"I-I'm so sorry!!"
Aria sincerely apologized for dragging Boss into this mess.
"Don't think about it. I still owe you a Magic class grade."
Boss brushed it off while eating a bowl of rice, boiled egg, and fish sauce.
"Still, please take this with you…."
Aria grabbed a machine gun from her backpack and gave it to Boss.
"Wow, a quiet girl like you sure is scary…."
Boss shockingly looked at how casually she pulled it out.
"How long do you have this around, and do you even need this thing?"
The gun is an automatic rifle length of his arm, the bullet is a mini rocket the size of his index finger, and the entire rifle is coated in gold.
"My father brought it as a gift. He said, just in case I ran out of power."
"I doubt that ever happened. Your magic capacity is all class members combined and multiplied by 5!"
"That's why I want you to keep it…."
"Keep it? Like, borrow it for today? Thanks! But are the rounds free?"
"No… Yes? No. Yes! I was hoping you could keep it, I don't need it, but you do. And a free bullet, yes."
Aria doesn't need this gun. It is only used as her weight, and she no longer likes carrying it around.
"It cost 400 thousand dollars to fire this weapon for 12 seconds. I don't think I can afford to use it. You keep it."
Boss, push it back. Even if it is a golden automatic gun that shoots rocket bullets, he can't either handle the recoil or pay for its ammunition.
"I pay."
Aria insists she pushes back for the first time in their friendship.
"Really?!"
Boss was both surprised by her offer and her offensiveness.
"Yes…"
"How much allowance do you get from your parents?!"
"A lot… Just take it, please, and be safe."
Aria cut it short. She forcefully pushed it to Boss but sent it flying straight into his chest.
"Offf"
Boss felt a sharp pain in his lung, and he couldn't breathe.
"Boss!!"
"I-I I'm ok…."
Boss slowly regains his breath. The difference between him and her is far too significant. Only a slip of her finger almost kills him.
"Ah… I can borrow it for today, but it's your father's gift for you. After today's field trip ends, I will give it back. And if there are other events like this, I will keep borrowing it."
Judging by the look of things, he has to take it, but he can't just take the girl's gift from her father, or he could be in trouble.
"Ok."
Aria finally agreed but still feels conflicted. She wants Boss to keep it as his weapon because she knows how weak Boss is relative to other students.
A little danger for others can be the most dangerous thing Boss has to face in his life.
"This thing is heavy!"
Boss can't lift it with one arm. He needs to use two to carry it around.
Wonder what happens if he has to fire it.
"Boss, why do you only eat like this?"
Aria noticed that his food was lower than usual. She remembered his eating habit. He may be cheap, but not this cheap.
"After summer, I did some math and found out that if I ever wanted to go to college, I had to start saving money, and trust me, the food may seem cheap, but it added up! What about you? Where's your food?"
Boss noticed that Aria still didn't bring out the comically large lunch box he usually saw her eating from.
"I didn't bring any…."
Aria hid her face while answering.
Very sus.
"Are you on a diet?"
Boss guessed.
"N-NO!!"
Her sudden burst out pulled attention to their table.
After realizing her embarrassment, she covers herself in her bag to hide.
"Sure…."
"Am I fat?"
A little voice came out from the bag.
"No? But certainly bigger, in areas."
Boss can see that she has grown up a lot since the last time they met.
"…Hm!"
She pouted inside the bag with a red-colored face.
.
.
.
[Ding!]
After lunch, both of them went out to the front gate.
At the front gate, 10 vans have lined up, and each has one person carrying a weapon standing in front of it, except the first van, which belongs to Mila.
And one red-haired girl is standing beside Mila.
"Everyone here, good."
Mila knows by a single glance that every class member is here.
"For each van, represent each rift and instructor that will guide you in your first dimension rift."
"And everyone, this is Celesta, your final class member. She has a medical condition, so she came a bit late."
"Hello, everyone. I'm Celesta."
She politely bowed her head and smiled brightly.
She has fiery red hair and eyes orange like an opal, and her body is also scorching like the color palette.
A firm body's temptation makes many male students and some females act unwise.
"Ah!"
Boss suddenly let out a scream, grabbing her attention.
"?"
Celesta looks at him with curiosity.
"Not thing, please go on."
He glanced back at Aria, pretending nothing had happened, but there was only one person who kept heating his ear in this entire world!
"The school had assigned the members of each group. No, you can't change it."
'Oh, sh*t!'
"Then I think I will leave…."
"And here is a message from the principal."
[Boss, I know you want to be an adventurer, but you also didn't want to risk it before graduating college, but this is your lifetime opportunity to get carried by these experienced adventurers, so accept your class assignment, or else I will cancel your scholarship.]
"DAMN, OLD HAG!!!"
Boss wants to get a veterinarian degree before starting as an adventurer because, if he fails, he still has a degree and a job to fall into.
And SHE knew he needed that scholarship because she was the one who created it tailor-made for him.
That witch principle!
"First van will be Cid, Harper, Luna, Kate, and Aria. And I will be the guide."
"And now you take Aria from me too!"
"!!"
"How can you separate me from my teammate? We have been together since grade 6!"
'B-been together~.'
"It is a balancing act, you a specialist, she a specialist, two in the same team is a bit unbalanced. Also, don't cry. You will be put with Nova, Gianna, Jack, and Celesta in the second van with a friend of mine, Bob."
'I guessed that could work….'
Nova is a muscular girl.
In terms of physical, she may be behind Aria, but she is still stronger than 3rd place by a large margin.
Gianna is the 2nd magic user. She is the same blonde who assaulted him about her sister.
Jack and Celesta are new members, so whatever.
'Having 2 2nd people in exchange for 1st is acceptable, I think.'
Boss looks at Aria before both go to a separate van.
"Take care, ok?"
Even though he knows Aria's strength, he is still concerned about her safety.
He knew how dangerous dimension rift could be, and her personality could get in the way of her performance in a field.
"You too… Please come back."
Aria also wished him good luck before going in for a hug.
"Oh… ok. I promised."
Boss lightly hugged her back. Knowing she was also concerned about his safety made him happy a little.
Boss pathetically laughs at himself.
Because comparing him to her, she was like an armored tank, and he was a wet tissue…
'What right do I have to worry about her safety? I should worry about myself!'