Chapter 21: The Hero

Author: Kurohitsuji
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2086fk/22/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

“The Hero,” Toono Tsukasa.
Among the Ten Heroes summoned from another world, the strongest Hero in the world, holder of the blessing “God-Demon Annihilation”—a body that can stand even with the gods.
That he punched the Demon King flying with his bare hands at the final battle is a story even children know.
The picture books painted him as someone who should be called “the Hero” in the true sense: outstanding strength among the Ten Heroes, and a strong sense of justice to go with it.
At present he apparently travels the world helping people in trouble.

No fixed address, unemployed. Well, maybe that isn’t wrong.

By the way. Putting a knee to the ground and bowing your head is apparently called “dogeza.”
In the Hero’s original world, it amounts to the deepest possible bow.

The moment I heard that, I tried to do the same thing, and everyone around me stopped me with everything they had.
I went through with it anyway.

I mean, look. It was a height that might have killed me, but I’m alive.
I did the stupid thing of picking a fight with the Hero. I think apologizing is the proper thing.

But, well.
A town girl and the Hero kneeling face to face, a Hero watching and laughing, knight-order members with indescribable faces.
I do think it’s an incredibly surreal scene.

“…Anyway, we both apologized, so shall we stand.”
“Yes, please do.”
“…Ah, right. Kyousuke. I’m not the Hero.”

Toono Tsukasa denies Kisaragi Kyousuke’s words with the same sleepy face as ever.

“…Nn? Eh, you are Toono Tsukasa of ‘God-Demon Annihilation,’ right?”
“…That’s right.”
“Ah… that part is complicated, so please take it as it is.
Anyway, he is without a doubt Toono Tsukasa of ‘God-Demon Annihilation.'”
“…Haa. I understand.”

Probably better not to ask deep on this one.
Anyway.

“So, this request—what happens with it in the end?”
“Ah, it was interrupted by our mistake, but… is there anyone who still wants to fight?”

The knight-order members shake their heads in perfect unison.
Some of them have gone pale.

…I think that’s a bit much.

“…Well, after that much, yeah.”
“Well, that’s true.”

The two of them nod vertically. I don’t get it.
I didn’t do anything that awful… I don’t think. But.
My memory from partway through is fuzzy, so I can’t say for sure.
When a fight drags on, Sakura-Drive gets me too wound up.

“…Ah. Um, Ouka.”
“Eh, yes?”
“…I have something I want to ask. Where did you learn the Toono style?”

Ha? Toono style? What’s that?

“…Your combat action. It isn’t empty-handed, but the movements are like my school.”
“The way I fight? Ah. Then you’d do better asking Ryugeji Makoto than me. I don’t really understand it either.”
“…You don’t understand?”

Look, yeah. I get wanting to tilt your head.
I don’t get it either. That’s the problem.

“Uh. Super simply, it seems like they forced just the way of fighting into my body so it would remember.”
“…I see. Like it was installed. That’s mysterious.”
“I wonder what this means.”

Two handsome men with worried faces.
If they’d just stay quiet they’d be handsome. A waste.

“Ah, I’m waiting on a wyvern-post reply right now, so depending on that we might understand something.”
“…A letter? You’re not going in person?”
“Well, a month one way is pretty rough.”
“…If you flew? At that speed, Asura would be about five hours, wouldn’t it?”
“……Ah.”

True. Now that he says it.
Why didn’t I notice.

“Uwah. I completely forgot.”
“…Why not try going tomorrow or so?”
“I will…”

I really forgot, like an idiot.
Right. If I fly, I could get there pretty quick.

“…Ah, but, when did you send the wyvern post?”
“Ah. About three days ago, so it should arrive over there soon.”
“…Then it might be better to wait. If Makoto’s interested, he’ll come right away.”
“Ah, that’s true. I think he’ll come today or tomorrow.”

Come right away? Even wyvern post takes three days one way.
Some kind of magic, maybe… well, maybe it’s a stretch to fit Heroes in an ordinary frame.

“Hnn. Then I’ll wait a few days.”
“…Yeah. And, so.”
“Yes?”
“…I want to spar a little.”

…Ha? What is this Hero saying.

“No, no, I refuse with everything I have.”
“…I won’t go all out, and Kyousuke is here, so it’s fine. Just a little.”

Ehhh… I don’t want to. Why do I have to brawl for no reason. You men do that among yourselves.
And if this person hits me I don’t think there’d be a trace left.

“Ouka. Once he’s like this, he won’t listen.
I think it’s better to finish it now than get ambushed.”

Please don’t say dangerous things while smiling.

“Ambush, that’s—no way.”
“You’ll be followed around the clock, you know?”

What a nuisance.
Is this person really a Hero.

“…Then, well, just a little.”
“…All right. Shall we.”

The Hero takes his stance. No weapon.
Hips low, left hand forward, right hand reverse-grip with the elbow up beside his head.
It’s true. It’s the spit of my stance.

“…Ring.”
“—Sakura-Drive Ready.”

“Ignition”

Sakura-pink mana-light rises like heat haze.
This isn’t really what I want, but it can’t be helped.

“Then please dance with me, Hero.”

I take the first move. A sprint, I drop out of his vision right in front of him, and fire at the chest at the same time.
But the mana round is stopped with an arm, just like that.
Uwah, he reacts to that. And how hard is this person.

I still can’t stop. I bounce right and spray.
But all of it is deflected, and he closes.
A back step and he’ll catch me. Then.
I slide my body in diagonally forward instead, a restraining shot.
But a palm strike comes without stopping for even an instant.
I hop straight up to dodge. I take the follow-up kick on both gun butts and I’m flung by a terrific impact.
No good. If I take it poorly, the defense goes with me.

I accelerate straight down with boosters and land.
I duck the next palm as it comes and shoot the legs, but no damage.
This person is pretty ridiculous.
Then I snipe the joints. Elbow, wrist, knee.
That has some effect. I’ll have to aim around there.

I run. Feints left and right, bouncing around.
I change direction accelerating with boosters and shoot for the joints again.
But this time he sees the shot and dodges the round. He closes without killing the momentum.
He’s fast. I have to intercept.

I spin and smash a gun butt with the momentum on it—or make it look that way, and fire the real shot where he dodged.
It hits between the brows; I take distance in the instant he flinches.

Does this person have some invincibility magic on him.
Almost none of the gunfire is getting through.
I can’t imagine at all what I’d have to do to win.

And suddenly. The Hero drops his stance, looking satisfied.

“…I see. It’s Arei.”
“Ah, indeed. Closer to him, if anything.”
“…I wonder where he is now.”
“The latest information was Gernika, wasn’t it.”

…What? They suddenly started talking with serious faces.
Anyway, is it over.

I return the handguns to the holster.
As the sakura-pink I’d been wearing comes apart, I speak to the two of them.

“…Um. If it’s over, may I go home?”
“…Ah, yeah. I got that there’s no point doing it now.”
“Haa. I don’t really get it, but good work.”
“…Good work. Let’s spar again someday.”
“Ahaha, absolutely not. See you.”

I leave in a hurry, just enough that it doesn’t look unnatural.
I’ve had enough of being tangled up further.

“Gios, I can go home, right?”
“Yes, thank you for today. Good work.”
“Thanks. Then!”

I check with Gios just in case and leave the royal castle at a fast walk.
If I stayed I don’t know what they’d do to me.
Hmm. Men like fighting, don’t they. Well, not all of them, I guess.

Still, Heroes. I’ve run into three of them already.
How do I put it… my days lately have been dense.