Kirin Toudou bid a courteous farewell to Yabuki Eishirou, departing the courtyard and stepping onto the walkway that led toward the middle school wing of the campus.
It wasn't long before she arrived at a quiet corridor—and someone was already waiting.
"Uncle," she said softly.
The man standing ahead had clearly been waiting for some time.
He appeared to be in his early forties, though his muscular frame and towering height made him seem even more imposing. Broad shoulders, a solid chest, a harsh aura that brooked no disobedience—he radiated authority like a drawn blade.
"You're late."
His voice was sharp, almost cutting, as his gaze fell on the silver-haired girl standing properly before him.
"With your speed, you should've ended that fight in moments!"
"That's because… there was an ambush aimed at Julis-senpai along the way…"
Kirin's voice faltered. Her head lowered, lips barely moving as she spoke.
"No excuses!" the man barked, his tone rising. "You think I didn't see everything that happened in that duel?"
Kirin flinched, shoulders shrinking inward.
A mocking smirk crept across the man's face.
"And what was that reaction of yours? Kirin! In that moment, with your opponent under attack, your job was simple: take the opportunity and sever her badge—win the duel. But instead, you turned to shield her? What were you thinking?"
"Because… if I didn't, she might have been seriously hurt…"
"If that's all it takes to break her, she has no business in the battlefield!" he snapped. "Besides, Strega or not, no Genestella dies from something like that. Worst case? A few days in the hospital. It's nothing!"
There was a cold sneer in his voice, completely dismissive.
"Let me ask you this—what if Julis had taken advantage of that opening to attack you instead? Cost you the match? Have you thought of that? Genestella are selfish by nature, and betrayal is common!"
"I… I didn't think of that…"
Kirin bit her lip, unsure of what to say. The truth was, she hadn't thought that far ahead. The moment she saw the arrow fly, her body moved on instinct—to defend. Not once did she consider that Julis might exploit her kindness.
"But Julis-senpai isn't—"
Smack!
Before the words could leave her mouth, the man's palm struck her face.
"Don't talk back to me!" he roared. "Or have you forgotten who put you at the top of Seidoukan's rankings?!"
He glanced at his stinging hand, clearly irritated. Odd—his slap had left a red mark on Kirin's cheek, yet it felt like his hand had taken more damage.
"Listen closely, Kirin. There's only one thing you need to care about—victory. Duel victories. Everything else is irrelevant. Never forget why you came to this academy in the first place!"
"Come. We resume training. Your next rank match must not be marred by such naive idealism."
"…Yes, sir."
Kirin lowered her gaze, rubbing her cheek as she quietly followed the man—her uncle—down the corridor.
***
Elsewhere.
The silver-haired girl had, in fact, noticed the light arrow that targeted the Rose Princess.
She had intended to intercept it.
Roy had caught that.
Which made him feel… slightly unnecessary.
Still, things ended fairly well. Both duelists proved reasonable—Kirin, gentle of heart despite her razor-sharp blade, and Julis, capable of conceding with grace. The match had ended with Julis forfeiting and Kirin declared the victor.
Few had noticed Roy's intervention—the moment he threw his Lux activation core to block the arrow.
Few… but not none.
Kirin had glanced his way more than once.
Roy's senses were razor-sharp now. He noticed the girl's glances, and met her eyes for a brief moment.
She quickly averted her gaze—like a startled rabbit.
"…Do I really look that intimidating?"
Roy lowered his head and gave himself a quick once-over, a strange flicker of self-doubt stirring in his chest.
He had stripped almost all the kindness from his personality and pushed it to the surface—on a superficial level, his temperament should've seemed perfectly normal. Was it possible that, after obtaining Tiamat's body modification abilities, his enhanced physical health had made him just a bit… too approachable?
"Thought you disappeared on me. So you came here to watch the duel, huh?"
A calm, gentle voice drifted closer from the distance.
"President?"
The nosy, blonde-haired boy beside Roy perked up in surprise.
"You came yourself? No way! I knew a duel between Rank #1 and Rank #5 would draw a crowd, but even the Student Council President? Still, you're a bit late—the match just ended!"
"No, I wasn't here for the result. I already knew how it would end. I came for someone else."
That voice… was familiar.
Roy turned his gaze toward the source.
A girl with golden hair that shimmered like sunlight stood there, calmly making her way toward him.
Unlike Julis' passionate elegance or Kirin's innocent grace, this girl had the tranquil aura of a still lake. Her age couldn't be far from theirs, yet she radiated a composed maturity—someone trustworthy, even in silence.
And then… there was that. Her ample figure strained against the seams of her uniform, creating a contrast to the serene smile she wore. It gave her the air of a kind-hearted, doting elder sister.
"I came here for this transfer student," she said.
Her gaze slid toward the white-haired boy standing beside the crowd.
For just a moment, a deep, complicated emotion flickered in the depths of her composed eyes—but then it vanished, replaced again by that same gentle smile.
"Your enrollment isn't complete yet. Please come with me. Let me… personally, thoroughly, guide you~"
"What an honor that would be."
Roy mirrored her expression perfectly, a smile just as composed and mysterious.
The blonde boy looked at Roy. Then at the golden-haired girl.
And suddenly, he fell into deep thought.
Wait… what was this atmosphere?
Why did it feel like there was something no one else could intrude upon between those two?
The golden-haired girl led Roy away.
They left the courtyard, walking together toward the high school division's main building.
"…Didn't think you'd show up to watch a duel," the girl said, peeking sideways as she noticed Roy walking half a step behind her. With a little skip, she slowed down to match his pace, walking side by side.
"It took me a while to find you, you know!"
"We're still early for our meeting, aren't we?" Roy replied with a small laugh.
"I just couldn't wait to see you again!"
The golden-haired girl puffed out her cheeks, pouting with a mock-wounded expression.
"And yet you ran off to go watch a duel without a care in the world…"
"Apologies for letting you down. But I'd never seen one up close before… I got curious."
"…Are you serious right now?"
Her expression shifted into something harder to read—slightly tense.
"You've never seen a duel before? Even though you're the super-dreadnought-class criminal the Integrated Enterprise Foundation 'Galaxy' has been hunting with full force for over a decade?"
***
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