Chương 112: Chapter 34 Training Duel (Part 1)

I glance behind me. For now, there are no dropouts. Well, they are exhausted enough that if I raise the pace to around three minutes per kilometer, some of those on the magic side might start dropping out. The close-combat classes, on the other hand, are still full of energy. The WACs and Akamine both look like they are itching to go. We haven't even been running for an hour yet, but if we keep going like this, it will probably leave them unsatisfied. I almost feel sorry for them.

"Akamine-san and... uh?"

"Shimizu." The dignified woman with straight hair tied into a high ponytail, looking like a female samurai, is Shimizu, I see. If she can keep up with Akamine, she must be fairly well trained. In that case, perhaps it's time to let those who can keep up go ahead.

"Akamine-san and Shimizu-san, take whoever can keep up with you. The pace will be... let's see. How about two minutes per kilometer? We'll finish when you return to the field where Miyafuji-san is. Shimizu-san, you decide the route."

"Oh, that's easy!"

"Piece of cake! Anyone who can keep up, come on!" A two-minute-per-kilometer pace—that's 30 km/h, the same speed as a moped. The close-combat members all ran off almost immediately. Hmm. This isn't going to be much of a workout for them. They're supposed to have high physical abilities, and I had assumed that those abilities would increase as they raised their physical fundamentals. That was probably correct. The problem was where they should train.

Until now, there had always been one problem after another, and everyone had their own responsibilities to deal with, so they hadn't been able to devote themselves to training. But this time was different. Not mountain seclusion, but gate seclusion. They would resupply in the safe spaces, and spend the rest of their time doing nothing but fighting monsters. That would probably become the final stage of training for the close-combat group.

"K-Kloe... Ch-Chloe... s-so... fast..."

"Kaori, running normally is going to be tough, you know? You have sound, right? Then you have a rhythm. If you can't keep running, you can walk. And anyone else who can't keep up, head back to Miyafuji's position!" Mochida isn't a member of the magic classes, but when it comes to images and the explanations behind them, she can make use of them. In short, she needs to feel her own sound, adjust it, and use it to protect her body from fatigue.

There are various ways to do it, but what matters is how the person themselves conceptualizes it. Before we started running this time, I told her about Sekitoba—the Red Hare. That, too, involves imagery. After all, if all you want is speed, a car or a motorcycle would do. But humans aren't machines. If you think of the heart as an engine, then perhaps a mechanical image would work. Unfortunately, though, humans don't have mechanical limbs.

When you're first creating an image of yourself running with reinforcement, something animal-like is easier to visualize. Besides, a car has the limitation of gasoline. But a horse that can run a thousand ri—roughly 3, 900 kilometers—would have practically limitless stamina.

"Chloe... it's about time."

"Come to think of it, Hyodo-san was in this group too. All right. We'll turn back at some point and pick up anyone who's dropped out." I turn around at a suitable point and collect the people who have run out of steam. They're exhausted because they haven't trained their bodies simply because they're magic users. I suppose I'll conveniently leave my own situation out of that. Practically speaking, it would be a problem if someone ran out of stamina on the battlefield.

And the inside of a gate is enormous, so having more stamina is never a bad thing. We return to Miyafuji-san, who has been stretching, and take a break. I'm grateful for the thoughtful little smoking canister, so I light up.

"Ch-Chloe-san... don't you get tired?"

"Hmm, Suguru-kun, is it? You should be pretty easy to reinforce yourself, right?"

"I was reinforcing myself, but that's different from not getting tired. You haven't even broken a sweat..." Suguru is breathing heavily, but since he kept up until the end, it's not as though he lacks stamina. If he was reinforcing himself as well, then the rest is probably a matter of accumulating experience with his imagery. Looking only at the results, fewer than half of the magic-side members managed to keep up until the end. I think that's an understandable number. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road.

If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Once people become adults, opportunities to exercise decrease. Unless you consciously make a point of going to the gym, most people don't do much running. The members who remained until the end were probably mostly from the Self-Defense Forces group. From now on, I want them to gradually build up their images of what they can do, and eventually reach a level where they can stand alongside the current close-combat group.

"Good work, Suguru-kun. Chloe-san, what should we do after this? If we're following the same schedule as the Self-Defense Forces, the closing assembly is at 17: 00, so we still have two hours." So the running session had lasted about an hour and a half. Some people might feel uncomfortable from all the sweat, but we could rest until 15: 30, spend thirty minutes reflecting on the day's training, then give them instructions for tomorrow and have them take showers. It's only the first day.

There was no point in pushing them too hard. They could take medicine or get massages to help with tomorrow's muscle soreness, too.

"Let's have the reflection meeting from 15: 30, give them tomorrow's instructions, and then let everyone take care of their bodies. It would be a problem if they collapsed on the very first day. How did things go with the close-combat group?"

"They finished their run pretty quickly, and the members who still had stamina went out for another run. As expected, it seems like the close-combat group finds it easier to operate inside the gate."

"That's true. We've been told that light training is allowed inside the garrison, too, but... I wonder if some sparring would be okay." Even if I say sparring, I have almost no martial arts experience myself. If anything, I've only dabbled in it. I'm as much of an amateur as you can get. Still, we have to do it. This isn't really about fighting monsters. It's a skill they'll need for dealing with people—for catching criminal Sweepers. Ah. There are two suitable candidates right here.

"Yuji-kun, Kaori, can I have a moment?"

"Did something happen, sir?"

"What is it...?" Yuji and Mochida come over, both drenched in sweat. Yuji is part of the close-combat group, so he must have run all the way to the end with Akamine. Mochida, meanwhile, gave out partway through and is visibly exhausted. Still, I'll add Suguru to the mix and have them continue what started in Akihabara. Close-combat versus magic. The two already know each other well, and if Mochida and I concentrate on defense, there might be some minor injuries, but it shouldn't turn into anything irreversible.

"I want you two to have a mock battle. The matchup is Yuji-kun versus Suguru.

"Miyafuji-san aside, you two have no track record as members of society, and you don't belong to any organization. To put it bluntly, you're outsiders I brought here.

"So I want you to show your strength here.

"Kaori and I will handle the defense, so some degree of force is fine. But whatever you do, don't kill each other, all right?

"Kaori, I want you to protect the surroundings from collateral damage and prevent the two of them from suffering fatal injuries. Thoroughly.

"Your mission is to protect the people here and the surrounding area. That is your one and only priority.

"Sound is a sign. If you can sense something, crush it with your sound.

"I'll focus on backing you up in case something unexpected happens.

"Miyafuji-san, please act as the referee. A draw is acceptable, but give us something worth watching." I speak while looking at each of their faces, but when Yuji and Suguru look at each other, they grin and bump fists. They're partners now, but originally they were the sort of pair who would provoke each other enough to draw their weapons. It's not about who is superior. They probably just want to test themselves against each other. Miyafuji watches the two of them with a wry smile, but his gaze is gentle.

After all, he's known them longer than I have. He must trust them. The one looking pale, on the other hand, is Mochida. She's only entered a gate once since becoming a Sweeper. And even then, it was a thoroughly protected, almost hospitality-level run with the best possible cards—Tachibana and me. It can't be helped. As her advisor, I'll do my job with all my heart and affection.

"Kaori, listen carefully.

"You have something you want to protect.

"Whether it's a person, an object, or something else, I don't know. I'm not you, after all.

"But you know.

"Somewhere in your heart, you know what you yourself want to protect—what you absolutely cannot give up.

"If that's the case, make it resonate for the sake of protecting it.

"Put your feelings into your sound." I speak while holding both her shoulders and looking into her eyes. Mochida's eyes reflect me. And in my eyes, Mochida must be reflected as well. Originally, it would be more effective for her to face herself by having me speak from behind her while she looked into a full-length mirror. But that would become a form of suggestion, and I don't want to do that. This is probably the limit of what I should do.

"Tsukasa... do you believe in me?"

"My guardian is you, Kaori, isn't she?

"Then I'm betting everything on you." I release her shoulders. Of course I believe in you, my SP, my guardian Kaori. We've been together all this time. Even after learning who I originally was and about my wife, you still talk to me so naturally and warmly. That makes you worthy of my trust. As your friend, with genuine affection, I'll believe in you.

"That was... advice?"

"Even though it wasn't directed at me, the words feel warm."

"Anyone can string words together. But is it because she says them that they have value?" (Was Hyodo-san like that, too?) (No. I think I was different.) The onlookers, having rested to some extent, are gathered at a distance, noisily talking among themselves. Yuji seems to be hoping for something, too. I'd like to tell him that will have to wait for another time, but I suppose I can give him a little. Ideally, I should hear about their backgrounds and what they're thinking first.

But if I simply let them fight as they are, Suguru will win. That wouldn't be fair. Besides, it would be dangerous if they used their actual weapons.

"First, Yuji-kun. Which would you prefer, a wooden sword or a shinai?"

"So real weapons really are off-limits after all... Then I'll take the shinai." He's disappointed, but fighting with real weapons would obviously be dangerous. In the first place, even I have never taken an attack from a gate weapon. I think I could deal with one using magic, but I'd rather eliminate any unnecessary variables.

"All right. Could someone get a shinai, please?"

"Iguchi will go!" Iguchi, slender and with her hair tied up, runs off. Since she volunteered, she must be familiar with the facilities here at the garrison. Well, now that we've got the weapon sorted out, there's one more thing to do. Akamine.

"Akamine-san, I want you to do that."

"That... Oh! Right, that. It might be dangerous, so everyone, step back." Shimizu and the others standing beside Akamine move away, looking puzzled. I don't think it's particularly dangerous, but it might give them a little zap. And with everyone sweaty, the electricity should conduct nicely. Actually, I considered using a fireball, but it would be a bad idea to give Suguru a negative image right before he's about to fight.