Sami found himself in a familiar manhwa situation, where the protagonist is pulled aside by a beautiful girl. He quickly snapped back to reality—it might be fun in stories, but Sami didn't like anyone grabbing his hand or any part of his body. He pulled his hand away roughly and looked at her coldly.
"Who are you? And why are you grabbing people's hands suddenly?!"
The girl looked at him with embarrassment and said in an apologetic tone:
"Ah, sorry about that, I was just excited... I read in your profile that you're a swordsman, and I am too. I just wanted to have a spar with you."
Sami was surprised.
"A spar? Just like that? Do you have any sense of manners, girl?! And also, why me specifically? You can duel anyone else."
The girl blushed slightly before replying: "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to be rude... As for why I chose you... hmm, there's no specific reason. I couldn't decide who to face first among the class students, so I decided to duel the first swordsman to come out."
Sami looked at her in confusion. "Girl, you're really weird, but I don't want to duel anyone." Then he turned his back and continued on his way, but the girl didn't stop following him.
After a few minutes of being ignored, Sami let out a sharp sigh and said irritably: "Why are you following me?! I told you I won't duel you, do you understand?!"
The girl laughed and said: "Ah, sorry, sir, but I'm not following you. I'm just heading to the same place you are—this is the only way to the cafeteria!"
Sami felt embarrassed; he had let his paranoia get the better of him and shouted at a girl he'd just met. This wasn't like him.
"Ah, sorry, Miss... what was your name? I misunderstood you."
"My name is Aasia... yes, Aasia. What's your name?"
Sami looked at her, surprised by how quickly she had become friendly. She didn't seem to see any problem with his coldness; on the contrary, she was smiling. Sami gave in and smiled back, saying: "My name is Sami."
"Oh, Sami then! Well, since we've become friends, will you spar with me now?"
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Since when are we friends in the first place? You're rushing things, girl."
She looked at him, puzzled. "Aren't we?"
Sami couldn't find a response. He wasn't good at conversations, especially with this type of person. "Well..."
Suddenly, she gently slapped his back and said cheerfully: "You're nice after all! Come on, let's go have lunch together."
And so, Sami found himself sitting with a beautiful girl on his second day in the Colosseum. It wasn't what he had expected, but he thought: "Well, who cares?"
While eating, he chatted with Aasia—or rather, she dominated the conversation. He discovered she was a girl who grew up in the clan's coastal suburbs and trained under a skilled sword master. She came to the Colosseum looking for a specific person but didn't give many details. She was more cheerful and energetic than he could handle.
Luckily for him, he spotted someone he knew.
"Ooooy, Niko! Come over here! Nikooooooo!"
Niko stopped in his tracks, puzzled by the behavior of his usually gloomy roommate. He approached cautiously, analyzing the situation.
Sami smiled and said: "Oh, my friend Niko! Sit with us! Oh, sorry, I didn't introduce you. Aasia, this is my friend Niko, a professional swordsman and obsessed with everything sword-related. He stays up all night because of them! I hope he can solve your problem. As for me, I have something to take care of and will be back."
Niko was stunned. He didn't know why Sami had introduced him that way, but the worst part was Sami's quick escape. He turned to Aasia and saw the spark of enthusiasm in her eyes. He didn't fully understand what he had been dragged into, but he realized he wouldn't get out unscathed.
And so, Sami escaped the sparring maniac, but felt a pang of guilt towards Niko. He decided he would make it up to him later.
---
While Sami was on his way back, he saw a strange sight: a forty-year-old man sparring with a nine-year-old child. The scene looked comical, were it not for the child's terrifying skill! Even Sami doubted his chances of surviving against him. The old man was in a completely defensive position.
Suddenly, the man stumbled and fell on his back, while the child continued his strike towards him without realizing what had happened. Sami wasn't interested in saving people, but he didn't want to be a witness in an investigation for this incident, so he quickly intervened and grabbed the child's arm before he could land the blow.
The child looked at him in surprise. "Oh, big brother, why did you stop me all of a sudden? I was just training with uncle."
The old man spoke in a calm tone: "It's alright, young man. It seems he was worried about me. Thank you, what's your name?"
Sami showed no particular reaction.
"I'm Sami."
The old man smiled. "Oh, Sami, how about we talk a little?"
Sami had nothing to do and didn't want to return to his room, so he agreed.
And so, he found himself in the room next to his own, in the company of the oldest Bound he had ever met and also the youngest. They were a strangely contrasting duo.
During their talk, he discovered the man was named "Turtle of the Water" and the boy "Little Eagle"—names given to them by their ordeals. It was strange, but Sami liked it, being a fan of fantasy. Both avoided talking about their pasts, and Sami didn't ask in turn, as he had no right to.
While talking, Sami jokingly said to the old man: "Oh, Turtle of the Water, you said you're a sniper? That's a really rare skill! Imagine if you carried a rifle, you'd be amazing!"
Little Eagle laughed, saying: "Right! I told him the same thing. Uncle would be amazing with a rifle. You get it, brother Sami!"
The old man laughed in turn and said: "Maybe you two are right... but I'm too old to be amazing anymore, unfortunately."
And so, the conversation continued until sunset. Sami bid them farewell, but then remembered he hadn't brought anything to apologize to Niko with. He decided to head to the commercial facility in the Colosseum to buy something suitable.
While browsing, he ran into someone completely unexpected—the Clan Leader's daughter. He approached her, trying to start a casual conversation, but then noticed the shelf she was standing in front of.
The shelf of dramatic and romantic novels.
Sami froze, unsure of what to do. Should he turn back? Or pretend to be dumb?
But the girl noticed him too. As soon as she saw him, her face turned completely red, and she lifted a book in front of her face in a desperate attempt to hide.
Sami thought:
"She's... so cute!"
---