The arena hummed with the battle's aftermath, the crowd's faint murmur fading as the last match concluded. I stood there with Putri, reflecting on our fight. The intensity of the sparring still buzzed in my chest, but it wasn't the kind of exhilaration one might expect. Instead, it felt like something had shifted—a thread of connection, faint but undeniable, linking me to her.
"That was a pretty good battle," I said, offering her a nod of approval.
She met my gaze with a smirk that teetered on the edge of playful and cynical. "Isn't it just you who stands out here?"
Her words threw me off. I didn't think I'd done anything extraordinary. Sure, I held back, but didn't everyone? "What do you mean? Don't tell me you're still stuck on the match."
She tilted her head, her expression softening into something almost amused. "Haven't you noticed? You didn't use your power at all."
Oh. That. "Well," I replied, scratching the back of my neck, "you didn't use all your abilities either, right?"
"This is just a practice match," she shrugged. "I wasn't going all out. But now you've made me curious—what's your power?"
Her question hung in the air. I hesitated. Sharing my power was a line I rarely crossed. Too many people could use that knowledge against me.
"I'm... not exactly comfortable talking about it."
"That's fine," she said simply. "I don't like being forced either."
Her response took me by surprise. Most people would push, try to pry it out of me, but she didn't. That simple act of respect chipped away at my hesitation. It was strange—my cautious instincts usually roared at the thought of trusting anyone. Yet, for some reason, they were oddly silent around her.
"Well," I began, cautiously choosing my words, "No, no. That's not what I meant. I'll tell you. My power doesn't work against witches. That's why I couldn't use it in our fight."
Her eyes widened, her usually calm demeanor cracking for a moment. "Really? That's... unexpected."
For some reason, she looked very surprised when she heard about my power. Is a power that affects other people's abilities that rare? I don't think so.
"Sorry. It's just that I find it hard to believe what I heard. You said that you thought we were similar before, right?"
"I guess you could say that."
"Then to be fair, I'll tell you my power. And just so you know, I have never used my Special Magic at all. So maybe you're the first person to hear this directly from me."
How did she get into this class without using her Special Magic? For me is a little bit special so I cannot compare it to her, but from our previous fight, she was already quite impressive even without her Special Magic, so maybe because of that.
She paused, then seemed to make a decision. "My Special Magic is called
The words hit me like a gust of wind. ? That wasn't just any power—it was the kind of ability that could turn the tide of battle in an instant. As she explained, I realized just how formidable it was. She could absorb existing magic and release it at will, though the process drained her mana. A power like that was rare, even among S-class mages.
Although not the same, the similarity was so uncanny that it gave me chills. How can our similarities be, the more you tell the story, the higher it gets.
Her power could indeed make her the strongest in her class. We both could be defeated by different types of Power.
What kind of similarity is this? She is almost like another version of me, in a female form. I wonder what other similarities we have.
"Heh~," I said casually, masking my awe. "That's an incredible power."
Putri tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not too surprised?"
"Oh, sorry. I guess this exchange of information isn't very balanced." She became more confused by my words.
In Esper Side, there are several people known for their copy-paste skills like, so my power is not fully special even though it is still rare. Even so, my power if it is not because side effects will become the strongest compared to the same copy-like skill.
In Magic. People use different types of magic circles so you cannot completely construct the same perfectly. But what Putri's Special magic is doing is that you absorb them. This can apply for defense because it is absorbed and it can become a weapon by releasing it. That is super overpower.
I only mentioned the type of my power, but she revealed her secret power. I guess it's okay if she hears it.
The longer I talked to her, the more my trust grew. Is there some kind of bond-forming? Even now, I didn't hesitate to tell her my power.
"My power is
Her expression shifted from surprise to shock, and then to something I couldn't quite place. "So, you're... the strongest?"
"You're not wrong," I said with a laugh. "But don't get too impressed. There are still limits, just like your ability."
Her lips curved into a faint smile, the kind that made it hard to tell whether she was amused or intrigued. "Our similarities are terrifying," she remarked. "I'm starting to wonder—are you my doppelganger?"
I chuckled, the tension easing. "That would be scary, wouldn't it? I don't want to die just yet."
The legend of the doppelganger flickered in my mind. They said everyone had a double somewhere in the world, and if you ever met them, one of you would perish. It was a grim thought, but her calm demeanor turned it into something almost humorous.
We stood there, a quiet understanding passing between us. For the first time in a long while, I felt... connected. Like I'd found someone who understood the weight of power and the cautious dance of trust.
"You two seem quite close, don't you?" Mr. Alan's voice cut through our moment. He approached us, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Oh, Mr. Alan," I said, startled. I glanced around, realizing we were still in the middle of the arena. The other students were making their way down from the stands, gathering at the edges for what looked like a group evaluation.
Mr. Alan gestured for us to join the others. "Come on. Let's wrap this up."
As the class settled, Mr. Alan stood at the center, his gaze sweeping over us. "Alright. You all fought well. More or less, I know what's lacking and what's strong about each of you. For starters, for some reason, the matches didn't look good to me."
I somewhat agreed with this because I didn't particularly enjoy the short match earlier. Even though in a real fight, you wouldn't want to be in a long battle. Well, even though I said that I also couldn't deny the fact that my match wasn't very long either.
"What I can conclude from this is... you all underestimated this trial!"
All the students seemed slightly shaken by the reality Mr. Alan just stated. My ears also felt a bit sore because I hadn't given my all either.
Because there were no rewards, it wasn't very beneficial, or it didn't matter to us. Some might think that way and not take it seriously. Maybe some also thought it was just a practice match, which included myself.
"I think only about six people took this seriously. In the first match, both of them were serious. Even though Nick didn't get a chance to use his other magic."
It was apparent that the two people in the back were pleased with the praise. They high-fived with smiles on their faces.
"Next is the second match, they also went all out. Even though you didn't see them fight, I watched with my power, and based on their movements, they were serious."
The runner seemed happy about that. Meanwhile, when I looked at Lucia, our eyes met. She immediately looked away.
I felt like... terrible. Is my face weird? I thought she was just a shy person who wasn't used to others. Maybe I should try to get to know my classmates better to avoid any misunderstandings.
"The next match was the last one. Putri seemed quite serious about the fight and Naozumi did his best despite not using his power. Even though they held back a bit, their fight was 'decent'."
It's not that I wasn't trying to be serious. I think others felt the same. Besides, how can I be serious? I don't want to feel hurt.
"Perhaps some of you have your reasons. For instance, Alysha, who might seriously damage the arena if she goes all out, and Chris, whose power isn't centered on combat, or others." Mr. Alan sighed heavily.
Are we really that disappointing? I didn't think we were that bad.
"I'm not saying you have to use your full power. But at least I want you to be motivated."
Is this a coincidence or what? Somehow, Mr. Alan always answers what I'm thinking. If it's true, I want to ask when we can leave.
"Huh~, maybe because this is your first lesson on battle simulation, it can be excused. I wish the school started this from the first year... Anyway, next week I will truly train you properly!"
I once read an article that this school's curriculum would emphasize the first year and up to the mid-second year, after which they would focus on the school's specialties: Skill and Magic.
Maybe it would be better if I increased my knowledge of regular lessons and relaxed the rest of the time. Yup, let's do that.
"Now I understand what the other battle simulation teachers said about being a teacher of class XI. You can go home now." Mr. Alan seemed to feel dizzy thinking about us. He held his head and bowed slightly, looking unenthusiastic.
Although it was a bit disheartening to hear this, I couldn't deny his words.
By the way, I also wonder what the other battle simulation teachers were talking about.
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