If You Don't Stop, I'll Chase You Forever ♥?
The grade determination matches, which had begun around 1 p.m., only came to an end as the sun set and the moon rose in the sky. Some people were satisfied with their results, while others were not. The testing grounds, which had hosted such fierce battles, were now filled with two distinct types of people—but there was still one thing that bound them all together.
“…Haa, that was the hardest moment of my entire life.”
“I can’t do it. Fighting all day like that… I’m never doing it twice!!”
“Mooouuurnful…. Somebody, anybody, please give me some waaater….”
“Ughhhhh…”
“The fact that I have to go to lectures tomorrow after this is straight-up legendary…”
Everywhere, people were crying out in exhaustion, begging for mercy. Although the barrier surrounding their bodies prevented any direct damage, they still had to expend mana to deal damage to their opponents’ barriers. Spending mana nonstop for a full six hours was something most of them had never experienced before—unless they’d received specialized tutoring specifically for the grade determination matches—so it was only natural that they were all groaning in agony.
“As expected, I suppose.”
“Yeah, if they’re from those families, they had to get Grade 1.”
“By the way, what the hell are the guys who put their names on the blacklist even doing…?”
“Guess we’ll be seeing those names for the next four years…. Haa.”
Along with their fatigue, what united the 97th class of combat-capable cadets was the results of the grade determination matches.
GRADE 1
Roselia Eliard — Magic Department | Total Matches: 3 {All Wins}
Sien Alencia — Knight Department | Total Matches: 3 {All Wins}
Chloe Asher — Magic Department | Total Matches: 4 {All Wins}
Aine Blair — Knight Department | Total Matches: 6
The four young ladies from the great families had claimed Grade 1 as cleanly as if they were lining up in formation.
Douglas Aike — Knight Department | Total Matches: 19
Hellin Kreuzvelt — Magic Department | Total Matches: 20
Zea Malvale — Knight Department | Total Matches: 21
Lyn Wentz — Magic Department | Total Matches: 21
As could be seen from the other participants, it usually took an average of around twenty matches to secure Grade 1. Yet all four young ladies from the great families had done it in single-digit match counts. Even taking into account their status as members of the four great families, their talent was nothing short of astonishing.
Their records were legendary enough to draw the attention of not only their fellow 97th class cadets, but also the upperclassmen, professors, and even future underclassmen who would live alongside them. However…
Rain — Magic Department | Total Matches: 14 {All Wins}
24th cadet in history (tied with Roselia Eliard, Sien Alencia, and Chloe Asher) to secure Grade 1 with a perfect win record.
Winner of the shortest match in grade determination history (97th Class Grade 1 Match 43 vs. Aine Blair — 4.311 seconds).
Highest points earned in grade determination history (97th Class Grade 2 Match 57 vs. Ariston Jan — 40pt).
Shortest average match time in grade determination history (1 minute 22 seconds).
Highest average points earned in grade determination history (35pt).
2nd non-noble cadet in history to secure Grade 1.
First cadet to secure Grade 1 with a perfect record in 10 or more matches (14-win streak).
First cadet to complete every match with an average duration under 2 minutes.
First non-noble cadet to secure Grade 1 with a perfect record.
First cadet to achieve the longest win streak in grade determination history (14 wins).
First cadet to win every match by knockout (KO).
First cadet to earn at least 35 points in every match.
First cadet to achieve the most wins in grade determination history (14 wins).
First cadet to rise from Grade 5 to Grade 1.
First non-noble cadet to achieve a perfect record.
“———Am I dreaming right now?”
“…Get a grip. This isn’t a dream.”
“I never thought I’d live to see records like these…?”
“…What the fuck?”
Countless records—so many it was hard to even count them—all of them so awe-inspiring that merely looking at them inspired reverence. Faced with these legendary, incomparable achievements, everyone stood speechless, staring blankly at the holographic window.
“Oh, yeah. All those records belong to me.”
Whenever someone looked at me in disbelief, I would offer a benevolent smile, nod gently, and kindly explain the reality to them.
The eyes that had once looked at me with fear, contempt, and humiliation when I dramatically tore up the blacklist on the podium now held those same emotions—plus about three spoonfuls of awe.
I told you, didn’t I? The moment you wrote your name on that blacklist, today would be the last day of your prime.
And didn’t I also say this?
“You should’ve bought it when the price was still cheap. Tsk tsk.”
Over 150 contract-related messages. Not only the top 100 guilds, but even the smaller and medium-sized ones who’d heard the news were all sending me texts, thinking they might as well give it a shot.
I quickly switched my constantly ringing terminal to silent mode.
Of course, I hadn’t brought up guilds because I actually wanted to join one. Why on earth would someone like me—who dreamed of a quiet, carefree life—ever join a guild? I’d have to be crazy.
Sorry. I only stirred up all that aggro to get attention.
I just needed as many eyes on me as possible so I could carry out my plan. The problem was that all this aggro had actually been meant to protect Sien… and yet, astonishingly, she had secured Grade 1 in just three matches.
I’d have to watch her fight later to be sure, but I already had a gut feeling.
“…In a few years, I really won’t be able to beat her, will I?”
If I didn’t embrace her soon, the only possible ending for this world would be a spectacular, crashing doom ending.
…That is absolutely not allowed.
I needed a more perfect plan. The pressure to immediately move on to the next scheme without wasting time weighed down on me—right when a voice I felt like I’d heard far too often today rang out.
“Whoa~ It’s Rain!!”
The playful voice belonged to none other than the mischievous young lady of the Asher family, so…
“Yes, this is Rain~?”
I pretended to be on an urgent call, holding the terminal to my ear as I naturally walked toward the opposite side of the voice.
In truth, there was no real reason to run. Like Aine, this girl had never done anything harmful to me. In fact, she was one of the people who had supported me the most at the academy.
So why?
I knew goodwill existed in the world, but having lived a life far filthier than betrayal and revenge, my body and mind instinctively chose to flee from her according to my life’s supreme principle: there is no such thing as a free lunch, and there is no such thing as goodwill without reason.
…And for some reason, every time I talked to someone, I kept feeling a strange chill.
“Ahh~, you want to sign a contract with me? How much are you offering?”
I spouted nonsense with a straight face as I moved away from the center. I was hurrying toward the exit, hoping to slip out of the forum like the wind, when—
“If you don’t stop, I’ll chase you forever ♥?”
“You think you can buy me with that kind of money?! Don’t ever contact me again!”
It was one of the top five most terrifying threats I’d ever heard in my life. I froze mid-step and frantically mashed the already-darkened screen.
“…Hello?”
Then, with an awkward laugh, I greeted the mischievous young lady standing there.
“Kyaa~ I finally get to talk to you like this!”
Negotiating with a terrorist really had been a stupid idea.
“I’m a fan!!”
“…Pardon?”
“Starting today, I’m your biggest fan!”
“…Haa?”
“In that spirit—wanna exchange IDs?”
Chloe smiled brightly and naturally closed the distance. She held out her palm as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Since I knew that meant she wanted my terminal…
“How could someone like me possibly exchange IDs with the noble young lady of the Asher family———.”
“Give it.”
“Yes.”
I handed it over with both hands in perfect politeness.
Negotiating with terrorists is stupid, but if your life is on the line in that negotiation, you negotiate without fail.
It was a rather useful piece of common sense lately, so I made a mental note of it.
“Hmmm~★”
Tap. Tap tap.
Chloe’s slender fingers danced across the terminal. Whatever was so amusing, she wore a bright grin the entire time she was exchanging IDs.
“I was just thinking about how you completely wrecked Aine.”
“…Pardon? Wrecked her? What do you mean by….”
“Hehe, just thinking about it cracks me up. Even I sometimes wanted to give that spoiled little princess a good beating~. But when I remember how you turned her into mush in just four seconds…!!”
“…Even so, I didn’t exactly turn her into mush…!”
“Do you have any idea how upset our young lady is right now? She was hiccuping and crying her eyes out, saying, ‘I have never been so humiliated in my life! I, Aine, will definitely repay this shame and disgrace…!!’”
Chloe clutched her stomach with one hand, laughing her head off. Expressions like “wrecked” and “turned into mush” didn’t exactly sound like they belonged to a marquis’s daughter, but…
Is there something wrong with your personality?
More than that, how could she laugh so gleefully when her friend was sad? No, I felt incredibly guilty for hitting Aine, so how twisted did your sense of humor have to be to laugh about it right in front of the person who did the hitting?
Either way, it was a chilling story with absolutely nothing for me to laugh about.
“Alright, done~.”
Chloe nodded in satisfaction and handed the terminal back.
That was the ID she had saved for herself. Fuck, I had no idea what that black heart meant, but it was seriously terrifying.
“Let’s meet up often, okay?”
“Our classes are different, so that might be a bit difficult…”
“Then I’ll just come find you whenever I have time?”
“How could that possibly be difficult! If the esteemed Lady Asher likes me, then of course!”
“Yup yup!! I knew you’d feel the same way, Rain!”
“Hahaha…!”
“If I contact you later and you don’t pick up, I’ll be really disappointed♥?”
It was what people called a killing intent. Her green eyes, which showed not even a hint of actual bloodlust, looked incredibly scary when narrowed like that.
“I will do my best.”
“Good! Then see you at the academy tomorrow! Bye~!”
Chloe flashed a satisfied, cheerful smile. Muttering something incomprehensible like “We’re living in the Age of Rain~,” she walked away with light steps without looking back even once.
Only after her footsteps had completely faded did I finally let out a sigh of relief and relax my tense shoulders.
“…What the hell. It’s only been three days since I reincarnated, but everything already feels incredibly twisted.”
By the time Sien secured Grade 1, I should have quietly settled for Grade 2 or 3. Instead, I got caught up in the moment and ended up drawing every kind of aggro imaginable.
The result?
“…Four hundred messages?”
Roselia, who had only said she would contact me later, had left four hundred unread messages.
“…Death threats?”
Seven hundred kind, caring messages asking how I was doing—all because I’d turned Aine into mush in four seconds.
And then there was Chloe’s test message, sent less than a minute after I’d said I’d contact her later, checking to see how quickly I read it: 「Good. You passed♥」
“———Rain.”
And finally, Sien appeared with dead eyes.
“…Sien? Why are you looking at me like that…?”
Could I even endure this trial…?