Chapter 5: A Garden of Unseen Traps
“Oh? So you’re saying you came from outside Kivotos too, Master?”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m not as tough as the other kids here. That’s why Yuuka nags me all the time. Believe it or not, I’ve never even been grazed by a bullet, haha.”
“Hmm…”
…Sorry, but you might get hit by one soon.
As we headed toward a detached building on the outskirts of Trinity for the special training camp with the Supplementary Lessons Department, Sensei kindly explained various Kivotos customs to me.
Though I already knew most of it, I listened earnestly, wanting to repay the unconditional kindness this adult showed me, just like in the original story.
“Hey, isn’t that grown-up over there the Sensei from Schale?”
“You’re right. Who’s that beside her? Doesn’t look like a Trinity student… Wait, is that a sword on her back?”
“No way. Who’d carry a sword in Kivotos, especially on Trinity’s campus?”
By the time we’d moved far from Trinity’s central campus, the curious stares and whispers from students had lessened. Around then, Sensei looked at me with a curious expression and asked.
“You said in your world, students used swords instead of guns, right, Kaoru? Does that mean everyone there was tough enough to handle them?”
“Um…”
Probably? Since the game this body was meant for never even revealed its genre before vanishing, I can’t know for sure. But given how it copied Blue Archive’s settings, it’s likely similar.
“…Maybe? But I don’t remember, fufu.”
“I suppose that makes sense…”
Sensei looked at me with a hint of pity, clearly concerned about my situation, before continuing with a gentle warning.
“You have a halo, Kaoru, but just to be safe, avoid getting into trouble until Yuuka arranges that thorough check-up she promised.”
“Fufu, I’ll keep that in mind, Master.”
As we chatted, we arrived at our destination.
“Here we are. This is the annex where you’ll be staying with the Supplementary Lessons Department kids.”
“It’s quite a serene place. But I don’t see an entrance for us to step into?”
“Huh… you’re right. Let’s see…”
The building looked intact, but it hadn’t been maintained in ages, surrounded by knee-high weeds.
Come to think of it, in the original story, the Supplementary Lessons Department’s first activity during the camp was clearing these overgrown weeds… I didn’t realize it was this bad from just reading the text.
How do we even get to the building from here… oh.
“Master, there’s a path over here.”
Spotting a patch where the grass was shorter, almost like a path, I called out to Sensei, who immediately brightened and started toward me.
“You’re right. Nice find, Kaoru. I’ll head over—kya?!”
But she tripped over a rock hidden in the grass, her body pitching forward.
“Ugh…?”
Luckily, I was close enough to catch her, sparing Sensei from face-planting into the weeds.
“Oh, Master. Are you alright?”
“Th-Thanks, Kaoru. You saved me.”
I smiled at the woman who’d practically buried her face in the chest of my navy-blue uniform cardigan. Embarrassed, she quickly straightened up, her face flushed.
…She’s surprisingly light. She’s tall, with a figure as full as mine, so I thought she’d be heavier.
Pondering that small observation, I stepped into the grass and extended a hand to Sensei.
“It seems we need to watch our step. Shall you follow me from here?”
“Yes… please.”
Holding Sensei’s hand lightly, I stepped carefully through the calf-high grass.
Having gotten somewhat used to moving in a skirt over the past day, navigating the weeds wasn’t too hard.
…But seriously, why is this grass so tough? It’s hard to even find a place to step.
Grumbling inwardly but reaching the entrance without issue, I knocked lightly on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Ah…! Everyone, it must be Sensei and her guest! Koharu-chan, Azusa-chan, come quick… H-Hanako-chan?!”
“What’s with that shameless outfit?! We agreed to wear clothes easy to clean in!”
“Yes, that’s why I wore the most comfortable thing I own.”
“…Huff… Intruder identity confirmed. Opening the entrance.”
Bang.
The door flew open after a burst of lively voices from the girls inside.
“Sorry we’re late, kids… huh?”
Unlike me, who’d braced myself after hearing the voices, Sensei, about to greet them, froze with her mouth agape.
“Um, I-I’m Ajitani Hifumi. N-Nice to meet you…! Auu…”
“You… you! You brought that sword all the way here? That’s a rule violation—grounds for execution!”
Hifumi, blushing and stammering as she introduced herself upon meeting my gaze, and Koharu, horrified at the sight of my bag and spouting absurd rules, were one thing.
“Huff… You’re 1 minute and 38 seconds late, Sensei. I was about to send out a search party, huff…”
Then there was Azusa, inexplicably wearing a gas mask over her gym clothes.
“I’m Urawa Hanako. Looking forward to working with you in many ways.”
And, most strikingly, Hanako, wearing a school swimsuit instead of gym clothes, flashing a suggestive smile.
“Hmm…”
If this body weren’t practically immune to mental shock, I’d have been as stunned as Sensei by the eccentric appearances of the Supplementary Lessons Department members.
Seeing them in person is… a little overwhelming.
*
“Sigh… Let’s go put our stuff down, Kaoru…”
“Yes, Master. See you in a bit, then? Fufu.”
After brief introductions, the exhausted Schale Sensei led the enigmatic female student, who left behind a smile that felt almost decadently dreamy, to step away momentarily.
“Phew… Kaoru-san is… incredibly beautiful… I was so startled…”
Hifumi, finally relaxing after the tension that gripped her from the moment their eyes met, mumbled dazedly with her hands on her flushed cheeks.
“Hmph! Don’t fall for that shady look! She’s a dangerous person who carries a sword like it’s nothing, so as an elite of the Justice Task Force, I’ll keep watching her!”
Koharu, the only one who’d met Kaoru before and still held her guard up, declared boldly with a hint of bravado.
“Fufu, a dangerous person… what a provocative term, Koharu-chan. I didn’t know you were interested in such things…”
“W-What are you talking about, Hanako?! No lewd talk! That’s grounds for execution! And change already!”
Hanako’s suggestive smile and comment made Koharu’s expression crumble as she shouted.
“Hmm… Is this part of the training program Sensei prepared? Living with such a strong person for a week will surely be educational.”
Meanwhile, Azusa, now free of her gas mask, nodded to herself with her usual stoic expression.
“Haha… We’re not here for training, Azusa-chan. And strong? Sensei said Kaoru-san is just an ordinary student with no memories from before arriving in Kivotos…”
“Seventeen antipersonnel mines, thirty-three claymores, seven instant-detonation IEDs, and twenty-nine assorted booby traps.”
“Huh?”
Hifumi blinked in confusion at Azusa’s words, who continued calmly.
“That’s the number of booby traps I set up on the path to this entrance before Sensei arrived. They were thoroughly camouflaged to blend with the grass.”
“W-What?! That’s dangerous! If Sensei got caught in those…”
Koharu, horrified, made a perfectly reasonable point.
“Don’t worry. I removed all the triggers and detonators. It was just a test to see which routes intruders would take to determine defense priorities.”
“Fufu, so that’s why you were staring out the window earlier, Azusa-chan?”
“Exactly. Without detonators, I had to visually confirm which traps the mock targets triggered.”
“And? Any results?”
Despite hearing about such an absurd act for a high schooler, Hanako only laughed as if amused and asked further.
Azusa, however, looked slightly troubled as she replied quietly.
“No, it failed. The mock targets reached the entrance without triggering a single trap.”
“What? You mean…”
Surprised by this unexpected answer, Hanako widened her eyes, and Azusa nodded, adding in a firm tone.
“…And the one who scouted the path and led Sensei was Kaoru.”
“Hmm… I see. Kaoru-san seems even more intriguing than she appears.”
“Uuu…”
“What do you mean you see?! Tell me too!”
Unlike Hanako and Hifumi, who quickly grasped the implication, Koharu, still clueless, pressed for an answer. Azusa, with clear conviction, shared her conclusion.
“Simply put, unless she’s deliberately hiding her strength… it means she’s a seasoned fighter whose instincts allow her to unconsciously avoid danger.”