“Damn it, damn it! Get out of my head! You’re not real! You’re not real!!!”

  In a dark room, a young man is constantly hitting his head to the wall. It’s nine in the morning, yet no light could even reach the room. Darkness has taken over the pce, and as for the young man…

  “Oh really? Then who are you talking to right now huh?”

  “Shut up, shut up! This is just a dream…Get me out of here!”

  He’s standing in front of a big mirror attached to the wall, trying his best to not go insane. However, his mental isn’t the only thing the young man is struggling to keep.

  Half of his face is in an endless cycle of decomposing and healing. His skin has become paler and drier than a desert. The perfect body he once had is now filled with tumors that are all ready to burst at any given time.

  “I don’t know about this pal, this pce looks real to me. After all, I’m your creation…” The mysterious voice said hysterically.

  “Garghh!!!”

  As the young man tries to look himself in the mirror, the reality strikes. He can hide from it, pretending like it doesn’t exist, but he can never deny it.

  The person Arazaki Kuruto has been talking to the whole time…is him.

  More specifically, an alter ego he unintentionally created as the result of abusing too much [M.B.S], a type of magic enhancing drugs, for a long time.

  The drugs did give him a tremendous power boost, but the cost of it seems too much for him to handle. Suffering from the side effects is still far from the worst thing he did…

  “Now now buddy, just look at the bright side for a sec: You got stronger, you got me, and most importantly, you got HER. It’s not that bad, don’t you think?”

  “No! Shut up! You did this to her! I know nothing!”

  “But I’m you, remember? I’m just a byproduct of your abuse after all. That makes you the one who did that to her.”

  “Shut your mouth you lying bastard!”

  Not accepting what he just heard, Kuroto smashes the mirror into pieces, eventually lying down on his own knees. Some of the pieces got into his hands, making them bleed. Kuroto looks around and tries to wipe the bloods out of the floor, but the moment he gets up…

  “Still trying to fool yourself eh? After all of what you’ve done, do you really think you’re still innocent?”

  Kuroto’s malformed face appears among the shattered pieces, stopping him from going anywhere. Hearing that, Kuruto’s leg starts shaking, eventually he falls down on the floor panicking.

  All of the mental stress he’s been through up until now has truly broken him. He’s now cowering in the corner of the room, slowly and painfully losing himself.

  “Face it! You will not and cannot turn back now! You’ve dived too deep! There’s no escape…”

  “Shut up!!!!!”

  Grabbing the nearby empty pill bottle, Kuroto throws it to the shattered pieces, before leaving the room and missing out the rest of what the figure has to say.

  “But don’t worry, I’ll be there for you no matter what…” The figure said in a horror and wicked tone of voice.

  After that, a maniacal ughter can be heard throughout the entire house, and although no one could hear it, the creepy and horrifying vibe it gives off would scare anyone who dares to come close, especially those who’s going to visit the house in just a few moments.

  (Tiamat’s POV)

  “So this is the pce huh…”

  I’m standing in front of the arrogant kid’s house.

  Kiriwatari Academy is located in Roppongi, and this kid surprisingly lives not too far from it, Nishiazabu to be more specific. If Master were to come here, it would probably take him around twenty minutes.

  Normally he and even I don’t even have a reason to be here in the first pce, but now thanks to all the mess this Kuroto kid made…

  “Are you sure this is the pce? It feels…eerie for some reason…”

  “We’ve been to worse pces for years now, what the hell are you even afraid of? Grows some balls and knocks the damn door already!”

  “Alright, alright. Jeez, what has gotten into you tely?”

  I have to escort these dumbasses, making sure they won’t ruin the pn at any given time.

  When Ms. Kiriwatari told me she knew someone who could help busting the case, I did not expect Kira’s idiotic henchmen to be that “someone” at all. I know these guys used to be on [Rising Phoenix]… I know they had to do community services, but now apparently they’re also a camera crew too?

  Just what the hell did she make them switched sides in a few short months?

  “Truth be told, I’m shitting my pants now. I know for a fact that I cannot handle a teenager on drugs, but can you?”

  “Yeah yeah you’re right…Here goes nothing.”

  Putting their gears on the ground, the duo knocks on the door, waiting for a response from the arrogant kid. From what I’ve known, his parents are always busy, so they only come home like once a month. I wonder what they would think about their son when they found out the truth…

  As the two are preparing, I slowly walk around the neighborhood, enjoying the fresh air and the morning sun, before heading towards “her”.

  “So, anything suspicious going on here?”

  “I can’t quite tell if I’m being honest. It seems like the neighbors know nothing about this. Either that or they’re trying to cover for him.”

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out. You ready?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  After a brief conversation, Ms. Kiriwatari, or should I say her clone, follows me back to the kid’s front door. At the same time, the henchmen duo is done packing their stuff and now waiting for the kid to open the door as well.

  Coincidentally, Ms. Kiriwatari and Master all came up with the same idea: Investigating the kid’s house using the interview as the front. At first, she was going to ask the police to search the house, but then she decided to handle the matter on her own. Of course she’ll report all the information to them, but that’s the story for after we done finding out the truth.

  Knowing Ms. Kiriwatari is a high-ranking knight in [Knights of Tomorrow], I’m sure she’ll find a way to make this as legally as possible.

  “I’m coming!”

  After a few minutes, a familiar voice comes out of the house. I can tell just from the tone that he’s already losing himself, and now trying to fake it, thinking no one would notice.

  “Eh? Sensei, what are you doing here?”

  “Well, We’re here to do an interview for the [Summer Tournament]. You didn’t show up to the academy so we decided to come here, sorry for not telling you beforehand.”

  “Oh that’s alright, I don’t mind it. Come on in!”

  The kid opens the door and greets us with a smile on his face. There’s no telling that things would go as smooth as we intended, so we have to be careful not to trigger him the wrong way.

  We go in and get ready for the interview. The interior is definitely on the higher-end side, with a very fancy-looking chandelier on the celling and a wine celr right below the stairs.

  The couch, without a doubt, could cost a good few hundred dolrs. Combine that with the 75” curved TV and other items create a perfect, luxurious pce fits for a king.

  While they’re preparing, I go around, pretending to tour the house. We still have a girl to rescue, and I think I know where she is…

  “Hey kid, where’s the bathroom?” I asked.

  “Oh, there’s one on the entrance to the kitchen, but you can use the one upstairs. It’s the st room to the left.”

  “Thanks kid.”

  I then leave the living room and go to the second bathroom. Of course I’m not pnning on using the restroom at all, instead I coat myself in [Invisibility] and starts sensing the girl’s mana. It’s pretty weak compare to her normal stats, probably a result of being kidnapped for an entire week.

  “So this is the room huh…”

  Ironically, she’s trapped in what seems to be a storeroom right next to the bathroom. I thought that he would use the wine celr, but knowing how perfect this room is for kidnapping, it makes perfect sense.

  I slowly go inside and carefully close the door. The room doesn’t look like it’s been abandoned for a long time, yet it’s pretty dark and somewhat eerie. Among the shelves and stuffs is the girl in question. She’s tying on a chair unconsciously. I approach her, checking to see if she’s still alright or not.

  “Tsk, so this is how you treat your own best friend…”

  The arrogant kid did such a half-ass job at keeping her alive it baffles me. He gave the girl barely any food, drink or even room to breathe. Her face is all pale and lifeless, and from what I can tell, her mentality is in shamble as well.

  The more of her memories I read, the less respect I have for the boy. That asshole dared to tie her up, feed her not just food, but disgusting words about how “This is for your best”, or even “Can’t you feel the love tonight?” You can’t just ruin such a banger like that for your own selfish benefits!

  I can go on and on about how this kid deserves to be lock up in an asylum, but I guess I should leave that field trip to your imagination and focus on what’s more important.

  “Alright, just gonna cut this of and…there we go.”

  I untie the girl with no effort at all while also heal her back to normal. It’s going to take some times for her to be fully recovered, but at least for the rest of the day, she’s safe.

  “Alright, I got the girl under control now, how’s your doing?” I contacted Ms. Kiriwatari, informing the girl’s safeness.

  “Yeah about that, you’re gonna want to check it yourself…”

  Hearing that confusing tone of voice, I quickly grab the girl up and go downstairs, hoping that everything will be alright.

  “Well, this is interesting…”

  “Yeah, I have a feeling that something like this could happen, yet…”

  Putting the girl on the couch, we’re now facing another problem: the Kuroto kid had escaped from his own house.

  We’re only here for fifteen minutes and the dumbass kid decided it’s enough and ran away. I’ll to give him some credits for managing to pull out something like in front of us, although he might not be too far from here.

  Then again, killing him right now won’t solve anything. As long as that kid can still talk, I won’t let him die. You’ve already disappointed me kid, so you’d better at least do something right for once!

  “So, what do we do now?” the henchmen duo asked.

  “Well, Kuroto-kun might have escaped, but that won’t change our pn that much. We’re still searching his house, of course “they” have to be here first. In the meantime…”

  “We need to make sure the girl is safe first, then we’ll move on to the next step of the pn.” I interrupted.

  Just like I said, part of the mission is to rescue the arrogant kid’s childhood friend. This isn’t about getting the information we need, it’s to fulfill my promise with Master.

  If he doesn’t want someone to die, then no matter how much I hate them, their lives are under my protection.

  As we’re waiting for the girl to wake up, I lean against the wall with my arms crossed. There’s a chance that the kid’s parents might sue us if we do this the fishy way, so by saying that the police and [Knights of Tomorrow] are working on this case together, we’ll definitely eliminate that possibility.

  Of course, things aren’t that simple, but for now, we should shift our focus on what really matters.

  “Ugh…what happened…? Where am I? Sensei? What are you…”

  “Rex Ayami-chan, don’t push yourself just yet. Here, let me get you something to drink.”

  Five minutes after being taken out of the storeroom, the girl finally awakens. Her mana flow is still not back to normal, and her entire body is still weak, so she still needs proper treatment and caring after this.

  “Here Ayami-chan, have some water.”

  “Uhm tha…thanks sensei…”

  The girl takes the water gss from Ms. Kiriwatari and drinks it. The henchmen duo quickly gets something to warm her up. Pretty sure I heard something about hot chocote milk and chicken soup, which surprises me a lot consider this is them I’m talking to. I guess they aren’t as dumb as I think after all.

  As the girl is still slowly recovering, the duo manages to cook up a nice bowl of chicken soup for her. A few minutes after she finished eating, a low-ranking knight comes to the house with a warrant, alongside with Ms. Kiriwatari’s friend who is an inspector in the Criminal Investigation Bureau.

  They asked the girl some questions before begin searching the house. In just a few minutes, the house turns into a crime scene, although it’s smaller than I imagined. We don’t want to alert the neighborhoods so we limit the search to just a few officers.

  As time flies, the investigation continues with no issues at all. The owner chose his life over his own home, so there’s no stopping us from tearing this pce apart. As for the kid’s childhood friend…

  “I see, so you’re also clueless about this too…”

  “Yeah sensei. I saw him not looking good a few weeks ago and thought he caught a cold or something like that, so I decided to check him out. But this, this is just…”

  “It’s alright Ayami-chan, I promise you, I’ll bring him back no matter what…”

  “R…Really? Thanks sensei!”

  The girl is still processing after all the things her own childhood friend did to her, so there isn’t much we can ask. Right now, resting is crucial for the girl.

  Leaving the teacher-student duo behind, I go to the arrogant kid’s bedroom, where the henchmen duo is collecting more evidences.

  “So, anything new here?”

  “Ah Mistress’s bodyguard, you’re just in time. Come take a look!” one of the guys, whose name I believe is Frank Luv, told me.

  He points at the broken mirror pieces on the floor. As he’s shining the floor with his fshlight, an empty pill bottle can be seen among the shattered piece. From the look on his face, it seems like he noticed something about it.

  “Yeah you see, this symbol…I think I know where it actually belongs to.”

  Frank stands up and gives me a picture he took out from his backpack. There’s a bunch of scientists standing in front of what I assume to be a boratory. The “symbol” he referred to earlier is a three-headed bck eagle sharing one body, which can be seen on their b coats.

  “Jay and I weren’t part of the [M.B.S] investigation team, so we couldn’t inform Mistress about this. But as you can see…they’re [Tres águi], a once notorious secret group of people in the underground. They joined [Rising Phoenix] just a few years ago and since then, they became a crucial part to the organization.”

  “You sure do know a lot for a guy who once worked for a kid you know?” pretending to be surprised, I jokingly said.

  “Well believe it or not, I used to work under them for a brief time. I didn’t contribute much, but at least I know one or two about what they do, and [M.B.S] is no exception. I still remember back when it was still in development, I just never thought it would be a successful project though…”

  “I see, then I’ll give this to your “Mistress” first and then you’ll do the talking. Now while we’re at it, what do you think happened to the kid?”

  “Well, Jay and I are still working on it. We can’t tell it quite yet, but there’s a chance for split personality based on all the evidences so far. We’ll inform Mistress when we get the final result.”

  After that, the duo tells me more about how the kid escaped the house, alongside how much drugs he’s using up until this point, which implies that he brought the remaining bottles with him. Getting all the information I need, I leave them and go back down to the living room, without telling them a little secret I have…

  “So, how’s the girl?” I asked.

  “She’s fine, at least for now. An entire week of torment and cuffing isn’t easy to fix up, but luckily, I know someone who can do that. Ayami-chan will continue resting at her pce.”

  “Well, let’s just hope that stupid kid aren’t going rogue and attack the pce.”

  “Oh please Ms. Almighty Dragon, we can handle this little “peasant” on our own, thanks for your concerning.” Ms. Kiriwatari jokingly said.

  After that, she gets the low-ranking knight and the inspector to the living room, and I tell them exactly everything the henchmen duo told me in the bedroom, including their specution and the picture Frank gave me earlier.

  Not even bother to see their reactions, I slowly disappear from the house, returning to Master just in time for lunch.

  (Yasutaira Waka’s POV)

  “Huh Tiamat, you’re back already?”

  As I’m enjoying my lunch with Takenada-san and the seniors, Tiamat out of nowhere appears right in the middle. It’s a good thing we didn’t put anything there, or else all my efforts are for nothing.

  “Yeah Master, the investigation will end soon, so I figured there’s no need for me to be there anymore. Besides, that pce stinks. Like way too stink. Nuh huh, thank you but don’t ever invite me there again please.” Tiamat shook her head.

  “Well that’s not a good sign…”

  Last night, I told Tiamat my initial pn to help solve the case thinking it’s not going to work, and somehow it immediately took off. Kiriwatari-sensei, more specifically her clone, hasn’t returned yet, but I believe she’ll be here with all the intel anytime soon.

  “So, is Ayami-chan safe? Is she alright?” Atagi-senpai asked.

  “Don’t worry, the girl is in good hand now. She’s fine, unlike the other one…”

  “Huh? Don’t tell me…” Takenada-san immediately asked.

  “Yeah, that stupid asshole…He left it all behind and ran like a coward. To think that the speedy girl lost to him…” Tiamat responded with an angry tone of voice.

  Tiamat sits right next to me and starts expining everything she knows to us. During the time, I take a look around and see how everyone reacts to those information. Atagi-senpai and Takenada-san seems disbelieved and intriguing, while Takabeya-senpai remains calm and collective throughout.

  As for me, I’m also pleasantly surprised, not just for how stomach-churching it is, but for the aftermath from here on. A drug addict is out there freely, only god knows what he could possibly do, and that seems to be the case…

  “We might let the kid go, but he’s not going anywhere too far, or should I say, I won’t let him.”

  Tiamat snaps her fingers and a hologram map immediately appears in front of her. There’s an abandoned building on that map, alongside a familiar presence inside.

  “The moment our eyes met, I used [Mana Tracker] on him, so now no matter where he’s hiding, I can still find him.” Tiamat expined as she’s pointing to the red point on the map.

  “[Mana Tracker]?” I asked as I’m looking at the map.

  “Yeah Master, it’s quite an old spell. I secretly casted it on him while he was waiting for the fake interview and as you can see, the red spot over there represents the kid.”

  Tiamat points at the dot in the middle of the map. Compare to the blue color of the hologram, Kuroto-senpai really stands out, but not in a good way.

  “Wait, did sensei know about this?” Takabeya-senpai asked

  “Don’t worry kid, I’ll tell your sensei ter. At least for now, the arrogant kid won’t harm anyone but himself…”

  Honestly, that’s a bit cumbersome, but then again, that’s on me.

  I want to do this by the book, so her options are quite limited. Things could go very different if this wasn’t my idea, but just think about it for a sec: despite everything he had done, Kuroto-senpai is still a student, a rich one if you may ask. If we handled this situation the wrong way, a wsuit won’t be the only thing we’ll receive.

  “So what you’re trying to say is we need to find a way to deal with him without causing any further damage?” Takabeya-senpai asked.

  “Well kid, it ain’t easy, and I’ll tell you why.”

  As we’re finishing the remaining food, Tiamat tells us about two possibilities that could happen: either bring the party to the tournament or we bring ourselves to the party. There are pros and cons to both paths, so it’s hard to choose.

  “That damn Kuroto-senpai…How dare he ruin my lunch? I was excited to have a fight with him someday, but now…It’s not fair!” Takenada-san pouted her face.

  I think I just heard an “hmmp!” coming from her.

  Like she said, drugs abusing aside, Kuroto-senpai is a fierce opponent that everyone wants to take a swing at him. But now, knowing the truth, I don’t think the hype is there anymore…

  “Haha, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get a fair match with him someday. We can’t really do that in this tournament tho…”

  As I try to cheer her up, something just came through my mind. I wasn’t sure if it’s possible or not, so I make eye contact with Tiamat, signaling her. After a brief conversation through [Telepathic Line], I’ve finally made my decision.

  “Guys, I think I have an idea…”

  As I’m about to say anything further, the door suddenly open. A middle-aged woman wearing a traditional bck kimono appears. Without saying a word, we immediately realize who she is.

  “Sen…Sensei?” Takenada-san was the first to react.

  “Yeah, it’s me. Am I too te to the party?”

  To everyone’s surprise, Kiriwatari-sensei shows up. We don’t know when she returned or how much she had heard, but having her here right really helps me a lot.

  “Oh no, on the contrary, you’re just in time to hear my Master’s little idea. Come on in.” Tiamat said jokingly.

  “Oh dear, then I’d better hurry up.”

  After responding to Tiamat, Kiriwatari-sensei gets a chair and sits right in front of us. As we’re quickly wrapping our lunches up, she takes out some document files and puts them all on the table.

  “Alright, where was I…Oh yeah, about the pn I’m thinking of…Before we get into that, let’s recap everything shall we?”

  I told Tiamat to create a new hologram in the middle of the table. On it, there’s all the important information that we’ve known so far in a form of an timeline, which will get an update in just a few moments.

  “So a few months ago, I sent a team on a mission to investigate the [M.B.S] drugs that has been causing troubles everywhere. We managed to catch the suppliers, and through some interrogations, they finally spilled out their customers, one of whom is Kuroto-kun.” Kiriwatari-sensei said as she’s pointing at the first dot in the timeline.

  She then scrolls to the next few dots, which are the hardest thing to watch or even digest.

  “Due to the side effects of the drugs, we specuted that he had created another personality, whom responsible for the kidnap and torture of Ayami-chan.”

  As sensei is talking about it, Atagi-senpai and Takenada-san both make a strong reaction to what they’ve heard. Takabeya-senpai, on the other hand, remains as calm as before.

  “And yesterday, during the fight between him and Nohoka-senpai, I, or to be more specific we, noticed something wrong with him. From there, I suggested an idea to gain evidences and to further proof that he’s actually a buyer. The pn works, and not only that sensei, with the help of Tiamat, also managed to discover something else…”

  The initial hologram is now expanded with more branches and most importantly, a three-headed eagle badge appears at the center of everything.

  “This is [Tres águi], a group of scientists working under [Rising Phoenix]. They’re responsible for the creation supply of [M.B.S]. Their appearance is quite mysterious, as there aren’t much evidence about them or their motivation. All we have is this.”

  Kiriwatari-sensei takes out a picture from her pocket and puts it on the table. The same symbol can be seen in the picture, but due to it being old and discolored, it’s hard to identify all the individuals. We look at it and have some mixed feelings about it.

  “Back to the present day. Like Master said earlier, the pn works wonderfully, but there’s a good news and a bad news. The bad news is Kuroto had escaped from his house. The good news, on the other hand, is that it was all in my calcution, or should I say, under my control.”

  What Tiamat said really surprises Kiriwatari-sensei. Since she’s the only one here who doesn’t know about it, Tiamat has no other choice but to expin it once again. I can’t quite tell how sensei feels hearing all of that, but based on her face expressions, it’s not looking too good.

  “Not gonna lie, you had me worry for him back there. I almost called my team for that you know?”

  “Don’t worry sensei, you’re not the only one getting that from her…” I said jokingly.

  Tiamat loves fooling around with people, and for a good reason. All the things she has done are working to my advantage so far, and that’s what matters. People may hate something that they can’t control, but they can’t deny the efficient of her action.

  “Well then, since we only have like two options on the table, what exactly do you suggest us doing?” Kiriwatari-sensei asked.

  “Well Master, the show is yours.”

  Tiamat then closes the hologram. After that, everyone looks me straight in the eye, awaiting a response from me. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what I’m about to say.

  Come on Yasutaira, you can do this! They wanted a show, so you’d better give them one!

  “I think we should stand by and wait for the right moment.”

  I can see the worriedness and confusion in their eyes. They know that Kuroto-senpai is now considered a threat and need to be deal with, but I feel like there’s another way to do this.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea? He could go out and wreck things up right in front of our nose. People could get hurt you know?” Takenada-san asked.

  “Don’t worry, I’m sure Tiamat can handle him just fine. Besides, that’s just a small part of my pn.”

  I go to the nearby closet and take out a red book. I open to around page 20 and show everyone exactly what I’m referring to.

  “After the first qualifiers, the sixteen contestants will move on to the 1/16 round. The matchup will be determined by the following rule:

  - The winner of the first match will face off against the winner of the eighth match.

  - The winner of the second match will face off against the winner of the seventh match.

  - The winner of the third match will face off against the winner of the sixth match.

  - The winner of the fourth match will face off against the winner of the fifth match.”

  I read out every exact word from that section. I haven’t read the entire thing, but there’s at least one or two thing I can take from the rulebook, and it really comes in handy in the weirdest way possible.

  “And based on the results, I’ll fight Kuroto-senpai in the next round, am I right?” Takenada-san said.

  “Yeah. Since he’s not showing up anytime soon, you might not have to break a sweat tomorrow. In other words…”

  “I’ll move on to the semifinals without drawing my sword.” Takenada-san concluded.

  Pretty sure I just heard Atagi-senpai growling quietly after hearing our conversation.

  One could say that this is cheating, or things are working in our favor a bit too much. But consider the situation, Kuroto-senpai isn’t going to advance to the next round regardless.

  “Of course, it’s easier said than done. Kuroto-senpai has developed an alter ego, and who knows what “it” would do to him and everyone. We still have time, although not much, to prepare for the worst. I know saying this is quite pointless but…I’m hoping everyone will help me dealing with this matter.”

  I reach my right fist out after saying those words. This is our first time working together as an official team, and even though I already knew exactly how they would react, I just want to mark this as a special moment for everyone. After all, I’m the youngest in this room.

  “Come on Master, you didn’t have to say that. Of course I’ll help you.” Tiamat was the first to react.

  “Yeah Yasutaira-kun, I’m your best friend, remember? There’s no way I’m missing out on this!” Takenada-san followed up.

  Both of them fist bump me. This is something me a couple months ago wouldn’t even imagine myself doing, yet I’m here. Things have changed drastically since that incident, and I’m really happy it happened to me.

  “Well Yasutaira-kun, if you said so, then I guess I don’t have any other choices do I? But fair warning, if we fail, I’ll personally haunt you even when we’re in hell.” Takabeya-senpai said jokingly with a smirk on his face.

  “Ah, don’t say something like that to him. We’re helping him, not scaring the living hell out of him. Hey Yasutaira-kun, don’t listen to him. We got your back, so let’s teach Kuroto-kun a lesson shall we?”

  The president duo does the exact same thing as Tiamat and Takenada-san. I’m excited, and at the same time nervous about it. Despite being way older and more experienced, both of them still decided to back up and give me a chance.

  There’s no way I’m letting this chance go to waste. You guys trust in me, and I won’t disappoint!

  “My my, what a youthful energy…this old hag’s cold heart has been warmed up…I suppose I shouldn’t let myself left behind like this at all…”

  With those words, Kiriwatari-sensei is the st to join us. We look at each other and smile. Things might haven’t gone the way we intended, but as long as we’re together, I’m sure we can pull it through with no problem at all.

  “Man, I wish Kira was here with us. He’s going to be so mad when he found out we left him out of this.”

  “Huh, speaking of Kira-kun, where is he? I didn’t see him today.” Atagi-senpai asked.

  “Oh yeah, Kira caught a flu a few days ago. He said he would be back for the finals, so now he’s recovering at home.”

  “Yeah, that’s unfortunate…”

  After that, with the remaining time on the clock, we discuss about what to do with Kuroto-senpai, as well as preparing some measurements, in case the worst scenario ever happens. Knowing how unpredictable he is, it all comes down to how fast we react to the situation.

  Satisfied with the initial results, we temporarily part ways. Despite having to deal with a troublesome situation, we still want to enjoy the tournament, as it’s heading to the final matches of day two.

  “From the left corner, let’s give it up to Sekigawa Merika!”

  As the crowds stand up and cheer in excitement, a long midnight jade hair girl is slowly approaches the ring, while also waving back to her fans. She’s a great fighter among the sophomores in this academy, but that’s not the only thing she’s known for…

  “Model by day, fighter by night, Merika-chan is one special talent we have right here. That begs the question: will it be enough to defeat the next contestant? From the right corner, Sawafuji Miyomi!”

  On the other side, another sophomore emerges from the tunnel. Contrary to Sekigawa-senpai, she looks like a total shut-in with that purple loose hairstyle and those eye circles. Not everyone is a big fan of her, but that doesn’t kill the momentum at all.

  “Be careful Merika-chan, don’t let that low-energy look fool you. She didn’t get the name [Dark Wizard] for nothing, so you better bring your A game!”

  Through the mic, Atagi-senpai cranks the crowds’ energy up while also putting the pressure on both contestants. As the final match before the 1/16 round, they cannot afford any more mistakes. The chance is in the palm of their hands, so it all boils down to who’ll be able to hold it for the next thirty minutes.

  As the drones are flying around, the faces of two fighters appear on the rge screen, alongside their initial stats. Both of them have already reached the overall ranking of S, which implies that I stand no chance of defeating them with my base ranking. I may have grown stronger over the past few months, but I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn.

  Hearing a quick rules expnation from Kariuda-san, the two take a few steps back and draw their weapons. Sawafuji-senpai lives up to her nickname with an oak magic staff, while Sekigawa-senpai and her chakram will definitely give her opponent a hard time.

  “From the looks of it, Sekigawa-chan is having the mobility advantage, but there’s no telling what tricks Sawafuji-chan has up her sleeves. Who do you think will win this final match Yasuitara-kun?” as Takabeya-senpai and I are discussing, he asked.

  “Honestly senpai, it’s hard to tell. They’re on the same level in terms of power, so just one mistake and your chance to advance to the next round is gone. I may not be able to predict the winner, but one thing I do know: they’re going to give us one hell of a fight.”

  After I give out my opinion, Kariuda-san blows the whistle. Unsurprisingly, Sekigawa-senpai is the first to attack. She throws two of her chakram that had been enhanced with [Fire] element. As they’re flying towards Sawafuji-senpai, they create a fiery bde that spinning with enormous heat,

  [Ring of Death], that’s what her attack called.

  “Heh, it’s that the best you can do? [Eternal Fountain].”

  Sawafuji-senpai gently knocks her staff and a water fountain immediately covers around her. From that lump of water, an arm appears and blocks all the chakram, eventually throwing it to the sky.

  “Incredible! The [Dark Wizard] countered the attack like it’s child py! What will Merika-chan do now?” Atagi-senpai hyped the crowds up.

  Knowing her pn has failed, Sekigawa-senpai tries to retrieve her weapons and think of a new strategy. But before she could even do any of them…

  “[Wind Grenade].”

  “Eh?”

  Sawafuji-senpai teleports to right behind her and blows her away. Based on the mana she poured in the attack, it could potentially knock Sekigawa-senpai out of the ring. This fight might end sooner than we thought.

  “[Dark Wizard] has caught her off-guard and delivered a deadly surprise attack! Can [Fashion Killer] bounce back and continue to live for another day?”

  As I’m commentating on the match, as everyone is ready for an anti-climactic ending to the second day, as Sawafuji-senpai is about to cim her victory, things took a turn.

  “Huh? What the…Where is she?” Sawafuji-senpai whispered to herself.

  She looks up to the sky where Sekigawa-senpai is supposed to be, but she isn’t there. Instead, one of the two chakram she threw away earlier suddenly appears out of nowhere, repcing her.

  “Merika-chan is gone! But where could she possibly be?” surprised by what happened, Atagi-senpai shouted.

  As the crowds are genuinely confused, the drones start flying around and eventually, capturing exactly how -senpai pulled it off.

  “Amazing! Merika-chan managed to escape the attack just in the nick of time! How did she do it? Wait a minute, is that what I think it is Masayuki-kun?”

  “That’s right, it seems like she casted [Switch] on her weapons before throwing it, and it really helped her turned the tide. Be careful [Dark Wizard], you’re not the only one with tricks up your sleeve.”

  Woah, I did not catch that at all.

  I knew that Sekigawa-senpai had done something to save herself from the attack, but I did not count on her casting [Switch] beforehand. Seeing how my seniors could easily tell but decided to py along like that make me realize the gap between them and me.

  I’ve grown stronger for the past few months, but compare to them, I’m still just a novice, a green with so much more to learn. But that doesn’t stop me from trying my best, not just to be as equal as them, but to keep my promise with her…

  “And you’re right Takabeya-senpai. Sekigawa-senpai has successfully retrieved her weapons, and it looks like she’s ready for a counterattack. What do you think she’ll do?”

  “Knowing her capability, there’s a lot to go from here. The real question is: What will [Dark Wizard] do now?”

  As we’re discussing about the match, Sekigawa-senpai, still flowing mid-air, throws the other chakram at her opponent. It’s flying at such speed that I can barely keep up with.

  On the contrary, Sawafuji-senpai is somewhat confident and unfazed about dealing with the attack. She casts another protection spell, ready to take on her opponent.

  That is, until this happens.

  “[Fashion Killer] has switched with her weapon once again! She’s now right in front of [Dark Wizard]! And her weapon…they are no longer chakram. She’s using a khopesh instead!”

  To everyone’s surprise, she’s using the same trick she used earlier for the attack. This time, she even changes her weapon as well. I knew what she could do, but seeing it with my own two eyes truly is something else.

  “[Firebde of Death]!”

  Covering her khopesh in fire, she hits Sawafuji-senpai’s mana shield. The impact of the attack is enough to create a sound wave, making a lot people’s hats fly up to the sky. Some even falls back to their seats while they’re standing up.

  “Tsk, you think using it again will work this time? Think again girl.”

  “Oh I put a lot of thoughts into this ma’am. And my conclusion is: you’ll lose.”

  As the battle is still decisive, the two contestants start bickering back and forth at each other. From what I’m looking on the monitor, it’s just comes off as a friendly rivalry between the two.

  They knew this is their final chance to advance to the next round, and they’re fighting with everything they have for it.

  “[Dark Wizard]’s shield has broken! Is there anything that can stop Merika-chan now?” Atagi-sempai said.

  After a few minutes of nonstop hitting, Sekigawa-senpai has finally pierced through her opponent’s protection yer. Quickly taking a step back, she takes out another khopesh and dashes right back to her opponent.

  “[Crescent Ssh]!”

  Covering her weapon in fire once again, Sekigawa-senpai cuts through her opponent with a cross motion. Of course, since the “No Killing” rule is applied, she only dealt enough damage to essentially knocking Sawafuji-senpai out. Blood starts gushing out of her body, and she eventually falls down on her knees.

  The crowds were left in shock. They knew what Sekigawa-senpai could do, but that sheer brutality and determination combine with her magnificent look makes her a deadly contestant. There’s a chance of her going all the way to the finals, with [Dark Wizard] being her first victim, the stepping stone to her dominance.

  At least, that’s what “she” wanted us to believe.

  “Tsk, I knew it…”

  Turn her head around, Sekigawa-senpai looks back where the body she just sliced supposed to be, but it’s no longer there. The “body” is now just a pile of dark lump, slowly disintegrating into thin air.

  “The clone, Merika-chan has hit her opponent’s clone! Which means, which means…”

  The moment Sekigawa-senpai turns to the left, she knows exactly how her opponent escaped her attack. Judging from the face expressions, it’s definitely a mix of surprise, impressment and a bit of anger as well.

  “Miyomi-chan has successfully dodged the attack! Not only that, she even tricked her opponent as well! This fight is getting interesting!”

  The dead silence on the stands has now been repced with excitement, as Atagi-senpai continues to bring out her rger than life energy to the crowds. Through the monitors, I can see some people discussing about who would win the match, while others keep on cheering for their favorite student.

  “I’m impressed Miyomi-chan. You’re stronger than I thought.”

  “Oh trust me, there’s more to come. Can you handle it?”

  “Don’t tempt me girl, or I’ll crush you like a bug you are.”

  “Heh, challenge accepted.”

  After exchanging a few words to each other, the two starts powering up and continue the fight immediately. If you think what they had done was impressive, then bad news, they crank it up to the next level.

  Every hit, every spells, each packed with enough power to shake the whole world up. I wasn’t able to catch up to some of the previous attacks, but now with the help of [Super Strengthen Magic] I secretly activated, I can finally see them clear. My seniors noticed it within seconds, but since I keep it low enough to just enhancing my vision, they just let it slide and continue their job.

  Honestly, what I’m doing is completely random and only serve as a tool to help me doing my job easier. I feel like Tiamat would suggest me doing it, just not this early, and there’s a reason why.

  Using and maintaining your power on a daily basis aren’t easy, and that’s why I’ve only seen anime characters doing it. The stamina and mana just to keep and control this form are quite enormous, but thanks to months of training and figuring out how to optimize it, I can finally pull this off, just not as efficient as I want.

  I’m definitely gassed up after this fight, so I have no other choice but to quickly recover at the medical center. I can imagine Tiamat grumbling and not being happy about this at all, but that’s the price I’m willing to pay.

  “[Bck Thunderstrike]!”

  “[Firestorm]!”

  Sawafuji-senpai casted a few magic circles behind her and struck thunders to her opponent. Those thunders aren’t just your regur everyday thunders: they’ve been enhanced with [Dark] element, one of the rarest [Elemental Magic] a Magica can possess. Not many people have it, so it hasn’t been included in [The Outer] yet.

  Sekigawa-senpai already knew it, and to counter the attack aimed at her, she has a pn of her own. She quickly dashes to the thunders and before they can hit her, she spins around, dodging and destroying the thunders at the same time.

  Using [Fire] to counter [Dark] isn’t the best option, and it shows as her hands took quite some damage from the thunders despite casting [Mana Protection] beforehand. But that risky strategy paid off hugely as she managed to deal just about the same damage she took earlier with her attack.

  “Kugh!”

  Getting hit by the khopesh, Sawafuji-senpai falls back a few meters, but she immediately gets back and defends herself by casting [Mana Shield].

  “Gargh!”

  Not wasting any of her time, Sekigawa-senpai runs straight to her opponent as fast as she possibly can. She tries to finish off the match with the next hit, but [Dark Wizard] was faster and blocked the fatal attack.

  “Amazing! The two are fighting like there’s no tomorrow! This could be the most dramatic end to a match day ever!”

  “Now now Miwako, this is just the first round. Who knows what would the contestants bring to the table am I right?”

  “Ehehehe…”

  As my seniors are joking around while maintaining the hype for the crowds, the fight keeps going. After an unsuccessful attempt to finish the match, Sekigawa-senpai steps back. She knows she’ll have to think of another way to defeat her opponent, or at least deal more damage than Sawafuji-senpai.

  “It seems like our contestants are slowing their gears down. Takabeya-senpai, what would you do in this situation?” I asked.

  “Well Yasutaira-kun, to answer your question, let’s look at both sides shall we?”

  Takabeya-senpai pauses for a bit to clear his throat. After that, he puts on his gsses and continues our conversation.

  “So let’s start with [Fashion Killer]. Her speed is undoubtedly her strongest asset, and she has proven her capability throughout the match. And that leads to the question: will her durability and her stamina be enough to keep that speed?”

  And to showcase what Takabeya-senpai just said, Sekigawa-senpai immediately attacks her opponent. Her movements are still as sharp as ever, and she even manages to strikes a few hits. But as the fight is dragged on, she’s slowly losing her momentum and thus some of her attacks are being dodged easily.

  “On the other hand Yasutaira-kun, [Dark Wizard]-chan here is a spell machine. With that mana pool of her, you know she can hit you hard. Of course, she doesn’t possess the same mobility as her opponent, but with all the tricks she’s pulling so far, you can count on her durability any time.” Atagi-senpai jumped in and gave out her own insights.

  Not letting her opponent get the upper hand, Sawafuji-senpai casts a few magic circles to counter and at the same times, tries her best to evade all the hits aimed at her. But just like Atagi-senpai said before, she’s not fast enough to dodge all the attacks and in the end, she takes in quite some damage.

  On the flip side, all of her attack effort pays off as they injure Sekigawa-senpai, making her fall back to avoid getting hurt. The two contestants, now exhausted and gassed up, stop attacking each other.

  “As you can see Yasutaira-kun, they don’t have much left in their tanks, so they can’t afford any more mistakes. So right now, their best option is…”

  “To give everything they have left for one st final attack, am I right?” I continued what Takabeya-senpai said.

  “Exactly Yasutaira-kun. So you’d better prepare yourself, cuz there’s gonna be fireworks down there!”

  After Atagi-senpai closes out our little discussing segment, the crowds start cheering louder in excitement. I can see the sparkles in their eyes, some even spontaneously encourages everyone to chant one st time, and there’s a good reason for that.

  “*puff puff* You’re quite persistent, you know that?”

  “Haha, I can say the same to you, [Fashion Killer]. But it seems like there isn’t much time left to fool around. Let’s decide our fate, right here and now!”

  “Heh, sounds like a good deal to me. Let’s go!”

  The cheering sound from all the grandstands has now been overwhelmed with the sound of the two fighters powering up. They only have enough power for one st hit, but that is more than we could possibly ask.

  “Amazing! Such power they have left! What will they pull out next? How will come out on top? It’ll all determine with the next attack!”

  The crowds, now awe in silence, are patiently waiting to see the outcome of the match. Down in the ring, Sekigawa-senpai covers herself in a red, fiery aura with her khopesh now sizing up a bit more.

  On the other side, Sawafuji-senpai does her usual thing and summons quite a lot of magic circles around her, ready for her attack.

  “Impressive, still have that much energy in you huh?”

  “I’m a wizard, Merika-chan. You don’t want to test my limit.”

  “Forbidden fruit is the sweetest girl, and I’d like to taste it!”

  Ending their final conversation, Sekigawa-senpai dashes right to her opponent. The crowds, despite consists of mostly students from this academy, couldn’t even catch up to her speed for the most part. That’s not the case of me and my seniors, as we have all prepared for this situation beforehand.

  “[Comet of Fire]!”

  Sekigawa-senpai jumps to the sky and then flies down on her opponent, closing the gap between the two. The sheer power and speed from the attack could literally destroy the ring if it hits straight down.

  “[Absolute Darkness]!”

  Sawafuji-senpai taps her staff to activate all of her magic circles at the same time and from the ground, a giant bck pilr rises up, covering her in it. From what I’ve known, [Absolute Darkness] took her years to master, and it’s for a good reason.

  From the outside, it may just look like a giant pilr, but there’s more to it than that. That “giant pilr” you see down there consists of multiple [Dark] yers serve as guarding shields and spiky weapons.

  You may penetrate through those yers, but those spikes will injure you, wearing you out physically and mentally. Eventually, you’ll no longer be able to move any further due to all the injuries and tiredness

  In other words, it’s an invisible fortress with little to none chance of being taken down.

  That is, until this happens.

  “Boom!”

  The two fighters collide, creating an explosion that blocks our vision. Lucky for everyone, we managed to cover our eyes and hold on tight to our seats before it’s too te, so the lights and the sound waves causing from the explosion don’t affect us much.

  It took a while for the smoke to disappear completely, but with [Super Strengthen Magic], I can still see things, or should I say: someone…

  “[Fashion Killer] is still on the ring, but she doesn’t look good at all. And her opponent…wait a minute, [Dark Wizard] is nowhere to be found! Where is she?”

  The drones and cameras start rolling, trying to find where Sawafuji-senpai is. The moment her footage is broadcasted on the screen, the worst scenario finally happens…

  “The absolute defense unit has been pierced through! [Fashion Killer] is the winner! Sekigawa Merika is the final contestant to advance to the 1/16 round!”

  Despite coming out on top, it’s still a close call for Sekigawa-senpai. Her entire body is filled with wounds caused by [Absolute Darkness], her legs are shaking and struggling to even keep her from falling. Through the monitor, I can even hear her gasping; signify that she’s completely gassed up.

  Using the st bit of her strength, Sekigawa-senpai raises her weapons to the sky, ciming her victory. The crowds, finally realize what happened down in the ring, break the silence and go crazy. [Fashion Killer] is a fan-favorite, so it’s no surprise to see them react like that.

  While the sound of cheering and excitement is overwhelming the ring, the medics arrive and give Sawafuji-senpai medical treatment right on the spot. She’s heavily injured as well, even her uniform is tearing apart as a result of tanking [Comet of Fire].

  After celebrating for a few minutes, Sekigawa-senpai finally gets out of the ring. Before letting the medics take her away, she came to her opponent and gave her a fist bump. Sawafuji-senpai, despite missing the chance of advancing to the 1/16 round, doesn’t seem upset all that much. She gdly takes it, showing love and respect to the winner.

  After the medics carry the two away, Kariuda-san goes back on the ring to announce to 1/16 matchups. As the eight matches are shown on the rge screen, the crowds get excited and discuss about what the outcome would be. I’d love to be a part of that conversation, but unfortunately, I have a bigger problem to deal with…

  “Master, care to expin?”

  “Hahaha…”

  Sensing how gassed up I am, Tiamat starts questioning me. I wasn’t pnning on shying it away from her, so I tell her everything. I’m not seeing her eye to eye at the moment, but I can definitely hear her pouting, which is the second time I’ve seen someone doing that today.

  “Hey, don’t be like that. It’s my job after all, so I had to think of something you know?”

  “Hah, you’re right, I shouldn’t be too harsh on you Master, but only this time. Please Master, never do this again, you’re hurting this young dy’s heart!”

  “Haha, yeah sure…”

  Ensuring to Tiamat that I’m completely fine, I end our little talk. She’s now still with Kiriwatari-sensei, mainly to make sure our pn will work, but she’ll be home soon. I py a pivotal role in that pn, so whatever happen to me will break it into pieces.

  Then again, saying I’m completely “gassed up” is quite a stretch. I can still walk and move my body, it’s just that I feel like I’m wearing 100 kilograms worth of clothes on me. Despite that, there’s still something I need to do before going home.

  “Yasutaira-kun, I’m here!”

  “Coming!”

  After finishing my job, I meet up with Takenada-san at the stadium’s entrance. She said she wanted to have a health check and as her best friend, there’s no reason to not tag along with her. Besides, I’m the only one in this academy at the time who knows one or two thing about her diet, so maybe I can help her with something.

  “Are you alright Yasutaira-kun? You seem…exhausted.”

  “Haha don’t worry Takenada-san. I had to improvise so now I’m a bit out of steam, but I’ll be fine.”

  “Really? Well if you said so…but hey Yasutaira-kun, please take care of yourself. You still have a promise to make remember? So until then, don’t die, OK?”

  “Yeah, thanks a lot Takenada-san…”

  After a brief conversation, we’re heading to the medical center as promised earlier. It’s not too far from the stadium, so we’ll be there in no time. It’s only 5:30, there’s no need to rush at all.

  As we’re walking, some students pass by us. Despite my reputation before and after Takenada-san, they’ve softened a bit more than usual. Of course some of them are still giving me the silence treatment, but the hatred in their eyes has vanished for the most part, which is quite a relief to me.

  After around five minutes, we arrive at the medical center, ready for our health check before the “big day”.

  “I see…Lucky for you young man, it’s not something too serious. Just take a few of these and you’ll be back in no time.”

  “Haha, thanks doc, you help me a lot.”

  “Please Yasutaira-kun, called me Lisa. I…prefer it that way.”

  As we were getting inside the building, the head doctor Lisa greeted us and led us to her office. Since I’m in a worst condition, Lisa and I left Takenada-san and went to the nearby single patient room.

  After a quick check-up, the result came out and unsurprisingly, all I need was some rest and some mana recovering pills, which are safe and legal to use, unlike “someone”…

  “You know, a few weeks ago, Ms. Lucy sent me something that I found…interesting…”

  Lisa, now sitting in her office with me, reaches to her desk and pulls out a document file. I look at it and immediately feel familiar with it. No, I’m just familiar with it.

  I know exactly what the document is about.

  This is my stats, updated after my visit to Ms. Lucy’s pce in Hokkaido.

  “I had already been informed beforehand, so you don’t have to worry about me being clueless. In contrast, I’m completely aware of everything right from the beginning.

  She then tells me about how she was the one who treated Kira and his henchmen and a glimpse of her history with [Knights of Tomorrow]. I was pleasantly surprised to hear about all of that, but consider my own situation, it’s not too far from impossible.

  “Man, that’s a lot to unfold…” I said.

  “Well trust me, that’s not the end of the story. In fact, it actually started from you Yasutaira-kun.”

  “Eh, me?” confused about what she said, I pointed my finger to me.

  “Yeah, more specifically your stats. You see, if this is the result of six months, or even maybe a year of training, I would totally believe it. But two months? Isn’t that just too suspicious and too, you know, fast?”

  “Haha, you’re right Ms. Lisa, but worry not, I promise I didn’t do anything bad to achieve those power.”

  It’s no secret that my progression is quite…unusual, and I’m pretty sure that Tiamat once mentioned about this before.

  Since I have never committed a crime before, it’s hard for me to achieve magic abilities. Tiamat told me that a life-or-death situation could be the trigger, but we can’t disregard the possibility of it being a side effect of [Summoning Magic].

  She’s working on it apparently, so either she already has the answer, or she might have hit the dead end.

  “It’s alright, I believe you. Whether that’s the result of all the recent events or you finally realized your potential, it doesn’t matter. Growing stronger isn’t an excuse of being cocky. Keep your feet on the ground and I’ll always have your back no matter what.” Ms. Lisa said.

  “Haha, yeah, you’re right. Thanks Ms. Lisa.”

  “Ah it’s nothing. Saving someone before it’s too te is my job after all. Sometimes, meds and treatments aren’t the only solution you know?”

  After the conversation, the number of people working on my progression has pumped up to two. Feeling a bit better after the health check, I stay for just a bit longer for some advices, before leaving the office to go to the next pce.

  “I’m beginning to think that you’re not good at keeping your little “secret” at all…”

  “Hahaha…”

  After completing my health check, Ms. Lisa led me to another patient room where Takenada-san is right now. Unlike me, she doesn’t have any problem at all, so the check-up went by really quickly.

  After we arrived, Ms. Lisa briefly expined to Takenada-san, while also revealed how much she knows about my situation. And that was when she made the joke. Hearing that, all I could do is ugh it off.

  “So Yasutaira-kun, what did she told you?”

  “Ah nothing much, just gets enough rest and I’ll be fine.”

  “That’s good to hear. Well, since we’re done here, I’d suggest that we should go…”

  “Hold it right there young dy!”

  “Huh?”

  As the both of us turn our heads around, a tanned girl wearing the academy’s PE uniform appears, interrupting us. At first we were confused, but we quickly realized just from that devilish smile on her face.

  “Nahoka-senpai? What are you doing here?” I asked.

  In an unexpected twist of events, the [Speed Demon] is in the building. As the nickname suggests, she’s known for her supersonic speed, and with that speed, she’s able to come up with a lot of creative moves that can cause some serious damage to her opponent.

  Too bad for her, she didn’t get to showcase much in [Summer Tournament], all thanks to “him”.

  “Well you see Yasutaira-kun, my left ankle is still hurt, so I came here to check on it. After that, I accidentally overheard your conversation your girl right here and I thought to myself: “Hmm, I think I have an idea!” And that’s why I’m here.”

  “First off, I’m his best friend, not his “girl” Nahoka-senpai. Second, isn’t it rude to overhear someone? I would love to hear that “idea” of yours, but what you did was quite…questionable to say the least…” Takenada-san said with an ice-cold tone of voice.

  “Ehehehe…”

  Not having any chance for a comeback, all Nahoka-senpai can do is ugh it off. I don’t like people spying on me at all, and that speaks from experience. But since it already happened, there’s nothing I could do about it. Well, not exactly…

  “Now now Takenada-san, calm down. I know it’s wrong for her to do that, but at least let’s just hear what she has to say shall we?”

  “Really? You will? Thanks a lot…”

  “Atatata, not so fast Nahoka-senpai.”

  Seeing Takenada-san trying her best to stop Nahoka-senpai from approaching me in a wrong way really makes me realize just how energetic she can be.

  I don’t know if that’s a common thing or not, but a lot of speedy people tend to have almost infinite energy stored in their body. I don’t hate that, but it can be very annoying from time to time.

  “Oh yeah, about what I heard earlier…Did you say that Kuroto-senpai won’t be here for the 1/16 round?” Nahoka-senpai said as she’s still being held back.

  “Yeah, it’s a long story. In shorts: he’s abusing illegal drugs for a while now, and you just happened to be involved into this situation. Now he’s roaming free out there, and who knows what he could possibly do.”

  “I’ll ask for the full story ter, but damn…so that’s why he’s ridiculously stronger than I expected…”

  “I was just as surprised as you too senpai, the feeling’s mutual. But don’t worry, we have a pn.”

  “We?”

  “Yeah Nahoka-senpai. I can’t go too far into details about this, but the Student Council will take care of Kuruto-senpai. Colteral damage is unavoidable, but I’m sure we can handle it.”

  “Woah…”

  Amazed by the news, Nahoka-senpai stands still for a while, eventually giving up on trying to get close to me. Takenada-san lets go of her, returning to right beside me. People might say she’s overreacting, but you can’t just stand there looking your friend getting in trouble can you?

  “You see Nahoka-senpai, the thing is…We don’t want too many students getting involved in the pn, it could cause some stirring among the academy. But now, since you know about it, I don’t have any other choice. I know this is crazy, but…Do you want to be a part of the pn?”

  I asked Nahoka-senpai, while also raising my fist to her. I know I promised everyone to keep this a secret, but this…I can let it slide. Besides, I’m pretty sure she wants a rematch, so having her as my ally could gain her that opportunity.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice Yasutaira-kun. I’m in!”

  She fist pumps me, officially becoming the newest recruit to the “team”. Kiriwatari-sensei won’t like this at all, but I think she’ll understand me.

  “Hah, Doctor Lisa was right. You are really bad at keeping secrets…” Takenada-san said jokingly.

  After agreeing my offer, Nahoka-senpai leaves the building. I tell her to find Kariuda-san for the full story, so I assume that’s where she’s going.

  “You know, she sure does move quite fast with that ankle…”

  “Haha, you have no idea Ms. Lisa…”

  Following Nahoka-senpai’s footsteps, we say goodbye to Ms. Lisa and leave the center as well. It’s already 6 p.m, and since there’s nothing left for us to do, we decide to go home, ending the second day of [Summer Tournament].