Volume 10 - CH 36

Uematsu Yurika’s Morning

I’m an early riser.

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I’m currently not living at my own house but at the 5th Gift Academy student dormitory.

The alarm clock at my bedside is telling me that it’s 4 in the morning.

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Ring Ring Ring Ring! I turned off the old-fashioned alarm clock that was a memento of my parents.

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“……….so sleepy.”

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I set the alarm for 6 o’clock and crawl back into bed.

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Normally, I would wake up at 4, and jog 5 kilometers, before coming back and taking a shower.

That had been my morning routine since I was in middle school.

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However, as a result of that, I ended up neglecting school. Now that I’m in high school and I want to take school seriously, I decided to stop that routine.

Still, setting the alarm for 4 am became a habit of mine.

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2 hours after that, the alarm sounds off again.

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“………..so sleepy.”

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The clock’s a memento but it’s so loud, should I just throw it away? I have such an urge every morning.

Using the alarm on my phone would be better right? With that thought in mind, I reset the alarm.

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At 7, the alarm goes off again.

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“……………sleeeepy.”

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I’m an early riser.

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I wake up at 7, brush my teeth, and head to the dorm cafeteria.

With my eyelids still heavy, I stumble my way to my destination.

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“Ossu! Nice morning isn’t it, Yurika!”

“……..sleepy.”

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I sat down next to Yoru who was already at the cafeteria.

Every morning, I would have this tasteless wheat-flour roll as my breakfast while chatting with Yoru.

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“Ahh!? You’re full of energy today, Yurika!”

“Sleepy…….”

“Listen to this, Yurika! That [Snake Torture] in the Kamakura period where they stuff a living snake into your mouth was actually a thing you know. I’ve always thought that torture is all about blades and brute force, I’ve never thought that using other living creatures as a tool would be a thing.”

“Sleepy……..”

“I mean, it would be cruel to use animals like that though.”

“…………….sleepy.”

“Yeah, just imagining it makes me shake too.”

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By the way, why does this girl keeps going on and on about torture?

I was drinking my milk while nodding along with Yoru’s enthusiastic torture talk.

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“Yo, Yoru-chan……..can you not start talking about something strange so early in the morning……..?”

“Chihiro! A new world is waiting for you if you open your mind and learn more about torture you know!”

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Chihiro, our dorm mate and a girl in our year who belongs to a different class, stole the words out of my mouth.

It’s a relief to know that I’m the normal one here.

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“N, No way!? Let’s just talk about this delicious pudding instead!”

“You know, JAPAN has a rich history of torture that they didn’t write down in the textbooks.”

“No, I don’t want to hear it! I can’t even taste the bread because of you!”

“That bread doesn’t taste like anything from the start right!? Now then, let me give you a lecture on the correct torture method!”

“EPPPPP! H, Help meeeeee!”

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It’s still morning but they’re so loud already……..

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“Time for school huh…….”

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After finishing my morning preparations, I headed to the school which is only a 10-minute walk away.

While wondering what my day will be like today, I entered the school ground with more excitement than the day I enrolled here.

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“Geh…”

“Oh?”

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I spotted someone I don’t want to meet at the school gate.

He’s a guy named Seki Shou. He’s the same grade as me but he’s in a different class. It’s like he’s waiting to ambush me again today.

The guy belongs to the Gift Hunters, an organization I quit after my first day of school.

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“Y, Yo, Uematsu! You been well!?”

“If you think I looked well then you should have your eyes checked.”

“You look just fine to me.”

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If he had noticed that I’m the opposite of well because there’s an English class(Which I can’t handle at all) today then he would have been correct.

As always, this guy is practically blind.

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“I can’t say I dislike your attitude you know, Uematsu.”

“Su~re.”

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Come to think of it, I forgot to do my Gift-Chemistry homework today…….

Will Risa let me copy hers I wonder……….

I need to end this conversation with Seki and get to the class as soon as possible.

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“So how about it? You still hate Gifts right? Come back to us, Uematsu”

“I’ve already washed my hands off that pointless thing. My aim now is to hone my mind and seek true strength to become a real shinobi. As long as my own justice and the principle of the Gift Hunters doesn’t align, I will not return to that path.”

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Just like my master, Akechi, I want the power to combat Gifts with just my physical ability alone.

I’ve realized now that using my Gift to kill off the evil Gift Holders is not my justice.

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“A, And what is that justice of yours, Uematsu? If it’s me then I’m sure I can keep up with it.”

“Hmph, my justice is [World Peace].”

“……………Ha?”

“You can’t keep up with that right.”

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My comment brought the frozen Seki back to his senses.

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“M, My justice is [World Peace] as well. W, What a coincidence, Uematsu.”

“That’s clearly forced.”

“Ahhh, [World Peace] is so nice.”

“You are making fun of me to my face aren’t you?”

“I love how airheaded you are, you know.”

“I’m not an airhead though?”

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I would never allow you to attach a label like that to me, thank you.

If it’s an airhead then Sakuya would fit that description. Compared to her, I’m a very smart and serious person I’ll have you know.

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I’ve already lost my interest in this Gift Hunting talk.

When I was thinking of a way to shake Seki off, I spotted Master and the others in the corner of my eye.

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“Muh? Master is here. Bye, Seki.”

“O, Oi!? Just come back to us, we can achieve [World Peace] together!”

“Maste~~r!”

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I turned my back on Seki and ran off.

He’s been pestering me to rejoin the Gift Hunters at least once every two days and I’ve told him many times that I can’t since I already joined the Literature club. What a troublesome man.

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[[Damn it……, what the heck is that master business anyway……., kuh, damn you, Master….]]]

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Seki seems to mutter that under his breath but there’s no way he could beat Master.

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“ [Crest of Gift Acceptance] is it…….?”

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After parting with Seki, Master suddenly asked to speak with me alone and asked about the [Crest of Gift Acceptance].

Perhaps it’s related to our classmate, Fukamori Misuzu?

I’ve never spoken to her myself but since she has that crest on her face, she’s probably one of the Gift Believers.

There’s no doubt that the Gift Revenger, Takiguchi Masaya, already has his eyes on her.

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“As a former Gift Hunter, do you know of any way to erase it?”

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Master asked in a serious tone.

But even if he asked me so earnestly, I can only give him a cruel truth.

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“There was someone who had a Gift that could break the curse of [Crest of Gift Acceptance].”

“Th, There was!? What do you mean, Yurika!?”

“………unfortunately, he was already purged by the hunters last year.”

“W, what……? So he did exist…….?”

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I steeled my heart at Master’s disappointed voice.

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“Last year, there was a male student who used his Gift to break curses as a business. He had been making a lot of money from both inside and outside of the academy.”

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Information on Gift Hunters is regularly updated in the Gift Hunters’ network but it would never leak to the outside.

But even though I’ve already quit, I can still access that network.

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“But he was beginning to get greedier and greedier. He demanded 10 million yen from the rich folks for a single use of his Gift. He used to ask 10,000 yen from the students here at this academy but when he started saying [The price is now 1,000,000 pay up.] and began getting violent to get his pay, he was purged.”

“Damn…….., what an idiot…….”

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Master facepalmed and bitterly raised his voice.

But his eyes immediately changed.

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“……..I see now. Thank you, Yurika. I owe you one.”

“You’re welcome. ……..ah.”

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Since the conversation was about [Crest of Gift Acceptance], I remembered something important.

Th, That’s right……

I had completely forgotten about this.

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“Nn?”

“If Master wants to thank me then can you please let me copy your Gift-Chemistry homework!?”

“…………”

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And thus, I finished my homework and managed to submit it as scheduled that day.

Author Note: Seki Shou, who?

Please see, V9C8

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Yurika is weak in the morning.

Yoru on the other hand is always energetic.

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There’s a main heroine who talks about torture first thing in the morning over here.

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Using a Gift to earn money is legal.

For example, StarCha and the guy who used his Gift to make videos online are both legit.

However, demanding an exorbitant amount of money for compensation and fraudulent service is still a crime.

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About Chihiro-chan who briefly appeared here.

Her room is next to Yurika.

She’s a serious child who always got taken aback by Yoru and Yurika’s shenanigans.

She also likes cute things.

Maybe she will be involved in the story, maybe she won’t.

She belongs to a different class from Haruka and Mitsuki.

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Next Up, what will the frustrated Seki Shou do……?