Hiiragi-san’s post-training workshop on effective recovery massages wrapped up right on schedule. The girls rejoined Yuji and me in the school cafeteria, where we’d been killing time over juice. Looking at the four of them, the transformation was obvious; the strain from the training session had vanished, replaced by a much more relaxed demeanor. Her techniques had clearly done wonders.
Mika and Saori-chan’s strides had regained their usual lightness.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kokonoe-kun, Hirose-kun."
"Ah, Hiiragi-san. You’re all finished? Thanks for looking after all four of them at once."
"They were all very attentive, so it wasn't much trouble. Besides, I mainly just gave instructions; I had them perform the actual massages on each other."
Hiiragi-san glanced back at Mika and the others as she spoke.
"Doing it exactly the way she taught us made a world of difference," Mika said. "It makes me realize how haphazardly I was doing it on my own..."
"It’s incredible how much a single technique can change things," Tatebayashi-san added. "I’m genuinely surprised."
"I can still feel the exhaustion, but the pain in my legs is just... gone!" Hino-san exclaimed.
"Honestly, I’m just blown away," Saori-chan agreed.
The massage workshop was clearly a massive success.
"I’m glad it helped," Hiiragi-san said with a smile. "That was just a simplified version since we were short on time today. Perhaps I should teach you all a more thorough routine next time?"
"Please do!" All four girls bowed their heads in unison, practically begging for more.
"In that case, I’ll show you the proper method tomorrow. If you can properly work out the fatigue after every session, the quality of your training the next day will improve significantly. While training through exhaustion like you did today has its place, it’s generally more efficient to approach your practice in peak condition. Since you’re all working so hard, you want that effort to be as effective as possible, right?"
"Yes!"
Hiiragi-san turned back to Yuji and me, offering a polite little nod.
"With that in mind, Kokonoe-kun, Hirose-kun, I’d like to dedicate part of tomorrow’s session to teaching them the full routine. Would that be alright?"
"Absolutely," I replied. "Actually, we should be the ones asking you. Training with lingering fatigue isn't just inefficient—it spikes the risk of injury. If your methods can mitigate that, I definitely want them to learn the right way to do it."
"I agree," Yuji added. "Sure, we have recovery potions that can patch up minor wounds instantly, but a serious injury that lands you in the hospital stays with you. Even after the body heals, the mind remembers. You start hesitating or flinching subconsciously because you’re afraid of getting hurt again. Wiping away those bitter memories takes a long time, and your training efficiency tanks in the meantime."
Yuji was right. Once you suffered a major injury, you tended to overcompensate or protect the area even after a full recovery. That led to awkward movements or bad habits.
Correcting those issues later would eat up even more time and ruin any sense of efficiency. It was a net positive for the group to learn injury prevention, even if it meant sacrificing a bit of active training time.
"However," I noted, "even if we skip sparring, we should still do basic training. Improving fundamental physical ability is a matter of daily consistency. Especially for Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san—boosting their base stats is an urgent priority."
"Agreed," Hiiragi-san said. "It might be best to hold the massage workshop after they finish their running and strength training."
"Thanks. It might be a bit of extra work for you, but I think it’s the best way forward for those two."
Mika and Saori-chan were already established explorers with level-up modifiers, but Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san were still lagging behind. Constant reinforcement of their stamina and strength was non-negotiable.
So, please, don't look so disappointed just because tomorrow’s session isn't cancelled. This is for your own sake.
"Then it’s settled. Is everyone okay with that plan?" Hiiragi-san asked.
"Yes."
"Good."
With that, it was decided that Hiiragi-san’s care workshop would follow tomorrow’s basic training.
Since Yuji and I predicted our waiting time would be even longer than today, we decided we would head home as soon as our part of the basic training was finished.
"Alright, it’s getting late. Shall we head out?" I asked.
"Good idea," Mika said. "Oh, wait, Onii-chan. Can we stop by a drugstore on the way? Saori-chan wanted to buy some compresses before going home."
"Sure, no problem. There’s one right along the main road near the school."
It was a slight detour from our usual route, but a sensible one. Even if Hiiragi-san’s massage had helped, they still needed supplies to manage the physical toll.
"Mika and I will take Saori-chan to the drugstore," I told the others. "You guys go on ahead."
"Right. Leave it to you, then," Yuji said.
"Sorry for the trouble, Kokonoe-kun. Thanks for looking after them," Hiiragi-san added.
Understood.
The three of us parted ways with the group at the school gate and set off for the drugstore.
I wondered how much compresses cost these days.
About three weeks after we sat for the bookkeeping certification exam, the results finally arrived. I’d been overseeing Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san’s training in the meantime, and while I’d expected the mail to arrive in December, it made it just before the end of November.
The envelopes were waiting for us when we got home from after-school training. Mika and I sat down in the living room to face the verdict.
"Well, I felt pretty good about it, but let's see..."
"Please let me pass! Please let me pass!" Mika chanted.
I wasn't particularly nervous as I took the scissors to my envelope. Mika, however, had her envelope sitting on the table while she pressed her hands together in a desperate prayer.
Come on, Mika. No amount of praying is going to change what’s already written. Just face the music and open the thing.
"Oh... looks like I passed."
I pulled out the tri-folded A4 sheet and scanned it. The document officially notified me of my success. I had the qualification.
I let out a soft sigh of relief and looked over at Mika, who was still busy bargaining with the heavens.
"Hey, Mika. I passed. Hurry up and check yours."
"Wait, really?! Onii-chan, you passed?!"
"Why do you look so shocked? Did you expect me to fail?"
"I mean... maybe a little?"
I let out an exasperated sigh at her evasive answer. "Just open it."
"Fine, fine."
Under my watchful eye, she reluctantly reached for the scissors. She pulled the paper out, squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to steady her breath, and then... she looked.
"Let’s see... 'Dear Mika Kokonoe, we are pleased to inform you... that you have passed'?! Wait, for real?! Yes! I did it!"
"Nice, you passed too. Good job!"
"Yeah!"
Still clutching the passing notice, Mika threw her hands up and did a little victory hop, her whole body radiating relief. It had been quite a while since the actual test, so her anxiety must have been peaked despite feeling okay about her performance. I couldn't really blame her for the outburst.
However, she was being a little too boisterous.
"Mika! Keep it down!" Mother’s voice drifted in from the kitchen, sounding sharp. "What on earth are you shouting about?!"
She’d been busy with dinner, and Mika’s jumping and yelling had clearly hit a nerve. Coming home and making a scene in the living room while still in her school uniform was a surefire way to get a lecture.
"Ah, sorry! But look, Mom! Look! The results for the bookkeeping exam came back—both me and Onii-chan passed!"
"Oh? That’s right, you two were taking that, weren't you? You both passed?"
"Yeah!"
"Well... I suppose that’s worth celebrating, then."
Mika thrust the notice toward Mother as proof. Mother took on an impressed expression, her annoyance softening into a small, resigned sigh. She clearly realized that dampening their spirits after all that hard work would be a bit cruel.
"Still, just because you’re happy doesn't mean you can scream the house down."
"I know, I know. Sorry."
Mother looked like she had more to say, but she just retreated back into the kitchen. "And since you're home, both of you go change out of those uniforms immediately."
"Okaay!"
"Got it."
Mika and I both grabbed our notices and headed for our rooms. As we reached the stairs, I stopped her.
"Hey, Mika. Don't mention this to Saori-chan or the others yet."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Think about it. If any of them failed, it’ll be incredibly awkward. They need time to process their own results before we start bragging."
"...Oh!" Mika’s face paled as the realization hit her. In her excitement, she’d completely forgotten that success wasn't guaranteed for everyone. Blasting the news to a friend who might have failed would be an absolute nightmare.
"Besides, their notices might not have even arrived yet. It’s better to wait and talk about it at school tomorrow. Even if their results came today, hearing about it tomorrow is much better than getting a 'yay I passed' text while they’re staring at a failure notice. For today, keep the bookkeeping talk to yourself."
"Right. Yeah, I’ll do that. You’re right—it’s not an exam everyone passes. I have to be more careful."
"Exactly. They were likely all mailed at once, so we’ll know for sure tomorrow. Let’s just enjoy the win for ourselves for now."
"Yeah."
Mika’s excitement calmed down, and she took a few deep breaths to steady herself. It was fine to be happy that her effort had paid off, but navigating social circles when everyone was aiming for the same goal required a bit of tact.
"I’ll be downstairs once I'm changed. See you in a bit."
"Yeah, see you."
We both went into our rooms.
Tact aside... Yes! I passed!
The day after Father and Mother congratulated us on the bookkeeping certification exam, Mika and I headed to school as usual.
Unusually, we made it all the way to the building without running into any of the others.
"Go figure. On the one day I actually want to see people, we don't run into anyone," I muttered.
"I know, right? Just our luck," Mika replied.
I’d been itching to check everyone’s results since yesterday, but life wasn't cooperating.
"Alright, Mika. See you after school."
"Yeah. Good luck today, Onii-chan."
We parted ways at the entrance and headed for our classrooms.
When I stepped inside, I found Yuji and Hiiragi-san already at their desks, huddled together in deep conversation.
"Morning, guys."
"Morning, Daiki."
"Good morning, Kokonoe-kun. Say, did your notice for the bookkeeping certification exam arrive?" Hiiragi-san asked immediately, barely waiting for me to sit down. She was clearly anxious.
"Yeah. I passed. How about you two?"
"I’m in. I felt pretty confident after the test, but it’s still a relief to see it in writing," Yuji said.
"I passed as well... Thank goodness," Hiiragi-san added, letting out a long breath.
The three of us relaxed in unison, a collective weight lifting off our shoulders. At the very least, we’d saved face as seniors.
"Now we just have to see how Mika-chan and the others did. I hope everyone made it through..."
"I’m sure they did," Hiiragi-san said. "Everyone worked so hard."
"Yeah. Mika passed, so I’m feeling pretty optimistic about the other three."
While a sliver of uncertainty remained until we heard from everyone, we had enough mental breathing room to be positive. Besides, knowing the bookkeeping results early was a blessing because we had other things to worry about now.
Namely...
"Final exams start next week, don't they?" I sighed.
"Man, I’m just glad the results didn't come right in the middle of the exams," Yuji muttered.
"Truly. If I had failed, the shock might have tanked my performance on the finals," Hiiragi-san agreed.
The three of us shared a weary, distant look and a long, synchronized sigh at the thought of the upcoming week.
I’m really glad the news came this week. Really.
When you take a test as a group, having just one person fail is about as awkward as it gets.