Baseka V1c35

Volume 1 Chapter 35

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 After eating, I was doing some light exercise when Kashiro walked into my room. She seemed hesitant to start talking, looking a bit uncomfortable. I stopped my workout and faced her.

 ”What’s up?”

 When I asked, Kashiro looked down.

 ”I wanted to apologize. I’m sorry.”

 What is she apologizing for? I couldn’t think of anything.

 ”My way of analyzing the situation with the president was wrong. If I had checked if they were affected by ‘Magic’ from the start, we could have wrapped it up quickly.”

 Oh, that’s what it is. I see her point, but we didn’t have much time to analyze Amaarai. It was tough to make the best choice on the spot. It’s just how it turned out, and I don’t think I should blame her.

 ”It’s rare to see you down like this, Kashiro.”

 Maybe she wants to do everything perfectly.

 ”Not being able to use Magic is a sign of weakness. If it wasn’t such a serious situation, I wouldn’t have worried so much. But this mistake was critical.”

 ”You’re being too hard on yourself. Honestly, I feel like I should be the one apologizing for always relying on you.”

 ’Analysis Magic’ is super useful for everything. Knowing the opponent’s abilities is a powerful weapon. If we fight without knowing, we can’t plan, and we could have died multiple times. Instead of apologizing, I think she should be proud.

 ”Also, just so you know, I think you should be careful around Amaarai.”

 ”Oh, right. I did notice she was glaring at me after waking up.”

 ”She seems angry that you got involved with the president. This is something Hyakudou should handle on his own.”

 With that, Kashiro left the room. Her tone was a bit cold, but I appreciate her warning. She really does care, even if she acts tough.

* * *

 To improve our relationship, I decided to go explore the Cave with the president and the others.

 Being with 3 beautiful girls should be a happy thing, but the mood feels heavy. They probably feel a bit awkward, and it’s not easy to adjust right away.

 Still, it didn’t affect our fighting, and we were moving smoothly through the Cave.

 Imps──little black demons──were shooting Flame Bullets in the wrong direction. They must be confused by Yūhashi’s illusion magic. I and president took down the Imps one by one, making our progress smooth.

 ”When the two of you team up, it feels like no one can beat you.”

 Yūhashi smiled brightly.

 Yūhashi Tokina. She’s a cheerful and positive girl who always has a smile on her face. She’s the type who can’t ignore people in trouble, always helping someone at the Academy. With her long brown straight hair and a confident grin, her kindness is well-known, and she’s respected by me, president, and Amaarai.

 ”With this team, we shouldn’t lose to the Demonkind.”

 Since they’re friends, president and the others worked perfectly together, and they all had good athletic skills. president is obviously strong, and Amaarai is trained from basketball practice. Even Yūhashi seemed fit, moving forward without breaks and looking relaxed.

 ”We lost to Ms. Sotozaki and the others, though.”

 ”Yeah, I wanted to ask about that. How did it end?”

 Even though it was 2 against 4, Amaarai and Yūhashi must have been tough opponents. I wanted to hear about it for reference.

 ”I managed to cast the illusion magic, but… Ms. Sotozaki was amazing. She froze the whole area in an instant, and I lost right away.”

 If you attack a wide area, you can catch the opponent even if they are confused by the Phantom. It’s a typical forceful move from Mayuki. Worst case, the Class rep might have turned into ice statues too.

 ”…I’m kind of the same.”

 Amaarai speaks up. She probably doesn’t think well of me, but it seems like she’s willing to talk.

 ”I created a spear with shadow magic and destroyed the ice. I tried to pull the Class rep into the shadows, but… the moment I grabbed her foot, I got shocked. It’s not good to get too close in a magic battle. It was a good lesson.”

 Yeah, if you don’t understand the opponent’s magic, that’s what happens. The Class rep’s lightning magic is super strong in a one-on-one fight. If she’s wrapped in lightning, you can’t even get close. Without magic resistance, there’s no way to win. Only someone like Yodomizu could fight her head-on and win.

 ”…About our fight, I’m sorry for being sneaky. I know I went too far.”

 I felt guilty, so I made sure to apologize. The president’s reaction was calm, but I was worried about Amaarai. She had her friend insulted, so it’s understandable she’d be angry.

 The president accepted my apology and coolly said, “I don’t mind.”

 ”It was my mistake to fall under the spell. I accept the consequences for targeting Hyakudou without any grudges. So… Sayo, it’s not right to blame Hyakudou for that. I appreciate your feelings, though.”

 When the president scolded Amaarai, she looked a bit embarrassed.

 ”…Yeah. I guess I was favoring my friend. I admit it was misplaced anger. Hyakudou, I’m sorry.”

 Amaarai apologized sincerely, and the conversation wrapped up smoothly.

 ”Should we also make up for it physically?”

 Yūhashi casually asks me something. I want to say yes, but I have to hold off on my desires until after the Dragon battle. Just when things with Amaarai seem to be settling down, I don’t want to complicate things now. It would be a waste if our cooperation fell apart over something like this.

 ”As long as you help defeat the Demonkind, that’s all that matters.”

 ”You were really thinking hard about it just now.”

 Amaarai makes a sharp comment. Of course, I’d be troubled if a beautiful girl said something like that. I’m not at fault here.

 ”I might not mind that much? The president seemed to have a cute reaction that wasn’t totally against it.”

 Yūhashi lightly hugs my arm.

 Alright, should I just cut the Cave exploration short and head back to Base? Yūhashi was joking around with the president, but right now, I feel like I could really go for it. I can explore the Cave anytime. On the other hand, this might be my last chance to hold Yūhashi….

 ”Tokina, please stop teasing. Let’s focus on the battle.”

 With a mix of exasperation, the president said this, and Yūhashi replied with a cheerful “Okay!” Ugh… why didn’t I just ask her to come to my bed right away? I feel so foolish.

 I’ll let out this regret by defeating the Demonkind.

 *

 At the deepest part of the Cave, Dullahan was waiting.

 Just as Hiiragi said, it’s a tough enemy. It controls countless iron balls with a telekinetic-like magic and holds a morning star in its hand. There’s no way I could deflect all those flying iron balls, and I might have struggled if I were alone.

 Thanks to the illusion magic, most of the iron balls are flying off in random directions, and Dullahan has lost track of us. It noticed us when we got closer, but a huge black spear jumped out from the shadows to attack Dullahan, so I could safely back away if things got dangerous.

 In a desperate last move, Dullahan creates the largest iron ball yet and throws it at me.

 I held the double axes in front of me and braced myself to take the hit. Even though I was pushed back, I stopped the giant iron ball’s momentum and crushed it with all my strength.

 ”…What was that? A magic that boosts strength?”

 ”It’s just raw power.”

 Yūhashi asked, but it seemed like all 3 of them were in shock.

 ”Hyakudou. You’re not human anymore.”

 ”When the rock got smashed, I thought, isn’t he more of a monster than a Demon?”

 ”If only I had my smartphone, I would’ve recorded it. What a shame~.”

 Amaarai, president, and Yūhashi all chimed in.

 While finishing off the Dullahan, I let their words wash over me.

 I could lie and say I was using a magic tool to boost my strength, but there are 2 people at Base who would see right through that. It’s smarter to just be confident instead of trying to cover up with a lie. Saying I was trained to death by big sister Seraph is something I should probably keep to myself for now.

 Honestly, I’ve experienced near-death situations dozens of times, so revealing that wouldn’t make for a fun story. The treatment from my big sister was perfect, so I don’t have any scars, but remembering those days of training brings back a painful feeling in my old wounds.

 The pain given to me by my big sister comes back to me clearly, so I really didn’t want to talk about it if I could help it.

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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