kscans

Chapter 13 - The Physical Abilities of an Awakened Person

No matter how much my days became a cycle of visiting the 'extraordinary' world of dungeons, the 'ordinary' world of school continued. In fact, my studies were supposed to be my main job.

And that's why...

"Alright, everyone, partner up."

...an instant-death spell was so easily cast.

But fear not. When it comes to 'PE class,' I have already completed my self-defense preparations. There are no blind spots.

The Grim Reaper's scythe passed harmlessly over my head.

Because I'm sitting in a squat, clutching my knees. By myself.

No, you don't understand. Really, you don't get it. There's a reason for this, I swear.

To put it simply, the PE teacher indirectly told me, 'You're a hazardous material, so you're on observation duty.'

...There's a huge disparity in the physical abilities of Awakened Persons.

There are those like Erina-san and me, who exhibit athleticism surpassing professional soldiers and SDF personnel, and then there's Aira-san, who boasts that she 'might be able to barely win a fistfight against a middle school girl from the literature club.'

Among the Awakened, those who are considered 'high-rollers'... are beings who could accidentally kill someone.

A sad accident occurred at a middle school in a certain prefecture a while after the Day of Awakening.

Because the parties involved were minors—middle schoolers, at that—the specific details were never reported 'on television'.

As for the internet and weekly magazines... I really didn't have the stomach to look, so I don't know.

At any rate, an Awakened Person tripped while running at full speed during PE class, resulting in three people suffering serious injuries, including broken bones.

It was an incident where people said it was a miracle no one died. Naturally, the Board of Education was thrown into utter chaos, from top to bottom.

Some shouted, others cried, and the meetings were said to be a frenzy.

Some even voiced the opinion that 'Awakened Persons should not be allowed to exercise with non-Awakened,' but that, in turn, drew criticism for being educationally questionable. After much meandering, the result was...

'Each school is to handle each student on a case-by-case basis.'

...an official notice that, in summary, said just that. In other words, they passed the buck. The school was to deal with the measures and the responsibility.

And the ones who get the short end of the stick are the school and the PE teacher supervising the class. So, what do they do?

'Yagawa, you're not feeling unwell, are you? Oh, you're fine... Are you sure you're not feeling sick? Maybe you're hiding an illness. I won't lower your grade for something like that, so be honest with me. You look a little pale. Student safety is our top priority, after all.'

When it's so obvious that even someone with my low social skills can pick up on it, you know it's bad.

I've been on observation duty for PE since the middle of my junior high years. Isn't that messed up?

You might think it's fine as long as other students are far away, right? Well, even Awakened Persons can get injured by their own power. In the incident I mentioned, one of the people with a broken bone was apparently the Awakened kid.

To add to that, my high school requires students to report if they have a part-time job. I, of course, followed the rules and went to the office to report, 'I have become an adventurer.'

They asked for my rank, so I honestly answered, 'I started at E-Rank'... but looking back, that was basically like saying, 'I'm a hardcore combat type among Awakened Persons.'

So I can't really blame the PE teacher for being wary. Though back in middle school... yeah, I think they were being overly sensitive.

And so, for today's PE class—girls in the gym, boys on the field—I am on observation duty.

Wow. I'm so happy I can take it easy. I feel sooooo guilty for faking sick.

For the record, since it's still the end of April, the activity for today is badminton, which also serves as a recreational icebreaker. The purpose is for everyone to become friends through this class.

Hey, teacher. The student who needs this class the most right now is diagonally behind you. In the direction you haven't glanced at once since class started, there's a student pleading for help.

Or so I think, but of course, the PE teacher only ever turns to look this way when class is over.

Today, as always, I am alone. I feel like I'm about to evolve into '†The Solitary One†'. Or is that a devolution?

...Maybe I should just use 'feeling sick' as an excuse to go to the nurse's office and mess around on my phone.

As that thought crossed my mind, I watched my classmates having fun.

＊　　　　　＊　　　　　＊

'You too, Kyou-chan? I was so disappointed when I couldn't use my ninja arts in class!!'

"There really are some Awakened who should never be allowed to participate..."

Seriously, don't you dare activate your skills at school. I mean, Erina-san's probably wouldn't cause much collateral damage, but still.

It was after school. I was at home, playing an online game with Aira-san and Erina-san.

We were using the usual earring for voice chat. It's great because there are no phone charges.

'Still, that's not right. While there are aspects that can't be helped, it's not good for the mental well-being of Awakened students. It could easily create friction with other students.'

"Aira-san is saying something serious... What?!"

'It's going to storm tonight!'

'Shall I make it happen for real?'

"Eek."

The game we're playing today is 'Super Matsuo Race 8 ☆ Dangerous X'.

In Heian-era Kyoto, a man named Matsuo, who worked as the driver of a certain nobleman's ox-cart, secretly entered his ox-cart in betting races at night without his master's permission.

He got caught, fired, and then his wife left him, saddling him with enormous debt.

Now, he joins a betting race organized by Abe no Seimei, aiming to strike it rich... That's the story of the game.

The cast of characters is a spectacular lineup, from ordinary townspeople to Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his Four Heavenly Kings, and even Shuten Douji and Ibaraki Douji from Mount Ooe.

It's a massively popular game where success depends not only on techniques like shortcuts and cornering but also on getting a game-changing item from the 'baskets' scattered along the route.

Ma●io Kart? I'm sorry, I'm not very familiar with foreign languages...

Anyway, one of the items that appears in this Matsuo Race is...

'There, the Denden-Daiko.'

"Nwaaaah!?"

'Not while I'm in a shortcuttttt!!'

There's an item that drops lightning on everyone but your own character.

Sounds like a Thu●der? Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about...

'Ha-ha-ha! A magnificent comeback from last place! With a boost item and a perfectly executed shortcut, I'm in first! This is a true success story. I am the queen of Kyoto!'

'My, my, senpai. For a queen, your manner of speech is rather vulgar, is it not!'

'Say whatever you like. The victor is justice! To the victor go the spoils, Erina-kun!'

'In that case, I shall put a stop to your reign with the utmost elegance!!!'

Erina-san's character, running just ahead of me, readied a brown item.

'Be so kind as to RECEIVE THIS COW DUNGGGGGGGGG!!!'

'I'd like to ask you to define 'elegance'!!'

A massive amount of cow dung was scattered across the course. This woman, she must have gotten cow dung multiple times in a row.

Aira-san's character slipped on it, spun out, and as she came to a stop, Erina-san overtook her.

'O-ho-ho-ho!! This is a true queen, my dear senpai! The battle of elegance is my victory!! Begone, commoner!!'

"Not a shred of nobility in sight."

'Silence! With this, I shall cross the finish line! To a future of hope, ready go!!'

"Ah, sorry, I got cow dung too."

'...Pray wait, Kyou-chan-sama. I believe we should play with more decorum. Something like cow dung is most unseemly, you know.'

'Indeed!!!'

"Well... I am the king and the winner, so."

'Y-You little piece of filthhhhhhh!!'

'Hold on! There's no reason to target me toooo! Aaaahhh!'

I hit both Erina-san, who was ahead, and Aira-san, who had just recovered, with a direct hit of cow dung. You shouldn't underestimate the motion tracking of my Spirit Eye.

I crossed the finish line with a massive lead. To be a winner is to be solitary...

"Well, that was a fun race, you two in 7th and 9th place."

'Grrr. To think there would be a villain who would bring cow dung into a sacred battle.'

"You were the first one to use it, Erina-san."

'Hmph... It was a magnificent battle. I have nothing more to teach you.'

"You're acting like a master, but you've come in last three times in a row, Aira-san."

I was basically forced to take this game console, but one way or another, I was having fun.

I guess party games really are the ultimate tool for communication. Amazing, Nin●endo.

'Still, you've really opened up, Kyou-chan-kun. Are you like this at school, too?'

'Nah. When I go see him during break, he's the same old Kyou-chan.'

"...Well, uh, yeah. It's different behind a screen versus in person..."

I think there are times when being physically distant makes you a little bolder.

I can kind of understand now why some people get so aggressive when they play online games.

'Alright, my socially awkward Kyou-chan-kun. How about a fighting game next?'

"Ehh. Aira-san is way too good at those..."

'Senpai is a weakling in real life, but she's surprisingly strong in fighting games!!'

It's truly a mystery. I'm pretty sure I have her beat when it comes to reflexes and motion tracking.

But before I know it, I'm backed into a corner of the screen, and she's locking me in an infinite combo.

'Heh heh heh. In my mental simulations, I am the woman who wins 98 out of 100 battles, my friends.'

"We're not exactly impressed by you bragging about winning in your head."

'So you even lose twice in your imagination?!'

They say the good and bad thing about mental training is that 'your opponent moves exactly as you expect.' No wonder her win rate is so high.

'Yes. Those two losses are to the real-life Kyou-chan-kun.'

"Me?"

'Your growth potential is SSR-rank too, you see...'

What she calls 'growth potential' probably refers to the rate at which my stats increase.

It's common for all Awakened Persons' stats to rise when they level up. However, how much they increase varies from person to person. It's always 'individual differences' with the Awakened.

Apparently, you can't know until you actually level up, but the basic increase is said to be 'Level x 1.X'.

For some Awakened, at LV: 10, their stats might be '11' higher than their starting value, while for others, they might be '15' higher. Or '12' or '13'. Furthermore, even for the same person, the increase can be different for 'Strength' and 'Endurance'.

I found this out on the bus ride home, but my current stats are as follows:

'Yagawa Kyouta' LV: 2 Race: Human/Awakened Person

Strength: 22 Endurance: 22 Agility: 25 Mana: 25

...something like that.

Upon leveling up, all of my stats increased by '3', which is 'Level x 1.5'. This is apparently a 'Growth Rate: A'.

This is all according to Aira-san, so I can't be sure. Still, it makes me feel a bit self-conscious.

But well... I can't get too carried away because of it.

Aira-san herself told me that even with this level-up growth, there might be others who are even better.

Even if this is the highest growth rate she knows of, there are countless Awakened she's never met. The actual number is probably much higher.

Overconfidence is a great enemy. I might be able to become a big fish in a small pond, but I should probably assume that's my limit.

It's not like I'm aiming to be the strongest anyway, so that mindset is probably just right.

'When I level up, I'm gonna be amazing!! Just you watch, Kyou-chan!!'

"Right."

'Alright, then, let's get started on 'Super Matsuo Brothers Great Riot ☆ The Chaos of Oeyama' right away.'

"Ah, well, as far as fighting games go, that one's..."

'Kyou-chan! Team up with me!! Let's surround our loner senpai and beat her down!!'

'Hey, now. There's no way Kyou-chan-kun, the very embodiment of fair play, would agree to such a thing! Right, Kyou-chan-kun?! And I'm not a loner. Because... I have you guys!!'

"Let's do it, Erina-san. For the sake of casting this tyrannical, pathetic loner of a college girl into the depths of hell."

'Huuh?'

After that, we teamed up against her and lost nine out of ten matches.

Just how much has that pathetic beauty grinded this game?