When you're excited about the approach of some event, time feels like it's going too slow. This is what I was feeling now, as I finished my lunch a bit too quickly and was impatiently waiting for the start of the practical classes.
Of course, I had already changed into my school-regulated PE uniform. Kyouya? I left him at the cafeteria since he's a bit of a slow eater. It should take him about half an hour before he finishes lunch.
Having nothing better to do, I went ahead and checked the training grounds, which were originally the gymnasium of the school.
Inside, there were only several medical teams setting up their stations in case of unfortunate accidents and injuries during practice. Even Sir Andrew has yet to enter the gymnasium, making me the de facto firstcomer.
I searched for an inconspicuous spot and sat down on the mat cross-legged while meditating. It's not like I'm a trainee monk, so my meditation was full of flaws, to the point that the moment the door opened, my attention quickly went to that instead of meditating.
"Hmm?"
When I turned my head to look, I quickly felt how bad my luck was. A beautiful woman with flowing brown hair, tied up in a ponytail. Her gold eyes stared ahead, unfaltering, while her lips folded into a natural frown.
The one who entered was none other than Himeji Alice, a.k.a. QUEEN, and her entourage. To be specific, it was her and the Principal's Son's entourage that entered.
I was hoping to not cross paths with them, but I still ended up doing the exact opposite. Rather than luck, it seems like I was cursed.
Just as I was lamenting my poor choices earlier, I felt a gaze on me. Looking back, I saw QUEEN turning her head away just as I was looking. Did she look at me? Why? Is it perhaps because she recalls my face as the one she rejected last Thursday?
D*mn... Just recalling that event is enough for me to feel like crying again. Deep breaths; meditate. Forget about all those things...
"...!"
Just as I was minding my own business, my senses tingled, making me open my eyes in reflex. As soon as I did, I saw the butt of a wooden sword about to crash straight toward my face. Almost by reflex, my right hand moved and caught the handle, stopping the sword from reaching its target, my nose.
I stared at the sword, which contained enough force to cause some serious injuries if it landed. Looking at the direction it came from, the Principal's Son was still in the posture of throwing something. It was definitely his doing, that bastard.
His face, which was covered in a vicious smile just a second ago, quickly turned to surprise before changing to irritation and anger. "You dirty mutt, don't you dare touch my wooden sword!"
"Oh, is this yours?" I asked, acting like I didn't know. I quickly fixed my grip on it, letting the handle face him, before chucking it back with my full force. "Here, catch!"
The wooden sword flew straight, cutting through the wind and creating a loud whistling sound. Just as it was about to reach the Principal's Son, he moved in a panic, trying to catch the sword similar to how I did it. However, he was a millisecond too late. The butt of the sword hit him in the stomach before he could grab the handle.
He fell to one knee, coughing lightly. The hit to his stomach was probably a bit too strong, causing him significant pain. Well, it's his fault for starting it. Just as I was about to return to meditating, his pained voice echoed across the entire stadium, full of anger and even leaking a murderous air.
"Y-You dare... You dare fight against me!!! Don't you know who I am? I am the General's son!!!"
"What? No, I don't know you, sorry. It was nice knowing you, General's Son." I muttered offhandedly, only to realize what I said a second later. Did I just diss him?
As expected, his face turned red in both embarrassment and anger. He gritted his teeth as he waved the wooden sword in his hands, pointing it toward me.
"I challenge you to a duel! Pick up your sword!!!"
"..."
A duel, huh?
That's not too bad to pass the time with, but I think he's somewhere around level 8. Stat-wise, we should be around the same if he also went full STR-AGI build. However, given the speed of his throw earlier and the fact that he wasn't throwing it at his full power, his Strength should be lower than mine.
Let's try and see if he's going to react to my level then.
"Sorry, but I'm just a level 5. I'm afraid I can't give you a proper battle," I said with a slight tinge of sadness in my tone. Of course, it was fake.
As soon as he heard my level, a confident smile appeared on his face. "Level 5? I'm not too far from your level either, so we can have a pretty fair battle!"
Of course, I didn't miss the chuckles from the General's Son's lackeys. They must be thinking that I wouldn't have a chance against him, meaning he should be at least two levels above me. As expected, he must be level 8. By the way, their reaction was pretty natural since, in these times, levels are basically absolute.
When one's level is lower than the other, it'll be impossible for the lower-leveled one to fight against the higher-leveled one. If they fought, it'd just become a one-sided beating in the end.
Just as I was about to accept the match, a pristine but cold voice resounded, reprimanding the other guy.
"Alfred, stop picking on the weak. I know you're upset that you got hurt, but it's your fault for lowering your guard."
...
This woman really has a way with words. In just one breath, she managed to earn the ire of two men at once. I, who was pretty level-headed, managed to reel in the anger from being called "weak" by her, but the General's Son, Alfred, was different.
"Are you f*cking commanding me, b*tch?! Don't be so full of yourself just because you're pretty, or I'll turn that face of yours into trash!"
Ah, he's completely eaten up by his rage. He's probably short-tempered, as he completely forgot that the woman he just cursed at was the one he was trying to woo.
QUEEN frowned after hearing his words. She placed her hand over the wooden sword's handle, hanging at her waist, ready to draw it at any second. At that moment, I raised my voice enough for them to hear clearly.
"I accept the duel! Let's start already, Alfred."
The two of them, together with the six lackeys, turned to me in shock. They probably weren't expecting me to actually accept the duel, given the apparent gap in our levels.
Alfred's expression turned into a vicious smile. His killing intent returned in full, as if he were getting ready to turn me into minced meat with his wooden sword.
QUEEN's eyes flashed a faint trace of pity as she glanced in my direction before she quickly turned around, leaving the other group to visit the nearby medical team. After exchanging a few words, she returned to the middle of us two men and announced.
"I already asked for permission from the medics. Both sides to the middle arena. I'll be acting as the referee for this duel."
Before moving to the middle of the arena, I pulled out my phone and checked the time. There was still half an hour before the practical classes started. I think that's more than enough time.
Before walking to the middle, I went to one side where the weapon rack was, storing various wooden weapons. From there, I tried looking for one that fit my skills, which were more suited to bludgeoning than slashing. In the end, only a thick wooden broadsword fits the bill.
When I picked it up, I was surprised by its lightness. I guess it's hollow in the middle? It's a practice weapon, after all, they would definitely limit the weight to not cause unintentional injuries.
With a weapon in hand, I finally went to the middle arena, where Alfred and QUEEN were already waiting. As soon as I stood at the opposite end, she started relaying the rules of the battle.
"We will be using tournament rules! Intentionally hitting the head, eyes, and genitals is considered a violation and equates to disqualification!"
Tournament rules are pretty fair, after all. But why was the neck removed from the list? Isn't that one of the most delicate parts, where a lot of nerves and blood vessels pass?
"Fainting or surrendering would mean a loss. If I consider the battle over, then it's over. Any attacks after the battle ended would lead to heavy punishments enforced by the school. Both sides, are you ready?"
To answer her question, instead of replying, the two of us just prepared our stances. I, who was used to swinging the weighted scythes, held the wooden broadsword in a low posture, ready to swing it in any direction. Alfred, on the other hand, held his sword up in the air vertically, like he was preparing to release a vertical chop, a pretty common Kendo stance.
Seeing that the two of us were ready, QUEEN raised her hand... And brought it down as she shouted. "Begin!"