Chapter 55

After noon, as the time limit for the survival recreation was approaching its final few hours.

"Alright, it's done."

Takigawa had constructed a makeshift tent using branches and vines.

"Wow!"

"Amazing!"

Everyone in our group, including me and the class president, was amazed by Takigawa's skills.

However, despite the usual Takigawa who would have been boasting and saying things like "Worship me more! Praise me more!" with a smug look, his expression was unusually dark.

"A tent is made. It's amazing! But..."

"The other group was building a hut earlier."

Auru and Juna, who had been on reconnaissance and gathering materials, reported the harsh reality.

Thanks to Takigawa's outdoor knowledge, our group had been dominating the first day, but things had started to look suspicious on the second day.

"They seem to be cooperating with each other."

"They're helping each other gather materials and make tools out of sight of the teachers."

Ishida and Aihara, who had been checking the situation, also reported various things.

It seemed that the 'Mizukawa Juna Auru Fan Club Alliance' we were competing against was secretly cooperating.

While four of the alliance's groups were not making much progress, one group was clearly advancing at a different pace.

"They were gathering a large amount of branches and vines, and also making a huge number of earthenware and stone tools. The amount of work a group of seven amateurs can do is clearly exceeded."

Ishida calmly analyzed the situation.

The teachers might have noticed this, but without clear evidence and no rule against cooperation, they couldn't say anything.

Even with Takigawa's knowledge and skills, the fivefold difference in manpower couldn't be overcome.

"I'll go and tell them off. This is too unfair."

"I'll go too. This isn't fair!"

Just as the angry Juna and Auru were about to go and confront them, Takigawa stopped them.

"Class president, gathering food is also part of the evaluation, right?"

"Yeah. The local hunter helping with this recreation will evaluate edible wild plants and mushrooms."

"Got it."

While asking the class president, Takigawa stood up resolutely.

"Takigawa, what's wrong?"

"...I really hate survival with grandpa. It's always incredibly tough, and I've even nearly died before."

Upon hearing this, it turned out to be a more intense memory than I had imagined. Takigawa, who is usually cheerful, had a past that was hard to imagine.

"But, because of that, I had the confidence that I wouldn't lose in survival. Even with the difference in numbers, I was confident I wouldn't lose..."

Takigawa muttered this, looking determined as he gazed into the depths of the forest.

"I'll be back in a bit."

Holding a stone axe and vines, Takigawa ran off.

"Stop!!"

"Whoa!"

I and Ishida immediately restrained Takigawa.

"Stop, stop! Violence is not good!"

"That's right! Their methods are annoying, but resorting to violence is not the answer!"

"Huh? What? Violence? Gah!"

While holding down Takigawa, we learned that he was just planning to set traps to catch fish and other creatures.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding."

"Apologies."

I thought he was going to tie up the fan club alliance.

"Then... I'll be back."

"Alright."

"Be careful."

After brushing off the dirt from being restrained, Takigawa disappeared into the forest.

"Alright, to make sure Takigawa's efforts aren't wasted, let's do what we can too!"

"Okay!"

There's a lot we can do, like making stone tools and earthenware, and improving the tent. But first, a bathroom break.

◇

"Wow! The smoke is amazing!"

"Kakaka!"

Sticking to the car window, Rin and Shiro were fascinated by the white smoke billowing from the large chimney.

"That's the smoke from a paper mill. It's quite noticeable, so it's almost like one of Asahikawa's landmarks."

Wako, driving a shiny luxury car, explained the scenery to the excited Rin and Shiro in the back seat.

"Is this car also yours?"

In the plush passenger seat, Kuro asked Wako, who was driving.

"Of course, it's mine. I have a license, you know."

"Seeing you makes me rethink the nature of yokai."

"Whether you're a yokai or not, the way of being changes over time. Just like you chose to serve humans."

"Hmm, that's true."

After spending the night at Wako's hotel, Kuro and the group were heading to the young man's house for the accommodation recreation to meet up with Kousuke.

The unknown powerful enemy, Chrome, who had fought them yesterday, was a dangerous presence that could not be left unchecked. To prevent any harm coming to Kousuke, Kuro and the group were heading to the young man's house.

Incidentally, Iwa was commanding the security forces to set up a perimeter around Asahikawa, Koro was flying in the sky, and Sei was searching the city by manipulating dead rats and cats, so they were not present.

"Let's hurry and meet up with your master. Chrome might already be close."

"Yes. I haven't received an emergency call from Nia, so I think he's safe, but I'm a bit worried."

If Kousuke were in danger, Nia would hack into electronic devices via the internet to send a distress signal. Even in areas without coverage, Nia could extend her spiritual threads to act as antennas, allowing her to access the internet from anywhere except uncharted lands or shielded rooms.

"Iwa's transparency and Sei's corpse manipulation are unusual abilities, but your companions are quite impressive too."

"Can't say much about that."

Kuro smiled, knowing about Shiro's vibration manipulation, Rin's cutting ability, and Nia's computer domination.

"Well, we're about to enter the forest. If nothing happens, we should arrive in about 30 minutes."

"Yes. I've been conserving my energy for battle, but I'll use 'Pseudo Perception'... Hmm?"

Just as Kuro was about to activate his ability, he and Shiro sensed something approaching rapidly.

"Karo!?"

Wako stopped the car on the side of the road and created numerous origami-sized barriers.

These nearly transparent barriers were hard to notice and were excellent for hindering and obstructing movement, so Wako always set them up first when the situation was unclear.

"Please wait, Miss Wako! I am not your enemy!"

"...Oh, it's been a while."

A woman in a gray robe emerged from the forest. Wako seemed to know her, but Kuro and the others did not, so they remained cautious.

"You must be the Mizukawa family's resident mage in Asahikawa. Why are you here?"

"There are some complicated circumstances... Currently, the Mizukawa family's mages and members of a British magical organization are jointly setting up a perimeter around the forest."

"That sounds complicated."

"Yes. I came here to explain the situation and to understand why you are here, Miss Wako."

"I see. Perhaps our purposes and your circumstances have something in common, so I'm not opposed to sharing information. But first, may I ask you a few questions?"

Wako, who had seen Chrome's ability to change form, carefully confirmed that the woman in front of her was indeed who she claimed to be before they began exchanging information.

◇

At the edge of the area designated for the survival recreation, Kousuke Sōji was rubbing branches together with a fierce expression.

"What a hassle. Starting a fire is easy with 'Cold Heat'."

"What are you trying to take the easy way out for? If you do that, you'll be exposed as a parapsychic. Come on, get to work."

"Alright, alright."

Sōji rubbed the dry branches together, urged on by Akari, who was nearby.

"Onee-chan, Sōji-kun. We've brought back branches and vines."

"Welcome back!"

"Thanks, everyone."

The group members, led by Shizuku, returned with branches and vines.

This location was a bit far from the young man's house, but it was rich in resources and less likely to cause conflicts with other groups, so Sōji's group had made it their base from the first day.

The group members, mostly delinquents and middle school girls, were led by Sōji, and Akari had chosen this place to avoid conflicts with other groups.

"Ah, I wonder where the Nagaoka group is. Maybe I'll go check on them."

"You'll just get in the way. Focus on starting the fire."

"Work hard on the fire."

"Damn..."

Encouraged by Akari and Shizuku, Sōji silently rubbed the wood.

"Onee-chan..."

"Hmm? What is it, Shizuku?"

"I feel something strange coming from the forest."

In the midst of this, Shizuku was the first to notice the unusual presence approaching from the depths of the forest.

"I don't feel anything, but Shizuku's intuition is usually right."

"I don't feel anything either, but I can hear someone approaching. Hey, you guys, go back to the young man's house... Ah?"

Believing in Shizuku's intuition, Sōji tried to get the group members to evacuate. However, his judgment was a bit too late.

"Hey, you guys! Hey!"

Two delinquents and two middle school girls were staring into the forest with vacant eyes, unresponsive to Sōji's calls.

"Something's wrong."

"Yeah, clearly not normal."

Just as Akari and Sōji whispered this, the forest's vegetation suddenly moved, as if welcoming the strange presence.

"Oh, some of you can sense my presence and still keep your sanity."

"Augmentation!"

The woman in a sinister black dress. The moment Akari saw her, she activated her parapsychic ability, 'Augmentation,' on Sōji and Shizuku.

"Ugh...!"

Despite being hit with severe fatigue, Akari managed to maintain consciousness.

'Augmentation' is a parapsychic ability that enhances the physical functions of others. As a Rank C, Akari's 'Augmentation' usually only affects one person, but after pushing her limits in a battle with a parapsychic organization, she had trained to simultaneously augment two people while maintaining consciousness.

"Thanks, Akari. I'll take care of it."

"Onee-chan, take a rest."

However, Akari could barely maintain consciousness and had almost no strength left.

Sōji stepped forward, shielding Akari, and approached the woman in the black dress.

"So, you're parapsychics. Sensing my presence made everyone else obey, but it seems that's not enough for parapsychics..."

"What are you babbling about! You used your parapsychic ability to mess with the group, so undo it now!"

Sōji activated 'Cold Heat,' freezing the ground and vegetation around him, and confronted the woman in the black dress, Ioh.

'Cold Heat' is a parapsychic ability for temperature manipulation, but it cannot release heat without preparation. By absorbing and temporarily storing the surrounding temperature, it can release heat.

"An interesting ability. Let's warm up a bit. 'Defeat them.'"

Ioh commanded the vegetation around her. Vines extended, branches bent, and they attacked Sōji and Shizuku simultaneously.

"Parapsychic ability to control plants!?"

"Shizuku, take care of Akari and the others! ... 'Cold Heat'!"

Shizuku, augmented by 'Augmentation' to the strength of a Rank B, easily dragged the dazed group members to the back, placing Akari on her shoulders and completing the evacuation with the others.

Seeing this, Sōji released a heat wave, burning the approaching branches and vines.

"Phew... 'Cold Heat'."

Sōji froze the surroundings again, preparing for the next attack by storing heat.

"An ability to enhance others and store and release heat? Interesting. How about this? 'Defeat them.'"

Ioh commanded the ground, and numerous earthy arms rose to attack Sōji.

"Damn it... 'Cold Heat'!"

Sōji released a heat wave, immediately absorbing the heat and destroying the earthy arms with the sudden temperature change.

"Hehe, this is getting fun."

"Damn... 'Cold Heat'!"

With the augmentation, Sōji's 'Cold Heat' was equivalent to a Rank B, and his daily training in temperature manipulation prevented Ioh's attacks from reaching him.

However—

"Hehe, ahahaha!"

— Ioh's relentless attacks continued.

The earth became arms, pebbles became rocks, leaves became blades, and trees became spears, attacking Sōji one after another.

(What is this parapsychic ability!?)

Unable to handle the intensified attacks, Sōji's injuries increased.

"Combination!"

Shizuku activated her parapsychic ability, 'Combination,' on the plants and ground controlled by Ioh.

"Hmm? They've suddenly become slower."

Ioh tilted her head, noticing that the movements of the earth and plants she controlled had significantly slowed.

'Combination' not only combines recognized objects but can also temporarily enhance their original bonding strength.

By enhancing the bonding strength of the ground and plants within her field of vision, Shizuku hindered Ioh's attacks.

"I've seen parapsychics before, but I've never seen abilities like yours. This is really interesting. Hehe."

However, Ioh resumed her attacks without any sign of panic.

The speed had significantly decreased, but the numerous attacks from plants and earth continued to target Sōji.

"Damn it..."

Sōji, already beyond his limits, could only watch the numerous attacks approaching.

"Sōji-kun!"

"Sōji!"

Shizuku and Akari's anguished cries echoed, but the expected outcome did not occur.

A sudden water barrier enveloped Sōji, blocking all of Ioh's attacks.

"What's going on?"

"That's my line. Why are Kousuke, Shizuku, and Akari fighting that mage?"

Confused by the situation, Mizukawa Juna appeared, having created the water barrier without understanding the situation.

"You're Onee-chan's classmate, right? Are the seniors mages too?"

"I feel a different kind of power. It's mysterious."

Juna was followed by Juna and Auru, who also joined the scene. They were also confused and cautiously observed both Sōji and Ioh.

"There are many things I'm curious about, but let's discuss the details later. Right now, we need to deal with the enemy in front of us."

"I agree."

Despite being puzzled by the situation, Juna focused on the enemy in front of her.

Juna and Auru also focused on dealing with Ioh.

A joint front of parapsychics and mages had begun.

Thank you to everyone who reported typos! It's really helpful that I can correct them with just one click. I'm very grateful.