Volume 4 Chapter 5 Oni Hunt
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Friday after school, I stood across from Mitsuki in the center of the guidance facility. She wore a fearless grin.
Tamai-sensei’s inspection of the facility was taking longer than usual.
Chifumi and the other three were already in the observation area. They watched us closely and waited for the match to begin.
Both Mitsuki and I wore our dungeon gear.
Mitsuki wore compression shorts under her skirt. In her hands was the Hama Kongou1, a huge kanabo almost two meters long. Just standing in front of that rough iron weapon covered in silver spikes was enough to feel pressure. A short chain hung from the end of the handle.
She also wore arm guards. She had not worn them during her match with Chifumi.
My equipment was a little different.
I had no wish to stop a kanabo with my bare hands. A short sword would lose against that weight. So I brought an iron whip instead.
It was just a piece of metal I found in a corner of our warehouse. It had no special power. I could only make it tougher by putting mana into it. Still, for a fight with sorcery, I thought it would work well against a kanabo.
The scratches on it made it look old and dangerous. I liked that.
As we finished warming up, Tamai-sensei walked over.
”The facility is ready. Are you both ready?” Tamai-sensei asked.
”I’m ready.”
”No problems here,” Mitsuki said.
Tamai-sensei nodded and gave the usual explanation.
We would use sorcery inside the facility. The winner would get to give the loser one order. If damage passed a set limit, it would be canceled. If something too dangerous happened, the teacher would decide the result.
This was our fourth match. I only half listened. Mitsuki listened carefully.
Then I noticed a new rule.
”Today, I’ve set the damage limit very high, so be careful,” Tamai-sensei said.
”Why?” I asked.
”It was Onigahara-san’s request. She doesn’t want the match ending in a strange way. Don’t count on the damage limit to save you. If you reach that point, think of the match as already over.”
”Understood.”
”I understand too,” Mitsuki said brightly.
With that, everything was ready.
The teacher moved away from us.
When she reached a safe distance, she announced the start of the match through the speakers.
After the signal, I expected Mitsuki to rush in.
But she didn’t move.
She was careful because of the weapon in my hand. I had never shown her how I used it. My bluff seemed to be working.
She rested the kanabo on her shoulder and slowly came closer.
She was only using a little Oni-fication. It looked like she wanted to start with a normal close-range fight.
Honestly, I wanted to avoid hitting that kanabo with my whip. Still, Mitsuki had challenged me. I could not back down.
Mitsuki moved the moment she reached my range.
She closed the distance and brought the kanabo down from above.
It was the same speed as the strike she used against Chifumi. I knew I could stop it.
I strengthened the iron whip with mana and raised it above my head.
Then a warning flashed through my mind.
Danger.
I changed my movement at once.
I blocked the attack with the whip, but twisted my body to the right.
A loud crash shook the facility.
The kanabo cut off the tip of my whip. Then it smashed into the floor without slowing down.
”Hmph!”
Using the rebound from the floor, Mitsuki swung again.
The attack came toward my waist.
I barely blocked it.
Clang.
Our weapons locked together.
Mitsuki pushed harder.
I was weaker in a contest of strength. I jumped aside and escaped the pressure.
The moment I landed, she attacked again.
She used the force of her swing to spin and kick.
Her skirt flew up, showing her compression shorts.
She really wasn’t going to let any opening go.
The moment her leg came at me, I struck her heel.
Then I caught her with my left arm and hit her with a right hook.
”Ugh!”
Pain crossed her face.
Even with Oni-fication, that hit hurt.
It was not enough to trigger the damage limit. But it was enough to slow her down.
Mitsuki jumped back on one leg.
That alone showed how much Oni-fication improved her body.
She checked her injured foot while taking short breaths.
I thought about attacking.
But I wanted a cleaner victory.
So I waited.
”Minoru, you’re pretty good.”
”You too.”
Mitsuki kept her distance. She protected her injured leg while watching me.
She was probably trying to buy time.
That was fine with me.
I had questions.
”What was that first strike? It left a cut.”
”You think I’d tell you?”
”I’m letting you rest. You can tell me a little. A trick like that won’t work twice.”
”…I guess that’s true.”
Mitsuki started explaining.
”This Hama Kongou is pretty useful. Its power changes based on the user. It looks like a blunt weapon, but it can cut too.”
”The cut was very clean.”
I looked at the broken end of my whip.
The surface was smooth.
It did not look like damage from a spiked club.
”Then my hard work paid off. If things had gone right, I would’ve crushed the skull of the Minoru who looks down on me.”
She smirked.
Mitsuki moved her injured leg.
It seemed fine already.
She had recovered faster than I expected.
”Can we use sorcery now?”
”Yeah. This time I’m really going all out!”
Mitsuki activated her Inherent Sorcery.
”Oni-fication.”
Her skin started turning black.
The color spread across her arms, legs, neck, and face.
Before, only parts of her body changed. Now it covered everything.
”Hmph.”
Mitsuki walked toward me.
Her injury should have been serious.
Was this another effect of Oni-fication?
I thought about the possibilities.
Koki-san’s Oni-fication had the Gold Oni.
It gave him incredible toughness. Normal weapons and sorcery could barely hurt him.
Koki-san once said Mitsuki’s ability was very rare. It might even be rarer than his.
That narrowed the choices.
Then I remembered her match with Chifumi.
With her skin turning black, I thought the answer was the Stealth Oni.
An ability based on hiding and illusions.
If she had only made her injury look healed, that would explain everything.
If she was going all out, I had to respond.
”Tatemiya.”
My Inherent Sorcery activated.
The space inside the facility changed.
This area was larger than the dojo. It used a lot of mana, but I could keep it active long enough.
Some of my spirits were good at finding enemies.
Using them, I checked Mitsuki.
The girl in front of me was real.
I checked the area again.
Nothing seemed strange.
The black-skinned Mitsuki came closer.
First walking.
Then jogging.
Then sprinting.
Finally, she leaped forward.
The kanabo carried the same dangerous feeling as before.
While dodging, I summoned Hinoki and Tempura.
Another scout spirit was already hiding in the shadows.
Three spirits at once.
Inside this space, that was easy.
Hinoki appeared in a large form almost three meters long.
They moved between Mitsuki and me.
’Ow. That weapon hurts. I don’t wanna get hit by it again~’
The kanabo slammed into Hinoki.
I felt the impact through their body.
The anti-spirit weapon of the Onigahara family was no joke.
Just to be safe, I strengthened Hinoki’s defense.
I had more fighters.
I had stronger abilities.
I had better technique.
Mitsuki was stronger physically, but I still had the advantage.
I watched her carefully.
She attacked like a storm.
I waited for an opening and fired a shockwave.
Mitsuki had been enduring my attacks through pure stubbornness.
But when she failed to hit me again and again, her focus slipped.
The opening appeared.
Just as planned.
”Guh!!”
”Ouch!!”
Mitsuki flew backward and rolled across the floor.
She got up quickly, but I had landed a good hit.
Her right little finger bent at a strange angle.
It would be hard for her to swing the kanabo properly now.
I thought the match was over.
But the teacher said nothing.
It seemed a broken finger was not enough to reach the damage limit.
The limit really was high.
Mitsuki grabbed the finger.
Snap.
She forced it back into place.
It looked painful.
”At this rate, you can’t win. Wouldn’t it be better to give up and let the teacher heal it?”
”You’re surprisingly kind for being Minoru.”
”I’m always kind.”
”…Yeah, I guess you are.”
Mitsuki gave a small smile.
She swayed a little, but her fighting spirit remained.
”My full power isn’t just this.”
”That’s fine.”
Mitsuki gripped the kanabo with both hands.
The chains rattled.
Everything should be going my way.
So why did I feel uneasy?
She challenged me at close range again.
Her attacks were slower now.
The damage was clearly building up.
After several exchanges, she barely managed to stop one of my shockwaves.
She stumbled forward.
”Still going?”
”More and more.”
”You really can’t give up.”
”You know, I’m a sore loser.”
”I know that too well.”
”Then did you know I’m a liar? You didn’t know that, did you?”
”…You’re easy to read. You’re bad at lying.”
”I see. That’s how I look to you. Is that really how I look right now?!”
Mitsuki stared at me.
Something bothered me.
She still hadn’t shown any special ability.
If her power was really the Invisibility Oni2, why wasn’t she using it properly?
A power like that could change a battle.
Did she really plan to lose without using it?
Then I noticed something.
Her eyes were not looking at me.
They were looking behind me.
A moment later, I heard a noise behind my back.
No teachers were there.
No Chifumi or the others either.
There should have been nobody there.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Had her invisibility gone beyond my detection?
Even inside my Tatemiya Sorcery?
I checked again.
The Mitsuki in front of me still looked real.
”…”
”…”
We stared at each other.
Her eyes were still aimed past me.
At this distance, I could handle the injured Mitsuki in front of me.
For a moment, I looked away from her.
I used my detection ability behind me.
”Thought so.”
’Damn it!’
Mitsuki attacked.
Her timing was perfect.
The reverse of the reverse was the front.
This Mitsuki really was the real one.
The problem was her speed.
It was faster than ever.
The fight would be decided in one instant.
The kanabo pierced through my iron whip.
It pierced through Hinoki too.
The chain had changed color.
So the chain changed the weapon’s power.
The kanabo could stab as well as crush or cut.
And there was one more thing.
”…I see. I finally understand.”
”……”
Mitsuki’s extra ability was not the Invisibility Oni.
It was healing.
A powerful healing ability.
That was why her leg worked normally.
That was why her broken finger had already recovered.
She had not hidden the injuries.
She had healed them.
Now I understood why Koki-san called it rarer than his own power.
For an Oni, a healing ability was extremely unusual.
’No, this is rough. Stop talking and finish it already.’
Even with a huge hole in their body, Hinoki wrapped around Mitsuki and the kanabo.
They forced her in place.
”It’s over.”
”…Tch.”
Mitsuki clicked her tongue.
I pointed a finger at her chest.
Then I fired Shock Sorcery.
The facility’s damage limit stopped the attack.
The match was decided.
”Tatemiya-kun wins,” the teacher announced.
I finally relaxed.
Still, Mitsuki’s last attack had been frightening.
She had waited for the exact moment my attention slipped.
Then she attacked with the full strength of her healed body.
It was so fast that even Hinoki would have struggled to avoid it.
The reason I survived was Rei.
The monster hiding in my shadow.
Rei could sense dangerous sorcery and warn me.
It was like a radar.
Rei’s warning and Hinoki’s protection saved me.
With the match over, Hinoki and the others disappeared.
I released my Inherent Sorcery.
The facility returned to normal.
I saw Chifumi and the others coming toward me.
When I looked back at Mitsuki, she had not moved since the teacher announced the result.
The mood between us had changed.
We were no longer just childhood friends.
Now we were the winner and the loser.
As I answered Chifumi and Risa, part of my attention stayed on Mitsuki.
—
Summary:
Minoru and Mitsuki begin their high-stakes combat trial in the guidance facility using sorcery-enhanced weapons. Mitsuki utilizes her specialized kanabo to pressure Minoru, while he counters with a flexible iron whip and tactical spirit summoning. After an initial exchange where Minoru manages to counter her agility with a well-placed strike, Mitsuki activates her full Oni-fication, escalating the duel. Minoru responds by deploying his own summoned spirits to mitigate the increased threat, ending the current engagement with a powerful shockwave.
Minoru engages in a tense sparring match with his childhood friend, Mitsuki, at a training facility. Despite Mitsuki sustaining a significant injury, she utilizes a hidden healing ability to recover and stage a surprise, high-speed attack. Minoru eventually secures victory with the help of his auxiliary monster companion, Rei, leading to a palpable shift in their power dynamic.
—
Trivia:
The Hama Kongou kanabo is capable of both blunt and slashing damage depending on the wielder.
Tamai-sensei significantly raised the damage-negation threshold specifically to ensure this match is fought without relying on automatic safety nets.
Minoru is capable of deploying multiple spirits simultaneously within the space created by his inherent sorcery.
Mitsuki’s Oni-fication skin color changes from partial joint transitions to full-body transformation when she uses her full power.
The Kanabo acts as both a blunt and piercing weapon, with its chains serving as an attribute switcher and booster.
Hinoki functions as an active participant who protects the protagonist by physically absorbing or diverting damage.
The monster Rei acts as a passive, innate sorcery-detection radar for the protagonist.
The transition in the relationship from childhood friends to a winner/loser dynamic suggests a shift toward a more aggressive interpersonal hierarchy.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Mitsuki – Tall, curvy transfer student with dark skin, long hair, and a powerful, muscular Oni physique. Minoru’s stubborn, competitive childhood friend, rival, and clingy Majo, she is also allied with Manaka and Koki. Unaffiliated with factions, this top assassin candidate leads Onigahara Dojo training and explores dungeons wielding the Hama Kongou kanabo, using deceptive Oni-fication and rare healing.
• M – A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• Tamai – A visibly exhausted male homeroom and guidance facility teacher who wears a plastered-on smile. He oversees dungeon training, combat trials, and duel procedures, while managing physical exams, student development, and healing. A key mediator and collaborator with technical staff, he conducts safety inspections and provides critical testimony regarding the students and staff under his charge.
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• Chifumi – A scrawny, long-haired first-year Lead Majo and frost-water sorceress with a water-based staff, she holds group authority and Reaches Three-Limit power. Minoru’s childhood protector turned harem member, she handles training observation and post-match prep. While her bubbly charm masks a sharp, calculated demeanor, she remains a well-informed, self-sacrificing scout for Koki and Minoru’s groups.
• B – A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S’s group.
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• K – A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N’s protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• N – A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• Onigahara – The Koki family, bearing the name of Mitsuki and Koki, runs a massive, rigorous dojo famed for Oni‑fication sorcery; their outward appearance reflects disciplined austerity, their identity is that of stern mentors, and they maintain close, hierarchical bonds with their students and apprentices.
• Minoru – Pragmatic, black-haired sorcerer and protagonist reincarnated into a reversed-beauty world as a top-ranking student in exploration uniform. Wielding Tatemiya magic, an iron whip, and a sub-space monster, he modifies space and commands specters. Calculating and dominant, he holds absolute mana-based mastery over his female squad, including a possessive childhood friend, a romantic bond with Risa, a goal to recruit Mitsuki, and hidden memories of sister Mai. Currently abstaining to prepare for a duel.
• Koki – Nearly two meters tall, muscular, and handsome, this Onibara-style second-year sorcerer is Minoru and Mitsuki’s brother. Associated with the Sumo club, he is a powerful mentor, group analyst, and benchmark for rare sorcery, possessing a “Gold Oni” Oni-fication ability. While recovering from intense training, he remains a cautious evaluator focused on external threats and the Oni clan’s conditioning.
• Tatemiya – The protagonist Minoru and Kotoha belong to this prestigious family, which plays a central role in the group’s social dynamics and relationships.
• Tempura – A crayfish-sized, shrimp-like Phantom and subjugated spirit deployed alongside others in combat. Captured a decade ago, this sharp-tongued, comedic oddity is Minoru’s loyal subordinate and offensive partner, channeling destructive shockwaves via shock sorcery known to the protagonist. Now an instructor, they train Clams and mentor newcomers while fighting as a team.
• Hinoki – A three-meter, centipede Phantom born from the sea with an Oni-fied body, serving Minoru as a tactical advisor, familiar, and defensive shield. Known to the protagonist for their sorcery, they manipulate dungeons, wield ancient venom, and split into smaller forms. In combat, they use chains to shift lines of fire and endure heavy damage, bridging worlds while acting as a squad pillow and ally.
• Rei – A subjugated electric ray monster lurking in Minoru’s shadow that functions as a sorcery-detection radar.
• R – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• Risa – Tall, sharp‑witted, and notably well‑endowed, this Plain‑folk is Minoru’s dutiful childhood friend, servant, and group member who defers to Chifumi. Lacking innate sorcery, she is a disciplined Naruse family Onibara practitioner wielding a rifle and magic pistols. A first-year in Koki’s group, she trains hard in her weapon-filled room to keep pace, resents her mother, and rivals Mitsuki in size.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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