The training of day two starts with a marathon. We had to get up at six in the morning, change into our track suits, have a simple breakfast provided by the Academy, and run a course which takes us through a forest and a lake, then come back to the base. All students are given until lunchtime to complete the marathon. Anyone who failed to do it will receive extra curriculum upon returning to the Academy.

   Before we begin the marathon, we had a warm-up session led by the entire student council.

   ‘One! Two! Come on, all of you~! Show your big sister your spirit~!’

   ‘You over there! Do it more properly! Do you want to get leg cramp? And Takuto Yuuji! No slacking off!’

   I said the entire student council, but from the way they’re acting, it sure felt like it’s only the two of them.

   ‘Oh man, a marathon! They might as well put a bullet between my eyes. At least that will be over quick.’ I hear Iwata says from somewhere behind me.

   ‘Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to pick up your bone, although there’s a possibility that I’ll be joining you shortly.’ the voice of Takagi clearly says.

   ‘It was nice knowing you two.’ Ueno says.

   I wanted to run with the three of them, but they declined, since they think they might slow me down. And so, I’m doing warm up while standing near my classmates.

   All of you might be thinking that Mashiro won’t survive this either, but she got a special permission from Principal Morufuji to get through the marathon by riding a Destroyer. Running a marathon and completing it while riding something is two completely different things, but our principal already gave it a okay, so who am I to judge?

   Soon, the warm up is over, and it’s finally time for the marathon to begin. All of us are to stand near the starting line, with a teacher standing at the side with an air horn. He presses the air horn and causes it to let out an eardrum-bursting sound, signaling the start of the marathon.

   At once, Yuuji charges out like a bullet while yelling like a crazed monkey, with the horse-type Destroyer Mashiro is riding right behind him. The rest of us follow suit with our own pace.

   I have trained my stamina for some time while training with Ichika, so I can jog for quite a while before I ran out of steam. Some students, however, are not that fit, and already start to show signs of fatigue after running for around ten minutes.

   I don’t know how much time has passed since I started jogging, but I’ve finally reached the forest, which is the first checkpoint of the marathon.

   Unlike a road, I have to be careful in here, since there are trees all over the place. It’s not until a few hours until the sun is up, so the forest is very dark, making this place extra dangerous . Also, dodging the trees while moving make me consume more stamina. By the time I got through the forest, I have started to get tired.

   I jog some more for a while, and I was surprised to find Sakuya and Ichika jogging in front of me. With their stamina, I thought they would be way ahead already.

   ‘Sakuya-senpai and Ichika, why are you two still here?’ I call-out to them.

   ‘Oh, Akira-kun. You’re finally here.’

   ‘About time.’

   ‘ “Finally”? Have you two been waiting for me?’

   At this, the both of them suddenly avert their eyes from me.

   ‘Hmm~? Your big sister don’t know what you’re talking about. I was always this slow, you know.’

   ‘Same here.’

   That’s definitely a lie. I’ve seen the both of them during P.E. and they have some crazy stamina worthy of S Ranks. That said, talking would waste my stamina, so I choose to remain silent and continue to jog. The both of them, however, keep talking like they had all the stamina in the world.

   ‘I wonder what’s for lunch today?’ Sakuya wonders out loud.

   ‘President, please keep your promise you made with Akira and make sure to refrain yourself from cooking.’

   ‘Yes, yes. Don’t worry, I will. I’ll just go bother Akira-kun again.’

   ‘Please don’t.’

   ‘Why not~? Do you hate your big sister now?’ Sakuya starts hugging me all of a sudden.

   ‘Senpai, could you get off me? There’s people watching. Plus, I’m all sweaty.’

   ‘Just let them, we’re just showing off our siblings’ love, and there’s no need to worry about your sweat.’

   ‘We’re not related by blood.’

   ‘That makes it better, doesn’t it?’

   ‘No, it doesn’t!’

   Just when I was about to push Sakuya away, Ichika comes forward and pulls us apart.

   ‘Oh my~? What’s this, are you jealous, Ichika-chan?’ Sakuya asks her while smiling mischievously.

   ‘Wha-? I am not! I was just preventing the two of you from conducting illicit actions!’

   ‘Really now?’

   ‘Yes!’

   After saying that, Ichika turns her back on us and speeds up.

   ‘Looks like we made her mad.’ Sakuya says while chuckling.

   ‘You mean you did. I didn’t do anything.’

   ‘Oh, I wonder about that~.’

   ‘What do you mean?’

   ‘Here’s another lesson on being popular with girls, Akira-kun. Never ask a girl why she’s mad. You’re supposed to figure it out yourself.’

   ‘Which might leads to misunderstanding.’

   ‘And finding the right answer on the first try is what a popular person can do.’

   ‘That made zero sense.’

   ‘It will, in due time.’

   ‘...Let’s just catch up on Ichika, shall we? We’re getting left behind.’

   ‘Sure~.’

   After we catch up to Ichika who’s still in a bad mood, we ran in silence for a while. We pass by a lot of students, some are resting, some are barely hanging on, some still got some fight left in them.

   By the time the three of us have reach the lake, my stamina is almost spent. I’m panting loudly, and my jog has been reduced to a walk. Sakuya and Ichika are matching up my pace and therefore also walking.

   This lake acts as a giant roundabout for us. We are to make one round and go back to where we came from.

   ‘It’s been a while since we’re together like this, isn’t it?’ Sakuya asks all of a sudden.

   ‘The last time was the underground cavern.’ Ichika confirms.

   ‘Mashiro isn’t here though.’ I point out.

   ‘Can’t really blame her. She was probably anxious to get this over with.’

   ‘Why on earth did Principal Morifuji gave her permission to finish this marathon by riding a Destroyer?’

   ‘Well, she went to him and argued that since controlling a Destroyer takes up stamina, it’s okay to consider that she’s exercising.’

   ‘And he just accepted that?’ Ichika couldn’t believe her ears.

   ‘He has a soft spot for her. After all, he and Mashiro-chan’s father used to be the best of friends, but then…’

   Ichika nods understandingly.

   ‘I’m sorry, Akira-kun. I now you’re curious, but I don’t think it’s nice to talk about Mashiro-chan’s past without her permission. ’ Sakuya says apologetically.

   ‘Oh, it’s fine.’

   For one thing, I already knew it anyway. Secondly, Sakuya’s right. Gossiping about others is bad.

   ‘Anyway, we are halfway through the marathon now, so we should pick up the pace. Have your stamina recovered at least a bit, Akira?’

   ‘I think so.’

   ‘Good.’

   And so, we’re back to jogging. The sun has started to rise, giving me a better sight on the road. I see more students on the opposite side of the road who are struggling to get the marathon done, including the Shut-Ins Club trio. I hold my urge to call out to them, as it might humiliate them. Wishing them luck silently in my heart, I continue my trip back to the base.

   It was around afternoon when we finally got back to the base. In the end, I never saw Yui and the cool kids clique, so they must have completed the marathon first.

   The student council duo look like they could go for another run, while I’m wheezing and gasping for air.

   ‘Here.’ Ichika got me a bottle of water with her teleport magic.

   I’m so tired I can’t speak, so I just nod my thanks and accept the bottle.

   ‘Well then, you take your time Akira-kun. Your big sister will take a bath now.’ Sakuya tells me.

   ‘As shall I. We will be seeing you later.’

   I nod again and watch the two of them go inside the barrack. After I got my breath back, I head to the barrack as well to get a shower. At the shower room, I bump into Shimazaki and Miyahara, who were just done with their shower.

   ‘Hey, Kagenashi. Just got back?’ Miyahara greets me.

   ‘Yeah, when did you guys came back?’

   ‘Around thirty minutes ago.’

   ‘Cool. Well, I’ll see you guys after I’m done with the shower.’

   ‘Sure thing.’

   All of us are pretty much tired from the marathon, so we just cooked something simple for our lunch: Spaghetti Beef Bolognese.

   While we’re having our meal, more and more students came to join us. I guess all of them are taking extra curriculum after we got back to the Academy. Eventually, I see Takagi and Ueno, but not Iwata.

   ‘Hey you two, where’s Iwata?’ I quickly go to them and ask.

   ‘The thing is, he fainted when we were almost halfway done with the marathon. His stamina had always been lousy, after all.’ Ueno replies.

   ‘So, where is he now?’ based on their expression, it’s probably safe to assume that he’s fine.

   ‘At the infirmary inside the base. A teacher tended to him, and said that he’s passed out since he pushed himself too far, nothing too serious.’

   ‘That’s good to hear.’

   ‘...Well, we’ll go and have our lunch now. See you later, Kagenashi.’ Takagi tells me.

   I was rather taken aback by his cold attitude, but then I noticed their expression. Back in the real world, I often made it myself, so I’m all too familiar with it.

   The expression someone makes when he was crushed by the harshness of reality.

   ‘...Yeah, see you later.’ I step aside and let them pass.

   ‘Did something happened between you and your friends?’ Yui asks me with concern when I go back to them.

   ‘No, it’s just that our friend passed out from lack of stamina when he was running the marathon.’

   ‘Oh no, is he alright?’

   ‘Yeah, they said that he’s fine, and he’s now resting at the infirmary.’

   ‘That’s good but, the atmosphere between the three of you were kind of weird.’

   ‘Well,’ I sigh. ‘They probably had an inferiority complex after they failed to finish the marathon.’

   ‘Maybe I should go comfort them. I did the same with one of them during the entrance exam, after all.’ Oomori says.

   I’m kind of surprised that Oomori remembers it, but I stop her immediately.

   ‘Don’t. If you do that, you’ll be trampling on their pride. Why do you think I left them alone?’

   ‘But-’

   ‘Kagenashi’s right, Oomori.’ Shimazaki interrupts. ‘The last thing that two guys who’re feeling weak and helpless need is being pitied by a girl.’

   Especially if the said girl is your crush, but of course I won’t say this out loud.

   ‘Alright.’ Oomori reluctantly changes her mind.

   ‘I just hope this won’t affect your friendship.’ Yui says to me.

   ‘Yeah, me too.’

   Since lunchtime is almost over, we quickly wolf down our pasta, then proceed to do the cleanup.

   Class 2’s afternoon class for day 2 is mental training. As you may remember, there’s a rank for Spirit in my ID. That’s to gauge how strong a student is against temptations from Destroyers.

   For this session, students are to go inside a drawn pentacle and access the dimension where the Destroyers reside by using a chant taught by the teachers. After that, students will have to stay sane as long as possible, without losing to their temptations.

   According to our teacher in charge, this lesson is very important, as some Destroyers seek pleasure in corrupting humans. Getting used to the temptations and ignoring them is the only way to fight back.

   I sit down inside one of the pentacles as instructed. Just as I was about to start the chant,I find myself to be underwater. To be exact, I’m inside an ocean, and my feet are stepping on a seabed.

   Although I’m underwater, I can still breath, and the pressure of the deep sea didn’t crush me, so this must be an illusion.

   Strange. I swear I haven’t start the chant yet, and yet here I am, getting trapped by an illusion. Is my Rank in Spirits really A?

   And then, around two hundred meter further from me, where there is complete darkness, two pale eyes the size of houses appeared.

   For some reason, I’m not scared at all. I could even guess the name of the creature.

   ‘...Curruid?’

   A voice appeared directly inside my head.

   ‘It would seem that the current wielder of my bone is not as dimwitted as he looks.’

   In case you all aren’t familiar with Irish mythology, I’m now talking to Curruid the sea monster. Gáe Bulg is made from his bone.

   ‘I hear a ‘but’ in that sentence.’ I couldn’t help but notice.

   Ah yes, my parents did it all the time. They would start by saying “Good job in getting four As!”, and then ruin my joy for being praised by saying “but did you know that Taro from next door got five As?”. I swear-

   ‘You bet your squid’s tentacles that I do! I was dead for only three days, and some uncivilized varmints decide to steal my bone and make a spear out of it! The first wielder, the Hound of Culann, was the greatest of man, but his successor is… you!’

   It seemed like he was debating on what insult to call me with, but gave up in the end.

   ‘You left out the part where you got your tail whooped by Coinchenn.’ I remind him.

   He squints his eyes. ‘…Have anyone told you that you’re a horrible person?’

   ‘Hey, you started it. Besides, it’s not fair comparing me with Cúchulainn. He was a demigod, remember? Also, he was taught by the Scáthach. I didn’t have the same privilege.’

   ‘I was not upset of your skills in spear. What upset me is the fact that you wield my spear like a regular, run-of-the-mill toothpick by barely using my powers!’

   ‘Maybe I should ask Sakuya-senpai if the Academy has Poseidon’s Trident.’

   ‘What? What for?’

   ‘To replace the toothpick I’m using now, of course. I mean, what power could a spear made from an overgrown fish has?’

   ‘You…insolent…cur! I will have you know that the power of that Seaweedbeard’s fork is nothing compared to mine!’

   ‘Oh?’

   ‘With my bone, you could create a tide so huge, an entire city could be destroyed! That small wave you raised in that cavern is not even a tiny fraction of my true power!’

   ‘Uh-huh.’

   ‘You could also summons warriors from the deepest depth of the ocean to fight for you! With enough training, you can summon an entire army!’

   ‘I see.’

   ‘Breathing under water is no longer an issue for you! You can even swim faster than any fish!’

   ‘Is that so?’

   ‘...You just tricked me into telling you my powers, didn’t you?’

   Drat. He caught on.

   ‘You know, I’m pretty sure I could do the same with Poseidon’s Trident, provided that it exists.’

   ‘Oh, it exists alright. But the tools used by the Gods and other higher beings are not as convenient as you think.’

   ‘What do you mean?’

   ‘They are bound with restrictions, the same ones that bound their owners. They were not supposed to interfere with the affairs of mortals, after all. Look what happened to Prometheus.’

   ‘So, anyone that uses a Regalia that belonged to a God can’t go full force?’

   ‘Correct.’

   Interesting. Well, it probably won’t matter much. With my strength now, even a fraction of the power from a God’s Regalia is enough to kill me.

   ‘I, on the other hand, have no such restrictions. Master my powers, and you are allowed to go wild as much as you wish.’

   ‘Well, it might take some time, but I guess I’ll do my best.’

   ‘I know it’s a bit late for me to say this, but you’re quite calm, considering the circumstance that you’re in. I could just devour your mind and leave you as an invalid for the rest of your miserable life.’

   ‘Except you won’t.’

   He squints his eyes again. ‘What makes you so sure?’

   ‘If you snuff out my life, your bone will be deemed too dangerous to be used, and might get locked away or worse, destroyed. After that, you will never have a taste of blood ever again. You don’t want that, do you?’

   ‘I suppose I don’t.’ he admits grudgingly.

   ‘There you have it. I want to become stronger, and you want to taste more blood, so this benefits the both of us.’

   ‘Hmm, it seems that I have greatly underestimated you. What you lack in might and spell-casting, you make it up with wisdom. You might go somewhere after all.’

   ‘Why thank you. So, now that we solved our differences, can I go back now?’

   All of a sudden, I’m back in the training room, once again sitting inside the pentacle. My classmates and the teacher are all looking at me with concern in their eyes, while Yui is holding a piece of talisman between her index and middle finger.

   ‘What happened, Kagenashi-kun? You went blank all of a sudden, and it took you so long to regain consciousness.’ Yui asks me while looking like she’s about to cry.

   ‘Well, I know this might sounds crazy, but the spirit of my spear talked to me.’

   However, none of them look like they think it’s crazy at all.

   ‘You did well to come back to us.’ the teacher congratulates me.

   ‘Well, I had to use my wits, sir.’

   ‘Just take a break for now. You are excused for the rest for the afternoon.’

   ‘Really? Thank you sir.’

   And so, I got some free time all the way until dinnertime. To pass the time, I head back to my room and lie down on my bed, pondering about my conversation with Curruid. Now that I got some tips from him, I could use Gáe Bulg more effectively.

   It’s dinnertime in the blink of an eye, so I go outside to join the others. Not long after I arrive at the open field, Iwata comes and talk to me.

   ‘Iwata! Are you all right now?’

   ‘Yeah, sorry for worrying you.’

   ‘It’s fine, as long as you’re safe.’

   ‘By the way, I heard what happened while I was at the infirmary.’

   ‘I see. Are they still, well…’

   ‘I think they’ll be fine, just give them some time. And don’t blame them, okay?’

   ‘I won’t. I was like them once, so I know how they feel.’

   ‘Well, I better get back. See you around.’

   ‘Yeah.’

   After that, I eat my dinner quietly, all the while listening to the chatters of my classmates. I wanted to stay until the end of the campfire, but then Yuuji starts to sing again. I took that as my cue to go back to my room.