That day’s class seemed ordinary at first glance, but the students’ attitudes were somehow different.
Their expressions seemed more animated than usual.
As the bell signaling the end of the morning classes rang, the students rushed off somewhere en masse.
The place the mob of students ran to was none other than the sparring arena.
Like the banquet hall, the sparring arena was only opened under the Chancellor’s approval, during special events or graduation exams.
The students who rushed to the arena spared no effort to secure the best seats, engaging in verbal disputes and even minor scuffles.
Students who had tickets on hand entered the entrance calmly, while those without tickets were causing a commotion at the ticket booth in front of the arena.
If it had been a regular sparring session for the freshmen, it wouldn’t have drawn this much attention.
Our year’s freshmen sparring only gained attention because of Ilina.
As a reference, Ilina had sparred against a third-year student during the freshman sparring and won.
Even then, it caused quite a stir in the Academy. This time, it was even bigger.
No less than Ilina Frost, the top of the third year, was going to spar against Princess Helena, the freshmen representative.
Both are scions of esteemed families renowned for producing exceptional mages.
It was bound to be an incredible match.
The students wouldn’t let such an opportunity pass.
The arena was quickly filled.
Despite boasting a considerable size befitting the Academy’s facilities, the arena couldn’t accommodate all the students.
Ultimately, those who couldn’t get tickets had no choice but to watch indirectly through magic transmission devices.
Reeti had been busy running around trying to get a ticket…
“Still, here I am….”
I stared blankly at the ceiling of the waiting room.
The stage at the center of the sparring arena, beneath which lay the waiting area.
In the waiting room, students preparing for their spars were in attendance.
A sharp tension flowed between the freshmen challengers and their senior opponents.
The waiting room was filled with palpable nervousness.
The most relaxed presence there was none other than…
“-Yawn… When is it starting?”
Lily, sprawled lazily on my chest, was stretching her jaw in a wide yawn.
Lily looked especially exhausted.
“-Did you not get enough sleep?
-Not really? I got plenty of sleep. What makes you say that?”
Lily’s rebuttal was dubious at a glance.
Clearly, she wouldn’t be this tired under normal circumstances…
Did she push herself too hard?
But I couldn’t bring myself to press her too much since I had secrets of my own from Lily.
Instead of interrogating her, I gently stroked her hair.
“-I’ll wake you up before the spars start. Rest for a while.
-Umm… don’t touch me…
-I’m fine.
-Well, if you say so…”
Lily closed her eyes peacefully and curled up against my body like a furry bundle.
Her current appearance, resembling a large ball of fur, made me chuckle involuntarily.
While stroking Lily’s head and passing time, the first sparring match began.
There was a magic transmission device set up inside the waiting room, enabling the waiting participants to watch the match.
After maintaining a certain distance, the two combatants readied themselves.
The moment the bell rang to signal the start, magic incantations were cast immediately.
After a few exchanges, the match was quickly decided.
Needless to say, the victory went to the senior.
In reaction to the outcome, the expressions of the onlookers in the waiting room changed.
The freshmen appeared more tense, while the seniors nodded as though expecting this result.
The stage, turned into a chaotic scene by magic, was instantly restored by the power of magic.
The next participants made their way to the stage.
My turn was the fourth.
All I had to do was remain calm and wait.
During the second match,
Someone approached me.
“Hello, Senior.”
Turning my head, I saw Dennis Fusancer.
“Yeah, hi Dennis.”
“Are you ready?”
“Of course, already done a while ago.”
Dennis’ gaze fell on my chest.
“…What’s that?”
He was referring to Lily.
“My summoned creature.”
“…What is it exactly?”
“Creature? It’s a cat.”
“…Eh?”
Dennis, who had been staring blankly at Lily, broke into laughter.
“Pfft… Sorry.”
The laughter in his voice and the emotion in Dennis’ eyes were something I recognized all too well.
I knew that look well from my days in the orphanage and even after coming to the Academy—an expression of disdain.
It had diminished in frequency after the ‘Louis’ fountain incident’, so it felt a bit refreshing to see it again.
“Are you going to fight with that cat?”
“Yeah, what’s the problem?”
“No, there’s no problem…”
While waving his hands, Dennis had a smirk on his face.
‘…Maybe I should have just let her punish him?’
For a moment, I reconsidered whether Lily’s punishment had been justified.
Her face was strangely infuriating.
Now I understood why she was participating in this sparring match.
‘She really doesn’t have much sense…?’
I hadn’t expected it to be this level.
Just as Dennis was about to open his mouth again,
“That cat’s not something to be underestimated, you know?”
Someone approached from behind Dennis, causing him to turn around in surprise.
Seeing the person, I felt my body stiffen.
“Hello, Senior.”
A raven-haired female student bowed her head to me. It was Callisa.
Seeing her in the waiting room suggested Callisa had also acquired a sparring partner.
“I apologize for grabbing you at the welcoming party for the freshmen. I was in a rush that time…”
After apologizing to me, Callisa turned her head sharply and glared at Dennis.
“Dennis, your attitude here isn’t quite something to show to a senior, isn’t it?”
“What? What are you talking about? It’s none of your business. Who are you to say anything?”
“Me? I know Arthur Senior.”
“What—”
“Arthur Senior~”
Callisa stepped quickly up to me, grabbed my hand, and lifted it.
“My next turn is coming up next. Could you cheer for me?”
“Eh… My turn is after yours, so I’ll be waiting here.”
“Even from the waiting room, it would be a big help if you cheered for me.”
“G-got it…”
It felt inappropriate to decline with Dennis watching from behind, so I eventually accepted.
To ‘cheer’ meant, well… just watching on the transmission device and saying “good job” once would suffice.
Anything more would likely cause Lily to give me strange looks.
Smiling gently at my response, Callisa prepared to leave, saying she would go to the stage.
“You, what is this—”
“Dennis.”
Cutting off Dennis’ awkward words, Callisa turned around to face him.
“Let me warn you—disrespecting that cat could get you killed.”
“Huh! As if I’d be defeated by a mere cat—”
“Well, consider it a warning.”
Ignoring Dennis’ retort cleanly, Callisa exited the waiting room.
As Callisa walked away, Dennis muttered to himself with clear discontent.
“Ugh… Someday… Seriously…”
The occasional muttering wasn’t pleasant to hear.
After sparing me a glance, Dennis gave a casual bow and moved away from me, mumbling.
‘Geez… Such energetic juniors.’
While musing this, I scratched my neck. Then, I felt movement inside my coat.
The bundle of fur that had been stirring stretched itself out and returned to its feline form.
“-Arthur.”
The tone of Lily’s voice was slightly subdued.
Could it be she’d been awake this whole time?
“-Is something wrong?”
After staring intently at me, Lily casually tossed out a single word.
“-Pet me.”
“-Huh?”
“-Pet me, Arthur.”
I presented both of my hands toward Lily, and she began licking my fingers.
The rough tongue, characteristic of cats, grazing my fingers,
“-Guh… It tickles, Lily.”
But Lily ignored my protests and carefully licked each finger as if cleaning something.
Her manner was as though she were removing dirt.
“-Lily?”
“-Let’s go to the restroom.”
“-Huh?”
Making eye contact with me while repeating her earlier statement,
“-Let’s go to the restroom.”
“-…Understood.”
Though her voice wasn’t loud, the pressure was palpable.
Standing up from my seat, I entered the restroom inside the waiting room.
Lily immediately transformed into her human form.
Lily extended her arms toward me.
“Come here, Arthur.”
I quietly nestled into Lily’s embrace.
Lily patted my back.
“Mmm… Lily?”
“I thought you might be nervous. So, I wanted to put you at ease before the sparring match.”
Apparently, she wasn’t upset.
Lily lifted my chin with her hand to make me look up.
There, I saw a piece of chocolate held in her hand.
“What is this?”
“You were here early and didn’t have lunch, right? I thought something like this might help, and chocolate is also good for calming nerves.”
Lily’s thoughtful act warmed my heart.
“Thank you, Lily.”
“For someone as close as you, this is nothing.”
Lily extended the chocolate toward me.
I quietly opened my mouth.
Then,
“…”
Lily alternated her gaze between the chocolate and my mouth, appearing to deliberate, when suddenly,
“Mmm.”
“…Huh?”
Lily had tossed the chocolate into her own mouth.
Watching her action dumbfounded, I shivered with a sudden premonition.
“Lily, surely you aren’t—”
Lily grinned.
At the same time, a voice resounded in my head.
“-Open your mouth.”
“…Are you serious?”
In response to my question, Lily’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“-…Don’t you want to eat?”
Her reaction was akin to that of a wounded kitten.
Given that response, how could I possibly refuse?
Hesitatingly, I opened my mouth.
Lily approached without delay.
Melted chocolate flowed into my mouth.
It reminded me somewhat of yesterday’s toothbrushing session, but there was one difference.
…Slurp… Swallow… Slurp…
The process didn’t conclude in an instant.
The combination of chocolate and Lily’s saliva offered sweetness beyond imagination, causing my mind to go blank.
After the kiss, Lily licked the chocolate off my lips.
Eventually, she withdrew her body and began licking the chocolate around her own mouth, wearing a satisfied smile.
“Are you relaxed now?”
“…I’m relaxed, but now my heart is racing in a different way.”
“Let me check~”
Lily placed her hand on my chest.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
“Indeed. It’s beating very fast.”
Lily’s smile deepened.
Apparently, my reaction pleased her.
Even though I was in a daze due to our previous actions,
Lily embraced me from behind and patted my back in a regular rhythm, which gradually calmed my heartbeat.
“Shall we head out now?”
Holding Lily close as a cat, I exited the restroom, only to hear the students’ cries.
“Wow!”
“What is that?”
Curious, I moved toward the source of the sound, spotting students gathered in front of the transmission device.
They were exclaiming in awe, regardless of whether they were freshmen or seniors.
Wondering what it could be, I glanced at the screen, and couldn’t help but exclaim,
“Wow…”
The situation demanded nothing less than wonder.
The transmission device was showing the current sparring stage.
The place was utter chaos.
Magics of all kinds were swirling around like a storm.
Or rather, it wasn’t accurate to say they were swirling.
One-sided attacks were continuously being launched.
This was no longer what one might call a “spar.”
It was outright violence.
Magic was launched in batches of five or six at once while the opponent barely held on with a protective barrier.
What was even more astonishing was that the student launching these attacks was a freshman.
Unlike the earlier spars where the seniors were on the defensive, this freshman was aggressively pressing their senior.
Inspecting the freshman carefully, I couldn’t help but give a hollow laugh.
The reason was none other than,
“…Callisa?”
The student unleashing a rapid barrage of magic, her dark blue eyes glowing, was none other than Callisa.
She who had once seemed like a quiet literature enthusiast or a scholar was displaying an entirely different image.
“Such a monster…”
A familiar voice came from beside me. Turning my head slightly, I saw Dennis staring at the transmission device.
With a frightened expression, he gazed at the magical storm unfolding on the screen.
At that moment, I overheard a murmur among the freshmen.
“Indeed, the second seat is different.”
I was astonished by those words.
Was Callisa the second-ranked freshman following Princess Helena?
Amazed, I stared at the transmission device as if it would crack from my gaze. Realizing my mistake, I lowered my head to check on Lily.
If I stared too much, Lily would definitely dislike it—
…Huh?
The Lily nestled in my embrace was gazing vacantly at the transmission device.
A voice resounded in my mind.
“-This can’t be…”
Lily? Is something wrong?”
Seemingly regaining her composure in response to my question, Lily lifted her head and looked at me.
“-A familiar presence emanates from that girl.
-Familiar presence?”
In response to my question, Lily nodded.
“-Cath’gua. The ruler of Ynchai.
-It’s one of the Great Old Ones.”
