RUMBLE RUMBLE CRASH!
“Whoaaa!”
“Sensei!”
Suddenly, the rock I stepped on crumbles. It might have become a bit fragile with age. I desperately grab the edge of the foothold and avoid falling completely, but… I’m submerged up to about my knees in the turbid stream.
“Ugh!”
I desperately try to resist being swept away by the current. Kimijima frantically grabs my arm, trying to pull me up, but she can’t get a solid footing, forcing her into an awkward position.
…This… this is impossible…
“K-Kimijima… let go… you’ll get dragged in too.”
“No way!”
“Hey, seriously… this is bad…”
Damn it. Is flowing water this dangerous? I desperately try to lift my feet out of the water, but the current grips them, refusing to let go. The water level is slowly rising too.
“I absolutely… won’t let go!”
My fingers are gradually losing strength. I can no longer… respond to Kimijima’s cries.
“I’ll wait for you downstream… you come later when you’ve calmed down…”
“No! I won’t!”
Kimijima shouts, kneeling on the foothold, trying to grab me around my waist.
Just as I thought I should respond to Kimijima, who was desperately clinging to me with tears in her eyes…
Crash!
The foothold crumbles further. Along with it, the rock under Kimijima’s feet gives way—
—and we’re swallowed by the raging current.
Damn it. Damn it. In the end, it’s my fault!
Before falling into the water, I manage to embrace Kimijima. She clings tightly to me with both hands. We’re engulfed by the muddy stream, helplessly tossed about by the current.
Just as I’m about to run out of breath, the turbulence caused by the merging waterways suddenly calms, and the flow becomes smoother. It changes to a current flowing straight downstream.
“Puha!”
We manage to catch our breath while being swept along. Have we avoided the worst-case scenario for now? The current is fast but steady. Perhaps because it’s an artificial waterway…
But how long does this waterway continue? It might not be so bad if it just merges with a river. In these mountains… no… I don’t want to think about that.
Now that we can breathe, I have a moment to check on Kimijima. Her hands are still gripping me tightly, but she’s managing to keep her face above water and breathe. She’s not panicking.
“Can’t you… do something… with water magic?”
“I’m… keeping us… from sinking… but that’s all I can do…”
Ah… I thought breathing was strangely easy, but Kimijima was already helping. Unlike me, who’s just being swept along helplessly. She’s really reliable. What a lifesaver.
Eventually, we see light ahead. Is it the end of the underground waterway? What’s beyond this? I hope it leads to a wide river where the current might slow down a bit…
As we’re carried along, I keep thinking about what’s ahead. The exit of the underground waterway is approaching rapidly. All the waterways must converge here. The water volume and speed are probably above normal.
And then we burst out of the cave. The brightness dazzles our eyes.
…
It’s still raining. Though overcast, the difference in light from inside the cave is significant. It takes a moment for our eyes to adjust. Thanks to Kimijima, we can keep our faces above water, which is a huge help. With adjusted eyes, I can relatively easily check our surroundings.
…This is the worst.
The scenery around us. The river ahead that disappears from view… It’s a waterfall. No doubt about it.
Kimijima must have noticed too, as she gasps and her grip tightens.
“Kimijima. Don’t let go no matter what!”
“Yes!”
“Use your legs to hold onto me tightly!”
Damn it. I’ll do this. I can do this.
Kimijima clings to me from the front, but her slender build allows my right hand to grasp my sword’s hilt. I grip the scabbard firmly with my left hand.
Iaido is all I have.
Even as we’re swept along by the water, I start to synchronize my consciousness with the sword. Alright, I can do this. I can concentrate. The flow of water around us becomes oddly clear. I can even feel Kimijima’s heartbeat as she clings to me. I can sense her magic flowing uninterrupted, adjusting to keep us from being swallowed by the current.
…I too…
The wind magic Miree taught me. I imagine infusing it into the sword at my waist.
The rapids mercilessly drive us forward, and before we can hesitate, the waterfall is right before us. With the momentum of the current, we’re launched into the air.
Not yet… not yet…
As we feel the wind against our bodies, I assess the situation. The waterfall is higher than expected. Below, I can see a large plunge pool and a pond. I remember reading that for diving athletes, a height of ten meters can create an impact of nearly one ton. This is… not just ten meters. It’s close to thirty meters.
Ugh… the sheer height begins to erode my body with fear.
I’m scared. The fear makes my body shrink, breaking my concentration. Just as I’m about to close my eyes and let go of the hilt, I hear Kimijima’s voice from within my arms.
“Sensei!”
“Kimijima!”
Unconsciously, I shout the name of the student clinging to me. That’s right. I’m not the only one who’s scared.
Thrown into the air, we immediately begin to fall, pulled by gravity. I quickly adjust my posture to perform Iaido downwards. My opponent is the air. And gravity. Fear. Myself.
I open my mouth like a carp, timing it just right.
As the water’s surface approaches, like a drawn bow being released, I draw my sword in one swift motion.
Bwoooosh!!!
Along with the draw, a gale is released downwards. Following the path of the sword, the plunge pool splits in two, exposing the lake bottom.
Amazing, this might… no! Damn! Are we going to hit the ground?
Crack…
Suddenly, I’m hit by intense dizziness. In my fading consciousness, I desperately try to switch positions with Kimijima so that I’m below her. The next moment, a wind like an explosion envelops us like a cushion, and for an instant, we feel a sensation of floating in the air.
Then, we’re swallowed by the water column as the split water rushes back together.
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~Kimijima Yuzuki~
I started kendo when the dojo where I had been practicing naginata since middle school closed due to my sensei’s old age.
My childhood friend Akira recommended it, and I was also interested in the bamboo sword after practicing naginata. The kendo club’s advisor was a famous instructor in the prefecture, skilled at teaching and making kendo practice truly enjoyable.
My skills improved rapidly, and I spent two fulfilling years.
When I became a third-year student, our advisor transferred to a different school, and the new advisor, Kusunoki-sensei, was a novice who had never practiced kendo. I heard he practiced iaido, but he didn’t really instruct us, only showing up for tournaments and practice matches.
Akira, who had adored our previous advisor, was particularly harsh towards Kusunoki-sensei. It wasn’t just Akira. Other club members couldn’t help but compare, even creating an atmosphere of slight mockery. Looking back, I might not have approached sensei to talk much either.
Still, sensei smiled and worked for us, negotiating practice matches and accompanying us to tournaments.
He was a good teacher, but somehow seemed unreliable. Now, he had become the most dependable, trustworthy sensei.
When we were transported to a ruined city infested with monsters, and I thought it was all over, sensei encouraged me with his usual smile and guided me. He even defeated a giant, towering monster with his sword.
We fell into the river and were swept away by a tremendous current.
In such a desperate situation, I didn’t know what to do. But when sensei shouted, “Don’t let go!” with confidence, I knew it would be alright. At times like these, sensei is absolutely reliable. That’s what I thought.
Now, by believing in sensei before me, I can find some peace of mind.
All I can do is manipulate the water flow with water magic to make breathing easier, but I’m sure sensei will figure something out.
However, the situation kept changing, overwriting our despair.
Worst of all, a waterfall awaited us at the end of the river.
As we were thrown from the waterfall, I closed my eyes in terror. All I could do was shout “Sensei!” as we fell.
“Kimijima!” I heard sensei’s voice, and once again, I was certain everything would be okay. Right after that, I felt concentrated magical power being released from within sensei, whom I was clinging to.
With my face buried in sensei’s chest and my eyes closed, I couldn’t see what happened then. I just felt a tremendous gale blowing, and for a moment, it seemed like our bodies floated.
Then we fell back into the water without much impact.
“Sensei? Sensei?”
As soon as we hit the water, I forcibly created a current with water magic to make us float. However, sensei remained unconscious with his eyes closed. The plunge pool had turned into a large lake-like area. Perhaps because of this, the strong current that had been sweeping us along was gone, and I somehow managed to reach the shore.
Since coming to this world and being bathed in the “Divine Light,” my physical strength has increased a bit. I somehow manage to lift sensei onto the shore, and I climb out of the water too.
I hurriedly check sensei’s condition, but he’s breathing properly. Thank goodness…
I carry sensei to the base of a cliff where water won’t reach us, and use wood magic to hide us from view.
As sensei said, this magic is incredibly useful. By adjusting the position of the leaves, we can even shield ourselves from the rain.
…Once again, he saved me.
I embrace sensei from behind, holding him close. It might be good to warm up his body a bit after being cooled by the water.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Listening to the sound of rain falling on the leaves.
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