"Hee hee~ Mr. Lancer~! Long time no see~!!"
Perhaps because he was in a growth phase, Juuzou Suzuya looked quite a bit taller than he did two years ago, but his cheerful demeanor hadn't changed at all.
"Long time no see, Juuzou~"
Lancer was a simple person. He was kind to those who were kind to him. Facing the enthusiastic Juuzou Suzuya, Lancer unconsciously showed a smile, and seeing Lancer smile, the smile on the opponent's face deepened even more.
But just as Juuzou Suzuya was about to continue exchanging greetings, a reminder came from the loudspeaker on the side from Yukinori Shinohara.
"You'll have plenty of opportunities to chat, Juuzou. Let's start the test first."
"Yes~~~"
Faced with Yukinori Shinohara's command, although Juuzou Suzuya was a little dissatisfied, he didn't say much other than deliberately drawing out the sound with a mischievous twist.
'It seems everyone has grown during the time I was away...'
As Lancer sighed internally, Juuzou Suzuya on the other side also swung the steel scythe in his hand, but since it was for training, the weapon was not sharpened.
"Mr. Lancer, I actually admire you very much... I still remember your figure when we first met two years ago, killing the Ghoul without hesitation and then casually throwing it away like trash... it was amazing!! So, let me try to see how you've changed over these two years. I specifically begged for this from Uncle Shinohara~"
"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you."
"I hope so."
As Juuzou Suzuya's words fell, the sound of 'Begin' came from the loudspeaker.
"Whoosh~!"
As the battle began, several short knives flew directly towards Lancer, and this straightforward attack naturally couldn't hit him. With a flick of his long spear, the flying knives in the air were immediately deflected, but Juuzou Suzuya himself had already rushed towards Lancer using this brief gap.
"Bang!!"
Juuzou Suzuya, who leaped into the air, swung his scythe fiercely downwards towards Lancer, but Lancer easily parried it. However, this was not the end, or rather, the combat style of the scythe itself was very strange.
With a pull of his arm, the blade of the scythe, which was originally stopped in front of Lancer chest, sliced towards Lancer chest, but Lancer suddenly let go of his right hand and simultaneously lunged to the left to dodge.
"Scratch~!"
Accompanied by a series of sparks, the large scythe slid down the steel pole towards the ground, and Lancer kicked fiercely towards Juuzou Suzuya's lower abdomen. However, Juuzou Suzuya unexpectedly propped himself up hard on the scythe handle and leaped into the air, dodging Lancer attack. At the same time, using the force from his descent, he swung the scythe towards Lancer again. This time, because Lancer had proactively let go, he could no longer use his long spear to parry Juuzou Suzuya's attack, but he performed an action that surprised everyone outside the field.
He actually let go of the other hand intentionally, while his right foot suddenly stepped forward, thrusting him right next to Juuzou Suzuya, and his right fist struck fiercely towards the opponent's lower abdomen!
"Bang!!"
"Clang~"
Accompanied by a muffled sound, Juuzou Suzuya was sent flying several meters away, and the scythe in his hand fell directly to the ground...
However, Juuzou Suzuya, who stood up again while clutching his stomach, did not give up. In fact, he even wore a morbid smile. After sprinting and picking up the scythe on the ground, he attacked Lancer again, and Lancer had already gripped the steel pole that had fallen to the side. There was no doubt that the test was not over yet.
Kureo Mado had already heard about the wounds on Lancer body from his daughter, and he could roughly guess that the two years Lancer was missing were not wasted. His strength must have increased considerably, but he hadn't expected it to increase so much. One must know that Juuzou Suzuya was a Special Class Investigator-Designate!
That's right. If Lancer had become a thorn in the side of the Ghouls due to his constant Ghoul suppressions, then after Lancer went missing, Juuzou Suzuya inherited Lancer role. His hatred for Ghouls made him even more ruthless in the slaughter of Ghouls. If Lancer merely killed Ghouls, Juuzou's comprehension of the necessity to destroy the corpses as well terrified Ghouls and even his own comrades.
With a large number of suppression records and a Special Class Investigator, Yukinori Shinohara, as his partner, Juuzou Suzuya was recently promoted to Special Class Investigator-Designate. Some people even privately called him the CCG's next trump card, and it was clear that many people already considered Juuzou Suzuya to be Arima Kishou's successor.
But such a person was sent flying by Lancer after only a few minutes of engagement...
Only when he saw the two fighting again did Yukinori Shinohara remember his job.
"That's enough. The test is over."
As Yukinori Shinohara's words fell, Lancer was about to stop, but he found that Juuzou Suzuya in front of him seemed to have entered a strange state. He completely ignored Yukinori Shinohara's command and continued to attack Lancer.
"Juuzou! Stop!"
But just at this moment, the shouting from the loudspeaker suddenly grew louder, and Juuzou Suzuya, who had already swung his scythe, stopped, his body rigid.
"Clatter~!"
The scythe was thrown to the ground, and he sat down on the ground with his legs crossed.
"Sorry, Mr. Lancer."
"It's okay. After all, you're the one who got hurt the whole time."
Hearing Lancer 'truthful' comment, even the usually cheerful Juuzou Suzuya couldn't help but show a helpless expression, but just at this moment, a hand was extended in front of him.
"Let's go up. Mr. Mado and Special Class Shinohara should be waiting for us."
"Yeah, I just wonder if Uncle Shinohara is going to be angry?"
Rubbing his head, Juuzou Suzuya grabbed Lancer hand and stood up.
"Snap~!"
As expected, when Lancer and Juuzou Suzuya returned to Kureo Mado and Yukinori Shinohara, a stern-faced Yukinori Shinohara walked directly in front of Juuzou Suzuya and gave him a chop to the head.
"Are you an idiot! How many times have I told you! Training is training! Hunting Ghouls is hunting Ghouls! What if you hurt the other Investigator you're sparring with?"
"But... I was the one who got hit this time..."
Juuzou Suzuya, covering his head with both hands, showed a wronged expression, but Yukinori Shinohara, who had already seen through his attempt to be cute, completely ignored him.
"I'm talking about your attitude..."
Looking at Juuzou Suzuya, who was hanging his head while being scolded, and Yukinori Shinohara, who had his arms crossed, Lancer suddenly felt a little strange, and just at this moment, Kureo Mado walked up to Lancer.
"They don't look like normal partners; they look more like father and son, don't they?"
"Yes, but it's really enviable..."
Lancer sighed unconsciously, and Kureo Mado raised an eyebrow.
"Enviable? Are you saying you want me to give you a chop to the head too? Or are you saying you want to be my son?"
"Cough, cough~ Mr. Mado, I just said that casually..."
Although they were meeting again after more than two years, Lancer felt as if nothing had changed.