[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 6: Picking Fights Like Breathing
The Iron Wall of the Greatsword.
Aisha Bizvel.
A first-year student, hailed as the top talent in Martial Arts Studies.
And now, this very person is kneeling in front of me, head bowed low.
“S-Sorry! I didn’t know anyone was there.”
The enormous sword that nearly split me in half.
It was a greatsword Aisha had accidentally thrown.
I was stunned at first, but I’ve calmed down now that some time has passed.
On the other hand, Aisha still seemed flustered, probably because she almost hit someone with a weapon.
“It’s fine. You can get up. I’m not hurt.”
First, I need to calm her down.
If the others see her like this, who knows what they’ll say.
But Aisha stayed rooted to the spot, still bowing deeply.
“I’m so sorry. Feel free to contact me if there’s any problem, and I’ll cover all the costs. Truly, I’m very sorry.”
Was Aisha always this apologetic?
In the game, the narrative revolved around Lucas, so I didn’t get to know the personalities of the underclassmen in detail.
“Really, it’s okay. I’m completely fine. But how did you end up throwing your sword?”
At my question, Aisha flinched noticeably.
Curious, I raised an eyebrow.
Is there some embarrassing story behind this?
But Aisha, seemingly unwilling to hide things from someone she almost injured, answered while still bowing.
“Well, you see... I was doing windmill spins and lost my grip.”
Her next words made me blink.
Windmill.
So, Aisha was spinning her greatsword around in circles.
True to her “Iron Wall of the Greatsword” image, she always exuded a heavy, stoic vibe.
But imagining her yelling “Spinning Whirlwind!” while twirling around...
Honestly, it cracked me up a little.
‘That does sound fun.’
Spinning something around wildly has a primal kind of joy.
Though usually, that’s a pastime people outgrow as kids.
Judging by how red her ears are, Aisha’s fully aware of how silly this sounds.
She buried her face deeper, like a rabbit diving into its burrow.
“C-Could I ask you to keep this a secret?”
“That’s not hard, but...”
Come to think of it, Aisha is only 17.
A high schooler—a time when people randomly engage in silly antics.
And also a time when they’re old enough to feel embarrassed about it afterward.
With that in mind, it made perfect sense.
“Oh, right.”
An idea suddenly came to me.
I almost called her by name but caught myself.
It wouldn’t make sense to know her name already.
I should be careful.
“What’s your name?”
“Aisha Bizvel. I’m a first-year student.”
Feigning ignorance is harder than I thought.
“I’m Hannon Irey. I transferred in as a second-year yesterday.”
“You’re my senior!”
“You’ve been at the academy longer, Aisha. Feels like you’re the senior here.”
“M-Me, a senior?”
She didn’t seem to mind the idea, her eyes darting around with a slight blush.
Kind of cute.
If it weren’t for the massive greatsword stuck in the ground beside her, that is.
“Do you train every morning, Aisha?”
“Ah, yes, it’s part of my routine.”
Diligent as ever.
Rain or shine, Aisha trains here every morning.
Knowing this, I gave her a smile.
“Would you mind if I joined your training?”
“Join my training?”
“Yeah, I’d like to build up my skills a bit.”
In Flame Butterfly, there’s a concept called stats.
These increase naturally through repeated actions or mastery of certain skills.
Sadly, no matter how much I focus, I can’t see any kind of stat window in front of me.
I’ve tried yelling for every kind of system window imaginable.
Nothing appeared.
‘Well, this is reality now.’
I’ve accepted there’s no visible stat screen.
But I’m convinced the concept of stats still exists here.
I verified this before transferring to the academy through several incidents.
‘Repeated actions and skill mastery do increase stats.’
My body can feel the difference even if I can’t see them.
‘In a way, this is just like real life.’
I had to draw out her emotions by any means necessary.
“Then what are you to Lucas?”
Isabel froze.
“A sibling? Or maybe... a lover?”
“...A friend.”
She glared at me, as if daring me to challenge her answer.
I said nothing.
I simply gave her a look of disdain.
“Birds of a feather, huh.”
Whoosh!
That’s when I noticed Isabel’s fist right in front of my face.
The breeze from her punch gently stirred my hair.
She’s unbelievably fast.
I’ve trained in hand-to-hand combat for a long time, but I could barely track her movements with my eyes.
She was among the top students in the second-year Combat Arts class.
Her movements were well beyond human limits.
“I warned you.”
Isabel’s voice was low and menacing.
“Don’t you dare insult Lucas again.”
I quietly stared at her fist.
Had it connected, I’d probably be sprawled on the ground by now.
This was her final warning.
“Then prove it.”
I lightly tapped her fist away and glared at her.
“Prove that your friend’s strength and sacrifice weren’t in vain.”
Isabel slowly lowered her fist.
A quiet determination burned in her eyes.
“The upcoming mock battle.”
She referred to the upcoming test.
“I’ll crush you into a pulp there. Let’s see if you’ll still say the same thing.”
Typical Isabel.
Even in her fury, she chose to settle things in the mock battle rather than here.
No matter how angry she was, she wouldn’t recklessly throw punches outside of a proper setting—her kindness shining through.
“Just so you know, Lucas was far stronger than someone like me.”
I watched Isabel’s retreating figure in silence.
Then I exhaled deeply.
Man, that was exhausting.
I’d kept my face so tense that it felt stiff.
‘More importantly, the mock battle.’
It was right around the corner.
All I could do was laugh dryly.
‘I guess I’ll have to accelerate my plans.’
Otherwise, I’ll end up being humiliated by Isabel.
“Um, excuse me...”
That’s when I remembered Aisha was still there.
“Oh, sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
Contrary to my serious demeanor earlier, I apologized so easily that Aisha seemed disoriented by the difference.
“Are you... not on good terms with Isabel?”
Aisha asked cautiously.
It seemed she was well aware of Isabel’s reputation as a prominent figure among the second-year Combat Arts students.
“Pretty much.”
It’s complicated.
“Hmm... Sounds like there’s more to the story.”
“If you feel like this is too much trouble, you don’t have to help with my training.”
I had no intention of causing unnecessary trouble while training.
But Aisha shook her head firmly.
“No way! I made a promise, and I always keep my promises!”
She was a remarkable young woman.
Aisha fidgeted with her fingers, her tall frame slightly hunched.
“Besides, I don’t think you’d act without reason, Senior.”
“How would you know? You barely know me.”
“Women’s intuition.”
I prefer edible intuition.
“Well, then, I’ll be counting on you for training, Aisha.”
“Of course!”
“Now... could you stand up, maybe?”
“Ah.”
Aisha shot to her feet, her face turning bright red.
Standing tall, she dusted off her knees, which had been pressed against the ground.
For a moment, her collar shifted, drawing attention elsewhere, but I quickly diverted my gaze downward.
Her knees were red and raw.
She must’ve stayed kneeling for a long time.
“So, um... Senior, when do we start training?”
Aisha’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, her breathing slightly intense.
...Did I make the wrong choice?
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