“…And so, that’s what happened.”
After school.
I invited Gran and Jeannie to my dorm room to talk about the deal that Jas had offered me, so that no one else could overhear us.
Of course, Justina was there.
She listened to the story and said…
“Yes, I understand. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“Of course, to burn this Jas or something person♪”
Don’t say horrible things with a cute face and a cheerful voice.
“I’ll take care of it this time, okay?”
“B-But…”
“I’m glad you’re thinking about me, but I can’t keep relying on you. I want to be strong on my own.”
“…Alto…”
“Also, I need you to do something else for me.”
“Something else?”
“I need you to keep an eye on Gran and Jeannie, okay?”
Nine times out of ten, the flight training accident was probably caused by Jas.
Hiring someone beforehand and having them lurk near the ground…
He timed it right as we began our flight and caused the accident by damaging the dragon’s wing.
That was about it.
Jas targeted Jeannie in order to cut off my retreat.
He made it a threat.
There was no guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t happen again before our match.
In order to prevent this from happening, I needed Justina to look over those two.
I told her that.
“What was that! You think that was Rakustin’s work?”
“I don’t have any proof, but I think they did well covering it up.
“But perfect crimes are hard to pull off, and if we investigate properly, we can find out that it was Rakustin. In addition, Eltoselk-san can speak up. …Either way, I think we can get rid of Rakustin without having to do the match.”
Jeannie had a point.
It may take some time, but I think we can expel him from the academy.
But there was no guarantee that Jas won’t do it again before the verdict comes down…
After the expulsion, he might have a grudge against me and commit another crime.
To prevent that from happening, I have to fight him myself.
I have to beat him up thoroughly, and instill in him a sense of defeat that I don’t want to be involved with him anymore.
And above all…
“I can’t forgive Jas for hurting Jeannie… or any of my friends. So this is my private fight with my own personal grudge. I don’t care if it’s the right way or the logical way, I want to fight Jas. I can’t just back down here.”
With Justina’s help, it would be easy to destroy Jas.
She would be able to solve this case without any problems.
But I can’t take advantage of her for everything.
A friend gets hurt and you don’t even stand up for them…
That’s not good for a man, is it?
“Yes, I understand how you feel, Alto! Fight for your friends with your own strength. …That’s the boy I fell in love with. I think it’s really cool.”
Justina seemed to be willing to let me handle this for now.
Though she probably plans to move on when the time comes…
I have to handle this with my two hands.
“If that’s the case, as a man, I can’t stop Alto.”
“It’s not for me to say, but you’ll have to avenge me!”
“That’s really not for Jeannie to say.”
“Shut up, stupid brother.”
“Kaaa!?”
Jeannie’s chop hit Gran’s throat.
That’s not good…right?
“Ugh, caa…but you’re dealing with Rakustin…”
Gran got a difficult look on his face.
“I don’t know much about him, but Rakustin is one of the top achievers in the academy, right? Wasn’t he in the top ten in both academic and practical skills?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he is. I’ve seen him somewhere there before.”
“I think…5th, right? Yeah, it’s starting to come back to me as we speak.”
“Alto, you’re number eleven on the list, so it’s a tough call for a normal person.”
Jeannie also raised her eyebrows.
But Justina kept her smile.
“I don’t think it’s that tough, is it? Didn’t you see how good Alto was in the test?”
“He blew his opponent away with all his might… Is Alto actually absurdly strong?”
“He was unranked, so depending on the combination of his opponents, he wouldn’t be able to score many points. …Does that mean he’s actually more powerful than 11th place?”
“Yes. I think so. I don’t know how strong the people in this academy are…but I’m pretty sure that Alto is stronger than this Raksuin guy.”
Justina says I’m strong, but…
It was not true.
Thanks to Justina’s training, indeed, my physical abilities have increased.
I think I’ve reached a point where I can say for myself that I’m pretty good.
But that’s all.
Only my physical ability has improved yet, my fighting skills have not changed at all.
If it was an unknown opponent, I would be able to overpower them with my physical abilities alone.
However, it was a different story if I’m against Jas, who was ranked fifth in the academy.
Sometimes skill is better than strength.
If I fought him without a plan, there was a high possibility that I would be defeated.
After conveying this thought to everyone, I made a request.
“The next practical training is in three days…and we need to do something before then. So…Gran, Jeannie, and Justina. Will you help me to my training?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“If it’s okay with you.”
“Of course!”
All three of them answered immediately.
I was expecting Justina to respond, but I was surprised that Gran and Jeannie nodded without hesitation.
In other words, this was selfish of me.
There are other solutions than fighting, and they are easier and quicker.
But that was not good enough.
I need to get over this on my own, not just with help.
No, I’m getting help after all, such as asking them to accompany me in my training…
Even so, there are times when you have to face the situation in the end with your own hands.
If I don’t get over this Jas thing on my own, I won’t be able to move on.
That was what I thought.
“Are you sure…? You don’t have to go along with my selfishness…”
“What are you talking about?”
Gran said with a dumbfounded, yet amused smile.
“You don’t need a reason to help someone, do you?”
“Ah…”
“You’re my friend, after all. That’s a good enough reason.”
“That’s what I mean. It’s not like I am uninvolved in this… I’d give my all for you, Alto.”
Gran and Jeannie said with a dependable smile.
“My all! Hey, Jeannie! Don’t tempt my Alto!”
“…Actually, I’ve been thinking about how nice you are, Alto-kun, for a while now. You’re not his girlfriend yet, Justina-san? Then, a little bit is fine.”
“Mgggggg!”
Brilliantly, Justina misunderstood, and Jeannie, who was on a roll, played a prank on her.
Such a scene was also somewhat amusing.
Everyone was lending me their strength.
Then I have to live up to their expectations, too.
Jas…I will never lose to you.
“…And so, that’s what happened.”
After school.
I invited Gran and Jeannie to my dorm room to talk about the deal that Jas had offered me, so that no one else could overhear us.
Of course, Justina was there.
She listened to the story and said…
“Yes, I understand. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“Of course, to burn this Jas or something person♪”
Don’t say horrible things with a cute face and a cheerful voice.
“I’ll take care of it this time, okay?”
“B-But…”
“I’m glad you’re thinking about me, but I can’t keep relying on you. I want to be strong on my own.”
“…Alto…”
“Also, I need you to do something else for me.”
“Something else?”
“I need you to keep an eye on Gran and Jeannie, okay?”
Nine times out of ten, the flight training accident was probably caused by Jas.
Hiring someone beforehand and having them lurk near the ground…
He timed it right as we began our flight and caused the accident by damaging the dragon’s wing.
That was about it.
Jas targeted Jeannie in order to cut off my retreat.
He made it a threat.
There was no guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t happen again before our match.
In order to prevent this from happening, I needed Justina to look over those two.
I told her that.
“What was that! You think that was Rakustin’s work?”
“I don’t have any proof, but I think they did well covering it up.
“But perfect crimes are hard to pull off, and if we investigate properly, we can find out that it was Rakustin. In addition, Eltoselk-san can speak up. …Either way, I think we can get rid of Rakustin without having to do the match.”
Jeannie had a point.
It may take some time, but I think we can expel him from the academy.
But there was no guarantee that Jas won’t do it again before the verdict comes down…
After the expulsion, he might have a grudge against me and commit another crime.
To prevent that from happening, I have to fight him myself.
I have to beat him up thoroughly, and instill in him a sense of defeat that I don’t want to be involved with him anymore.
And above all…
“I can’t forgive Jas for hurting Jeannie… or any of my friends. So this is my private fight with my own personal grudge. I don’t care if it’s the right way or the logical way, I want to fight Jas. I can’t just back down here.”
With Justina’s help, it would be easy to destroy Jas.
She would be able to solve this case without any problems.
But I can’t take advantage of her for everything.
A friend gets hurt and you don’t even stand up for them…
That’s not good for a man, is it?
“Yes, I understand how you feel, Alto! Fight for your friends with your own strength. …That’s the boy I fell in love with. I think it’s really cool.”
Justina seemed to be willing to let me handle this for now.
Though she probably plans to move on when the time comes…
I have to handle this with my two hands.
“If that’s the case, as a man, I can’t stop Alto.”
“It’s not for me to say, but you’ll have to avenge me!”
“That’s really not for Jeannie to say.”
“Shut up, stupid brother.”
“Kaaa!?”
Jeannie’s chop hit Gran’s throat.
That’s not good…right?
“Ugh, caa…but you’re dealing with Rakustin…”
Gran got a difficult look on his face.
“I don’t know much about him, but Rakustin is one of the top achievers in the academy, right? Wasn’t he in the top ten in both academic and practical skills?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he is. I’ve seen him somewhere there before.”
“I think…5th, right? Yeah, it’s starting to come back to me as we speak.”
“Alto, you’re number eleven on the list, so it’s a tough call for a normal person.”
Jeannie also raised her eyebrows.
But Justina kept her smile.
“I don’t think it’s that tough, is it? Didn’t you see how good Alto was in the test?”
“He blew his opponent away with all his might… Is Alto actually absurdly strong?”
“He was unranked, so depending on the combination of his opponents, he wouldn’t be able to score many points. …Does that mean he’s actually more powerful than 11th place?”
“Yes. I think so. I don’t know how strong the people in this academy are…but I’m pretty sure that Alto is stronger than this Raksuin guy.”
Justina says I’m strong, but…
It was not true.
Thanks to Justina’s training, indeed, my physical abilities have increased.
I think I’ve reached a point where I can say for myself that I’m pretty good.
But that’s all.
Only my physical ability has improved yet, my fighting skills have not changed at all.
If it was an unknown opponent, I would be able to overpower them with my physical abilities alone.
However, it was a different story if I’m against Jas, who was ranked fifth in the academy.
Sometimes skill is better than strength.
If I fought him without a plan, there was a high possibility that I would be defeated.
After conveying this thought to everyone, I made a request.
“The next practical training is in three days…and we need to do something before then. So…Gran, Jeannie, and Justina. Will you help me to my training?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“If it’s okay with you.”
“Of course!”
All three of them answered immediately.
I was expecting Justina to respond, but I was surprised that Gran and Jeannie nodded without hesitation.
In other words, this was selfish of me.
There are other solutions than fighting, and they are easier and quicker.
But that was not good enough.
I need to get over this on my own, not just with help.
No, I’m getting help after all, such as asking them to accompany me in my training…
Even so, there are times when you have to face the situation in the end with your own hands.
If I don’t get over this Jas thing on my own, I won’t be able to move on.
That was what I thought.
“Are you sure…? You don’t have to go along with my selfishness…”
“What are you talking about?”
Gran said with a dumbfounded, yet amused smile.
“You don’t need a reason to help someone, do you?”
“Ah…”
“You’re my friend, after all. That’s a good enough reason.”
“That’s what I mean. It’s not like I am uninvolved in this… I’d give my all for you, Alto.”
Gran and Jeannie said with a dependable smile.
“My all! Hey, Jeannie! Don’t tempt my Alto!”
“…Actually, I’ve been thinking about how nice you are, Alto-kun, for a while now. You’re not his girlfriend yet, Justina-san? Then, a little bit is fine.”
“Mgggggg!”
Brilliantly, Justina misunderstood, and Jeannie, who was on a roll, played a prank on her.
Such a scene was also somewhat amusing.
Everyone was lending me their strength.
Then I have to live up to their expectations, too.
Jas…I will never lose to you.
