Chapter 152: Just How Many "Ta"s Are There?
It was late July.
The scent of the wind and the cries of cicadas reminded everyone that summer had arrived.
Hagun Academy's first semester ended alongside the selections, and the summer vacation countless students had eagerly awaited finally began.
Summer vacation in this country generally lasted from mid-July until the end of August.
Taking advantage of this rare long holiday, students who had traveled from all over the country returned to their hometowns.
With so many students gone, the enormous academy suddenly seemed far more deserted.
The Seven Star Sword Art Festival would be held in mid-August, leaving approximately one month until the tournament.
As Hagun Academy's representatives, they had been dragged away by Kurono for an intensive training camp lasting around ten days.
The camp had originally been scheduled to take place at a training facility in Okutama.
However, strange rumors had recently begun spreading throughout the area.
Some people even claimed they had seen giants in Okutama.
As such stories continued to spread, Kurono dispatched several teachers to investigate.
Naturally, the Okutama facility could no longer be used.
Kurono instead contacted Kyomon Academy, which was relatively close to Hagun, and arranged for their representatives to attend a joint training camp.
Kyomon Academy's training facility was located in Yamagata.
At the center of the training grounds, Hagun's representatives were fiercely battling several powerful assistants specially selected from the academies.
The group containing Stella and Touka produced the loudest commotion.
After all, both Stella and Touka had already reached the level of professional knights.
Without exaggeration, many professional knights within the League were vastly inferior to them.
Amid the training field where everyone was fighting intensely, the sole contestant casually wandering around stood out enormously.
"Yawn~"
Shiro walked among the contestants while observing their battles.
A warm summer breeze descended from the sky, causing the already bored Shiro to yawn.
'I shouldn't have come.'
'Didn't Nene say she had something important to tell me during the camp? She wasn't tricking me, was she...?'
The intensive training camp was intended to strengthen the representatives even further before the tournament.
The academies had even invited professional knights from the KOK League to serve as instructors.
However, neither the instructors invited from the League nor the students accompanying him could contribute to Shiro's growth.
Even if those so-called professional knights joined forces, they still would not be enough to defeat him.
Shiro had even begun considering whether he should use this opportunity to escape into another world.
He could simply adjust the time difference and return around the seventh day.
However, remembering Nene's unusually serious expression when he left for Kyomon, he decided to remain until the training camp ended.
"Ah! It's Shiro-san!"
At that moment, a voice resembling a droplet falling into a clear spring interrupted his thoughts.
Shiro turned around and saw Kagami.
A yellow armband bearing the words "Newspaper Club" was wrapped around her arm.
Holding a small notebook, she enthusiastically greeted him.
"Hm? Why are you here?"
"This is a rare opportunity to interview all these contestants. Of course I couldn't miss it."
She turned the notebook around so Shiro could see its contents.
It contained conversations Kagami had recorded while interviewing representatives from other academies.
Contestants who were normally difficult to meet had gathered in one place.
Naturally, countless reporters had also been attracted to the training camp.
While they were speaking, another boy and girl noticed Kagami and walked over.
"My, these matches were worth coming here even if I'd needed to pay admission. This trip was an incredible bargain."
"Kagami, Hagun's representatives this year—huh?! Y-You... Could you possibly be...?"
The boy had been about to speak with Kagami when he suddenly saw Shiro's face.
His expression changed as though he had seen a ghost, and he pointed at Shiro with a trembling finger.
Kagami found his reaction somewhat strange.
From what she remembered, he was usually quite courageous.
Why could he barely speak after seeing Shiro today?
Out of politeness, Kagami temporarily ignored his strange behavior and introduced the pair.
"This girl is Reporter Yagokoro from Bukyoku Academy's newspaper club."
"And this boy is Komiyama-san from Donrou Academy's newspaper club."
"Donrou..."
The moment Shiro heard the academy's name, his expression became slightly strange.
As he remembered, Kurashiki Kuraudo attended Donrou Academy.
Shiro had stopped paying attention to him after crippling him.
Judging from his injuries at the time, the best possible outcome was that Kuraudo could never wield a sword again.
From Komiyama's reaction, it seemed his condition was indeed terrible.
Shiro also understood why the boy reacted this way.
After all, he could not reduce someone's fellow student to a state where he could barely care for himself and still expect a friendly greeting.
"Um... How is Kurashiki doing now?"
Shiro admitted that the question sounded slightly provocative.
However, part of Kuraudo's condition had been brought upon himself.
Besides, Shiro was genuinely curious about what Kuraudo had intended to do to him if their positions had been reversed.
Even Shiro thought the question sounded obnoxious.
Naturally, it was especially infuriating to Komiyama.
At that moment, he desperately wished he could tear Shiro into pieces.
'You're the main culprit, yet you're asking how the victim is doing? What exactly are you planning?'
'You already made Kurashiki-san incapable of ever holding a sword again while he was healthy.'
'I don't even dare imagine what you'll do after learning how miserable he is now!'
However, Kuraudo had been beaten so badly.
Komiyama suspected that challenging Shiro himself would only result in another effortless defeat.
Just as he began considering retreating, the image of a small figure who had recently appeared at Donrou Academy and overwhelmed everyone suddenly entered his mind.
He immediately regained some confidence.
Even if his legs trembled like sieves, he would point at Shiro's nose and loudly condemn him!
There was no deeper reason.
He merely needed to defend his pride!
In the next instant, under Shiro's astonished gaze, Komiyama "roared" in a voice as faint as a mosquito.
"D-Don't become too arrogant... J-Just wait..."
"Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta-Tatara-san will punish you on behalf of Donrou Academy..."
After forcing out those words, Komiyama seemed to exhaust every trace of courage in his body.
He no longer dared look at Shiro, immediately turned around, and fled.
Kagami and Yagokoro remained behind, exchanging bewildered glances.
Watching him stagger around like a drunken man, only one question remained in Shiro's mind.
'Just how many "Ta"s are there in that Donrou representative's name...?'
…
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