Volume 1 Chapter 5 The Nouveaux Riches and the Poverty-Stricken Dojo
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Naruse-san appeared out of nowhere. She looked like she had a sharp temper, but those wide eyes and that clean, bridge-like nose? Even her grumpy expression was cute. Plus, she had a slender, busty physique that put Kibe-san to shame. This was simply irresistible.
I kept those lecherous thoughts locked away behind a mask of seriousness as I asked, “What do you mean by that, Naruse-san?”
”You actually remembered my name?” Naruse scoffed, her voice sharp with urban street slang. “The hell you starin’ at? You think I’m easy to forget?”
”Of course,” I replied in my neutral, standard tone. “We’re classmates, and I’ve been interested in you. I don’t forget faces.”
”Is that so,” she muttered, clearly unimpressed.
I’d tried to be smooth, but all I got was the cold shoulder. I didn’t let that stop me.
”What do you mean by ‘already spoken for’? Are you already in someone’s group?”
”That girl is joining mine,” Naruse snapped. “You’re not invited, so beat it.”
”Uh… whose group?” I asked, looking around. “And who else is in it besides you and Kibe-san?”
I scanned the room for any other boys besides Ryota, but they all shook their heads. There was no way Ryota would be the one to scout someone like her.
”Just the two of us for now,” she said. “We’re recruiting the rest.”
”So… a girls-only group?”
”That’s what I said.”
”…Are you serious?”
”Deadly.”
I looked over at Kibe-san. She gave a silent nod. This wasn’t looking good.
”Naruse-san,” I said, leaning in. “Why not join my group? I’d welcome both of you.”
”No,” Naruse replied, her tone cold. “I don’t intend to work under anyone.”
”I get where you’re coming from, but I really think you should reconsider…”
”I don’t recall asking for your advice,” she spat back.
The tone was sharp. I wasn’t used to such blatant hostility; the girls I knew usually fawned over me. It was honestly a refreshing change of pace.
I could have kept the conversation going, but without knowing the full situation, it was better to let Chifumi handle the legwork.
”Fine, I get it,” I conceded. “I’ll back off for now.”
”As long as you understand,” she retorted.
”But I’m not giving up,” I declared, my voice firm. “I’m going to have you two in my group eventually. Got it?”
”Hah! Think whatever you want,” she laughed dismissively.
”See you later, Kibe-san,” I said, turning to the quieter girl.
”…Yes,” Kibe-san replied softly, her voice respectful and reserved.
”Hey! Wait!” Naruse called out, but I ignored her futile attempt to shoo me away.
Back at my desk, Chifumi leaned in, her tone bubbly and eager. “That first contact was a failure, wasn’t it, Minoru-sama?”
”Yeah,” I replied. “But that attitude, though? Pure hostility.”
”…”
”You making fun of me too?” I asked, noticing her expression.
”Not at all,” Chifumi chirped. “I actually like that side of you, Minoru-sama.”
”Is that so.”
”Their reaction was weird, right?” I asked, turning back to her. “I’m the normal one here, aren’t I?”
”I suppose,” Chifumi replied with a light shrug.
”They have no idea what it means to form a girls-only group, do they?”
”I suppose.”
”That means those two aren’t from a sorcery family,” I mused. “Maybe they’re illegitimate heirs or a disgraced bloodline resurfacing. Either way, they don’t know how things work in the sorcery world.”
”I suppose.”
”…You love me, don’t you, Chifumi?”
”I don’t think so,” she giggled.
”I could leave them be, but that face… it’s a waste,” I muttered.
”So, the beauty-obsessed Minoru-sama wants to train those two into submissive mares in bed?” Chifumi teased. “And that’s why you staked your claim?”
”Phrasing! But, well… yeah, that’s about the size of it.”
”Understood,” Chifumi said, her tone shifting to professional. “If that’s what you want, I have no reason to object. I’ll go poke around and find out the truth.”
”I’m counting on you.”
Just then, the teacher walked in, arms loaded with printouts.
I returned home before noon and practiced my sorcery for several hours. As dinnertime approached, I sensed someone nearby.
”Big Brother, Chii-chan is here!” I heard my sister Kotoha’s voice ring out, followed by the sound of the front door opening.
”Come on in,” I said.
When the door slid open, there stood Chifumi in her casual clothes, followed by my sister.
”Practicing again?” Chifumi asked.
”Yeah.”
”Big Brother is such a sorcery geek, unlike Chi-nii,” Kotoha chirped. “Sorry about that, Chii-chan.”
”It can’t be helped, I suppose,” Chifumi replied with a gentle smile.
”So? What’s up?” I asked.
”Hmm. I’ve looked into the situation with Naruse-san and Kibe-san,” Chifumi said. “I thought we should have a strategy meeting.”
”New friends?” Kotoha asked excitedly.
”That’s right,” Chifumi said. “Classmates from high school. Minoru-kun made a bit of a mess of things, you see.”
”Ehh!? No way, Brother,” Kotoha scolded. “Your high school life is all about the first impression!”
”Never mind that,” I said. “This is stuff I don’t want Kotoha to hear. Go home.”
”Ehh—!? I want to hear it—!!”
”Sorry, Kotoha,” Chifumi said soothingly. “I’ll tell you in secret another time, so how about today, okay?”
”Uuu—!! You better promise!” Kotoha grumbled as she left.
Now it was just Chifumi and me. She sat on the cushion I provided and opened her mouth.
”You changed rooms.”
”I’m a high schooler now,” I explained. “Considering the future, it wouldn’t be good to be right next to my sister’s room.”
”I suppose that’s true.”
”…So? What’s the situation?”
”Ah, right, straight to the point. Hmm. First, let’s talk about Naruse-san. You know of a family that comes to mind when you hear ‘Naruse’, right?”
”Don’t tell me, the Naruse merchant guild? Are they connected to them?”
”Bullseye,” Chifumi confirmed. “She’s the president’s daughter.”
”I was under the impression that they weren’t a sorcery bloodline.”
”Yeah, the Naruse family are yujin,” she explained. “However, the current head’s mistress seems to be a powerful woman.”
”…Ah, I see. That’s how it is.”
”She seems to be a powerful woman from a famous family in another region,” Chifumi continued. “The Naruse family has five children, all girls. The eldest three are yujin, and the youngest two are magically gifted. Naruse-san is the youngest.”
”Heh. I guess they were a good match.”
”They succeeded in joining the ranks of sorcery families, but they don’t know the ways of the trade… or rather, it seems the birth mother is a bit eccentric. Up until now, she hadn’t even attempted to connect her daughters with any powerful men. On top of that, she sent them to a national high school instead of a private one. What she’s doing is completely irrational.”
”She must be fairly capable if she could get them into a national school,” I noted. “It would have been safer for them to go to Shisei, though.”
”I suspect the mother was a group leader at a private high school herself,” Chifumi speculated. “She probably either has the confidence of her own excellence or the family head’s vanity pushed them to go to a national school.”
”…What about Kibe-san?”
”Kibe-san comes from a bloodline that occasionally produces sorcery users,” Chifumi said. “Currently, Kibe-san and her grandmother are the users. The family home is an old martial arts dojo.”
”Hmm.”
”It seems they have few disciples and are struggling financially,” Chifumi added. “It looks like she joined Naruse-san’s group because she’s receiving financial support from the Naruse family.”
—
Summary:
Minoru initiates a bold attempt to recruit Naruse and Kibe into his group, but faces open hostility from Naruse. He turns to Chifumi, who investigates the duo’s background and reveals that Naruse is the daughter of a wealthy merchant guild leader while Kibe hails from a struggling martial arts dojo. The situation remains precarious as Minoru plans his next move with Chifumi.
—
Trivia:
The Tatenomiya estate features several storehouses and detached dwellings on a hill.
Naruse is the youngest of five sisters, with the elder three being non-sorcery users (yujin).
Minoru moved out of the main house into a detached dwelling upon starting high school.
Notes:
• Naruse – A student with wide eyes and a sharp temper, characterized by her grumpy expressions and defensive attitude. She is the youngest of five daughters from the wealthy Naruse merchant guild and is fiercely independent, refusing to work under anyone.
• Kibe – A student from a family of sorcery practitioners whose lineage is tied to an old martial arts dojo. She is financially struggling and has joined forces with Naruse, demonstrating a pragmatic and submissive demeanor in contrast to her companion.
• Ryota – A student from middle school with a fondness for larger body types, specifically favoring a “miracle body line.” He is an outgoing and loyal friend to Minoru.
• Chifumi – A beautiful girl with long hair tied in a side-tail, childhood friend of Minoru since elementary school. She is known for her sharp tongue and direct attitude. A girl who is close to Minoru and acts as his confidante, often conducting investigations on his behalf. She displays a teasing, occasionally cynical attitude toward Minoru’s schemes while remaining loyal to his requests. A childhood friend and group member of Minoru. She has a bubbly, high-energy personality and is currently helping him scout new members for their dungeon group.. A close associate of Minoru with a high-functioning negotiation ability. She is noted for having a thin build which is often overlooked due to her attractive face.
• Minoru – A high school student and practitioner of sorcery who resides in a detached dwelling on his family’s expansive estate. He views himself as a leader and is preoccupied with scouting potential recruits for his group, while harborering lecherous thoughts he keeps hidden. A male student with an aesthetic-focused personality who is obsessed with slender, beautiful girls. He is a sorcerer student at the 13th High School needing to build a group for dungeon exploration. A student with a high appreciation for facial aesthetics, often misunderstood as having a specific fetish. He is a pragmatic individual who keeps his preferences private. A young male student who has retained the memories of his past life as a 21st-century Japanese university student. He is a member of a sorcerer lineage and possesses high aptitude for magic. A young man who reincarnated with memories of Japan. He is a talented sorcery user who navigates the social hierarchies of Strong-Males and Strong-Females while dealing with his own past arrogance.
• Kotoha – Minoru’s younger sister who is currently in elementary school. She is inquisitive and protective of her brother’s social prospects, often interjecting into his conversations with friends.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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