Chapter 5

Today, I have two works to submit, please take a look at them first.

The day after I rejoined Elka, I skipped that day's training and went to a different training ground where Yūhi and the others were.

Peeking from behind a nearby building, I saw a training session of a different level taking place there compared to the one I was in.

Flying magic, sword strikes slicing through the air, and punches that left sound behind.

The four people there were launching attacks in various ways.

Their opponent was――

"Hey, hey! Narrow the gap between your attacks! This is a party battle with four people! If you don't coordinate, you won't even land a single hit on me!"

A handsome man with golden hair and a suit of armor. He was so good-looking that even ten people would agree, and he could rival Kōshin.

"Heh, your movements have improved in five years, Grain."

The one facing the four heroes was Grain Almony, a former companion. Known as the "Sword Master Grain," he is a skilled swordsman. Five years ago, he still had a boyish appearance, but now he is a fine young man. According to Elka, he even has a fan club. What a handsome guy.

Grain was perfectly deflecting the four heroes' attacks. I was genuinely impressed, considering he was facing off against monsters with the highest level of magic power.

Jirō, the wild handsome guy, used magic to empower his fists and engaged in close combat.

Mitsuki, with her twin tails, wielded a short sword and moved swiftly, engaging in close combat like Jirō.

Kōshin, the class hero, held a golden sword and launched attack spells and sword strikes from mid-range.

A holy sword, huh? He's definitely a hero.

A holy sword is a skill that anyone with the title of hero can use, and its strength depends on the hero. Kōshin's sword is the most common type in the hero industry (if you can call it that), the "Excalibur type." It has effects like demon slaying, light sword strikes, physical enhancement, and magic power enhancement, making it a versatile type. It's very much a hero's sword.

...I also have the title of hero, so I can technically use a holy sword.

――If you can call that a holy sword... but

As I was lost in thought, a loud noise came from Grain's training ground.

What I saw for a moment was a huge fireball, roughly the size of a two-story house.

It was launched by my childhood friend, Yūhi.

She seems to be a long-range complete magic user. The fact that she can cast such a powerful spell without even breaking a sweat is a sign of considerable skill. She must have grown a lot without me knowing.

But even so, she couldn't even scratch Grain.

He emerged from the explosion without a single burn mark. He probably cut through the space, but to be defended so easily, even the four of them were grinning wryly.

"That attack wasn't bad, keep it up. Let's call it a day here and take a good rest."

Grain said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the four of them collapsed in exhaustion.

They must have been using a lot of concentration in the battle. They don't seem to have any physical injuries, but their faces look truly exhausted.

"Mr. Grain, you're really strong..."

"Even my short sword couldn't graze you..."

Of course, you can't do anything to me after just a week. ...Well, to be honest, what you can do in a week is extraordinary, but Grain is even more so.

"Yū, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! How about Kōshin?"

"If Yū is fine, then I'm fine too."

The two of them called out to each other and drank the water brought by the castle maids.

Kōshin's eyes were fixed on Yū as she drank the water. I see, Yū is quite popular.

Oops, I should prioritize my own business over other people's love lives.

I waited for Grain to put some distance between himself and the four, then I went all out and dashed.

"What!? Gah!?"

"Where's Mr. Grain?"

"Maybe he went to the bathroom?"

I instantly grabbed Grain and carried him to the back of a building that was probably a warehouse.

"Aren't you supposed to be a non-ability user?! Where did you get such strength... What do you mean by this?!"

As soon as I put him down in the back of the warehouse, Grain immediately drew his sword and showed his guard.

Hmm, interesting.

I waved my hand to beckon him.

"――Come on."

"Ugh... Gah!"

I sent a little killing intent, and Grain, drenched in cold sweat, raised his sword and charged.

By sending a little killing intent, I can create a situation where it's kill or be killed. If he falls for it, I can bring him into combat without thinking, like Grain is now.

This is a technique I developed to create a situation of justifiable self-defense from my side, after being warned to be careful about appearances.

I dodged his sharp sword and observed calmly.

He's really improved. If I let my guard down, I might be cut down.

But that won't happen.

I timed it and caught Grain's sword with my bare hands, of course with magic power enhancement.

"What!?"

Ignoring Grain's shock, I raised my leg.

"Let's refresh your memory... of my terror..."

I showed a smile that would be called evil even by onlookers,

――and kicked Grain's crotch with all my might.

"～～～～～～～～～～～～！！！！"

The handsome guy clutched his crotch and fell over. Hmm, what a sight. Feels good.

"This move... it's... the 'Man Killer'... You use it...?"

"Ah! You remember? My kick."

"No way... Setsu... san."

Thud.

"Hey!? Don't faint!?"

I shook Grain, who had fainted from the pain, trying to wake him up. Did my kick really hurt that much...

"Are the jewels okay?"

"They're fine."

"Sorry for testing you like that."

"No, thanks to you, I immediately accepted that you are Setsu."

A few minutes after he fainted, Grain finally woke up, and we leaned against the wall of the building to talk.

"I never thought you would appear through the hero summoning..."

"I was surprised too. I was looking for a way to return on the other side, but I couldn't find it on my own. This time being summoned was a real coincidence."

"Then let's be grateful for the coincidence... We were looking for a way to re-summon you at the castle, but..."

"Yeah, I heard from Elka."

"Great! You've already met Elka?"

They were really trying hard to bring me back. It's nice to feel that.

"Have you seen Tia yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Then you should go see her today. She's still working on research to re-summon you."

"Right... I should let her know I'm back."

"Yes, she'll be very happy! Definitely!"

Right, if you say so, I'll go see her today. I was planning to do it tomorrow, but...

"Then let's go――Oh, right. I'll probably leave here soon."

"Is that so?"

"? You're not surprised?"

"Well, I figured you'd say something like that, being Setsu."

Am I that predictable?

"Right... Anyway, I'll cross the continent to go see them."

"Wow! They'll be so happy! And you'll probably tell them to stop the war, right?"

"Is it that obvious...?"

I'm so predictable... that's what Grain said.

"Whatever. I'll go, it was good to see you, Grain."

"Likewise... I'm glad you came back, Setsu."

"Thanks. Oh, and take care of Yūhi for me."

"? Yūhi?"

"Yeah. She's my childhood friend from the other side. I know it might seem like I'm using my position, but please look after her. If anything happens to her, you'll face the 'Man Killer' punishment again."

"! ...I'll keep that in mind."

I reaffirmed this and parted ways with Grain.

It's good to meet after a long time. It feels like I can let out the emotions and personality I've been suppressing.

I decided to return to the castle to see the last person, Tia.

---

I, Grain Almony, had a reunion after five years, and my heart was soaring. It's true that a hole had opened in my heart when Setsu left, but now that it's filled, I'm in a good mood for the first time in a long while.

On my way back to the dormitory, the three heroes I was training, Jirō, Mitsuki, and Kōshin, came running towards me.

"Where did you go, Mr.?"

"We were looking for you!"

Jirō and Mitsuki said this.

I remembered that I had suddenly disappeared and apologized properly.

"Sorry, a friend came to visit and I was with them."

The word "friend" felt a bit off, but I guess that's what we are.

"So, what's up?"

"We want to train a bit more. Can you join us for a little?"

Kōshin's eyes were serious.

I had planned to take the afternoon off after a day of intense training, but from the looks of it, they were unsatisfied.

"Sure――Wait, where's Yūhi?"

Just as I agreed, I realized that Yūhi, whom Setsu had asked me to look after, was not there.

"Ah, Yū said she had something to do and went to the castle."

From Jirō's words, it seemed she had left after informing someone, so I was relieved.

"Is that so――Then let's continue the training."

I headed back to the training ground to fulfill their request.

――My crotch is still a bit sore.

---

"Hey Necroyuki, where the hell did you go today?"

When I returned to the castle, I was caught by a bunch of troublemakers.

This is really bad luck.

I tried to hold back a sigh, but Endō put his arm around me as usual.

"Don't think I'll be lenient today? I'll make sure you can't act cocky again, got it?"

Endō and his cronies were grinning.

Sure, sure, good work, good work――I tried to hold back a sigh when,

"Wait, Endō-kun!!"

A voice stopped us.

I turned to the source of the voice and saw Yūhi. She muttered that she had finally found me and walked over.

"Yūhi! What do you want with me?"

Endō, flustered by Yūhi's beauty, slumped his face and responded in a disgusting voice.

"No, I need to talk to Yuki-kun. Can I borrow him for a bit?"

"Ah... sure."

Endō, cut off so abruptly, looked pitiful.

"Thanks! Can I talk to you for a bit, Yuki-kun?"

"Ah..."

Yūhi took my hand and led me away from Endō and his group. When I looked back, their eyes were filled with hatred. Wow, humans can have such eyes.

After putting some distance between us, Yūhi let go of my hand and suddenly jumped into my chest.

"Hey! It's been a while, Yuki-kun!"

"O-oi"

Yūhi hugged me tightly. Her large chest pressed against mine and changed shape. Wow, this is dangerous.

I tried to pull away because I felt it was a problem,

"Can you... move a bit?"

"Ah~ It's been so long, Yuki-kun~"

She just collapsed and put all her weight on me! My chest!

"I was worried about you? You said you don't have magic... how are you doing?"

"Well... I'm managing."

"...That's good, you seem to be doing well..."

She must have been really worried. I feel a bit guilty.

"Hey, Yuki-kun! When you get a day off, will you go to the town with me?"

"Town?"

The town must be the castle town of Distenia. It's quite large and has plenty of interesting things to do.

Yūhi came to see me today to invite me.

"What do you think?"

"Sure, that sounds fine."

Since she went out of her way to invite me, it's a small price to pay to spend a day off with Yūhi.

"Really!? I promise! I promise!"

"Okay, okay."

"Yay!"

Yūhi let go of me and cheered. I don't feel a bit disappointed that the warmth is gone, really.

After that, we chatted and exchanged updates.

From what I heard, Yūhi's training is really intense, and Grain's training is efficient but very tough...

We decided to part ways when the time seemed right. I have something to do after this.

"It was good to see you today! I feel re-energized, Yuki-kun!"

What's this "Yuki-kun energy"?

"If you have any problems, definitely come to me! Don't break our date to go out!"

"Okay, okay, I got it."

Bye! I watched her run off.

...Well, I can't leave this country until I go to the town with Yūhi...

This is a problem.

"..."

At that moment, I realized,

Endō, hiding in the shadows, was glaring at me with hatred.

---