Kaito had never been very good in the love field. Before he was revealed as a Bloodless he was treated well by many girls and boys and many of them even wanted to be in a relationship with him. But he also knew that these people were interested in the possible rank he would have, since his family was of high rank. Kaito had never been able to relate to these people because he knew that he was adopted and that all this love would vanish if he was of low rank.
Now, in that garden filled with delicious smells, by the soft sound of the wind hitting the leaves and petals and the water falling on itself in the fountain, he was hearing for the first time someone proposing to him in an honest way, and it made him completely nervous.
"Do you like... me? Like... why...?"
"Why I like you? Oh, it's just... I don't really know."
Kaito watched her sit down on a nearby stool and stare at the heavens with a lost look. It was as if she was looking at the drawings in the clouds and trying to find the answers there shapes.
"When I first saw you I thought of my mother. Your uniform with an embroidered F, the way you wanted to challenge the ranks... it all reminded me of how my mother wanted to fight and create an equal world. And Kaito... That pissed me off. That really pissed me off." .
"So all that treatment was because I reminded you of your mother and not because of my rank?" asked Kaito sitting down next to the mage.
"I'm D rank, Kaito. It makes no sense to judge anyone because of ranks. But seeing that you seemed to want to fight the rank system made me angry. My mother did it and it all went wrong so... I can't really say for sure all that went on in my head. It's a lot, I guess... but in the end what I have to say is..." she turned to Kaito and looked him in the eye, a little ashamed and a little determined "I'm sorry for the way I acted.
Kaito saw honesty in her eyes, and it made him smile in response. Without at least understanding why, he placed his hand on Saphyra's blue silky hairs and stroked them.
"Water under the bridge! Now we're here talking and..." he noticed what he was doing and the girl's embarrassed expression, removing his hand at the same moment "I'm sorry, Saphyra! That's... that was... I mean, I didn't even realize..."
"It's okay. I think I like it. I mean... I don't hate it." .
The two of them pulled apart a little and looked at opposite sides. But somehow, that place seemed to want to make the two of them talk. It was as if all the silence was filled by the sound and wonder of that garden.
"And why do you like me?" asked Kaito being grateful he didn't stutter.
"Why do I like you? I guess I haven't thought about that yet..." replied Saphyra thinking seriously "You are handsome... you seem trustworthy... you try everything and never give up... you told me I was beautiful... you proved me wrong..."
With each reason Kaito felt more and more embarrassed, yet the girl next to him kept listing, as if for her there were no barriers to saying the things she wanted to say. However, at one point she raised one of her fingers skyward, as if a brilliant thought came to her mind.
"Oh! I think I know why!" she said excitedly as she turned to Kaito and stared him in the eyes "It's because I don't understand you!"
"Wait... easy there... you like me because you don't understand me? Is that it?"
"Yes! I can usually tell what people are thinking before they themselves understand what's going on with them. I'm actually pretty good at doing that. But you are different. You seem to just live life by improvising and making whatever decision you give at the moment you need to."
"Look... I could say you're wrong, but I can't fight your logic.
"But now I don't find you so enigmatic and unpredictable. I mean... you're still pretty unpredictable, but somehow I've deciphered you and every day I understand you more, I think you're cooler." Saphyra said with a cheerful smile on her face.
Kaito was shocked. Never in his life had he seen a person like her. Saphyra was so honest in so many ways that it amazed him. A person who could say what she wanted to say without any fear? A person who praised without concern? That was rare. In fact, to Kaito, that was unique.
"Gee, Saphyra... I don't even know how to react. This is the first time I've been told these things and I... well, I haven't heard very good things since I became an F rank. As for your confession..."
"Calm down! I don't want to hear an answer now and I'm not even asking!" she interrupted placing her index finger on Kaito's lips "It's still too early. I've only known you for two weeks and you know me little too. I said what I said because I needed to open up and because you seemed too immersed in the team's problems. I read somewhere that it was good to change of scenery."
Kaito didn't quite understand what she meant. He was going to give a positive answer, but in fact he wasn't sure if he liked her. As Saphyra had said, it was too early to have any formed opinion.
"You know, Kaito, I said I like you, but everything is still very uncertain and confusing. I am confused. So I think the best thing is to prepare for the team battle and after it, whatever happens, we can go out together and have a date. On a date we can decide what we want to do. What do you think?"
Kaito watched the mage for a moment, thought to himself what he could answer and in the end only one kind of answer came to him, the honest one.
"You are right. Still, Saphyra, I find you interesting too... I mean... I think I like..." the words started to sound heavy, but soon Kaito took a deep breath and continued "But you are right. A date after we mash up those B ranks would be really nice."
The two looked each other in the eye for a moment. Kaito's grayish eyes met Saphya's blue eyes and a warm feeling came over both of them.
"Finally you showed up! I thought I would never see you again in this academy!"
The voice was Opame's, who was approaching along with a Bairon who was looking from side to side clearly not comfortable being there.
"Keep it down! They'll notice I'm here..."
"Let them see us! I want them to see me here! But wait a minute..." Opame looked at Kaito and then at Saphyra "Are you two dating?"
Kaito felt his face heat up all at once.
"I... no... we're not."
"We're not dating yet." Saphyra replied.
Kaito looked at Saphyra overcome with embarrassment and soon lowered his gaze to the ground. Opame stared at the two of them for a moment and soon giggled, nudging Bairon with his elbow.
"Look there, Baibai! A future couple! They're just like you, looking for the other half of the bread!"
Kaito didn't understand right away what the monk meant by looking for the other half of the bread, but seeing the flowers in Bairon's hand and how his blond hair was combed to the side, something clicked inside him.
"Wait a minute.... calm down... you two were...? Is that it?"
"What? Me and Baibai? No, not at all! I'm helping him get with the little princess of the Five Phoenixes, the one Elizaberta...."
"It's Elizabeth. And I told you I liked her when we were kids, a long time ago! Today it just doesn't work out..."
"And why wouldn't it work? Rank or something?" asked Saphyra immediately.
Bairon was about to answer, but he stopped for a moment and realized that he didn't know that girl, nor did it make sense to answer her. However, Kaito took the floor.
"Oh, this is Saphyra! She is from my class and part of the team that will defeat class B. Saphyra, this is Bairon and Opame, my friends from entering the academy."
"It's nice to meet you guys!" the mage said with a comfortable smile, but then she turned to Bairon again "so why can't you ask Elisabeth out?"
"It's that...." Bairon started without being too sure if he should even answer that girl, but soon the words were forming "She's high rank and I... I don't know. It's just that there are other things too..."
Kaito realized that at that moment Bairon's gaze hovered over Opame. It was a look that the generalist knew well, a look of passion and admiration. It took no time at all for him to realize what was happening. Clearly Opame was making Bairon propose, and the cleric liked her.
Realizing this made Kaito let out a heavy sigh. These things about romance were not simple in the world they lived in. Before he could say anything, however, a voice boomed throughout the
academy.
Announcement
The duel between Gael Leonar and Azhur Khan will take place in five minutes.
Those who want to enjoy the confrontation should come to the Main Arena.
The voice was spread through the loudspeakers distributed throughout the place and soon several students rushed to the combat area where the confrontation would take place.
Kaito was confused and soon turned to Opame to ask.
"There will be a fight between Gael and Azhur? Wait... Isn't Azhur the S rank leader of the Five Phoenixes?"
"There's always a fight. It's almost daily, and since you guys stay buried there you don't know anything. But this fight there is special and I want to see it up close. That's why I dragged Bairon along today. I want to see up close the guy who defeated me fighting." said Opame already going forward and gesturing for them to follow her.
Kaito and Saphyra got up and followed the monk and the entire student body to the main arena. The place was the same where Kaito had beaten the B rank who was abusing Bairon, but different from what he had seen in his fight, the place was now completely packed. The bleachers were taken by the students curious and cheering, and even some C and D ranks were there in the corners.
Following Opame, the group sat higher up, a little further away from the arena and away from looks that might focus on them, something Kaito doubted in view of the event that would take place and draw all the attention.
Kaito looked around and saw that there was something more than students there. In the distance, on the other side he could see Principal Selize and next to her sat several teachers, among them Professor Caligan and Amara.
"This is going to be the third time isn't it?" said a student in the front row.
"Yeah, the first two times Gael didn't even touch Azhur!
"What if Gael loses this time?"
"He's already been demoted from Class A/S to Class A. If he falls again he'll go to class B!"
Hearing this surprised Kaito. From what he had felt and realized, Gael was not someone weak. On the contrary, the feeling was that he was a much more powerful warrior than the vast majority. Could Azhur's power be that great?
Below, the two combatants were getting ready. Azhur came in his combat suit already energized with a golden stone on his chest, making his armor complete and golden with a light emanating from it. Gael, on the other hand, was wearing red armor that was a little less shiny than Azhur's, but still powerful. The warrior had in his hands two swords that were not the ones provided by the academy, since they had runic inscriptions and looked like something that came from the Tower. The paladin, on the other hand, took the shield and the mace that were on the weapons table, and when they came into contact with his S rank energy the two changed, the shield being larger and with a lion in the center and the mace bigger and with more threatening thorns.
"So that's how an energized weapon reacts with rank? I didn't know it was like that. At home my parents only use common weapons." said Kaito.
"When I pick up a weapon it changes too, but it doesn't even remotely resemble that. Now look at those things in Gael's hand. I'm sure they are swords from the Tower. He must be desperate," said Bairon.
"He doesn't have to be like that. Gael is strong and I saw that in our fight. He can beat that little golden blond!" said Opame closing her fist in front of her excitedly.
"I don't know... this fight to me seems already finished. I can't see Gael winning." Saphyra pointed out.
"Why are you rooting against him, girl? Do you really want to see the S rank win?"
"In a battle between an A and a S rank I want them both to lose." replied Saphyra with a laugh on her lips "but what I mean is that Gael is using a weapon he doesn't usually use. From what I know he used a very heavy metal staff."
"That's true. In the battle against Opame he used a staff, but here he is with these swords. But I think he must have a plan," Bairon said.
"I don't know if that's totally true, Saphy... like, I use multiple weapons and I think it's best. He may have thought it best to use two swords against Azhur." analyzed Kaito.
"In your case you are an expert in using multiple weapons. You have trained with all of them and know how to use them all. Warriors also know how to use several weapons, but you will still have the one that is his best. This goes for all classes. We can try to change ourselves all the time, but we always have our way of doing things."
Kaito stared at the mage for a moment and several questions flashed through his mind. How did she know so much? Where did this knowledge come from? Was she right? But one question hung over his mind more than the others: How can I use this information?
The shouts from the stands grew louder and louder and when Kaito turned to the arena he saw that the fight had started. However something occurred and the screams intensified in the same instant, vibrating the whole place with the sound of the voices exploding excitedly.
"I can't believe it..." said Bairon dumbfounded.
"This is... different from our fight..." said Opame in disbelief.
"I think I might be wrong..." said Saphyra incredulously.
Kaito had no words, but he felt it. He and everyone there saw that the A rank in his first move had brought the powerful S rank paladin to his knees.