I went back to the school. Once I got the address for Aookuji’s house, I then staked out the area near her house.Her house was a historic Japanese-style home with a fairly large garden. I heard that many children of influential people attend Meiran Academy, and she must be one of them.

    It was only after the sun had set that Aookuji began to move. Carrying a sword just like the other day, she walked through the city, cloaked in a power similar to a stealth skill.

    It would be bad if people saw her carrying a sword. No, it’s more surprising that she has that kind of skill.

    She headed to a park near the edge of the residential area, towards the suburbs. Surrounded by tall trees, the park was about five times the size of a soccer field. However, perhaps because it is a suburban park, there are few streetlights, making it difficult for people to see into the central square. It’s a good location for fighting monsters.

    While I was watching the situation from the perimeter of the park, my detection skill picked up something. There''s three of them, each with about three times the magical power of the previous “D rank Abyssal Beast”

    I entered the park and watched the situation from behind the trees. In the middle of the square, faintly lit by streetlights, stood a dark-haired girl wearing a blazer and carrying a Katana. As Aookuji readied her sword, the vague shape of a six-legged beast monster appeared ahead of her.

    Abyssal Beast Type C

    Description: A six-legged carnivorous abyss beast

    Behavior: Habitually hunts in groups, and its combat power increases dramatically with number. They settle in areas they designate as their territory and do not leave until all other creatures in the area are gone.

    Characteristics: Enhanced sense of smell, enhanced hearing, enhanced agility, enhanced reflexes

    Skills: Claw attack, bite, charge, jump

    A completely physical type that emphasizes speed; it has an atmosphere similar to wolf-type monsters from “that world.” The abyssal beast, whose shape had become clear, was a beast with rust-colored fur and a head resembling that of a bear. It''s about the size of a tiger and seems quite strong.

    "One, two, three... I can do this!"

    Aookuji said and moved at high speed toward the abyssal beast on her right, slashing off two of its legs as she passed by. But just as she was about to decapitate the fallen beast, another one attacked her. She back-stepped to dodge and swung her sword to hold back the beast that was about to follow up.

    Another joined in, and a two-on-one battle began. The positions of the two beasts and one person switched rapidly, with claws and fangs clashing against metal. However, the balance of power seemed slightly in Aookuji''s favor. While the beasts'' claws only made shallow tears in her blazer, Aookuji''s slashes inflicted deep wounds on them.

    She was employing a strategy of accumulating damage through a protracted battle rather than finishing an attack with one blow, showing she had a fair amount of experience.

    "Hi-yah!" Aookuji wielded her sword and slashed down the neck of one of the beasts, stopping its movement. The other one was already completely wounded, while the remaining one, with a severed leg, struggled on the ground.

    Just when it seemed the battle was over, I sensed a new reaction. An even greater magical force began to condense in the park''s center. It would get pretty tough if a new attack emerged here.

    “Don’t tell me the second wave is coming! I have to call my master.”

    Aookuji cut the leaping Abyssal Beast in half as she passed it, then finished off the remaining struggling beast and took out her phone. Her face appeared stern, illuminated by the LCD backlight of her smartphone.

    “The master is also in the middle of a battle and is far away. I guess I’ll just have to hold him back and wait it out.” Aookuji operated her smartphone and put it away in her pouch. When she turned around, a new abyssal beast had already appeared.

    Abyssal Beast Type B

    Description: Giant insect-shaped abyssal beast, a voracious predator bent on tearing apart its opponents with the scythe on its arm.

    Characteristics: Strengthened shell, instantaneous force, strengthened reflexes

    Skills: Scythe attack, bite, flight

    It looks like a giant praying mantis. Its total height must be over three meters. It has four arms with scythes, each a meter long, protruding from its chest on either side. A high-ranking monster, even in “that world.”

    That’s not good. She said she would hold it back, but with her abilities, she''d probably only manage to hold it back for about ten minutes. Moreover, her stamina was draining. If left alone, she would probably fall prey to that scythe within a few minutes.

    I pulled out my mithril sword from my 『Magic Space』 and came out from behind the trees into the park square.

    “Aookuji, please stand back,” I said.

    When I called out to her, Aookuji took a step back and stared at my face. “……!? Aiba-sensei, why are you here?!”

    “We’ll talk about that later. For now, I’ll take on this guy, so just stand back and watch.”

    Aookuji was about to say something, but before she could, the giant abyssal beast made a move. Rustling forward on six legs, it spread out its four scythes and came toward its prey—me.

    The moment it got within range, the four scythes attacked with perfectly timed strikes. I see this would be a one-hit kill for an average vanguard. Impressive. I swung my sword in a circular motion with a single breath. With that blow, all four scythes were severed at the base and scattered in all directions.

    Kishak!

    The abyssal beast stopped moving for a moment after losing its scythes but then lunged at me with its gigantic jaws. Well, if that’s the way it has to be. But it’s no good getting close to its weak spot. With another flick of my sword, I cut the head, which seemed like an armful, vertically in half. The huge body jerked and melted into the ground, disappearing.

    “It’s all for show. It moves well but is weak against attacks.” Like the Roper-like monster from earlier, the monsters in this world seem to have poor defensive capabilities. It’s strange that monsters even exist in the first place.

    As I was picking up a softball-sized black bead left on the ground, I heard a voice behind me.

    “…with just one strike…?”

    When I turned around, there was a beautiful girl with a mean look in her eyes standing there, dumbfounded.

    “Could it be that you are from a branch family that I don’t know about?” Aookuji asked, keeping a little distance from me and minding the hilt of my sword.

    "No, I don''t think it''s a branch family or the main family or anything like that. More importantly, I heard you calling for backup earlier, but don’t you think they’ll come if you don’t change your mind?”

    “Did you see that much?”

    “Ah~ well ......" S~?a??h the N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.

    I was acting like a stalker. I’m a bit weak when people point that out to me.

    Aookuji looked at me suspiciously but started operating her smartphone. I asked, “Yeah, uh, what exactly are you doing? And what’s with that monster?”

    “That creature is called an abyssal beast. I’m exterminating them. I mean, did you fight it without knowing that? And yet your strength is extraordinary. Who are you, sensei?”

    “Who am I? ……”

    I had no choice but to come clean, but now how do I talk about it? I would like to hear what’s going on with her, but as expected, I can’t just ask her one-sidedly.

    But hey…….

    “As you can see, I’m just a teacher who’s used to fighting monsters…”

    Her sharp look suggested she wasn’t convinced.

    “Well, to make a long story short, I was a hero in another world for a long time. And when I thought I died in that world, I came back to this one.”

    “A hero …… from another world ……?”

    “Yes. So, well, it’s true that I’m pretty strong. I have already defeated the Demon King.”

    “I see, I understand.”

    Eh, you understand?

    “I understand that you have no intention of telling the truth.”

    Isn’t it…….!

    “That’s true. So what position do you hold, Miss Aookuji? Since you mentioned a ‘branch family,’ does that mean your family is a family that exterminates monsters?”

    “Yes, it does. The Aookuji family is a clan that has been hunting abyssal beasts for generations. We are responsible for protecting people under the cover of darkness.”

    “I didn’t know there was such a family. So what are these Abyssal Beasts?”

    Aookuji shook her head at that question. "I don''t know much about it. Only that they''re monsters that have appeared on earth from time immemorial and devour people."

    “Hmm. Is there anyone outside of your family who knows about you? For example, the other teachers…”

    “I know Kumagami-sensei and Yamashiro-sensei.”

    “Oh really?”

    My goodness, this is another outrageous story. A girl who hunts monsters with the school’s approval… who would have thought that a student like that would be in my class?

    Along with the appearance of monsters in this world, it''s full of surprises.

    Could it be that me being a hero wasn''t actually such a big deal after all?