Chapter 35

"Shi, Shido-san……!? Why are you here!?"

"Aah? Of course, it's you—"

Just as he opened his mouth to speak.

"—Hey, Shido! It's cold, so hurry up and put away the <Lonely Ice Wolf>!"

A beach ball that flew from behind hit him directly on the side of his head.

"…Aah?"

For a moment, he wore a dangerous smile, but—

The moment he realized the ball was thrown by the principal of Hyoutei Academy, Felis Dohrahein.

"Miss, I'm sorry…"

Surprisingly, he obediently put away the <Lonely Ice Wolf>.

"Really! The tropical mood is completely ruined… Wait, aren't you… Allen-kun?"

Felis, dressed in her usual kimono, had several students from Hyoutei Academy behind her, all wearing the school uniform.

"Shido-san, Felis-san, and everyone from Hyoutei Academy… Why are you all here?"

"It's the student council's summer camp, of course."

I was genuinely surprised by her statement.

"S, Student council…!? That Shido-san…!?"

"…Aah? Got a problem with that?"

"N, No… I just didn't expect it."

Shido, who seems violent and doesn't follow rules, being in the student council? It's completely out of character.

"Hehe, despite appearances, our Shido is quite smart, you know?"

She poked Shido's head playfully.

"Miss, what do you mean by 'despite appearances'…? I'm not some idiot."

"Ahaha, I didn't mean you were an idiot. Don't worry, you have a cute face."

"I'm not cute…"

The two of them were having a friendly conversation.

Shido, who is usually prickly, visibly softened when talking to Felis.

(I wonder what their relationship is…?)

As I was thinking this,

"A, Ah, could it be… Allen-sama!?"

A student from Hyoutei Academy approached, trembling.

He had black hair of moderate length, black-rimmed glasses, and a tall, slender build. A silver pendant in the shape of a cross gleamed at his chest.

I remembered this person…

"E, Excuse me, are you… Cain-san, right?"

The next moment, he opened his eyes wide.

"O, Oh…!? You remember… me…!? …Ku, this Cain Material feels like he's on top of the world!"

"Well, it was just three months ago."

Yes, it had only been three months since the intense Gosei Festival.

The Gosei Festival, the apprentice swordsmen, the Black Organization—Dodoriel, the club fee war, and the final exams. Reflecting on it, it was quite a dense period.

(But, was Cain-san always like this…?)

He seemed more composed before.

Then,

"Haa… You're making me feel sick, you…"

Shido directed a cold gaze at Cain, as if looking at a bug.

"What are you talking about, Shido! I'm not disgusting at all! —Ah, but Allen-sama! The real you is truly magnificent! Your dignified stance! Your well-trained body! Your eyes that contain kindness and strength! Unlike recorded videos, everything is vivid!"

He looked me over from head to toe, then said with a moved expression.

"Th, Thank you…"

…Clearly, he was not in his right mind.

Where did the calm and composed Cain go?

"Shido-san… Why is Cain-san like this…?"

"Haa? Why should I, the great one, have to explain to a piece of trash from the enemy?"

"S, Sorry, you're right…"

I had clearly approached the wrong person.

Shido, who intensely dislikes me, would never be kind enough to explain.

"…"

"…"

After a brief silence,

"…That happened right after the Gosei Festival."

Shido slowly spoke.

(He's going to tell me…)

He's dangerous, but he has a strange kindness.

"From the frustration of losing to you, Cain went insane… He said, 'If Allen can overcome a hundred years, I can too,' and cut his finger with <A Hundred Years of Hell>…"

<A Hundred Years of Hell>—Cain's mental interference-type soul weapon.

It seals the mind of the target for a hundred years, a very short period. It's a slightly disappointing ability without a loop function, essentially a lower-tier version of the 100 million years button.

"Someone with the monstrous mental strength to endure a hundred years of hell like you is rare… In the end, Cain went insane and was immediately taken to the hospital. When he woke up, he was like this…"

Shido shook her head in exasperation.

"Exactly! In my foolishness, I stepped into the realm of the gods—falling into a coma for about a month… But, thanks to that, I woke up! I have no regrets at all!"

"S, So you don't…?"

His eyes were completely those of a 'dangerous person.'

People from Hyoutei Academy are dangerous in various ways.

"—By the way, Allen-sama. May I ask you a question?"

"E, Erm… Sure."

Honestly, I don't want to get involved, but I can't ignore him so obviously.

"Thank you! Then, immediately—what did you do during the hundred years in that hellish world?"

"Well… mainly kendo practice, I guess."

I wanted to do more training, but the hundred years were too short, so I could only do kendo practice.

"Kendo practice…!? For a hundred years…!?"

"Y, Yes."

For someone who has been doing kendo practice for billions of years, a hundred years is nothing.

"Ku… What mental strength! What sincere attitude towards swordsmanship! Allen-sama is truly the best!"

"Cain-san, if you could, please stop calling me 'Allen-sama'…"

The Hyoutei Academy students have been staring at us curiously. I want to correct this before any strange rumors start.

"T, This is rude… Then, I will call you 'God' from now on…!"

"Please don't do that…"

As I continued this mismatched conversation with Cain,

"Then, what should I call you… W, What!?"

Suddenly, a huge helicopter hovered overhead.

Immediately after, two figures jumped down from it.

"Wha!?"

The two who fell from hundreds of meters above the ground—

"Hey! How are you all doing?"

"Yes… Thank you for making the arrangements. Yes, I appreciate it…"

It was Reia-sensei, who seemed ready to have fun, and No. 18, who was busy on the phone. Both of them seemed unaffected by the impact of the fall.

"Reia-sensei!? And No. 18 too… What's going on?"

"There's no 'what's going on'! A teacher's supervision is needed for the camp!"

"S, So Reia-sensei is the advisor for the student council…?"

"Right! Now, let's enjoy the resort! Let's play to our heart's content—Hey, Felis!?"

Reia-sensei, who had been in a good mood, suddenly looked displeased upon seeing Felis.

"That's my line! Why do I have to see such a boring face during a fun summer camp…? Haa, my luck is bad…"

"What did you say, you fox woman…!"

And so, the two, who have been at odds since their student days, started arguing.

"Allen-kun! I'm sorry for keeping you waiting… Wait, something seems off?"

"Oh, it's the Hyoutei Academy group!"

"Actually, there's something more… A bunch of strange people are lying around… It looks like a crime scene…"

The president, Rimu-senpai, and Felis-senpai, who had finished cleaning the house, returned.

At the same time,

"We are the Holy Knights of the Venelia Branch!"

"Suspicious people—there!"

"Th, This one is seriously injured… Contact the medical team immediately!"

Rose returned with a large group of Holy Knights.

"Rose, you're late. Where were you?"

"There was no phone at the beach house, so I went to the nearest station."

"I see, thank you."

The Holy Knights efficiently handled the scene. One of them walked over to us.

"Are you the victims? Your uniforms… Are you from Senrin Academy and Hyoutei Academy? I need to hear your story, but is there a teacher nearby?"

"Y, Yes, over there…"

I directed my gaze to where—

"Hah, 'Crying Felis'! Should I make your face as bumpy as a potato again!?"

"If you can, try it! I'll beat you down, you 'Muscle Master'!"

Reia-sensei and Felis were in a physical altercation, insulting each other.

It was embarrassing, as if it were my own problem.

Then,

"Th, This is 'Reisho Maru'!?"

"Is the Black Organization involved…?"

"We need to contact the higher Holy Knights—headquarters…!"

The Holy Knights handling the scene were emitting a tense atmosphere.

On the other hand,

"Come on, Shido! Let's do kendo practice together! It's the word of Allen-sama—'God'!"

"Stay away, you disgusting glasses-wearing freak!"

Cain, who looked happy, was persistently encouraging Shido to do kendo practice.

Meanwhile,

"Alright, decided! Let's have a joint summer camp with Hyoutei Academy this year!"

"Ooh, that sounds great! It's sure to be exciting!"

"Ugh, Shii is saying something super troublesome again…"

The president was saying something completely out of the blue.

(Somehow, it got noisy all of a sudden…)

After a brief discussion, it was decided that we would have a joint summer camp with Hyoutei Academy.

(I hope it ends quietly and without any incidents…)

With that small wish in my heart, I sighed deeply.