Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
Interacting with members of Class VII Group B in April’s field study. This time, it is Laura’s chapter.
Thank you for your typo reports as always.
Chapter 026 – Fufufu, son. It Is a Night Date (Physical)
Laura was worrying alone, in her room, in the student dormitory given to Class VII.
Laura was sitting on a chair at her desk, her writing utensils and stationery placed in front of her.
An initial greeting was written on a white piece of paper, but nothing followed after that.
In other words, Laura was contemplating the content of the letter.
“Alisa told me that I can’t only write about swords…… but if I don’t write about that, what on earth should I write?”
While writing a letter in the classroom to the pen pal she got acquainted with at Parm —— Kurt, Alisa saw Laura and gave her various pieces of advice, which Laura had tried putting into practice but found difficult.
Laura’s dignified face frowned and took out another letter from her drawer.
That was the letter with half of the content that Laura intended to send before Alisa pointed things out.
The more Laura reread it, the more she felt like it was better.
However, Emma had interrupted Laura’s conversation with Alisa.
“Even if the content of the letter is ordinary, if you wrote it with the other party in mind…… as long as your intentions are conveyed, it’ll be enough to make the receiver happy.”
It was enough to make Laura reconsider after hearing that. Writing, while thinking about Kurt in mind, the more Laura thought about it, the more she realized she only thought about swords, so it became even more difficult for Laura.
“Something that can be of help to Kurt. But that being said, I’ve never used twin swords before……”
Thinking about the earnest young swordsman, Laura’s thoughts got deeper and deeper.
I should have a change of pace, thought Laura as she decided to go out and grabbed her beloved sword, but just then, she spotted Rean coming down the stairs.
“Rean, are you going outside too?”
“It’s the so-called night marathon. There are a lot of changes happening in the city at this time of day.”
“Changes…………”
“Are you going to practice, Laura?”
“Umu. I was writing a letter, but I’m at a loss of what to write…… that’s right, Rean. If you don’t mind, can I accompany you in that so-called marathon?”
“I don’t mind, but that’s rare of you.”
“I intended to change my mood to begin with. If I do something different from what I usually do, maybe I can think of something different.”
“Okay. Then let’s go for the Trista Night Marathon.”
Rean smiled happily and with Laura beside him, the two headed off in Trista during the night.
＊
[“Fufufu, son. Asking someone for a date at night isn’t something to be overlooked.”]
I see.
{“Rean. Escort her properly.”}
I see.
What’s wrong, Rean? Your face is somewhat frowning.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Before going around Trista at night with Laura, Rean, who was fed up with Osbon and Valimar’s banter, waved his hand as if nothing happened.
Even if he had a companion, the things Rean did wouldn’t change.
He visited various shops and people and listened to their stories.
His figure as he worked hard to solve problems he encountered made him seem to be more than just a diligent student in Laura’s eyes.
At first, it seemed to be volunteer work forced on him due to the incident at the entrance ceremony, but seeing Rean did that outside his assigned work hours as as if it was the most obvious thing to do, Laura couldn’t help but wonder why he skipped the entrance ceremony that day.
Laura didn’t restrain her curiosity and asked honestly.
“Rean. Were you really just chasing after Celine during the entrance ceremony?”
“Yes, but why do you ask? It’s already a cold topic by now.”
“No, I was convinced the reason you went missing for a few days after the entrance ceremony was due to what happened at Parm last month. However, where on earth did Rean get that information?”
“It’s just a coincidence. Seriously, it’s just a fluke.”
There were no signs of dishonesty in Rean’s words. But Laura also felt that he wasn’t telling the whole truth either.
If the boy in front of her were to hide something, it would be——
“Is it related to Emma?”
“…………I wonder.”
“You don’t like to lie. I think the reason you talk less is because it’s closer to the truth, though? There’s another candidate, like Beryl, but I think I can be proud of myself for guessing it right on the first try.”
Rean didn’t answer.
At that time, most of it was caused by Osbon’s prank, but it didn’t change the fact that Emma was hiding the fact that she was a witch.
Rean had heard that Emma did use healing magic to some extent during the field trip with Group A, but he also heard that she hadn’t revealed her identity as a witch yet. 1
In that case, Rean shouldn’t reveal Emma’s circumstances without her permission.
“Well, to be honest, it doesn’t matter. I have no idea what you were thinking that drove you to take such actions, and it’s not like your situation will change either.”
“Then what do you mean to say?”
“Well, I’m sorry if I made you misunderstand, but it’s not like I’m trying to find out secrets. I just can’t help but wonder…… Why did you do that that day?”
[“Fufufu, son. You overreacted over something that was intended to be a casual chat, so you should learn to be on guard. She got you good.”]
Upon hearing Osbon’s words, Rean regretted that he gave a strange reaction.
He overreacted over what Laura meant as casual chat, which meant he made a mistake in responding.
“Sorry, I guess I was a little too conscious about it. Rather than that, since you said you were accompanying me to change your mood, were you studying or something?”
Rean changed the topic to hide his shame.
Laura also played along.
“I was writing a letter to Kurt, but Alisa told me that I should write about things other than swords. Emma also said that it doesn’t matter what I write as long as I wrote with that person in mind, but I find it difficult to write.”
“I see, so that’s what happened.”
“What did you do when you write letters then, Rean?”
“Since the people I write to are usually my family and little sister, they mostly end up with a report of things that happened recently. That said, when I was seriously injured in the incident at Parm and was in the care of Marquis Hyarms, the entire Schwarzer Family actually came to visit.”
Rean was surprised by this, but Theo, Lucia, and Elise left aside their territory and studies to visit him.
By that time, Rean’s body had completely recovered due to the combination of the Power of Ogre and Power of Ashen, and Celestin was accompanying Rean to a light spar at the moment, but when Elise saw that, she shoved Rean into his bed and stayed by his side, which was still fresh to Rean’s memory.
The Schwarzer couple couldn’t conceal their dismay at the thanks from Marquis Hyarms, and together with Elise, they asked for an explanation from Rean.
As Rean told them without hiding everything, they scolded him afterward, but their behavior was filled with worry and concern, which made Rean once again confirm his family’s love for him.
They asked Rean to promise that he wouldn’t do anything unreasonable or make them worry, but he couldn’t promise them that. That was because considering the future, he was likely to do more unreasonable things from then on as well.
Naturally, the family was unconvinced, but Rean couldn’t help but be curious about Elise’s strange behavior when she asked more information about Emma, Beryl, and Rosine, the opposite-sex friends Rean had written in his recent status report.
Rean told Laura that, but she, who was of the same sex, also didn’t understand why Elise was strange, so Rean switched his thoughts and decided to ask the next time he met Elise.
“I’ve already told Kurt about what happened in Parm. I wanted to have a conversation with Countess Le Guin, but I’m sure my current self will feel too pressured to do so.”
“Hm~ in that case…… Laura was in the swimming club, right? How about writing about things that happened there?”
“Muu, now that you mention it, I never thought about the club activities. That said, I don’t think there’s anything special to write about there……”
“If I recall correctly, there was a girl in the swimming club who wasn’t good at that sport, right?”
“You mean Monica. So you knew about her.”
“I talked with her during the school marathon. I heard about Laura from her and she left a deep impression on me. Isn’t it okay to just talk about her?”
“Uhm? Did Monica say something?”
“Laura seemed to have her thorns taken off as her anxiety was gone, which made her happy, ” she said. The same could be said to Machias and Jusis, but the people around them are surprisingly watchful.”
“The same could be said for Rean, but in your case, I can’t imagine you to waver regardless of what happens……”
“I already have a lot of experience, after all.”
If not for Osbon and the special training of the power of ogre, it was highly likely that Rean would have spent his days in fear of his powers, even after coming to the academy.
Since Laura had trouble with Fie, who didn’t fight seriously, Rean imagined an alternate future where he could have likely gotten tangled with Laura over something similar.
“If you ask around, you might find out about something that Laura yourself doesn’t even realize, you know? The same could be said for Monica earlier, as she feels as if she received encouragement from Laura and is doing her best.”
“Now that you mentioned it, Monica’s improvement lately has been remarkable. I see, so it’s because of me……”
Laura seemed to be deep in thought and remained silent.
Rean didn’t do boorish things, like talking to interrupt her thoughts, he took a short break from the marathon, and stopped by Trista Park.
As the two sat on the bench, they could feel the night breeze and the sky.
After a while, Laura stood up and stood in front of Rean.
“Rean. If you don’t mind, could you have a spar with me now?”
“Yes?”
“As I thought about it, it seems like I have no intention of leaving the path of the sword after all. The first thing that came to my mind after sorting out my various emotions was to have a spar with you. I want to go back to basics like when I first came to Thors.”
“…………Okay. But don’t waste Alisa’s advice.”
“No, as for things others than swords…… things like club activities, etc. come to mind. She didn’t tell me not to write about swords at all, so that’s not a problem.”
“Heeh, I guess you’re getting better at sophistry.”
“If that’s the case, it must be your fault.”
Did I do something? Thought Rean as he readied his tachi.
Although the area was illuminated by orbal light, it was harder to see than during the day.
But since Old Master Yun taught him how to fight in the dark, Rean was sure Laura would be able to do the same without difficulty.
——The spar began with them staring at each other silently.
Laura didn’t make use of the powerful Arseid sword she was holding, only swinging it lightly as if to check the sensation of wielding it, and Rean responded accordingly.
It wasn’t until Laura made a jump that the spar began in earnest.
Then, the sword spun around in the air, carrying its weight and acceleration, shaking the park.
“Laura, this is not a dojo, so do it in moderation!”
“I know…… I know, but you can’t control my excitement!”
What a troublesome fellow, thought Rean as he picked up another weapon in contrast to Laura’s strong sword —— wielding the tachi’s sheathe in his left hand, Rean showed a simple dual wielding stance.
Laura was surprised. Rean could feel a slight anger on her eyes.
It wasn’t that Rean was looking down on her.
A spar was essentially an act of establishing an image of the movement in actual combat.
Although actual combat wouldn’t always go as sparring, one first needed to develop their own image on how they attacked and defended.
If Rean wanted to attack Aurelia properly, he needed to learn techniques other than creating clones while working with Loa Valimar.
That said, there was a gap in ability between Laura and Aurelia.
Even so, Rean thought that Laura, who was an intermediate grade of Arseis swordsmanship, would be able to help Rean in capturing the image, even if Laura’s abilities didn’t reach Aurelia’s level of mastery.
Wielding dual scabbards was simply because Rean recalled Kurt.
If it didn’t work, he would just consider another method.
The great thing about sparring was that one could try different things like that.
“Hah!”
Laura’s sword approached.
Rean first hit the flat of her sword with his scabbard, blocking its trajectory and parrying it with his tachi.
It was harder to parry than doing it by holding the tachi with both hands, but the power of Laura’s sword was attenuated to some extent, so even wielding tachi one-handed might be enough to block it.
If it was a real combat, Rean was thinking of blocking it using Loa Valimar instead of a scabbard, but Rean was also concerned about whether it would be possible to block Aurelia’s sword, which bisected a giant’s arm that was nearly 5 arges in its upper body’s height in a single blow.
Still, Rean didn’t stop searching, and his first thought was about being able to perform the movement perfectly.
“Haaaaaaahhh………Brilliant………!”
As Laura was about to use her Craft, Rean slammed one of his quaking legs into the ground, blocking the suction.
However, Laura didn’t flinch in the face of this absurdity.
That or maybe she already thought it wouldn’t be strange for Rean to do such a thing.
If it was Laura the other day, she would have been furious at how pathetic she was and wielded her blade in anger.
However, Laura also had a change of heart after witnessing the battle between Rean and Aurelia up close.
Laura also noticed the reason that Rean resorted to dual wielding using the scabbard was because he was looking at Aurelia through Laura.
Laura did feel frustrated that Rean didn’t take her seriously, but more than that—— Rean’s strength was worth pursuing.
It was frustrating for Laura to admit that Rean was a man far stronger than she was, just like her father.
However, she didn’t want to stop because of that.
I, too—— will reach that peak!
A clear sword flash growled.
Rean tried to block it with his scabbard, but stopped.
He immediately took an evasive turn instead.
When Laura carefully observed Rean, he took a deep breath and looked at her sword.
Laura thought her earlier sword swing was a good one.
The fact Rean didn’t try to parry or block it probably meant he felt he would be repelled.
If that was the case,
“It’s an opening!”
Laura imbued her sword with fighting spirit and filled it with brilliant aura.
What she wielded was Arseid’s secret move.
Although it didn’t reach the degree of Radiant Blade, the sword was unleashed without any disturbance.
“Secret Move——Radiant Dance!”
“———————Gh!”
Rean stepped in without running away.
Laura’s sword blew Rean away, along with the scabbard Rean used to parry the attack with, and Laura forced a follow-up attack.
As she turned her body away, the force of rotation was applied and it approached Rean whose scabbard was repelled—— but at that moment, Laura felt the cold feeling of a blade aimed at her neck and stopped her hand.
“Second Form: Gale.”
“————————Hahah, I guess that this means that you can defeat me in an instant if you felt like it.”
“No way, that one just now was because of Laura’s carelessness. It was because you were in such a rush, thinking that your sword might be able to reach me when my scabbard blew away. I did something similar to Aurelia-san, so I can’t exactly finish it well.”
“Fufuh, I can’t deny that. If it’s the usual me, even if I see your scabbard blown away, I will just wait for the opportunity since you will be back fast.”
“That said, I guess it’s difficult to use simple dual wielding. I guess it’s still too far-fetched for me to block Aurelia-san’s sword.”
“Don’t you have something to say to me before that?”
“Eh? Ah, it was a good spar.”
“That’s not it.”
Laura chopped Rean’s head lightly.
There wasn’t even the slightest bit of pain, but Laura seemed to be puffing her cheeks as she looked away, making her look more childish than usual.
“Don’t be so arrogant as to block my sword with a scabbard, Rean. The difference in ability between my swordsmanship and Countess Le Guin’s might be great, but Arseid’s sword isn’t so inferior to be blocked by impromptu measure.”
“It’s a spar, so I was thinking of trying a lot of things……”
“………………”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yes, that’s fine. However, I don’t mind you using your scabbard when sparring from now on. I can just blow it away any time.”
Laura put her hand on her chest and showed off a somewhat proud and smug look on her face.
Seeing the smile that overturned his previous impression, Rean couldn’t help but laugh.
“W-what are you laughing at? Isn’t that rude?”
“Hahah, sorry sorry. I just thought Laura was really good right now?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“You look cute, befitting your age.”
“D-don’t tease me!”
“I mean it, though~”
“Hey,” glared at Laura with slightly teary eyes.
Actions like that were gestures that stimulated men, but pointing that out would only add fuel to fire, so Rean chose to remain silent.
I guess I’ll be keeping this to myself for a while, thought Rean as he didn’t find that a bad idea.
[“Fufufu, son. Is it okay to leave Miss Emma and the others?”]
I have no idea why you mention Emma and the others here… ah, certainly, I should definitely talk about various things such as teleportation. Thanks dad. I’ll take care of it.
{“Fumu, Osbon. Is this the so-called dense person?”}
[“I’m sorry that my son is like this.”]
“Well then, I guess it’s time to leave. We’ve made quite a bit of noise, and if someone reports us, we will be in trouble.”
“Uh, muu. I feel like you’re diverting the topic here……”
“I am. But it serves well in changing your mood, right?”
“……………You’re right. There’s more things to write in my letter now. Thanks Rean, I’m grateful to you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Rean ignored Osbon and Valimar’s conversation and retrieved his scabbard.
He saw that there was a slight crack on the scabbard when he picked up.
It certainly can’t be helped. It’s called an impromptu measure in front of such a strong sword, reflected Rean.
Laura looked at the scabbard and approached Rean while looking a little panicked.
“I’m sorry. It seems like I broke it a bit.”
“No, this was my fault, so don’t worry about it. Laura was able to land such an attack, so shouldn’t you feel more confident instead?”
“Muu, hm.”
“If I send it for repair, I wonder if Micht-san’s pawn shop has something I can use in the meantime.”
“There’s a way to just wrap it in a thick cloth, but that’s the last option. I’ll also look for another option.”
“That helps. I can’t rely on George-senpai at this time after all.”
There was also Schmidt, who was likely in the old school building or classroom at this hour, but Rean could easily imagine that since his scabbard broke outside the experiment, Schmidt would just tell Rean to take care of it himself.
If Rean could ask for Schmidt’s help, he might be able to design a scabbard that wouldn’t break easily so Rean decided to ask him about it next time.
The two went to the pawn shop and since Laura was already there, he asked to check the feeling of the material of the spare scabbard.
After checking the feeling for a while, Rean and Laura returned to the student dormitory together while chatting.
On the side note, the student council would later receive a request that the soil in the park was to be leveled since it had became rough, so Rean directly visited the swimming club and brought Laura there to clean up the park.
At that time, the gardening club was about to plant flowers, and for some reason, Rean ended up having another fight with Laura, who had teamed up with Fie.
＊
After taking a bath to wash the sweat from sparring, Laura returned to her room and continued writing the letter.
The contents were about the swimming club and sparring with Rean.
In the second half of the letter, it was about her spar with Rean, how Rean used his scabbard for dual wielding, and praise for Kurt’s swordsmanship which was better than Rean’s impromptu method, but it also made Laura painfully aware of the difference in ability between Rean and herself.
Although Laura might have lost to Rean in the end, she concluded by saying how the joy of overcoming Rean’s expectations made her reaffirm the joy of swordsmanship.
In addition to Rean, there was also Fie, a strong opponent of the same sex.
Laura once again felt that she was glad to have entered the Thors Military Academy because of the enriching environment where she had close goals to aim for and was blessed with people to work hard with.
“That’s right, before I forget this, let’s convey it to my father as well.”
Laura wrote another letter.
When the letter arrived at the Arseid and Vander’s families, a misunderstanding and misconception arose, about how the girl of the Arseid family was torn between the Eight Leaves swordsman and the Vander swordsman, which later led to tension.
Unaware of this, Laura happily wrote a letter to her father.
Author Note:
That concludes the individual session with each member of Group B.
The next chapter will be a preparatory episode for May’s field study.
Since April was filled with turbulent human relationships, maybe things will go smoothly in May?
Want early access to Cannon Fodder, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer, and I Was a Man Before Reincarnating, So I Refuse a Reverse Harem? Support the translator on Patreon!
