Your Name Is... (1)
…Has the rumor already spread?
Just like the saying that a word without feet travels a thousand miles, it had only been a day since the incident, yet it seemed no one was unaware of it.
Faces tinged with budding anxiety over enemies who might not even show, students huddling in groups because wandering alone felt too scary—they were everywhere.
Knight and magic department students had always carried their weapons, but now even alchemy and theology kids were packing self-defense gear.
Pathetic…
If only they'd learned Battōjutsu, they wouldn't be quaking like this. Why were they pulling such foolish stunts instead of mastering it…?
A lot had changed in just one day, but one thing hadn't.
“Ian!!”
Well, saying it hadn't changed might not be entirely accurate. She looked even more excited than yesterday.
While everyone else drowned in unease, Hori alone kept her smile, charging toward me with a booming voice.
“What a truly fine morning!!”
“Fine? …Well, it's a fine morning for me, sure.”
Finally, worthy opponents had appeared—ones I could clash my desperately honed Battōjutsu against.
Just thinking about when they'd come next had my heart pounding like a kid's before their birthday; I couldn't hide it.
“You probably heard, but stay sharp for a while. If they know you're with me, you might get targeted too.”
“Heehee…! Don't worry about that! I've prepared in all sorts of ways, just in case!”
She flung open her uniform jacket as she spoke, revealing vials of glowing potions strapped securely inside.
“But… are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, took a few hits, but treatment fixed me right up. No issues.”
“I can see that! But the potion I gave you…”
“Oh, that…”
When I admitted I'd gotten so caught up in the fight that I forgot to drink it, Hori stomped around in a huff.
“Why don't you ever use it in the crucial moments?! What's the point of me making it!!”
“What can I do if it slips my mind…? I'll use it next time, so don't get so mad.”
After soothing her tantrum and sending her off, I turned back toward the S-Class building.
Entering the knight department classroom, Rain hadn't arrived yet, but Jessica was already there, seated primly and waiting for class despite the empty room.
I crept up silently, footsteps muffled, approaching her perfect posture.
And before she noticed, I grabbed a fistful of her luscious roll-bread hair.
“Kyaa!!”
Caught off guard by the sudden grip from behind, Jessica leaped up, whirling with sharp eyes.
“H-How dare you…!!”
“Morning, Jessica!”
Her face softened for a split second upon seeing me, then hardened as she swung a slap at my cheek.
Of course, that sluggish swing never landed; her hand sliced empty air.
“Ugh…! Why dodge?! You could take a hit like this, you know!”
“A Battōjutsu master gives full effort even against a roll-bread hair lady. More importantly, why hit me?! You let me touch yesterday!”
“D-Don't bring up yesterday!! That was… y-you saved my life, so I got swept up in the mood without thinking…!!”
“Mood?! So Jessica's the type to let anyone touch her hair if the mood strikes? Even as a roll-bread hair lady?!”
“Sh-Shut up!! Anyway, I can't let you touch so casually like yesterday!! And if you go blabbing about it, I won't forgive you—got it!!”
She spat it out like machine-gun fire, then whipped her head away like she couldn't stand the sight of me.
“Hah…”
I sighed at her display, at a loss for words.
No, yesterday's vibe was totally “feel free anytime,” so why this today?
Pushing aside a puzzle that wouldn't resolve no matter how long I pondered, I found a seat and plopped down.
Soon enough, Rain entered and sat, followed by Marina sweeping into the class.
“……Hmm.”
Standing at the podium, she scanned the room, nodding as if she understood everything.
“I get how you're all feeling. After yesterday, it's natural to be on edge. But you can't stay slumped like this forever.”
“……Heh.”
Jessica and I weren't quiet for that reason, so I nearly snorted.
“Don't worry about academy security. We've doubled the guards, and the barriers are being upgraded as we speak. Just focus on your studies like always.”
Upgrading barriers might not guarantee much, but it beat doing nothing.
“Then, let's begin class as usual.”
Her words emphasized normalcy amid the crisis, and class started.
As always, the boring hours dragged on and ended, but unlike usual, I skipped etiquette lessons.
With killers after me, they were probably letting me train Battōjutsu instead of wasting time.
“A bit early today, but shall we?”
“……Is it okay to oversee my training right now?”
“Solo practice won't boost your skills much anyway, so no big deal.”
Not lip service—even skipping her oversight to drill draws wouldn't yield dramatic gains.
Solo technique honing had inherent limits, unlike sparring rivals.
“Don't worry about it—come at me.”
“Alright… then…”
She muttered a tiny “thanks” and charged, hammer raised.
Something felt off between her words and actions, but probably just my imagination.
…She's improved a ton.
A month ago, she'd bull-rushed on raw physique alone; now she feinted gaps to lure complacency.
Hammer swings hadn't grown much, but the close-quarters I'd taught diversified her attacks—solid progress.
“Hmph!!”
I parried her strike, sending her hammer flying far off, then addressed her frustrated glare.
“Way better than before. But your core hammer handling hasn't advanced much.”
“Hah…! Can't help it! You locked my teacher away in his room!”
They say old folks get opposite-sex hormones; maybe that's why Peter—girl-struck or whatever—still holed up after a month.
“I'll handle that somehow, so don't sweat it.”
“Handle how…? Gonna apologize to Sir Peter?”
“Not planning that, but even if I did, it'd worsen things, not fix 'em.”
Apologizing for winning when he's shut in from losing?
Couldn't happen to a Battōjutsu master like me, but if it did, I'd seppuku on the spot.
“So what will you do?”
“Barge in, toss him out the window, a few draws and…”
“Stop! Just stop. I was stupid to expect anything from you.”
Clutching her head like it ached, Jessica shuffled over and reclaimed her dropped hammer.
“Then…! Here I go again!!”
“Yeah, come on.”
Her energetic reply got a half-hearted echo from me.
She charged fiercely at first, holding her own briefly, but stamina waned; soon she knelt, panting hard.
“Hah… hah…”
“Stamina's built up decently. You dropped faster, but this is solid improvement.”
I offered a hand; she dropped the hammer and took it.
“Ah, sweaty palms…”
“Eek…!!”
My offhand comment on the damp feel made her yank away in shock.
“Ow!!”
Mid-pull-up, the jerk sent her tumbling backward onto her butt.
“Jessica, what gives? Why pull away…?”
“You're the one saying weird stuff!! And it's not like I'm sweaty—it's just intense exercise!”
“Who said otherwise? Everyone sweats during workouts, right?”
I glanced at Rain, but she'd finished training and bolted from the grounds.
“Guess Rain's the sweaty type too.”
“I said I'm not!!”
After that, Jessica rambled excuses till exhausted, then trudged off with dragging steps.
Once the grounds emptied, finally alone, I pondered what lay ahead.
Solo Battōjutsu drills hit a wall for gains, so maybe handle some postponed stuff first?
The long-delayed task of teaching aura to Silence—it was finally time.