[Zero's Pov]
'Ah, she lost...'
A tinge of pain filled my heart when looking at the clearly upset Stella dragging her feet from the arena. Still, the surprise that I was waiting for, the new application of her unique Manual, never came, and therefore it wasn't strange that the duel was very one-sided.
No matter how many hits she could take; if she couldn't land one herself, what was the point?
To be fair, Thomas was probably someone I would call a complete monster. Even if his rank might not be anything special, the way he approached fighting and the way he could move his body while still wielding immense power was more than enough to make my eyes widen.
'Hmm... Maybe I do need a sidekick, after all....'
"The second round of matches has now been concluded! However, because now have three people in the elimination bracket, the judges have decided to regard Robert and Thomas as our finalists, as they are the only ones with no losses!"
*Waaaa!*
A lump started emerging in my throat as I realized what Ms. Rose was talking about, and I could picture the image of a very disheartened blue-haired girl that wouldn't even get a second chance.
'What are they thinking, just changing the rules like this? Isn't anyone going to oppose it?'
"That's a shame. I would have wanted to see a few more matches before the finals... I guess they do deserve it though, Robert and Thomas do seem like the strongest contenders for the first rank."
Dr. Smith wasn't wrong, but I didn't like that he was right. In her current state, Stella wouldn't be able to beat any of them, not until she started to open up her way of fighting. Now, it was fine to specialize in purely tanking, but then, by default, they would also have to accept that they wouldn't be able to bring someone down.
"Then, before we all get to watch this exciting final, we will have an hour of intermission. So to all of you at home, make sure to grab something to drink and eat, because, from the looks of these two fighters, it will be a great match!"
"Then, should we grab something to eat as well, Zero? They sold some stuff where I got the drinks, so we can just pick something up and sit outside while eating."
Standing up, I shook away all the silly thoughts that I was having just because of some stupid tournament and smiled, "Sure!"
****
[Stella's Pov]
"The second round of matches has now been concluded! However, because now have three people in the elimination bracket, the judges have decided to regard Robert and Thomas as our finalists, as they are the only ones with no losses!"
'What?! But...but I only got to fight once!'
Back in the waiting room, I couldn't stop my fists from tightening when I heard the announcement. Overwhelming frustration and anger rose inside of me, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it. In the end, I could only grit my teeth.
Caroline, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind the decision much, just getting up on her tippy toes so she could pat Thomas on the back, "Hey, you did it! Congratulations!"
"T-thank y-you... B-but I don't... think this is r-right..."
"Don't worry about it. From your fights, I think you would have gone to the finals anyway. Both you and Robert are probably the strongest among us, so it's not like the results changed much. But I do wonder how they will be ranking the rest of us if we aren't going to fight anymore."
There was no one for me to be angry at except for the arrangers of the competition, and I didn't even know who they were. Then, as if to answer Caroline's question, our homeroom teacher entered the waiting room, looking a bit guilty.
"So, I understand that some of you might not that you won't get your second chance, but this is just the way it is. Now, just so you know, though this tournament will decide the number one and number two student, the rest of you will be judged depending on your skills and how useful you appear to be in a real-life setting. So you don't have to worry much about that."
Though she spoke words that were supportive to comfort us, I only felt my frustration grow, even to the point where I couldn't keep silent anymore, "This isn't right! No, this isn't fair!"
Sadly, I didn't get the response I was hoping for. Instead, our teacher's face hardened, and a subtle pressure exuded from her feminine body. "Ms. Klein, I understand that you are upset, and I am fine with you going against the decision. But fair? Even if you are only a freshman, I would have hoped that you understood already that the world isn't fair."
"B-but..."
"But what? Tell me, are you really speaking on the behalf of what's right, or is it just that you are disappointed in your own performance and want another chance? If so, please do tell me. Can you win against either Robert or Thomas?"
Her black hair felt darker than ever now, and the words she spoke once again put me in that dark alleyway. There was no way out from here, and I didn't have a good answer to give. No, I did have a good answer to give, but I didn't want to vocalize it. Because then it almost felt like I would make it a reality.
Noticing me biting my lip, Ms. Turner's face mellowed out a bit, and she walked forward. Putting her hand on my shoulder, her voice got a lot softer. "Stella, it's not bad to feel frustration when losing, but don't use it like this. Use it to get even stronger. You haven't even been here for a month, you have time."
'Time... But it's not time that I have to catch up to...'
****
[Zero's Pov]
With a hamburger each in our hands, me and Dr. Smith quickly made our way to one of the many benches around the grounds and sat down. Once again, Dr. Smith was trying to subtly look at me while I was devouring my food, the corners of his mouth giving away the fact that he was enjoying the sight a lot.
At that moment, a very strange thought made its way to my head, this time not in the shrill voice I was used to thinking with, but in the same deep tone that came out from our mouths. 'I wish Dad was here too...'
'Oh, are you awake again? Or is it just a passing thought?'
Yet, once again, there was no answer for me to receive, just a lingering sense of loneliness and a feeling of missing Aksel. It was strange how the boy inside of me sometimes just decided to make an appearance in our mind, but even stranger was the fact that he never stuck around.
"Zero, are you okay? Is there something weird with your body again?"
Most likely, my face had changed a bit as a result of these feelings and my pondering of what was really going on with my different personas, and Dr. Smith hadn't missed it. Turning my face back into a bright smile, I just changed subjects.
"Ah, I'm fine. Anyway, isn't it cool how Thomas made it to the finals? He always seems so shy and insecure, but he is really good at fighting, isn't he?"
Nodding, the man at my side got the notion that we were moving past his worries about me, "Yeah. I have to say, in terms of pure fighting instinct, he is probably one of the best I have ever seen. Granted, I'm not a fighter, but I have still seen my fair share of strong hunters in my days. Come to think of it, isn't he just insecure about his sexuality?"
'Oh, he noticed it as well. I guess it could be said to be somewhat obvious.'
A man like Thomas would nine out of ten times be a very confident young man, as he had both the size, looks, and fighting prowess going for him. That meant that there was something else at play, though he probably had a personality that was inclined to easily fall into insecurities.
I had always believed personalities to be dynamic, and although everyone had a core set of inclinations, they only moved in the directions that circumstances led them. Circumstances could make even the softest soul go cold with hatred, and the saddest soul immensely happy.
However, they could also make a foolish king decide to lob the head off of an innocent youth that had committed no wrongs in this world. And what was worse was that his own head would find arguments in the circumstances to justify it.
It could also make a man cry with happiness as he ended the suffering of his own brother, unknowing whether or not his brother wanted to live on.