Metro Labyrinth - CH 41

Kaike brings a new test paper from the shelf by the wall. Aomoto snatches the thumbtack in her hand, wipes the tip of it well with her jersey sleeve, and sticks it in her own finger. Her blood drips onto the round frame and stops a little past the 50 scale.

(Wow, level 52?) (Shuu)

(She doesn’t look much older than Obuchi-san.) (Shuu)

“…Looks like there’s nothing wrong with the paper. …Come on, do it again. That one’s yours… and you, the Carbuncle’s.” (Aomoto)

“It’s Tamiko, not you, squeak.” (Tamiko)

“Um, can I borrow the thumbtack back? Well—you, see? I’ve got [Self-Regeneration], so I’ve already healed the wound.” (Shuu)

So, when I showed my finger, Aomoto grabs my hand and brings her face closer as her nose touched it. Actually, it is not [Self-Regeneration] but it is actually [Immortality], but there is no need to worry about that because the bluish-black mold does not appear with this level of wounds.

“Umm… can I?” (Shuu)

Aomoto, without asking, sticks the thumbtack into my finger.

“Ouch! What are you doing—” (Shuu)

Without any reply or apology, she rubs the Test Sheet against my finger. She puts the paper on the table and stares at it with Kaike. And then they both turn pale.

“…68 …really…” (Kaike)

“…Far from 50… 68… that’s Impossible…” (Aomoto)

“I’m doing the same thing, squeak.” (Tamiko)

Tamiko also had another one, but she seemed unhappy that no one had been watching her.

“Umm, Abe-san?” Kaike said.

“Umm, yes.” (Shuu)

“Is it true that you are an unregistered Free Folk? I heard you were a hunter from a tribe somewhere…” (Kaike)

“No, nowhere.” (Shuu)

“Take off your clothes!” Aomoto said. “Just your top, go ahead get naked!”

An older (I think) sister is ordered to “take off your clothes” in a high-handed manner. Normally, I would have rebelled, but I must confess that I was a little disturbed.

“I’m injured here, squeak.” (Tamiko)

“You’ll be fine.” (Shuu)

I do as she says and take off my jacket. Showing off my improved muscled body, which I have acquired living in this era.

Kaike and Aomoto circle around me, checking my body from all angles.

According to what Noa and the others have told me, in New Tokyo, an insignia (a special tattoo) on the body is a form of identification. If you are a registered person, you have an insignia on your body that indicates “which city you are a resident of”.

If you are a hunter, you also have a hunter’s insignia. If a person is tried for a serious crime, such as murder or robbery, he or she is also given a corresponding insignia.

All citizens are forced to have tattoos. This is the kind of culture that would make the people of my era, who were clamoring for public baths and human rights, burst into flames and have a stroke.

Incidentally, tattoos use a special mycelial plant-derived ink that cannot be removed even if the entire skin is scraped off. It is said that the only people who can remove them cleanly are those who handle the insignia, such as government offices and Hunters’ Guilds, using a trade-secret technique.

“…No. Neither an insignia nor any trace of its removal…” (Kaike)

“…Yeah… Just ugly weird nipples…” (Aomoto)

“Squeaking ugly nipples.” (Tamiko)

“Stop it.” (Shuu)

“As stated on the application form, you are an unregistered hunter, a Free Folk…” (Kaike)

“That’s right…” (Aomoto)

Two beautiful older sisters are observing me naked, and all of them are seated there. Kaike looks a little confused and embarrassed, and Aomoto scratches her head looking more shocked.

“Oh… oh, I’m sorry. You can put it on already.” (Aomoto)

“Ah, yes. Ah, Tamiko, do you need [Holy Healing]?” (Shuu)

“Squeak.” (Tamiko)

When the mycelial ball is created, Tamiko squeezes the juice on her finger and stuffs the rest into her cheek pouch. Kaike and Aomoto are stunned.

“[Holy Healing]…?” (Kaike)

“So, is Abe-san a [Healer] or a [Sage]?” (Aomoto)

—Here, I caught them.

I then shook my head.

“No, it’s [Holy Knight].” (Shuu)

I created a [Katana] from the palm of my hand. Kaike leans forward, and Aomoto reclines back.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I suddenly thought of pulling out a weapon.” (Shuu)

I put it on the floor, and then, as if it was an afterthought, I also produced a [Round Shield], followed by a [Detoxification] (the [Detoxification] goes straight into Tamiko’s cheek pouch).

“I can also use [Great Shield], [War Hammer], [Light Blade], [Leaping], and [Beast Repellent Spores].” (Shuu)

“[Self-Regeneration], [Holy Healing], [Katana], [Round Shield], [Detoxification], [Great Shield], [War Hammer], [Light Blade], [Leaping], [Beast Repellent Spores]… Ten… ” (Kaike)

Kaike is running a pen on the clipboard held in his arm. It is recorded perfectly at once.

“Wait, uh, Abe-kun. Can you really use [Light Blade]? Please show me.” (Aomoto)

“Okay.” (Shuu)

I picked up the [Katana] placed on the floor and I used spore light on it.

Standing up, I kick up the [Round Shield] with my feet and swing down the glowing blade. The [Round Shield] was split in half. It falls to the floor and rolls on the ground.

Kaike slumps while holding her head, but Aomoto has her eyes wide open and looks closely. And she opens her mouth wide and trembles.

“… It’s definitely a [Light Blade]. That means that you are definitely a [Holy Knight]… at level 68…” (Aomoto)

Aomoto’s head was hung down like she was asleep.

“…Abe, I’m sorry for doubting you… and I apologize for all the rudeness… While I call myself a representative of the Guild.” (Aomoto)

“No, that’s… Well, that’s okay too…” (Shuu)

The simulation is a very simple one, but it’s a very good one. Almost everything up to this point had gone according to our simulation.

The biggest challenge for this time was “how to pass the interview without using the Test Sheet for the Fungal Class.” If they see the chaotic result on that sheet, they would know that I did not have an ordinary Fungal Class.

Obuchi interviewed a former employee he knew about the Sugamo-style interview process and worked out a scenario for how to go through it in a very natural way. The point is that I should be able to reveal my Fungal Class without using a Test Sheet and make them believe it.

According to the information from the former staff member and others, the “Test Sheets are not necessarily saved after.”

The Test Sheets can only be preserved during the time the interviewer checks the Level and the Fungal Class on the spot and writes it down in the form of a document. Just as Kaike is doing now. The reason is that the Test Sheets are made of a special mycelial plant, and the used ones would rot soon.

It was expected that the interviewer would be unnerved if showed then a level of skill unbecoming of a newcomer. And before they could gain their bearings, I had planned in advance to give Tamiko [Holy Healing].

The final touch was the [Light Blade]. By demonstrating this in a natural way, I was able to make them believe that I was a [Holy Knight] in the Fungal Class. This is a very rare ability that can only be acquired by a few [ Holy Knight]. This eliminated the need to use a Test Sheet for the Fungal Class.

However, Noa and the others assumed that the interviewers would be “two staff members”. The fact that an active hunter was the partner was something that made Noa and the others nervous.

But as it turned out, Aomoto’s fuss made it more convincing. Perhaps it was a stroke of good fortune.

Both Kaike and Aomoto were convinced that I was a [Holy Knight] because I had shown them [Light Blade], a skill that only [Holy Knights] can use. Kaike is filling out my own form. It seems that now there is no need to use the Test Sheet for the Fungal Class.

I make an internal big guts pose.

The first barrier, which was the biggest barrier, was now clear.

“…Still… It is too unprecedented…” (Aomoto)

“What?” (Shuu)

Aomoto stands up.

“I’m sorry, Abe-kun… but you’re going to have to join a sumo with me. I’d like to experience your power for myself to clear up what little doubt I have left.” (Aomoto)

“What?” (Shuu)

The event, “Show me your skills!”

So, sumo? Sumo? [T/N: It’s in katakana as if it is said with a non-Japanese accent]

Aomoto moves the sofa and table to the edge, and Kaike draws a circle on the floor with chalk with a radius of about five or six meters. In the center of the circle, I am now facing Aomoto and we’re poised to wrestle on all fours.

Tamiko is lying on the back of the sofa (in a nirvana pose). I have been thinking lately that this guy is becoming more and more human, perhaps because she is in a human village and has forgotten how wild she was.

“Oh, I just have to ask, what is sumo?” (Shuu)

“Don’t you know sumo? It’s New Tokyo’s national sport.” (Aomoto)

“Sorry.” (Shuu)

If this were the Heisei era, I might have said, “Women should stay out of the ring!” But I’m sure they wouldn’t understand why. But I am happy to say that this is a sign that this sense has moved forward after the [Tokyo Judgment].

“Because Abe is a Free Folk,” Kaike said, sending me a helping hand.

“My bad, the rules are simple. In this circle, we compete with each other in a contest of strength using only our bodies. The use of hypha weapons and mycelial balls is prohibited.” (Aomoto)

“But about that, [Leaping] is okay.” (Kaike)

In any case, if I use [Leaping] in this small space, I will either break through the ceiling or default from the competition.

“By the way, I’m a [Beast Warrior] and I can use [Herculean Strength]. It’s a bridge to shrink the level gap, so I will use it.” (Aomoto)

They have a High-Rank Fungal Class focused on melee combat with superior physical capabilities. It’s literally like fighting in the opponent’s territory.

“Everything else is allowed. You win if you push your opponent out of the ring, or if you make him kneel in the ring. There will only be a winner if one pushes the other or knocks the other out. That’s all.” (Aomoto)

“How do you knockout the enemy?” (Shuu)

“You can do it with a chokehold or slamming them down.” (Aomoto)

“It’s different from what I expected.” (Suu)

Has sumo become something like an obscure ancient art?

“The other thing is that the eye thrusts and groin-thrusts are not part of Sugamo style. In the hunting industry, it is a widely accepted method of a healthy contest of strength, and some chapters even hold tournaments for their members. If you want to become a hunter, you should try wearing a mawashi [T/N: Sumo loincloth].” (Aomoto)

Kaike then hands me a leather belt and a pair of open-finger gloves made with cotton.

Aomoto pops her knuckles. The sense of danger is heightened. Any faint hope I had that I would be wrestling with a beautiful woman and getting in close to her in all kinds of ways has been shattered.

“I am, by the way, the winner of the last two Sugamo tournaments. I’ve beaten the best of the best in terms of size and level. As the “Yokozuna Queen of Sugamo,” I will show you the depth of my skills.” (Aomoto) [T/N: Yokozuna is the grand champion in Sumo.]

“Has the purpose of this interview changed?” (Shuu)

“I’m sorry, Aomoto-san loves sumo… She always wants to challenge someone stronger than herself…” (Kaike)

It seems that she just wants to do sumo, regardless of the interview.

Kaike stands in between us with something that looks like a tactician’s fan. A fan? But why is a fan available in the interview room?

Tamiko, still lying down, says in a sleepy voice, “Abeshuu good luck, squeak”! I would like to believe that she is relaxed, due to her confidence in her partner’s victory.

“*inhale* *exhale*~” (Aomoto)

“ I’m sorry, Kaike-san, but we’re running out of time, so start this.” (Shuu)

“Oh, yeah.” (Kaike)

Aomoto bowed her head in a bowed manner to the girl who seemed slightly irritated with her.

“The first thing to remember is that martial arts, not just Sumo, begin and end with a bow. That’s the difference between martial arts and mere violence. Let’s play a match that will leave no lasting damage.” (Kaike)

“Ah, yes. No hard feelings.” (Shuu)

“Match, ready! Hakiyoui, nokota!” (Kaike)

A collision between a strong man and a strong woman, starting with a shout.

This might be the best path to enter the hunter’s path in Sugamo.

I hope so.

T/N: So, Sumo has become bastardized during the years and has now become closer to MMA with sumo mixed in. Hakiyoui should be “hakkeyoi” or something like “put some spirit into it,” something sumo referees say during the start. Nokota should be “nokotta” or literally “remain” meaning stay inside the ring. Don’t expect sumo. LOL