"Boooooring!" Ashley huffed grumpily, cupping her cheek while sipping a large gulp of the strawberry juice. "Why are duels so boring nowadays?!"
"You'll know it will be one," Bernis commented, leaning against the wall beside the window where Ashley and Ike were watching the fight.
"Tch." She snapped her tongue, glaring at Bernis, who didn't watch the duel even for a second. Well, it only lasted for fifteen minutes, anyway.
"What do you think, my new friend?" she asked, turning her head around to look at Ike. "It's boring, isn't it?"
Ike cast her a cursory look and then back to the oval where the duel happened. The fight lasted for fifteen minutes, but actually, it already ended two minutes after the fight started. The victor simply played with his opponent. Even now that the duel ended, he was still making fun of the loser, stepping on the latter's head while twisting his foot, and everyone was just watching.
A shallow breath slipped past his lips. "It's… pathetic."
"Ohh…" Ashley whistled. "And here I thought you'd say it was a little interesting!"
"And why is that?"
"Because first, you look like someone who likes to play the hero, and second, the loser nearly flipped the table!" explained Ashely in a knowing tone, waving her finger sideways as she gazed back to the embarrassing scene outside. "Lastly, people just always disagree with me. Except for Bernis, of course."
"What's so interesting in the word "almost" when the thing that matters in this world is the outcome?" replied Ike, keeping his sharp and emotionless gaze outside. "Sure. That loser nearly got his opponent, but he still lost and now he has to grit his teeth while the victor openly shames him."
He then set his eyes back to Ashley, who was looking back at him with raised brows. "A lose is a lose, and a win is a win… even if this win is attained through underhanded means. Harsh — cruel even, but welcome to reality."
"Wow…" Ashley blinked twice, her mouth parting open slightly. "... want to fight me?"
"No, thanks."
"What!? Why?" she gasped, jumping as she turned to face Ike. "I think since we have the same brainwaves, it'll be cool to fight!"
"What kind of nonsense are you saying?" Ike mumbled, scrunching his nose slightly. "If you still want to idle here, then I'd go on my own."
Ike waved dismissively, gazing at her from head to toe one last time before turning on his heel. Ike shook his head as he sauntered off, going back to the classroom. There wasn't anything interesting here, anyway.
Meanwhile, Ashley frowned deeply as she watched Ike walk away.
"What a bummer." She pouted, sighing. "Just when I thought I can have some little warm up — ah! How disappointing!"
Ashley turned around once again, facing the window. She propped her arms against the windowsill, cupping her jaw with her fist, upset.
"Didn't you say you don't want to fight his year?" suddenly, Bernis, who was still leaning against the wall beside the window, raised a question. "Why are you suddenly proposing a duel?"
"Because... why not?" her voice was lazy with disinterest. "Ike speaks like an old person and I want to see if my gut feeling is correct. It's the same for you, isn't it?"
Ashley slowly gazed at the person on her side. "You said you don't want to fight anymore and get rid of your name on the district list, but here you are, holding back from challenging him."
"It's not him I want to fight." Bernis's expression was stoic, holding the girl's mischievous gaze. "It is you."
"Sucks…" Her lips stretched from ear to ear, pushing herself away from the window. "You should just invite me! I will accept the invitation in a heartbeat!"
"Raising ranks isn't my plan."
"Aww… I swear I'll fight~"
"Let's just go back." Bernis peeled his back from the wall, marching in the direction where Ike went. But before he could walk farther, he turned his head to the window.
The situation outside was still the same, or rather, an expected sight to behold. The victor was basking in the glory of his victory by beating his opponent until the latter passed out while all those bystanders were either enjoying the scene or simply taking videos.
"Big fishes in a small pond," whispered Bernis, looking away from the window while marching away. "He was right. More than interesting or boring, it's pathetic."
Ashley smacked her plump lips and snapped her eyes back to the scene outside. A deep exhale slipped past her nostrils, shaking her head mildly.
"They have a point." She rocked her head. "It's actually very pathetic… both of them — tss, losers."
The corner of her lips curled up into a smirk, walking away to follow Bernis.
****
Meanwhile, as Ike headed back to the classroom, his steps slowed down. Up ahead was a beautiful young lady standing in front of their classroom. Her uniform embraced her voluptuous body so tightly the buttons of her blouse — especially in the bust area — were barely clinging on. Some students couldn't help but cast her a look or whisper among themselves, wondering what the school bell was doing on this floor.
'I didn't think she'd show up here this soon,' thought Ike, standing in the middle of the corridor several steps from Holly. His hands were shoved inside the pockets of his trousers, tilting his head to the side. 'Did she figure out who I am now?'
While Ike was wondering what Holly's intentions were, the latter caught the person from the corner of her eyes. Holly slowly turned her head in his direction and almost instantly, their eyes met.
'Well, I guess I won't find out what she wants unless she tells me.' Ike mentally shrugged, taking a step forth until he was standing a step from her. Gazing down at her, his plain expression remained the same.
Ike waited for a few seconds to state her reason, but when another ten seconds had passed in silence, he shrugged.
'I guess she just wants to see me,' was what crossed his mind, walking past her, but then he stopped just four steps away from her when she asked;
"Did something strange happen today?"