The day after the entrance ceremony.
　I woke up in my room in the dormitory.

I woke up in my room in the dormitory. ...... My internal clock was still working.

　When I opened the curtain, I could see that it was still dark outside.
　It was a little earlier than sunrise.

　The builders' school is very generous. Each student is given a room in the dormitory to use as they please. I walked through my drab room with little luggage, drank a glass of water in the bathroom, changed out of my nightgown and into my workout clothes, and went outside.

　The war was over and I was supposed to be a mere student, but even so, my body clock was still working as it had when I was in the institution.

　I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and ran incessantly until breakfast.
　It was a habit he had maintained for ten years. When I was a child, I was reluctant to do it under the instruction of the instructor, but now, on the contrary, I feel uncomfortable unless I do it. It's a difficult constitution I've developed.

　After lightly relaxing my body, I started running.
　I had already decided on a running course before I entered the school. Since the school is located in the southeast of the circular royal city of Maikoura, I plan to run down the castle town, out the east gate, along the city walls outside the city, and then up the castle town again from the south gate to return to the school. Since the purpose of the run was to strengthen and maintain her physical strength, she would not use magic such as "toughness" as a general rule.

　The morning breeze is chilly and comfortable. Compared to the daytime, it feels fresh.
　While I was enjoying the sensation of cutting through the wind for a while, the sun began to rise and it became brighter outside.

Hmm?

　As I was running for a while outside the city walls, I noticed a man with shishi-colored hair running in front of me. It looked familiar, but I couldn't remember.

　The man seemed to be nearing the end of his strength and I could hear him breathing hard as I approached.

The man was already nearing the end of his strength, and I could hear his ragged breathing as I approached. "Haa...... haa......!　It's been longer than I thought ......!

　I can hear the man muttering.
　Perhaps this man is running a similar course to me. There are four equally spaced gates in the royal city of Maikoura, east, west, south, and north. If I were to run between the gates on the outer perimeter, I would have to run around a quarter of the circumference of this vast royal city. The distance is very long.

　The man looks like he's about to collapse.
　I guess we can't overlook ...... that.

"Hey, are you okay?

　When I called out to him, he immediately straightened up and began to act calm.

"...... Yeah, I'm fine.

　Bullshit.

"Take it easy. You need to slow down.

"No, ......, you'll be late.

Late?

　That reminded me of something.
　This guy was a student of mine at the Builders' Academy, first year, class D. I'm afraid I've forgotten his name, but I do remember that we were in the same class.

"I see. Well then, good luck.

　The entrance ceremony had ended the other day, but classes were starting today.
　Being late for your first class is not good for your reputation. However, at the rate I'm going, I won't be able to avoid being late.
　Even though we're classmates, we're not going to be late together.
　I ran next to the guy and stepped in front of him.

"......!

　As I try to pass him, the guy accelerates, moaning.
　What the hell is this guy? Is this some kind of rivalry?

I'm not going to be your ...... pacemaker.

Shut up. ...... I'm just running like a normal person.

　Bullshit.
　I was tempted to go into a lot of detail, but I didn't get up early to chat either. I decided to ignore the man and run at my own pace.

　I ran in silence, and the man ran alongside me in silence.
　However, I guessed that I had reached the limit of my physical strength, and the distance between us gradually became smaller.

　It took me about two hours to reach the south gate, and then it took me twenty minutes to return to the school.
　Since I knew my pace, I was able to come back at the time I had planned. I had enough time to sweat, iced, and eat breakfast before class started.

　After a while, I saw a man with shishi-colored hair go under the school gate.
　I thought he had given up and used magic, but there was no sign of him. He seemed to have run with his bare strength to the end. He was exhausted, but he looked refreshed, as if he had done his best.
　The man approached me, breathing on his shoulder.

You ...... were a student here too ......?

Yeah.

d*mn,......, I lost. I was pretty confident in my strength. ....... Are you a hero, ......?

No, I'm a general.

Normal?　Seriously, ...... with your strength?

We both do. You're the one who's stronger than everyone else, but you're a normal student.

　The distance from the east gate to the south gate is long, and most people can't run it in such a short time.


　I've been working out since I was a child, so I could manage to run, but the man in front of me is probably also making a habitual effort to build up his physical strength. It was strange that such a man who was willing to work out belonged to the regular course, not the hero course.

Well, I'm in a lot of trouble, ......, huh?　I told you I'm a regular student.

We're in the same class.

Seriously?　I'm sorry, I didn't notice.

　The man then smiles good-naturedly.

"You may already know me, but I'm Grand Iblis. Nice to meet you.

I'm Two-Eight.

　As he says his name, I remember what happened the other day.
　Grand-Iblis. I'm sure there was a student with that name.

"Toate. ...... Oh!　Oh, yeah, you!　You're the one who was taken out by the beautiful girl from the hero department after HR yesterday!

　Gran says.
　I'm sure he's right, but the way he remembered me was a bit unwelcome.

"Well, that was a surprise. I was surprised. Don't you start milking each other's wounds right away.

"We're not milking each other. We just got to know each other a little during the heroics exam.

Really? I mean, did you take the heroics exam?

Yeah, by mistake. I really wanted to get into the regular department from the beginning, but I went to the wrong exam room.

Oh, ......, that's unfortunate. I was also mistakenly thought to want to be a hero at first. Maybe it's because of the way I look. ......

　Gran says with a sigh.
　Gran is quite strong. He's big-boned and tall. When I saw him running earlier, I didn't think he was a student of my age either.

"You look like a fierce warrior.

　I couldn't help but think that, and Gran laughed.

I don't like to fight, though. But I'm glad to see that Toate doesn't seem to mind. I'm glad to see you're okay. ...... Let's go work up a sweat, then. There's a shower room on the first floor of the dormitory that should be available at this time.

　Gran said, taking off his clothes.

Don't take them off here.

"It's better than sweating all over the floor. Besides, the breeze feels good.

　He says as he wrings out his clothes, letting the sweat soak into the ground.
　We're both sweaty. Just standing there, sweat drops are constantly dripping from our clothes.

　I followed Gran's lead, taking off my clothes and wringing out the sweat.
　Then Gran's eyes widened.

"Toeight......, you're not so ordinary after all.

　Gran asked with a serious look on his face.

"Where did you get that wound ......?　It's not just demons, but also people.

　What Gran was looking at were the countless scars on my body.
　Maybe it's because I've been in so many battles before, but it's hard to find a place where I don't have scars now.
　I regret that I didn't show them to others. But...

But... "You're no ordinary person when you can tell the difference between wounds caused by demons and wounds caused by people.

　When he said that, Gran laughed to himself.

I was in a battle for a while. I was on the battlefield for a bit once, but I left soon after.

Are you hurt?

"......, yes. A psychological injury. I couldn't face the horror of the battlefield. I guess he only trained his ...... body and never developed his mind. Even so, the habit of training my body every morning like this is still half-heartedly intact. I'm such a clumsy guy.

　Looking up at the sky, Gran continued.
　Perhaps this man and I are in a similar position. He had a unique past and became a regular student to get rid of it.

So, what about Toate? He seems to be in a similar situation to me.

　Gran's question made me think for a moment.
　Gran is right, we are more similar than I thought. If I were to tell the truth here, Gran might compare my case with his own and start to think of unnecessary things. I can tell him that I was in the Great War, but I don't want him to pry into my institution. For that reason, it would be better to stick to the lie, even if it is a bit ...... forceful.

...... Unfortunately, no. My scars are not caused by people or demons. You just happen to have a lot of scars that look like it.



No, but that scar is definitely a demon's ......

You're wrong. How can you trust your own eyes so much?" "You don't have much experience in war, do you?　How can you trust your own eyes so much?

I'm not so sure about that now that you mention it. ......

　Gran moans softly.

But then, what's with the scar?

"It's a work scar.

"Work?

Before I came to this school, I was helping my parents with their business. My job is ...... cleaning. I'm a street sweeper.

How does a ...... street sweeper get hurt like that?

It's not for the uninitiated. Removing stuck-on dirt is much harder than you think. Only such dirt can be found in awkward places where people don't usually see it. Especially since I was in a position to work directly with my hands, I had to go from place to place every time I was asked to do something. This level of damage is normal.

"Well, that sounds like hard work. So ...... cleaning the streets was such hard work. ......

　I'll be as careful as I can, Gran muttered in a low voice.
　This guy is a little dumb, but he's human.

I understand your situation. I understand what you're going through, but you might want to keep your body out of sight. You don't want people to think you're something you're not, do you?

"...... Oh, I'll be careful.

　I nodded to Gran.
　After that, we took a shower, had breakfast, and headed to class.