***
"Nyah~ ahn~ fuhn~, mhmm~ nyah~ you're going too rough nya! "(?)
Imaginary beads of sweat flow down Cress's temple as she comments on the situation.
"The baths sure are scary." (Cress)
"... Yeah. So how did your test go last year?"
"It was much less exciting than yours... Rather than a battle of skill, I was just struggling to survive his onslaught. Apparently the reason I passed was that he had exerted the most amount of strength on my amonst the other examinees..." (Cress)
"... That's great! Doesn't that mean you're one of the best students in the elite magic institution? "
" Yeah.... By default..."(Cress)
" Hmmm... I see, so you're weaker than your seniors. Will don't fret, you'll get there one day. Even in that department too. " Staring at her chest, I can't deduce if her cheeks were blushing from the hot temperature, or her embarrassment. Even if smoke were to comically fly out of her ears, the fog filling the public baths would make it invisible and camouflage it.
"You!.... You cheeky little brat!" (Cress)
"Hahah! Don't tickle me!" Assaulted by the wriggling sensation brought from her delicate fingers, a mischievous smirk adorns itself on her pale beige skin. This past few years of training barely darkened her supple fingers since she tended to avoid the direct sunlight. Afterall, the dungeon didn't have uv rays, only artificial magic produced lights. Using healing magic catalyst, skin can remain as soft as before, even after those few years worth of sword training.
While she was out and about developing her strength for 3 years, I had only started last year. In terms of preparedness for the exam, it was a year more than I did. Defeating the instructor was a rather strange occurrence, born from the combination of my Agility and enhancement from [Shadow step]'s anti-gravity. It was practically luck. The strange event that led me to gain 400 levels in a day, my survival, the demon attack.
This few years of learning had sufficiently taught me common sense. It was a matter of being used to and fitting in the environment, it came naturally with time. With this acquired common sense, those events were definitely abnormal. What led it to happen? The reasoning was completely out of my grasp. Someone placed a cursed-like blessing, avoiding curse detection. That was all I could figure out. Well, thinking about it won't help now. I should continue to socialise with Cress. Otherwise this trip to the public bath would be meaningless.
"I've heard you gain a tier 3 skill already! Could you enlighten me on what it is?"
"Jeez~ what's with the formal act? It's just [Sword arts-tier 3]. Yours is tier 2 right? It comes naturally with practice. Aren't you more abnormal for having multiple tier 2 skills before entering the institution? " (Cress)
"Hmmm~I guess. Now that I think about it, have they actually grown bigger?"
"Mou~! Stop thinking about it! Are you an old man on the inside?" (Cress) Puffing up her cheeks, her eyebrows lower to express an angry expression, and she looks away. It may seem like intimidation, however it only made her look much cuter.
"hihi~ maybe? Anyway, want to duel tomorrow? Wooden swords in a barrier that reduces lethal attacks to normal attacks~ You should be around level 200 right? It's strange for a child your age, but I can't say much considering my own level. Well, the speed shouldn't be that hard, you can deal with it if you try your hardest and use your superior swordsmanship. "
" Hmph! ~"(Cress)
" Please...? Onee-chan~? "
"Easy for you to say! All you need to do is keep swinging and your speed will take care the rest of it. Isn't it unfair? You even have such an annoying skill! Anti-gravity? What the heck, that's definitely a tier 3 skill!" (Cress)
"Alright~ alright~, I won't use it. And you have to keep quiet about it. I rather not have anyone find out such an abnormal being exist. What if they dissected me thinking I was a monster?!"
"Hahah! Like you wouldn't get captured that easily." (Cress)
"That's not the point! Anyway, how's life in school?"
" It's just the usual. I bet your performance would get all of the seniors in an uproar though. If you get challenges to fight, don't be surprise." (Cress)
" That's... Rather chaotic... Are they not civilised? I would expect a school that used to only be exclusive to nobles to continue teaching noble etiquette. "
"Well, yeah... It's like playing pretend. It was fun at the start but it gradually became part of our lives. It would be akin to something like a switch that turns on their noble mode and when it turns off it would be their usual barbaric self." (Cress)
" I could see that happening... "
"Nyah!!! Ahhhhh!~" (?)
".... Let's leave. I'm getting dizzy from the heat."
"Agreed. Remember to dry your hair properly. Or Onee-chan will have to do it for you~"(Cress)
"Hai~~ Those few years really changed you. I remember when you used to be timid in combat. Now it's only been switched. "
"Switched?! Didn't you beat that judge?" (Cress)
"That's because I knew I wouldn't die. With that, I could be as carefree as I want."
"... If you need help, you can sleep with Onee-chan tonight." (Cress)
"Nah, you can stay in your dormitory. In a few months I'll have my own room anyway."
"Oh ho~, you want to be independant? It's okay, you can rely on me some more." (Cress)
"I'm good." Finishing our routines in a blink of an eye. We walked outside with refreshed expressions, and warm bottles of hot drinks. Cress had hot chocolate while I had warm milk. Finishing the day, we walked back to our respective places of living to rest for the night.
***
The day had arrived for school to start. Walking down the street in my newly received school uniform, the streets bustled in activity as I walked closer to my destination. Services free of charge have already brought my heavy belongings to my dormitory. The only thing present for me to do was to arrive on time.
It was 7 am in the morning right now. Lesson started at 7:30 and ended at 12. Presently, I was 5 minutes away from the school gate, and 10 minutes away from my classroom. A miniscule leeway of time has been left in case of unforseen circumstances. I was a rather careful person.
Walking into the gate, a strange amount of open space was left in front of me. As if I was being let through. Students tended to walk to the left and right sides of the small pavement up to the entrance of the classroom building. It must have been my imagination. Walking through, I arrived at my classroom on the second floor of the building, before choosing a seat nearest to the windows and in the middle of the classroom.
Plopping down on my seat, I placed my bag on the ground as I laid my head on the table. Hmm~ how tiring. Do I have to wake this early everyday?