Chapter 86

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The Golden Week, which seemed short but was long, has ended, and it's been a while since I've been to school. Although there were various things that made me feel depressed, it was quite a meaningful holiday. I put on my school uniform, tidied myself up, and left the room with my school bag.

When I entered the living room, Mika was already fully prepared and waiting for me.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"You're late, Onii-chan. I thought we might not make it in time for the usual school time."

"Sorry, sorry. It took a bit longer to get ready."

"Already... If you had prepared the night before, this wouldn't have happened."

"You're right, sorry. ...Shall we go before we're late?"

"Okay."

Mika picked up her school bag and stood up from the sofa.

"Are you leaving already? Be careful on the way."

"Okay."

"See you later."

I heard Mom's voice from the kitchen where she was tidying up, so I replied and Mika and I left the house. As we walked along the school route, we could see other students heading to school, looking sluggish after the holiday.

"Everyone seems to be still in holiday mode, huh..."

"...Are you saying that, Onii-chan? You were pretty much the same during the middle of Golden Week, right?"

"Uh..."

Mika's sharp retort came in response to my casual remark.

Indeed, Mika was right. The Jewel Slime appeared in the drawer by chance, which lifted my spirits and dispelled my sluggishness before school. If that hadn't happened, I would have gone to school looking like a walking zombie.

"Well, well... Anyway, how was your part-time job? Did anything interesting happen?"

"Hmm? Interesting things?"

"It was such a big event, didn't anything interesting happen?"

"Interesting things... Oh, right..."

Mika seemed to recall something and started talking to me while clapping her hands.

"Yeah. Do you remember the mock battle event where the bokken flew towards Onii-chan?"

"Ah, of course. What happened with that?"

"The mock battle event was canceled the next day."

"Really?"

Probably due to safety concerns. Indeed, if I hadn't been there, it could have resulted in a minor injury or even a fatality. There's no point in continuing a high-risk spectacle.

"And then? They replaced the mock battle with a magic show."

"Really?"

"It was like a circus act, quite entertaining, and apparently more popular than the mock battle."

More popular than the mock battle... Did the Miyano group continue it?

Or did someone else take over...?

"Was the magic show done by the same people who did the mock battle?"

"Yeah. When I saw it, the same people were doing the magic show too."

"I see..."

It seems they didn't get fired or anything after the incident... That's good.

After seeing what happened, I was a bit worried about how the Miyano group would be treated. Sometimes, in such incidents, all the responsibility is pushed onto part-time workers, and the responsible parties try to avoid accountability.

---

As Mika and I walked and talked, someone called out to us from behind.

"Good morning, Mika-chan. Good morning, Onii-san."

It was Sae. She seemed to have been rushing to catch up with us and was slightly out of breath.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Sae-chan."

Mika and I stopped and returned the morning greeting to Sae. After a moment, when Sae's breathing had steadied, we started walking again.

"It's been a while, Sae-chan. Since we met briefly at the event venue, right?"

"Yes. I was in a hurry then, sorry."

"I was in a hurry too, so it's okay."

Mika and I apologized to each other for the mishaps during the event. It was just bad timing on both our parts.

"Oh, by the way, I haven't thanked you yet."

"Thanked me?"

"Yes, for the free coupon for the event stall."

"Oh, that."

Sae reminded me of the coupon I had forgotten about.

"Mika-chan told me that Onii-san gave it to her."

"I didn't need it, so I thought it would be better if you two could use it effectively."

"But thanks to that, Sae and I could enjoy delicious lunches every day during the part-time job. I'm really grateful to Onii-san."

Sae, with a beaming smile, bowed again to thank me. It was just a matter of passing on something I didn't need, but...

I scratched my head, feeling a bit embarrassed, and looked at Mika for help. But...

"The food from the stalls was delicious. Thanks to Onii-chan, we had a fulfilling lunch."

"Yeah, especially the yakisoba was amazing, right?"

"Exactly. The slightly burnt sauce had a great aroma..."

Mika, oblivious to my plea for help, started a food discussion with Sae, reminiscing about the food they had during their part-time job. I was getting hungry just listening to them.

As I walked, rubbing my stomach, I suddenly felt someone's gaze. Looking around, I saw that other students on their way to school were giving us hungry, wolf-like looks.

"..."

A few students who made eye contact with me sent me resentful glances. Interestingly, more girls than boys seemed to be sending resentful looks. ...Did they skip breakfast?

The two, engrossed in their food talk, didn't seem to notice, but I felt quite uncomfortable as we walked.

---

Feeling uncomfortable, we continued walking when someone called out to us from behind.

"Hey, Daiki. It's been a while."

"...Yuuji?"

"Who else would it be?"

It was Yuuji, whom I hadn't seen in a while.

"Good morning, Yuuji."

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Mika-chan. And... Kishida-san, right?"

"Yes."

While I was still taken aback by Yuuji's appearance, Mika and Sae greeted him. Both knew him.

"Still, you two were talking about something that made me hungry."

"Huh, you heard that?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping, but I could hear it. Look around."

Pointed out by Yuuji, the two looked around and froze. They finally noticed the gazes directed at them.

"Several people went into the convenience stores along the way, probably because they heard you two. It's what you might call 'food terrorism.'"

"..."

"Yeah, that's food terrorism. Those who skipped breakfast probably dropped out, and the ones left around us had a proper breakfast."

"Sorry."

Realizing the situation, the two hastily bowed to the surrounding students. The students, amused by their actions, left without saying anything. It was good that there were no food terrorism victims left.

"Anyway, what's up? Good morning, Yuuji."

"Good morning."

After most of the students had left, we started walking again. However, the awkward silence that followed Mika and Sae's blunder made me feel uneasy, so I greeted Yuuji to break the ice.

"By the way, how was your business trip? Did the event go well?"

"Yeah, I think it was a success. There were quite a few visitors."

"Wow, it was a popular event."

"Yeah, it was a comprehensive martial arts event with various schools. The participating schools were eager to recruit new students."

Recruiting new students... essentially, customer acquisition.

I've heard that more people are joining dojos due to the dungeon boom, but martial arts cultural schools have also increased, making the competition for students... customers, quite fierce.

"By the way, you were a substitute, right? Did you manage to recruit any new students?"

"No, the swordsmanship was quite popular, but we were substitutes. We introduced the hopefuls to the dojo that asked us to substitute."

"Is that okay? People might have wanted to join after seeing you and Juzo's mock battle. They might think the introduced dojo is a scam."

"I think it's fine. We didn't do anything too extreme... I hope."

As Yuuji spoke, his voice grew smaller and he seemed less confident. Did he do something during the mock battle? Yuuji shifted his gaze uncomfortably under my suspicious look. He seemed to have done something.

"Yuuji, did you appear at some event?"

Mika, who had been listening to our conversation, hesitantly interjected, probably remembering the mock battle at her part-time job.

"Yeah, a friend's dojo asked me and Juzo to do a demonstration at a local event."

"Something happened, right?"

"I didn't do anything. I just broke a bokken in the final clash."

"Breaking a bokken is a big deal."

Breaking a bokken... How intense was the clash?

"Really! You broke a bokken!?"

"Is that something that can break?"

Look at Mika and Sae's reactions. To the average person, breaking a bokken during a mock battle is an extraordinary event.

As I gave him a disapproving look, Yuuji slumped, looking dejected.

"Of course, that's a big deal. So, what happened after that?"

After that... What happened?

I wanted to ask, but I hesitated to approach Yuuji, who was emitting a gloomy aura. Mika and Sae also seemed hesitant and kept their distance.

We walked in silence, leaving the dejected Yuuji as he was.

"Ah, we'll leave here..."

"Good luck, Onii-san."

"Wait, what?"

As soon as we reached the entrance, Mika and Sae waved and left. Although their shoe lockers were in different places, I was left with the gloomy Yuuji.

---

After sending Yuuji to his seat, I slumped at my own desk.

"Why do I have to deal with such mental stress in the morning?"

I couldn't help but complain.

Just walking to school, I was mentally exhausted. Exposed to the resentful gazes of food terrorism victims and having to support a dejected friend...

"I want to go home."

"You just got here, what are you talking about?"

"..."

I lifted my head from the desk to see Juzo with a bewildered look.

"Juzo."

"Juzo, huh? Why are you so tired in the morning?"

"Things happened, you know."

I sat up and told Juzo about the morning's events. Juzo, who initially had a bewildered look, started to show sympathy as the story progressed.

"I see. No wonder you're tired in the morning..."

"Exactly."

Talking to Juzo about my troubles made me feel a bit better. When you're feeling down, it's best to talk to someone and let it out.

"Well, let's get through the day."

I took out my bag and prepared for class. Checking on Yuuji, he still seemed gloomy but was also preparing for class. If he's still down at lunch, I'll talk to him and try to cheer him up. Of course, if he's willing to talk.

"I need to talk to Mika and the others too. It would be good if he could recover soon."

I thought about talking to Yuuji during the commute, but the atmosphere was too gloomy to bring it up.

It's not an urgent matter, so I'll talk to him with Hime during lunch. Sigh, I hope they'll be understanding.

---

Food terrorism happened on the way to school. Skipping breakfast can make you really hungry.

I slightly changed the title of Chapter 6.