Chapter 39

The next day. After school, I gathered in Roll's room as usual.

After school, I sometimes play with Genki and the others, but basically, I head straight to Roll's room.

In the air-conditioned room, I sat in a chair with my legs crossed.

Roll was frowning as she looked at the paper with the list of "things we can do" that she wrote yesterday.

"Hmm, well... "

I was looking at Roll's profile, resting my elbow on the table.

Her hair seemed to have grown quite a bit since the first time we met.

Roll doesn't usually tie her hair up except when she goes on missions, so it's straight now.

Well, I prefer it this way.

By the way, Sigh often ties her hair up during missions.

According to Desuko, Sigh's hairstyle changes depending on her mood, but so far, I've only seen her with a ponytail or straight hair.

I'd like to see other hairstyles. I wonder if she'd show me if I asked.

While I was thinking about that, Roll glared at me and said,

"Anyway, how about trying to annoy Roll?"

"Ah, that's just for fun."

"I don't need that kind of fun. It makes me feel really bad."

"I didn't do it on purpose.

But this ability can be useful to keep cats away."

When I said that, Roll made a displeased face and then returned her gaze to the paper.

"So, can't you cancel the sound of 'Sound Strike'?"

"I think I can if I try... It means generating only the shockwave, right?"

Strictly speaking, it's more accurate to say making it inaudible to the surroundings.

I can do that, though it's a bit troublesome.

"Right. If it's the 'ability to generate shockwaves,' there shouldn't be a problem. If we can prove its high power, we can skip the school tournament, right?"

Skipping the school tournament is very appealing. Not only do I not want to fight much, but I don't really need to stand out.

Actually, it's better not to stand out.

But...

"There are problems, you know. You've used 'Sound Strike' on Genki twice, so even if you cancel the sound, there's a chance it will be noticed."

When I said that, Roll replied, "That won't happen."

"You didn't expect Genki to be in the Self-Defense Force, right?

Similarly, just because you use a similar technique, Genki won't suspect his best friend. Considering his personality, he won't."

"…Yeah, I guess."

I don't think he would suspect me of being Anonymous just because it's a bit suspicious.

But, can I say that for sure?

If Genki is in the Self-Defense Force, it's a bit tricky...

"If you're worried, we can choose something else."

We should consider other options.

I'm not extremely worried, but I want to choose the best one from the available options.

Just as I was about to say that, Roll started talking as if she had just remembered something.

"By the way, I looked into it, and our school has a system called the 'Ability Non-Disclosure System' to support students aiming to join the Self-Defense Force.

People who use this system receive various considerations from the school."

"Huh? I've never heard of such a thing."

"Well, it wouldn't be a meaningful system if it were public."

Roll's words made me understand the true purpose of the system.

Knowing someone's ability means being able to devise countermeasures.

If your ability is unknown, it's more convenient and easier to move around.

For those who will be useful in the future, it might be necessary to keep their abilities hidden.

"According to the investigation, Genki is also using this system.

Using this system might mean we don't have to act."

"Hmm."

If we can use this system, we can pretend to be powerless.

Besides, it's not just Genki; there are probably other students who are Self-Defense Force members in disguise.

That's scary.

"Anyway, this is a bit off-topic, but..."

Roll's tone changed, so I uncrossed my legs.

"Okay."

"Isn't this long-term mission quite troublesome?"

When Roll said that, I was momentarily confused.

If asked whether it's troublesome, of course, it is.

But would Roll say such a thing?

She usually likes troublesome things.

In fact, she was just talking about how to act, and now she's saying the opposite.

…It doesn't feel like Roll's true feelings.

"Meaning?"

I have a vague idea of what she's going to say, but I ask to confirm.

"The Self-Defense Force is always recruiting capable ability users. If you pass the test held every two months, you can join."

As expected.

"I know that, but... Do you intend to make me do it?

Or is this just a suggestion from the boss?"

Considering my growth over the past year and a half, joining directly should be considered dangerous.

And those who join through this test start from the bottom, with long hours.

My activities as Anonymous would be limited.

The main issue is that to prevent spies from infiltrating, you have to submit a lot of personal information and be monitored irregularly from the time you take the test until you join.

According to rumors, many of our comrades have been caught this way.

It would be difficult to pretend.

…No, in my case, pretending might not be necessary.

I could just downgrade my ability and cut ties with Anonymous for a while.

That makes sense ability-wise.

"I'm glad you noticed.

…Honestly, I don't want to make you do it."

I thought it would be something like that. She's not the type to make unreasonable demands.

"It's up to Shizune, whether we follow the plan or take a risk. But your growth rate is quite impressive. Even if you pretend to have a lower ability, you have enough power to join the Self-Defense Force. …Because."

"Those are the boss's words, right?"

"Yes. What will you do?"

I had already made up my mind about this.

Considering the ease, the direct approach is better. The competition for a recommendation from high school is lower.

There are more opportunities. If you don't pass, you can try again.

It seems better than pretending to be a normal student and deceiving everyone.

Besides, the boss probably wants me to do it this way.

"If that's the case, I'll go with the boss's plan."

When I said that, Roll slumped onto the desk.

"Ugh."

There it is. Roll's "Ugh."

It's the attitude she takes when she's unhappy, even if I'm not wrong.

In short, she's being stubborn.

"With this method, the point of me attending school is lost, and I won't need to support you as a partner anymore."

"If the boss decided this is the way to go, there's no choice.

Besides, it's not like it's meaningless.

I've enjoyed coming to school, and thanks to Roll, I've managed to get by."

Honestly, I want to end Roll's support for this mission as soon as possible.

That way, I won't be a burden to her. I know she's not bothered by it, but if she gets into trouble, I'll be the one in trouble.

I might sound presumptuous, but...

If I said that to Roll, I'd definitely get slapped.

"…But"

"Anyway, it doesn't seem like you have to take the test immediately. If this happens, I'll enjoy being a normal high school student.

I can start working for the Self-Defense Force after graduation. It's fine if I can join by then, right?"

"I think it's better to do it as soon as possible… Considering Genki's existence and our current situation, it's the boss's plan."

"Is that so?"

"Alright, I understand. Let's go with that. Sigh…"

Roll got up from her chair and sank into her bed.

Even though she's been working hard on this long-term mission for five months, is she really that shocked?

She's probably worried about her responsibilities as a partner, but it makes me feel responsible to see her so disappointed.

"You can go home now."

Roll's listless voice echoed in the room.

I searched for something to say to cheer her up, but I thought it might backfire, so I left the room without a word.

---

After that, I was practicing in the training room, and before I knew it, the day had turned into the next.

Today's training was with Shizune and Kuroken, who took turns being my opponents.

Recently, they've been my opponents more often.

I ask them to be, though.

Why don't I ask Roll or Sigh?

Sigh is too strict and ties me up for a whole day, and Roll is too rough.

So I avoid sparring with them.

There are other people I can ask, but these two are the easiest to ask.

Of course, there are issues. If I don't time my requests right, they'll cancel their missions to train with me.

"Ah…! Today's practice was especially intense! Let's go take a bath, Shizune!"

Oh, another issue is this.

They invite me to the bath. I had forgotten, but this is a big problem.

"I'll pass. I'll take one at home.

Thank you for training with me today."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a towel and tried to leave the heated training room.

But Kuroken grabbed my arm immediately.

"…Let go. I'm not in the mood today."

I glared at Kuroken.

I've decided I will never take a bath with these people again.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's not right! After training, it's bath time! It's a given, right!?"

"Because you always keep me in the sauna until I pass out! You call it endurance training!"

"I won't. I promise I won't this time."

"Your heart's not in it at all, damn it!"

I struggled to break free from Kuroken's grip.

But I was easily thrown to the ground and pinned down.

"Hey, did you hear that? This guy just talked to me casually, Shizune!"

"I heard it! This can't be forgiven! It can't be forgiven at all!

Let's knock him out and drag him to the bath!"

"Ch… Stop…!"

"Alright!"

Kuroken raised his fist, and I shouted.

This is the last resort.

"Sigh! Help me, Sigh!"

I called for my master.

"Hey, stop it! We don't have much to do with Sigh, so it'll be awkward!"

"We're already noisy and disliked enough…!"

"Then let me go! Taking a bath with you guys is a matter of life and death!"

"Kuroken! No questions asked! Do it!"

Thud.

A few stars danced, and my consciousness faded.

---

"What a terrible experience…"

In the end, we were subjected to the regular "Everyone Faints ☆ Endurance Sauna," and we ended up in Senyaku's care.

We woke Senyaku up, so we all received rough treatment…

Anyway, it was past 2:30 AM when I realized.

It was too late to go home, so I started my way back.

At this hour, my parents wouldn't say anything even if I came home.

Partly because of their laissez-faire approach, but also because my grades have been improving recently, and I haven't caused any problems, so they have no complaints.

In the past, I often worried that I wasn't loved because I was powerless, but now I appreciate their hands-off approach.

While I was thinking about this, I heard voices from a nearby abandoned building.

Voices from there…? Must be a mistake, right?

That building is off-limits and is supposed to be demolished, but it's still standing.

There's almost no foot traffic, and I often use this route to get to my hideout.

The area is creepy and scary, so I often activate my ability when I pass through, but I've never heard voices from there before.

It's not a place where delinquents hang out.

Curious, I strained my ears to pick up the sounds from there.

I heard three heartbeats. Three people on the roof.

They were talking.

…Should I eavesdrop a bit?

I decided to listen to their conversation.

"How many… have you gathered…?"

"One-third of my capacity. About 100. It's not enough.

Also, do you think they can survive on water alone for the next three days?"

"Strange. What about food…?"

"There's no way we can secure that much food."

"Can we… feed the people here…?"

"Hey, do you understand the leader's orders?"

"Yes…"

"To provoke Anonymous."

"Right. If we stand out now, the plan will be ruined. Think carefully, okay? Got it?"

This… I need to report to the boss.

After hearing their conversation, I immediately made that decision, took out my organization's terminal, and called the boss.

"What is it?"

The boss answered immediately. I told him the content of their conversation.

But the boss hung up after saying, "Take care of it."

"…"

For real?

---