"As all of you can see, the Boarbatusk monsters are incredibly aggressive. Should you ever encounter one, always aim under their belly as there is no armor protecting themselves," Professor Naofumi explained. He was the monster specialist along with the combat analysis. His lesson or lectures were interesting since he was able to usually capture his topics.
Today, the professor was able to find a Boarbatusk and even allowed a student to fight against it to gain experience in future encounters. Ivy made sure to take physical notes along with having Omega take pictures with an audio recording of the lesson. She had a feeling she would need these lessons for the future, or not. Rose glanced over at Ivy's note-taking skills and was impressed. Not only was there a page filled with notes, but there was also a few pictures with points about weakness and strengths.
Ivy noticed Rose's stares before whispering, "You need something?"
Rose was a bit startled before shaking her head and hands. She went back to her notes and listened to the lesson. She did give Ivy a few side glances which Ivy did not miss. Ivy yawned before listening to Naofumi's brief discussion for the next class.
"Our next lesson will be a collab with Professor Scarlet. She will help me capture some monsters while you guys try to defeat them in your teams. This will show us how much you're paying attention to our classes," Naofumi said before dismissing the class. He cleared up his table and wiped off the chalk from the board.
Ivy and the rest of the students packed up. She had one more class before she was done for today's classes. Rose, Neo, York, and Eden said their goodbye before dividing away since they all didn't have the same professors. Neo was the only one left since her schedule was the same as Ivy's. She quickly caught up to Ivy's pace before asking: "What are you gonna do when we're done with Professor Scarlet's class?"
Ivy yawned before reviewing her notes. She kinda went overboard with note-taking, but she didn't care. Ivy handed her notebook at Neo before saying, "I was told to have a meeting with Ruby after I'm done with my classes. I'm not sure what it is, but I feel it won't be fun."
"Can I join?" Neo asked once she finished skimming through Ivy's notes. She was impressed by the notes and drawings, but Neo supposed it was due to her strict training when Ivy was becoming her assistant.
Ivy thought about the conversation that happened last night before shaking her head. "I don't think Ruby would like that. Besides, the tone in her voice sounded a bit more serious than usual."
"Aww, that sucks," Neo complained before the two entered the "PE" area.
They quickly changed in the gym clothes provided by the academy, which was a gray shirt with blue shorts. The shorts would either be athletic shorts for the girls or long shorts for the boys. Most students hated having Gym as they say it is torture due to the professor teaching it.
Scarlet noticed Ivy and Neo before marking them down. She told them to start running before class starts. The two nodded before lining up and racing each other. Scarlet sighed in her mind before seeing the other students making their way out. Each student had to run at least a mile, but there are some like Ivy and Neo who take the run a bit more competitively.
Once the run was complete, each student was told to sit in the center while Scarlet announced their plan for this period. She was a strict professor who had no tolerance for BS.
"Alright, everyone, if you have already had Professor Naofumi, you would know what will be happening in a few classes. If you haven't, let me tell you. You are to eliminate the capture monsters we collect with your two. This will show us how well you are with your team and whether or not you pay attention to our classes," Scarlet explained before taking a breath. She took a quick glance at Ivy and Neo, who were paying close attention, as she then told for the lesson for today. "You are to find a partner and fight them. This is more able individual strength, plus if you win or lose, you are learning something. Now, pair up!"
Ivy sat where she was while Neo took on an opponent she knew was stronger than her. Ivy knew there were a few that might give her a challenge, but nobody wanted to pair up against her.
Seeing that everyone was paired up, leaving Ivy out, Scarlet said to Ivy, "I'll be your pair for today. Try to find someone next time."
"It's not easy when people don't want to get near me in a ten-meter radius," Ivy rebutted. Scarlet scoffed before having everyone start their skirmish. She and Ivy moved in an open area before duking out.
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Ivy dropped off her items at the dorm before heading to the HeadMaster office. She could feel she pulled a muscle in her shoulder blade, Ivy gently rubbed against it before relaxing a bit. Ivy could hear a lot of students talking about the recent fight between her and Scarlet. Most of them were surprised to listen to a student going up against a professor and was almost any evenly match. Ivy shook her head inwardly before rushing to Ruby's office. She had to go a bit easier one Scarlet since if she were to beat Scarlet in a skirmish, it would most likely cause a problem in the administration. Scarlet also noticed Ivy's leniency. Though she didn't like being at the hand of mercy, Scarlet understand Ivy's intentions.
Once Ivy arrived at the HeadMaster's office, she could hear a voice through the door. Ivy immediately recognizes the voice as Lilith's. She was a bit confused as to why Lilith was here, but it will probably pop up in this conversation. Ivy knocked on the door before being allowed to enter.
"Ivy, welcome," Ruby greeted her. She was happy to see Ivy for some unknown reason, but Ruby didn't care. Lilith bowed at Ivy before excusing herself only to hear her name. "Lilith, I would like you to come actually. I think having you see what I do is a different change."
"But Miss Crimson, I'm only a school secretary, not a personal secretary," Lilith said to refute. She was true. Lilith didn't do anything else besides paperwork and reports handed by the other professors.
Ivy sighed before closing the door behind her and sat down on one of the couch. She was a bit perplexed as to what was happening; however, she didn't question it. Ivy could see Ruby groan a bit before whispering something in Lilith's ear, which made the girl blush a bit.
"F-Fine..." Lilith said in a flustered tone.
Ruby smiled and clapped her hands together and said, "Let's go. The meeting takes place in the courtyard of the palace."
Ruby led the way while Lilith stuck closely to Ruby, her face hanging down with blush. Ivy followed behind and made sure everything was off in Ruby's office.
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The three girls arrived at the palace and immediately headed towards the courtyard. It was similar to the gym room at the academy, except it was a few meters larger. The courtyard looked more like a training ground than a yard for peace and quiet.
In the center of the courtyard were six people. Two looked similar to Ivy before feeling a heartwrenching presence bearing down. They both had black hair and heterochromia eyes. One had red and white while the other had red and dark brown. Ivy could feel her instincts kicking in to run away; however, she wasn't going to ruin a perfect moment to catch up on her old allies.
"I see you haven't changed, black cat," one of the brothers said as he slowly approached Ivy. The other brother slowly followed behind.
"Tsk and you two seem to have taken a bit more...sinister way of approaching an old ally," Ivy provoked. She approached the two before pulling out two kunai knives.
The first brother smiled as he said, "And you still want a rematch, I see."
"Of course, Zane. You did beat me...665 times while I've beaten you 402 times," Ivy said. She launched at Zane at incredible speeds. Her intentions to beat Zane this time.
Ruby and Lilith tilted their head before staring at the other brother. Ruby knew who the two men were, Aaron and Zane, while Lilith recognize their presence anywhere. They were both former Human infiltrators; however, their demon signature disappeared a couple of years ago.
Looking at the skirmish, Aaron sighed before pulled the two away from each other. Even after seven-year apart, the two acted like children. He noticed, however, that the moment that he pulled Ivy away, she stopped trying to resist.
"You did change after all," Aaron said in a grave tone.