Volume 1 Chapter 6 The Strength of Tsuyo-Osu
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I think I’ve got a handle on the situation with those two. Now the question is how we respond.”
”Chifumi,” I continued, “if we squared off against those two, could we take them?”
Chifumi tilted her head, considering it for a moment. “Hmm… one-on-one, I wouldn’t lose. But both of them against just me? That’d be a tough call.”
It was a cautious assessment, and it matched my own instincts perfectly.
”Are you planning on fighting them?” Chifumi asked.
”Yeah. Better to deal with it now than let them get the attention of other ‘Strong-Males’1 (Tsuyo-Osu).”
Sorcery users were strictly forbidden from fighting outside a Dungeon. Every school, however, maintained facilities known as Training Arenas, specially designed to replicate dungeon conditions. Within those walls, students were permitted to use sorcery as though they were operating in the real thing.
Everyone knew those arenas were the standard venue for duels. A match required both sides to agree, but Naruse’s temper was short enough that a little needling should be all it took to bait him into accepting.
”In that case,” Chifumi said, “you’d better move fast. I heard Naruse-san’s been hitting up the Free Girls in other classes too. It might already be too late.”
”Seriously? That’s a nightmare.”
So that was what she had been doing whenever she disappeared during breaks. Considering how much effort the administration put into balancing the class structure, this had to be giving them headaches. It was exactly the sort of thing that could spark ugly friction between classes.
”Anyway,” I said, coming to a decision, “I’m putting in the challenge for Naruse-san before the week’s out.”
”Before the week’s out? Not tomorrow?”
”Tomorrow I’ve got to face you, right?”
”…”
Chifumi fell silent.
Had she seriously forgotten about her own match?
”I think it’d be fine if it were later for me, though,” she murmured.
”No, you’re first.” I shook my head. “Honestly, I can afford to give up on Naruse and the others if I have to, but there’s no replacing you, Chifumi. I can’t afford to lose you.”
”Hmm… is that so?”
A sly grin spread across her face.
”Minoru, you’ve got peculiar tastes, don’t you? Wanting a ‘Strong-Female’2 (Tsuyo-Mesu) with such a plain, scrawny build like me.”
”I’m a sucker for a pretty face.”
”I know.”
Letting out a small grunt, Chifumi rose to her feet.
”Something wrong?” I asked.
”Said what I needed to say, so I’m heading out.”
”I see.”
”Have to get ready for tomorrow, after all.”
Something about the look she gave me suggested there was more to that statement.
”I’ll file the request first thing tomorrow morning,” I said. “The duel’s after school.”
”Roger that.”
”And make sure you take a proper bath and scrub up tonight.”
”Hehe.” Chifumi laughed softly. “You’re right. I’ll look forward to it.”
I stood as she headed for the door.
”What is it?”
”I’ll walk you home.”
”Thanks.”
We left the annex and headed toward the school gate in comfortable silence.
”Well, this is where I—”
”No, I’m walking you all the way.”
”Eh? It’s fine, really. It’s still light out.”
”I want to greet your parents properly.”
”Hmm. Alright.”
The Takino residence sat deep within the residential district, about twenty minutes away on foot.
”I’m home,” Chifumi called.
”Excuse the intrusion.”
Following her inside, I found myself struck by a sense of nostalgia. It had been years since I last visited.
”Oh my, welcome.”
A pleasantly plump woman who looked remarkably like an older Chifumi peeked out from the living room. She had to be over forty, yet the teddy-bear apron suited her surprisingly well. She radiated the sort of warmth that made her seem younger than her age.
”It’s been a while,” I said.
”It really has. What brings you here today?”
”I’m dueling Chifumi-san tomorrow, so I wanted to greet you properly before it starts.”
”Oh… I see.”
She clasped her hands together and smiled. Side by side, the resemblance between mother and daughter was impossible to miss.
”Minoru-kun, take care of Chifumi, okay?”
”I will. You have my word.”
As we bowed to one another, Chifumi cut in.
”Hey now. Isn’t it a little early for that? There’s still a chance I win, you know.”
”Ah, that’s true.”
”That’s true,” her mother agreed. “Well, it is not impossible.”
”Can we talk about the complete lack of faith in me?”
While Chifumi pretended to cry, her father emerged from deeper inside the house.
”I heard that.”
”Dad! Tell her!”
”Dad’s on your side, Chifumi. Give it your all.”
”Yeah! I will!!”
He had always been hopelessly soft on his daughter. At the moment, I might as well not have existed. Even so, it would have been awkward not to greet him, so I offered a polite hello and received a strained expression in return.
I had walked that road myself before.
After the greetings were finished, I took my leave. It was time to head home and prepare for tomorrow.
The next day, after school, Chifumi and I stood facing each other in the center of the training arena. Since I had submitted the application first thing that morning, we became the first new students to use the facility that year.
The arena was roughly the size of a gymnasium, with a high ceiling and walls reinforced by specialized sorcery that prevented structural damage.
Our homeroom teacher, Tamai-sensei, served as the proctor. Standing in the elevated observation area, he spoke into a microphone as he reviewed the rules.
”You are free to use your sorcery within these walls. There are no specific restrictions on prohibited techniques, so please operate within the bounds of common sense. The system will automatically apply a safety barrier to any attack that exceeds a certain damage threshold. The outcome will be determined automatically based on accumulated damage. Beyond that, I may call the match due to a surrender or my own judgment.”
”Understood.”
”The winner will be granted one instruction for the loser. Is that clear?”
”Yes.”
”Begin!”
The instant Tamai-sensei’s voice rang out, Chifumi moved.
Dressed in her uniform and sneakers, she gripped her long staff and poured sorcery into it.
Standing across from her like this felt strangely nostalgic. It reminded me of the days when we had competed with our sorcery as children. Long before I regained my memories, I had already been enduring absurdly intense training alongside my childhood friends. Looking back on it now, the methods had been insane, but they had also produced extraordinary proficiency.
Among the five of us, Chifumi was the balanced type, leaning toward pure sorcery. Her greatest strength was the sheer breadth of her arsenal.
Three water orbs, each as large as an exercise ball, appeared in the air. Like fire hoses turned on a crowd, they unleashed three thick torrents toward me.
Unarmed, I shifted into a sideways stance and activated a basic defensive technique. An invisible barrier materialized before me and completely stopped the attack. Not a single drop reached me.
My specialty was sorcery enhancement. Rather than relying on flashy spells, I excelled at strengthening fundamentals. Chifumi’s intermediate-level attack should have torn through an ordinary basic defense, yet I shut it down with ease.
Keeping her distance, Chifumi slid away. Then, noticing the water pooling around my feet, she made her next move.
Without interrupting the streams, she spread the water outward.
Countless pebbles suddenly burst from the advancing puddles and shot toward me like buckshot. Reinforcing my entire body prevented any real damage, but the barrage was irritating and obscured my vision.
I answered with a burst of wind and impact sorcery that blasted the water away. At the same time, I conjured a volley of fire arrows and sent them streaking toward her. Three targeted the floating water orbs. Seconds later, I created three more, reinforced them, and launched them directly at Chifumi herself.
A wall of water rose to intercept the attack.
Two arrows vanished into the barrier, but not before carving away much of its mass. The final arrow punched through the weakened wall and knocked Chifumi’s staff from her grasp—or at least that was what I thought I saw through the haze.
As the lingering spray cleared from my vision, another attack came screaming toward me.
A spear of water.
Condensed from the wall itself, it was completely different from the streams she had used before. Frozen, sharpened, and aimed directly at my face, it looked lethal.
For a fraction of a second, instinctive fear slowed my thoughts.
”Tch!”
Twisting aside, I narrowly dodged the spear and caught sight of Chifumi rushing forward in a low stance. She had abandoned the staff entirely and now held a knife.
Chifumi, who excelled at long-range sorcery combat, was charging into close quarters?
Something felt wrong.
Still, I reasoned that she was counting on me never expecting such a move. Betting everything on surprise, she closed in, and I used the momentum of my evasive step to unleash a spinning kick.
My leg crashed into her side.
Splash!
Chifumi’s body burst apart in a spray of red-tinted water, and my heart lurched.
Did she just… break? Die?
No.
A water decoy.
Which meant the real Chifumi was somewhere else—
”Torrent.”
I spun toward the voice behind me and found Chifumi there, staff in hand, calmly chanting.
”Crush!”
A dull impact reverberated through my body.
Water swallowed me whole.
I found myself trapped inside a massive sphere and instinctively erected a defensive barrier, but the pressure continued to climb. The interior churned like a whirlpool, violent currents twisting around me with enough force to tear apart an ordinary person.
I could not breathe.
Through the distorted water, I saw Chifumi pouring everything she had into the spell. The moment I spotted the temporary enhancement pill she had taken, I understood.
She intended to end it right here.
If I underestimate her, she’ll break through my defense.
The corners of my mouth twitched upward before I even realized it.
For the first time in years, Chifumi had pushed me this far.
She had grown strong enough to corner me.
I adjusted my mindset.
As a Strong-Male, I stopped looking at her as a childhood friend and started looking at her as a Strong-Female who needed to be broken. Whether she sensed the change in me or not, the pressure intensified.
In response, I condensed the power coursing through my veins.
I had hoped to finish this with nothing more than basic techniques and hand-to-hand combat.
Looks like I’ll have to use that secret move.
Gathering power into my right hand, I unleashed a concentrated shockwave from within.
Bang!
”…Eh?”
Chifumi’s startled voice echoed through the water.
Focused into a single point, the shockwave shattered the sphere from the inside. I kicked off the ground, crossed the distance in an instant, and clamped my right hand over her face.
An iron claw.
”Ah…”
A soft breath escaped Chifumi’s lips, and the strength left her body.
If I released the sorcery gathered in my hand, her head would vanish.
She knew it.
The instant she saw what awaited her, the fight drained from her eyes.
”Can we call it?” I asked.
”…Yes. Takino-san, are you satisfied with this?”
”…Yes…”
At her strained reply, the teacher nodded.
”This match goes to Tatemiya-kun.”
I lowered my hand.
The moment I did, Chifumi’s knees gave out and she slumped toward the floor.
”There. It’s over.”
”Yeah…”
Taking her hand, I pulled her back up. When I wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her, she leaned against me without resistance.
”Teacher, may we use an instruction room?”
”Certainly. Room 301 is currently vacant.”
”Please give us about two hours.”
”Of course. Good luck with your first post-match review.”
Leaving that comment behind, I collected our bags, and with Chifumi clinging to my side, the two of us departed the training facility.
—
Summary:
Minoru and Chifumi prepare for their duel by visiting Chifumi’s parents, establishing the high-stakes personal nature of their conflict. During the match in the training arena, Chifumi surprises Minoru with advanced tactics and a water-based trap, forcing him to shift from a protective childhood-friend mindset to that of a ruthless competitor. Minoru ultimately secures victory and requests an private “instruction” room to debrief, leaving the outcome of their interaction unresolved.
—
Trivia:
The training arena is designed to replicate dungeon-like conditions for students.
Minoru specializes in the enhancement of basic sorcery techniques rather than high-level spells.
Chifumi is a balanced sorcery user with a vast repertoire.
The “Instruction” (指導) mentioned by the teacher is a euphemism for a power-dynamic-laden session.
Minoru’s victory is achieved by breaking Chifumi’s water sphere from within, signifying a massive gap in their power.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Chifumi – Minoru’s childhood friend is a beautiful, 15-year-old high school student with a J-cup bust, long side-tailed hair, and a scrawny build. Bubbly yet sharply-tongued, she acts as his loyal, teasing confidante, negotiator, and contracted water-sorcery witch servant after a mana transfer. Despite her naive appearance, she possesses deceptive combat strength and helps scout for his dungeon group.
• Naruse – A grumpy, wide-eyed student from the wealthy Naruse merchant guild, this fiercely independent youngest of five daughters refuses to work under anyone. While interacting with Kibe between classes, she actively scouts other class members. Rumored to be a scouting target herself, she has also become the target of Minoru’s upcoming duel challenge.
• Minoru – A high school student and athletic sorcery user who reincarnated with memories of a 21st-century Japanese college past into a world with reversed beauty standards. Confident and predatory, he targets slender, beautiful girls, hides his lecherous side, and asserts dominance over a childhood friend and a classmate via Mastery contracts. He is a talented squad leader building a dungeon team.
• Takino – The family name shared by Chifumi and her parents, residing in the residential district.
• Tamai – A homeroom teacher at the school who oversees the training arena and duel procedures.
• Tatemiya – A local family lineage that produces sorcerers and wields significant power.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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