After the inter-grade competition award ceremony had wrapped up, I noticed two distinct changes.
The first change was the way other students looked at me. It was different now. Before, most students gave me side-eye glances that could peel paint, but not anymore. While there were still a few lingering jerks like Cain Hover who seemed to hate me on principle, the majority of students didn’t view me as negatively as before.
In fact, the public opinion about me had improved significantly. I was now the golden boy who helped the first-year students secure their unprecedented first-place victory in the inter-grade competition. There were even people who treated me like a hero just because this historic first-place win happened in their grade.
The second change was more personal and surprising.
“Alright, I’ll go ahead!”
“Huh? You’re leaving already?”
“Yep, I’ve got stuff to do later.”
And poof, Cynthia was gone—again.
Ever since the award ceremony, Cynthia had been conspicuously avoiding everyone in our group. Even though we’d all planned to eat dinner together after class, she always had some “urgent business” that came up. Whenever she wasn’t forced to stick around by circumstances (like during class), she went out of her way to distance herself from us. And even when we were together, she barely talked—not something you’d ever expect from Cynthia, who was usually the life of our little quartet.
“Hey, c’mon, at least have dinner with us today.”
“…Sorry! It’s an emergency!”
She practically bolted out of the room after saying that, leaving me, Elaine, and Emily speechless as her purple hair disappeared around the corner. I thought we’d all grow closer after going through the competition together, but nope. Instead, things with Cynthia had gotten weirder. Meanwhile, I found myself becoming closer to Emily.
“Why is she acting like this?”
“Well…”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Absolutely not. Emily hasn’t done anything wrong,” Elaine quickly reassured her.
Emily’s quiet muttering drew a fast response from Elaine, but personally, I wasn’t surprised by how long this had dragged on. I already had a vague inkling that Cynthia might feel guilty because she hadn’t played her part well in the competition. What shocked me was how long it was lasting. It had been over a week since the competition ended, and even the buzz among students about it had started to d*e down.
“Well, today I was actually looking forward to dinner with Cynthia…”
“Hmm, we could still go without her…”
As Elaine trailed off, I was about to resign myself to another evening of the three of us eating dinner together when suddenly, someone called my name from behind.
“Ryu?”
“Yeah?”
I turned, expecting nothing special—and froze. That voice. It carried so much hostility that it made me want to throw up my lunch. Slowly, I turned around—and there stood Cain Hover, smirking like a cat who thought he’d caught a canary.
Cain was leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed, looking like the very image of arrogance. But his eyes were filled with pure, unfiltered hatred. Why does this guy always show up out of nowhere like a bad afterschool special villain?
“A duel,” Cain declared flatly. “I challenge you.”
“A duel? Out of nowhere?”
“I’m going to expose every dirty trick you used to cheat your way through both the entrance exam and the inter-grade competition.”
“…”
Honestly, his accusations didn’t even warrant a response. On the first day of school, I slapped him around a bit to shut him up, and ever since, he looked at me like I was a personal demon who killed his entire family.
“Do you even want to duel?”
“Don’t run away! If you do, it’ll only prove you cheated.”
“That’s probably what you think.”
Cain’s lips twitched angrily, and he struggled to think of a comeback but failed miserably. He may have been human, but he obviously hadn’t paid attention to the fact that the current atmosphere at the academy was very pro-me. After all, the first-year students winning in the inter-grade competition was kind of a big deal.
“Look, why don’t you just give up? You’ll just end up unconscious again like last time.”
“Graaaah! SHUT UP!”
Suddenly, flames burst into existence in Cain’s hands without warning, startling Elaine, Emily, and me.
“Whoa, danger level skyrocketing!” Elaine instinctively drew her sword and stepped back while Emily nervously hovered behind her. Meanwhile, I sighed inwardly, thoroughly annoyed.
“Dude, really? Not today.”
Cain stood there, his hands wreathed in flames, glaring at me like I’d personally destroyed his favorite toy as a toddler. I had other things to worry about—like why Cynthia kept avoiding us—and this guy picking a fight was just the cherry on top of a crummy day.
Clearly, someone needed to learn the meaning of humility. Again.
“You started it,” I said coolly.
“Heh. Took you long enough to grow a spine.”
Cain stretched out his hand toward me, his smug grin returning. Naturally, Elaine saw the impending danger and instinctively gave me that “step back” gesture, positioning herself slightly in front of me. As I took a step forward, I felt my patience wearing thin. Normally, I’d have stopped the fight early with a light slap, but today called for something stronger.
“You won’t get lucky twice.”
“Last time was dumb luck on your part. This time, you’ll eat dirt.”
With that, Cain’s flames surged, forming not one, but three fiery birds. Clearly, this wasn’t the crude, shapeless thing I remembered from the first day. These birds were intricately formed, much better than before.
“You’ll burn for this!”
The firebirds lunged toward me, flapping their wings and creating enough heat that I could feel it from a distance. Yep, definitely stronger than last time.
As the fiery trio charged, a plan took shape in my mind. How could I humiliate Cain the most and ensure he felt exactly how beneath me he was?
Simple: I wouldn’t dodge. I’d take him head-on and obliterate his attack.
Without much effort, I summoned magic to my hand, crafting it effortlessly. A swirling blade of wind emerged, faster and sharper than Cain’s pathetic firebirds. In a blink, the blades of wind shot forward, slicing through the firebirds like a hot kn*fe through butter.
“Wha…what…!”
The firebirds shattered midair like popped balloons, disappearing with a faint pop. Cain stumbled back, shocked at the destruction of his so-called “power move.” Watching him sputter and panic, it was obvious this guy seriously lacked combat experience. When his ultimate strike fails—and he has no idea what to do next—that’s a dead giveaway.
No need for dramatic teleports this time. Before Cain could react, I closed the distance and went after him in a single leap. He instinctively crossed his flaming hands in front of him, probably thinking the flames would protect him.
Wrong.
I shot a concentrated burst of wind at his hands, extinguishing the flames instantly. Caught off-guard, Cain flailed desperately as I raised my fist for the finishing blow. He lifted his arms to shield his face—another telltale sign of unprepared novices.
And with that, I landed a solid punch to his gut with the opposite hand.
“Grrghhh!” Cain crumbled to the ground, clutching his stomach, wheezing and coughing.
This time, I hit him a little harder than my usual “one-punch rule.” The satisfying thud confirmed that my punch had landed perfectly. No internal injuries, just raw agony.
Coughing and groaning, Cain lay sprawled out on the floor. His pain was almost hilarious at first, but after a while, a twinge of guilt bubbled up.
“You should’ve backed down earlier.”
“Cough… Ughhh…”
Ignoring my attempt at chivalry, Cain swatted away my extended hand. He was breathing heavily, glaring daggers through gritted teeth. Serves him right.
“Ryu, maybe you hit him a bit too hard,” Elaine interjected, breaking the awkward silence.
“Probably,” Emily admitted after a pause.
Even they agreed that I might have pushed it. Oh well.
“Oh, and before I forget, everyone: let’s give it up for Cain Hover, the guy who gets knocked out in every fight he picks.”
With that, I grabbed Elaine and Emily and left Cain to nurse his bruised ego alone. After all, if anyone needs time alone to cry in private, it’s Cain Hover.
