Toriaezu Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu:Volume 4 Germer, the last lesson

Status: Incomplete

50% completed

If we're talking about combat while utilizing magic, then there are always things that can't be made up for by hard work alone, Germer Kleisrole thought.

So she couldn't help but mutter,

".......I've always thought this, but God really is unfair."

And right after that,

"Well, if there even is a God."

She continued in a small voice.

Then she looked at the scene of battle in front of her eyes, and narrowed her sharp eyes even further.

Her eyes were truly sharp. Blue hair that extended towards her shoulders and a tight, slim body covered by military clothing.

A beauty...she's definitely one of those people fit to be called that.

However, nobody ever calls her that.

Her gaze was too sharp to belong to a young woman of around 20 years of age.

An overbearing presence and killer intent only possessed by those who have survived numerous bloody battles.

And a slight amount of regret as well...

With those eyes, she looked at her students who were currently engaged in a mock battle with each other.

Called geniuses – or perhaps monsters – these young children who looked to be around six were gathered here.

She had three students.

Ryner Lute.

Peria Peruula.

Pia Varliere.

And the only girl, Pia, was exceedingly strong, even amongst them.

Pia said,

"Ehehe~ Now, now, Ryner and Peria, you're both guys, yet you can't even catch me when you team up? Geez, you guys are pathetic. Well, it's not like a genius like me will ever be caught by dimwits like you!"

Genius.

Yes, the word itself almost seemed to be made for her.

Well-proportioned features and rare, light blue hair. The color of her hair signifies her ability.

As someone with congenital magic anomaly, she has an abnormally large amount of magic.

It's been said that people who exhibit this kind of symptom lose their cooperativeness with others...but Germer didn't think so. Because they held too much power while young, they tend to get cocky.

The current Pia has followed Germer's instructions and attained an unbelievable amount of strength in this past year.

But still,

"She's got a bad mouth, as usual..."

Germer laughed bitterly.

Still, Pia was a genius.

However, the true blossoming of her talents only occurred when she learned to fight without relying on her incredible magic strength.

Even while possessing an amount of magic that far surpasses others, Pia was not a genius at magic, but purely a genius at combat.

Even though she's only six year old, she can instantly come up with detailed tactics to overcome any situation and attain victory.

Pia's movements were already approaching what could be called a field of art.

Right now, she was smiling mischievously.

"There!"

Along with her shout, she instantly brought her foot towards the right.

The one who reacted to that was the young boy at her right with lazy black eyes, messy black hair and strangely lacking in vigor despite being a child...Ryner Lute.

"Woah, you're coming here!?"

He prepared himself, but it was a feint.

Taking advantage of that, another boy behind him – with gold hair that stretched towards his shoulders, closed eyes, and a wise face that seemed unlike a child in a different manner than Ryner – Peria Peruula closed in...

Pia said to Peria,

"Is what you think, but I'm aiming here~♪"

With a bright voice, she aimed a kick behind her without any preparation whatsoever...

(Woah...even I can't dodge that...)

Gemer laughed bitterly to herself.

What else is there to do when a six year old managed to move so perfectly?

Really, that child is...

However, Peria said,

"How naive! I've expected this!"

And dodged the kick by merely turning sideways.

"Wha..."

Germer couldn't help but widen her eyes.

Even Peria's movements exceeded her expectations.

Peria smiled,

"Too bad. I can see everything. Because I'm always getting deceived by you, Pia...I've decided to not look on the surface. If I feel the creaks that your muscles make, then I can tell whether your movement is a feint or not."

He said.

Fight while reading the enemy's moves without being blinded by the surface.

That's the basics of combat. However, Peria wasn't talking about that just now.

When he closes his eyes to fight, he can literally feel the creaks that Pia's muscles make below her skin.

Zenkekkai.

That's what Peria's ability is called.

At the price of losing his sight and hearing, the Roland army forcibly engraved the tattoo of a magic formation which creates kekkais....and because of that, he's able to feel things over an impossibly wide area as if he's holding them in his hands...

With that ability, he can even feel the minute muscle movements of his enemies,

"This time, it's truly my win, Pia! This ends her..."

Peria attempted to hit her with his fist, but,

"That's why I hate common people. How can I lose to a lewd boy who attempts to look inside my body. Even those creaks of my muscles..."

Pia smiled confidently while easily catching his fist.

Peria was shocked,

"Wha...the sound of her muscles stopped..."

"When maidens move their bodies, they don't make any sound."

"S-so, just now.."

"Of course, it was a feint!"

Like that, Pia lifted Peria from his feet,

"So this time, I'm winning all by myself as well!"

And threw him.

Towards Ryner, who had only been scuttling around in confusion at their unbelievable movements.

Ryner could only say,

"W-woah woah, w-wait a bit wait...."

But Pia didn't go easy on him.

Right after throwing Peria, she immediately moved her hands and began drawing a magic formation in the air,

"WHAT I SEEK IS...."

Peria exclaimed,

"Y-you must be kidding!? P-pia! The match's over! If you cast magic in this situation...R-ryner, do something about this!!"

"Eh? M-me? That's impossible! She started her incantation first....ah dammit!"

And Ryner began waving his hands as well.

But it's impossible.

Gemer thought.

He wouldn't make it. Even the most proficient of magicians wouldn't be able to stop Pia's magic at this point in time.

This is it. As the teacher, she only had to give the sign that the match is over.

But...

"...."

Germer didn't stop it.

And Pia looked at her while moving her fingers.

You're not stopping? Is it really alright for me to cast like this?

She looked at her with questioning eyes.

If she did...if Pia casted the magic, Ryner and Peria will die. She has congenital magic anomaly. In exchange for the ability to cast magic several times more powerful, she cannot adjust its power.

The two children will become ash in a split second.

But...

Pia began,

"WHAT I SEEK IS THUNDER...."

But another voice interrupted,

"WHAT I SEEK IS THUNDER >> IZUCHI"

Ryner shouted.

Somehow, Ryner completed his magic formation faster.

"No way!?"

Pia shouted in surprise,

"For crying out loud!"

She stopped constructing her magic formation and retreated.

In an instant.

Light gathered in the middle of Ryner's magic formation, and lightning closed upon Pia...

But Pia already retreated and was dashing towards Ryner in a straight line. She grabbed Ryner by his hair and aimed towards Peria, who was flying towards them.

"Woah woah woah! T-time out! I lost!!"

"M-me too! I'll surrender..."

But at that moment.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

The two of them screamed.

"That's enough~!"

Germer said.

But even though Pia won, she looked angry.

"Hey, Ryner! What's with that just now? No matter how much of a magic otaku you are and how fast you can construct magic formations, that shouldn't be possible, right? Obviously, my magic should've been completed first. But why did you complete your magic first? What kind of cowardly tricks did you have up your sleeve?"

Ryner scowled, crushed beneath Peria.

"....m-magic otaku...?"

"Now, tell me! If not..."

Pia said and began drawing a magic formation again,

"I'll kill..."

"W-wait a bit! I-I'll tell you!!"

Ryner stood up with a fearful expression, but looked slightly happy for some reason.

"Well, alright. I'll tell you the theory of what I did just now..."

The moment he tried explaining to Pia and Peria!

"See! You ARE a magic otaku! You just can't wait to tell others about this new trick you've learnt, right? Why are you looking so happy? Such a kid!"

Pia interrupted.

"Wha...you told me to explain, Pia..."

"Ah, and because you're so ashamed that someone pointed out how arrogant you've been, you try to push it onto me? That's why I'm calling you an otaku, Ryner."

"....uh...you called me an otaku again...r-really? Am I really an otaku?"

Ryner lost all vigor and looked towards Peria for help. Peria said with a troubled expression,

"W-well, Pia, you don't have to bully Ryner that much..."

But right then,

"Just because you got rid of that kiddy haircut now that your hair's grown longer doesn't give you the right to act all adult towards me."

"Eh...uh...I let it grow because you said my kiddy haircut's disgusting..."

Peria hung his head.

Ryner patted his shoulders and said,

"D-don't mind it. It's alright. Your current hairstyle is pretty cool, right? S-so, let's just hang in there. Pia seems to be in a really bad mood today..."

Listening on their conversation, Germer muttered,

"Well, it's not like I can't understand why Pia would be mad..."

The IZUCHI that Ryner casted at the end.

That was the cause of Pia's bad mood.

That magic was too abnormal...

Geez. While she was teaching these kids, she's been seeing those things every day. That's why she thought that God was unfair.

You need to train before you can master combat while utilizing magic.

And the ones who trained the most become strong.

Taking the magic IZUCHI as an example...you train yourself and see how fast you can draw the magic formation, and how fast you can actually activate the magic.

You pile up training after training in order to smoothly use the spell in any kind of situation.

The strength of magic soldiers is determined by how much training they repeated.

But...

The boy Ryner, all while looking sleepy, had proceeded to the next step.

He completely understood the characteristics and system of the magic IZUCHI, the product of huge amounts of research that the magic scholars of Roland did....

Taking it a step further, he altered it.

According to the situation, he'd omit the magic formation, or change its contents.

The IZUCHI he used just now had omitted many necessary parts of the magic formation for the sake of speed.

That shouldn't be possible.

Normally, when a new magic has been developed, someone new to magic would need at least two years before they can use it....and even the proficient ones who already know magic...

Yes, even the likes of Germer need two months before they can use it. No, maybe they needsix months before they can actually put it into practice on the battlefield.

To change the construction of the magic...in other words, if the magic formation has been altered, they need another two months before they can use it again.

But Ryner can use it.

He has special eyes called Alpha Stigma...just by looking, he can see the construction of all kinds of magic and be able to use them...but it's not because of that, Germer thinks.

His ability doesn't just stop at 'seeing and being able to use'.

He took it a step further and altered the magical system.

His understanding and sense of magic was truly that of a genius'.

That's his true power.

Even Alpha Stigma is nothing but an add-on to such a power.

That's not something that hard work can make up for.

He doesn't become strong through experiences and training alone, but gains strength every time his knowledge expands.

Throughout this year, Germer had realized.

How much her own ability pales before them.

If it's one on one, she still has the edge.

But, they'll surpass her soon enough.

Mere six year olds....

Geniuses.

No...

"....."

Germer narrowed her eyes.

Other people wouldn't call them that.

People with abilities that were simply too abnormal were called thus.

Monsters.

And she knew how monsters ended up.

No, she knew another person who was called a monster.

She remembered that monster's face,

"......tch."

And scowled.

"Geez, I sure recalled someone disgusting..."

And...

Germer's thoughts were interrupted.

Pia was facing her with anger plastered on her innocent face,

"Hey, Germer! What's the meaning of this!? Ryner is cheating by omitting his magic formation! We haven't learned that yet, aren't you playing favorites?!"

Ryner said,

"No, I told you, this is my own.."

"Don't lie! There's no way you can do something high-leveled like that!"

"W-well Pia, you don't have to put it that way..."

"Shut up, you pseudo boy!"

"Eh, pseudo boy..."

Germer observed the energetic figures of her students for a while, and...

Her face relaxed.

And,

"Hmm. Today's training match wasn't bad. All three of you made progress in this year. As a special reward, I'll let all of you off the hook tomorrow. Prepare for your next training and rest up."

She said, and turned on her heels.

Pia's voice came behind her,

"Hey, Germer! That's not an answer...."

Germer held up a hand.

"Ryner was right. He altered the magic by himself. He managed to do that because he's a genius."

"How could...."

However, she interrupted,

"But Pia. You're even more of a genius, so I don't want to hear any complaints from you. You won in the end, didn't you?

Pia stopped talking all of a sudden, and then raised her voice happily,

"W-well yeah. Germer does understand, as I expected. See? You guys probably got it by now, but it's exactly as she said."

Peria let out a sigh of relief,

"We do. We can never hope to match Pia. Right, Ryner?"

Ryner answered somewhat happily,

"Yeah, we can't never catch up to Pia.

He said.

Germer smiled at the three's conversation.

After living with them for a year, Germer is already used to dealing with them.

Pia has a huge ego, so she'll calm down when she receives praise. Peria was all too willing to accommodate since he doesn't like conflicts, and Ryner, who always hated his own special abilities, found relief in Pia being higher-leveled than he is.

With all their different personalities, they take on separate roles.

It was almost like a family. The three of them really seemed like siblings.

She thought that they did well in this past year.

But...

Germer turned around once.

Behind her, the three of them were quarrelling and laughing together as they always did.

Germer narrowed her eyes and tried to speak up...

But in the end, she shook her head. And,

".......well. There's nothing that won't come to an end one day..."

Pia seemed to have heard her words,

"Oh my, Germer, dumped again~...."

"YES!"

Germer immediately answered angrily.

"For crying out loud, that man! He confessed to ME, and just because I beat him up a little, he started bawling like a little baby and telling me that we'd better separate..."

Peria said,

"B-beat him up? Already? Germer, weren't you all happy about it yesterday? But today, you're already dumped...I mean, this happens all the time, but I'm still pretty shockgyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

For some reason, he screamed before he managed to finish...

Ryner said

"....w-well....erm, I-I don't think so, okay? I-it's like that, you see. Some worthless guy like that isn't fit for a beautiful woman like Germer...a-and guys are like...made to be beaten up by women, so talking about separation'n'stuff just because he got beat up a little is like...totally pathetic...so...d-don't beat me up..."

He finished with a shaking voice.

Germer nodded.

"Hmm. As expected of Ryner, you understand. Now you've moved another step up as a possible candidate for my bride."

Ryner wore an expression of shock,

"N-noway!? N-no no no no, someone like me is nowhere near your level, Germer! Um, I mean, I'm sure a better prince charming is waiting for you, and.."

"Oh my, Ryner, you say such good things. That's right. The men won't leave such a good woman alone. Love that ends today is nothing but a stepping stone towards a new meeting and a new chance at love! Ah, for some reason, I feel a bit pumped up now. So, I'll go hang around the bar tonight. Good kids should go to bed early."

She said, and started walking again.

Pia whispered behind her,

"Hmm, Ryner, you've really gotten better at speaking to her in this past year. You're a woman's worst enemy, you know?"

"N-no way. I had no choice."

"Too bad, my affinity towards you has just gone down in flames. And, Peria, being the worthless man who can't understand a lady's feelings, my affinity towards you goes down in flames too!"

"Eeeh!? Me too!?"

Even while idly listening to their conversation behind her, Germer scowled in sadness.

And she thought.

All kinds of love come to an end.

So do friendships.

Yes.

Everything comes to an end someday.

No matter the era, there'll always be people labeled as geniuses.

Germer Kleisrole is one of them.

She was an orphan, but was bought for her abilities and thrown into military training facilities. And so, she used her talents to their fullest...

She was called a genius.

She had many nicknames.

The Icy Assassin.

The Beautiful Soceress.

The Viciously Drunk Female Panther.

....leaving aside the issue of men having their arms and legs broken after calling her by the last nickname.

She was a genius.

Everyone feared her.

Everyone admired her.

But still.

She wasn't enough of a genius to be called a monster.

So she never actually thought of herself as a genius.

Because there was a real genius-

A man called a monster in her generation.

The man's abilities surpassed common sense.

Magic. Combat. Tactics.

In all of those areas, he surpassed Germer, even though she was called a genius herself.

Of course, Germer desired to surpass that man. To that end, she worked extremely hard.

But she immediately realized that it was impossible.

There was simply too large of a difference between their abilities.

One day, she asked him a question.

How did he manage to use magic in such skillful and ingenious ways?

And the man answered with a troubled face.

"Books on magical theory are written so that you can become stronger by simply reading and following the instructions. So, if I read the theory books, I can use them. Is that all you have to ask?"

She felt a rising intent to murder him.

She read the same theory books, learned the same amount, but still, the number of magic that the man can use is probably a few times more than her...and she had to bite back her shame to ask this question.

Another day, she asked him this.

Why are you combat abilities that good?

And the man looked troubled again, but answered in a placid voice.

"Books on combat theory are written so that you can become stronger by simply reading and following the instructions. So, if I read the theory books, I can become stronger. Is that all you have to ask?"

She really wanted to kill him right there.

She read the same theory books, trained the same amount, and only asked this question because she could never defeat him in practice matches despite all that...

Every time she asked a question, she hated this man even more.

What an irritating guy.

She thought.

What's more, he looked troubled every time she asked him a question. Even though such a beauty like her is swallowing her pride and asking him.

So, on another day, she asked him this.

Why do you always look so troubled and gloomy?

And the man, with his troubled expression, spoke curtly.

"Because it's troublesome."

You're dead.

She thought.

No, that won't do it. Her anger won't abate from something gentle like that. She had to do something about it. She had to kick that cocky bastard into the depths of hell. How? How should she go about it? Her chest hurt with chagrin.

This...

This just leaves me with no choice but to confess my love, doesn't it!?

........for some reason, she reached that conclusion.

So, that's what she said.

W-would you please go out with me?

And that man wore a really troubled expression this time...

"...I'm happy for your feelings, but I'm sorry. I do not have the time for this."

She got dumped.

Immediately.

And she cried.

For the whole night...

The next day, she really came to hate the man.

Thinking back on it, that was the right choice.

Ever since that day, she hadn't talked to the man, and days passed...

And now.

She scowled.

"I met a disgusting guy....again..."

She was using a shortcut from the training grounds to get to the bar on the outskirts of the city.

A large building with black walls stood on the path.

And he was standing before that.

The man who dumped her.

Looking completely different from the time she confessed to him.

He was the same age as her, twenty. No, perhaps he'd already become twenty-one? Well defined features, a stern face and upright posture.

But right now, he held an almost flirtatious smile that stood out in stark contrast on his stern face...

No, it was flirtatious.

It was aimed towards an overweight and middle-aged noble – no, his direct superior and the major responsible for the "Taboo Breaker" Pursue Squad...

Seeing that, Germer scowled even more.

It's not something she wanted to see.

The one person she could never hope to match. She tried so hard to surpass this man...but she still couldn't, so her feelings turned into adoration. Still...

The man looked at her for a split second. He seemed to have realized that Germer was there.

But he immediately turned back to the noble,

"The woman I told you about...we've finished preparations. I can prepare her for tonight."

And the noble shook his body – too slack for a soldier- and smiled vulgarly.

"Ooh, ooh, as usual, you're good at what you do. I'm looking forward to this evening's pleasantries."

"That would be my honor."

"Yes. The other nobles often praise the kinds of women that you manage to get. You remember how, back in that feast, the duke with a rather peculiar preference became overjoyed? And thanks to you, I've enjoyed myself quite a bit as well. Right, I'll reward you someday..."

But the man shook his head.

"No. I am only doing what I was assigned to do. An orphan like me couldn't be any happier about working under a noble."

He said.

The noble's smile widened,

"I see, I see. Fufu, you're quite the cute guy. Following me isn't a mistake. Because you are different from all other foolish peasants. Your readiness to sacrifice yourself for your loyalty to nobles will be rewarded someday."

That was their conversation.

And Germer wanted desperately to doubt her ears.

This man really changed.

Even though the man used to be called a genius, her impression of him went crashing down.

The man who would do anything to get on the good side of nobles.

All she heard were the most outrageous and scandalous rumors.

For his own success, he once crawled on the ground and licked someone's boots.

For the nobles, he would introduce women.

Well, she didn't think it'd be true...

"Thank you."

Germer felt a sense of irritation at the man who bowed his head.

She didn't understand their previous conversation. No, she didn't hear them. She was simply that angry.

The noble left.

However, the man kept his head bowed. Even when the noble disappeared, he didn't raise his head.

That pisses Germer off.

It was almost like he didn't even have a shred of pride left in him.

That pisses Germer off.

Let's just ignore him.

She thought.

Why did she stop in her tracks and listen to his conversations? Even though she knew it would disgust her. How foolish of her. She should just get to the bar, get herself drunk, go back and sleep.

She thought.

So, she tried to ignore the man bowing his head and walk by....

However, she stopped in her tracks and turned towards the man.

"....as expected of sergeant Rahel Miller, once called a genius. You're awfully good at getting yourself friendly with the nobles."

She spat before she could control herself.

Miller raised his head.

And he looked at her,

"...what, it's you."

He made that face again. The same troubled expression he held when he dumped her.

Looking at his face, she found that she couldn't stop her words.

" 'It's you?' That's all? I've seen what you're up to just now, and you're not going to give me any excuses? You know, you're very famous around here. The betrayer Rahel Miller. Flattering nobles, introducing women to them, the man who would do anything to get a promotion..."

But Miller merely replied,

"I don't feel the necessity of giving you excuses. My superior wanted that of me, I was merely doing my own job."

Germer scowled at his words,

"So, you're dabbling in human trafficking? Is that your job? Is that the job of Rahel Miller, who was once called a genius?"

He replied,

"Genius...again with the old tales..."

He said and sneered.

"In the first place, why are you so angry? I don't understand at all. Angry at me flattering the nobles? But this is simply how the country is, yes? The best way to get your honey is through nobles."

He said.

Germer shook.

What is this man saying?

Miller threw words at her that she couldn't comprehend. She knew that there're definitely people who did that, but this man who once was called a genius, and whom Germer had held in adoration...

She glared at Miller.

"....s-so, the rumor about you getting on your knees and licking a noble's boot..."

Miller answered immediately,

"It's true."

He said, and immediately added,

"Hey hey, don't glare at me like that. I get it. Even though I'm still confused as to what exactly is angering you...why don't you let me introduce some fine nobles to you? That's fine, isn't it? Someone with your beauty could get as many patrons..."

"Don't fuck with me!"

Germer lashed out at Miller with her fist before she could stop herself.

However, Miller grabbed it easily.

He narrowed his eyes and said,

"Haha. How slow. Those punches won't hit me, Miss Kleisrole. Have you forgotten? You have never..."

Germer interrupted,

"Let me go! You filth!"

She shook off Miller's arm, turned away and started walking...

Miller spoke up behind her,

"You're in a bad mood because I spoke the truth?"

However,

"...."

Germer didn't answer.

No, she couldn't.

For some reason, her body was shaking.

Miller truly changed.

Even more than she had thought...

Even while walking away, she felt like crying.

Whenever she thought that she fell for this man once.

Whenever she thought that she never won against him.

And even now, she couldn't.

However, she immediately realized something worse.

Why was she so irritated at the man in front of her?

Why was she so sad?

The true reason is...

Really...

When she saw the transformation that Miller went through...

She saw herself reflected in him.

In this rotten country, everyone would become corrupted sooner or later. She was disgusted at herself.

She was at Roland army's beck and call, educating children and turning them into killer machines.

And at the very end...

Right then.

"....shit."

Germer groaned softly while walking.

She wasn't much too different. The only difference between them was that she acted like she hadn't lost her pride on the surface.

There's no difference. She didn't have the right to lash out at Miller at that.

But still.

Still, she wanted the man called a genius to....

She laughed in a self-deprecating manner,

"How...convenient would that be..."

She was the worst.

No matter how much she drunk today, she didn't feel like she would get drunk.

There's nothing that won't come to an end.

There's nothing that won't change.

She knew that.

But...

Despite that....

On a side note.

The 'prince on a white horse' that Ryner mentioned – the newest one who called out to Germer in the bar...

"Die, Miller-!!"

Was beaten up by her while she screamed some gibberish and ended up in the hospital.

One month later.

"Don't you feel like we've had quite a lot of holidays recently?"

Ryner said, and Peria nodded.

"More like, that's actually what's happening. How long are you sleeping now, Ryner?"

"Hmm? Around ten hours."

"Well that's a bit too much. But I've been sleeping for seven, and I could play with Ryner and Pia when we have free time. See, even if we're making idle conversation like this, she wouldn't get mad at us. What is happening? Pia, have you heard anything?"

Pia replied confidently,

"That's obvious. I'm such a genius and became way too strong in this past year, so "Aah Pia, how amazing. I have nothing left to teach you. Form hereon, you're the king. Go and play for the rest of your days."..."

"Like hell."

Ryner interrupted immediately.

And Pia, without any preparation, lashed out at Ryner with her fist...

But Ryner,

"Alrighty."

Dodged it easily.

Pia shouted,

"Ah, how cocky of you, Ryner! Take this then!"

"Here I go."

"Stop dodging!"

"Woah, fast!? W-what are you doing! You were serious just now!?"

"Idiot~ If I was really serious, there's no way you could dodge it. Joking, joking."

"Ah, well, that's right."

Ryner accepted her explanation.

Normal people wouldn't have been able to follow Pia and Ryner's little scuffle just now, but Peria showed no signs of surprise.

"But I feel like Pia's not far from the truth. We really became much stronger in this year. Pia should be able to win against Germer 1-on-1..."

But Pia shook her head.

"Hmm. I'm happy that you think so, but I'm still a bit off. Maybe after two months or so, I'd be able to surpass her. But the same can be said of you guys. You'll be able to surpass Germer with another year."

Ryner said,

"Huh, really?"

Peria followed,

"I don't have that kind of confidence."

The three of them were talking in the usual training grounds.

Maybe it's because they haven't gotten an actual chance to play due to their daily training, but when they're given a day off for some reason, they feel like they have too much time on their hands. In the end, they did a few practice matches and talked about random things.

Pia continued,

"Ah geez, what's with your pathetic attitude? You don't have any confidence in yourselves, and yet you still call yourselves men? Really, just think about it. Our recent practice matches have mostly been just us three. That simply proves that we're on the same level as Germer."

Peria clapped his hands,

"Ah, I see. Now that you mention it..."

Pia interrupted immediately,

"You just realized that? Idiot. For crying out loud! That's exactly why dull men are so hopeless. I've been worrying about that these days..."

She said.

Ryner and Peria looked surprised.

"Huh? Worrying?"

"Pia? For what?"

Pia replied with a face that spoke volumes about her irritation.

"Of course I'm worried that we'll get so strong one day that we'll beat Germer easily...and then....and then..."

Right then, her words stopped. She suddenly turned sour again,

"Ah geez! Anyways! I just want to say that you guys shouldn't win against Germer no matter how strong you become! Understand?"

But Peria replied,

"Ah, Pia wanted to say that, once we beat Germer, we'll graduate from the training center, and us three will be torn apart...she'll be so lonel.....ugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"

For some reason, he was beaten up by Pia.

Looking at him, Ryner said,

"How stupid, Peria. Pia is like that, you know? She likes Germer, right? So she doesn't want to hurt Germer's pride....ugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"

Pia immediately punched Ryner and sent him flying easily.

And Pia said, red faced and embarrassed,

"You're both right!"

Then why did you punch us...but Ryner and Peria knew that they couldn't change anything even if they said that out loud...

Well, leaving that aside.

While cradling his beaten cheek, Ryner said,

"...but well, excepting Pia, we still have a long way to go before we can beat Germer, isn't it too early to be worrying about this? Really, I have no intention of winning against Germer from the very beginn..."

He tried to say, but..

"Then go ahead and die. If you can't win against the likes of me, Ryner, you can just die immediately."

A voice drifted towards them from the corner of the training field...

Ryner, Peria and Pia turned towards the source.

And Peria said with a surprised face,

tbc