Volume 5 Chapter 25 Aya’s Wish
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”G-gah… is this… okay?”
”Thanks. And sorry for dragging you out here in the middle of lunch. Black Goat, you’re such a good girl.”
”Hehe… hehe…”
”Me too! I want head pats too!”
”Blue Deer, you haven’t even done anything yet, have you?”
”I know, but… hmph!”
Standing beside the girl in the black goat mask was another girl in a blue deer mask. Between them, a familiar figure was gently patting both their heads.
”Taka… nashi…?”
No way. Takanashi Hirose—who wasn’t even an Adventurer—was here. And he was with the girl who had obliterated a Floor Boss in a single strike. Okada Rikuya’s brain simply refused to process what he was seeing.
Snarl!
”Ah, two more just spawned!” the Blue Deer girl shouted.
”Can you handle it?” Hirose asked.
”On it!”
This floor followed a predictable pattern: kill one, and two more showed up to take its place. The girl in the deer mask stepped forward. She raised her hand ever so slightly, and in that single heartbeat—
”What…?”
Both Dagger Ulwens froze solid. A split second later, massive, jagged icicles formed in the air and slammed forward, shattering the frozen monsters into glittering dust.
”There we go. Good girl, good girl,” Hirose said, rubbing the Blue Deer girl’s head.
Okada stayed frozen, jaw hanging. An enemy that had stonewalled him for thirty straight minutes had just been cleared out like common trash. Twice.
Hirose walked over to the collapsed boy.
”Okada-kun. First, you’re going to apologize to the class rep. Then you’re going to answer for what you’ve done. That’s all there is to it.”
”Takanashi… you bastard…!”
”You hate me, don’t you? You’re wondering why I’m surrounded by girls. To be honest, I’m still trying to figure that out myself. I think… maybe I let the attention go to my head. I was acting like a jerk, and that’s what set you off, wasn’t it?”
Even the usually passive Hirose had gotten swept up in how much his life had changed. Okada’s bile from the day before had finally forced him to look in the mirror.
”If you knew that… if you already knew…!”
”It’s fine,” Hirose said. “You’ve wanted to hit me this whole time, right? Go ahead.”
Hirose grabbed Okada by the arm and hauled his shaking body upright. He stood there, completely open, taking no guard at all, inviting the hit.
”What’s wrong with you? Just… what the hell are you?!”
The rescue. The way he stood there. The invitation to take a swing at him. None of it made sense. Blind with confusion, Okada channeled the light of his Gift into his fist. With everything he had, he drove a punch straight into Hirose’s left cheek.
Ssssss.
A thin wisp of white steam curled up from the point of impact. Hirose didn’t budge. He didn’t get blown back. He wasn’t even bruised.
”Y-you—gaf!”
Before Okada could even process that his punch had done nothing, Hirose’s right fist cracked him square in the jaw. It wasn’t some superhuman blow, but with Okada’s legs already shot, he hit the ground hard. Hirose stood there, wrapped in Asami’s Protection barrier—a detail Okada couldn’t possibly know.
”You idiot! Don’t you ever run off like that again! Don’t you dare dive into a dungeon on your own! And don’t you ever try to die on us!”
”Ah… ugh…”
It was the first time Okada had ever seen Hirose genuinely, viscerally angry.
”I am not walking around with someone’s death on my conscience just because I was involved! You’re going to apologize to the class rep from the bottom of your heart! She might never forgive you, but you’re going to keep apologizing until your voice gives out!”
Okada had no answer to the storm hitting him.
”God… my hand hurts. I guess Adventurers really are built different. I could never do what you do. Honestly, Okada-kun… I’m actually a little jealous of you.”
”What… are you even talking about…”
The Protection spell didn’t cover Hirose’s own punches. His knuckles throbbed with pain.
”By the way… your two party members were outside the gate,” Hirose said after a moment. “The Guild staff had it blocked off, so they couldn’t get in, but they were screaming their lungs out for you.”
”Those idiots…”
”Even a guy like you has friends who actually care. So tell me—did it ever cross your mind that the people you hurt have friends and family who love them just as much?”
”……”
The truth finally sank in. Just like he didn’t want to lose Ishida or Iida, Hirose and Aya had people who cherished them. There was no such thing as a disposable person. Okada’s lips started to tremble.
”I’m… I’m sorry…”
”Don’t say it to me. Say it to the class rep.”
”…Right.”
Okada slumped back against the dungeon wall, completely spent.
”—High Heal.”
A warm light from the Goat girl washed over him. His torn skin sealed shut; the dull ache faded away. But that was where the mercy stopped.
”You will never breathe a word about the three of us being here. I hereby bind Okada Rikuya to a Pledge.”
”Wait—what?”
Before he could protest, the spell clamped down on him. The sheer weight of the command forced obedience.
”Alright, that’s that. Let’s get out of here.”
”How? The exit is—”
”Just stick close,” Hirose said.
As the four of them huddled together—
”—Teleportation.”
The world twisted and blurred.
* * *
”Okada-kun. You know what you have to do.”
”…Yeah. I know.”
They were back at the gate. At this point, Okada couldn’t even muster surprise. The last hour barely felt real. Hirose gave him one last, steady look before Okada turned toward the entrance. When he glanced back, they were already gone.
”Okada Rikuya. You’re under arrest for unlawful use of a Gift.”
”…Yes.”
Waiting outside the gate were police officers. Guild officials swarmed the area. A Gift was far too dangerous a power for a teenager to wield without restraint, and the law was absolute. Between the magic residue on Mizobe’s face, witness statements, and security footage from the school, the case had been wrapped up in under twenty-four hours.
Okada didn’t resist when the cuffs clicked shut. He was being led toward a patrol car when a shout ripped through the noise.
”Rikuya! You total piece of crap! You think we’re a joke to you?!”
”How the hell were we supposed to know what ‘My bad, I messed up’ even meant?!”
Held back by officers, Ishida Kazuki and Iida Yuto were screaming at him from across the line.
”You guys…”
”You should’ve talked to us, you damn idiot!” Ishida yelled.
”We’re a team, aren’t we?!” Iida added.
(Why? Why would they go this far for trash like me?)
He’d thought they were just business partners, but the raw desperation in their voices told a different story.
”You’re the one who said we’d reach the top!”
”You gave us that dream! And then you just…!”
”I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…!”
Sobbing, Okada ducked into the back of the car. His friends’ faces disappeared from view as the vehicle pulled away.
* * *
That evening.
A lone girl stood at the edge of the school pool. Practice was over; the campus might as well have been abandoned. Dressed in her competition suit and cap, Mizobe Aya stepped up onto the starting block and dove. Her form was flawless, her stroke clean and sharp—until—
”Guh…!”
She barely made it halfway before she gasped and clawed her way to the edge. She hauled herself up onto the concrete, shivering.
”I guess… I really can’t do it…”
The chlorine tore into her raw gums without mercy.
”Class rep…”
She pulled off her cap and turned, squinting through the fog of her goggles.
”Haha… Takanashi-kun. They told me to rest today, but… I just had to come.”
”I figured. You said you wanted to swim so badly.”
”I’m just making you worry for nothing, aren’t I?”
Recognizing Hirose, Mizobe pulled off her prescription goggles and tried to stand. Her vision blurred; her balance went with it.
”Whoa!”
”Class rep!”
She tripped over nothing. Hirose lunged forward and caught her before she hit the tile.
”Are you okay?”
”Ah… ugh… Takanashi-kun… I’m sorry. I got your uniform all wet.”
Water from her suit soaked into his shirt in an instant, but she didn’t move. She stayed there, slumped against him, her weight heavy in his lap.
”Ugh… h-huu… aaaaaah! I just want to swim! I just want to swim!”
The dam inside her burst. Clinging to Hirose’s chest, she sobbed like a child who’d just lost the only home she had. Hirose held her, letting her fall apart against him on the pool deck.
”Takanashi-kun… help me… please…”
Aya remembered. She remembered what he had told her in that hospital room.
—I want you to lean on me.
Looking down at the broken girl in his arms, Hirose finally steeled himself. There were things he hadn’t been able to say because of the Recoil—things she needed to hear. He opened his mouth to tell her the truth.
—
Summary:
Hirose intervenes in Okada’s dungeon suicide mission, revealing his hidden strength and arresting him for his crimes against Aya. Despite the violence, Hirose forces Okada to realize the value of the bonds he has with his own party members. The chapter concludes with Aya’s emotional breakdown at the school pool, where her physical trauma prevents her from swimming, leading Hirose to finally decide to share his secrets.
—
Trivia:
- Hirose admits he was getting ‘carried away’ by the attention he was receiving.
- Asami’s ‘Protection’ barrier only works defensively; it does not protect the user from self-inflicted pain when they attack.
- The ‘Pledge’ is a magical contract that prevents Okada from revealing the identity of Hirose’s mysterious assistants.
- Aya’s injury is specifically in her mouth/gums, making swimming in chlorine painful.
- Okada’s party members (Kazuki and Yuto) actually cared for him despite his delinquent behavior
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Character Insight:
Hirose shows significant growth by moving from a passive observer to an active mediator who takes responsibility for his influence on others. Aya’s breakdown marks a transition from her ‘perfect Class Rep’ persona to a vulnerable individual needing support.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Recoil’ (反動) mentioned is a common trope in this series where Hirose’s unique ‘Beauty’ skill has unintended consequences or high costs for use.
Notes:
• Okada – Male student and registered Adventurer. Popular with girls due to his dungeon progress. Leader of the Strong-Arm Guild. An E-Rank adventurer and high school senior. Received Appraisal at sixteen. Has a short temper and uses his status to attract women. Uses a combat Gift that makes his fists glow.
• Kazuki – Member of the Strong-Arm Guild. A high school senior and mage-type adventurer. Gift holder.
• Yuto – Member of the Strong-Arm Guild. A high school senior and swordsman adventurer. Gift holder.
• Mizobe Aya – Class Representative (Iinchou)—tall ace of the girls’ swim team with blue-tinted hair and thick glasses. Clumsy dojikko who wears competitive swimsuits, caps, and prescription goggles; recently injured by Okada.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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