Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Wrist Sliced Cleanly Off and Flew Away
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15. The wrist sliced cleanly off and flew away.
All the students of Class A had gathered in the gymnasium.
No other students besides us were in sight.
"Well... it would be a problem if Class A mixed with other classes, right?"
"There's a difference in level, after all."
"Class A is better off sticking together..."
Various murmurs like that floated around from nearby.
Everyone seemed to take immense pride in being in Class A.
'They've got reason to.'
Being in Class A carried significant weight.
Only a select few ability users personally approved by the government could enroll in the academy, and from them, the top 21 were chosen.
They were hero candidates officially certified by the nation itself.
It was confidence backed by solid grounds.
Irene Rock turned on a megaphone.
'...Where'd she get that from?'
It had popped out of nowhere.
Was there a place to hide it?
"Ah, ah, testing. Can everyone hear me?"
Only after confirming that all eyes were on her did Irene Rock get to the point.
"For this training session, it's light conditioning and sparring. First, train freely on your own. That's all."
Disappointed groans erupted from the students.
They must have all been hoping for sparring.
'Lucky for me.'
I really didn't want to do it. Sparring.
How was I supposed to spar with this weak body? I'd gone down in one hit to Ja-an.
Even a punch from an extra—who wasn't even the protagonist—would knock me out flat, right?
...Well, I wasn't slow enough anymore to just take hits without reacting.
Anyway, pain was something I hated.
As I sorted through my tangled thoughts, Irene Rock suddenly added something.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot to mention. You're free to use your abilities. This building's sturdy."
My head suddenly started throbbing again.
For someone as feeble in strength, stamina, and durability as me, other people's abilities were a disaster waiting to happen.
If some guy lost control and a single spark flew my way, I'd be rolling on the floor in agony.
'Looks like they've already started forming groups.'
Ja-an always had other students hovering around him, probably because of his face, height, and top entrance rank.
Han Ye-seo had a naturally outgoing personality and good affinity with people, so she'd quickly made some friends.
...I was alone.
I thought the three of us had gotten pretty close.
Was that just my imagination?
I'd hoped one of them would come talk to me first.
I felt down.
At that moment, one of the girls near Ja-an started heading my way.
'...Oh, I recognize her.'
Entrance exam rank 2, one of the main heroines.
The classic heroine type, with golden blonde hair and sky-blue eyes.
The kind you see one of in novels, visual novels, or games—the protagonist's canonical wife.
Her name was...
"Hi."
"...Hi."
"You're Ivy Lane?"
"Yeah."
"I'm Dana. Nice to meet you."
Right. Dana.
Her ability was Severance.
The power to set traps within a 1-meter radius around herself and trigger them.
It had a major drawback of being limited to just one type of trap, but that wasn't an issue.
Because that single trap was ridiculously powerful.
It came with a ton of conditions, but in an environment she controlled, even the protagonist around the end of volume 1 couldn't guarantee victory against her.
She was that strong of a heroine.
So... why was a character like her approaching me?
Dana spoke up.
"You're fast, right?"
"...?"
"I heard from Ja-an. He said you reacted to his punch, even if just for a moment."
"There must be others faster than me..."
"I only trust what I've seen with my own eyes. No one else reacted to Ja-an's punch in the sparring."
She seemed to have misunderstood Ja-an holding back at the end.
It wasn't a reaction; he'd just slowed down at the last second.
'Or maybe she knows and is approaching anyway.'
From the protagonist's perspective, it wasn't shown, but the heroines might have had a catfight behind the scenes.
Maybe I should put some distance between me and Ja-an right now, for my own safety?
'Even so, getting hit by a girl would sting a bit...'
My pride as a guy wouldn't allow it? Nah, that felt lame.
Dana stared at me silently for a good while.
Feeling a bit weird, I spoke first.
"...What's this about?"
"He said you play hard to get until you warm up to people, and it's true."
"Who said that?"
"Ja-an himself."
"......"
I had nothing to say.
I glanced up.
Only then did her full figure come into view.
Her build felt oddly familiar.
'Feels like I've seen someone with a similar physique somewhere...'
I couldn't place it.
No clue.
Dana spoke again.
"Oh, you asked what this is about? I need a sparring partner."
"Pass."
"Huh? Why?"
"I tire out quick. Got a lot on my mind too."
"...Hmm, weak to wars of attrition?"
"Not exactly, but..."
She smacked her lips in disappointment.
Her blue eyes felt intensely burdensome.
"Want me to explain my ability?"
"No."
"Why reject this one?"
"No need to hear about someone else's ability. And I doubt you'd explain it without reason anyway."
The biggest reason was I already knew, but still.
"Tch... boring."
"Sorry."
"My ability's strong with prep, weak without. If we just go at it raw, you could win."
"Still no. It's not about losing."
Losing was the issue.
Even without prep, I'd lose.
Her ability set traps that cleanly severed anything passing through the installed spot.
There was only one way to detect if a trap existed: intuiting the tiniest difference.
Setting traps had a delay, so she couldn't spam them endlessly.
The problem was my current level couldn't break even one of her traps.
Dana stared at me blankly.
It reminded me a bit of the past, and I flinched.
The girls who used to bully me all had that exact look.
If I was slow to answer, ignored them, or didn't obey, glass shards or fists would come flying.
Her blonde hair already gave a delinquent vibe, and with that hardened expression, she looked even scarier.
To think this was a main heroine. How had I ever conquered a girl like her?
Finally, she spoke.
"Wanna be friends? You and me."
"...Huh?"
"Truth is, I don't have any friends either. Everyone here's a stranger; how am I supposed to get close quick?"
I could kinda relate.
In the original story, Dana was famous for doing absolutely nothing until the protagonist approached her first.
Friends... sounded good.
"Sure."
"Handshake?"
She extended her hand.
I took it without suspicion and stood up.
"Still no interest in sparring with me?"
"Nope. Wanna take it easy today."
"Bummer..."
"......"
"Anyone else? Know someone who could match me? I need practice."
Why ask me...?
If I had to think, one person came to mind who matched well.
'Probably Han Ye-seo.'
She's almost immune to Severance.
No risk of injury in a fight; might work.
"Know one person."
I pointed toward where Han Ye-seo was.
Dana observed her with keen interest.
"What ability?"
"Probably a counter."
"Entrance rank 3, right? Her."
"Yeah."
It felt like passing a hot potato, and I felt a bit sorry for Han Ye-seo, but oh well.
I had to survive too.
I'd saved her life once before; now it was her turn to save me!
Dana grabbed my wrist and strode toward Han Ye-seo.
Han Ye-seo looked at us approaching and greeted first.
"Hi!"
"Hi."
"New friend? What's your name?"
"Dana. Decided to be friends with Ivy starting today."
"Hmph... I see?"
A slightly cold expression.
One I'd never seen before.
Han Ye-seo quickly scanned Dana from head to toe.
"So, what?"
"Wanna spar."
"Aha, really? The academy runner-up wants to spar with me..."
Catfight?
This felt like a catfight.
I glanced around cautiously, shook off her grip on my wrist, and took a step back.
Something told me getting involved would be a hassle.
Thud.
I bumped into someone behind me.
Irene Rock, who had been far off moments ago, was now right behind me.
"Sorry..."
"No, it's fine. I was in a hurry."
Irene Rock took in the situation briefly, then tossed out a comment.
"Looks like a spar, huh? Right?"
"Yes."
Dana answered.
"Good. I'll referee and handle safety. Cool?"
Han Ye-seo and Dana locked eyes.
An invisible battle of wills hung in the air.
They nodded simultaneously.
"That's a yes. Now... everyone, step back a bit."
The extras chatting with Han Ye-seo quickly created distance.
A proper safety perimeter formed in seconds.
Irene Rock stepped in between them.
"I get we're supposed to train, but starting with a fight? Can't say I get it, but hey, that's youth, right?"
...This woman was enjoying it.
With her lips curled up high, Irene Rock gave the signal.
"Begin."
The instant the signal dropped, Han Ye-seo turned her entire body into black ink and dropped to the floor.
The black ink swiftly approached Dana, then surged upward.
The ink solidified into human form, revealing Han Ye-seo.
The moment Han Ye-seo reached out to touch Dana, a thread shimmered in the air.
Thud.
Han Ye-seo's wrist sliced cleanly off and flew away.
A dull sound rang out.
The cut surface was impossibly smooth.
Déjà vu.
An inexplicable sense of wrongness enveloped me.