It had been three days since the trio of instructors began putting us through the wringer. We had challenged them countless times, yet we had yet to find even a glimmer of a way to clear the stage.
The cause was simple: there was a massive gap in skill between us and the three instructors. Fumiya-san would casually approach us from the front and gently place a replica knife against Ririka-san's neck. Before we even realized it, Asuka-san would be standing right next to Ririka-san inside our defensive perimeter, smiling as she pressed a replica knife to her throat. As for Kenji-san, he shadowed us from the moment we entered the mountain, monitoring our every move; the instant we prepared to leave, he would drop silently from the trees and hold his replica knife to Ririka-san’s neck.
"What's wrong with you kids?! What have you been learning in your training up until now? It’s pathetic that you can't even put up a fight!"
"Indeed. It’s a bit pitiful that you don't notice anything until Ririka-chan has to raise her voice..."
"If your opponents were local terrorists or second-rate assassins, your current level might suffice... but against the first-class, well..."
Near the prefabricated hut, as the sun began to dip and the sky turned dusky, the three instructors took turns harshly critiquing our performance in front of Genya-san, who sat in a folding chair.
Because we had struggled in our previous training without ever feeling truly stuck, this was the first time we had hit a genuine wall while facing these three.
" " "..." " "
I fully understood Genya-san's intention when he told us to learn about what lay "above" us. If we had finished our training without knowing this, we surely would have suffered a painful retribution someday. Our current strength was simply no match for an experienced, first-class opponent. It was a stroke of good fortune to realize this during a stage of training where there was no actual risk of death.
Still, the realization was grueling.
"Kato-kun, Fuwa-kun, Uesugi-kun. That's enough lecturing for now."
Seeing us hanging our heads, having lost the confidence we’d built up throughout our training, Genya-san interjected. The three instructors fell silent, and we lifted our gaze to look at him.
"Now then, you three. Even though it was an intensive style of training, you mastered the basics and applications in a shorter period than any of this family's disciples... That is an achievement you should be proud of. However, as you have experienced over the last few days, you cannot face first-class opponents with only what you have learned in practice. What you learn in practice is, ultimately, just practice."
Hearing Genya-san's words, we nodded silently. It was a truth we had felt in our very bones.
"The training you've received is only sufficient to raise your skill to the second-rate level. As it stands, you lack the power to face first-class individuals like them. To improve, you have no choice but to continue honing your skills daily without becoming complacent. Understood?"
" " "Yes." " "
As I replied to Genya-san’s question, a small, self-deprecating smile played on my lips.
I hadn't intended to be conceited, but perhaps somewhere in my heart, I had been underestimating the challenge. I had assumed we would be able to clear this training just as smoothly as the ones before.
The fact that I had lost confidence and hung my head after witnessing the instructors' power was proof enough. If I had truly understood the gap between our abilities, there would have been no reason to be so excessively discouraged.
"Well, the sun is about to set. Let's call it a day," Genya-san announced after glancing at the sky.
We gave a slight bow to the three instructors and thanked them for acting as our sparring partners.
" " "Thank you very much for the training!" " "
"Yeah!"
"I said some harsh things, but keep at it."
"I'm sure it was hard to hear, but do your best tomorrow as well."
" " "Yes!" " "
After responding, we moved to the prefab hut to change. Once we finished quickly and said our goodbyes to Genya-san and the others, we got into the car driven by Muroi-san and headed home.
In the car, we reflected on the last few days of training, reminded of our own inadequacy.
The next day, during morning homeroom, Hirasaka-sensei gave the three of us a message: Hashimoto-sensei wanted us to come to the faculty room during lunch break. In the brief interval between homeroom and the start of first period, the others gathered at my desk to discuss it.
"She wants us in the faculty room during lunch? It must be about the club formation, right?"
"Probably."
"I think so, too. It's Hashimoto-sensei calling us, not Hirasaka-sensei."
She had mentioned she would bring it up at the faculty meeting once the midterm exams were over. Since a week had passed since then, she must have presented the proposal. Now, she was likely going to tell us the results during lunch.
"Technically, we’ve met all the requirements for forming a club, so I don't think it was rejected outright, but..."
Since our objective was what it was, I felt some anxiety that it might not be well-received by certain teachers. If handled poorly, it could trigger internal conflict within the school, so I doubted the decision would be unanimous.
"It'll be fine. The school is struggling with their problematic behavior too, after all."
"That's right. Besides, the procedure for forming the circle is official and follows school regulations. We might not get full support, but I think the formation itself will be fine."
When I let a bit of anxiety show on my face, the two of them reassured me, which put me at ease. If we couldn't form the organization, the counter-group we were trying to launch would lose its core. It’s hard to gather people without the banner of a central organization.
"Hey, are you guys starting a club or something?"
Shigemori, who had been listening from the next seat over, spoke up.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. My younger sister and her friend just became first-years, and they want to start a club. I ended up as a member and the nominal representative."
"Heh, your sister, huh?"
"Well, we were in the going-home club anyway. We decided to lend our names to make up the number of members needed to form it."
I gave Shigemori the cover story.
"Now that you mention it, you guys didn't have a club. So, what kind of club is it?"
"By classification, it's a humanities club."
"Humanities... Regardless of Kokonoe and Hiiragi-san, it doesn't seem to suit Hirose."
Shigemori glanced at Yuji's physique and tilted his head.
It was no wonder he found it strange. Given Yuji's well-trained build and appearance, he looked more like he belonged in an athletic club than a humanities one. While Hiiragi-san and I had also been getting toned thanks to our recent training and the explorer profession, we were the type who looked thin in clothes, so on the surface, we didn't look much different than before.
"Well, I guess so. If someone like me is joining a club, it's only natural to think it'd be an athletic one."
Yuji agreed with Shigemori's doubt with a wry smile.
"I didn't originally plan on joining a club at school either, but Daiki invited me. I've known Daiki's sister for a while, and since they were short on people, I decided to lend my name."
"I see..."
Shigemori looked convinced by Yuji’s explanation.
Immediately after, the bell for the start of class rang. The classroom door opened, and the teacher in charge of first period walked in. Seeing the teacher, Yuji and Hiiragi-san hurried back to their seats.
"Class is starting, get to your seats quickly... All right, day monitor."
"Rise. Attention. Bow."
All the students greeted the teacher at the podium, and the lesson began.
Morning classes ended, and lunch break began.
The sound of many students hurrying toward the cafeteria or the shop and the noisy chatter of friends echoed through the halls. We packed up our materials from fourth period, which had run a bit long, and gathered at the back of the classroom.
"Shall we go?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go."
If we didn't finish this quickly, we wouldn't have time to eat lunch. We walked briskly toward the faculty room where Hashimoto-sensei was waiting.
After a few minutes of weaving through the crowds, we arrived.
"Excuse me. Is Hashimoto-sensei here?"
I knocked and spoke to a teacher seated near the entrance.
"Hm? Hashimoto-sensei? Wait a moment. Hashimoto-sensei, are you here?! Some students are here to see you!"
"Yes! I'm here, tell them to come in!"
In response to the teacher's call, Hashimoto-sensei's voice drifted over from the back of the room.
"She's here, you can go in."
"Thank you."
Having received permission, we entered and moved toward Hashimoto-sensei's desk. As we approached, I saw a cute bento box sitting on her desk. It looked like she was just about to have lunch.
"Sorry to disturb you while you're eating. Hashimoto-sensei, you said you wanted to see us?"
"Yes. Sorry for calling you so suddenly. But I thought I should tell you about the circle formation as soon as possible."
As I thought, that was it.
"I brought your proposal to the faculty meeting yesterday."
"I see. And what was the result?"
"Various opposing opinions were raised, but ultimately, it was approved. Their conduct was being viewed as more of a problem than you might imagine."
Opposing opinions were to be expected.
"There was a discussion that if any of them received red marks on these midterm exams, the school would use that as a reason to intervene through student guidance. However, none of them ended up failing—only by a hair's breadth. Since they didn't fail, the most we could do was give them a light verbal warning when returning the tests, which isn't much of a deterrent."
Hashimoto-sensei let out a sigh of disappointment.
As a teacher, sighing because her students didn't fail was a bit questionable, but considering their behavior, I could understand her frustration.
"Some of the teachers felt it was wrong to dump the problem on the students, but since the faculty can't intervene directly, the decision was made to leave it to the students. The teachers can't move openly, but I think they'll support you from the shadows, so don't overdo it, okay?"
"Yes."
Good. Not only did we get permission for the circle, but we also secured backup from the school.
"Also, it's difficult to establish it as a full club right away, so it will be formed as a circle for now... Is that all right?"
"Yes. That's perfectly fine."
Hashimoto-sensei sounded a bit apologetic about the circle status, but it wasn't an issue for us. It was impossible to start as a full club when we had no track record. I was just glad we got permission to establish it at all.
"Good. And as for the rest... here, take this."
Hashimoto-sensei rummaged through her desk drawer and handed me an envelope. Inside were the application documents we had submitted previously, along with another sheet: the circle formation permit stamped by the principal and Hashimoto-sensei.
"Submit these two documents to the Student Council. Once they approve it, the formation procedure will be complete. Managing circles is technically the Student Council's job, so their final approval is required."
"I see, understood."
I glanced at the documents and gave Hashimoto-sensei an affirmative nod.
"Well, that's all I had to tell you."
"Yes. Thank you for going to so much trouble for us. We look forward to working with you."
"Yes, likewise."
We bowed to Hashimoto-sensei and thanked her politely. Now that our business was finished, we decided to head back so she could eat in peace.
"Well then, Hashimoto-sensei, we'll take our leave."
"Yes. Sorry for calling you so suddenly."
"No, please don't worry about it. Excuse us."
We gave her another light bow and left the faculty room. On the way back to the classroom, we discussed our next steps.
"We should probably show these documents to Mika and the others before submitting them to the Student Council, right?"
"Yeah. We should let Mika-chan and Saori-chan see them before we move forward."
"Right. It's better not to proceed without them."
"Then let's show them to Mika on the way home..."
With our plan decided, I tucked the envelope away. Besides, if we went to Mika's classroom now, we’d run out of time to eat. I had no intention of braving afternoon classes on an empty stomach.
We walked through the hallway, which had become less crowded as the lunch break was half over, and returned to the classroom. There were only a few people left inside.
"Now then, there's not much of the break left, so let's eat quickly."
"Yeah. Let's eat."
We parted for a moment to get our lunches. Back at my seat, I tucked the envelope into my bag and opened my bento. When Yuji and Hiiragi-san approached with their lunches, I moved Shigemori's neighboring desk and chair to create an impromptu large table.
"Well then, let's eat."
" "Let's eat." "
Once everyone was seated, we began our late lunch.