world. Whether she realized my inner panic or not, Iris gave me a gentle smile.

“…Please keep teaching me many things from now on.”

Her words nearly made me choke on my reply, and I quickly cleared my throat. In situations like this, casually saying “sure” would only come back to bite me later. But in the end, what came out of my mouth was—

“…Let’s keep it at a moderate level at least.”

Because honestly… She was scarier than Leon somehow.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー