Keeping Quiet Prologue

Prologue

　Dino Turner was on his knees, sweating profusely and breathing hard.

　In a corner of the arena, with everyone watching, defeat is a humiliation that you never get used to, no matter how many times you experience it.

　He wanted to bite his lip in frustration, but he held back, not wanting his opponent to see him do it.

「I guess I've won again today, Dino.」

「Damn. ...... again ......」

　The one who pointed the tip of his holy sword at Dino and released an emotionless tone of voice was Kay Brennan. He is a small boy with short red hair who wears a white uniform with regularity and not even a hint of disarray. He is a different kind of existence and hopes among the students here at the Lancet Academy - a "Hero" chosen by the Holy Sword and appointed by the Church.

　He is the most powerful student in the school, and while everyone else has given up on fighting him, there is one who is trying to catch up. That is a boy named Dino Turner.

　In addition to having deep dark hair and black eyes, Dino, who possesses the magic power of the dark attribute, also has the ability to catch up with the heroes. But it's only a matter of time before he catches up with them, and he can't surpass them unless he's equal.

　He didn't bite his lip, but his sand-covered fists were clenched as hard as they could be.

「Duel over!」

　With the instructor's voice, the game was over.

　Kay gave Dino a quick glance but left without saying a word. As soon as he disappeared, he slammed his fist into the ground in frustration and disappointment that he had not been able to win again.

　With a roar, the ground shook and caved in. Even with all this power, he can't beat the hero.

「Damn it!」

　Dino hated heroes. Just by being chosen for the holy sword, they acquire supernatural power and quickly overtake those who are making an effort. He disliked the heroes who transformed themselves into powerful and special beings which made his efforts seem ridiculous.

(......Pathetic)

　But more than that, he hated himself for not being able to beat the heroes.

　In a world where humans and demons fight and there is no resolution, their existence is a hope. They always stand at the forefront of battles, and even after retiring, they raise many excellent fighters, which he dislikes and respect at the same time.

(But that doesn't mean we should leave everything to the heroes.)

　However, humans rely too much on the heroes. They want to leave everything to the heroes. He doesn't like that.

　Dino, who is only a magician, wants to show his power by winning against the heroes. He wants to prove that if you have the will to fight, you can fight without relying on them.

(But I couldn't win today either!)

　He relaxed from his tense body and sigh heavily. He fought Kay many times since he entered the school, but he has never been able to win. He's aware that their abilities are getting closer with each fight, but he is not the only one making an effort. The gap between them has narrowed, but no drastic change has come.

　Once a month, the school traditionally holds a tournament to determine the rankings within the school. Dino has participated in this tournament every month since he entered the school and has always lost to Kay in the finals.

　The nickname he's been given is "Permanent Second Place".

「Today, too, you were beaten badly. Don't you need to go to the infirmary?」

　While the students were leaving the arena, there was a girl who called out to Dino.

　She was a beautiful girl with blonde hair that reflected the brilliant sun, wearing a white uniform and a light blue ribbon. Her name is Tiana Lintner. She is a noblewoman, the third daughter of a countess. Although she is selfish and emotional, she has a strong sense of justice and a kind heart, and she is one of the followers of Hero Kay, but she always calls out to Dino like this.

「Good grief, there's no way you can win against Kay-sama, so why don't you quit that?」

　However, it's not out of concern for the loser, but rather to criticize him.

(You're rubbing salt in the wound of the loser. ......)

　Of course, he can't accept her words. If he could, he wouldn't be fighting like this.

「It's none of your business.」

「Geez, I've been trying to talk to you, but... wait a minute, if you're injured, you need to go to the infirmary!」

「Lick it and it'll heal!」

「Can you please explain to me how to lick the wound on your forehead?」

(Guhh ......)

　It's hard to say anything when someone calmly points out that you're being tough. He had a lot of contact with Tiana in this way, but when they open their mouths, they tend to say hateful things to each other.

　He knows that she is worried about him in her own way, but he can't accept it honestly. And Tiana, who understands and cares about Dino's feelings, can't fully express her feelings because she is not an honest person by nature.

　In other words, both of them are not honest and clumsy in their feelings.

　To describe their relationship correctly――Is that they were bickering buddies.

　Friends are friends, no matter how much they quarrel. If they lose, you worry about them. If they get hurt, you worry about them. You can understand why a boy would want to do something like this, but the reckless challenge of a friend who treats you like a noble even though you are a nobleman to a hero only made Tiana's heart race.

　Unaware of her feelings, Dino headed for the changing room. However, he soon lost strength in his legs and fell to his knees.

「Look, I told you so!」

「...... My bad.」

「Really. Please stay still. I'm going to cast some healing magic on you now, so hold your gratitude for me in your heart.」

　Tiana is one of the top users of recovery magic and backup magic in the school, and her abilities have continued to improve thanks to her friend who has been injured constantly since they met.

　Dino, who had been so stubborn, accepted the magic honestly because he had been seen so many times being miserable.

　A pale light was emitted, and his wound healed quickly as it was wrapped in gentle but warm heat. However, magic is not a panacea. Right now, the wounds that are instantly healing are all very minor. In the arena, magic is used to prevent fatal wounds. Thanks in part to that, he was only slightly injured.

　No matter how good her recovery magic was, if his arm was cut off or his guts were scattered, it would be beyond the scope of healing.

　The only reason he was able to recklessly challenge the heroes to a fight was thanks to the school's uniforms with auxiliary techniques for combat, the arena's defense techniques, and his friends who treated him.

「You're a strange woman, even though you're Kay's follower」

「Shut up. You can get better like this thanks to me, so please stop poking Kay-sama.」

「That's not possible.」

「......If you can smile that wickedly, it looks like you won't need any more recovery magic.」

「Oh, right-right, so keep going a little longer, because if you stop now, you're halfway there.」

　When he panicked and made a troubled face, the dumbfounded girl who was his brawling friend continued to exercise her recovery magic with a hint of sweat on her forehead. A few minutes later, there was Dino with his wounds completely healed and Tiana with some fatigue.

「I'm saved. Thank you as always」.

「If you're really grateful, then please stop challenging Kay-sama ...... Well, I'm sure you won't stop, that's why please treat me to something sweet at the cafeteria.」

「Sure thing.」

　He replied lightly and moved his body, confirming that his body had recovered as well as it had before the battle. No matter how many times he received it, he can't help but marvel in his heart at her amazing recovery magic.

　Dino is in second place in the school in terms of combat, but if you ask him if he can be as good as Tiana in terms of recovery with his self-taught knowledge of magic and the knowledge he has gained since entering the school, he can only say no. It's not just the quality, but also the effort she puts into it.

　For a boy who specializes in combat, but at the same time makes no effort other than fighting - he deserves respect, even if he doesn't say so.

　Tiana and he parted ways in front of the locker room, exchanging light words and reminding him that he would find time to treat her to something sweet.

　I had to thank her again for all the help she had given me. With this in mind, he opened the door to the changing room.

　It was a changing room, but it was more like a shower room. When you fight, you sweat and get dirty. The school had changing rooms in the arena since its inception as a way of rewarding students for their hard work.

　When he heard the sound of water and saw the person ahead of him, he took off his uniform and threw it in his locker, then grabbed a towel and headed for the shower.

「......Hmm, who's that, Kay Brennan?」

　He wondered why the hero was still showering after leaving the arena in the first place, thinking that he must have given his limited shower space to a student who came later. He always does that.

　He doesn't know if Kay is thinking of others as a hero or not, but he always gives priority to others in such situations. Even in the open air, he would often say it was okay to be the last one to cleanse himself, which Dino appreciated.

　He doesn't like the heroes, and he wants to fight and win, but Dino is not stupid enough to turn his mind to enmity with the enemy when he is not fighting.

「Sup. I'll use the next door.」

「Ahh, sure――Eehhhhhhh!?」

　It was a voice so loud that it startled him.

（Wh-Why is he so surprised?)

　To Kay, whose face turned red and his eyes widened, he was relieved to see that even a hero who always acted like a fool could show his emotions like a human being. From what Dino remembers, he is not particularly close to anyone. Even with his followers, including Tiana, he is very thorough, with only minimal conversation.

「What's with the loud voice?」

「Well, I mean, I didn't expect Dino to come after me like this.」

「I was having Tiana heal my wounds.」

「Ah, ...... I'm sorry.」

「Don't apologize, you'll make me feel pathetic.」

　Kay hurriedly covered his mouth as he tried to continue his apology again. When Dino saw Kay, he felt a little closer to him because he knew that he was a hero around the same age as him.

(If we could just keep talking like this regularly, he could make friends. ......)

　As Dino takes a hot shower, he notices that Kay is acting strangely next to him.

「What's wrong?」

「It-It's nothing.」

(No, you're too upset. It's like you're saying something's up.)

　Dino thought he was in some kind of trouble, so he brushed the water out of his hair and turned his gaze next to him...

「Did you forget to shampoo your hair?」

「Kyaaa! ...... Hey, don't look this way!」

　A girlish voice was uttered and Dino stared at him with teary eyes, and for a moment - Kay looked like a girl, and he couldn't help but hit his own right cheek with his fist.

　――WHOMP!

「Dino!? What's wrong with you all of a sudden!?」

　He tells Kay that it's nothing, and changes from hot water to cold water and cooling his head with it.

(What am I thinking about with a guy, this me!)

　The slight heat in his lower abdomen made him want to despair.

　It was true that Kay Brennan was small for a boy, and his red hair, which was trimmed just enough to cover his ears, gave the impression of a girl's short cut. He also has such a cute appearance that if you were told he was a girl upon first meeting him, you would believe it.

　The scream he made earlier sounded like a girl's. He think his voice was usually lower, but he doesn't have the impression that he talks much, so he couldn't recall his normal voice.

　He had never been able to carry on a conversation like this before.

(Anyway, calm down, calm down, me!)

　After confirming that he was calm, he turned off the shower and vigorously wiped the water droplets from his body with a towel. He felt an interested gaze on him next door, and when he turned his head to look, Kay turned his face away from Dino almost as fast as it sounded.

「It's a little late for that.」

「Wh-What is it?」

「If you haven't showered since a while ago, why are you still here?」

「――Ueehh」

　Kay tilted his head to the side, wondering if he had asked something funny when he made a strange noise.

　Dino hadn't been in contact with Kay for a long time, but he was a little strange... thinking about this, Dino felt a prank in his heart.

　In order to hide the fact that he was about to go into heat with a boy, and to prove that he didn't have any special proclivities, he decided to tease Kay by seeing him naked for once.

　From the way he was acting, he guessed that he was not very comfortable with being seen naked. By nature, he doesn't do things that people don't like, but just now he had to prioritize getting the tug out of his heart.

「Kay Brennan.」

「Yeshh!」

「I'm definitely going to beat you, a hero. I'm going to win and prove that I can protect everyone from demons and monsters without relying on the hero. You hear!」

「Y- yeah, I get it. All right, don't come over here too much.」

　Even though there is a divider, if Dino takes a few steps closer, he can still see the person next to him. It's good manners not to do that. But at the same time, he wondered at Kay's attitude, which was a mixture of fear and impatience.

「Aren't you being a little too conscious? We're both men anyway, so don't worry if people see us naked for a bit. I mean, you've been glancing at me for a while now.」

「Waaahhhh, wait a minute, please wait, if you come any closer――」

　He approached Kay, who was still flushed and about to start crying, and they were both taken by great surprise.

「N.......NOOOOOOOOOoooooo!」

「Eh, no way........B-breast!?」

　That was all Dino could say. Because Kay, her face red with shame and tears in her eyes, was pointing a slap at him.

　――*whaaaaaack*

　Dino, who was unable to defend himself and took a blow to his face, was stunned as he held his sore cheek.

(H, H-H-H-How could Kay be a girl!?)

　Kay covered her body with her arms and crouched down, and he could see that her naked body had the roundness of a girl's, and her breasts, while not large, were bulging.

「Kyaa――」

「I-I'm sorry, I didn't see anything. I'm not looking at your breasts or anything like that, so don't worry!」

　There was no way that the lies he told on the spur of the moment would be believed.

「Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!」

　A scream echoes through the changing room.

　Kay Brennan, the hero chosen by the holy sword, was not a boy, but a girl.

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