Chapter 175: The First Kill in Reality (Long Chapter)
The gurgling sound of the river water, the tempting aroma of a grill, and the crystal blue lake in the center reflecting the colors of the sky.
Akishin, Noma Naru, and the others had lit the grill. The charcoal embers glowed slowly, fanned by a fresh valley breeze, searing beef and pork on top, along with a few simple vegetables...
The beef shriveled under the high heat, letting out a sizzling sound as fat dripped down. The skin of the large red bell peppers separated from the flesh, turning soft; when the special seasoning was sprinkled on, the aroma immediately spread...
A few meters from the grill, on a colorful picnic mat, snacks, fruits, juice, and pastries were already laid out...
Before long, seeing that the meat on the grill was almost done, Noma Naru called out to the five women sitting on a large rock by the lakeside enjoying the view: "It's ready! It's time to eat! Hurry over, Hiratsuka-sensei, Konao-senpai, and Tenshi-senpai too..."
Akishin, who was arranging the grilled meat, shot a glance at Noma Naru. There was a slight difference in Noma Naru's tone when he first called out to Shizuka and Takeda Konao. For Shizuka, it was easy to understand—it was likely a sense of professional distance—but for Takeda Konao...
It seemed this Noma Naru had a thing for Takeda Konao.
It was perfectly natural. A girl like Takeda Konao would leave a good first impression after even a brief interaction. Although she appeared a bit slow at times, she was incredibly persistent, possessed an independent personality, had self-reliant habits, and relied on hard work to achieve good results...
Among the women there, Takeda Konao was the only one Shizuka truly wanted to befriend. And Takeda Konao was also the first girl Noma Naru had invited...
A girl like that was clearly perfect wife material.
As a young man, Noma Naru was full of aspirations regarding marriage, so it was only natural for him to like a girl like her.
Love, after all, isn't strictly the same thing as marriage.
"Coming! We'll be right there."
The five of them hopped down from the rock cheerfully, walking over with their clean, white bare feet.
Noma Naru placed the cooked meat on the picnic mat, then added various snacks and dried nuts. A total of nine people sat in a row, surrounding the food in the middle.
The grilled meat gave off a powerful scent, filling a thirty-centimeter plate. Mixed inside were peppers, potatoes, chives... it looked like a small mountain. The portion was certainly not small.
This was only half of the meat varieties; there was still a large plate of seafood that hadn't been touched yet... For now, everyone was having lunch together. Afterward, it would be free time; anyone who wanted to eat something else could grill it themselves, as two grills were available.
"Cheers! Hahaha..."
The nine of them raised their glasses of juice and toasted in the air, drinking together before starting to dig into the grilled meat with a noisy chorus of chewing. Everyone wore a bright smile.
"Wow, this is delicious! This beef is amazing, even better than what they make at Yakiniku restaurants..."
"Noma-sensei, I didn't expect your cooking skills to be this good. I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover..."
"Ah! It really is good! Wait, what are you saying? That I made this? No, no, no! Even though I'm decent at grilling, there's still a gap between me and this... This is Chishima-sensei's handiwork..."
"I only sprinkled a bit of seasoning, I didn't really do anything. The credit still goes to Noma-sensei..."
"Hurry up and eat, hurry and eat. Once this is gone, I'll grill some more."
A gentle valley breeze blew through. Everyone ate happily. The time was 11:30 in the morning. Sunlight fell upon them through the gaps in the forest canopy above, chasing away the valley's chill. It felt warm, and combined with the quiet surroundings, simply sitting there was a pleasure.
A maple leaf fell between them, landing on the snacks and also on Shizuka's head. Akishin instinctively picked it up, twirling it between his middle finger and thumb.
Shizuka smiled sweetly, instinctively picking up a piece of cake and holding it in front of Akishin; Akishin ate it in one bite.
And then...
They realized everyone else was watching them.
Shizuka finally remembered that this wasn't the Chishima Residence!
Her face turned visibly red. She lowered her head and concentrated on eating her meat skewer, eating until her mouth was covered in grease, not daring to look at anyone.
Akishin narrowed his eyes and chuckled, not letting it bother him, and poured another glass of juice for Shizuka.
Everyone let out a breath of relief, but looking at the skewers in their hands, they suddenly felt like the taste wasn't quite as good anymore?
Noma Naru couldn't help but look toward Takeda Konao, and by chance, Takeda Konao looked over as well. Their gazes met and immediately darted away. Both of their faces flushed, and they stole glances at each other from the corners of their eyes...
The atmosphere quickly recovered.
But it was soon ruined again!
"Shizuka, eat slowly. Look, your mouth is covered. Come here, let me clean that up for you~"
Akishin took a tissue and wiped the corner of Shizuka's mouth.
Silence—!
Time seemed to stop. Shizuka was stunned, her face—which had just started to cool down—turned a deep crimson again. The others were also stunned, their expressions incredibly complex.
What the hell was this?
Was this some form of torture for single people?
In a perfectly good picnic for singles, why did a couple have to tag along? The silver rings on their middle fingers glinted under the sun, stabbing everyone's eyes with their brilliance.
Lunch finished, and they moved into free time. Aside from Konao and Shizuka, the other three women said they were full and made plans with the two men to play by the sea, following the riverbank.
Akishin and Noma Naru stayed by the grills to continue cooking. Seafood was placed on the grill all at once—oysters, squid, seaweed... Shizuka and Konao each stayed by a grill and kept eating.
They didn't care at all about the "women should eat small portions" principle. Their philosophy was to eat something delicious first, then eat until full. As for their image, as long as it wasn't embarrassing, it didn't matter.
Besides, this wasn't a group meeting attended by superiors.
"Shizuka, the grilled oysters are done. I've added the minced garlic..."
"Konao-senpai, is the squid good? I purposefully only used a little bit of chili..."
It had to be admitted, this method of eating while grilling was far more enjoyable than the group meal earlier. Of course, the main factor was that the person they were facing was different.
"Noma-kun, this squid..."
"Yes! What is it, Konao-senpai?"
"Ah! It's nothing. It's very delicious, thank you."
"Yes! Ah! You're welcome, haha, haha..."
Seeing Noma Naru's somewhat foolish smile, Takeda Konao was stunned for a moment, then smiled sweetly. Looking at the grilled squid decorated with chili and fennel in her hand, she took a small bite.
She actually wanted to say, "This squid isn't as good as the grilled meat from earlier," but seeing Noma Naru's earnestness, she decided against it—actually, if she tasted it carefully, it seemed like this was much better~
Akishin and Shizuka looked over there together, locked eyes, smiled in unison, and together raised their juice glasses toward the two of them.
"Noma-sensei, Takeda-sensei, have a good time."
"Ah! Right, right, have a good time..."
Noma Naru and Takeda Konao hurriedly raised their glasses and returned the greeting from afar, feeling a bit moved and flattered at the same time.
"Ho ho, I'll try some too. A friend asked me to bring this..."
Noma Naru took a skewer and ate his own grilled squid.
...
"Chishima-sensei, sorry for the trouble."
"No, it's just a small thing..."
Noma Naru finally bravely accepted the reality that his cooking skills were quite poor, and finally understood what Takeda Konao had wanted to say at the start. On one hand, he was moved by Takeda Konao's kindness; on the other, he was drowning in the shadow of failure.
'I... the distance between me and Chishima-sensei is still too far. I can't even make one piece of grilled meat properly, hiks hiks hiks...'
Then, under Akishin's invitation, with a heavy heart (actually very happy), he pulled Takeda Konao to sit with Shizuka.
Together, they ate the seafood grilled by Akishin.
Actually, Noma Naru's grilling wasn't bad—it was up to standard—it just didn't hold a candle compared to a master's work.
Shizuka suddenly pulled Takeda Konao over and asked, "That's right, Konao, how old are you?"
"How old am I?" Takeda Konao was confused for a moment, then answered blankly, "Senpai, I'm twenty-three this year!"
"And Noma-kun?" Shizuka asked Noma Naru.
"Eh, eh, Hiratsuka-sensei, I'm twenty-two this year."
"So young... no, I mean, it's because you just graduated, right? Haha."
"Th... that's right..."
"Ehm~ hehe, then Noma-kun better work hard. Konao, you shouldn't hold out until you reach my age either~"
Shizuka let out a small laugh, finished her orange juice in one gulp, and let out a long sigh. Her pale, clean face was full of satisfaction.
She really drank that orange juice with the vibe of someone chugging a beer.
Noma Naru: "???"
Suddenly, he glanced at Takeda Konao on his left, understood what Hiratsuka-senpai meant, and nodded firmly.
"I understand. Thank you, Hiratsuka-senpai."
Takeda Konao lowered her head, her face slightly flushed.
Akishin continued grilling the meat in his hand, eating some himself. To get full on this kind of food required a large quantity; luckily, Noma Naru had brought plenty of supplies.
Suddenly, Akishin stopped his motion of eating squid and stared toward the valley entrance... Over there, because it wasn't covered by trees, the grass performed photosynthesis to its maximum, growing taller than a person. Only on the edges was there a small path for hikers.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
A certain sound came from there.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
It was heard again. Now, even Shizuka and the other two heard the noise and turned their heads in confusion.
???
"What's over there? Is someone there? Suzuki-sensei? Itto-sensei...?"
Clearly, the bushes there were swaying.
Noma Naru and Takeda Konao stood up, preparing to go take a look.
Akishin furrowed his brows, then snapped: "Noma, Takeda, get back! Don't go over there!"
A breeze blew past, and Akishin caught a musty, fishy scent. Combined with the warning sign he had seen when they arrived, there was no need to explain what that thing was anymore.
Damn it, talk about bad luck!!!
Akishin rose from his seat and grabbed the small knife used for cutting meat—it was only about the size of a palm.
"Eh! Chishima-sensei, what's wrong..."
Before Noma Naru could finish his sentence, a giant creature emerged from the bushes. Its body was as large as a small car, with a long, pointed snout, curved tusks, a ferocious glare, and black fur that resembled steel needles...
Without a doubt, it was a wild boar!
And a massive one at that!
It was estimated to weigh at least four hundred pounds (about 200 kg), a peak forest combatant that would even make a tiger back away.
Wild boars in Japan weren't protected like they were in China; on the contrary, they were incredibly abundant. Every year, the government even organized special boar hunts...
But even so, that only served to suppress the population so they wouldn't become a plague.
A major reason for this was Japan's extremely strict firearm laws; even hunting rifles were not allowed. Even when the government eradicated boars, they could only use traps.
—After all, Japan is the only country in the world that completely bans firearms.
A human without a weapon had almost zero chance of winning a head-on confrontation with an adult wild boar.
Furthermore, Japanese people didn't seem to eat wild animals.
Not for any exaggerated reason, they were just afraid of parasites. They claimed anything could be made into sashimi, but in principle, they only used creatures raised under standardized farming.
Akishin didn't understand much about those things; the priority now was to deal with the creature in front of him.
Akishin snapped again: "Noma, Takeda, get back quickly! You can't handle something like this..."
He quickly left his position...
Takeda Konao stared at the boar that looked like a small car and said in horror: "Th-th-this, how can a wild boar appear here? There weren't even any tracks along the way..."
On the road coming here, there hadn't been a single trace of boar activity.
Shizuka stood up with a serious expression, staring at the grill that was still emitting a fragrant aroma, then said in a heavy voice: "It was lured by the scent of our grill."
"No, Senpai, that... you guys run! I'll hold it back... also Konao-senpai, you guys walk away slowly, don't provoke it. I've watched wilderness survival shows before..."
Noma Naru moved slowly in front of Takeda Konao, protecting her behind him. His gaze was full of fear, yet he stared intently at the boar in front of him.
From this point alone, Noma Naru had proven his courage.
In the next second, the boar finally targeted them. Like a territorial lord finding intruders, it charged forward.
A powerful sense of dread weighed on their minds.
Her pupils shrinking, Takeda Konao wanted to run, but her legs felt heavy as if filled with lead; she couldn't move them at all.
Noma Naru was stunned for two full seconds before coming to his senses. He turned to grab Takeda Konao to move, but it was too late—the boar was less than thirty meters away.
The ground seemed to shake.
Seeing the boar about to reach them, Noma Naru suddenly felt a strong push on his back, propelling him toward Takeda Konao, until he and Takeda Konao were sent flying.
The two of them fell onto the soft grass. Before they could react, they heard a tragic squeal from the boar.
"Ngook ngook!!!"
Rewind to five seconds earlier.
Seeing the boar about to hit the two of them, Akishin dashed forward, kicking Noma Naru's back with one foot, shifting his body sideways to avoid the piercing tusks. The small knife in his hand ruthlessly stabbed the boar's neck, and then he kicked the boar's front leg, using the momentum of the collision to leap backward with all his strength, distancing himself from the beast.
Accompanied by a chaotic sound, the boar's hooves crushed the picnic mat, knocking over the grill. Grilled meat and uncooked food spilled across the ground, mixed with juice and milk. Red, white, yellow, green... colors mixed together like a spilled paint shop.
Shizuka's heart pounded wildly. She almost ran over there, especially when Akishin charged forward.
"Go!"
Akishin took a step forward, his gaze incredibly cold. The killing intent formed from slaughtering countless entities in the Training Space was released without restraint, pressing down on the boar like a sharp blade.
Noma Naru and the other two, including Shizuka, felt like Akishin had changed—as if he were far more terrifying than the boar itself. There was a chill that felt like an illusion.
Originally, he thought his killing intent could easily scare the boar away, but...
Akishin frowned, staring at the small knife stuck in the boar's neck.
The boar was too large, and the knife was too small. Even if it was buried to the hilt, it wouldn't kill the boar in a short time; instead, it only triggered the creature's ferocity.
It was no longer afraid of the killing intent!
The boar's eyes began to turn red.
"Ngook ngook!!!"
The boar charged again!
Akishin dodged with agility, kicking the boar's neck with one foot. The boar's body swayed, causing the wound on the other side to widen further.
Fresh blood soaked the meadow. The boar became even more frantic, slamming into a small tree the size of an arm by the path.
Crack!
The small tree snapped instantly.
Akishin's expression was deathly serious. Without looking back, he shouted loudly: "Shizuka, throw that backpack to me!" He could only use [Rebirth], because he couldn't kill this beast in a short amount of time, and he couldn't guarantee the boar wouldn't hurt Shizuka—that was absolutely unacceptable.
"The backpack! Ah! Right, right...!"
Shizuka happened to be next to the luggage. She hurriedly found the backpack and threw it: "Akishin, be careful!" She believed in Akishin, yet she was also deeply worried for him.
Akishin caught the backpack flying toward him. Just as he unzipped it slightly, the boar was already charging forward.
In the next second, Akishin had completely transformed.
Like a single blade!
Zing!
The three of them faintly heard the sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard. Akishin stepped forward, pulling a long sword with a dark purple blade from inside the backpack. Under the sunlight, the strange black patterns on the sword seemed to flow as if alive.
In the next second, Akishin and the boar crossed paths.
Squelch!
The back of the boar's neck sprayed a burst of fresh blood. It continued to charge forward for several meters before falling to the ground with a heavy 'thud.'
The fishy scent of blood slowly spread. Akishin flicked his long sword, the blood on the blade splattering onto the ground in a fan shape.
Staring at the blade which left no trace of blood, his gaze became complex. [Rebirth] had sliced through half of the boar's neck like cutting through tofu. Only, this was the first time [Rebirth] had killed a living creature in reality...
And it turned out the kill was a wild boar!!!
Akishin's heart felt a wave of disgust, as if he had just eaten a dead cockroach.
However, he didn't show it on his face!
As for Shizuka and the others, they saw Akishin holding a dark purple long sword, his body standing perfectly straight, his gaze cold and sharp;
The sunlight shone from behind him, casting a dark shadow on his face that wouldn't fade. The boar's corpse not far away was still twitching abnormally; between their breaths was the increasingly thick scent of blood...
The minds of the three almost stopped working!
They felt like they were truly seeing a Samurai swordsman who had slaughtered a living being during the Sengoku period!
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