I became the Strongest Minus's mother!

Chapter 19:What it takes to be chosen?

Saki fixed Kumagawa with a blank stare. Just what kind of game was that?

In any case, Kumagawa was revived nonethless. If this was because of All Fiction or Mei's chest pressure was still up to debate.

Mei:Good. I was worried, Kumagawa-senpai.

Mei had removed her foot from his chest and placed it beside his head. Placing the other foot on tge opposite side she introduced herself while looking down at Kumagawa who was still laid with his back on the floor.

Mei:It's very nice to meet you, Kumagawa-senpai. I am one of Anshin'in-san's terminals, Class 1-3 seat number 23, and my name is Utsubogi Mei. I belong to the Swim Club. By the way, unlike Teppou-san, I'm not a Skill Holder, so there's no need to worry. Are you all right? When I learned I'd be coming into contact with the rumored Kumagawa Misogi, I imagined various ways this would go about, but I never once considered that you'd end up dying before I could even greet you.

Kumagawa:[Huhuhu. That's because you underestimated me, Utsubogi-chan. I can see that you didn't know that some of my fans call me the Nanja Monja Brothers from Lupin III.]

This was the first time Saki was hearing about this as well. Why would he go to call himself Nanja Monja Brothers when there was just one of him.

Or rather, in the first place, the Nanja Monja Brothers, who were rival thieves to Lupin III's grandfather, Arsene Lupin I...They couldn't possibly be famous enough to make a reference like this.

Mei:Is that so? In that case, I'll be Clarisse.

Mei contered without hesitation. Not only that, she choose a good role as a heroine as well.

Kumagawa:[Good grief...Even so, Anshin'in-san's terminals really have a lot of variety to them, don't they? Well, that's to be expected, considering she has 700 million of them...]

Saki's mind went black as those words left Kumagawa's mouth. She must have heard him wrong, right? He didn't just say 700 millions, right?

Kumagawa:[A swimsuit clad beauty, huh? But if you could allow me to indulge just a little bit, I don't particularly happen to like competition swimsuits.]

Mei:That really is indulgent...Understood, I'll go and change.

Without hesitation Mei turned around and walked towards the lockerrooms. It was such a fluid motion that Saki had no time to stop her.

Saki:Kumagawa-kun... That's no good, you just hurt Utsubogi-san's feelings. Saying that she doesn't look good in a competition swimsuit.

Kumagawa:[I never said she didn't look good...It's just a matter of taste.]

Kumagawa had finally pushed himself to a sitting position. Even so, he didn't look like he was expecting Mei to take his joke so seriously either.

Kumagawa:[Hmm, it feels like she doesn't suit my tastes because of how practical she is. If there's no playfulness, then fashion and life are just boring. You know, for example, panties aren't really for showing them off to others, so it's just fine if they're just pieces of cloth, right? But in that case, why do they add frills and designs to them? Isn't it because they want people to play with panties?]

Saki:Your opinion is always welcome, but perhaps we could have this conversation at a later opportunity, President Kumagawa? Anyway, was it actually at the bottom of the pool? The Hero's Sword that you were looking for.

Kumagawa:[It was. There's no doubt about it.]

Saki looked at him in worry. She has heard that drowning was one of the most painful ways to die, but it seems his death wasn't for nothing.

Even so, his mood hasn't raised at all. He was well and alive, having found his objective, yet his mood was still down fir some reason.

Kumagawa:[It was right in the center of the pool. But a problem seems to have come up. No, it's more like, a trap was set.]

Saki:A trap?

That made her curious. Although he drowned it's not like it was a pool of 10 meters, it only had 2 meters.

If that was the case, surely he'd be able to retrieve the sword. So why hasn't he?

Kumagawa:[It was stuck.]

Saki:Eh?

Kumagawa:[Like I said, it was stuck. The Hero's Sword was stuck into the bottom of the pool. And pretty deeply, at that. So it was stuck into it like this.]

Saki:Stuck into it...So it wasn't that the Hero's Sword was put in a scabbard and placed into the pool, but that it was actually stabbed into the concrete?

Kumagawa:[That's right. From what I could see, about half of the blade was buried in the concrete. I couldn't spot a scabbard at all. It's pretty likely that the scabbard was never established in the first place.]

Saki:And the reason you were empty-handed...That was because you couldn't pull out the sword?

Kumagawa:[Don't make it sound like I'm some kind of weakling. It's just impossible, doing something like that.]

Was it something to do with the water pressure? Kumagawa seemed oddly conclusive in his words.

It was true that it wouldn't be easy to pull out a sword stuck in concrete even if it wasn't in the water. Or rather, in the first place, swords wouldn't be stabbed into concrete.

Kumagawa:[No, it doesn't have anything to do with water pressure or buoyancy...I think this setup is something Anshin'in-san is responsible for. That's why, no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't budge an inch. Although I ended up drowning and dying as I tried. There's probably a system...No, a rule for it.]

Saki:A rule...

Kumagawa:[Something appropriate for the Hero's Sword. Like, only the chosen one can pull it out. So to clear Anshin'in-san's quest, "Get the Hero's Sword!" I have to do something to become that chosen one. Basically, I have to become...What's it called? A hero.]

Mei:That's exactly right.

Saki noted how Kumagawa spoke the word hero rather awkardly, like he was speaking about some sworn enemy. However, before she could ask about it Mei returned.

Mei:That's the first quest that Anshin'in-san has prepared for you, Kumagawa-senpai. So please do your best to rack your brains as if you're wringing out a towel to pull out the sword at the bottom of the water. And I'll just say this right now, but draining the pool is cheating. If you happen to break the rules, then I won't be able to guarantee anything. Your rights, your life, anything.