A few days after the commotion surrounding Edgar’s marriage proposal, several students from the first, second, and third years were gathered in the Sparring Arena, one of the academy’s facilities. They were only informed of the date and location, and had no idea what they were supposed to do there. However, the students had a general idea of why they were assembled. After all, they were candidates for the upcoming Versus Match. They had been eagerly awaiting the formal selection of the representative members.
“Fwah… Oh, everyone’s early.”
“Oh, Bell-chi, osu~”
“Bell-chan, good morning.”
“Good morning.”
As expected, the usual first-year members, including Rion, were also present. Perhaps it was the early hour, but Bell, suffering from low blood pressure, seemed quite sleepy. Her usually neatly styled hair showed signs of bedhead in places.
“Honestly, they didn’t have to do this so early in the morning. Sleepy…”
“That’s right, Bell-onee-sama! I’ll personally file a complaint with the academy to have this improved!”
Behind the sleepy Bell stood a girl with a vertical roll hairstyle, who called Bell “onee-sama.” Her name was Katrina, the same young lady who had challenged Bell to a fight when she was assigned to the dormitory. However, her demeanor now seemed quite different from that time, and her gaze and attitude towards Bell had changed.
“Katrina-san, good morning too.”
“Oh, Rion-san, isn’t it? Good morning. You still have such a poor complexion and chest, even this early in the morning.”
“Katrina.”
“Yes♪ What is it, Onee-sama… hwaa!?”
Katrina fell to the ground, her face hitting the floor, from the Heavy Wind Pressure that Bell had cast. Then, the heel of Bell’s right foot was pressed against her back and ground in.
“How dare someone like you speak that way. Know your place.”
“Ah, ahh! Onee-sama! N-not there!”
“Bell-san, you’ve been getting along well with her lately, haven’t you? That’s a very good thing.”
“Your perception that we’re getting along well from seeing this is quite strange… We’re not getting along at all. For some reason, this child was also chosen as a candidate for the Versus Match. That’s why she’s been following me since this morning, or rather, since outside my room. Like a dog! (Grind!)”
“Ohooo!”
“Huh, Rai-chan?”
“She’s the ‘Can’t See Anything’ person.”
“Too Hard to show for educational purposes.”
Sensing that further interaction would be detrimental to their education, Rami, with lightning speed, covered Rion and Kuromel’s eyes. It seemed Katrina had awakened to something. Although the gazes of the upperclassmen were starting to gather, Bell, as if to say “So what?”, didn’t seem to care at all. As if to shake off her drowsiness, she continued to step on Katrina.
“For the first years, it seems it’s us, this Katrina, and then Graham and Edgar who are candidates. Well, at least Katrina is only a candidate, so you can forget about her after today.”
“Ah, how cruel! But, you’re wonderful even when you’re like that, Onee-sama…!”
“Bell-chi’s training is amazing. Oh, the Principal is here. It looks like it’s about to start.”
As Rami said, Principal Art appeared in the Sparring Arena with Instructor Milky. He walked to the center of the stage, stopped, and looked around at the gathered students, holding a microphone.
“Hello, everyone, it’s your Principal Art. I apologize for gathering you all so early this morning. To get straight to the point… yes, you probably already know why you’ve been gathered. We want to decide the members today for the Versus Match that will be held next month.”
At Principal Art’s words, several of the gathered students swallowed hard. Being selected as a member of the Versus Match was a great honor for the students of Lumiest. This event would never see the selection of anyone who didn’t possess overwhelming Combat Power that surpassed others. The selected members would be noticed by many influential figures within and outside the academy, and ultimately, it would greatly affect their future careers and the prestige of their home countries. It was understandable that it served as a strong introductory event, akin to the Ascension Ceremony for S-Rank Adventurers. Even if they were defeated by Adventurers, their opponents would always be those who lived on the front lines of battle, and moreover, A-Rank or higher powerhouses. If they could show even a little bit of their strength as students still in their growth phase, it would be enough to earn them significant evaluation.
On the other hand, if they couldn’t achieve any results, it would be nothing but disgrace. If chosen as a participant in the Versus Match, they had to bear the responsibility and resolve to represent their family names, their countries, and their academy—or so it was presented. In reality, the Guild would select Adventurers that matched the skill level of that year, so unless something extraordinary happened, a stage to showcase their abilities would be prepared. Of course, the students were unaware of this, so they would still approach the Versus Match with all seriousness.
“This year, as in previous years, there will be five student members participating in the Versus Match. We will be narrowing down from the seven first-year students, five second-year students, and nine third-year students gathered here today to decide these members… First, let’s confirm. Are there any students who wish to withdraw their candidacy at this stage? The Versus Match involves much responsibility and heavy, strict obligations. Admitting your own weakness is also necessary in life. My overly beautiful self declares that it is not something to be ashamed of. Now, how about it?”
Art looked around at the students again. Most of the students appeared nervous, but not a single one raised their hand.
“Very well, let’s proceed with the discussion for now. Instructor Milky, please distribute the relevant documents to everyone.”
“Is that alright? Wouldn’t it be more noticeable if you distributed them yourself?”
“Oh, that’s a valid point!”
Heeding Milky’s advice (?), Art took all the documents from her and began distributing them to the students himself. With each handover, he would add a remark like “This beauty, delivered to you☆,” making it difficult for the students to suppress their laughter.
“Have you all received the documents and my sentiments? This year’s Versus Match is a bit unconventional. Usually, we have five one-on-one matches, but this time, it will be four one-on-one matches and one two-on-two match. The students participating in the two-on-two match will likely be required to demonstrate not only skill but also teamwork.”
“Um, Principal Art. Then won’t the members total six people?”
An upperclassman posed the natural question.
“No, it’s five people, no mistake. That’s because one of the one-on-one matches will be participated in by myself.”
“Eh?”
Art’s unexpected reply caused a stir among the students. It was common knowledge that Art was an S-Rank Adventurer with otherworldly strength. Everyone would agree that he had sufficient skill to participate in the Versus Match. However, it was unprecedented for an instructor, let alone the principal, to participate in this Versus Match instead of a student. It was understandable that the students were surprised.
“Please be quiet. I understand your surprise perfectly. This was a difficult decision for me as well… Recently, we received news from the Adventurer Guild. They plan to have at least four S-Rank Adventurers participate in this year’s Guild team.”
“Eh, S-Rank Adventurers!? And four of them!?”
Further commotion spread among the students. Those gathered here were all students with top-tier strength in Lumiest. However, that didn’t mean they possessed Combat Power capable of defeating A-Rank Adventurers. The second and third-year upperclassmen had witnessed last year’s Versus Match firsthand. Comparing the skill of the selected members then with their current abilities, the gap in power with the Adventurers was self-evident. Moreover, this year’s opponents were S-Rank, making the prospect of victory clearly nonexistent. Most of the students realized that the responsibility and pressure of becoming a member would be greater than in previous years.
“Um, um… I, I’ll withdraw after all…”
“I-I’ll back out too!”
Students began to announce their withdrawals one after another. In the end, only about half of the initial number of students remained in the Sparring Arena.
