Book 3: Chapter 88

Book 3: Chapter 88

Chapter 88.

Tenji had just finished another hour of careful warm-up exercise, along with Fuyuki helping him stretch.

He received support for his back and sometimes leaned on it, and they did stretches facing each other with legs apart. Tenji didn't want to get injured during the quest, so he did it seriously.

From the side, if someone were to look at them, they looked like real brothers.

"Well, I'm going then."

"Do your best. I can't do anything, but I'll be cheering you on. Fight!"

Fuyuki puts his hand on Tenji's shoulder and smiles gently as if to share his strength with Tenji.

Tenji nodded emphatically, "Thank you," and slowly opened the Hell Quest page of 'Book of Enma.'

There was a sound of rustling paper being flipped through, and it stopped abruptly on a page filled with silver letters.

[Start Hell Quest]

Gently, Tenji touched the silver letters with his finger.

Fuyuki could not see the strange scene with his eyes, but he somehow knew by his actions that Tenji was operating something.

Fuyuki became accustomed to Tenji's actions over the past week, so he thought it was just like usual.

And in a blink of an eye.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Tenji's body was sucked into the 'Book of Enma.'

"Wow...... is this what Tenji-Kun was talking about, being sucked in?"

Fuyuki stared at the scene, unconsciously opening his mouth in surprise.

To him, it looked like a completely different scene from that of Tenji.

Tenji was doing something while touching an empty space - the 'Book of Enma' - and instantly.

Tenji's body disappeared before his eyes in a flash.

If an unfamiliar ordinary person were to see it, they would likely think that Tenji had suddenly disappeared somewhere. It would seem like a god's disappearance.

But in reality, he has just transferred to the hell realm, so Tenji's calling is distorted. It's the same whether seen through his own eyes or through other people's eyes. He disappeared.

"As expected, you're interesting, Tenji-Kun."

Fuyuki, looking tired from surprise, sat down on a white swing while staring at the empty space.

He gazed at the deep blue sky, cloudless on a perfect summer day.

The sun was baking his skin; he could feel sweat flowing from his whole body just by sitting.

Even so, it has been a little over two years since he came to this city, and even this too-hot climate feels like home to Fuyuki. Mallorca had already become a second home to Fuyuki.

"But, I never would have imagined that a student from Japan would come to Mallorca... a year ago, I never even thought it was possible."

Mallorca Escuela has only 225 admission quotas in the world.

Nearly 200 of these seats are said to be held by individuals. The other 25 seats are held by major powers, one seat each of the so-called most powerful countries of the period.

Fuyuki is also studying here in Mallorca Escuela using a quota (slot, seats) held by that state. A quota was given to the best students in the Japan Explorer High School.

Unfortunately, not a single Japanese person held an individual quota (seats) in Mallorca Escuela. It was a shame.

So Fuyuki had never thought that another Japanese person would study with him at Mallorca.

At that time, it just so happened that the upper-echelon management of Japan was considering who would fill that role. Fuyuki, a genius, was convenient for them.

--- A future zero-grade explorer would not be subject to public criticism.

Knowing the association's intentions, Fuyuki willingly agreed to study in Mallorca Escuela.

Soon after, he moved to his study-abroad location and began his student life with the government's support.

Mallorca was a country full of stimulation, but Fuyuki was not satisfied with any of it.

He had never understood why until now.

He was steadily developing his calling and steadily accumulating his skills and knowledge as an explorer. As a future zero-level explorer, he had high expectations from all over the world. He had no intention of lacking in effort.

He was aware that he was now in the best environment, so much so that Dean Limey was concerned about him somehow.

Even though he should have been satisfied... he continued an unfulfilling life as an international student.

Then one day ---

For the first time, Fuyuki knew defeat.

In front of him appeared a young, cute woman with white hair who was only two years older.

She was a fellow Japanese...

Fuyuki faced a young woman around the average height for Japanese women at 150 cm and had a slim body with no visible muscles. She had the perfect amount of fat in all the desirable places and had a body shape that was sure to catch the attention of men. Her name was Chigo.

While other women might have envied her, as an explorer, Fuyuki saw that her body shape was not suitable for battle. Despite this, he found himself training against her in a sparring match.

Despite the overwhelming disadvantage, Fuyuki lost the match. It was his first experience of defeat in his life. Despite putting in his all, he was easily beaten, and when he came to, he was lying on his back looking up at the sky.

That day, it seemed like a void in Fuyuki's heart had been filled.

This woman, Chigo Shiroushi, would be the one to fill the hole in his heart.

He didn't know what that meant yet. But he felt that if he could keep up with Chisato and become a person who could reach her level, he would understand what it was.

The two years older Chigo taught Fuyuki that he was still small and insignificant as a human.

Above all, there is someone even higher.

Even though he was currently riding the waves of success, having someone defeat him made him happy in some way deep in his heart.

He realized that two years older, Chigo was someone who could fill all of his emptiness.

Talent is like this, you see.

Chigo taught him that. Just having someone close to him bring him down made Fuyuki want to work hard alongside them.

"So I --- I'm going to try my hardest to keep up with you guys. I'm never going to lose. This is who I am."

In the yard of a house on the outskirts of an empty town, Fuyuki powerfully exhaled his determination into the blue sky.

It was at that moment ---

The white goddess appeared, peeking out from the other side of the white wooden fence, looking into the garden.

Her white hair fluttered in the wind, and Chigo quickly held down her hair with one hand.

"Fuyuki-Kun?"

"Chigo, defeat me today."

"Ha ha ha, you're talking nonsense again. I'll let you kiss the ground as many times as you want."