Trusting Again - Part 2

Once Yu helped me calm down, we headed to the training field, which was already packed with students, their tutors, and a few teachers.

The field was a fairly large area located outside the academy buildings in order to give students freedom. There were also benches around it, placed there for the spectators of the event.

"Over here!"

When we arrived, we were greeted by Daisuke, Miss Usagi, and Miyu, who had saved us a spot beside them. Luckily, since we were the last ones to arrive, all the remaining seats had already been taken.

"How did you manage to keep anyone from sitting here? There are still lots of people standing."

"Nothing the cute and furious face of Usagi can’t handle."

"What?!" the young lady exclaimed, clearly irritated.

Seeing it that way, it made perfect sense, but neither Yu nor I said anything, fearing her wrath. Daisuke must have nerves of steel to not be afraid of her anger.

Once we sat down, one of the professors with the microphone wasted no time announcing that the event had officially begun, followed by a series of cheers and applause from everyone present.

One by one, the students’ tutors were called onto the field to demonstrate their skills and experience as hunters. Some shared anecdotes and stories from their years of service—how they defeated high-ranking monsters or how they excelled in certain fog-dome incursions. Others gave lessons using some of the training dummies and targets the teachers had set up for the demonstrations, lessons such as “Never lose sight of your opponent” or “Charge your magic before the fog dome finishes forming,” which many of my classmates appreciated and wrote down in their notebooks.

Eventually, it was Daisuke’s turn, and he didn’t miss the chance to show off his skills with elemental magic—an incredibly difficult type of ability to master—drawing attention with his beautiful blue fire attacks. He would surely be one of the favorites by the end of the test.

“Thank you, thank you! I’ll be signing autographs afterward,” he said while everyone applauded, then returned to his seat.

Shortly after him, it was Takeshi’s tutor’s turn. He stood before everyone and drew a sword with an ornate design, incredibly sharp-looking even at a distance.

“As you progress as hunters, you will polish your skills and even develop your own techniques. This is one of mine, and the one that took me the longest to master.”

After his brief speech, he held the sword with both hands and it began to shine, little by little, growing brighter. It seemed like he was infusing the weapon with mana to enhance it, but something felt different. He was imbuing far more mana than usual, pushing the sword’s glow to an almost blinding point.

“I discovered this after wanting to strengthen my weapon even further. I infused mana without stopping for a while during one of my training sessions, and when I felt it was about to get out of control, I swung the sword… like this!” he roared.

After swinging his blade through the air, what appeared to be a slash made of mana shot out from the weapon, striking one of the dummies and leaving a massive cut mark on it. Since the dummies and targets were reinforced to withstand high-level hunter attacks, it was truly an impressive feat.

“It’s a powerful attack… but it requires a great deal of time to prepare, and it isn’t easy to control, so I only use it in emergencies. I hope all of you will also grow as hunters and create and perfect your own techniques. Thank you very much,” he said, bowing at the end.

I hated it, but his presentation was very good. Maybe I couldn’t make use of it since I couldn’t control the mana around me, but my classmates looked visibly motivated by the demonstration.

The teacher with the microphone continued calling the remaining tutors, each contributing what they believed would help the students, and eventually the moment that had my nerves on edge finally arrived.

“Next tutor: Yu Takahiro!” the teacher announced.

Yes, it was time for Yu to give his presentation.

Without saying a word, he rose from his seat and walked toward the field. The murmurs from the students and even the other tutors didn’t take long to echo through the area, and I even heard comments about his appearance or the fact that his agency didn’t even have a proper name. However, he didn’t care and continued walking with dignity, head held high.

“Hello, everyone!” he greeted after taking the microphone from the professor. “My name is Yu Takahiro, tutor of the lovely girl over there! Hi, Touka!”

After exposing me like that, a huge number of eyes fell on me, making me nervous and even giving me chills.

Was that really necessary?!

“Everyone’s presentations were amazing, yes! In fact… they were so amazing that I ran out of ideas!”

After that declaration, the whole place fell silent. No one knew what was going on, and some looked at Yu with the same expression I once had—wondering if the man standing before them was truly a professional hunter like the others who had presented.

I felt a wave of stares land on me again, and all I could do was cover my face out of embarrassment. Even Miss Usagi, who had once tried to recruit him, looked at him as if he were garbage. Daisuke, on the other hand, was trying hard not to laugh.

“Even so, I want to show off a little in front of my intern, so I’d like to propose an exhibition match!”

His idea immediately reignited the spectators’ interest. Many said he was only showing off, but others seemed genuinely intrigued by his confidence. Whatever the case, it was clear that Yu had not left anyone indifferent.

“You!” Yu exclaimed toward Takeshi’s tutor. “You’ve been wanting to teach me a lesson for a while! This is your chance, so come on over!”

Takeshi’s tutor grew irritated by Yu’s attitude and provocation, but quickly regained his composure and smiled maliciously.

“You know? That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” he replied as he walked toward the field.

“Hey, stop right there!”

“Don’t worry! We’ll be careful so no one gets hurt, and I’ll even hold back so there won’t be any problems,” Yu responded to the professor who tried to stop them.

Upon hearing that Yu would “hold back,” Takeshi’s tutor became even more annoyed—likely feeling insulted by an unkempt, nameless hunter—and immediately gripped his sword and ran toward Yu to attack him.

The match had begun.