Chapter 6

The Greatsword Ironman.

Aisha Bizbel.

A master who claimed the top spot in Martial Arts among first-years.

And now, she’s kneeling in front of me with her head bowed.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t know there was someone here!”

That imposing greatsword almost split me in half in an instant.

It was the greatsword Aisha had thrown—by mistake, of course.

I was startled back then too, but now I’ve calmed down with time.

On the other hand, Aisha still looked flustered about nearly hitting me with her sword.

“It’s okay. You can get up. I’m not hurt.”

First, I needed to settle her down.

What would the others think if they saw this scene?

But Aisha still didn’t get up from her bowed position.

“I’m sorry! If there’s any trouble, come to me and I’ll cover all the costs. I’m really sorry!”

Was Aisha always this overly apologetic?

Being centered around Lucas in the game, I didn’t really know much about the personalities of the lower grades.

“Really, it’s fine. I’m totally okay. But what happened with the greatsword?”

At that moment, Aisha flinched.

Seeing her flinch, I raised an eyebrow.

Was there something she couldn’t say?

But Aisha, perhaps thinking it wasn’t right to hide what she did to the person she troubled, spoke up while still bowing her head.

“Uh, I—I lost my grip while spinning the windmill.”

When I heard that, I blinked in surprise.

Spinning a windmill?

So Aisha was spinning around with the greatsword in hand, huh?

Given her image as the Greatsword Ironman, she always gave off a heavy vibe.

But thinking that she was doing something like ‘spinning tornado!’ was honestly a bit amusing and ridiculous.

‘Sounds fun, though.’

There’s a primitive joy in holding something and spinning around.

However, that’s usually a childhood pastime.

Did Aisha realize that? Her ears were turning red from embarrassment.

Her head sunk lower like a rabbit burrowing into its hole.

“C-could you please keep this a secret?”

“That shouldn’t be too hard.”

Thinking about it, Aisha is only 17.

High schoolers often do silly things without a second thought.

And it’s the age when they can feel embarrassed about their actions later.

Considering her age, it all made sense.

“Oh, speaking of which.”

An idea popped into my head.

I almost said her name absentmindedly and then stopped.

Can’t let her know I know her name when we’re not close.

Gotta be careful.

“Your name is…”

“I’m Aisha Bizbel. I’m in 1st year.”

It’s hard to pretend I don’t know her name.

“I’m Hanon Irey. I transferred here as a 2nd year yesterday.”

“You’re a senior!”

“You’ve been at the academy longer, so it feels like you’re actually the senior here.”

“M-me? A senior?”

Aisha’s eyes darted around, not seeming to mind being called a senior.

She’s a bit cute.

If only the greatsword wasn’t stuck next to her.

“Do you train every morning, Aisha?”

“Ah, yeah. It’s my routine.”

She’s quite diligent.

No matter the weather, Aisha trains here every morning.

Knowing that, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Could I join you for training sometime?”

“Training, you say?”

“Yeah, I’d like to work on my skills a bit.”

In the Sparkling Butterfly segment, there’s a concept of stats.

When you repeat actions or master certain abilities, your stats level up naturally.

However, unfortunately, there weren’t any visible windows appearing before me.

After shouting at every window that should’ve popped up one day, nothing happened.

‘Guess it’s become reality now.’

I just thought I didn’t have a stats window.

Instead, I concluded that the concept of stats still exists in the same form.

This was confirmed by a few events before I transferred to the academy.

‘When you repeat actions and specialize in specific skills, your stats definitely increase.’

Even if I can’t see it, my body feels this sensation directly.

‘Honestly, that’s true in reality, too.’

For instance, there’s a certain sense of being able to break through walls.

Furthermore, I came up with another conclusion here.

‘In this world, talent is the speed at which stats increase.’

The more naturally gifted someone is in a specific field, the faster their relevant stats climb.

So training is important.

My advantage is my stamina.

To be active as a member of Martial Arts, I need to increase my combat abilities anyway.

‘The mock combat exam is in just a few days.’

To take over Lucas’s role, combat skills are a must.

Aisha, known as the Greatsword Ironman, possesses top-tier skills among the first years.

And I know what her main stat is.

‘Stamina, just like me.’

Aisha’s unique trait is ‘Ironman.’

Training with her will definitely be beneficial.

“A-A training buddy?”

To my surprise, despite it being a potentially annoying proposal, Aisha visibly perked up.

I felt her eyes scan my body in an instant.

It was like the face of a gym junkie sizing up a newbie friend.

“…Is it really okay for me to train with you?”

Aisha asked with a hint of worry in her face.

Yet, the corners of her mouth were slightly lifted, which made me a bit uneasy.

Her eyes looked fierce.

Her breath seemed strong.

It felt like she could devour a newbie at any moment.

Did I make a wrong choice?

But right now, I can’t let this opportunity slip away.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate it.”

Let’s just throw caution to the wind for now.

Aisha clenched her fists tightly.

“Alright! If I can help you, then of course!”

“That’s a relief.”

Her gaze is a bit scary, though.

At least I now have a trustworthy training partner.

“W-wait, what are you doing?”

Just then, I heard a familiar voice and paused.

Turning my head, I saw a woman dressed lightly, as if she had just stepped out for a stroll.

Her honey-blonde hair reminded me of the sun.

Underneath that should be a bright face like a sunflower.

Yet, what reflected in my eyes were dark circles beneath her hollow eyes and unkempt hair.

Isabel Luna.

The main character Lucas’s childhood friend and one of the main heroines.

‘Looks like she didn’t get any sleep again today.’

Ever since Lucas’s death, Isabel had developed insomnia and could hardly get a good night’s sleep.

As a result, her once bright appearance was now filled with gloom.

Guess she stepped out for some fresh air to cope with her sleeplessness.

And she just happened to bump into me.

For some reason, she appeared to be wide-eyed.

And it was then that I became aware of my situation.

Aisha was still kneeling in front of me, head down.

Even though I told her to get up, she wouldn’t budge, so I just left her,

but to anyone else, it looks like a second-year guy has a first-year girl kneeling before him.

That’s definitely not a good look.

Normally, I’d clear up the misunderstanding first,

but the problem is, it’s Isabel I’m dealing with here.

“W-wait a second. This is…”

Just as Aisha realized the misunderstanding too late and tried to explain,

I stepped in front of her.

Instead, I shot a glare at Isabel.

This is my chance.

A golden opportunity to plummet Isabel’s favorability towards me.

“I had to apologize to her for the trouble you caused. Is there a problem?”

“What?”

Isabel stared at me with a blank look.

She probably thought I’d explain the current situation,

but instead, I shamelessly asked if she had a problem, catching her off guard.

“I had to apologize because I was inconvenienced, and I believe it’s none of your business, Isabel Luna.”

In the Sparkling Butterfly segment, addressing someone by their full name is a kind of warning.

A warning not to interfere in unnecessary matters.

Isabel’s lips trembled.

Soon, she glared at me with a look of rage and clenched her fists.

“You’re really the worst kind of human.”

“Truthfully, I find it puzzling. I received an apology for something worth apologizing for, and you’ve been meddling far too much.”

“How is it meddling to be angry at you for embarrassing Lucas?”

Isabel exploded in anger.

Typically, no one would have seen this bright, sunflower-like girl burst out in fury.

I’ve only seen her lose her cool like this when Lucas returned from dangerous situations.

But now, her rage was needed.

I had to provoke her emotions one way or another.

“So, what’s your relationship with Lucas?”

Isabel hesitated.

“Are you siblings? Or lovers?”

“…Just friends.”

Isabel shot me a look that seemed to say, what’s wrong with that.

I didn’t say anything.

I just gave her a face that said I was unimpressed.

“Looks like you’re all part of the same crew.”

Huff!

Just then, I spotted Isabel’s fist aimed right at my face.

My hair fluttered softly in line with her punch.

She’s incredibly fast.

I’ve worked out long enough in boxing, but

her speed was almost too quick for my eyes to follow.

She’s also among the top tier in the 2nd-year Martial Arts students.

Her movements obviously surpassed human limits.

“I warned you.”

Isabel’s low, threatening voice reached me.

“Don’t you dare embarrass Lucas.”

I silently gazed at Isabel’s punch.

If it had connected, I’d be rolling on the ground by now.

This was Isabel’s final warning.

“Then prove it.”

I swatted her punch away and glared at her.

“Show me whether your friend’s skill and death were in vain.”

Isabel slowly retracted her fist.

A determined fire lit quietly in her eyes, which hadn’t been there before.

“In the upcoming mock combat exam.”

She mentioned the soon-to-come mock combat exam.

“I’ll crush you there. Let’s see if you’re still saying the same thing then.”

That’s very much like Isabel.

Unable to control her fury, she could take me down right now, yet she insisted on fighting during the mock exam instead.

Even in her rage, she maintained kindness, not throwing punches recklessly outside of a proper fight.

“But let me tell you, Lucas was much stronger than someone like me.”

I gazed at Isabel’s retreating figure.

And then I exhaled heavily.

Phew, I thought I was going to suffocate with all this tension.

My face felt stiff from being too tense.

‘Speaking of mock exams…’

The mock exam is right around the corner.

Only a hollow laugh escaped me.

‘I need to fulfill my plans sooner rather than later.’

If I don’t, I’ll be in for a world of hurt from Isabel.

“Uh, excuse me…”

That’s when I suddenly remembered that Aisha was still there.

“Oh, I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

Unlike earlier when I was serious, my easygoing apology seemed to throw Aisha off balance.

“…Do you and Isabel not get along?”

Aisha cautiously asked.

Thanks to Isabel being quite known among the 2nd-year Martial Arts students,

Aisha was well aware of her reputation.

“You could say that.”

The situation is complicated.

“Hmm, seems like you have some complicated matters.”

“If you think you’ll get caught in the crossfire, you don’t have to help me train.”

I don’t want to create unnecessary trouble while training.

Hearing that, Aisha shook her head.

“No! You promised! I always keep my promises!”

What a splendid woman.

Aisha wiggled her fingers with her tall stature.

“And I just don’t think you’d do something without a reason.”

“When did you start seeing me this way?”

“It’s a woman’s intuition.”

Well, I’m good at reading between the lines.

“Okay, I’ll count on your training, Aisha.”

“Yes, of course.”

“So, could you get up now?”

“Ah.”

Aisha flushed bright red as she sprang up.

Being tall, she lowered herself and dusted off her knees.

For a moment, my gaze slipped to somewhere inappropriate, but I quickly looked down.

Then I saw the bright red of her knees.

She kneeled like that until now?

“So, um, when are we starting the training, senpai?”

Aisha gazed up at me, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Her breath was quite heavy.

…Did I make the wrong choice?