kscans

Chapter 54 - Mischievous Kids Run Wild

It was the height of summer.

For adults, it was just another season, but for children, it was like bonus time. A period when reason melted away as they reveled in summer's glory. However, Saionoji Rika and Akatsuki Hikaru, though students, couldn't afford to simply enjoy their summer break.

"Guh...!?"

While Satou was being dominated by the company president, Hikaru and Rika were battling an Aberration in an abandoned building on the outskirts of town.

Hikaru barely avoided the creature's slashing claws, but he hadn't escaped completely unscathed. Blood trickled down his cheek. They couldn't approach carelessly. As Hikaru struggled to find an opening to attack...

"Akatsuki-kun! Duck!!"

"!"

Hikaru reflexively dropped into a crouch. Almost simultaneously, Rika, who had maneuvered behind him, released a blast of wind that sent the Aberration flying. The creature crashed through walls with a series of loud bangs, but... it wasn't dead.

"This thing is ridiculously tough...!!"

"...Yeah, what should we do?"

Their enemy was incredibly durable and quite fast. Their attacks were barely affecting it, while a single hit from the creature could potentially be fatal. The pressure was immense, causing both of them to break out in sweat that had nothing to do with the summer heat.

"If it were the old man, he'd probably flick this thing away with his finger... Ah, if only I were as strong as him!"

"Even Satou-san wasn't strong from the beginning. I'm sure he became that powerful by overcoming countless pinches like this."

"Sorry, I was just complaining... Oh!"

"What?"

"The old man! Remember what the old man said!"

"Ah!"

Then Hikaru remembered too. Occasionally, the two received training from Satou. During these sessions, when the children became too exhausted to move, he would tell various stories during their breaks. Among those stories, they recalled him explaining how to deal with tough enemies.

"There are different kinds of 'tough.' First, you need to figure out what type you're dealing with."

Was the enemy tough because of armor or an outer shell? Or was its flesh itself hard?

"It's the... flesh!!" they exclaimed in unison.

The Aberration they were fighting had hard muscle tissue.

"Those types aren't hindered in their movements like the shell types. They tend to be fast too, which makes them quite troublesome... But that doesn't mean there's no way to deal with them. It's like cooking, you know? People often say you tenderize meat by pounding it, right?"

Satou had told them to put that principle into practice.

"Don't worry about dealing damage. Focus on quantity. Just hit it a lot. Don't concentrate on one spot. It's important to pound it thoroughly all over the body. The muscles that were tensed and hardened will gradually soften due to fatigue. Oh, but I recommend not targeting soft spots like the eyes right away. That'll just make it go berserk and resist more fiercely."

The two exchanged glances, nodded, and sprang into action.

"This doesn't just apply to tough enemies either. When you feel like you can win, start talking big. 'The match is already decided. You have no chance of winning. You're just a pitiful creature waiting to be slowly tortured to death!' That kind of thing. When your mental state improves, your physical movements become sharper too. But don't let your guard down, be careful about that."

Wind blasts, punches, they continually pounded the creature's flesh without stopping. They could do this, they would win. The path to victory was already clear. Riding that momentum, they pressed on, and after about ten minutes, the two defeated the Aberration and ended the battle.

"Phew... Akatsuki-kun, good work."

"You too, Saionoji-san... But the difficulty level of these requests has been increasing lately, hasn't it?"

"Probably means we've leveled up to the next step."

"...I wonder what level that enemy was?"

As they were discussing this...

"For rookies, extremely dangerous. For somewhat experienced people, a bit risky. For veterans, just small fry."

"Oh, Yoshino-san!"

"Nice work out there, you two."

Yoshino Akira, who served as their mentor, appeared.

"That said, it seems like it was a tough opponent and you're both pretty exhausted, so let's rest a bit before heading back."

Suddenly, a cool breeze filled the humid ruins. Seeing the children's expressions relax, Yoshino smiled and offered them sports drinks.

"Thank you... So, that was just small fry, huh?"

"Yes. To be blunt, even someone without talent could handle it easily after about three years in the supernatural world."

"...There really is no end to this, is there?"

It was disheartening to know that no matter how high you looked, there was no finish line. There's no point where you could say "if I train this much, I'll be safe."

Yoshino gave a wry smile at Hikaru's complaint.

"That's just how it is. The only person in the world who's ready for anything is probably Satou-san."

"The old man, huh... Everyone who meets him says he's crazy powerful."

"He is. He was insane even when he first entered the supernatural world."

"Oh, that's right. Yoshino-san, you're the old man's senior, aren't you?"

"Senior isn't quite right... I just entered the supernatural world about two months before him."

"When you say he was insane... do you mean he had extraordinary talent or was incredibly strong from the beginning?"

Satou had told them he was similar to them, but Yoshino responded to Hikaru's puzzled expression.

"No, in terms of power or talent, he wasn't anything special. If you compare you two to him at the same stage, you're probably stronger."

He added that nobody was particularly focused on Satou's talent back then either.

"Then what do you mean by 'insane'?"

"...First, you should know that training for newcomers to the supernatural world has become gentler over the years. In our time, things were harsh from the beginning."

"I see..."

"About a month after entering the supernatural world, we received a request to shut down a transaction that would harm ordinary people."

"What? You were assigned something like that after just one month?"

"...Well, there were complicated circumstances. Anyway, Satou and his team had to complete this request."

Yoshino explained that facing the enemy head-on was nearly impossible.

"I was worried, so when I met him at the Mutual Aid Society facility, I suggested trying to get the assignment withdrawn."

"And?"

"He just laughed it off like it was nothing. Then that night, the port went up in flames."

"What?!"

The transaction was taking place in an unused warehouse at a large port where many workers were present. Satou had set fire to the entire port.

"Just to be clear, he apparently made sure no civilians would die or get seriously injured. In fact, there were zero deaths and only minor injuries."

"T-that's good, but... why would he do something like that?"

"To restrict the enemy's movements."

People from the supernatural world frequently use perception manipulation techniques, but they aren't omnipotent. The larger the number of people or the scale of the event that needs to be concealed, the more difficult it becomes. Satou involved ordinary citizens to increase the number of witnesses, effectively preventing the enemy from using such techniques.

"The criminals chose to blend in with the evacuating civilians. They could have teleported or sneaked away, but Satou guided events to prevent that. Then, in the chaos of the evacuation, he stabbed them from behind."

The two were dumbfounded. To them, Satou was a kind, middle-aged man. They never imagined he would do something so extreme. Having been in the supernatural world for some time and knowing his character, they didn't feel fear or revulsion, but the shock was still significant.

"There were witnesses, but he knew the Mutual Aid Society's rules inside out."

Given the danger and maliciousness of the goods being traded, the Society judged that the merit of eliminating the criminals outweighed the method used.

"He calculated that the Society would protect him, and he was right. They cleaned up afterward, and Satou's team faced no charges. Even when there were complaints about the cost of compensating for damages, he pushed through with, 'Just use the money you took from those scumbags.' Back then, the Mutual Aid Society was quite corrupt, and typically pocketed money seized from such people..."

Satou had created a situation involving others that forced the Society to spend that money.

"The Society was corrupt and powerful, but not absolute. He made them realize that not using the money would cause more harm in the long run, so they covered everything with supernatural world funds."

His calculation of exactly how far he could push before the Society would stop protecting him was also deliberate. The Society would lose credibility if they didn't protect him, which would ultimately hurt them. Satou knew this and acted accordingly. After explaining this much, Yoshino's gaze became distant.

"Can you believe it? After just one month in the supernatural world! Insane, right?"

"That is insane..."

"When those three were together, nothing good ever happened..."

"Three?"

"Uh... oh, right. There were two other people who were pulled into the supernatural world with Satou. They formed a team."

Yoshino continued, clearly trying to change the subject.

"They've both left the supernatural world now, but when the three of them were active together, they were truly terrifying. I've never met anyone who deserved the label 'mischievous kids' more than they did."

The two could only respond with awkward smiles to Yoshino's wistful words.