Chapter 2
Water Escape is the weakest of all ninjutsu, as proven by some clueless martial artist frog. "No way, Water Escape is the hardest! Can you use Water Escape in a place with no water?" "Atta, quit yer bullshit! Metal Escape is the hardest! So, can ya use Metal Escape in a place with no metal?!" "Where's there no metal? Ninjas have shuriken, kunai! What else would those be if not hunks of metal!" "……."
The first day I opened my eyes in this world—that is, the day I endured the Trial of Fire—a good deal of time had passed. I couldn't say exactly how many days, but it had to be several months at least. Besides the Trial of Fire, I'd gone through a few more trials. In the order I experienced them: earth, metal, water, and wood.
Of the kids who survived so far, there were about a hundred left. I figured each trial would cull us as brutally as the Trial of Fire... but considering what we'd been through, it was actually a miracle so many were still alive.
In the Trial of Earth, they shoved us all into tunnels and collapsed the ceilings, burying us alive... Only the kids who awakened Earth Escape could claw their way back to the surface.
The Trial of Metal was the most horrific. They forced us into a pond of mercury. Of all the trials after Fire, this one claimed the most lives. Kids who couldn't awaken Metal Escape slowly withered away, unable to expel the mercury from their bodies.
The Trial of Water... they chained our ankles so we couldn't float and dumped us into a massive lake. But maybe because we'd already experienced drowning in liquid during previous trials, almost no one died this time.
The Trial of Wood... they made these bizarre, blood-sucking trees called bloodthirst trees take root in our bodies. I thought I was gonna die from the pain.
Having passed all five trials like that, we'd mastered the qi of the five elements and internalized the Five Elements Escapes... Well, our proficiency levels varied, of course.
That difference in proficiency is probably why they were arguing like that. Kid 417, who claimed Water Escape was the hardest, specialized in Metal Escape, transforming weapons... And kid 429, who insisted Metal Escape was hardest, specialized in Water Escape.
Of course, for everyone here, the ninjutsu they could use best was basically Fire Escape. It was the first element we learned, and above all, it meshed perfectly with our fox beastkin racial affinity.
So that's why we set Fire Escape aside when debating which of the five elements' ninjutsu was the toughest.
"Atta, Kokuyo, what d'ya think?!" "Whoa, whoa! Resortin' to me just 'cause yer losin' the argument—what's that about?!" "Kokuyo's the best among us, so what she says goes."
The 'Kokuyo' they were talking about was me. My exam number was 594, or 'Number 594'... and apparently, you could read 5-9-4 as 'Kokuyo.' What was this called again? Goroawase? I'd been an otaku in my previous life, so I knew the gist.
By the way, the kid insisting Water Escape was hardest, number 187, was Hibana. And number 429 with the weird dialect on the other side was Shizuku.
The one who'd given us all names was number 727... aka Nazuna. The girl who'd pulled me out of that smoke-filled cave on the first day I opened my eyes. Her hair, the cute fox ears poking up from it, her fluffy tail—everything but her pumpkin-orange eyes was pure white... a total eye-candy beauty. Sweet-natured too, impossible to hate.
She said calling each other by numbers was too cold, so she'd named everyone. ...Though right now, she was using my lap as a pillow, fast asleep.
Agh, my legs are numb. Anyway, Metal Escape vs. Water Escape, huh... By my old world's common sense, Wood Escape should've been the hardest. In that one manga from my past life, it required mixing Water and Earth Escape plus special cells—a total cheat skill... But things were different here. Wood Escape was just one of the basic elements, usable by anyone. Instead, there were no Lightning Escape or Wind Escape like in the manga. No Chidori or Windmill Shuriken, damn it...
Anyway, from my perspective—having endured torture by fire, earth, metal, water, and wood to master the Five Elements Escapes—which of those two was easier? Easy.
"Water Escape's easier, right?" "See? This fool." "I-I can't accept that...! Explain it so it makes sense, or it's all invalid!" "Well, your premise is wrong from the start—you can use Water Escape without any water around."
"So Kokuyo, you can use Water Escape in a place with no water?!"
Of course I can, duh.
I turned to Hibana, who was huffing indignantly, and dramatically unleashed Water Escape on the palm of my hand.
Water Shuriken
A blob of water shaped like a shuriken floated lightly above my palm.
"H-How...!" "Water Escape like that, with no water around...!" The other kids watching started murmuring.
Water Escape like that, with no water around... Sounded familiar. Almost popped my belly button laughing. You guys doin' comedy now?
"Atta, listen up, ya worthless brats... This Shizuku senior's gonna explain the principle behind that Water Escape Kokuyo just showed ya."
"The human body is 70% water..."
"Which means, pull the water outta yer own bodies, and ya can complete Water Escape even without any around?"
.........
What kinda bullshit is that, you lunatic...? Spreading dangerous nonsense to kill people.
For the record, the mechanism I used was condensing the water vapor floating in the air back into liquid form... No need to follow her batshit idea of extracting bodily fluids. Do that and you'd kill yourself, idiot...
And sure enough, the watching kids were nodding like, "Oh, makes sense."
This is why cults kill people with their pseudoscience. Whatever. To me, Water Escape was a piece of cake... but did that make it superior to the other Escapes? Not really.
"But hey, why not call it a tie?" "What're ya sayin', Kokuyo? Ain'tcha my ally?!" "Nah... but Water Escape's weak."
"Wh-What'd you say...!"
I tossed the Ninjutsu: Water Shuriken hovering above my palm lightly toward number 727—or rather, Nazuna, still snoozing on my lap.
The shuriken shape immediately went splat, turning into water droplets and vanishing.
"Eep?!" "Wake up, dummy..." "Uuu, waaah... Kokuyo bullied meee." "See? Shizuku, no lethality. No lethality." "Atta...... Shut it? Water Escape's a utility move to begin with."
Utility move? Lame excuse. That's why frog ninja trash lost to that lizard in the finals and became a martial artist dropout, right? Sigh... the shame of ninjas, that martial artist ninja...
Anyway... having overcome the five trials of the elements, we had just one last trial ahead.
I had no idea what the final trial entailed exactly. The exam proctor woman hadn't told us a thing. Not even when it would start.
'Only one survivor... is that how it is?'
The proctor had definitely said that on the first day I opened my eyes. And if that was true...
Then none of us here could survive. Except one.
It's terrifying. Scary to think I might die, but the idea of these other kids meeting their ends... that scared me more than anything.
When I first woke up, they were total strangers in some inexplicable otherworld. But over the past few months, we'd overcome mortal peril together. We'd bonded. To the point where I valued their lives, hoped they wouldn't die...
"You okay? You look kinda pale... I didn't impose on you too long, did I?" "Nazuna..."
A cool hand touched my cheek. The girl who'd been using my lap as a pillow had woken up, seen my frown, and was trying to cheer me up.
I owed Nazuna the most, especially. She'd saved me when my life was in danger, held me trembling in fear of dying tomorrow... even when I saw other kids die and puked my guts out. Somehow, she'd always be there, hugging me while I cried, patting my back.
I wasn't the only one. Everyone owed her big time. She had this big-sister vibe, like the eldest daughter. Though she'd scold us, saying girls should call it 'unnie,' not 'noona.'
That's why... with you, maybe I can share this anxiety.
"Hey... Nazuna, what do you think the final trial will be like? When does it start? And..." "Anxious? Worried it'll kill a ton of us again...?" "......Yeah." "It'll be fine, I'm sure... The water and wood trials didn't kill that many, right? We've mastered all five elements, and we're way stronger now."
"But the proctor said only one ninja emerges from the trials." "......" "I don't wanna die... but I don't wanna be the sole survivor either."
Honest truth. I didn't want to die. And I didn't want to watch anyone else die.
So... so...
"Wanna all run away together? It's not too late. If we plan now, we can definitely—!"
But then... a voice echoed from somewhere.
Just like before every trial began.
"Ninja raw gems, I trust you've accumulated sufficient training by now... The time has come."
"Today, I proclaim the arrival of your final trial to become true ninjas."
......
....
The calm voice impassively announced the day I'd hoped wouldn't come had arrived.
The very moment I said it wasn't too late... was when it was far too late.
Only now, too late, did I realize it.