Novel B.D.R. -Blade Duel Rondo- (temp.) (Semi-hold)

You're welcome.

 

Part 8

Spoiler

The next morning…

“Forgive me, Hrimgard…!”

“Eh…?”

“Please allow me to apologize on behalf of my subordinate…”

“Oh, that… It’s not really your fault…”

On the way to class, Arthfael went over to Sigulf and tried to apologize about yesterday’s small incident.

“Even so, the fact that one of our knights acted in such conduct— What’s the matter?”

“Err, well…”

Sigulf glanced behind Arthfael’s shoulder and noticed that Carole popped her head from behind a tree, still looking upset.

“…she is nearby, I presume? I’ll… Talk some sense into her later…”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the better…”

———

That day’s lunch was a bit different. Instead of enjoying a peaceful break like always, Sigulf found himself engaged in a duel against a challenger.

“Tch…!”

Sigulf put a bit more strength as he blocked his opponent’s xiphos. For a C-class, he sure packed quite the power.

“Uoryaa!!”

Another swing coming from the Greek fighter, but this time, Sigulf had enough chance to dodge it. While there are some students who still haven’t gotten over the news of Celina going out with the Icelander, this particular one was much more interested in the potential glory of defeating someone above his own class.

“What’s wrong, Viking!? Are you gonna keep running—”

“You’re wide open…!!”

“Nuoah!?”

He was too busy trying to provoke Sigulf that he got caught off guard by a counterattack. Luckily for him, he raised his aspis in the nick of time and ‘merely’ knocked away without taking any damage.

“Guh…! S, such strength…! But…!”

Being dramatic, he opened his guard and stood defiantly.

“One Germanic barbarian is nothing compared to thousands of Persians my ancestors faced! Today, I will show you the might of Ares’ soldier! THIS! IS! SPARGH…!?”

Sigulf didn’t bother to let him finish and jammed his axes right to the poor Greek’s face.

“You got spirit, but by Loki, you’re loud in an annoying way.”

“Uwaa, how merciless…” Alba commented.

“Battle points 0, cannot continue duel. Winner, Sigulf Hrimgard.”

“Alright, no more challeng—”

“H, Hrimgard! It’s my turn now! I challenge you!”

“…seriously? I haven’t even sniffed my food…”

“Ah, please wait a moment.”

“Eh?”

Celina approached Sigulf and fed him a piece of roast beef, making several boys groan in despair.

“Good luck!” she encouraged.

“U, um, I will…”

“Cel, you are just fanning the flames…” Chelsea sighed.

“E, eh?”

———

Thankfully, the rest of the day went well, and Sigulf helped with the Council duties.

“Well then, see you tomorrow!”

“Mm, take care.”

Celina and Sigulf saw Chelsea off as she left the room.

“She’s in such good spirits…” he noted.

“I think Chelsea’s been attending Alba’s training, giving her drink and all.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Say, do you think they—”

“I guess that depends on Alba herself.”

“Hmm… To think there’s a good chance that our best friends will be our greatest rivals… Ufufu.”

“Haha, you sure are looking forward to that. …wait, best friends?”

“Aren’t you two?”

Sigulf tilted his head, thinking.

“Now that mentioned it… It does feel that way, compared to Yuu. He’s busy with Amakawa’s gang lately.”

“There, there, no need to be sad.” Celina patted his head.

“Hey now, I’m not feeling lonely…” Sigulf jokingly protested.

“So, did you send him to spy on Amakawa and friends?”

Sigulf blinked.

“…why didn’t I think of that?”

“That was in jest.” she laughed.

“Yeah, but… Hmm… Spying for info might be good, considering the upcoming autumn tournament…”

“That’s true, but I’m sure there’s another important event coming before that.”

“Ah, the finals next month, right? And… The Pacifics coming back for a real visit…?”

“That’s correct. I— Well, we do practice together, so I know you are doing fine in regards of dueling. But how about your studies? Has there been anything since the midterms?”

“I’m still doing alright, I think. But yeah, another group study won’t hurt.”

“Fufu, sure. We can talk about it with Chelsea and Alba later.”

———

They continued to enjoy the relaxing afternoon and milk tea, watching some pro duel on the TV along the way.

“Those three are really strong…” Sigulf commented.

“Yes, they are alumni of this academy, and currently among the best duelists in the world.”

“Someday, I will face them—”

Sigulf inadvertently yawned and caught Celina’s attention.

“Oh, are you feeling sleepy?”

“Surprisingly, yeah. Did I really fight that much?”

“You kind of did, you have to be fed in-between.” she giggled. “Well then…”

Celina signalled by gently tapping her own thigh.

“Come over here, Sigulf…”

“O, oh, right…”

While still a bit embarrassed, Sigulf laid down nonetheless. In contrast, Celina was calmer and tenderly brushed his icy white locks.

‘This is nice…’ he thought.

“Thank you for your hard work…”

“Likewise. Even though you’re busy being the president, you still…”

“Ufufu, don’t mention it.”

“…and, umm… I’m sorry.”

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

“Well, uhh… I did say I wanted to be your strength, but it feels like I end up depending on you, one way or another…”

“Now, what are you saying?” Celina laughed. “If I was against it, then I won’t even let you get close in the first place!”

“A, ahahah… I suppose so…”

‘No joke, she could easily skewer me if she wanted to…!’

“Besides, if you did completely depend on me, I don’t think you would fight that hard every time.”

“Celina…”

“As long as it’s within my capabilities, I don’t mind spoiling you.”

“Thank you… Then—”

Sigulf shifted his position slightly to make himself a bit more comfortable.

“…can I stay like this for a while?”

“Sure, be my guest.” she chuckled. “I’ll wake you up before it gets too dark.”

“Ahahah, I’ll try not to oversleep…”

———

Meanwhile, Carmen and Minato was peeking from the door.

“Oh my, I wanted to report some things, but I guess I can’t just ruin the mood…”

“Hee, even Hrimgard-kun can be like that too…”

“Why are you so surprised?” she chuckled. “Want to give it a try?”

“That doesn’t sou— Eeh…!?”

———

Saturday morning, Sigulf and co. took a short breather after their routine.

“Alright, good work, everyone.” Victoria clapped her hands. “If you keep it up, the Pacifics and finals won’t pose you any problem.”

Sigulf glanced at Celina; she nodded in return. He then looked back at Victoria and raised his hand.

“Um, Ma’am. Excuse me, but may I have a sparring match with you?”

“Oh…?”

Sigulf request surprised almost everyone present.

“Eeeh!? Why would you do that!?” Vigdis protested. “If you wanted to spar, then—”

“Not yet, Vigdis.” Melanie interrupted. “Give it some rest for today.”

“Uuu…”

“…Siggy, are you a masochist?” Alba asked.

“…why did you end up with that conclusion, again?”

“I think I understand your reason,” Victoria said. “But surely you do know how it will turn out?”

“I’m well aware, but even so, I believe I can still learn something.”

“So I thought. Well, let’s see…”

She closed her eyes, giving it a thought for a moment.

“Hmm, while an actual sparring is still too soon for you, I wouldn’t mind giving you a… special exercise.”

“Special…?”

“Oh, and please don’t worry, Miss Celina. I won’t do anything suspicious. Ufufu…”

“Hey! You do know he already has a girlfriend, right!?” Vigdis protested.

“Relax, Miss Hrimgard. At this point, there’s not much I can do.”

“…thank you very much for being so reassuring.” Celina dryly remarked.

“Uhh, so how are we going to practice?” Sigulf asked, trying to steer back the conversation.

“Ah, it’s nothing complicated really. For the first half, you are going to attack while I defend. Then it’s the other way around for the second.”

“Hmm, I kind of get it…”

“Don’t worry, it’s enough for you to measure my strength and speed. I know you can use it as a reference for your image training.”

“Sounds good for me.”

“Alright, rest yourself for a bit more, then we will begin.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Sigulf went back to resting and sat on the ground.

“Eeh? So that’s what you wanted?” Vigdis sounded disappointed. “Chee, even though I can do the same…”

“Err, Master…”

“Now, now. Let him do his own thing.” Eliot tried to calm her down.

“Sigulf.” Celina called while approaching him.

“Yes?”

“I know it’s impossible for now, so…”

“Hmm…?”

“I promise you that one day, I will take you to our place and teach you the way of Bartram. So that you can triumph over her.”

“O, oh… Ahaha, thank you, I appreciate the thought…”

 

Part 9

Spoiler

Having rested enough, Sigulf stood back up to face Victoria.

“I’m looking forward to your guidance!”

“Very good. Now…”

She swung her right arm aside and materialized the Blade Breaker.

“Draw your axes and show me what you have.”

“Right…!”

‘A serious Miss Stark is so different, after all…!’

Sigulf summoned his weapon, and in a blink of an eye, he already took off, bashing his Fenrir against Victoria’s fighting gloves.

“…!?”

“Fufufu, you are faster and stronger than I thought…”

She cleanly blocked his attack; Sigulf could even feel small feedback coming from it.

‘And this is one reason why she’s the Principal…!’ he thought. ‘But now, I have to focus on gauging her defense…!’

After a small backhop, Sigulf charged forward and swung with all his might.

“Rraaah!”

One aimed at her head, another towards her chest, yet another to her legs. But no matter what he threw, Victoria would either guard or evade them successfully.

‘Gh…! Even Chelsea was nowhere this tough…!’

“You’re faltering! Don’t get disheartened!” Victoria shouted, as if she just read Sigulf’s mind. “Next, try to circle me while you attack!”

“…! Yes, Ma’am!”

Sigulf stopped for a split second to change directions before resuming. His swings got faster, his strikes grew stronger, his steps became quicker, he even employed some feints to catch her off-guard. Yet Victoria was able to defend just fine.

“Grrh…!”

“…! There!”

“…!? Whoa—!?”

A well-timed reflect from Victoria knocked Sigulf away and stopped his assault.

“Fufu…”

‘No surprises here… But still…!’

Refusing to give up, Sigulf mustered all his strength and jumped forward. He spun his whole body diagonally and swung his axes.

“Grroooaahh!!”

“…!”

For the first time, Sigulf finally managed to blow Victoria back.

“Kh…!”

Still, the end result was the same; Sigulf gave it all as far as his unreleased Arms permitted, while Victoria remains unscathed.

“Hoho, quite good, if I must say.” Victoria praised. “But now, it’s your turn to defend. Prepare yourself.”

“Understood…!”

‘Here she comes…!’

Sigulf immediately went defensive, not willing to take any risks… and Victoria still blitzed through much faster than he expected.

“…!?”

“Let us begin…!”

A left cross, followed by a right hook forced Sigulf to fully concentrate on blocking.

‘By the Rokkr, such pressure…!’

“Don’t let up just yet!”

Victoria switched it up with a series of kicks, and even though her legs wasn’t covered by the Blade Breaker, they were by no means weaker than her punches.

‘This is…!’

Every single strike made Sigulf’s arms ache, and Victoria is not slowing down anytime soon.

“Final step! Stay aware of your surroundings!”

She lunged slightly to his right and threw a backhand; Sigulf barely blocked. Victoria followed with a spinning kick; he has to haphazardly clash against it with his weapon.

“You’re slowing down! Focus harder!”

“Guh…!”

Victoria didn’t stop her onslaught and she has almost completely circled Sigulf. By this point, it was a matter of seconds before his defense crumbles.

“Got you…!”

“Wha—”

Victoria threw an empty punch and messed Sigulf’s timing. She used the chance to twirl and unleashed an axe kick, which completely broke Sigulf’s guard and left him wide open.

“…!?”

“Sigulf!” Celina shouted.

He can only process the fact that Victoria launched a right uppercut…

“…eh?”

…only for her to stop just before it connects with his chin.

“Checkmate~”

“Ah…”

Victoria pulled her hand and lets her Arms disappear into thin air.

“So, was it enough?” she giggled.

“…very.”

“Fufufu, glad to be of help. Now…” Victoria turned towards Vigdis’ group. “Miss Alderliesten? You might want to treat his hands.”

“Oh, sure, right on.” Melanie replied as she approached the students.

“Ah, ri— Ow, ow…”

“Eeh!? Boy, are you alright!?”

Vigdis quickly ran over to Sigulf, who was sitting on the ground, and hugged him.

“Uwhoa!?”

“Where did it hurt!? You can still use your arm right!?”

“Eh!? Eeh!?”

“Vigdis, I can’t treat him with you on the way…”

“A, ah, sorry, Mel…” she apologized and moved a bit to give her some space.

“Will he be fine?” Celina asked Melanie.

“Hmm, as long he doesn’t do anything rigorous, he’ll be okay tomorrow. Just don’t forget to apply some ice.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear…”

“Umm, I can still cook, right?” Sigulf asked.

“What kind of cooking are you doing?” the school nurse laughed.

“So, how was it?” Celina asked again, this time towards Sigulf.

“Insane…” was his answer. “Looks like… I have tons of material for image training…”

“I see…”

“Seriously… You can be so reckless…” Vigdis sighed.

“Master…”

“What?”

Sigulf gazed upwards.

“The world is really vast…”

“…why are you saying that just now? Are you trying to sound cool?”

“I, I kinda wanted to say that…”

“Oh, you…” Celina giggled and reached out to brush Sigulf’s hair.

“Ah…”

“You did well. You should get some rest for the day.” she smiled.

“Ehehe, thank you. I definitely will…”

“Ahem. The guest house has many rooms, if you catch my drift…” Chelsea purposefully cleared her throat, making the pair blush and Alba snicker. “Anyways, should we call it a day?”

“Ah, wait, no! Not yet!” Alba suddenly exclaimed while getting up.

“Eh?”

“Ma’am! May I request the same training?” she addressed Victoria.

“Eeh? You want to try that too?”

“Hm? It’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Well…” Chelsea eyed Alba. “You did rest enough. Just be careful, okay?”

“What are you getting worried for?” she laughed. “But, thanks, I guess.”

‘Oh…?’

“Spirited bunch, aren’t you all?” Victoria chuckled. “In that case, give me some time to rest before we start.”

“Yes, Ma’am! Thank you very much!”

“Uuugh, I thought she’s supposed to be the perverted principal? Why is she popular now!?” Vigdis complained.

“Well, she’s only perverted towards your boy, so…” Melanie explained.

“That doesn’t make it okay!”

———

Since Alba has about the same skill level as Sigulf, the end result was similar.

“Zeeh… Haah… Haah…”

Minutes after their sparring, Alba was face first on the ground, breathing heavily.

“Uhh, you okay?” Sigulf asked.

She said nothing and raised a thumbs up instead.

“M, Mel! We have an emergency here!” Chelsea called.

“Yes, yes. Let me see…”

While Melanie went to check on Alba, Victoria stretched her own body.

“Nngh…! It’s been a while since I had such a nice workout…!”

“You just wanted to vent out, didn’t you!?” Vigdis accused.

“Eh? Considering my job so far has been smooth, I don’t see any reason to be stressed, though?”

“Grrh… When will I be cleared for dueling anyway?”

“If you want to be in optimal performance, then not in the immediate 24 hours.” Eliot nonchalantly stated.

“Uugh…”

“M, Master, if you don’t mind, we can do some light sparring…” Sigulf tried to cheer her up.

“T, thank you, my disciple. But you see, it is my destiny to take down the Evil Sorceress of the Atlantic…”

‘…she’s really dead set on fighting her.’

——–

Morning practice has ended, but since Celina wanted to say something, the adults left earlier.

“Alright,” she clapped her hands. “As we all know, finals—”

Alba immediately dropped her head.

“Haa… Right… Finals, huh…”

“Shush, let her finish first.” Chelsea reprimanded.

“Ahahah, it’s alright.” Celina reassured. “Anyways, since we’ll have our exams around the middle of next month, I was thinking to have another group study session. So I want to hear your opinions about it.”

“Ah, I thought so. Well… Last time, it was a few days before the actual test, but… Are you guys okay with it?” Chelsea looked at the 1st-years.

“Eh? Considering I end up at 2nd place…” Sigulf responded.

“Yeah, we actually did fine, somehow… Although, I still don’t understand what was the written test for…” Alba sighed.

“Then, there’s no problem. Sooo… Sigulf’s place?”

“Wait, again? Do we really have no other options?”

“The cafe or library is a no-go to avoid disturbing other visitors.” Chelsea pointed out.

“And you can cook.” Alba added.

“Yeah, but I can cook just fine on any other room, provided I have the ingredients…”

“Ah, so you just wanted to barge into another girl’s room. Sigulf, you pervert.”

“…can you not?” he retorted at Chelsea.

“But do you?” Celina asked, making Sigulf pause.

“Well… If it’s yours, and you don’t mind, then yeah…”

“Oh, sure, fufufu. So, have you thought about what we might cook? I’ll provide the ingredients.”

“Really? Then… I’m thinking something simple like—”

“Now hold on a minute, and don’t just go on by yourselves!” Alba interrupted.

“What? Why?”

“You talked like you’ve ever been in one…” Chelsea eyed him suspiciously.

“He did, though…?” Celina stated, shocking Chelsea.

“What!? Why didn’t you tell me!? When did it happen!?”

“E, eeh? It was before we went steady—”

“What!?”

“…Siggy, you’re surprisingly carnivorous…”

“…what do you mean by that? We were just talking at that time…”

“Reeeally?”

“G, girls…!” Celina waved her hand, trying to divert the topic. “Can we just agree that we will study in my room? I have another thing I want to talk about.”

“Eh? What is it?”

“Ah, do you mean—” Sigulf realized.

“Yes, ‘that’.” Celina smiled before she faced Chelsea and Alba again. “Would you mind clearing your schedule for next week? Let’s go and give the Pacifics a visit.”

“”…what?””

 

also in Scribblehub
Part 10

Spoiler

Chelsea paused to take a sip from her water bottle before continuing.

“I’m sure you haven’t forgotten that our Principal didn’t give us the permit, so…?”

“Oh, of course. That’s why I suggested that we go on our free time; depart on Friday evening and return on Sunday night.”

Chelsea and Alba blinked.

“Well, considering the transportation, it’s possible.” the older girl said. “But what about the accommodation?”

“Don’t worry, my mother would arrange it for us.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Mm-hm. I actually wanted to do so myself, but upon hearing my plans, somehow she got excited and told me to just concentrate on the trip.” Celina chuckled.

“…ah, so Aunty wanted to get back at them too.” Chelsea sighed. “Does that mean we are going to ‘invade’ them like you said before? How are we going to do that?”

“Umm…” Sigulf raised his hand. “Ask them politely for a duel?”

“I, is that how it goes?” Chelsea retorted, trying not to laugh.

“Eh!? It isn’t!?” Celina looked genuinely surprised.

“Cel, get a grip of yourself…”

“Well, it would be nice if they actually accept, though…” Alba laughed dryly.

“How about we go scouting instead?” Chelsea suggested. “We could enjoy… Whatever their campus has while observing and studying them discreetly.”

“Hmm, that’s actually viable, but then that means we can’t bring too much of us.” Celina responded.

“Why would you invite more, anyway?”

“Aren’t you the one who usually says ‘the more the merrier’?”

“Hahah, yeah, that’s just so Chelsea.” Sigulf added.

“S, shush. I did say that, but I don’t think it’s applicable for this particular plan.”

“Eeh? Can’t we just attack them? Just looking around sounds boring…”

“W, what!? Alba, how could you…!?”

“Y, you’re overreacting…”

“So, uhh, what’s the decision? Invasion by default?” Sigulf asked.

“No no no. We have to make sure first who will be going, four of us aside.” Chelsea replied.

“That’s right. If we end up with fewer members than expected, then scouting would be the better option.” Celina added.

“Ah, gotcha.”

———

On the adults’ side, as they made their way back…

“Ah, I just remembered.” Vigdis said.

“Hmm?”

“Sorry, but can you two go first? There’s… Something I need to do.”

“You’re not actually thinking to challenge her on a duel, are you?” Eliot raised his eyebrow.

“Ah, no, don’t worry. Not for the moment. …although, I would veeery like to.”

“That’s a bit worrying…”

“It’s alright, Mr. Fortier. Both of us are simply going to have a friendly ladies’ chat over a glass of wine or two.” Victoria tried to reassure.

“Ahahahahahah.” Vigdis, in return, let out a halfhearted, flat laughter which barely masked her annoyance, making Melanie sigh.

“Well, looks like we’ll be hanging around here. Call us just in case.”

“Oh, sure. Will do.”

“Fufu, such caring friends you have.”

“…shut it. Just let’s go somewhere that ain’t fancy.”

“Oh? That’s too bad. I thought you might like Lordshire’s special steak.”

“…”

———

Somehow, Vigdis resisted the steak’s temptation, and they ended up picking a cheaper pub with a private stall.

“Hmm, it’s been a while since the last time I drank ale.” Victoria commented. “By the way, quite the strong drinker, aren’t you?”

“Shut iiiit…” Vigdis retorted after downing her own drink. “You know damn well why we are here.”

“Oh, of course. I will listen—“

“Stop messing around!” she rather dramatically slammed the table. “What are you trying to pull!?”

Victoria blinked.

“I thought I told you? But in any case, nothing at this point.” she explained. “Though, I guess a bit of teasing won’t hurt~”

“You…! Even though you are the Headmistress…! You…!” Vigdis pointed her finger towards her repeatedly, trying to be menacing.

“Well, even if you say that, it can’t be helped… We have the same taste after all.” Victoria winked.

“Wha—” Vigdis went red. “Th, this isn’t about me! It’s you! And at least wait until he graduates!”

“Oh, so you actually don’t mind?” Victoria perked up a bit.

“Eh!? Well, umm… Technically no, but… Wait, no! Not at all! Especially you!”

“Talk about a smothering mother…” she sighed. “Although, I do admit, I am envious with the bond you have, getting to be close, hugging and raising—“

“A, are you saying that I’m grooming him!?”

“Eh? Nobody implied such thing, though?”

Awkward silence before Vigdis whimpered “…b, but I’m not—“

“Don’t worry, I’m not attacking you.” Victoria chuckled before she sipped her ale. “Everyone has their own… Vices, and the problems that comes with it.”

“T, that doesn’t excuse your actions!”

“Never said it was.”

Vigdis wanted to retort again, but stopped upon seeing her opponent spacing out, looking a bit serious if not melancholic.

“I did think about it too. ‘Why him?’. Predictably, I can only came up with ‘it can’t be helped’ as an excuse.” Victoria exhaled. “Of course, I guess it would be best for the parties involved if I dismiss this… ‘feelings’ as a passing fancy.”

Vigdis’ expression slightly softened, though she still maintained her scowl.

“A woman like you, I swear…” Vigdis sighed. “Why haven’t the board do anything about you, again?”

“Because even I myself only realized about it recently.” Victoria laughed. “I guess that’s what happen when someone was too busy building their empire.”

“No, they don’t…” Vigdis countered. “…and for a while, I was actually jealous with your frankness.”

“Why thank you. Do you need some assistance on being more honest towards a special someone?”

“H, huh!? What do you—“

“Hmm? I thought he is your backup plan?”

I took a moment for Vigdis to understand what Victoria meant.

“Eliot is— Not… My… B…” she couldn’t finish and ends up trailing off.

“Wait, could it be that… You wanted them both? Oh my, I don’t usually judge, but—“

“T, that’s not even close to the mark!”

“I jest, my apologies.” Victoria giggled. “So you still cannot decide between the two, yes, yes.”

“H, how did you even come to that conclusion!?”

———

Outside, Eliot was visibly restless, pacing around near the restaurant, while Melanie watches.

“…I hope she didn’t do anything rash.”

“Wanna take a peek inside, then?”

“N, no, I wasn’t—“

“No need to act cool, your students aren’t around. Or so I see.”

“Ugh… Even if you say so…”

Melanie let out a tired sigh.

“I swear, when it comes to you two, it’s always like this.” she pointed out. “Yet here I am, hanging around…”

“Then why— Wait a second.” Eliot suddenly stopped as he realized something. “Could it be that…”

“Huh?”

“You secretly harbor some feelings to either one of us?”

Melanie nearly faceplanted.

“Unless both of you are REALLY that dense, you should have figured the answer by now.”

“So, no?”

“Nope. Can’t really picture myself with you. Or Vigdis for that matter.” she clarified. “Though, at least there won’t be any needless drama.”

“I, I see. Sorry for the trouble, then…”

“For real, when one is a ‘boy’ who can’t be more honest, and the other is an overly carefree yet kind of indecisive ‘girl’, it’s up to their ‘good friend’ to smooth things up. …being used to the third-wheel role helps too, ahahahahahah.”

“…kinda sad when you said it yourself.” Eliot commented. “I’m actually surprised you’re still single.”

“Yeah, I wonder why too… I know that I was deeply engrossed with my medical studies—” Melanie muttered. “Wait, that sounds like something the Principal would say. Aww, I can’t even tease Vigdis’ boy now that he’s with Celina.”

“…oi, get a grip.”

Just as Melanie was about to respond, Vigdis and Victoria finally exited the pub.

“Ah, there they are.” Melanie pointed out.

“You okay?” Eliot asked Vigdis. “How was it?”

“Eh? Oh, um, I’m fine, thanks. Although…”

Vigdis turned to eye Victoria before continuing, “Some things do get cleared, but I still can’t accept her!”

“My, what else can I do to convince you?” Victoria sighed, feigning disappointment.

“In the end, what are you two even talking about…?” Melanie let out a dry laughter.

“…that said, I do understand you a bit more now. Still, don’t think we could ever get chummy, alright?”

“Fufu, how cold. Even though you seemed to appreciate my advice on being more frank.”

“Khiiiih! Don’t get ahead of yourself!” Vigdis screeching before turning again to Eliot and Melanie. “Elly! Mel! Are you free!?”

“Drinking this early isn’t good, you know.” Melanie chuckled. “But sure, count me in. I’m sure we have things to talk about too.”

“But, I have paper—“

“Come on, now! Don’t be like that!” she cut Eliot off. “By ‘things’, what I meant was… Well, it’s for you two!”

“Eh? Me and Elly?”

“I get what you are trying to do, but—“

“Save it for later.” Melanie quickly grabbed Eliot and Vigdis’ hands. “Let’s try to talk like adults! Ah, I’ll make sure not to go overboard with the alcohol.”

“Boo, boo! What’s the point then?” Vigdis protested.

“How can we think and talk straight while drunk? I mean, remember last time?”

“Ah, right. I haven’t see Eliot in a cheerleader or maid costume.”

“…we haven’t even started yet.” Eliot retorted.

“Well then, Principal! If you excuse us now!”

“Oh, sure, fufu. Good day to you three.”

“Oi, Melanie…!”

“Mel, don’t pull!”

Victoria simply watched as Melanie went away with Vigdis and Eliot.

“Such a jolly bunch. Must be nice.” she commented. “Well, I guess it’s time to enjoy this quiet weekend…”

———

Sunday morning. Normally, Sigulf and the others would be out practicing, but unexpected heavy rain forced them to stay indoors.

“Strange, even the forecast said nothing about this.” Celina commented.

“Well, I guess it’s one of those days.”

“Man, I don’t wanna get rusty…”

“…”

“What’s the matter?”

“My room seems to be the go-to hanging spot, huh?” Sigulf answered, noting the presence of Alba and Chelsea.

“…ah. I just end up following Chelsea without realizing…!” Alba responded.

“Eh!? Wait, why did I— O, oh! That’s right, I have to make sure nothing funny happens between you two!” Chelsea gave her excuse.

“W, what do you mean by ‘funny’!?” Sigulf stammered, while Celina merely went red.

“Ah-hem! Good thing that I was prepared for this, and so…!” Chelsea exclaimed while taking out some text books.

“Eeh!? I thought our study session was supposed to be days before the test!?” Alba protested.

“Hush, I know we can make it, but reviewing once in a while is never a bad thing. Quick, Alba! Give me a brief summary of the beginnings of True Arms and dueling!”

“W, what!? Oh, umm, err… I think it started when—“

A loud thunder out of the blue startled all four.

“Kyaa, lightning!”

“Eeh!? S, Sigulf, are you alright!?” Celina asked.

“Oh, I’m fine. It was a joke, sorry.”

“Uwa, disgusting…” Alba retorted with disdain.

Sigulf was about to snap back when, this time, the lights went out.

There was a short silence before Sigulf let out an “…a.”

 

Part 11

Spoiler

The outage left Sigulf and the others speechless for a moment.

“Aahh, darkness is so sca—“

“…I know you’re wanting Celina’s attention, but acting cutesy doesn’t suit you at all.” Chelsea interrupted Sigulf while sighing.

“Tch, so I have been found out.”

“He’s not even denying it!” Alba retorted.

“A, ahahahahah…” Celina gave a nervous laughter. “Well, it’s not like I don’t understand. Normally we would have been practising, but here we are.”

She stood up and went to open Sigulf’s room curtains.

“Rise and shine! …or so I wanted so say, but there’s not much sunlight out there either.”

“Seriously though, shouldn’t this academy have a spare generator or something?” Sigulf asked.

“We do have them, but nevermind that. For a mere thunder to disable our school’s generator is a bit…” Chelsea responded.

“How does a magitek generator work anyway?” he added.

“…could it be… That someone is sabotaging us?”

Alba’s suspicion made the other immediately look at her.

“Eh!? I was just—“

“Well, just in case…” Sigulf said as he rose and went to the door.

Slowly opening it, he then took a peek of the vicinity.

‘Few students here and there… I guess most of them are still in their rooms.’

“Anything out of the ordinary?” Celina asked.

“As far as I can see, no.” Sigulf reported.

“Ah, Sigulf, wait. Can you let the door open? You know, what’s with the AC and all.” Chelsea requested.

“Oh, yeah, you’re right. Then— Hey, wait a sec. Why are you getting cozy here?”

“What, are you telling us to leave? It’s not like we have anything else to do.”

“Come on, Siggy. It’s fine, isn’t it? At least until the lights are back on.” Alba joined.

“Uhh, but what if I have something to do?”

“Like?”

“Err, um… M, maybe a healthy guy’s private time?” Sigulf said in embarrassment, eliciting blushes from the girls.

“Y, you just say the darnedest thing to made us leave, right!?” Chelsea retorted.

“S, Sigulf, seriously, you…” Celina sighed, still fighting back her own flushed cheeks. “B, being too horny, especially this early, is not good for a duellist! We have to exercise after all!”

“Eh? I, I don’t mind, but what are going to do?”

“Mm, how about paired sit-ups?”

“Oh, sit-ups. Yeah, sounds good to me?”

“…were you thinking about something else?” Alba accused.

“I, I’m not…!”

———

Outside, Ilma was minding her own business when she noticed the racket coming from Sigulf’s room.

“…why is he so loud?”

A bit annoyed, she decided to head for his room.

“Oh, Hiltunen-san.”

“Huh?”

She turned around and saw Yuu, slowly approaching her.

“Hm? You looked a bit surprised. What’s the matter?” he continued.

“The dog was so noisy, I thought he’s having a room party with you guys. But since you’re here…”

“‘Dog’, huh…” Yuu laughed dryly at her nickname for Sigulf.

“Oh, right. Come take a look with me. You be the meat-shield if something happens.”

“…I don’t think Sig-kun would be doing something outrageous, though.”

He complied nonetheless, and followed Ilma, carefully approaching Sigulf’s room.

“—can do better than this!”

“There, there! Need more pressure, Siggy!?”

‘Girl voices? I think I have a good guess why…’ Yuu mentally sighed.

“No no no, I don’t see what splits and flexi— Owowow!”

“…”

“B, be gentler wil— Oh, hey.”

Yuu and Ilma watched with blank expression as Alba and Chelsea pushed Sigulf downwards, most likely to make him do a split, while Celina was standing nearby, understandably looking worried.

“I was expecting something like this, but…” Yuu sounded exasperated. “Being greedy and having three girls in your room is a bit…”

“…nevermind that you actually know better, why is your default response have to be that?” Sigulf retorted.

“Because you haven’t exploded.” the smaller boy cheekily gave a thumbs up. “Also your reaction is amusing. Maybe we can be a manzai duo?”

“Why you…”

“Lack of morning practice makes you guys gone weird or what?” Ilma asked, surprisingly not being sarcastic somehow.

“I guess…? I mean, if you look at those two…”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, what’s with acting cutesy in front of Celina…” Chelsea countered.

“But it’s cute, right?”

“…n, not really.”

“Aha, you stuttered there.” Sigulf pointed out, seemingly a bit smug at the fact.

“What’s that, you want your body to be more flexible?”

“Oi…”

“You guys are seriously carefree…” Ilma exhaled. “At least nothing worth reporting here, I guess.”

“But, Hiltunen-san, I thought you were cranky too from not practicing?”

“Wha…! Sh, shut it! You don’t have to point out everything!”

“Wait, why are you mad there?”

“Oh! That’s right!” Celina finally remembered. “Since you two are already here, maybe I should call Amakawa and the others.”

“Eh? Amakawa-kun?”

“Um, is it something to do with the Council?”

“Actually, not quite.” she explained while taking out her phone. “I was thinking of a… friendly visit to the Pacific this weekend.”

“How’s the signal?” Chelsea said, taking a peek to Celina’s screen.

“Oh? Looks like it’s weaker than usual, but nothing bad. I—” she was interrupted by a notification ping. “From the Principal?”

Sigulf and the rest’s interest got piqued.

“Something urgent?” he asked.

“Let’s see… ‘This morning’s lightning has interrupted the mana flow of our school’s reactor. While no visible damage reported nor risk of possible explosions expected, it would took a while to re-stabilize it.’ So it says.”

“I see. Hopefully it doesn’t take—“

“T, that’s not the problem here!” Alba interjected. “That thing can explode!? …and where is it anyway!?”

“Ahahah… Well, since the Principal said there won’t be risks…” Chelsea tried to calm her down.

“Still, a bit ironic that in this day and age, with such advanced technology, we still have outages.” Yuu wryly chuckled.

“By the way…” Sigulf spoke up again. “When will you two stop pushing?”

“Oooh, right, you wanted to go lower, right, Siggy?”

“I heard it could improve your fighting skills too.” Ilma sarcastically joined.

“Now, now, girls. Give him a break already.” Celina mediated.

“Chee… Fine, fine…” Chelsea feigned her reluctance, finally letting him go with Alba following suit.

“Haa… As I thought, only Big Sis Celina understands me…”

“Fufu, what do you mean by big sis? There, there…” she consoled while brushing his hair.

“Boo, boo! Sig-kun go explode!”

“…was he always been like this since—“

“”Yes.”” both Alba and Chelsea curtly answered Ilma.

“…perkele, he’s been spoiled rotten.”

———

Minutes later, everyone has gathered in Sigulf’s room. However…

“…”

“…what?”

“I know it’s not strictly Council-only, but why are they here?” this time, Sigulf pointed out the presence of Siegward, Masaki, Arthfael and Carole.

“Eh!? I invited them, but…” Minato confessed.

“Seriously…” Eurypha exhaled. “You’re too nice… N, no, that’s not a compliment, alright!?”

“I haven’t even said anything…”

“Now, now, you know what I always say. The more the merrier!” Chelsea exclaimed. “Back to topic…”

“Ah, right. So, this weekend, you want to visit the Pacifics, with accommodation and expenses provided by your mother, right?” Eurypha reiterated, to which Celina nodded. “As for who’s going… Well, I guess it’s easy to see the four of you are in. Now about the others…”

“And about what we will do there… Well, it’s slightly dependant on how many of us will be going,” Celina explained. “But, in general, we will observe and learn about how they fight without standing out too much. Of course, it would be nice if it turned into a duel anyway. Oh, and don’t forget to enjoy what their campus can offer, I guess.”

“Hmm, I see. Well, I kind of expected something like that…” Eurypha said while crossing her arms.

“Feels like picnic. With extra steps.” Siegward blurted. “But I’m in.”

“Oh, someone’s motivated.” Masaki quipped.

“Anything to hit the Pacifics back, really. Or at least, the learning and experience that could help me with that.”

“…never thought you would say something mundane yet true. I don’t hate that.”

“…oi, what do you mean?”

“Nothing~” she dismissed. “But that actually sounds interesting. Would you mind if I join too, Miss President?”

“Oh, not at all. Welcome aboard.”

“Hmm… Then as a part of the Knight Circle, I shall be joining as well.” Arthfael announced. “How about you, Miss Delacroix?”

“Hm? If the Captain is going, then I— N, no, no, no! I mean this is a good learning opportunity, so of course I’ll be going too!” Carole quickly corrected herself.

“Then, I guess I’m going too.” Minato joined. “I’m not sure why, but I feel like I have to… Something is going to happen over there.”

‘…strange. As silly as he sounds, I do feel like he’s on to something.’ Sigulf thought.

“Don’t you dare flirt with Kannomine and the others. You’ll disrupt their studies.” Eurypha warned.

“I, I won’t! Why are you suspecting me on that!?”

‘Ah, that too… Well, not exactly flirting, but you know…’

“Ahem. Sooo… So far that makes 9 of us… A bit more than their previous team.” Chelsea counted. “Anyone else? How about you, Eury?”

“Eh? Hmm… I think I’m going to sit this one out.” her answer surprised Carmen and Ilma. “I hope I’m not overstepping any boundaries, but in your absence, I think someone has to fill in for a while, and…”

“Ah, it’s okay. That’s not against the rules.” Celina reassured.

“Huh? Wait, I thought it’s weekend?” Walter noticed. “You guys still have duties?”

“Not really, but you’ll never know what will happen, anyway. And even if nothing happened, I’d still make some unofficial report, just in case.”

“I see, I see…”

‘Huh, she’s that serious when it comes to the Council. I guess I have to step up my assistance to Celina a bit…’ Sigulf noted.

Carmen and Ilma looked at each other before the former decided to speak first.

“Wellll, in that case, I guess I’ll be staying too~”

“…same. I’m not in the mood for some outing.”

“…hee, that’s very unusual for you two.” Eurypha eyed them suspiciously.

“I know, right? I actually wanted to go with Minato, but then, maybe Little Eury would need hel—“

“Who do you call Little!? And how about you just g—“

“Really!? Theeen, Min—“

“Wait, no! I mean, you two stay here and help me! No buts!”

“Sheesh, make up your mind already.”

“…tch, paska. I haven’t said a thing…”

‘…they didn’t progress much, I see.’

“Eeeh, then Lindy and I will be chilling around here.” Laine said, while Lindorm simply nodded. “And, uhh… Miss Fire, if something happened, send your report to us.”

“Miss Fi— Ahem. Understood, I will keep that in mind.”

“As for Kunoichi, you don’t mind doing some scouting, yeah?”

“Oh, of course.” Masaki slightly bowed. “Please leave it to me, Lill-senpai.”

“…huhuhu, ‘Senpai’ actually has a nice ring to it.”

“Good for you.” Lindorm commented.

‘She’s that happy…’ Sigulf mentally remarked.

“So that leaves me and Armst— Oh, the lights are back on.” Yuu pointed out. Outside, some students expressing relief could be faintly heard.

“Oh, you’re right!” Minato exclaimed. “The rain is still not letting up, though.”

“Can’t be helped… But, first things first; gotta turn on the AC.” Sigulf responded while reaching for the remote.

“Phew, definitely much needed with so many of us in one room.” Celina commented.

“Right, so… Me and Armstrong-kun. Hmm…”

“Well, passing through America sounds nice, but eh, I’ll save it for another time.” Walter said.

“I want to use weekends to rest, and maybe train a bit, so…” Yuu added.

“…what are you planning?” Eurypha questioned.

“Eh? Err, helping you…?” the bigger boy responded.

“Really?”

“Ah, but they can be of use, if needed.” Ilma suggested. “Kanzaki for running errands, Armstrong for manual labour.”

“Huh, now that you mentioned it…”

“Oi, oi… Seriously?”

“Now, now, you two. Don’t slave-drive like that.” Chelsea gently chided. “Unless the situation really calls for it.”

“That’s not reassuring at all…!” Yuu retorted.

“But well, don’t worry. I’m confident in my raw strength, after all!” Walter grinned. “If you need something, just holler, a’ight?”

“Hmph! If anything, I’d rather have no incidents at all. Your gorilla muscles wouldn’t be needed, most likely.”

“Oh, so I levelled up to gorilla, huh?” he laughed.

“That’s not supposed to be a compliment…”

“How so? King Kong is big and strong!”

“Ugh, this guy…”

Celina giggled at the 1st-years before looking back at her phone.

“So the members are decided then. I’ll send you more details later, but unless there’s a change of plan, remember that we will be departing at Friday, 6pm.”

“Roger that.” Sigulf answered.

“Well then, thanks for com— Oh, wait, what am I saying? This is Sigulf’s room…” she chuckled upon realizing the fact.

“Yeah, everyone just end up crashing my place…” he scratched his head. “At least Yuu can’t make his usual joke anymore.”

“Eeh, I wonder about that. Just because we have a special meeting today, doesn’t mean you can’t bring other girls on a different day.” Yuu replied.

“Why you…”

“Speaking of which, didn’t you forget something, Siggy?” Alba said.

“Eh?”

“You know, something like, showing hospitality and cook for us all…”

“…no, you just made it up now. And I’m definitely not cooking for all of us.”

Alba immediately protested, making some of the others laugh, but Sigulf chose to sigh and ignore her.

‘…’

He took a glance towards Celina. She noticed his gaze and gave a warm smile, making Sigulf inadvertently let out a light laughter.

‘An outing to the Pacific? This should be fun…’

“Ah, there they are, going into their own world.” Alba comically grumbled.

“…stop it.”

———

Chapter 7 “Wolf Days”, end.

Main story continued on Chapter 8.

 

Extra

Spoiler

After seeing his friends off, Sigulf closed the door and sighed out of relief.

“Well, I guess that’s that.” he muttered. “Can’t forget to prepare for Friday. Now with all this rain, how should I chill for today…”

But as Sigulf turned around…

“…eh?”

“Umm…”

Celina was still in his room.

“Ah, s, sorry! I thought that you had left…!”

He returned to open the door again, but a tug on his shirt stopped him immediately.

“C, Celina…?”

“I, it’s alright…” she stammered while shaking her head.

‘C, could this be…!?’

Celina paused for a moment, gathering her breath and courage, before finally saying, “I want to stay for a bit longer, if you don’t mind…”

‘…! Wait, isn’t it still morning!? But…’

Slightly anxious as she was, Celina waits for Sigulf to calm down and make his mind.

‘Aah, if you look at me like that…’

In the end, Sigulf braced himself and decided to give in.

“…not at all, sure. You want me to make some milk tea?”

Celina’s expression brightened upon hearing his answer.

“By all means, please.”

“Well then…”

Carefully, Sigulf locked his door.

‘It’s fine like this, right…?’

———

Meanwhile, outside Sigulf’s room, not long before…

“But man, going all the way to Pacific, huh?” Alba exclaimed. “Somehow I’m getting excited! I don’t think I’ve ever traveled that far…!”

“Fufu, I know how you feel.” Chelsea agreed. “Speaking of which, I think we can discuss about lodg— …Cel?”

She stopped when she realized that Celina isn’t even there.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I thought she’s with us…”

“Huh? She’s not?” Laine joined while looking around, with Masaki, and for some reason, Carole joining. “Weird… If she went ahead, we should have noticed.”

“Then…”

They came to the same conclusion and stared at Sigulf’s room.

‘’’Those two…!’’’ the girls thought in unison.

———

After a couple of tea, Sigulf and Celina snuggled cozily against each other.

“Mmh~”

Celina leaned her head on his left shoulder, while Sigulf gently brushes her golden locks.

“You’re quite needy today, huh?” he chuckled.

“You don’t like needy ‘big sisters’?”

“I don’t mind, actually…” Sigulf said softly before kissing her temple. “It’s a nice change of pace from the usual.”

“…I…”

“Hm?”

Her expression softened and she hugged Sigulf tighter.

“Celina? What happened?”

“I’m sorry… I was jealous back there…”

“‘Back there?’”

“You know, when Chelsea and Alba pushed you down…”

“…a. Eh, wait, but—”

“I know it’s not your fault… Yet to think I still got upset… I really have to train more…”

“A, ahahahah…”

Sigulf holds her head closer, still tenderly caressing her hair.

“It’s alright.” he reassured. “I understand. And, um… I’m actually happy when you got jealous; that means you just love me that much.”

“Sigulf…”

Celina’s expression quickly turned into a pout, however.

“Wait, you won’t make me jealous on purpose, right?”

“No, I won’t…! I don’t have a deathwish…”

‘What was I thinking? Sheesh…’

“Really? Then…”

“Eh—”

She raised her face while still maintaining a close distance.

“I want you to prove it to me…”

Her voice came out almost like a whisper. Her cheeks were flushed rosy red from anticipation. He can feel her warm breath against his skin.

‘Kuuuh…! What’s with her today!? So cute…!’

Despite practically screaming inside, Sigulf somehow managed to appear calm, and pressed his lips against Celina’s.

“Mmh… Sigulf…”

He holds her shoulders close, as if to relieve her doubts. It’s only after a while that Sigulf backed away from her.

“…is it enough?”

Celina shook her head, which slightly surprised him.

“No… I want more…”

This time, she took the initiative, giving another shock to him.

“Mh…!”

Ever since that day, every kiss they stole, particularly during the Council after-hours, was definitely chaster. But today… There was undeniable yearning within her kiss.

“Sigulf, wait…”

“Eh— Nh…!?”

One after another, what Sigulf thought as a moment of respite was actually a chance for Celina to go further. Again, she planted her own lips on his, yet this time…

‘S, s, she used her tongue—!?’

His mind went blank; the sensation was too much for him. Sigulf didn’t notice nor remember when Celina managed to push him down.

‘I, I never knew kissing could be so—!’

At that very moment, all he wanted… All they wanted was to taste, and to be intertwined with each other.

‘Celina…!’

His hands reached her shoulders, both of them were enthralled on coiling, exploring each other. Every passing second, they grew increasingly desperate and ravenous.

“Pwah…!”

And when the air inevitably ran thin, they finally separated.

“Celina… You…”

She looked away, seemingly embarrassed as her actions finally dawned on her.

“Y, you know… I saw it in a movie once… I wanted to try it with you…” Celina tried to explain. “And…”

“And…?”

“Because I’m the older one here, I thought that I should be the one to take the lead…”

‘Hngh…! So cute…!’

“Was it too much? Have I… Disappointed you?”

“N, not at all…! If anything, that was really hot.”

“I, I see… Ufufu…”

Looking relieved and rather proud, Celina shifted her position on top of Sigulf.

“Saying such flattering things… You shouldn’t tease someone older, you know?” she stared down at him. “I hope you’re ready for the consequences…”

Sigulf can only gulp, his gaze was still fixed on her visage.

‘By Gerdur, she’s so beautiful…’

Instinctively, his hand grabbed her waist, eliciting a giggle from Celina.

“Fufu, looks like someone hasn’t had his fill.” she cooed. ”Want to try it again?”

“Yes, please…”

Without saying anything, Celina lowered her face, and they savored each other once more.

“Nnh…!”

Sigulf impulsively reacted by holding Celina close, running his fingers through her tresses. The gesture seemed to please her, as she ended up pressing her body even deeper.

‘Ahh, so addicting—!’

With barely a pause, Celina snuck a hand beneath Sigulf’s shirt, slowly trailing from his stomach, upwards into his chest, and then…

“Nh…!?”

“O, oh my…!” Celina noticed as she pulled away. “I take it that you’re sensitive around here?”

“Ce, Celina…! Wai— Hyan…!?”

“Fufufu, to think you would let out such a cute voice… Wait, I, I think I enjoyed this a bit too much…”

‘Eeeh!? W, what is this!? Getting teased like this is so embarrassing…! …but it felt kinda…’

Sigulf was pulled back to reality by the warmth on his lips; Celina gave him a tender yet affectionate kiss before softly caressing his left cheek.

“I love you, Sigulf…”

‘Ah, that smile… That warm and radiant smile of hers…’

Sigulf returned her smile and intertwined his fingers around hers.

‘She’s really the best…’

“I love you too, Celina…”

———

Meanwhile, right at Sigulf’s door…

“…heard something?”

“No. Was it always this soundproof?”

Chelsea and Laine, now joined by Minato’s groupie for some reason, tried to eavesdrop using some glass, while Alba, Masaki, and Carole watched, though with different reactions.

“A, are you seriously going to listen?” Alba questioned.

“Ssh! This is a juicy knowledge concerning the Prez!” Laine argued, followed by Carmen and Eurypha’s nodding.

“Well, if we could learn her weakness or two, it would be good though…” Masaki scratched her cheek.

“O Lord in the Heavens, forgive us for indulging in our youthful d, desires…!” Carole prayed while making a sign of the cross.

 

hello

 

Extra: Minato Side

Spoiler

On a certain calm morning, a young man was enjoying his peaceful breakfast.

“Itadakimasu.”

After bringing his hands together as a gesture of appreciation, Minato then started eating his food.

“Mm, it’s good…” he commented. “Still, it’s nowhere as good as Kaa-san’s yet. Speaking of which…”

Minato paused for a bit and took a glance at a photo besides his room’s TV. It was taken around a few days before he came to the Academy, together with his father, mother, and stern looking grandmother.

“I wish he would come home a bit more often…” he sighed. “Or at least call Kaa-san…”

Minato’s father, Taketo Sanada, is widely known as the strongest freelancing duelist. His adamant refusal to join teams and sponsors, as well as his preference for fiery red outfits, has earned him the nickname ‘Crimson Ronin Sanada’. It was during his early days that he met a kindly young lady named Shizue Amakawa, and after they got married, Taketo decided to take her surname.

‘Well, it’s not like Tou-san never show up or make a call at all…’ Minato mentally noted. ‘Not to mention he always sent some money back even though Kaa-san said we are doing fine. But he never said where he is either…! Of course Baa-sama would be cranky…’

He knows well that his grandmother, Taeko, doesn’t quite like the concept of dueling, thinking of it as a showy spectacle sport instead of pure martial arts. That said, she too had her part in training Minato, thrashing him and his kendo with their Amakawa-ryuu Naginata-jutsu.

‘…Baa-sama was really strong.’ he slightly shuddered at the memory. ‘But in the end, she didn’t oppose my decision on going to dueling school, and I have to thank her for that—’

The TV anchor’s voice talking about the weather pulled him back to reality.

“Ah, right, can’t stay all morning here.”

Finishing his self-made breakfast combo, Minato then brought his hands together again.

“Gochisousama deshita…!”

————

When Minato stepped out from his room, he was immediately met with the sight of his usual companions.

“Ah…”

“Oh, good morning, you three!” Minato greeted the girls. “You sure are early.”

“Hmph, what are you saying? We all—”

“Oh, of course. I just wanted to see your face~” Carmen quickly cut Eurypha off.

“Eei, this again!? Stop jumpi— I, I mean bothering him!”

“Shut it, you two. And let’s go to class already.” Ilma said coldly… while not so subtly dragging Minato away for herself.

“And that goes for you too!”

“Oh, you sneaky little—”

“G, girls! I can walk by myself!”

———

It was after the three girls relented that they finally went to school. Having dropped their belongings and greeted the Principal along the way, Minato’s group stood by on the front gate.

“Good morning, Miss Hestianus!”

“Yes, good morning.” Eurypha greeted some girls back.

“…haa, how long should we stand around, again?” Ilma complained.

“Come on now, it’s not even 5 minutes yet.” Carmen pointed out. “Pull yourself together.”

“Tch, you aren’t my caretaker. And I can use that 5 minutes for… …anything with Amakawa, really.” she said the latter in a suspiciously low voice.

“Oh ho, too bad for you, then.”

“Hmm? What are you two talking about?” Minato asked innocuously.

“”Nothing.””

“Eeh…?”

Eurypha was about to interrupt when someone familiar approached them.

“Oh, Miss President, good morning—”

She kind of stopped midway upon noticing the boy beside her.

“Good morning, all of you. What’s wrong?”

Sigulf coming together with Celina isn’t all that unusual considering the two have been going out for a while. Nor the fact that Chelsea and Alba are bound to be not too far around. It’s just that…

“…what’s with him and that icy stare of his?” Ilma whispered to Carmen, as if echoing Eurypha’s sentiments.

“…maybe he had a bad breakfast?” the redhead guessed.

Minato can only laugh dryly. He too can’t tell what’s going on Sigulf’s mind.

‘…and Hrimgard-kun is quite competitive.’ Minato noted. ‘Yet…’

He looked back at the seemingly stoic Icelander.

‘At least I know that he meant no ill will.’

“Good morning, Hrimgard-kun!”

“Yo. Morning.”

Eurypha and Carmen gasped rather dramatically, while Ilma simply widened her eyes, earning a chuckle from Celina.

“…why are you girls surprised there?” Sigulf sighed. “It’s not like I never talked to him at all.”

“Well, I was half-joking, but you know…” Carmen merely shrugged.

“I told you to tone down that murder-stare and try to smile more.” Chelsea said. “I know you’re probably thinking of something mundane, but…”

“But my normal face is rather grim anyways… …a, and Celina being the only one to see my smile is enough.”

They continued on, with Eurypha getting second-hand embarrassment, while Carmen laughed at Sigulf’s attempt to show off, and Alba vehemently agreed with her.

‘Haha, I see he’s really loved—’

However, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the three girls immediately stared at Minato.

“Eh? What?”

“””Just a hunch, but if only—””” they replied in unison.

‘S, so scary…!’

Sigulf gave him a pat on his shoulder.

“I never thought that I would say this, but good luck, Amakawa.”

‘Eeh!? Even Hrimgard-kun too!?’

———

During the middle of lunch break, right after finishing their food, Minato was seen fighting on the yard, drawing some spectators.

“Kh…!”

“What’s the matter!? Defending won’t get you anywhere!”

Occasionally, some students would step to challenge him, wanting to measure themselves as well as him being Sanada’s son.

‘Such aggression…! But…!’

Seemingly being pressured, Minato was carefully reading his opponent’s moves. Slowly but sure, the gaps become visible to him, and then…

“…! There!”

“Wha—!?”

Minato parried at the precise timing and it knocked his opponent off balance. Wasting no time, he quickly pursued and gave a heavy horizontal swing.

“Haaah!!”

“Uagh…!”

The hit landed cleanly, thrashing the other fighter away.

“Battle points 0, cannot continue duel. Winner, Minato Amakawa.”

Amidst the cheering, Minato dematerialized his Arms and helped his opponent up.

“Agh… As expected, you’re strong. Good fight.”

“Thank you, and likewise!”

As he returned to his friends, Minato looked at his right hand.

‘I can go 100% just fine, but 120%…’ he thought. ‘Closest I can think was that duel against Eurypha, and even then it went nowhere…’

“Yo! Good showing out there!” Walter congratulated. “Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing. Just a bit tired.” Minato dismissed.

‘I wonder when will I be able to unleash Sky Fencer’s potential…?’

———

After school, Minato and his group were out patrolling like usual when suddenly, a lady from the cafeteria called them over.

“What is it, Obasan?”

“Oh, sorry to disturb you during your duty, but…” she handed him a package. “Looks like this was mistakenly delivered to us. Now normally I don’t mind returning it myself, but there’s still some work I can’t just leave it be, so…”

“Aah, I see. Don’t worry, please leave it to us. We’ll take it from here.”

“Thank you, and I’m really sorry!” the lady gestured. “I’ll make it up for all of you later.”

“Haha, you don’t have to.” Minato laughed before taking a better look at the package. “Well then, let’s see… The record store?”

“It’s quite the distance from here.” Eurypha mentioned.

“Hm…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, but somehow… This whole thing feels familiar…”

“Eh? What do you mean? If it’s just delivery, I’m sure we did it few times before.”

“Not quite that, but… I just can’t put my finger on it…”

“Heh, whatever. Would be funny if it turns out the record store got the wrong item too.” Ilma sarcastically retorted, earning her looks from the others. “…what?”

“You worry too much. There’s no way that would happen, right?” Eurypha replied with a sigh. “Come on, let’s just get this over with.”

However, when they finally reached the store…

“Ooh, thank goodness! I was wondering where our package went!” the clerk exclaimed. “However, looks like another place’s item came here instead—“

“…wait, what? Seriously?”

As it turned out, there are other instances of mistaken delivery and Minato’s group had to visit another 3-4 different stores across the island before reporting back.

“O, oh my, talk about bad luck.” The café lady responded.

“Haah, haah… Why did you have to jinx it before we began!?” Eurypha blamed Ilma.

“How is it even my fault?” she countered. “Although, paska… This is probably the first time I hate to be right about something…”

“Now, now, at least it’s over without incidents…” Minato tried to calm them down.

“Looks like I troubled you more than I thought,” the lady said while looking apologetic. “So allow me repay it! …well, we’re about to close soon, but I think I can arrange something.”

Minato was about to decline, but after exchanging looks with the girls, he decided not to.

“Thank you!” Carmen exclaimed. “Well then, allow us to take on your offer!”

“Great, can I have a glass of be—“

“Hiltunen-san.”

””Ilma.”” The other three cut her off before she can even finish.

“…perkele.”

———

Night falls, and after some light workout followed with a warm bath, Minato decided to chat for a bit before going to bed.

“Fumu, fumu, I see…” Reika said while nodding, visible from Minato’s monitor. “Sounds kinda tough, but you did the right thing de gozaru.”

“Ahahah, that reminds of the typical fetch quests on RPGs.” Misha added.

“…ah, now that you mentioned it, maybe it was that.” Minato realized.

Ever since the Pacifics’ early visit, Minato has decided to make a chatroom between them and the Council members under Victoria’s permission.

“By the way, Minato-dono, is it just us for today?”

“I guess so. Everyone seems tired. Well, Rosales-san did actually say something about beauty, though…”

“H, hmm…”

“Eh? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just when you talked about Rosales-dono, you seemed to be having fun…”

“Eeh? Really? I didn’t—“

“You didn’t notice? Looks like what Hestianus and others said were true after all…” Misha sighed.

“Uhh… What did they say?”

Reika and Misha paused for a second before giggling.

“Ahem. Well, Hestianus-dono often said that you are an insensitive idiot. And maybe a closeted, shameless pervert de gozaru.”

“Ahahah… But don’t worry, they also said that you don’t mean bad and is quick to help people.”

“Uwaa, how mean… And why does the good part feels like an extra?” Minato lamented.

‘But… For them to actually praise me… Wait, I think Rosales-san could do that just fine.’

“Goooood eveninnng.” Mei suddenly greeted, her face appeared on the monitor.

“Oh, Mei-dono!”

“Wen-san, good evening.”

“Yo. …wait, you all still awake? Not gonna sleep?”

“Eh? Is it time already?” Misha asked.

“Well, almost. But you know Sir Houjou will nag about it later.”

“U… You are right, but… Just a bit more, Mei-dono!”

“I know you two really l—“

“”Waaaaaahhhhhh!”” both Reika and Misha quickly panicked and interrupted her.

“What’s wrong!?” Minato asked out of worry.

“Nothing, they are just overreacting.” Mei sighed. “Oh yeah, Hrimgard— Well, he’s not here again, huh?”

“Mei-dono, are you sure you don’t fancy him?” Reika questioned. “You sure often ask about his whereabouts…”

“…why is that the first thing that came on your mind? I’m not like you, you know.”

“W, what do you mean by that!?”

“Well, I don’t like him that way. I don’t think he’s even my type.”

“Then, what’s your type?”

Mei blinked before her expression suddenly went anxious.

“…wait, what’s my type, again?”

“Shouldn’t you figure it out yourself!?” Reika retorted, earning laughter from Minato and Misha.

‘Haha, they sure got along pretty well.’

“…hm? Wait, Anil, you were there?”

“Eh— Uoh, you’re right!”

True to what Mei said, Anil was present all along, though he seemed to be watching contently while enjoying his masala chai.

“Seriously Anil, you should’ve said something…” Misha laughed dryly.

“Oh, sorry.” Was his only response.

‘I knew that Kumar-san is so silent outside of Duels, but being unnoticed is another thing…!’ Minato mentally noted.

———

Finally saying their goodbyes, Minato then let himself fell unto his bed, feeling tired.

‘Phew, a lot happened today, but it wasn’t all bad.’ He thought. ‘I get to chat with the Pac— Hm?’

Minato noticed the light from his phone and went to check it.

‘A message… From Rosales-san? Let’s see…’

‘Good night, dear Minato <3 Hope you get to see sweet dreams XOXOXO ‘

Attached is a picture of Carmen in a night gown, deliberately showing off her cleavage.

‘Bwuh!? H, how am I supposed to— Wait, that’s not the problem here!’

Minato was about to give her a piece of his mind, but somehow he changed his mind and laughed it off instead.

“Seriously… I’ll reprimand her tomorrow…”

He glanced outside, looking at the night sky.

‘Tomorrow, huh… Right, the sun will rise again, and I’ll do my best as usual!’