Chapter 84: Hymn of Courage
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: Hymn of Courage
Systema (Система).
A Russian military martial art. The style practiced by Alexandra Ivanovna Romanova, daughter of Ivan, the God of Destruction, was Kadochnikov Systema.
The Kadochnikov style is characterized by its strong influence from Combat Sambo, another military martial art, and its focus on weapons techniques and countermeasures for various situations, unlike typical combat sports.
In other words, anything in her hands, be it a ballpoint pen or a book, could become a deadly weapon.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Aaargh!"
While twisting one male student's arm, Sasha aimed the gun at his leg and fired three times in quick succession.
Even if they were rubber bullets, the model gun was built to be close to a real firearm, so getting hit was incredibly painful.
As the student collapsed, clutching a thigh that was already turning a deep blue, Sasha coolly searched for her next target.
"Crazy bitch!"
This time, a rather large guy charged at her.
Wary of being shot, he had taken off his jacket and was using it as a shield.
He then rushed blindly toward Sasha.
He looked like a bull in a bullfighting ring, but unfortunately for him, he also shared the bull's inability to see what was in front of him.
Sasha mercilessly fired at his thighs.
"Ugh!"
Hit by rubber bullets in both thighs, the delinquent's posture naturally crumbled from the pain, and Sasha didn't miss the opening.
She used the coat he was holding against him, wrapping it around his neck and arm before getting behind him and pulling down hard with all her weight.
"Ghk! Gkk!"
The large student struggled to break free from the hold, but it was impossible to escape a choke on his own when his muscles couldn't exert their full strength, especially with Sasha's body weight added to the pressure.
Just as he was about to foam at the mouth and pass out from suffocation, Sasha released him.
Then, she finished him off with a kick to the crotch.
"!!"
The student collapsed, letting out a silent scream from the excruciating pain any man would understand. Sasha spat out the gun she had been holding in her mouth and once again took a point-shooting stance.
It was a display of truly overwhelming combat prowess, honed through sparring with Ivan's men, including Boris.
Witnessing this, no one could possibly deny that Sasha was the daughter of Ivan, the God of Destruction.
Karen, who fought alongside her, also showed incredible fighting skills, far beyond what one would expect from an ordinary high school girl, but she still paled in comparison to Sasha.
Having taken down a group of nearly ten delinquents in an instant, Sasha aimed her gun at their leader, whose initial cocky expression had been replaced by one of clear panic.
"Do you want to keep going?"
The blond, pierced delinquent clicked his tongue with a "Tch!" before abandoning his fallen underlings and running away by himself.
"What a pathetic man to the very end."
Sasha muttered to herself, then put the black model gun back into the handbag lying on the ground.
Karen walked over a moment later, pulling the blood-stained knuckles off her hands.
"You're pretty good at fighting."
Sasha swept her messy silver-blue hair over her shoulder and replied.
"Because I'm perfect."
"..."
If anyone else had said that, they would have been accused of having a princess complex, but Sasha was a perfect superhuman, skilled in both arts and combat, so Karen couldn't refute it.
Instead, she pouted and muttered under her breath.
"Annoying bitch."
*
Watching the brawl unfold before her, Rika couldn't help but be impressed all over again.
Unlike her, who had been unable to do anything, Sasha and Karen had fought head-on against a dozen delinquents.
"Are you okay, Class President?"
As Sasha strode over and asked, the Class President, who had been hiding behind Rika, nodded awkwardly.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks for your help, Sasha."
"In Russia, it's only natural for friends to help each other."
After saying that, Sasha looked at Rika, who had been shielding the Class President.
"And you, Rika, you did well too."
Rika was the most surprised to hear that.
"Huh? But I didn't really do anything amazing like you guys..."
But Sasha shook her head.
"You showed me a brilliance that only humans can display. And for that, I am paying my respects."
"A brilliance that only humans can display?"
Sasha nodded and said,
"To know righteousness and morality, to not run away but to stand and fight in a disadvantageous situation to save a friend... that's what you call courage in Japan, isn't it? I was impressed by the courage you showed today."
As she spoke, Sasha poked Rika, who had a bewildered look on her face, in the chest with her finger.
"Hah!"
Letting out a strange sound, Rika blushed and covered her chest with both hands. Sasha chuckled.
"Thank you for saving my friend, the Class President, Rika."
Faced with Sasha's first genuine smile, Rika's expression softened without her realizing it.
"Hehe, you're welcome."
As a warm atmosphere naturally formed between the two, Karen, who had been watching with displeasure, cut in.
"Hey! Why don't I get any praise?"
Sasha glanced at Karen and said,
"You did well too, Red-hair."
"Gyaaaah!"
As Karen threw a genuine tantrum at Sasha's refusal to use her name, the other three couldn't help but burst into laughter.
*
We rejoined the girls about ten minutes later.
We were a little late because we had to get a promise from the delinquent who'd abandoned his crew that he would never mess with our school's students again.
"I'm glad you're safe, Class President."
"Yeah. I would've been in big trouble if Rika and the others hadn't helped me."
The Class President nodded and glanced at Rika and Sasha.
It felt like their level of closeness had suddenly shot up compared to before.
Sakamoto and Yaguchi, who joined us late after getting a call from Satoru, also heard what happened and said they were glad she was okay.
"What should we do? Everyone missed lunch because of me. You must be hungry."
"It's not like we'll die from skipping one meal. We can get through this with fighting spirit."
Satoru said with a friendly smile, and everyone else nodded in agreement.
The Class President hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head deeply once more.
"Thank you all, really."
"Hey, hey, if you keep this up, it'll just make us feel awkward, so let's stop now."
As Rika comforted her, the Class President nodded and straightened up.
I checked the time on my phone.
1:50 PM.
We had to meet up in ten minutes, which was a pretty awkward amount of time to get something to eat.
As I looked around, I happened to spot a convenience store on the first floor of the observatory.
"It feels wrong to eat nothing, so how about we buy something and eat it in the car?"
At my words, everyone's gaze turned to the convenience store.
Grooowl!
At the sound of someone's stomach clock—it was impossible to tell whose—we reached a silent agreement and headed for the store.
Eating delicious food on a trip is great, but maybe who you eat with is what's really important.
*
After touring the marine ecological park, we returned to the campsite and had to immediately move on to the next event without a moment's rest.
A treasure hunt that spanned the entire recreational forest.
It lasted for about an hour, and with the first prize being a brand-new laptop, the second a home game console, and the third a 10,000 yen gift certificate for the school store, everyone searched with fire in their eyes.
But with these kinds of treasure hunts, the unwritten rule is that someone else always wins. Despite searching for an hour, all Group D found were dozens of losing tickets.
After the treasure hunt ended, we struggled to make dinner again. Unlike yesterday, when curry was the popular choice, today's menu was BBQ.
By the time we finished grilling and eating the pork belly, pork shoulder, and sausages we had brought from home, the sky had already grown dark.
The time for the long-awaited campfire had arrived.
The boys who had already found partners scattered to meet them, while the losers who weren't chosen by anyone sat in a corner, swallowing their tears.
Normally, I would have been part of that group, but today was different.
I had suddenly been asked to be a dance partner during dinner.
When I asked if the three of them had resolved their morning argument, it seemed she had gotten them to yield for today.
Fwoosh!
"Ah, it's starting."
Satoru, who had gotten lucky and partnered with a girl from another class, ran off with a happy look on his face, saying, "I'll be back!"
I stood up next and walked toward 'Rika,' who was already waiting for me in front of the tall pile of firewood.
"Have you been waiting long?"
Rika shook her head with a "Nuh-uh."
"I just got here too."
"What about Sasha and Karen?"
"They said they don't really have partners, so they're just going to watch from somewhere else."
What a shame, especially during a rare campfire.
With that thought, I extended my right hand to Rika.
"I've never danced before, is that okay?"
Rika smiled her usual bright smile and nodded.
"It's fine. Folk dancing isn't that hard!"
Her bold declaration made me a little nervous, but I told her I was in her hands.
It's not like I'll die if she steps on my feet a few times. No need to ruin the excited atmosphere.
We danced quietly, facing each other before the flickering shadows of the bonfire.
Satoru told me later that we looked like Beauty and the Beast from a fairy tale.