Martial Arts Class
The results for each subject were, of course, all passing grades. Now, the afternoons in the second semester will be all about the guild!
However, there was a bit of a fuss in the martial arts class…
The martial arts class consists of most of the boys from Classes A to C. The only girls are me and Belle.
When the test results were announced, Belle and I were in the top 10. Some students complained that they couldn’t accept being outscored by us.
Come on, during the test, it was obvious they were slower than us… They know they lost, right?
"So, are you saying I favored Joan and Belle?"
The martial arts teacher said, and one student replied,
"N-No, that’s not what I mean… But, like, maybe the ones counting the sit-ups messed up or something."
For push-ups and sit-ups, we paired up and counted how many each could do in one minute, then reported it. I was paired with Souya, and Belle was with Riki. By the way, Souya, Riki, and Zack were also in the top 10.
"So, you’re saying we miscounted?"
"More like you reported more than you actually counted, didn’t you? You’re all in the same class, right? A commoner and noble girls—maybe you got paid off or something?"
"Huh? What did you say?! Say it again!!"
Riki snapped, shouting. If Souya hadn’t held him back, he looked ready to throw a punch.
"Um, teacher?"
"What, Joan?"
"If they’re saying we cheated, how about we do it again? That’ll prove whether there was cheating or not, right?"
"I-I’ll do it too."
Belle and I suggested a retest.
"Well, alright. But I can’t just make you two do it… Fine! Dagger and Brad, since you’re the ones doubting, you’ll retake the test too."
"Wha… Got it."
"Okay…"
"There’s no time for a marathon, so we’ll do the 50-meter sprint, 30 seconds of sit-ups, and push-ups. First up, the 50-meter sprint. Get in position."
"""Yes."""
On the way to the starting position,
"We’ll definitely expose your cheating!"
"Acting all high and mighty for girls!"
Dagger and Brad said as they passed us.
"Ugh, what a pain."
"Now, now."
"Hey, Belle, what do we do? Hold back again?"
"No, after all this, we should crush them completely, don’t you think?"
"Alright… let’s get serious."
"Get set, go!"
At the signal from the martial arts teacher’s assistant, we started running.
Belle and I had a strong start and powered through the 50 meters. The results were…
1st: Joan - 8.30 seconds
2nd: Belle - 8.50 seconds
3rd: Dagger - 9.15 seconds
4th: Brad - 9.23 seconds
Phew… It might be a bit immature, but we went all out.
Our previous test time was 9.45 seconds, so even the teachers were shocked.
"Next, sit-ups. Two at a time. We’ll count, so someone else hold their feet. Not the ones you were paired with before."
Belle and I went first, with Bon and Koshi holding our feet.
"30 seconds. Start!"
The results were…
1st: Belle - 33 reps
2nd: Joan - 32 reps
3rd: Brad - 28 reps
4th: Dagger - 25 reps
"Next time for sure…"
Brad wasn’t giving up yet.
"Push-ups, 30 seconds. Start!"
The results were…
1st: Dagger - 20 reps
2nd (tie): Brad - 18 reps
2nd (tie): Joan - 18 reps
4th: Belle - 15 reps
"Alright!!"
Dagger and Brad cheered.
"Hold on, Dagger, Brad… You’ve already lost twice."
"Oh…"
"Now do you get it? We teachers didn’t favor anyone, and Souya and Riki, who were paired with Joan and Belle, didn’t cheat either."
"But… losing to girls…"
"Damn it! I even got promoted at the adventurer guild over the summer…"
The teachers were muttering something quietly. I caught bits like, "Should we say it?" and "Can’t be helped."
"Listen, Dagger, Brad, here, it doesn’t matter if you’re noble, commoner, male, or female. Only skill matters."
"Then… are you saying it’s fine if we injure a female student during sparring?"
Dagger’s implying that Belle and I would lose. Are they really that strong?
"If someone gets injured during class sparring, there’s no penalty. But if you attack someone out of personal grudges outside of class, that’s a different story. By the way, you mentioned getting promoted—where and to what rank?"
"Yeah! We went from F to E at the West Capital Adventurer Guild!"
They said, giving us smug looks. Belle and I just stared blankly—not because we were impressed, but because we didn’t get why they were so proud.
"I see. Joan, Belle, you’re registered with the Adventurers’ Guild too, right? What’s your rank and guild?"
"I’m Rank D at the Lampail Adventurers’ Guild."
"""""What?!"""""
"""The Lampail Guild…"""
"""""No way?!"""""
"Uh, I-I’m Rank D at Burst…"
""""""What?!""""""
"""""No way…"""""
"Now do you understand? Joan and Belle have that level of skill."
""""""""Yes…""""""""
"Alright, class is over. Dismissed."
After class, I stopped the teachers heading back to the school building.
"Teachers, did you already know about our ranks?"
"Hm? Well, yeah."
"Yup, we heard from Gene, Vince, and Eric."
""What?!""
"Look, there are only two girls in the first-year martial arts class, right? Gene and the others were worried and asked us to keep an eye on you."
""What?!""
"Well, their concern was more about whether you’d go overboard."
""Huh?!""
"Especially Joan, they said you’re an oblivious outlier… And they were right. You two were holding back in the test, weren’t you? Your 50-meter sprint was faster this time—that’s not normal."
""Oh… sorry.""
"Well, the second semester’s gonna be fun watching you two."
""Hahaha…""
Gene and the others… what are you even worried about?!
What do you think about this chapter?
