Volume 1 Chapter 11 The Diligent Daughter
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Chifumi and I arrived at the address, the massive estate looming before us. A nameplate reading “Naruse” hung on the gate. There was no mistake.
Though our own estate back in the remote countryside spanned more land, the sheer scale of a mansion sitting on such prime, metropolitan property left me stunned. They were loaded.
”We’re here!” Chifumi chirped.
”Yeah… quite the place,” I replied.
I pressed the doorbell. With a low creak, the gate swung inward, revealing Naruse-san and Kibe-san waiting for us. Both were dressed in hakama1—a common enough choice, as the padding helped many women mask their natural physique.
”Welcome,” Naruse-san said.
”Hello! Wow, what a house,” Chifumi said, her eyes wide.
”It is merely large,” Naruse-san replied, her tone cool. “It is quite a chore getting from the gate to the main house.”
I didn’t bother to analyze whether it was modesty or a genuine complaint. I simply followed the two of them as they led us toward the back.
”This way.”
They guided us to a single-story building standing at the edge of the garden. When the sliding door pulled open, a vast, hardwood-floored space was revealed. It felt like a gymnasium, easily large enough for a full-sized basketball court. I couldn’t believe they’d built such a thing on private property.
”I had my papa build this for my sorcery training,” Naruse-san explained. “It is where Yurina and I hone our skills.”
”Huh…” I muttered.
”You are free to use it whenever,” she continued. “Oh, and if you wish to use sorcery—”
As the four of us gathered in the center, Naruse-san suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her eyes darting toward the outside. I heard footsteps approaching the building. Following her gaze, a woman appeared at the entrance. She was smaller than Chifumi and possessed a visibly fuller figure.
”Mama…” Naruse-san whispered.
”Oh my, guests?” the woman asked, offering a smile. “Thank you for your hard work in such a place.”
”We’re happy to be here!” Chifumi replied with her usual, bright-eyed cheer.
”Welcome,” the woman said. “I do apologize for this child; she is not very thoughtful, bringing you all the way out here.”
”Not at all!” Chifumi beamed. “We don’t mind.”
So, that was Naruse-san’s mother? She looked older than I’d imagined. More importantly, she wasn’t a sorcery user.
”Risa, why don’t you show them to their rooms?” the woman suggested.
”No,” Naruse-san stated flatly. “I intend to train now.”
”Is that so? I understand.”
Before leaving, the woman shot me a long, lingering look.
”That is my mama,” Naruse-san said once she was gone. “Do not worry about her. She was likely just curious about the boys who come to visit me.”
”May I ask something?” I inquired.
”Go ahead.”
”That person… she is an ordinary people, right?”
”That is right,” Naruse-san answered, as if discussing the weather. “My papa is a ordinary people, too. Mama and I are not blood-related.”
”Anyway,” she continued, “we were in the middle of a conversation.”
”Right!” Chifumi agreed.
”The walls of this building have been anti-magic treated,” Naruse-san resumed. “You need not worry about using sorcery here. We can train to our heart’s content.”
”I see. That’s amazing,” Chifumi said.
I could tell she was using the latest materials, but at the Tatemiya estate, we generally used anti-magic architecture crafted from dungeon-grade materials, which far outperformed this. It was top-tier for what a ordinary people could acquire, but to a sorcery user, it was nothing special. Chifumi seemed to understand this as well.
”Let’s start right away,” Naruse-san said.
”Sounds good!” Chifumi added.
”Feel free to choose your weapon.”
A wicker basket in the corner was stuffed with bamboo swords, naginata, and the like. Chifumi picked up a wooden pole about her height, while Kibe-san grabbed a bamboo sword. I watched to see what Naruse-san would choose, only for her to pull a gun from her robes. A gun?
Catching my stare, she held it up for me to see.
”I am skilled with magic pistols,” she noted.
Magic guns, which fired pellets fueled by a caster’s mana, were on the expensive side of sorcery-user weaponry. They ensured decent power and accuracy for even a weak caster, but had a low ceiling—a major drawback for a strong user. They were rarely a main choice.
”And you?” she asked.
”I’ll go with this,” I said, picking up a wooden short sword.
”Hmm. A short sword,” she remarked.
”Sorry if it’s a boring choice,” I replied.
”Well then, let’s begin training,” Naruse-san said.
”Agreed,” Kibe-san added.
”Hmm. How about I go first… with Kibe-san?” Naruse-san proposed.
”Certainly. Please go easy on me,” Kibe-san replied.
Naruse-san and I retreated to the wall while Chifumi and Kibe-san faced each other in the center.
”Begin!”
At Naruse-san’s command, the match started. Chifumi crafted a makeshift naginata by coating her pole in water. The two traded blows, using the bare minimum amount of sorcery. It was a surprisingly decent match. The clack-clack of their weapons colliding accelerated into a rhythmic, louder bang-bang, thud-thud, clang-clang.
”To be able to trade blows with Yurina… Takino-san, you are quite talented,” I commented.
”Chifumi is always been dextrous,” I added.
Kibe-san was no slouch; she was clearly a highly capable magic knight. She didn’t lose ground, and eventually, she closed the distance on Chifumi. The first round went to Kibe-san.
Next up, it was me and Naruse-san. We took center stage.
”Begin!”
Kibe-san gave the signal, and Naruse-san immediately fired, unleashing a relentless barrage of magic bullets from two pistols. I used my short sword to deflect the shots. Closing the gap, I swung down in a diagonal slash, but she blocked it with her gun. Clang! She fired from the other gun without missing a beat.
I increased my speed, swinging the sword faster than before. “Ngh…!” With a deft flick, I hooked one of her guns and sent it flying. The moment she was disarmed, Naruse-san conceded.
”Stop,” Kibe-san called out.
”You are pretty good,” Naruse-san said, looking frustrated as she retrieved her gun.
”Right back at you,” I replied.
Honestly, I was unimpressed. Neither of us had gone all-out. It was just training; there was no need to reveal my cards. Still, she insisted, “One more time!” She came at me again, fired up. We sparred three more times, and I wasn’t released until she finally managed to land a hit on the fourth round.
—
Summary:
The protagonist and Chifumi visit the Naruse estate to train with Naruse and Kibe in a custom-built facility. During their visit, they meet Naruse’s mother, a non-sorcery user, and spar with the hosts to gauge their respective abilities. The training session ends after several intense bouts, leaving the protagonist curious about the secret behind Naruse’s mana capacity, which she prepares to reveal.
—
Trivia:
The Naruse estate is located in a prime metropolitan district, unlike the protagonist’s rural estate.
Naruse and Kibe use hakama as casual wear to mask their physical proportions.
Naruse’s mother is not blood-related to her and does not possess sorcery.
The training facility on the estate is built with anti-magic treated walls.
Naruse’s family situation involves a strained relationship with her biological sorcery-using parent.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Chifumi – Minoru’s 15-year-old childhood friend, classmate, and devoted J-cup Majo (witch servant) is a scrawny, long-haired, frost/water magic user who wields a staff. Cheerfully naive yet sharply-tongued, this well-rounded balance-type warrior hides deceptive strength. As a close, physically attracted confidante, she handles group discoveries, dungeon traversal, and his “Instruction” negotiations.
• Naruse – A grumpy, wide-eyed female student and fiercely independent youngest daughter of the wealthy Naruse merchant family. A childhood friend of Kibe and dungeon explorer partnered with Yurina, she hosts training sessions at her estate. Guarded, analytical, and lonely, her ignorance of sorcery social rules leads to confrontational behavior. Skeptical of Minoru, she is his upcoming duel target.
• Kibe – A pragmatic, capable magic knight and female student from a struggling sorcery family tied to an old dojo. Naruse’s best friend, submissive companion, and rear guard, she follows her lead and acts as a mediator. Highly skilled with a bamboo sword, she dispatches multiple Apparitions in single strikes, possesses rare dungeon-dropped items, and stays behind to train while her party departs.
• Yurina – A serious, disciplined dungeon explorer with long black hair tied in a ponytail. One of the target Free Girls, she is a stubborn but highly capable swordfighter who partners with Naruse to battle Apparitions.
• Risa – A student with shoulder-length brown hair and a grumpy aura. She is the second target for recruitment and has a confrontational personality.
• Tatemiya – A local family lineage that produces sorcerers and wields significant power.
• Takino – The pragmatic mother of Chifumi, she shares her family name and resides in the residential district with her husband and daughter. Well-aware of the complex power dynamics between Chifumi and Minoru, she focuses on practical matters, specifically concerning herself with birth control.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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