[T/N: 🎉 Shoutout to Tobias Sinkewicius for joining our patreon. Thank you.]
Looking at Kasha's tail gently wagging, it's clear she's in a good mood.
Outside the cave, Harley was playing, bouncing the boar's head like a ball.
"Harley. Let's go back now."
"Moo!"
When Kasha called, Harley ran and stood in front of her.
Kasha got on Harley first and held out her hand to me.
"Hop on."
"Yes! Sister!"
As I held her hand, Kasha lifted me up effortlessly, and I sat behind her. Resting my head on her back, I wrapped my arms around her waist. Kasha's body shook slightly, and her tail wagged, as if she was in a really good mood.
With a quick tap of her foot on Harley's side, Kasha shouted, "Harley! Let's go!"
"Awwooooo!"
Harley howled like a wolf and shot off, racing through the forest. As we sped through the trees, the wide plain beyond began to come into view.
Kasha suddenly held my hand.
"Hey, come up front. I'll show you something fun."
"What is it?"
"Just trust me and hold on tight."
With a firm grip, Kasha pulled me forward, and my body floated as I was lifted in front of her.
"Ahhh!"
"Kyahaha~ Don't worry, I've got you!"
Kasha pulled me close and set me in front of her.
"Stand on Harley!"
"I'm scared!"
"Don't worry! I'll hold you! Hurry up!"
"Alright! I trust you!"
"That's the spirit! Just trust me!"
With trembling legs, I managed to stand up on Harley. Kasha's hands gripped my waist firmly, her strength giving me stability.
"Zeon! Spread your arms!"
"Yes!"
I stood tall, arms wide, chest out, feeling like a cross. It was like that famous scene from the Earth movie 'Titanic,' where the woman spreads her arms at the bow of the ship, but in this case, the roles were reversed.
The wind hit me hard, forcing me to squint my eyes against the rush. Kasha's voice rang out behind me.
"This is for you! Enjoy it! Scream if you like!"
"Woohoo!!!"
Trusting her completely, I screamed in joy, feeling the thrill of the wind and speed.
"Kyahahahaha! Fun, isn't it?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, that's enough. Come back down."
Kasha pulled me back and set me behind her again, as if I weighed nothing.
"Sister, am I really that light?"
"Of course. You're light as a feather."
Soon, we arrived at the academy's main gate. Kasha dismounted first and held out her hand to help me down.
"Sister?"
"Take my hand. I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"Yes! Thank you!"
I took Kasha's hand gently.
Her ears twitched slightly, and I noticed the corners of her mouth twitching up before she quickly concealed it. It seemed like she enjoyed the touch of my hand on her skin.
With her help, I dismounted from Harley safely.
As I walked closer to her, Kasha tilted her head, confused.
"What is it?"
"Bend down for a second."
"Alright."
"It's a gift for my sister!"
I lifted myself on my toes and kissed Kasha's cheek.
Thump thump
Both of Kasha's noses started bleeding again.
"Wow! If you surprise me like that, I'll freak out," Kasha said, covering her nose. But her tail, wagging furiously behind her, told a different story.
As we prepared to part ways, Kasha looked at me with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Hey, when will you have time again? Let's hang out."
"I'm free next Friday or Saturday."
"Okay, then meet me here on Friday at 2 PM."
"Yes! Sister Kasha! I'll be there!"
I beamed and made a heart with my hands.
"Cute! Hmm... See you next time then~"
"Yes~~!"
Kasha stared at me blankly for a moment, before waving as she took Harley into the academy.
As soon as she was out of sight, I spun around, my steps light and excited.
"Haha! Kasha is totally my girl! Hehe!"
Tonight, I'll have to go home and spend some quality time with Aris and Jenny.
---
Time passed, and Monday rolled around.
Today marked the start of the fifth week at the academy.
The semester lasts 16 weeks, and with four weeks already gone, it meant 25% of the semester was behind us.
Though it had only been a short time, it felt like I'd been through so much already.
Every day felt like a battle, and because I gave it my all, I'd gained a lot.
I had taken both Jenny and Aris as my wives, become a lover with Lena, harassed Durin and the assassins, earned the Silver Badge from Jazlyn's Royal Guard, and grown closer to Kasha.
On top of that, I had built relationships with Kazan, Laura, SS silver badge seniors, Karish, Lin, and Libre.
Today, as usual, I walked to the academy holding Aris's hand.
When we passed through the main gate, we noticed a large crowd gathered around the bulletin board in the central square.
"Aris, look at all those people. Do you know what's going on?"
"I have no idea. Shall we check it out?"
"Yeah, let's go."
We squeezed through the crowd and saw a large announcement posted on the bulletin board.
[Academy Martial Arts Competition Announcement!
The most famous martial arts competition in the empire is back, held once every two years!
Only academy students can participate!
There are individual and group exhibitions, with gold, silver, bronze, and cash prizes awarded to the top three winners in each category!
In the individual event, participants will fight one-on-one in the arena.
In the team event, groups of ten will battle to capture the opposing team's flag on a large battlefield.
You can register for both individual and team events, but schedules may overlap, or unforeseen accidents may occur, such as injuries. All participants are responsible for their own well-being.
Schedule: Registration is open until the week before midterms (week 7).
The competition begins in week 9, after midterms.
The finals will be held in week 15, just before the final exams.
Warning: Killing during the competition is strictly prohibited. Any act of murder will result in disqualification and legal punishment.]
Aris excitedly exclaimed, "Zeon! It's the Academy Martial Arts Competition! The biggest competition on the continent!"
"Really? How famous is it?"
"You don't know?"
I tried to recall the novel's plot. There was a brief mention of a martial arts competition, but Aris and Lena were eliminated in the preliminaries. Kasha's team faced Jazlyn's in the semifinals and won, but the novel didn't dwell on the competition's details.
"Could you explain more?"
"This academy draws the most talented individuals from across the continent. The entire empire—and even beyond—pays attention to this competition. We, the students, get to participate, but outsiders will spend enormous amounts on tickets and use all kinds of tactics to influence the outcomes."
'It's like the Olympics or FIFA World Cup on Earth,' I thought.
"What happens if you win?"
"It's huge! Your name will be known across the continent, and after graduation, doors will open for you everywhere. You could even join the Imperial Knights as a special recruit!"
"But what about royals or nobles? They don't need jobs, right?"
"They still compete for family honor. Winning here means you're the strongest of your generation on the continent."
"And it happens every two years, so we'll have another chance when we're in third year?"
"Yep! We're lucky—we get two shots at this!"
As we talked, we walked to our dungeon exploration class. Even in the classroom, the only topic anyone cared about was the martial arts competition.
We sat down next to Kazan.
"Hey, did you guys see the announcement about the competition?"
Kazan asked, as if the answer was obvious.
"Yeah, we saw it."
"So, are you joining?"
"I'm not sure yet."
I'm not exactly a skilled fighter. Relying on luck would be dangerous against talented geniuses.
"Kazan, are you going to enter?"
"I'll give it a shot, but I'm not aiming to win. I just want to see how my skills measure up."
"I see. What about you, Aris?"
Kazan and I turned to her, and Aris shyly looked away before answering.
"Um… I'm going to enter the individual event. I want to see how far my swordsmanship has come."
That was a very Aris-like response.
"I bet you'll win an award. I'll be rooting for you."
"Hehe, thank you. I'll do my best."
If anyone could win, it would be Aris. But with people like Lena and Kasha, it's impossible to say who'll come out on top.
"Alright, class is starting! Put aside your thoughts about the competition and let's focus!"
Before we knew it, Teacher Veronica had entered, signaling the beginning of the lesson. We quickly settled down and focused on class.
.
.
.
After the dungeon exploration class, I parted ways with Kazan and Aris and headed to my magic linguistics class.
Lena, who was already seated, noticed me and greeted me with a playful smile.
"Hehe~ Zeon, welcome~"
As I sat down next to her, she immediately clung to my arm, something that had become her usual way of greeting.
"Did you see the announcement for the martial arts competition, Lena?"
"Of course!"
"Are you going to participate?"
"Hmm, yeah! I'm going to join the solo exhibition!"
"Why do you want to join?"
"My magic skills have improved a lot since we've been… spending time together. I really believe I can take first place this time."
"Are you joining just because you want to win?"
"Ugh… Well, it's not just that..."
"If it's difficult to explain, you don't have to say it."
Lena leaned in close, motioning for me to do the same. I brought my ear toward her as she whispered.
"Actually… I've always been bad at magic. My father and older sister used to ignore me because of it. But if I win first place in this martial arts competition, I'll finally be recognized as a true wizard."
Hearing her confession, I felt a new sense of understanding toward Lena. She always acted confident, but deep down, she carried a lot of insecurities.
I smiled at her and said warmly, "If it's you, I know you can win."
"Huh? You're not upset?"
"Why would I be upset?"
"Because I've been pretending all this time that I was good at magic."
"I never saw it that way. I've always believed in your potential. You can become the greatest wizard on the continent, Lena."
At my words, her eyes began to glisten with emotion.
"Zeon…"
Without hesitation, Lena wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I gently stroked her head, comforting her until the teacher arrived to start the class.
'If both Lena and Aris enter the individual competition, they might face each other. I wonder who would win...'
I couldn't deny that I was curious. But the thought of seeing the two of them compete was something I decided to leave for the future, a surprise to savor.
---
After class, Lena and I walked hand-in-hand toward the clubroom.
"Hehe~ Zeon~ Do you want to play with me today?" she asked in a teasing voice, her excitement clear.
But before I could respond, we were interrupted.
"Zeon! There you are!" came a familiar voice, followed by rapid footsteps.
Panting and out of breath, Silver Badge Gopi ran up to us. Lena's expression immediately darkened, her dislike for Gopi evident.
Gopi glanced between Lena and me but chose to ignore her as he delivered his message.
"Zeon. Jazlyn has called for a meeting of all gold and silver badge holders to prepare for the martial arts competition. You're expected to be there as well."
Lena tightened her grip on my clothes, clearly displeased at the sudden interruption. However, Jazlyn's orders couldn't be ignored. I sighed inwardly, knowing I'd have to part with Lena for now.
"I'll be back soon," I reassured her gently.
Lena reluctantly let go of my sleeve, her pout barely hidden. Gopi, oblivious to the tension, hurriedly led me toward the meeting, leaving Lena behind.
[🥳Check out my new fanfics— JJK Kaleidoscope: Divine Power Of Mangekyō, Naruto: Playing Minecraft In Konoha, Fairy Tale: With Sin Of Pride.]
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