The day after my talk with Juzo-san, the three of us hung back in the classroom after school, chatting as we waited for Mika and Saori-chan. The number of students left in the room had dwindled until they could be counted on one hand.
"They're late..."
I'd been talking with Yuji and the others, but with nothing left to do, the boredom finally forced a grumble out of me.
"School just let out; it hasn't even been twenty minutes yet. Be a little more patient," Yuji chided.
"He's right. You made them promise to come here right after school, didn't you? They’ll be here any minute," Hiiragi-san added.
I knew they were right. But when you’re just sitting around, it’s hard not to let a little complaint slip.
"By the way, Kokonoe-kun," Hiiragi-san asked. "What did your sister and her friend think of the training? Did they turn it down?"
"No, they were fine with it. I’ve been heading to training ever since I started entering the dungeons, and I’ve made practicing my swings a daily routine at home, too..."
When I told Mika about the sessions after dinner yesterday, she’d readily agreed. Perhaps it was because I had been showing her footage of monster battles in the dungeons for a while, but she seemed to understand the necessity of combat training.
"At the very least, I need Mika and Saori to reach a point where they won't accidentally injure themselves with their own weapons..."
"True," Yuji agreed. "Self-injury with your own weapon is basically a bad joke."
"It is. And yet, you occasionally see people like that on the surface floors of the dungeon, don't you?" Hiiragi-san noted.
"Yeah, they’re out there," I replied.
I sometimes saw explorers who couldn't stop the momentum of their swing and ended up slicing their own legs, leaving them covered in blood. When I saw that sort of thing, I honestly wondered why they didn't practice before coming to the dungeon. It was a mystery. It was likely the result of swinging a weapon with all their might without a second thought, driven by the tension and excitement of facing a monster.
"Explorers who use blunt-weapon types get those kinds of injuries often, don't they?" Yuji asked.
"True. I suppose it's a matter of being swung around by the weight of their own weapon?"
"Should I have Mika and Saori do some strength training?" I wondered aloud.
"That would probably be for the best," Yuji said. "I think it’s a problem that can be solved by leveling up, but it’s not like the effort would go to waste."
In that case, I might have to rethink letting Mika and Saori use blunt-weapon types. Just as we were agonizing over what kind of equipment to suggest, the girls called out to us from the doorway.
"Onii-chan! Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"I'm sorry if we're late," Saori added.
"You two, don't just stand there. Come on in."
I beckoned them over, and they entered the classroom to join us. Mika didn't seem to care, but Saori-chan looked hesitant, clearly mindful of the other upperclassmen remaining in the room.
"Hello! Yuji-san, Hiiragi-san! Thank you for having us today!" Mika chirped.
"Um, er... Thank you for having us!" Saori added with a bow.
"Yeah, glad to have you. Mika-chan, Kishida-san," Yuji said.
"It's a pleasure, Kokonoe-san, Kishida-san," Hiiragi-san acknowledged with a polite nod.
The two girls bowed deeply as they greeted us. Yuji raised a hand in response, and Hiiragi-san gave them a small smile. For now, it seemed like there wasn't any weird tension.
"Anyway, you're late. Did you have class duties or something?"
"Yeah! About that, listen to this, Onii-chan!"
When I asked why they were late, Mika's voice grew sharp with irritation, while Saori-chan's expression soured. As I listened while trying to calm them down, it turned out the reason for their delay involved that Repeating Student explorer and his group.
"We keep saying no, but they just won't stop trying to recruit us! They're such a pain!" Mika vented.
"Mika-chan is right! Those people don't consider our schedules at all; they just keep pushing their own demands onto us!"
Apparently, the two of them had been bottling up quite a bit of frustration, and the complaints poured out of them incessantly. The three of us couldn't say much; we could only focus on being good listeners. Incidentally, the few classmates remaining in the room also seemed to be eavesdropping with stunned expressions. I offered them a brief, silent apology with my eyes.
After venting for about five minutes, the two of them finally regained their composure.
"Sounds like you had a rough time," I said.
"Yeah. Really, I've had enough..." Mika sighed.
"It sounds significantly worse than what I'd heard," Yuji added.
"It is. It seems like they achieved some kind of success during Golden Week, and their behavior has only gotten worse..." Saori explained.
"That... really sounds like we need to do something about it soon," Hiiragi-san murmured.
We each offered our thoughts on their grievances, but the two girls looked completely drained and slumped powerlessly into nearby empty chairs. They really did seem exhausted. However, we couldn't just sit here forever.
"Well, anyway. Now that everyone's here, shall we head out? It wouldn't be good to keep Juzo-san waiting too long."
"Yeah, you're right," Yuji said.
"Indeed," Hiiragi-san agreed.
I spoke to the dejected pair, and we all picked up our bags and stood. Mika and Saori-chan looked at each other, let out small sighs, and then stood up as well.
"Are you two okay?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Yes. We're mentally tired, but we're okay."
"I see... Then let's go."
After saying goodbye to our remaining classmates, we left the classroom together. I decided to ignore the pitying looks our classmates directed toward Mika and Saori.
Mika and Saori-chan stood frozen, staring up at the gates of Yuji’s estate with stunned expressions.
"Is this... Yuji-san’s...?"
"It’s huge, isn't it?"
Saori-chan was a given, but come to think of it, I had never brought Mika to Yuji’s house before either. It was no wonder they were surprised.
"What are you two doing? Come on, don't just stand there."
The two of them snapped back to reality at the sound of my voice and rushed over to us as we stood before the wicket gate. Their steps were hesitant and fearful. Perhaps it was too far beyond their expectations, but they had been acting jumpy ever since they saw the scale of the Hirose home.
It's not like the house is going to eat you, so you should calm down a bit... I thought to myself, conveniently forgetting my own agitation during my first visit.
"Excuse us," Yuji said as he led the way.
"E-Excuse me?" Mika stammered.
"Excuse m—" Saori followed.
We passed through the wicket gate one by one. Although I knew the entrance to the house was still further ahead, I called out as I passed through the gate just in case. Mika and Saori followed my lead, stepping through... and then they froze again.
Well, if you saw this front garden without any mental preparation, you'd freeze up too.
"Kokonoe-san, Kishida-san. We can't get inside if you stand there. Could you please move further in?"
Hiiragi-san’s voice came from behind the two girls, who were standing there dumbfounded by the sight. They scrambled to the left and right, clearing the path. Hiiragi-san let out a small sigh, confirmed they had moved, passed through the gate, and closed it behind her.
"Come on, Grandfather is probably waiting impatiently, so let's head to the dojo," Yuji said.
"Yeah, good point. You two, we’re moving," I added.
Yuji urged us forward. We were later than usual because we had been waiting for the girls. I had informed Juzo-san yesterday that our arrival might be a bit delayed, so I thought it would be fine, but it was better to be early. I called out to Mika and Saori-chan, whose heads were darting left and right as they observed the garden.
"Ah, right."
"Y-Yes."
Led by Yuji, we crossed the front garden and arrived at the entrance. During that time, Mika and Saori were intently observing Yuji’s house, letting out small gasps of surprise.
"I'm home," Yuji called out.
"Excuse us."
Once we stepped into the entrance, we headed to Yuji’s room to drop off our bags. As always, it was quite a long walk even though we were inside the house.
"Now then, once you’ve put your bags down, let's head to the dojo. You two brought your workout clothes, right?" Yuji asked.
"Ah, yes! Onii-chan told me to, so I have them ready!"
"They're just my school gym clothes and jersey... that's okay, right?"
"That’s perfectly fine."
I had told them to prepare workout clothes yesterday, but on such short notice, gym clothes were probably all they could manage. As Yuji said, they were perfectly acceptable. After leaving our bags in Yuji’s room, we grabbed our clothes and headed to the dojo.
When we entered, Juzo-san was waiting for us in the center of the room, meditating. He didn't seem to notice the sound of the door opening and appeared unaware of our presence... though with Juzo-san, that was never the case.
However, Mika and Saori-chan were intimidated by the heavy atmosphere of the place and took a step back.
"Grandfather," Yuji said.
Juzo-san opened his eyes and looked at us.
"Oh, Yuji. You are late."
"There was a bit of trouble."
"I see. And these two are...?"
"Yeah. This is Daiki’s sister, Mika-chan, and her friend, Kishida Saori-chan."
"Hmm."
Juzo-san turned a scrutinizing gaze toward the girls, sizing them up.
...!
The moment his eyes landed on them, the two of them shrank back and hid behind us. Well, it was no wonder, given the way Juzo-san looked at them so suddenly.
"Hey, Grandfather," Yuji warned.
"Oho, my apologies, my apologies. Welcome, you two."
At Yuji’s reproachful tone, Juzo-san softened his gaze and offered a smile like a kindly old man.
...
"Hmm... Have I been disliked, then?"
"It’s your own fault for staring at them so rudely," Yuji replied.
"Well, I suppose that is true. Now then, you lot. Don't just stand there forever; come up into the dojo."
Urged by Juzo-san, we stepped up. However, Mika and Saori-chan showed no sign of moving.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Eh? Ah, well..."
"..."
They were both reluctant. The cause was definitely Juzo-san’s gaze.
"You two, it’s okay. You don't have to be that nervous."
"B-But..."
"Juzo-san didn't look at you like that because he doesn't like you. I think he was just curious since we were the ones who brought you here. He looks intimidating, but he's actually a very caring person."
He really was. Despite Hiiragi-san and me being complete amateurs, Juzo-san himself instructed us personally. Normally, that would be an unbelievably privileged position. Hearing my explanation, the girls looked at each other and nodded. It seemed the misunderstanding had been cleared up.
"Shall we go, then?"
"Yeah."
"Yes."
This time they followed obediently. We gave Juzo-san a quick word of notice and decided to change into our training clothes first.
"Well then, Hiiragi-san. I’ll leave the two of them to you."
"Yes, I understand. Now, Kokonoe-san, Kishida-san, this way."
The two of them were led by Hiiragi-san to the girls' changing room. After seeing them off, I spoke to Yuji.
"Shall we change, too?"
"Yeah. We can't keep Grandfather waiting forever."
Yuji and I entered the other changing room. I tossed my school uniform onto a shelf and changed into my workout clothes. Unlike the loungewear I wore in dungeons, which had leveled up, these were just mass-produced jerseys. When I finished, Yuji was also ready.
"Alright. Let's go."
"Yeah."
We left the changing room and sat down quietly in front of Juzo-san, who had resumed his meditation. We waited until Hiiragi-san and the girls arrived before speaking.
The silence was becoming unbearable. About five minutes had passed, and the three of them still hadn't come out. I’d definitely missed the timing to speak. Since Yuji had followed Juzo-san’s lead and started meditating as well, there wasn't a single person making a sound in the dojo.
Just as I was wishing they would hurry up, I heard the girls' voices.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Thanks for waiting!"
"I'm sorry we took so long."
The three of them offered their apologies and sat down beside me. I felt inwardly relieved and spoke to Juzo-san and Yuji. Hearing my voice, Juzo-san stopped his meditation. He opened his eyes, glanced at us, and spoke.
"For starters..."
With that single mutter, Juzo-san grabbed the wooden sword at his side and swung it toward Mika and Saori-chan in a sharp kesa-giri strike.