Awakening to a Special-Grade Explorer
Vol. 5 - Ch. 240

Fashioned after the wave-like design, Mizue held a sword in his left hand. When the emblem on the sword glows faintly, actual water materializes as if it had been summoned by the sword.

The materialized water took the form of torrent, and caught an anguished filled Hai in its motion, forming a cocoon like shape to apprehend him. While the torrents circle around Hai, Mizue continued to press his hand on the forehead of Hai, his eyes closed and a look of extreme concentration on his face.

At the same time, Tenji releases his control over the Flowers of the Dead and the Turn Oni. The half-demon form of Tenji gradually returns to his usual gentle appearance, and the eerie aura that had surrounded him dissipates back into nature.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Mizue-kun," Tenji says, offering a prayer-like encouragement to Mizue, who was fighting in the sky.

† † †

Mizue stands in the sky, allowing himself to be carried by the main flow of water as he focused himself on capturing Hai.

This quiet struggle continues for about three minutes.

Riding the current, Mizue slowly descends to the ground. He slowly releases his hand from Hai's forehead and turned his gaze towards Tenji. His face showcased the bright expression of an achiever.

"Mission accomplished.”

He said with his usual composed expression. But be that as it may, the faint impression of accomplishment didn’t escape Tenji’s notice. Tenji notices that Mizue is savoring a slight sense of achievement.

He might not have fought a melee battle for that long, but the silent confrontation in the sky had apparently consumed much of his mental spirit. His forehead had been full of sweat beads.

"With finesse as ever."

"Incomparable to you though.”

Engaging in casual chit-chat, Tenji walked over to Hai. He quietly leaned down to look at Hai’ face, now lying silently on the ground.

The look on his soundly sleeping face, and his unhurried breathing rhythm made the earlier air stifled with murderous intent appear like an illusion. In fact, he looked incredibly comfortable.

It was as if Tenji was looking at the Hai of the past days.

"It’s an incredible ability. Are you directly influencing his mind?"

"Something like that.”

Tenji was curious about the ability, but maybe Mizue hadn’t wanted to reveal completely, or that it was his usual tacticurn reply—he had always been a man of few words—he couldn’t learn much about it.

It wasn't clear if Mizue was intentionally being vague or if this was just typical of him. He was never one to speak much, so Tenji knew it wouldn’t be easy to learn more. Yet, his curiosity got the better of him, and he continued asking questions.

"Aww, just a teeny-weeny bit would be alright as well~."

“............”

A look of annoyance colored Mizue’s expression, but he couldn’t resist Tenji’s eager, childlike enthusiasm, which was like that of a kid who just got a new toy.

With a sigh, Mizue sheathed his weapon and both of them sat down, clearly exhausted.

He pulled out a water bottle from his side and casually tossed it to Tenji.

"Thanks.”

"Hmm.”

"So… will you tell me now?"

"I guess…fine. Since it's you.”

"Thank you."

After taking a drink, Tenji handed the bottle back to Mizue, who also took a sip before finally speaking.

"Technically speaking, it's not exactly a binding technique.”

"Yeah, it doesn't really feel like a physical binding."

Tenji remarked as he glanced over at Hai, who was peacefully sleeping nearby.

Typically, binding techniques involve physical restraints or enclosures. However, there was nothing physically binding Hai right now; he just appeared to be sleeping soundly.

"I deliberately call it to keep the element of surprise. It's something Commander Kujou taught me a long time ago—when it comes to interpersonal combat, the ability you actually use and the name you say out loud don't have to match."

"My mentor taught me that too.”

"What I'm doing is closer to making the target experience a temporary dream. Part of making it work is convincing them that it's a binding technique."

"Interesting.”

"The ability's effect is to allow the target to view themselves objectively in a dream, like looking in a mirror, to instill discipline. Originally, it's a technique meant to be used on oneself to maintain composure on the battlefield."

"Huh? So you can use it on enemies too?"

"With limitations, yes. But it's particularly effective on enemies who have lost their sense of self like him. Since they can't accept who they are, they can't tolerate the objective version of themselves that they see. If they can't accept it, they can't break free from the ability, which is why it also functions as a binding technique. Well, Commander called it ‘jack shit ability with 15% success rate.’'"

"...No cutting corner for newbies, eh?"

"After a lot of trial and error, I found that telling the enemy it's a binding technique significantly increases the success rate. Against an enemy who thrashes around as much as that one, the success rate increases even more. Commander’s final verdict was 'jack shit ability with 35% success rate.'"

"The ‘jack shit’ part doesn't change... But hey, I think it’s damn too powerful for itself. You're basically forcing the enemy into a dream state."

"That's why I said it has limitations. The success rate is still quite low, and when used on enemies, it takes a toll on me as well. Right now, I feel like I'm dying from fatigue and nausea. Also... You’re the last person I want to hear that from. I say you’re more absurd whose literal fighting form is turning monster."

"Nice joke, but I don’t think I am that powerful yet.”

"Come on, you're supposed to deny the monster part.”

"They’re compliments for me."

Tenji replied with his usual lightheartedness, causing Mizue to chuckle softly.

The two of them enjoyed a brief, comfortable moment of silence, and looked up at the twilight sky.

And then—it happened.

The sound of footsteps reached their ears. Click, clack, the rhythm was steady and familiar.

"Mizue-kun, Tenji-kun, you’ve already settled the matter here huh? You guys really never miss the mark.”

It was Karen Tachibana, leaning on her spear like a staff, with Touka supporting her as she walked. She had likely planned to join them after the battle was over, knowing that in her current state, she would only be a burden if she joined the fight too soon.

Understanding this, she had supported them from a distance in her own way.

"This reminds me of the entrance exam.”

"Yeah.”

Karen, with her clothes in tatters, Tenji similarly worn out, and Mizue, though uninjured, was covered in dirt and exhaustion. It reminded Karen of the time during their entrance exam when they had all faced the perilous threat together. With a tired sigh, Karen sat down beside the two of them.

Seeing this, Tenji turned his gaze to Toka.

"Thank you for taking care of Tachibana-san, Touka. You can go home now."

"It is my honor, my beloved king.”

Touka replied, her form dissipating into smoke.

As they watched once familiar scene, both Karen and Mizue turned their eyes toward Tenji, staring intently.

"...W-What?" Tenji stammered, feeling awkward under their gaze.

It occurred to him that while they knew he could summon demons, they had never seen Touka before and certainly hadn’t thought they could converse so fluently like her.

"…Well, I’ll let it slide for now, but your big sister would like to hear the details one of these days.”

"Yeah, I agree.”

"Uh... well, when I feel it is the ripe time. B-but more importantly, what was that thing earlier, Tachibana-san? I was totally shocked! Suddenly, my hearing got super sharp, and I could even hear sounds from a few moments into the future!"

Tenji, in an obvious attempt to change the topic, shifted the conversation. His clumsy redirection amused Karen, who laughed softly like the older sister figure.

"Oh, right. What was that?"

Tenji’s question spurred Mizue to recall that scene.

Seeing their curiosity, Karen couldn't help but smile proudly.

"I told you both before, didn't I? I mentioned that I have an inherent ability from my initial awakening, though I couldn't really use it back then."

"Yeah, I remember.”

"I think you mentioned it.”

"Well, it's finally awakened! Now I can hear sounds from a little bit into the future, and—this part I just realized earlier—I was also able to hear what you two were hearing. So I wondered if I could share the sounds I was hearing with you, and after some trial and error, I somehow managed to do it."

"Wait, that means... you've gone through a secondary awakening!?" T

"Beep-Beep! Bingo!"

"Normally, you don't just 'somehow manage' to do something like that.”

Mizue remarked with an exasperated tone, seemingly finding the gut instinct part half-convincing.

If Karen had a knack for naturally working out things, then Mizue was a genius in his own way who thought first and then implemented it without fail. Knowing how rarely their perspectives aligned, Tenji couldn't help but laugh at the contrast, feeling a wave of nostalgia.

The three of them, battered and exhausted, took a moment to rest. After about five minutes, the sound of several footsteps reached their ears.

"Looks like reinforcements are finally here!"

"Yeah, though they're a bit too late.”

"Don't be so hard on them, Mizue-kun. They probably had their own reasons for being delayed,"

As they spoke, over ten professional explorers arrived, each one looking as battered as the next. Their torn clothes and exhausted expressions made it clear that they had been fighting intense battles elsewhere, but despite their condition, they had come fully prepared to rescue the students.

Seeing such dedication moved both Tenji and Karen. It reminded them why kids looked up to professionals like these. It, rekindled that childhood admiration within them.

"Are you all okay!? Contestants Amagi, Mizue, Tachibana!"

The voice that called out first belonged to Renji Ukai, who quickly rushed over to them. He was the professional explorer overseeing this final preliminary and, as it happened, he was also the older brother of Hai Ukai, the very person they had just been fighting.

"We're alive!"

"I'm fine too."

"Same here.”

Relief washed over the professionals as they saw the three students were safe. However, their eyes soon scanned the battlefield, taking in the signs of a fierce struggle. It didn't take long for them to realize the gravity of what had happened.

"Who did you fight against here—" Renji began, but his words trailed off immediately after—he was his supposedly dead brother.

“............Hai?”