Walking out of the arena, Kay was immediately greeted by Shiina.
"Haa, well, that match ended quickly. I was hoping to see some more action!"
"Well, I don't know what you were expecting."
She suddenly opened her phone and showed Kay an app.
"I was talking with the student council treasurer, who showed me this app on the phone where you can bet on duels."
On the screen was a schedule of the duels for the day. There weren't any others scheduled for that day aside from the one that had just concluded between Kay and Callum. Pressing on their match, Shiina showed him the odds.
-
Duel - Kay Rudiless vs Callum Ffrench. [Odds]
Kay Rudiless Win: 1.75
Callum Ffrench Win: 2.25
Match Result: CONCLUDED [Kay Rudiless Win]
-
"Looks like I was the favourite to win."
"Well, you were the higher-ranked one, so it was to be expected."
Many of the students were also on their way to leave since the match had finished. Discussing the situation a little bit more, the two of them began making their way through the training centre. As they were walking through the reception area, a girl ran up and called out to them.
"—Um... Kay!"
He turned around and looked at the short girl. She had long blonde hair, which was flowing completely loose, and a silver rapier which was on a sheath on her hip. Her face went red as she began talking to the two of them.
"What is it?"
"U-um... you're Kay Rudiless, right?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"I really liked the way you fought today!"
"Thanks. Although, not a lot happened."
Talking a step forward, Shiina looked over at Kay.
"Ooh, looks like you've got yourself a little admirer~"
The three of them stood silently, looking at each other. The blonde-haired girl was trying to get words out of her mouth, but it seemed that she was struggling. She was blocking part of her face with her sleeve as she glanced at them awkwardly. After a brief moment, she finally managed to break the silence.
"Ah! Um, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Layla Priestly, from class 1-B."
She twiddled her thumbs.
"S-so... well, do you want to be friends?" her voice accelerated as the sentence went on.
"I don't mind."
Suddenly, Kay felt a slight pain in his ear.
"Oi, buddy, didn't I tell you about the rules?" Shiina's voice was a bit lower than usual.
"Rules only mean something if you can enforce them."
"I think you're forgetting what rank I am~"
"You'll be punished for using violence in the schoolyard."
Shiina's glance darkened.
"Alright, I'll guess you'll be fighting two duels today, then."
Suddenly, Kay received a notification on his phone.
-
Pending Duel Request
Challenger(s): Shiina Lavender
Recipient(s): Kay Rudiless
***
[Contents]
Standard duel with no special rules.
***
[Conditions]
Challenger Win: The Recipient must listen to whatever the Challenger says.
Recipient Win: The Challenger will retract her demand.
[Accept] / [Reject]
-
Kay instantly clicked the [Reject] button.
"Hey, you can't do that!"
"Duels are optional, remember?"
"Kay, don't force my hand."
"I don't remember making you the boss of me. I can do what I want."
Shiina looked at him sternly. Layla was still standing to the side, shocked at the scene that was unfolding.
"I don't see why you even think this is a big deal," he continued.
Taking a moment to breathe, Shiina thought about the situation. Now that her mind was starting to clear up, she did, in fact, realise that she was overreacting. However, her pride had been damaged a little. With students slowly walking past her, Shiina looked around.
"Grr..."
She kicked him in the shin.
Having had enough of the situation, Kay began making his way out of the training centre.
***
[Don't forget to collect your rewards.]
There was a mandatory assembly which took up all of first period. All the students were seated in a big assembly hall, and the principal was talking about some relatively unimportant things. It seemed that the assembly was more of an administrative task. Reclining in his seat, Kay looked through his system.
-
- Attribute Increase!
- {x1} Random [Ultra-Rare] Ability Unlock!
-
A few moments later, another screen appeared. It showed the new ability that he would be receiving.
-
Magic Armour (Ultra-Rare)
{Surround yourself with an aura barrier which significantly increases your durability. The armour itself has no weight and moves with your body. However, it has a set amount of damage it can tolerate before it breaks. It will regenerate when not in use.}
-
[You cannot equip any more abilities. Merge them to make them stronger]
[You can only merge abilities of the same rarity]
Seeing the message, Kay decided to merge his [EM Sonar] and [Instant Heal - Light] abilities.
-
[EM Sonar] (Uncommon) + [Instant Heal - Light] (Uncommon)
Result:
Detection Heal - Medium (Rare)
{Instantly heal minor and significantly heal major wounds. After using the ability, your senses will be increased, and your surroundings will be revealed for a moment. Overuse of this ability will cause headaches of increasing severity.]
-
Before long, Kay was given his attribute increases as well.
-
Strength: 44 (+13)
Speed: 41 (+14)
Stamina: 47 (+15)
Intelligence: MAX
-
It was a little larger than usual so my boosts from training were probably included in there.
After the end of the assembly, Kay skipped the science class that he had to go over to the training centre. Shiina decided to stay back and listen in class so Kay was by himself.
Making his way into the large reception area, he looked around for any spare training rooms, but he noticed that they had all been booked out. In the end, he decided to just go over to the main gym and do some weight training.
I guess I should book one in advance next time.
However, just as he was going to leave, the door to one of the training rooms opened. Standing inside was a familiar face.
"A-are you looking for a room? You can come train with me... if you want..."
Layla was peeking out the door, waiting for Kay to respond. He had a quick look around and decided that having a room was definitely more efficient than training in the gym. Making his way over, he agreed to her invitation.
Walking inside, he grabbed the usual equipment from the storage room and began putting it on. Layla was somewhat reserved, silently watching Kay as he prepared to begin training.