Chapter 10

Another morning, just like any other.

“Hmm… okay, I’ve decided.”

Standing in the kitchen to get ready for school, I thought for a bit and decided to prepare two lunch boxes as usual.

Starting today, just as Perjena-senpai suggested, I plan to grab someone I know and eat lunch together. I figured it would be polite to treat them to a meal at least once since I’m the one inviting them.

Besides, the only contacts I have are the ones who know everything I’ve done for Tirisia up to now.

I’m not sure what they think about my lunch boxes, but looking back now, I realize I’ve never made food for anyone other than Tirisia.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ve been a bit too unsociable.

It occurred to me that my unwavering focus on Tirisia might have kept me from looking around at the people around me. A little self-reflection never hurts!

So, from today onward, Erto’s lunch will be a public good.

Let’s prepare two servings as usual and offer them to whoever it may be.

“Even if we split up, the work doesn’t shrink, huh…”

Having finished my preparations, I headed toward the Academy, thinking about the first person I would approach.

*

Once again, it was time for mock battles at the Academy.

The randomly assigned duel partner happened to be the one who was stuck in my head.

“Here we go again, huh? Sloppy!”

Ranked 27th in the Academy, she was the unremarkable Rusika Rafisle.

Before the duel began, she flipped her cherry blossom-pink twin-tails and flashed a mischievous grin right in front of me.

“I wonder which face our sloppy will wear when they cry today~! So looking forward to it~!”

I couldn’t help but smirk back at her provocation.

“This time, you better wake up. It’s a bit different from last time.”

“Heh~? You’re overflowing with confidence today? It’s kind of annoying~!”

“Get ready already.”

Thump—

After lightly clashing the wooden sword and her dual daggers,

“Alright, here I go~!”

“Bring it on!”

The fight, which had ended with my defeat last time, was about to restart.

Clang!

Bang!

Every time our bodies collided, instead of the sound of sparks and metal, there was the dull thud of wood hitting wood.

“Ahaha! You’re definitely slow, sloppy!”

“Ugh!”

As Rusika might be stronger physically, she kept pushing me into unfavorable close-quarters battles with her agile movements and multi-directional attacks from her dual weapons.

With the range of my long sword and sheer strength needed for a real hit, my only key to victory was to find a gap in Rusika’s incessant attacks.

Bam!

But, of course, she was ranked 27th in the whole Academy.

She continuously provoked me, exposing no weaknesses as if she were mocking my every plan.

“You act like you have something to show, but was it all just hot air? Pathetic~!”

Bam!

I struggled to block her daggers, which gleamed with confidence, retreating as she continued to throw strikes.

High, middle, low, and back to high—

In a flash, she switched the trajectory of her dagger, twisting her body around.

Oh no.

Fake!

She raised her arms to defend against a high strike, leaving my gut wide open.

“Eek~!”

Thud!

“Ugh!”

My reaction was a beat too slow, and I felt a familiar kick jab into my belly, launching me backward.

“Whoa!”

But unlike last time when I just crumpled, I managed to do a backflip and land safely this time.

As I glanced up while supporting myself with one hand, there was Rusika with a kick pose, still holding her leg high.

“Hey, I can see your panties.”

“I’m wearing shorts~! ♡ You pervert peeping at a girl’s skirt! Are you excited?”

“Ugh.”

I tried to land a mental blow, but all it did was chip away at my dignity. I was the fool for saying that.

“The outcome seems obvious, but if you bow down and lick between Rusika’s toes right now, I might go easy on you~!”

“Oh yeah? Nice try, take off those shoes!”

“Eek~!”

As I narrowed my eyes and approached menacingly, Rusika jumped back theatrically.

“Is that your true colors? Disgusting~! Die~!”

“Look who’s talking… If you’re not giving me a toe, let’s fight!”

“Execution~! Instant judgment~!”

“Ugh!”

Launching off the ground, I swung my long sword down in an overhead chop.

“You’re slow~!”

She dodged my strike with ease by twisting her body, and it was time for a diagonal slash.

“Predictable~!”

She avoided my blow by merely leaning back, and I didn’t stop my flurry of strikes, flipping my sword to slash diagonally.

Clang!

But my blade got caught between her cross-armed daggers.

“Sloppy~!”

With her pink eyes slanted thinly, Rusika grinned as she looked up at me. I made my last remark.

“Oh, by the way. Want to grab lunch together later?”

“Huh?”

“GOTCHA!”

In an instant, with her confused expression, I grabbed Rusika by the collar and executed a throw.

“Ugh!”

Thud!

But while spinning mid-air, Rusika managed to slip out of my grip.

As she skidded on the grass to regain her stance, I saw her mask an expression of surprise with a smile.

“You surprised me with that weird comment, you pervert~!”

“What’s so weird about asking to share a meal?”

“Er… so, does that mean we invite Tirisia too?”

Rusika shrugged, still wielding her daggers.

I shook my head nonchalantly.

“Nope, I meant just you and me.”

“…Huh?”

This time, Rusika froze, her whole body completely stiff from surprise.

I seized that opportunity and plunged my foot into the ground with all my might.

“You’re the sloppy one!”

With the momentum of my charge, I swung my sword horizontally.

“Ah!”

Realizing too late, Rusika attempted to cross her daggers to defend.

Clang!

With a half-beat of speed, my strike knocked her wooden daggers high into the air.

“Kya!”

With the recoil of her weapon flying away, Rusika fell flat on her backside on the grass.

As her pink eyes widened in confusion, my wooden sword was already at her chin.

“Hah…?”

She furrowed her brows as if she couldn’t comprehend the scene unfolding before her.

“Finally, I’ve secured a win!”

As I retrieved my wooden sword and chuckled, Rusika finally seemed to regain her focus and blurted out a protest.

“I can’t accept this! That’s unfair! Pervert! Cheat! Toe pervert!”

“Oh? So this is the sweet taste of a loser’s lament.”

As if inviting more, I placed my hand against one ear and tilted my head, only to have a pink headbutt come flying at me.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

As I lost grip of my sword and tumbled, Rusika approached me, her twin-tails quivering with rage, her face flushed.

Crackle, crackle,

Red sparks of magic began to flicker from her body.

“Y-you…”

“P-please spare me.”

I thought I was about to get hit with her special lightning magic again, but instead—

“Wh-why would I eat with you?!”

Boom!

Rusika shot a bolt of red lightning straight up into the sky.

As the magic dissipated from her body and she caught her breath, she looked at me and asked,

“Where’s Tirisia? Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

Cupping my head with both hands, I peeked out to respond.

“So, is that what you’re mad about?”

“I’m not mad! I’m just a bit baffled!”

Maybe asking if she wanted to share a meal was incredulously annoying enough to change her usual attitude. Since she says she is, I’ll just take her word for it.

“Tirisia has, um… she said she has some things to deal with during lunch. So we were planning to eat separately for a while.”

“Tirisia? Why didn’t she tell me?”

“What’s so important that I need to give you a report?”

“Hmm…”

While lost in thought, Rusika leaned in closer and squatted down in front of me.

Prodding my cheek with her thin finger, she asked,

“You haven’t done anything to upset Tirisia, right?”

“Huh?”

That was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard in a while.

“Nope, not at all.”

“Hmm, really?”

She kept poking at my cheeks, now without any purpose.

“But why are you looking for me all of a sudden?”

She asked, burying her face partially between her knees.

To me, it felt obvious what my answer should be.

“Well, you’re the person I know best after Tirisia.”

“Eh?”

“And since we’ve known each other for so long, I figured it was about time I made you something to eat.”

“Hmmm, I see.”

She wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her face deeper as she went silent for a bit.

I couldn’t read her expression since her eyes were partially hidden.

“Anyway, you’re always just buying food with tickets, right? Today, I have everything prepared, so all you need to do is show up.”

“Hehe.”

Suddenly, laughter emanated from behind Rusika’s knees.

“?”

“All I need to do is SHOW UP?~!”

Her bright pink eyes sparkled as she peered mischievously from between her twin-tails, fully charged with playful energy.

“You pervert!♡ Adulterer!♡ Unfaithful slob!♡”

“Anyone who hears you would misunderstand…”

As Rusika raised her head, a bright smile spread across her face with that wide-eyed, delighted look.

“Well, what can I say? If the sloppy one is being so considerate, then I, Rusika, will be extra nice to you today!”

“Oh, really? Thanks a lot!”

“Kya! Your expression when you’re happy is so cringe!”

…

While I wanted to say that the person I liked the most today would be her from a third-party perspective, I decided to keep silent out of fear of her electric therapy.

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