Mitsuki!
Nina!
Chapter 9
“You’re going to train again, Mitsuki?” Nina sighs. “That's all you ever do. Don't you want to go out and have some fun?”
“Training is fun. You should come along more often.”
“Eh? No way. I can't spend all day in that sweaty room like you.”
“It's fine to take it easy at times, but don't forget who we are in this world. As heroes, it's our duty to save the people from the mist. And it will be a dangerous task.”
Nina looks away. “Why us? It's not like any of us are really good at this whole hero thing. Except you and Isaac, I guess. Hey, hey. Do you think you or Isaac were the real targets? Maybe the rest of us just got dragged along.”
Mitsuki goes silent for a heartbeat. Although she doesn't know all the details, she did have an enlightening conversation with Lezard before he left the city.
“No, Isaac and I weren't the targets for the summoning spell.”
“Eh? Are you sure?”
“I'm positive.” Mitsuki turns her back on her roommate and grabs their room's doorknob.
“Hey, Mitsuki.” Nina speaks up again before Mitsuki can open the door. “What about him?”
“Him?”
“You know…” Nina looks around, as if afraid to continue. “Lezard. You know something, don't you? The two of you are dating, right?”
“D-dating!?” Mitsuki calms herself with a breathing technique. “We weren't dating.”
“Really? But the two of you were always together, so…”
“He's a family friend. My parents took a liking to him, so he often joined us for their sake.”
“Hmm … okay. But you two were still really close, right? You have to know something about why Lezard did what he did.”
“And what did he do?”
“Um, you know what they say…” Nina's voice gets softer. “He killed Josh and brought a bunch of mist monsters to the city.”
“You forgot about Curtis.”
“Ah, that's right. He killed Curtis, too.”
Mitsuki still stands with one hand grasping the doorknob. “We're not on Earth anymore, Nina. Information isn't as readily available or easily verifiable here. There are a lot of things we don't know. It would be best to keep that in mind.”
Mitsuki turns the knob but doesn't pull. “As for Lezard–just leave him to me.”
With that, she finally opens the door and steps out of her shared room.
The hall is as empty as ever. Very few of the servants are allowed here, so the only real activity is when another hero is coming or going.
But Mitsuki purposefully chose a time when she wouldn't run into one of her classmates. She can practically see the questions they have for her, since she's always been close to Lezard.
So far, she's managed to dodge all the details, like with Nina just now. All she needs to do is lie low for a while, and it'll eventually blow over.
That's why the training arena has come in handy for her. Her classmates rarely go there, as before their summoning, none of them were doing routine workouts like her and Lezard.
Isaac is the only one who truly understands what needs to be done to survive, but he prefers to train alone.
Knowing Isaac, he doesn't want anyone to get a grasp of his powers. Surprising the enemy can give him an edge in battle.
Mitsuki steps into the training arena, where a few soldiers are practicing their stances and techniques. It's the typical scene, and the regulars have gotten just as used to seeing her as she has them.
Because of that, there's no overly formal greetings from the men, only a nod of recognition.
They don't like most of the heroes, but it seems that sentiment doesn't extend to me.
Is it because I'm putting in so much effort to get stronger?
As the only hero to visit the training arena in her free time, Mitsuki has gained a bit of a reputation amongst the soldiers. It's still not much, as the heroes have yet to perform many great deeds.
The only real accomplishment has been protecting the city during the monster attack a few days prior.
But we didn't do much. There were a lot of mist creatures, but they were all weak.
Except that one.
Reports of a Leviathan-Class mist creature had spread through the city near the end of the monster attack. Over a hundred people claimed to have seen the gigantic creature standing taller than all the buildings around it.
There were even some flattened buildings, as if a catastrophic battle had taken place.
Yet there was no sign of the Leviathan. It was as if it had been defeated before any of the heroes or city guards could even lay eyes on it.
Lezard, are you really…
Mitsuki stands in her usual spot, a place that all the soldiers now leave open for her, knowing she'll be showing up to train.
With her hand on the hilt of her katana, Mitsuki stares at the straw training dummy set up a few paces away. However, instead of drawing her katana, she closes her eyes.
I saw several familiar soldiers, which means…
Mitsuki always begins her training the same way. Outsiders see a young hero meditating as she prepares for a long session.
But the truth is quite a bit different.
Yes, I can feel their presences. The familiar ones stick out more than the others, but everyone is accounted for.
So this is how Lezard always knew where everyone was, no matter how they tried to hide. This should be part of our training, so why is it being neglected?
While practicing her ability to sense presences, Mitsuki keeps coming back to a particular person within the room. She's never met them before, as it's the first time that person has been in the training arena.
But despite being a newcomer, their presence has a distinct feeling to it that none of the other soldiers have.
What is that, exactly? Her presence has more gravity to it than the others.
It almost feels like Rosa’s presence but more subdued.
And if Rosa sticks out because of her immense strength, then does that mean…
Mitsuki opens her eyes and turns toward the person whose presence feels different from the others.
She sees exactly what she expects, a young woman in the prime of her life, with pink hair kept in a warrior's ponytail.
When Mitsuki entered, the young woman hadn't even spared her a glance. It's becoming increasingly common for new soldiers to use the training arena because of Mitsuki, but the young woman didn't seem to care about a hero stepping into the room.
Or, perhaps she doesn't even know who Mitsuki is.
Because Mitsuki had barely ran her eyes over the newcomer, she had missed one important detail about the young woman.
Is that … a katana?
No, from its size, it's closer to a wakizashi. But why is she training with what's normally a backup weapon?
Is she preparing for combat in a confined space, like a hallway?
Either way, she'd have a difficult time of it with that prosthetic arm.
The most notable feature about the young woman isn't her weapon. It's her right arm, which is clearly artificial.
Though only the bronze-colored hand can be seen, the arm is stiff, moving around inorganically compared to the rest of her smooth movements. That's a clear indicator that she lost more than just her hand.
Curiosity gets the best of Mitsuki, and she finds her feet taking her toward that young woman.
“Greetings.” Mitsuki speaks with confidence. “Sorry to interrupt your training, but I couldn't help but notice your weapon.”
Mitsuki pulled at her katana, showing how similar its form is to the sword the young woman is using to train.
The woman with the prosthetic arm shows clear surprise at Mitsuki’s katana. That's to be expected, considering that style of weapon is nearly unheard of in the kingdom.
“That's rare,” the young woman says. “You're the second person I've ever met who uses a blade like mine.”
Mitsuki fully draws her weapon. “I was fortunate enough to know how to craft a katana, so I was able to walk a renowned smith through the process.”
“From how you look, I can tell you're not from around here. Is this style of blade more common where you're from?”
Mitsuki realizes her mistake. “Ah, my apologies. I have yet to introduce myself. Everyone seems to know me now, so I've gotten used to being recognized immediately.”
“Are you someone important?”
“I suppose so. I was summoned here as a hero, and people seem to believe that carries some worth.”
“Wait a moment! You're one of the heroes!?”
“Mitsuki.”
“Mitsuki?”
“Yes, it's my name. I'd be happy if you used it.”
“If that's what you want, then sure. My name's Selene. It's good to meet you, Mitsuki.”
The two finish their simple greeting, giving Mitsuki a chance to ask a few questions. Figuring out why Selene's presence feels different than the others could help her master the technique more quickly, so she begins hunting for the answer.
“May I ask why you've chosen a wakizashi instead of a full katana? The shorter blade is useful for corridors and other enclosed areas, but it has a clear disadvantage on an open battlefield.”
“Oh, that's because I don't really fight on the front line. This sword is my backup weapon. Normally, I try to take the enemy down from a much farther distance.” Selene makes a very familiar motion with her arms.
“A bow? You're an archer, then?”
“I am.” Selene raises her right arm, showing the prosthetics. “Even with one good arm, my aim is still one of the best in the kingdom.”
“So that's why I've never seen you in this training arena. You spend more time at the archery range than here, don't you?”
“Yup. Gotta stay sharp, you know. But I can't let my skill with the blade slip either. Don't wanna lose another arm.”
“If you're really one of the best shots in the kingdom, then you must be in one of the more famous squads, correct?”
“Survey Corps, first combat division. When the army needs intel, we're the ones who make it happen, even if we have to break through the enemy line to get it.”
“Sounds like a dangerous unit.”
“Well…” Selene shows her prosthetic arm again. “Something tells me you're right.”
So she is strong. Doesn't this mean I can pick out not only familiar presences but also ones who are stronger than the rest?
I wonder just how many more secrets Lezard could teach me if he were here…
Not wanting to get distracted by what could have been, Mitsuki refocuses on Selene.
“Have you ever thought about taking special missions outside your normal duties in the Survey Corps?”
“Special missions? I don't know if I'm quite at the point of being selected for something like that. Maybe if I hadn't lost my arm.”
“So you wouldn't be interested in taking one, if offered?”
Selene clearly gives it some thought. “If it was something I could do, and if they needed me, I'd do it. But is there something like that happening?”
“Captain Rosa is taking us back to the mist tomorrow. If you're interested, we could always use another soldier to scout for us and guard the caravan while we're in the mist. And I'm quite curious to see what you can do with a bow.”
“Guarding the heroes? Are you sure Captain Rosa would just let you pick a soldier and bring her along?”
“I'll convince her.”
“Hmm. In that case, as long as my own captain agrees, then I'd love to join. I've never traveled with a hero, so it should be fun.”
“Good. Then I'll speak to Rosa and make it happen. But first, we have some training to do.” Mitsuki takes a few steps back, then falls into a combat stance. “Care to spar?”
Selene readies her wakizashi. “It'd be a pleasure.”
Mitsuki and Selene end up being the center of attention in the training arena for as long as their battle continues.