The Rising of Tanaka in Another World

Incarnation

「Haa haa….」

Breathing heavily, Toby readied his wooden sword up to his eyes. Facing him, Yashichi also similarly took a stance, but looking at his moderately relaxed natural stance, one could see his composure, which clearly implied the difference in ability between the two of them.

「What’s the matter? For you to lose your breath over something on this level, you won’t be able to survive the tournament from now on, you know?」

With the qualifying matches of the Imperial Tournament Festival over, as the whole Imperial Capital was abuzz with anticipation for the main tournament, Toby, who had somehow managed to participate in the main tournament, was being trained by Yashichi in order to survive through the upcoming battles.

The location was a vacant lot further away from the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. With scarce pedestrian traffic, the chance of this grueling training to be known was small. Even if rumors were to spread about it, the main tournament would surely have already been over by then.

「Not yet!」

Along with such a yell, Toby slashed in. The brandished sword was slashed down heads on with everything he got, but Yashichi simply moved his body slightly to evade it, and retaliated with a sideways slash at once. Pulling back the wooden sword, Toby managed to somehow blocked it, but Yashichi’s wooden sword that displayed stream-like trajectory was coming after him one after another

「Good job blocking it. However, your reaction is still slow!」

Facing the attacks that were unleashed one after another by Yaschichi, Toby could do nothing but defend against them. Next to such two of them who were fighting fiercely, the junkers duo were also confronting each other.

「Not good enough! Use tempo more.」

「I see. It’s like using arranging young miss’ hair as an excuse, I’ve got to savor the sensation of her nape, right? I understand.」

While exchanging such words, Tanaka and Eclair were facing each other with a small box in front of them. They were mutually poking on the box.

「That’s right! It’s like squishily poking on the Tanaka-san’s cheek to pamper him.」

「Come to think of it, some time ago, I did once poke on young miss’ squishy cheek and got knocked down, but did I not do it properly, I wonder?」

「Say… what…? For you to steal the march by yourself like that, don’t you think that’s cruel, comrade Éclair?! Please invite me along next time, very please.」

「Understood. At that time, please provide me with the proper guidance, Sage-sama.」

As such a terrifying scheme was brewing, in front of the two of them, the rikishis were engaged in a fierce combat.

「—heck, next to someone who is seriously training, what the hell are you two doing?!」

「You’ve finally made a retort about it, huh. Your reaction is still slow, Toby.」

「It’s not like I’m training on such a reaction, alright?!」

Perhaps satisfied with his reaction this time, Tanaka responded with a thumbs up. Seeing such a usual behavior of Tanaka, Toby couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

「Toby-sama. I’ve already received acknowledgement from Yashichi-sama that I’m good enough to aim for the championship. In accordance to Sage-sama’s words, there is a method to increase my chance of winning further, thus I’m currently in the middle of receiving a special training from him.」

「No, you’re totally being deceived there. It’s obvious that Tanaka-san just wants to play–.」

「Silence!」

Toby’s words were cut off by Tanaka’s shout. You could see the magnitude of Tanaka-san’s anger from the force of his voice, which could be mistaken for a medium-ranked councilor. It was a wonder whether his anger would subside even if he was presented with a mufufu image. You could feel such a resolute will from him.

「This is the strongest martial art and the source of all martial arts that has been handed down in the other world. For you to not know TonTON Sumo, the tactical simulation that’s derived from it, you’re lacking in your study!」

It might look like Tanaka was hurriedly glossing it over as Toby had hit the bull’s-eye, but that was a misunderstanding. Tanaka-san was simply touched by Éclair’s spirit to aim for championship for the sake of her master, without thinking about compensation in the least, he was simply assisting her achieving her goal. His voice might sound a little falsetto and unsightly, but in actuality that was just your imagination.

「Hou, to think that Japanese culture had taken root in this world.」

「Huh? You know about it, Yashichi-san?」

Yashichi was impressed by Tanaka’s extensive knowledge, while Toby could not hide his surprise and bewilderment.

「Geez, this is why amateurs are…. It can’t be helped. I’ll give you something good.」

As he said this, Tanaka picked out a rikishi.

「It’s made of Azkiver, so it’s a rare one, after all. Be sure to take good care of it.」

The rikishi was handed over. While it had a weakness in that it was vulnerable to heat, it was coated with precious Azkiver steel that was said to be the hardest material in the world.

「Heck, why did you use such a valuable material for something like this?!」

「Feel free to wield it, and strive to the best you can.」

Turning a deaf ear to Toby’s protests, Tanaka regained his composure again. He’d handed over the bribe, so he was undoubtedly relieved that with this he’d be able to continue to kyakya ufufu, rather, the special training without being disturbed.

「… this thing, if I bring it to some trading company, I feel like they’ll be willing to buy it for a very high price.」

「What the hell are you talking about? Give it to me for a bit.」

Tanaka snatched back the rikishi he had just handed over to Toby, holding up his hands, he began some sort of dubious chanting.

「What the hell are you doing? You’re such a peculiar person as usual.」

「I’m just casting a curse on it for a bit, you see. With this if you treat the rikishi roughly, I will be able to tell, so you better prepare yourself. I’ll rush over, alright? I’ll seriously give you a good punch in the gut, alright?」

「Wha, please stop doing anything weird. Somehow, if you’re the one doing something like that, Tanaka-san, I feel like it’d really happen, so it’s scary.」

Hurriedly snatching it back, he carefully put it into his bag as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Such a behavior gave birth to fleeting suspicion whether he’d really sell it or not. The fact that Tanaka secretly felt some affinity with such small-mindedness was a secret only to Tanaka-san.

「Phew, you two sure are as close as ever.」

「No no no, why do you always conclude it like that, Yashichi-san? There’s something else you should say, right?」

Having to continuously let out retorts to every direction, Toby was struggling by his lonesome.

It wasn’t for the sake of the tournament festival, the spectacle gave birth to suspicion that perhaps it was a training for the sake of Toby who was shouldering the rigorous fate of being a straight man.

「Now then, I guess that should be enough of a break. It’s time to resume…, or so I’d like to say, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.」

Yashichi turned around and took a stance. At the end of his vigilance stood a single man who was oozing an eerie presence.

「You again, huh. What in the world is your deal?」

The one to whom Toby vented his displeasure was Currypan the great sword, whom they had encountered several times in the city.

『I have no business with a bug such as yourself. The one I have business with is you. 』

Currypan’s sight was pointed toward Yashichi.

『–And you. 』

And then, the target he pointed out next was Tanaka.

「Huh? Me? Why?」

It was unknown whether he noticed Tanaka, who raised such a dumb voice, or not, but Currypan continued to speak.

『I can’t ignore your existences any longer. I’ll eliminate all uncertainties here. 』

「Hou, that’s quite an interesting story. Let’s hear a little more about it.」

Yashichi switched his weapon from a wooden sword to a common sword. As if following him, Toby also readied himself for battle.

『That power oozing from you two…, the undulation of that infuriating guy…, I can’t stand it anymore. 』

An ominous power was released from Currypan. At that enormous power—that unleashed pressure, Yashichi subconsciously gritted his teeth. The moment he realized it, he noticed the peculiarity around him.

「What’s wrong, Toby?」

At a glance, Toby’s figure looked no different than him bracing himself with everything he’d got. However, in reality, he was frozen in fear.

The abnormalities in his mind and body that were incomprehensible even to Toby himself. It wasn’t only Toby, Éclair was also in the same state. Without moving even an inch, as if being entranced, she simply could not take her eyes off the object of her fear.

As they were staring at him, Currypan’s appearance began to change as his skin was torn off as if it could no longer withstand the enormous power.

What was revealed was something that could only be described as a black humanoid. With a blank form with no eyes, no mouth, no nose, it was a monster with too much of an inorganic appearance to be called a human.

『Right here, right now, I’m going to get rid of you without leaving even a speck of dust. 』

Voice resounded as if reverberated in the depth of their minds. At that moment, as if flying, the one who jumped forward was Tanaka. It was an action that would have absolutely been impossible from his normal self.

Even Tanaka himself, it was by no means an action that he thought deeply about. It’s just, as if driven by an emotion overflowing from the depths of his heart, he simply stepped forward.

However, he soon understood. The power that lay dormant within Tanaka, the power of God, told him. That he had to be the one to face this arch-enemy. And that he was the only one who could defeat it–.

「Big bro! I’ll entrust the two of them to you!」

When Tanaka raised his hand, as if colliding against something, the monster was greatly blown backwards. Tanaka soared up as if to after it.

As the two of them vanished beyond the sky in the blink of an eye, Yashichi was in a daze, but he quickly came to his senses, and looked after the fallen Toby and Eclair.

When the breathing of the two had stabilized, and he had ascertained that they were merely unconscious, for the time being he was relieved, he then turned his face toward the direction where Tanaka had vanished.

Yashichi instinctively understood. That the monster from earlier was an existence of a whole nother level altogether that he wouldn’t even stand a chance against.

「I’ll leave it to you, my friend.」

And as far as he knew, other than Tanaka, there was no one else who could stand up to it.