A sharp, commanding voice cut through the chaos of the crowd—
and just like that, the noisy students froze.
Silence swallowed the field whole.
A female teacher forced her way through the gathered students,
nearly tripping over fallen rubble before she finally stepped out into the open,
stopping right in front of Slasth.
The raging flames surrounding him slowly faded,
along with every ounce of his confidence.
He sighed, frustrated.
"...Great. This turned into a mess. What is it, Ms. Muyagura?"
The woman—dressed in a black suit and stockings, her emerald-green eyes blazing with fury—looked far from calm.
Her hair, a fiery orange-blonde, swayed as she glared at him with disbelief. She was beautiful, like a woman in her prime—but every motion she made was filled with restrained anger.
"M–Ms. Muya…gura…" Ao's weak, rasping voice escaped his lips,prompting the dwarf-orc holding him down to release him in panic.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she snapped, voice echoing across the field.
"Calm down, Teach. We were just sparring for fun, that's all,"
Slasth said casually, his smirk doing nothing but fuel her anger further.
"For fun?!" she yelled. "That spell could kill someone! and You call that fun!?"
"Damn it… this got out of hand," Slasth muttered under his breath.
"What was that!?" Muyagura caught it instantly, narrowing her eyes.
"Nothing, ma'am. Nothing at all—"
"He interfered in the duel," Ao interrupted, his voice low and hoarse.
"What!?" Muyagura snapped her gaze toward Slasth.
"Is that true, Slasth-kun!?"
"I set the rules. One-on-one. But when that bastard passed out,
the orc ambushed me from behind," Ao growled, clenching his jaw.
"You didn't respect the rules, did you, Slasth!?"
Muyagura's tone grew sharper, emotion flaring.
"C'mon now—let's just call it a draw, alright?" Slasth tried to laugh it off.
"Draw my ass! You passed out! The winner is me!"
"I wasn't pass out!"
"You all saw it, didn't you!?" Ao shouted to the crowd, desperate.
But no one answered. Only silence.
Then, the murmurs began—hesitant whispers spreading through the crowd.
"I think I saw Slasth pass out…" "Yeah… that's what I thought too…" "Right, he got punched pretty hard—no way he stayed conscious after that…"
Muyagura turned her burning gaze back toward Slasth.
"Alright, fine! I lost, okay!? Happy now!?" he said through gritted teeth.
"Good! Then go apologize for breaking the rules!" she barked.
Slasth trudged toward Ao, still trembling from the earlier clash. He stopped just in front of him, then bowed stiffly.
"...I'm sorry for breaking the rules. It won't happen again."
Ao's expression twisted—the fake tone in Slasth's voice was unbearable.He let out a long, irritated sigh.
"Fine, fine. You can lift your head now."
Slasth looked up with that same insincere smirk. Just seeing it made Ao want to deck him again.
"Then stick to the damn rules next time. We're done here."
"That's it? No punishment?" Slasth sneered. "You're too kind, Ao."
"I hate that fake-ass face of yours," Ao snapped. "Now get lost."
The crowd scattered soon after,the training field returning to its usual lunchtime calm.
But in the end, both Ao and Slasth ended up meeting again—
at the infirmary, covered in bruises, sitting in awkward silence while getting patched up.
───────────────
Hours passed.
The sun dipped low, staining the sky orange.
Classroom 3-B was quiet—the usual afterschool chaos had faded,leaving only the whisper of wind through the windows.
Ao sat alone at his desk, focused on reviewing notes.For once, peace surrounded him.
Until—That chill.
A presence that made his spine tingle.
He looked up toward the door—and there she was.
Ms. Muyagura.
The same teacher who had stormed the field earlier, now looked strangely soft—like the anger had melted away.
"Hey… Onishima-kun."
She walked in gently, trying (and failing) to hide something behind her back. Ao noticed instantly and began packing up his things.
"Wait! Where are you going!?" she grabbed his arm before he could slip past.
"Sorry, I've got work after this," he said, expression flat.
But his tone was too calm—too deliberate.
"Liar," she said quietly. "I know you don't have a shift today."
Ao's glare turned cold. He yanked his arm free.
"So this is about that, huh… Ms. Muyagura?"
They both sat down at the front desk. Between them—a single sheet of paper:his high school application form.
Aspída Magic Academy.
"Onishima-kun… you really plan to apply to Aspída, don't you?"
Ao said nothing. But his fists clenched tightly—knuckles white.
Muyagura hesitated, eyes darting around the empty room.
The tension pressed down like invisible gravity.
She finally took a deep breath.
"You know it's impossible, right? Please, just… stop this before it's too late. It's for your own safety, Ao. I don't want to see any of my students die young…especially not you."
Silence.
Ao's eyes darkened, and something in them made her heart skip.
"Ao… Aspída is one of the Four Grand Magic Academies.It's on a world-class level. Even getting into a provincial magic school is tough—and you want to go there?"
She forced a nervous smile.
"You're talented in combat, sure, but…you'd never survive in that field. If you want, I can recommend you for the Research or Exploration division.
You're smart, after all—top ten on the last exam."
No response. Only his silent glare— the kind that made her words crumble.
Finally, he spoke.
"Do you really think you'll get something out of this conversation, ma'am?"
The room froze. Only the faint ticking of the wall clock filled the air.
"I… just want you to give up on Aspída," she said, trembling.
"You think I'll give up that easily? You already know what kind of person I am."
Their eyes met. And for a second, she couldn't breathe.
That stare—it wasn't anger anymore. It was pure resolve.
"N–No, that's not what I meant, I just… want you to think this through—"
Her voice faltered, nerves breaking under the pressure.
"Tell me, teach," he said quietly. "Is wanting to be a mage such a terrible thing?"
Every word hit like a blade. She hesitated, searching for an answer.
"O–Of course not… but for you, it's—"
"It's impossible, right!? Yeah, I know that already!! I'm not an idiot!!" His voice exploded, echoing through the empty room. Her shoulders flinched.
"If you know it's impossible, why write it down at all!? You'll never make it— because you have no magic!"
Her words slipped out before she could stop herself.
And that was it. The air shattered.
Ao's eyes went dark. The rage that had been buried for years finally broke free.
His fist clenched—and swung.
Muyagura raised her arms to protect herself, eyes shut tight, trembling.
The crash of desks and chairs filled the air—then silence.
When she opened her eyes, Ao's fist hung just inches away from her face.
His glare pierced her to the core. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"No magic… so what?" His voice was cold, broken.
BANG! He kicked a nearby desk, sending it crashing over. Then, without another word, he walked out—
leaving Muyagura trembling on the floor, her legs too weak to stand. "…I'm sorry, Onishima-kun…"
Her whisper barely reached her own ears.
───────────────
Ao walked down the hallway, head lowered, silent. He bumped into people but didn't seem to notice. He looked like someone drowning in guilt— but his eyes told a different story.
They burned with hatred. His teeth ground together, the sound faint but sharp.
'Aspída… that's exactly why I want it.A world-class academy—where I can rise above everyone else.
Where I can become strong enough to crush the one who made my mother cry…
The bastard who walked out on us like we meant nothing.
That worthless father of mine…I'll find you.And someday… this fist will smash right into your face—
Onishima Renzo.'