Due to the disturbance, more and more students were gathering, and the delinquent boy scowled as he approached the blonde rolling on the floor.
“Hey, did you get pushed by a freak? Why are you embarrassing yourself by bringing that crap to the academy?”
The guy was poking the groaning, dyed-blonde boy with his foot, yet his gaze remained fixed on me.
“Huh, if you have something to say, just say it. I’ll listen.”
As I scratched the back of my head, the guy poking with his foot put more force into it. Consequently, the fallen guy was gagging and shedding tears.
“Scared? Me? By a freak like you? Should I make the other arm a freak too?”
“What a foul-mouthed friend.”
“Am I your friend?”
The guy pushed my shoulder lightly. I was about to smile and return the favor when—
“Anton Signir, enough already!”
A girl’s voice growled from behind.
Having just finished exercising, May appeared wearing a towel around her neck and a candy in her mouth.
The guy called Anton chuckled as if he knew May, nudging me with his shoulder as he passed.
“May Plov. Long time no see?”
“That jerk…”
I meant to smack the back of the shoulder of the guy who passed with such nonchalance, but Tana and Eve rushed in from both sides to stop me.
“You’re already on the radar of the professors, and if you cause trouble here, you’ll be in real danger!”
“Forget that, if Daniel hits him, he’ll die! If you kill another academy student, the competition becomes a slaughter!”
“Aww.”
Both their words were right.
With my moods, if I hit the back of the guy’s head and one of his eyes popped out, what would I do?
‘I’m 28 years old, I should be able to hold back.’
But who am I? I was a being that became a magical beast after living in the Forest of the Demon Realm.
Though I pretended to agree, my hand instinctively threw the water bottle I picked up earlier at the back of his head.
Thud!
“Daniel!”
“See, you never listen to me!”
Two female students clung to my arms desperately trying to stop me. I was more concerned about throwing the water bottle at Anton’s head than their actions.
“You guys smell like sweat.”
I actually didn’t think they smelled too bad, but I threw that line as a means to get them off. They didn’t fall away but started punching me in the ribs instead.
“This crazy bastard…”
Anton, hit by the water bottle, turned and tried to charge at me, but May grabbed him by the collar, distracting him.
“Calm down. You started it.”
“I heard Fenil Leiros got into a lot of trouble, and that Talois in 5th year is said to be tough, but have you grown a lot?”
“Is it fun playing king while dragging the kids around? You walk with your eyes down when passing by the exam group, huh? Are you afraid of them becoming powerful later?”
As May pointed at the nerdy friends watching from behind with the candy in her hand, it seemed to hit Anton’s sore spot, as a vein bulged on his forehead and he seemed ready to jump at us.
“Hey! What are you guys doing?”
“Ugh, May Plov. Don’t start a fight with students from other schools.”
The situation calmed down with the appearance of the academy teachers, including Professor Amanda. May winked at me, but then, seeing Eve and Tana beside me, she pouted and left.
Anton glared at me, following the teachers.
“What a shame, we could’ve definitely won if we fought right here.”
He licked his lips, lamenting that an early rough competition didn’t unfold.
“Sometimes he really seems like a punk, huh?”
“Just a thug.”
I lightly brushed off Tana and Eve’s whispers.
*
Once the exercise ground was turned over, there wasn’t much space for proper practice, so most of the students took their free time under the guise of resting.
From tomorrow, they said they’d adjust the schedule, so when one side of the academy practices, the other side can rest and rotate stadium usage. So, today might be the only real free time for the students.
Maybe that’s why the atmosphere had become cheerful and lively, starting from the hotel corridor.
The same went for the room. Watching Ares spend a good two hours styling his hair in front of the mirror made my irritation slowly boil up.
“Where are you going?”
“Ahem.”
Clearing his throat and delaying his answer, Ares checked the clock and slowly walked towards the door.
“I’ll be back before curfew.”
“No, don’t come back. Just get lost.”
“…Really?”
Ah, is this jerk trying to make me angry again?
Could he possibly understand this strange feeling? I didn’t want him to come back, yet if he didn’t come, it irked me even more.
“Yeah, just go!”
I threw my pillow at him in annoyance, and he caught it with his back before stepping outside.
“Thanks!”
He even left that bit of gratitude.
Since regressing, I couldn’t even remember a time I felt such overwhelming defeat from Ares. After being dumped by Rin, it just seemed nicer to completely give up and meet Arni Duratan.
“I didn’t want you to be that happy.”
He looked too happy, and it made me dislike him.
Caught in this strange feeling of not wanting to go out and not wanting to stay in the room either, I ultimately decided to at least move my body.
As the sun began to set and it got chilly, I slipped on my coat and stepped out. Students were gathering in groups, crisscrossing the corridor, enjoying their youth.
‘How nice it is.’
Thanks to the parents’ extreme support for this prestigious academy, the entire hotel was rented out, so there was no worry about other guests.
I’d guess there would be several couples out today.
When I went down to the hotel lobby and stepped outside, there was a bit more wind than I felt from the window. It was just that perfect coolness, gentle enough to make my nose slightly tingle.
Though Bairn was branded as a tourist city, there wasn’t really much to see.
Most of the locals worked in accommodation or dining businesses, with the big rental business for the stadium being the main industry. In fact, without the stadium, there wouldn’t be much to see compared to Elgrid, where the academy is located.
There, with various nationalities and cultures mixed together, you could feel the city itself come alive.
I followed the soft light from the magic lanterns as if guided, but the more I walked, the more it felt the same; I simply turned back.
I felt no excitement about exploring a new city at all.
“Ah crap, what should I do?”
“So that’s it, huh?”
“Can’t we find just one person?”
“Where can we find anyone right now?”
As I was heading back to the hotel, I heard the murmurs of some guys in the alley. They all had a look and vibe that seemed ready to fight.
And just then our eyes met.
‘Beldament?’
The troublemaker from group D, whom I helped Tana and Eve spar with last time. A clear delinquent who had a crush on May.
Plus, there were others who followed May around, so I recognized them the moment I saw their faces. I also recognized one I’d knocked a few times for smoking.
Thinking about what trouble they might be brewing this time, I tried to walk past, but Beldament rushed up to me.
“Me, McLean! Good to see you! We need your help!”
“I don’t want to know what it is; sounds bothersome.”
I thought they were going to insist on causing more trouble when he suddenly knelt, half in tears.
“Please! Last time when you asked to help, I sparred with the kids together with May early in the morning!”
As Beldament knelt, three others followed suit, kneeling and pleading to me.
While I was used to open hostility, I wasn’t too harsh on someone openly begging like this, so I decided to listen.
“We’re heading to the Palace accommodation now, but we’re short on people.”
“Palace?”
Ah.
“Is it because of those guys we met today?”
“Yeah, that’s it!”
That guy Anton Signir?
He didn’t seem to have a good rapport with May at all.
It seemed like they were planning to sneak up on Anton for May’s sake without her knowing.
“Those bastards are men.”
Watching the alley’s queen act like an emperor while stepping in like this, I thought May had picked the right friend.
Scrunching my nose and giving a little smile made Beldament and the other guys shyly smirk. Good mood.
“Alright, let’s go. Lead the way.”
“Really? Thank you!”
What’s the problem in just smacking a few kids? After all, I’m in a state where my right arm is broken, so even if there’s an issue, it won’t draw suspicion.
So we entered a hotel that was as gigantic as the one we were staying at.
“Welcome!”
“Wow! The Aios kids feel fresh and sweet compared to Palace!”
“Look, he’s got a splint on his arm!”
“Did you bring alcohol?”
What is this?
I expected heavy-handedness with Anton and the big guys, but what unfolded was an orchestrated meeting in a room filled with a refreshing scent from the girls.
From seeing that there were exactly five girls, it was apparent they had caught on because they couldn’t come due to not enough people.
I promptly pulled Beldament into a corner.
“Weren’t we supposed to go fight that Anton guy?”
“…”
This jerk?
Thinking about it, he hadn’t said a word about Anton. He likely realized midway that I was mistaken but kept his mouth shut.
“Aren’t you in love with May?”
I poked his belly with the splint, and he sweated buckets while timidly replied.
“I do like her, but it’s not like we’d get to meet the Palace kids like this… People can’t just eat rice all the time! Sometimes you’ve got to have bread too!”
“Yeah, you trash. I’m leaving.”
“Wait! Just a second! As long as you don’t go to the Palace, nothing will happen!”
What a bigger trash can?
I’m telling May about all this.
Frustrated, I shoved Beldament and tucked to leave, but the Palace girls hurriedly flanked me on both sides.
“Where are you going! You have to play with us!”
“Yeah, if you go, we won’t have enough numbers!”
“…”
Their voices were strangely urgent.
Trying not to reveal my feelings, I caught the slight glances at the door and the bead of sweat flowing by.
“Ugh, you idiots.”
Scratching my head, I looked at Beldament.
Well, it did indeed align with my initial purpose.
I waved away the girls clinging to me and pointed to the door with my chin.
“Go and bring them. They are waiting.”
“…Huh?”
“If they drink and get drunk, what will happen? Go and ask how many drinks they need.”
Back in the Forest of the Demon Realm, I’d occasionally brew some alcohol. I wasn’t a heavy drinker, but I definitely knew my way around hard liquor.
I sat in a chair in the room, crossing one leg over the other, waiting.
The girls who understood what I said glanced at each other before scurrying out of the room.
“What’s going on?”
Beldament, who couldn’t grasp the situation, asked in surprise, and I burst out laughing.
“Do you think I’d be suggesting a blind date with you? There’s another reason for that.”
“N-No!”
“We’re popular too!”
“Nothing good looking about you!”
Those dorks.
Anyway, while I was sitting there waiting for Anton’s pointless trap, the door opened, and the ones who came out were completely opposite of my expectations.
“Hmm?”
The so-called freshman competition from Palace Academy. Students whose lives depended on grades aiming for places like universities or magic research institutions flooded into the room to pull up their glasses, saying to me.
“Hey, there’s the guy who had trouble with Anton today. Perfect timing.”
