If You're Going to Give a Quest, Prepare a Reward
If you're going to hand out a quest, you'd better prepare a reward to go with it.
At the sports festival…?!
It looked like Park Haengsin was planning to put the academy in danger all over again — something in the same vein as the incident that had just gone down.
"Understood. I'll be in touch again with the details."
—Click.
The hunter hung up. The moment his gaze drifted upward, Rua — who had been leaning over the railing and eavesdropping — ducked out of sight in a hurry.
She could have stepped out right then and there, announced that she'd heard everything, and demanded to know who was pulling the strings. But he would only deny it flat-out, of course.
I forgot to record it…!
The regret hit her a beat too late. The call was already over, and Rua had nothing she could throw in his face as proof.
In that case, it's better to leave him alone.
Keep the fact that she was onto him hidden. Let him move however he liked.
Tail Park Haengsin, catch him with decisive evidence, dig up the mastermind behind him, and figure out what this whole affair really was.
For now, that was the best play she had.
"Looks like I'm about to make some more money. Heh."
While Rua held her breath in the shadows, Park Haengsin muttered that to himself and vanished down the stairs.
She had no intention of tailing him on the spot. Things would stay quiet until the sports festival anyway.
Whatever scheme he was cooking up, the sports festival was an event that had existed in the game too — and Rua knew it inside and out. It was home ground for her, plain and simple.
It's fine. Whatever trick he pulls, I can catch it.
—Though she would need to make a few preparations of her own, of course.
The weekend.
Exams were over, and with no students around for makeup drills, the gymnasium stood empty.
—Empty, that is, except for four girls.
"Senior, is your body all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't that bad an injury to begin with."
"That's a relief!"
Sua, Himari, and Juju were there in their training gear — and Rua with them.
The long-awaited first training session.
Rua was wound tight with determination. This was day one of drilling her confirmed party members, and she meant to take this lineup all the way through the final battle. Getting the first button fastened right mattered.
—And this was also training for the sports festival two weeks out.
With no way of knowing what Park Haengsin might try, she wanted her party strong enough that they wouldn't freeze if danger found them — that they could handle whatever came.
There are team events, too.
"Teach! So what do we start with?"
—Clang!
Juju knocked her gauntlets together as she asked, brimming with energy.
"I'm going to set a goal for each of you."
Rua ran back through the training plan she'd mapped out the night before, then tossed a question at Juju.
"Juju, what do you think your weakness is?"
"My… weakness, you mean?"
Juju tilted her head, then answered.
"Uh, I'm a picky eater. Don't hate on vegetables."
"No, not that… more like a habit you have in combat."
"That I really don't know!"
Juju answered with a sunny smile. You can't spit on a smiling face, as they say — Rua let out a tiny sigh under her breath, soft enough that no one would hear.
"It's a trap attack-type tanks fall into easily. And you're no exception."
"……?"
"Simply put — you can only hold aggro on one target at a time."
"Aha!"
Juju smacked a fist into her palm.
"You're right! Once I start swinging, I end up wailing on just one of them without even noticing."
In the last gate, there had been two students on tank duty, so the flaw hadn't stood out much. Going forward, though, the four of them would be facing packs of monsters more often than not. If Juju couldn't tank two or more at once, the burden would spill onto everyone else.
"Yeah. Against two or three monsters you can keep doing what you've been doing — but you need to practice handling more than that."
"Got it."
Rua led Juju over to one side of the gym. Waiting there was something built to look like a big four-legged animal. Once activated, it would tear around at high speed — a target meant for practicing the accuracy of long-range attack skills.
"Normally it runs away when you hit it, but I've changed the settings so that when you attack, it chases the person who hit it for five seconds."
"For aggro practice… then?"
"Exactly. I'm going to switch on all five at once."
—Vrrrm…
Targets nearly the size of full-grown bulls roared to life in unison, engines growling. That alone was plenty intimidating.
"Juju, your goal is to keep every last one of these things on you for ten minutes."
"So… I've gotta hit all five of them once every five seconds, for ten whole minutes?"
"And dodge while you're at it."
Rua patted the blunt protrusion on one target's head as she spoke.
"They may look like this, but getting rammed by one is going to hurt."
Juju swallowed hard and looked the targets over. Then, out of nowhere, she turned her head toward Rua.
"If I pull this off… what happens?"
"You'll become an excellent tank?"
"N-not that… is there, like, a reward or something?"
"A reward?"
Rua tilted her head.
Isn't the sense of accomplishment the reward?
Even while drafting the training menu last night, she hadn't given rewards a single thought. Back when she'd been grinding control practice in Hunter Hunting Academy, her mindset had always been — why do you need a reason to play a game? You just play.
But these three are practicing because I asked them to.
In that case, offering a proper reward for the assignment was only fair.
"Well, is there something you want?"
Rua tried to picture what Juju might like. The most expensive deluxe corn-cheese hot dog at the school store, maybe? Training sandbags or workout gear?
"Uh… I, um…"
Juju snuck a glance toward Himari and Sua, then edged in close to Rua and whispered against her ear.
"The sports festival's coming up pretty soon, right?"
"It is."
"There'll be all kinds of stalls and event tents… would you maybe… go around them with me?"
"Huh?"
It was the last thing she'd expected — but judging by Juju's tone, it wasn't a joke.
"Sure! That's easy enough."
Rua nodded without a second thought. If that was all it took, she could do it a hundred times over. She'd need to cover the grounds anyway if she wanted to stop Park Haengsin.
"Th-thank you! I'll give it everything I've got!"
Rua caught the uneasy questions rising on Himari's and Sua's faces.
Worried the training will be too hard?
"It's fine — this is training you can definitely handle!"
"…Yes, understood."
"Who said anything…"
A lukewarm response.
Either way, Rua decided she would offer rewards for the other two's assignments as well.
"Next — Himari!"
"Yes, Teacher."
Rua took Himari to the opposite side of the gym. A single sandbag stood ready, prepared in advance.
"You'll be training Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu here."
"I see."
"There's a condition, though."
—Thud!
Rua set something broad and flat on the floor. It was a small cart with wheels under a level platform — the kind used for moving heavy loads.
"You have to draw your blade from on top of this."
"Excuse me?!"
Himari startled. She climbed onto the cart to test it, and immediately couldn't keep her balance, rocking hard from side to side.
"T-Teacher, battoujutsu depends on lower-body strength. Drawing a blade in a place like this is—!"
"No. I'm not changing it."
Rua stepped onto the cart in Himari's place. Maybe because she was lighter, it swayed a little less.
"Your battoujutsu is powerful, but it has a weakness — you have to charge it while standing still. This training is meant to overcome that. Pull this off, and you'll be able to prepare a draw while dodging enemy attacks."
"Th-that may be true, but…"
"You remember what happened in the gate, don't you?"
"……."
Himari bit her lip. The painful memory of failing to cut down even a single monster before reaching the boss room must have surfaced.
"Understood. I will do it, Teacher."
"You've got this, Himari! If you pull it off, is there a reward you'd like?"
"Um… is anything at all… possible?"
Himari asked hesitantly.
"Anything too expensive might be tough."
"It is not something money can buy."
"Then what is it?"
Just as Juju had done earlier, Himari leaned in and whispered softly against Rua's ear.
"At the sports festival… I want to be at your side, Teacher."
"…Huh?"
Wasn't that almost exactly what Juju had said? Had these kids coordinated this somehow?
"Of course, as your 'Moon' it is only natural — but if I had your permission, I think it would be even better."
"Well, I can do that much, but… Juju asked for the same thing."
"That…!"
Himari looked stricken.
"Then the three of us can go around together — me, you, and Juju. Right?"
"……."
Something about that clearly didn't sit well with her. Himari's face fell, and she pushed her lower lip out in a tiny pout. For someone who almost never showed emotion, the look was surprisingly cute.
"You'd rather it just be the two of us, huh?"
The second Rua casually changed her tune, Himari's expression brightened on the spot.
"Yes! That's right!"
Easy to read.
"Then I'll begin!"
Himari climbed onto the cart, full of drive.
Rua headed over to Sua, last in line.
"Sorry — kept you waiting, didn't I?"
"Unnie, what did you tell those two to get them working that hard?"
"I-it's a secret."
Ignoring the way Sua narrowed her eyes, Rua led her little sister over near the gym wall.
"The assignment I've got for you isn't anything major."
"Hm?"
"Here — take this."
From a bag she'd left off to the side, Rua pulled out something large and soft and pressed it into Sua's hands.
It was a teddy bear.