If she wasn't allowed within the gates of Hagun Academy, wouldn't that mean she couldn't spar with Haruki for the time being?

  Kurono Shinguji ignored Nene's whining and looked calmly at Haruki. "As for you, Haruki-kun, as your punishment, I'm ordering you to join the Student Council and assist them with their work for a while."

  "The Student Council?" Haruki raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  Kurono didn't seem interested in hearing his objections. A slight smile pyed on her lips as she finalized the arrangement.

  Per Kurono's orders, Haruki found himself standing in front of the Hagun Academy Student Council room. As he approached the door, a strange object suddenly emerged from around the corner.

  It was a wobbly, rectangur white monster.

  "Heave... ho... ugh..."

  As Haruki stepped closer, he realized the "monster" was actually a student carrying a stack of papers so high it looked like a literal pilr.

  "Need a hand?" Haruki asked.

  The student seemed startled by the sudden voice. She stiffened, her right foot tripped over her left, and the entire pilr began to tilt dangerously.

  "Eek!"

  The girl let out a yelp as the paperwork prepared to decorate the floor. But before the tragedy could strike, Haruki moved. With reflexes that defied belief, he caught the falling stack with one hand, bancing it perfectly. With his other hand, he caught the girl by the arm, steadying her before she could hit the ground.

  "Th-thank you?"

  The student blinked, stunned that someone could have reacted so quickly. She quickly bowed in gratitude. But as she looked up and saw Haruki's face, her expression shifted to one of startled recognition, and she instinctively took two steps back.

  "Is something wrong?" Haruki asked.

  He finally got a good look at her. She wore the Hagun uniform, her long brown hair tied into two neat braids behind her head, and she wore a pair of thick-rimmed gsses. Something about her felt strangely familiar.

  "You're Haruki Aizawa, the transfer student, right?" the girl asked. "What brings you to the Student Council office?"

  "And you are?"

  "Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tohka Todo. I'm the current President of the Hagun Academy Student Council."

  Haruki was genuinely surprised. Even he had heard her name multiple times. Between her B-Rank Bzer status and her incredible achievement of reaching the final four in st year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival, she was officially recognized as the strongest student at Hagun.

  "The Chairperson wants you to join the Student Council?"

  Inside the office, Haruki expined his situation to Tohka.

  "It's not exactly joining. I'm just here for temporary service," Haruki crified.

  Kurono Shinguji hadn't specified a long duration—likely just a few days. While Haruki didn't know her ultimate goal, as a punishment for leveling a training hall, this was incredibly light. He had nothing to compin about.

  "I see. It seems Chairperson Shinguji is aware of our current predicament."

  "Predicament?"

  "Every year before the Seven Star Sword Art Festival, Hagun holds an intensive training camp for the representative candidates. This year, the facility is in Okutama. However, there have been reports of suspicious individuals in the area, and several Bzers have been attacked recently."

  "Attacked?"

  "Yes. We suspect it might be the work of Rebellion, but without concrete evidence, we can't involve the police yet. The Student Council has to verify the safety of the area ourselves. But Okutama is a massive mountainous region. We're short-staffed, which is likely why Haruki-kun was sent to help."

  "I see."

  Haruki finally understood why he was here. He had no compints. Fighting strong opponents was his bread and butter, and if they happened to be terrorists from Rebellion, he could "farm" them for experience without any social repercussions. It was a golden opportunity to level up.

  "Is there any intel on the enemy?" Haruki asked, never one to underestimate a foe.

  "About that..." Tohka hesitated for a moment before speaking. "According to witness accounts... it's a giant, approximately four meters tall."

  "A giant?" Haruki looked skeptical.

  Tohka gave a helpless smile. "I'd like to doubt the validity of the reports myself, but the witnesses were very specific. It's highly likely to be real."

  "A specialized Device, then?"

  "Most likely." Tohka clearly didn't believe in fairy-tale giants; it was far more logical to assume a Bzer was using a transformation or summoning-type ability. "Anyway, the investigation starts tomorrow morning. I'm hoping you'll join the search party."

  "Fine by me," Haruki nodded.

  The next morning.

  Haruki arrived at the office as agreed and joined the Student Council members on a bus bound for the deep mountains of Okutama. The training grounds spanned several hills and dense forests with very rugged terrain.

  Searching such a vast area wouldn't be easy. Fortunately, a four-meter giant should be easy to spot compared to a normal-sized human hiding in the woods.

  As Haruki stepped off the bus, he noticed a small figure trailing beside him.

  Shizuku Kurogane had heard about Haruki's assignment and had insisted on tagging along. Haruki didn't see a reason to refuse, so he let his roommate join the expedition.

  "You've been hanging around me a lot tely," Haruki noted, looking at the silver-haired girl. "Don't you have a brother to look after?"

  "I-I just haven't beaten you yet!" Shizuku blurted out. It was a flimsy excuse, and her true feelings were written all over her face, but Haruki didn't press the issue.

  Upon reaching the base camp, the Student Council members began preparing lunch. The head chef was none other than Tohka Todo herself.

  "Are you skilled at cooking, President?" Haruki asked, watching her work.

  "I grew up in an orphanage, so I've been cooking for my younger 'siblings' since I was a child," Tohka said with a warm, maternal smile. "We're having curry today. I hope it's to your liking, Haruki-kun."

  "I'll eat anything," Haruki waved a hand. He didn't care about fvor as long as it provided the necessary calories.

  Hearing there was cooking to be done, Shizuku stepped forward and volunteered to help Tohka. The President agreed with a smile.

  When lunch was served, Haruki sat down with a pte of carefully prepared curry. He took a bite without thinking.

  "H-How is it?" Shizuku suddenly appeared at his side, asking tentatively.

  "It's excellent," Haruki said pinly.

  Just because he didn't care about taste didn't mean he couldn't recognize quality. It was a well-banced, high-energy meal. It wasn't quite at the level of Sakiko's cooking back home, but it was clear that a lot of effort had gone into it.

  "Really?!" At Haruki's praise, Shizuku pumped a small fist in victory.

  "What? Did you make this?" Haruki had assumed Tohka was the primary cook.

  "..."

  As Shizuku froze, Tohka chuckled nearby. "That's right. Shizuku-chan made that batch of curry almost entirely by herself. Her knife skills and heat control were perfect. I would never have guessed she was a beginner!"

  "Is that so?" Haruki was genuinely surprised. The st time she cooked, she had nearly created a biological hazard. Had she really improved that much in just a few days? Had she been secretly practicing?

  "I-It wasn't made for you or anything!" Shizuku's face turned bright red as Haruki's gaze nded on her. Unable to handle the embarrassment or the fact that her secret effort had been exposed, she scrambled to her feet and bolted into the forest.

  "Haruki, we should go after her!" Tohka said, looking worried. "There are wild animals and that dangerous giant roaming around. If she runs into it alone..."

  "I'm on it."

  Haruki nodded and stood up. He headed in the direction Shizuku had vanished. He expected to find her quickly, but her speed was surprisingly high, and the dense forest made tracking difficult.

  Haruki stopped and closed his eyes, expanding his Wave Perception. Using his specialized senses, he filtered out the natural vibrations of the forest to find man-made disturbances. He quickly located Shizuku's trail.

  However, he also noticed something arming.

  Near Shizuku's path, there were other tracks. Not just hers, but massive indentations in the dirt—footprints far rger than any human's. Based on the depth and size, the owner was exactly as the witnesses had described.

  A giant was nearby.

  ***********************************************

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