Chapter 15: Martial Art

Now that were a team, lets get this dungeon over with! is not what we did. Our location remains at the Fairy Square.

For now, lets get a grasp of what were capable of

Ive already heard about Futaba-sans 3 novice Skills as one receiving the vocation of Knight, but I think its beneficial to do a practical test.

No matter how much power you receive, being able to use it when it counts is what really matters. And no, the class rep getting it done when suddenly facing the enemy right then and there isnt normal. If I hadnt practiced the canto for Red Fever at least once, I could have fumbled it when finishing off the Armor Bear. In many things, practice does make perfect.

Yes, Ill be in your care!

Though I may be inexperienced in that manner, Futaba-san buoyantly lowers her head, seeming evermore amiable. Im worried she could deceived by some vile Shaman somewhere.[1]

To start off, I want you to try out Foresight and Repel, Futaba-san[2]

Skills invoked by intention, otherwise said, Active Skills, are the usual category for defence moves like Repel. I have the feeling she hasnt invoked it even once.

From what Ive heard about Natsukawa-san using Foresight, it appears to automatically show effect, a Passive Skill. Well, I guess if you need to see the enemys attack for Foresight to activate, its already in your sights then, obviously.

Umm, so I should do what?

This time, Ill pretend to attack you so I want you to foresee it

Pretend to attack sounds kinda really scary!

Relax, I wont be throwing Curses from the get go

I mean, even if I did use Red Fever, I pretty much know what to expect. With her Blessed Body being strong to injuries and ailments, she may not even feel the insignificant rise in temperature. Yeah, I kinda wanna try that out, but more importantly,

I was wondering, is your belly alright? If it hasnt closed up, we can rest a bit longer

Oh, its fine now. Doesnt hurt at all, Momokawa-kuns ointment worked super well

Seriously? No way, is it fully healed?

Uh, seems so

Growing slightly doubtful at my look of disbelief, Futaba-san turns around on the spot. Then, quietly rolling up her the hem of her sailor uniform, she secretly makes sure.

Yup, it really is healed

Eh, wait, let me have a look

Her overtly affirmative answer. Healed, meaning no scarring, or even any scabs. Isnt that a bit too hard to believe?

Kyaa!?

As she was raising that lovely cry discordant with her build, I already had a box-seat view of Futaba-sans rich, white middle.

Wow, it really is

It was a sight befitting my involuntary exclamation. The deep, horizontal gash right below her navel had closed up without a trace. I cant see a scratch; there remains but a slight tinge of unwashed blood, and a bit of dry scabbing on its way to peeling off.

What astounding recovery. Was my sloppily compounded Ointment A really that high efficiency?

Certaintly, the Shamdelions(False Dandelion) did seal the lacerations I got from the Armor Bear pretty fast, but the scabs havent completely ripened even now. Suppose that asshole Masaru kept punching me in the stomach and not the face, the wound wouldve opened right back up, and even now, if I push myself, theres a risk of hemorrhage.[3]

As an herb, theres no doubt the Shamdelion has extraordinary hemostasis effects. Mixing that with the White Blooms and Fairy Walnuts that have some healing properties I dont really understand, raised the effects by leaps and bounds really sounds too good to be true.

Intuition Pharmacy determined that combining these 3 wouldnt cause any earth-shatteringly synergetic effect. It only guaranteed that the effects wouldnt cancel each other out.

Therefore, Futaba-sans wound completely healed implies

U, uu M-Momokawa-kun, arent you done?

As though my intense scrutiny of her belly-button was much too embarrassing for her, Futaba-sans face was beet red. Her keeping the sailor uniform rolled up even as tears are on the verge of gathering displayed a worrisome purity. Definitely the type thats too nice for her own good.

Ah, sorry, Im done

I wanted to immediately take advantage of that fact, and have a poke-fest on her waxen flab for atleast 5 minutes, but I refrain for obvious reasons. Loosing her trust via sexual harassment would be the worst way to lose ones dignity.

Right, my experience with the opposite sex being nil further elects for a great need to be cautious. Girls are apparently hurt by things guys dont even consider trivial. A pain in the ahem, very innocent is the word.

Im glad its healed so quick. I think it may have something to do with Blessed Body.

Dressed Body?

Atleast remember your own Skill name right. And no, you dont need to look it up on your phone.

Youre a Knight remember? They gave some fuzzy definition like its strong against illness and wounds, but I think its become like medication will work a lot better

I, uh, I guess?

It is. If it was plain super-healing powers, it wouldve gotten better even without my ointment

Sure, if this Skill was that amazing, the wound wouldve already started closing when I found her. But in reality, she was almost dead from blood loss. Maybe it was too much for the Blessed Bodys healing prowess, or rather, maybe its a low tier Skill that doesnt make the natural regeneration corrections when damage is too high.

That being the case, if it stacks with healing agents, then having me, who can make tons of it only provided a Fairy Square, can save Futaba-san from a major portion of injuries. Well, its gonna heal but itll still hurt like hell.

Then if youre all patched up, lets get back to business shall we?

Okay, umm only pretend attacking right? Go easy on me, please?

I mean, itll activate granted that theres an attack so. Youre gonna have to dodge with Foresight or defend with Repel.

No prob. If its gonna hit, Ill make sure to stop an inch(~2.5cm) away

Stopping that close requires quite a bit of skill. I have not a smidge of confidence in precisely stopping my fist or a shinai(practice sword) once at their fulcrum. I indeed dont, but said that anyway. Its fine, you can trust on the vocation.

kay, so I need a branch or something nice, lets use this

From a Fairy Walnut tree growing at a corner of the square, I locate a decent sized branch and reach for it. With a firm grim, I brace myself and pull

Kuh

Tough. Its much more solid than I imagined. I thought I chose a one thin enough that even my slender arms could break, but it will not budge.

HaAAAAAcmon!

I was all up in a frenzy, but no use. Seems this Fairy Walnut tree, is quite deceptively sturdy.

Umm, Momokawa-kun, you alright?

Huff hah Nah, this thingll never br

Ei

Sounded Futaba-san as she casually grabbed it, gave it a pull, it snapping away as a result.

I did it Momokawa-kun, I broke it see!

Ah, yea, you did, thanks

I shudder a bit comparing my flimsy limb to Futaba-sans bulky rod of an arm with a thickness akin to my thighs and realizing the utterly unsurmountable difference in strength. This brute strength must be in reason of her having the vocation, Knight No, not really. Who am I kidding. Im just weak as hell.

Reflecting anew on my frailty, I receive the aforementioned branch from Futaba-san

Now to get psyched, and start the experiment.

Yah!

Kyaa

Seeing my fledgling swordplay, Futaba-sans eyes shut, body cowers, motion stills. If this was a monster, even I had a chance to score a critical hit, but nows not the time for that.

Futaba-san, I dont think Foresight will activate if you dont atleast look at me attacking

Ayes, sorry I didnt see anything

Gee, I wonder why. It could be that when you master Foresight, it stops relying on your eyes, and uses a 6th sense of sorts, but for the current Futaba-san at least, it isnt anywhere near that level.

Alright, again. Pay attention this time, alright

Uu Ill try

Futaba-san looks entirely weak in the knees, paying attention to the branch. I may be stating the obvious, but we had 2 branches prepared: the 1st for me to attack with, and the 2nd for Futaba-san to invoke Repel on. Goes without saying that collecting the 2nd one was a piece of cake using Futaba-sans superior muscle. Though it was a size thicker than mine, the 2nd one too broke off without a hitch. I felt like her might could easily break off not only branches, but a persons bones as well.

Eiya

On take 2, I attempted to swing considerably slower. Though there is a doubt whether her Foresight will recognize and react to something like this as an attack

Wa, wawah!?

Futaba-san moved, and with surprising agility at that, and successfully dodged my lackadaisical attack. She strafed her body leftward, right beside which, my feeble slash sluggishly made its way.

Did, you see it?

Yeah, I really saw it!

It appears to match her story, Foresight lets you perceive the path of the enemies attack with a faint white glow. If it could recognize that sham of a strike as an actual attack, it doesnt look to have very severe activation conditions.

This time, Ill come with the same attack, so try repelling

O-okay, got it Ill do it!

Perhaps thanks to this small but sure victory, Futaba-sans face seems a bit more vibrant than just before. Alright, lets keep it up at this pace.

Here I go Ei

As I made another of the same lighthearted attack following that utterance, an immense shock ran up both my arms.

yah!

To my astonishment, while with that enthused cry reaching my eardrums, I found myself dancing through the air.

The scenery rushing past, swirling violently as if theres a bug in the camera, was the sight that assailed my eyes. But somehow, I distinctly saw the branch I was supposed to be holding on to, also spin uncontrollably and fly away.

Fugyaaa!?

Raising a heavy_damage_voice.mp3, I slammed into the ground. Pain. My whole body groans But luckily, I landed on soft grass. Its, probably not too serious.

M-Momokawa-kun!? Wh!? Oh no, are you alright!?

In scattered, hazy consciousness, I see Futaba-san cry out while charging towards me with her dump-truck-like frame. I felt a bit dead.

I-Im okay Ill live

Uah Im sorry! Im really sorry Momokawa-kuuun!

While still lying pancaked to the ground, I reign in Futaba-sans madly desperate apologizing, by somehow moving an arm. Hmm, this angle, I can almost see under her skir

Sigh its just some scratches, so no worries. I was pretty surprised though

I somehow or other raise my body while resisting the temptation of panties teasing my eyes. Id pretend to be just fine but nope, Im actually fine. By some miracle, I hadnt sustained a single scratch. In Judo class, I was great in only my falling technique(ukemi) after all.

R-really sorry I had no idea that would happen

So you definitely used Repel just now right?

Yeah. I thought about trying it, and my hand somehow naturally

Scored a homerun on me I see.

Im truly sorry! Ill be much more careful next time, so

No, you really dont have to apologize that much. In fact, it was a big success

Certainly, Futaba Meiko has now, at this time, for the first time, invoked her Martial Art. Its now obvious that even a wuss like her can do it if she can only muster the will.

But what Im most grateful for, is that force.

So this is the power of the vocation, Knight Futaba-san, youll definitely get strongerd new chaptrs on no/v/e/lin(.)com

A strength that I can never hope to achieve is within her reach. I feel like Ive finally found a ray of hope towards this dungeon capture.

So lets go for it

Yea Alright! Ill work my best, Momokawa-kun!

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[1]..in your caremay be inexperienced these are the usual Japanese humbling greetings, like if someone said, Great to have you on the team, you reply Great to be here!, I could have TLed as that, but then the bowing doesnt make sense. Please excuse this small infraction of weebism.

[2]I dont know why it took me this long to realize anyway Abandon Foresight. Yeah, this matches the description much better. Ill fix up the previous chapters later.

[3]Fake-delion Shamdelion, sounds slightly better.

Chapter end