Volume 1 Chapter 14 Three-Limit and Zero-Limit
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Monday after school, Chifumi and I walked over to Naruse-san’s desk. Kibe-san drifted over as well. As promised last week, we were heading to the guidance facility for our match.
On the way, Ryota patted me on the shoulder.
”Good luck,” Ryota said.
”Yeah,” I replied.
Ryota left the classroom with Yamada-san and her group. My “instruction” of Yamada-san last week had gone off without a hitch, and she was now in a one-limit state. That meant she had finally become a man, too. No doubt she would be asserting her dominance again today. There was a different look in her eyes now.
Or maybe I was imagining it.
As for me, today was the fork in the road that would decide whether I secured my second and third group members. That said, I never once considered the possibility of losing. If I had skipped training on Sunday, I might have felt uneasy without knowing what the other side could do. Now, though, I was completely at ease. Those two could not beat us.
”Do you want me to carry that?” I asked.
”Thank you, but I’m fine,” Naruse-san replied.
She was carrying a surprisingly large bag without much trouble. Since it likely held the weapon she planned to use in the match, it made sense that she would not want her opponent handling it.
The four of us headed for the guidance facility.
The corridors were full of female students, all of them “Free” students with white ribbons. Most of the boys had already left with their entourages after homeroom. A lot of first-year boys had performed “instructions” last week, and they were currently in the stage of being obsessed with their new power. It could not be helped.
It would still be a while before after-school dungeon diving was allowed. Until then, things would probably stay like this.
When we arrived at the guidance facility, the previous group was just finishing their match and coming out. A boy with five girls following behind him stepped through the door. He looked like a third-year.
The boy looked completely confident, and the girls watched him with adoration that anyone could see. They were probably heading off to a review battle. In this world, they were what a proper sorcery-user group looked like.
For a moment, it felt as though the upperclassman had silently encouraged me.
You’d better give it your all, too.
”…”
”…”
Kibe-san and Naruse-san watched the group leave with blank expressions. I wondered what they were thinking. Were they imagining themselves in that position someday?
We opened the door to the guidance facility, and a teacher I did not recognize stepped out. Normally, the homeroom teacher oversaw these matches. This was probably the third-year’s teacher.
”Sorry to keep you waiting,” the teacher said.
”Thank you for your time,” we replied.
Tamai-sensei, who had arrived shortly after us and had been waiting nearby, took the key from the teacher and told us to enter.
Once all four students were inside, the teacher began inspecting the facility. Since we would be conducting a sorcery battle, safety was the highest priority. If an accident somehow occurred, the punishment was death.
While the inspection was underway, we each warmed up on our own.
Less than ten minutes later, the teacher called us together.
”The facility is ready,” the teacher said. “Have you decided on the match format? One-on-one is standard, but two-on-two group battles are also possible.”
Naruse-san answered immediately.
”One-on-one, please.”
”Tatemiya-kun, is one-on-one acceptable to you as well?” the teacher asked.
”Yes.”
The next step was deciding the matchups.
”Can we choose the pairings on our side?” Naruse-san asked.
”Go ahead.”
I accepted her proposal. It did not matter who they sent. We were going to win regardless.
”Thanks. Then Yurina will take Takino-san, and I’ll take Tatemiya-kun.”
The teacher looked at me, and I nodded.
A leader could designate group members as proxies. In theory, I could have left both matches to Chifumi. That would have been the fastest route to victory. However, if I was about to bring Naruse-san into my group and start giving her orders, it made more sense to demonstrate my own strength and establish the hierarchy properly.
This was the same arrangement Chifumi and I had discussed yesterday. It happened to match Naruse-san’s intentions perfectly.
”Since both sides have agreed, we will conduct two one-on-one matches,” the teacher announced. “The winner of each match may perform one ‘instruction’ on the loser. Also, regarding the match between Takino-san and Kibe-san, if Takino-san loses, group leader Tatemiya-kun retains the right to request a rematch.”
A group leader had the responsibility of cleaning up after their members. Kibe-san would not be recognized as the victor unless she defeated both Chifumi and me.
Since I would be facing Naruse-san, I had no desire to waste mana fighting Kibe-san. From their perspective, Kibe-san’s best strategy was obvious. She would try to defeat Chifumi first, then face me and drain my mana before Naruse-san’s match.
Kibe-san would come at Chifumi with everything she had.
Once all four of us agreed, the match was set.
Leaving Chifumi and Kibe-san behind, we stepped outside the combat area.
Kibe-san stood in hakama with a Japanese sword in hand. Across from her was Chifumi in exercise clothes, holding a staff. Chifumi glanced toward me, and I gave her a small wave. She smiled back, as if the outcome had never been in doubt, then turned her attention to Kibe-san.
Kibe-san looked calm as well. She drew her sword without a sound, and the blade flashed under the lights.
”Begin!” the teacher declared.
Kibe-san moved the instant the signal was given. Her first step looked natural, but the speed with which she closed the distance far exceeded my expectations.
Chifumi dodged the downward slash, but Kibe-san flowed straight into a horizontal sweep. Chifumi raised her staff to block.
The staff split cleanly in two.
”?”
For a split second, Chifumi stared at the broken halves.
”Yes!” Naruse-san shouted, a smile appearing on her face.
Kibe-san did not celebrate, but a flicker of relief crossed her face before she returned to a serious expression.
Just like during our training, Chifumi had reinforced the staff with water sorcery to make it harder to cut. Even so, both the spell and the staff had been severed in a single strike.
So her inherent sorcery was Severing.
She had been holding back during training. Still, this was within my expectations.
She coated the very edge of her blade with Severing, then reinforced her entire body with mana before striking. A sorcery user built for close combat.
Kibe-san pressed forward with an upward slash.
Bam!
The sound of feet striking the floor echoed through the facility. The noise came from the exact spot where Chifumi had been standing. A moment later, half of the broken staff clattered across the floor.
”!?”
Kibe-san panicked.
The place Chifumi had occupied a moment ago was empty, and the attack meant to decide the match cut through nothing.
At the same moment she threw the broken half of her staff to block Kibe-san’s vision, Chifumi had slipped behind her. Rather than attack immediately, she stopped and waited.
Water gathered around the remaining half of her staff.
An instant later, it froze solid.
Feeling the sudden cold, Kibe-san spun around and took a defensive stance.
Holding what now looked more like a heavy club, Chifumi attacked with casual delight. Her swings were nearly twice as fast as they had been during training.
Kibe-san was forced onto the defensive.
The sound of steel crashing against ice rang through the room. Despite repeated collisions with ice hard enough to shatter stone, the sword showed no signs of bending or chipping. It had to be a dungeon item.
”Hah!” Kibe-san shouted.
Driven into a corner, Kibe-san activated Severing once more and brought her blade down, trying to split the ice club in two.
She failed.
The sword cut halfway through before the ice regenerated and locked it in place. Their weapons became stuck together.
At that point, it turned into a contest of strength.
”!!”
”…”
Shock crossed Kibe-san’s face.
She was using both hands.
Chifumi was using one.
The sword would not move.
When Chifumi thrust her left palm toward Kibe-san’s shoulder, Kibe-san abandoned the sword and jumped back.
”What a pity~”
Chifumi smiled as she spoke. Holding her weapon in one hand, she casually flexed the fingers of the other. Then she grabbed the trapped sword, ripped it free from the ice, and tossed it away.
The blade skidded across the floor.
Almost immediately, ice spread over it and fixed it in place.
Even if Kibe-san retrieved it, she would not be able to use it.
Now Kibe-san stood empty-handed while Chifumi still held a club.
Kibe-san braced herself.
Then Chifumi tossed her weapon aside as well and took the same stance.
A moment later, the fight turned into a fistfight.
What followed was so one-sided that it was painful to watch.
Chifumi battered Kibe-san relentlessly. Every so often, she mixed in a slap to the face, attacks that probably dealt little real damage. Her intentions were obvious.
She wanted to crush Kibe-san’s pride and break her will to resist.
Kibe-san fought back stubbornly at first, but a pained expression gradually spread across her face.
She had realized she was being toyed with.
”Aha~♡”
Chifumi laughed.
By this point, she seemed to be testing exactly how much punishment she could inflict before triggering the facility’s damage limit. Legs. Shoulders. Abdomen.
Every strike landed precisely where she intended.
Just as Kibe-san stumbled and lost her footing, Chifumi launched a larger attack.
Kibe-san attempted a desperate counter.
Chifumi saw it coming.
The counter missed.
Kibe-san took a blow to the stomach and collapsed.
”Yurina!” Naruse-san screamed.
Kibe-san could not answer. She convulsed on the floor while Chifumi grabbed her by the collar, hauled her upright, and dragged her over to us.
”All done~”
She looked like a cat proudly presenting its owner with a mouse.
”Due to Kibe-san exceeding the damage limit, I declare Takino-san the winner,” the teacher announced.
”Yurina!”
”Aww…”
The moment Chifumi let go, Kibe-san collapsed again.
The teacher stopped Naruse-san as she rushed forward and cast a healing spell.
”Ugh… uu…”
As Kibe-san groaned and pushed herself upright, Naruse-san supported her.
”Are you okay!?”
”I’m sorry, Risa…”
”It’s okay. I’m sorry. My thinking was naive.”
While Naruse-san comforted her and glared at us, Kibe-san refused to look in Chifumi’s direction.
Had she been traumatized?
”Hmm~?”
Chifumi tilted her head and stared back with a finger resting against her chin.
The gesture was cute.
The look in her eyes was not.
There was no mistaking the threat behind that smile.
Oh? Got a problem? I’ll beat you up, too.
Even I would have felt pressured into apologizing under that stare.
Naruse-san did not retreat a single step.
That kind of resolve was impressive in its own way.
Just as the atmosphere threatened to turn ugly, the teacher returned and spoke.
”The facility check is complete. Next is Naruse-san and Tatemiya-kun. Would you like a short break?”
”No, I’m fine!” Naruse-san declared.
”I do not mind either.”
”Then we will begin the next match.”
Following the teacher’s instructions, Naruse-san and I moved to the center of the facility.
”We’ll be watching from here~,” Chifumi said.
”(Flinch) Y-yes. I suppose so.”
”It makes me sad when you’re so on guard~. As sorcery users who will be serve the same Majin, we should get along~.”
”…Yes.”
Kibe-san’s attitude toward Chifumi was completely different from before.
It was already certain that she would receive an “instruction” from me.
Now it was Naruse-san’s turn.
—
Summary:
Tatemiya and Chifumi accompany Kibe-san and Naruse-san to the guidance facility to settle their pre-arranged matches. Chifumi dominates Kibe-san in a one-on-one combat demonstration, effectively traumatizing her while testing the facility’s damage limits. The scene concludes with the teacher preparing for the next match between the two group leaders, Tatemiya and Naruse, while the tension between Chifumi and Naruse remains unresolved.
—
Trivia:
Instruction is a mechanic that can change a person’s status to a “one-limit” state.
There is a legal penalty of death for causing fatal accidents during sorcery practice.
Chifumi uses water sorcery to reinforce her equipment, and she is capable of combat-oriented ice manipulation.
Kibe-san uses a katana, which appears to be a dungeon-grade artifact.
Notes:
• Chifumi – Minoru’s 15-year-old childhood friend and classmate is a scrawny, long-haired frost/water mage who serves as his devoted Majo. Cheerfully naive yet sharply-tongued, this deceptively strong warrior acts as his proxy in matches, confident, and combat support. She balances a flirtatious, trendy, and cat-like demeanor with aggressive, dominant combat prowess while faithfully following his instructions.
• Naruse – The youngest daughter of the wealthy Naruse family, this fierce, wide-eyed student is an analytical dungeon explorer and group leader who arms herself with pistols, grenades, and heavy weaponry. Though initially a guarded, skeptical antagonist to Minoru, her path shifts from a confrontational childhood friend of Kibe to a determined, composed ally who maintains high mental fortitude under pressure.
• Kibe – A pragmatic, dark-skinned, and sturdily built magic knight from a struggling sorcery family. A skilled swordsman and Naruse’s submissive, mediator companion, she uses a Japanese sword to dispatch Apparitions. Forced into Minoru’s group, she endures his intense training regime. Despite her combat prowess, a crushing defeat by Chifumi left her traumatized, shifting her role to a wary observer.
• Ryota – An outgoing, loyal middle school student and friend to Minoru, he serves as his peer group’s unofficial spokesperson. Keenly aware of school power dynamics, he has a specific fondness for “miracle body lines.” Beyond his social observations, he is a supportive presence who frequently offers words of encouragement to fellow students before they head to the facility.
• Yamada – A female student and associate of Chifumi who once acted as the group’s voice of reason, her identity has been fundamentally altered after being subjected to Instruction. This transformation is now clearly visible in her changed demeanor and vacant, altered eyes, marking a stark departure from her former self.
• Tamai – A homeroom teacher who oversees the training arena and duel procedures, while also managing their group of students and facilitating their access to the guidance facility.
• Tatemiya – A reincarnated protagonist and member of a powerful sorcerer lineage, he navigates a world with reversed beauty standards as a calculated, mob-like student. Balancing confidence with a calm demeanor, he wields both sorcery and a small sword to assert authority. Often instructing others, he strategically maneuvers through the social hierarchy while concealing his true potential behind an unassuming exterior.
• 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.
• Yurina – A disciplined, black-haired swordfighter and dungeon explorer, she partners with Naruse to battle Apparitions. Though stubborn and proud, she struggles with emotional turmoil while resisting Minoru and Chifumi’s training. Driven by a one-sided crush on a childhood friend and a desperate desire to protect her purity, she remains a capable but conflicted subordinate caught in a humiliating compromise.
• Risa – A student with shoulder-length brown hair and a grumpy, confrontational aura, she is the second target for recruitment. Now serving as a subordinate, she undergoes rigorous physical and sexual training, responding to the protagonist’s commands with a dazed, blissful devotion that starkly contrasts her former personality.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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