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High School Hack and Slash Chapter 1 Part 1

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Pasifista

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Toyoashihara Sengoku Shusuiho Academy

　Its school uniform was a simple blazer style.

　A navy blue jacket.

　A patch with academy’s insignia stamped on it was attached on the right breast pocket.

　The navy-based uniform was orthodox, and didn’t choose their bearer.

　The girls’ skirts were a light gray tartan check, and the blue ribbon tie on the chest was a nice accent to it.

　Even if you saw them on the street somewhere, they would not be particularly eye-catching or unusual.

　Be it at a bus stop, in front of a train station, or in a downtown area, they gave off ordinary-ness that would allow them to blend in naturally at those places.

　If there was anything that seemed out of place, right, it would be the halberd in his hand and the armor that was donned over his uniform.

「Oi, Touma. I’ll leave the boss in the back to you, alright?」

　Trench knives that were held in both hands were brandished at speed that left behind afterimages, and a youth was yawning as he intercepted the whole of countless spikes flying toward them.

「Grape Shoot!」

　The skirt of the female student who raised her wand was fluttered by the blast of magic bullets that flew out like that of a shotgun.

　The two-headed wolf that jumped out of the blast was diced into four pieces by two slashes of katana that sliced through the air.

「There’s nothing I can’t cut!」

　A female student with several katanas attached on the tactical belt wrapped around the waist of her school uniform was wielding an Oodachi that was clad in a wisp of flame.

「…Touma-san, is something wrong?」

　Even as the girl, who was carrying a naginata, tilted her head in wonder, he merely took a step forward and shook his head.

　The head-rising colossal frame of the floor guardian, whose majority of its minions had been decimated, shook as it was about to begin to move.

「Even now, I’m still in slight wonder whether it’s a dream or a reality.」

「I, see.」

「But for now….」

　Nodding to the girls, the masters of the growling and groaning beasts, he took another step forward.

「Prostrate yourself. Servant.」

　As ionic burst made his hair stand on end, he charged straight into the boss.

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

「Next, Funasaka Touma. Come in.」

　At the call raised from the other side of the door, the schoolboy, who had been staring out the window in boredom, stood up.

　The courtyard, where leaves and colors had begun to fall, was exceedingly dreary.

　The chairs lined up by the windows of the hallway were occupied by students who were also waiting for their turn, as well as the parents of the students who were accompanying them.

　A three-way meeting pertaining to the criterion of enrolling to a high school that would surely become one of the several important crossroads in life was taking place.

「Excuse me.」

　Amidst the students who were called in turn according to their roll, he, by himself, opened the door and bowed to the homeroom teacher who was waiting for him.

　The homeroom teacher, sandwiched between two file wagons crammed with documents on either side, looked up from the documents on the table and heaved out a sigh.

「Nah, don’t be sorry. You are not at fault here. But well, have a seat.」

「… My apologies.」

　There were two desks and two seats arranged in front of the homeroom teacher, and the boy sat alone in one of them.

　It turned into a two-way meeting instead of a three-way meeting.

「I’ve also tried to call them a few times to make sure, you see. Oh, just take it easy. It’s not like I’m reproaching you or anything.」

　Touma barely managed to float a troubled smile.

　For Touma, the homeroom teacher was an ally he could trust, as he had always been so considerate of him on various occasions.

「It seems that my mother’s switched her cell phone number. So I don’t know where or what she’s up to right now.」

「Has your father not come home yet?」

「Ever since he got the notice of the three-way meeting…. It’s not uncommon for him not to come home for a few months, after all.」

　The homeroom teacher, holding back a sigh, only replied, I see.

　Domestic troubles were not so uncommon nowadays.

　Because their relationship was no more than that of a teacher and a student he was in charge of, he couldn’t interfere any more than that.

　At most, all he could do was give him words of apprehensions, such as: consult me should you have any troubles.

　Even if he did truly consult him, though, they knew it wasn’t as if there was anything that could be done about it, both of them.

「First of all, am I right to assume that you’re aiming to enroll in high school? No matter what path you wish to take, I believe you should at least finish high school. That’s for sure.」

「Yes. My father also told me to do whatever I want. It’s just, we’re on tight budget, so if possible I’d like to go to a public one.」

　It was a little awkward to talk about financial burden directly with a student.

　But it was an important issue.

　The homeroom teacher nodded in silence and shifted his gaze downward to the student’s profile on the table.

　As long as he didn’t aim too high, he had the academic ability that was just about enough to pass the borderline of some public high schools.

　He was a bit of a problem child in terms of internal evaluation, but there was ultimately the result of the guidance provided by him, the homeroom teacher.

　Leaving aside the days when he first enrolled at the school, now that he was in the third grade, he looked no different than a normal student.

　However, he then raised his head and took another look at the student.

　He was unable to take a peek at the boy’s inner world.

　Most likely, he wouldn’t be able to tread on the path that led a normal social life.

　Even so, he was his student, and he certainly had the zeal like that of a hard-working young man.

　As his homeroom teacher, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the direction of the boy’s efforts as in suppressing himself in order to lead an uneventful life.

　He should just be more forward-looking.

　At the very least, he should have something he could aim for.

　As a teacher, the duty of guiding students was his motivation as well as his starting point.

　That was why, he suddenly recalled a letter of application that he had never shown to anyone and had no intention of recommending to anyone.

「Hey, Funasaka. Through my personal connection, you see. I have a recommendation seat for just a little bit unusual school that doesn’t accept applications from the general public—」

 

◇ ◇ ◇

 

　Toyoashihara Academy stood amidst the untouched nature at the foot of the Tateyama mountain range.

　Leaving my hometown alone, when I took the local train and arrived at the station, I stood there in a daze.

　As the school did not accept admission applications from the general public, all admissions were done through recommendation only.

　And I wound up clearing this, in a sense, terrifyingly narrow gate so easily to the point of it being such a let-down.

　I had also tried putting some spirits into studying for the test, but there turned out to be only a document review and no entrance exam.

　It was just, as they didn’t seem to accept the school’s medical certificate, I had to go all the way to the hospital to receive a physical examination, which was quite a hassle.

　The reason why I decided to go with the course of enrolling in a school located outside of the prefecture, moreover a boarding one, recommended by my homeroom teacher was because it offered enough merits.

　First of all, there was no need to worry about school tuition.

　It was a national high school instead of a public one, but the tuition appeared to be cheaper.

　As for the restriction known as the boarding system, it was actually a godsend for me since the school was located outside of the prefecture.

　When I tried asking sensei about the deviation level of the school, I only received some vague answers.

　And when I tried to personally look it up on the internet, I couldn’t even find the school’s name.

　I thought it was probably a new school that had just been established, but apparently it was also the alma mater of my homeroom teacher.

　I regretted it a little, but by that time, the procedure had already been completed and the guidance notebook for enrolling in the school had been delivered.

　I was not particularly bad at studying, but if the level there was too high, I was afraid it would be hard for me to keep up.

　However, among the necessities of life, the fact that there would be no shortage of food and shelter there was very attractive.

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