The Yard-Pound Fanatic
The first week at most universities tends to be relatively peaceful. Subjecting clueless freshmen to a barrage of events and orientations is basically torture, after all.
“Ugh, classes are starting again.”
“I seriously hate this.”
“Lecture orientation? I’d rather just sleep at home.”
…Or rather, it was peaceful simply because so many people were still suffering from post-break depression. The pain of summer vacation—one of humanity’s greatest inventions—ending was truly beyond words. So it made sense.
That was why the things freshmen usually encountered during their first week were fairly simple. Getting lost on the way to class because they mixed up kilometers and miles. Despairing after discovering their required textbooks were sold out. Suffering early symptoms of homesickness. Watching stuffy old professors spew painfully outdated or painfully trendy nonsense from the podium. Cursing the school’s sluggish administrative system and wondering if this was really how computers worked in 2055. Experiencing every local restaurant as a “life-threatening culinary adventure” because they didn’t know any good places yet. Suffering because of Puerto Rico’s unique and chaotic mix of yard-pound and SI units.
Truly Young experiences, one could say.
And the last one was the worst nightmare that tormented students for years to come. It was such a nightmare that some students even staged a full-blown yard-pound unification protest right in front of the dorms. Whether it made sense or not, the protest was massive, extremely American, and very Southern in character.
The problem was that protests like this drew a lot of aggro. When the SI unit loyalists and traditionalists showed up with counter-protests screaming “Just kill us already,” everything turned into a complete mess. And by “mess,” I don’t mean they lost ground in the political or social debate. I mean literal fistfights broke out.
“Only use that garbage in America!”
“This is America, you crazy bastards!”
Extremely heated debates about the superiority of the yard-pound system. Heart-wrenchingly petty fights that decided the future of the academy usually ended in the yard-pound side’s defeat.
The reason was surprisingly simple. This insane dual system—where there was both the American yard-pound and the international yard-pound—was only used by Americans. Even the devilish British had realized long ago that it was impossible to maintain and had given up on it ages ago.
Because of that background, the counter-protests became a multinational alliance that included people from many countries and even some Americans. A multinational coalition. In other words, they had the numbers. And in a “debate” (read: brawl), lacking numbers meant death.
The one saving grace for the yard-pound side was that the academy didn’t just sit back and watch. Once things looked like they were getting too serious, armed security guards would rush in and beat the students down with batons. A lot of people got hurt, but since no one actually died, the academy considered it a success.
It was a bit strange, but that was just how Palaestra Academy had always been.
A place like a dream for aspiring hunters. A place where men and women sweated and clashed against each other. A place overflowing with vigor and passion.
“Ugh… maybe I went a little too hard…”
Ines Corceiro was a maiden who wholeheartedly followed that dream. She also loved the American and Southern unit system known as the yard-pound more than anyone else.
When she struggled out of bed, the bruises covering her voluptuous body were revealed. They looked serious, but Ines didn’t seem to think much of it. She simply rubbed a raw egg against her blackened eye. It had been perfectly fine just two days ago, before the rain. How on earth had it come to this?
“Those filthy bastards… denying the yard-pound?”
It was because she had participated in the pro-yard-pound protest just two days earlier. To be precise, her club had told her to join, so she simply went along. She fought hard, but they were outnumbered, and this was the result.
It was utterly ridiculous, yet she didn’t regret it one bit. If anything, she felt satisfied that she had landed a few good hits.
Her way of thinking wasn’t exactly normal, but the club she belonged to wasn’t exactly a normal place either. A club that practiced racism, speciesism, and yard-pound worship all at once? If Kang Sian had known, he would have spat “socially maladjusted human” right to her face.
Though she was a socially maladjusted girl, Ines—who was at least exceptionally beautiful on the outside—grinned as she stopped rubbing the egg on her eye. She left her room, where the Confederate flag and a double-barrel shotgun hung proudly on the wall.
“Let’s see… today was the club fair day, right…”
It was an opportunity given to those who had joined the Breckinridge Club before the semester started. A day she had been looking forward to far too much.
She washed up, got dressed, ate some Southern food she had bought yesterday, listened to the news about World Tree worshiping reptilian deep state conspiracies, and left her new home.
[Mailbox]
[Ines Adriana Corceiro da Silveira]
“Nothing here.”
After checking her mailbox, she headed toward the bright sunrise. Of course, since the city of Arecibo was enormous, simply walking everywhere would be a waste of time. She pulled out the skateboard she had stashed at home and smoothly glided down the downhill slope.
Ines smiled brightly, as if her future was full of promise. She basked in the wind with the hope of someone who believed she was the protagonist of this world. She crossed the city with miraculous athleticism, even pulling off natural parkour as if she had a talent for it. She gave off the impression that she would excel as a hunter too.
But in the end, she was nothing more than an average Awakened. A hunter aspirant whose abilities weren’t particularly outstanding. Of course, back in her hometown in the South—in Alabama—she had been considered quite exceptional. At the very least, no one back home could defeat her spear.
“Let’s see, I think I turn right here… Yep, that’s it!”
After her sprint, she arrived at the club fair street. She was a little late, so a few people were already browsing around.
“Every day at Palaestra Academy, countless aspiring hunters are throwing their lives into the trash!”
“And of course, our club is throwing its time into the trash right alongside them! Hey, that Latin beauty over there! How about becoming a reporter for the newspaper club, Daily Pala—”
“I’m good, thanks!”
She hurriedly ran toward her own club’s booth. Soon she reached the stall decorated with bizarre ornaments like guns, Bibles, and Southern flags.
“Huff, huff… Sorry I’m late!”
She immediately bowed her head in apology. Fortunately, since the fair had just opened, everyone told her it was fine.
“Alright, when people come by, hold this up and shout what you memorized. Got it?”
“Yes ma’am!”
She was handed a sign that read ‘Protect Pure American Blood!’ and put on a jacket that said ‘Breckinridge Club — The True American’s Society!’
“Down with other species! Down with other races! White power!”
And so it began. She drew aggro from every single person who walked by. It was both an effort to bring even one more person into the club and a way to openly display their hatred.
The problem was that their hatred was so broad that it was aimed even at fellow white people.
“Devilish British, get the hell out of the academy!”
“Fucking white trash.”
“Hey, you cat-eyed Jap! Get lost already?!”
“That’s your mom, nya~”
“Hey, pure-looking Anglo-Saxon friend! Wanna join our club and purge the inferior blood together?”
“I’m Irish, you idiots.”
“Furry freaks, get lost already?!”
“These guys got their asses kicked during the yard-pound protest and they’re still at it.”
Today’s batting average was the same as always. Even as they received dirty looks from everyone around them, the behavior continued until lunchtime. It should have been exhausting, but Ines displayed an iron will without pause. Her sales pitch disguised as aggression showed no sign of stopping.
It was around the time when countless beads of sweat were rolling down her dark skin that a hand landed on her shoulder—skin that seemed like it wouldn’t get any darker no matter how much sun it took.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. Take breaks in between.”
“Huh? But then people won’t—”
“You’re only a freshman, right? I’ll tell the president, so go check out some other clubs for a bit.”
“Ah, yes! Thank you!”
Break time. She took off her jacket and wiped her sweat-drenched face with a towel. Then she began wandering the street freely. She looked at what every other club was offering and checked out every booth in detail.
‘There are more clubs than I thought.’
‘Whoa, what’s that?’
‘That club looks kinda fun…’
She was in the middle of her exploration when she suddenly turned her head at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.
“……?”
There, a man was running urgently. It looked like he was in a hurry, but that wasn’t the important part.
‘Wait, that guy…!’
The most important thing was that the man had a very familiar appearance. Ines recalled the man who had humiliated them during the last march. It was possible she was mistaken. But from her perspective, Kang Sian’s looks were impossible to forget. She was almost certain.
The thought that she had to catch him somehow drove her body forward. She followed behind him after he passed her, doing her best to stay inconspicuous and not get caught. When Kang Sian stopped because someone grabbed him, she stopped too. When he started walking again, she followed once more.
They eventually reached the Muscle Mage club booth. Ines hid in an alley and eavesdropped on the conversation between Kang Sian and the others.
‘What are they talking about? First place? Where the hell did he get first place?’
‘I thought that Dongyang-in elf was surprisingly skilled… Don’t tell me he was actually some big shot?’
‘What? Did he just get her number? No, more importantly, why does that girl look so happy?’
‘He’s got inferior blood flowing through him…! If this continues, the inferior blood will only spread further…’
She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to take action immediately. The moment she tried to step out of the alley—
‘Wait, who’s that now?’
Someone quickly approached Kang Sian. The tanned blond man radiated fury from both his expression and his stride. He was a Californian who, like Ines, had seen Kang Sian running and followed after him. The only difference was that he seemed even more Southern than she was.
‘W-what?! He’s just going to attack him right here?!’
He grabbed Kang Sian and threw a punch at his face.
‘Actually, this is perfect! If he gets hit once—huh?’
But Kang Sian lightly dodged it. It was the same abnormal movement as last time.
“You son of a bitch! If it weren’t for you—!”
The opponent didn’t care and swung his fists repeatedly. Kang Sian kept dodging fairly well, but it was clear this wouldn’t end anytime soon. With no other choice, he let a few light hits land. Since they only grazed his chest where magic power flowed, there was almost no impact.
The tanned blond man thought he had succeeded and broke into an ecstatic expression. But in reality, it was far from over.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
One of the muscle mages who had been watching stepped forward. The tanned blond man spat out curses as if asking what he was going to do about it. The muscle mage’s face hardened, and the atmosphere grew even colder. That was the end of the good times.
“Hey, what the fuck did you just say?”
“Who the hell are you to hit our friend?”
“This guy’s insane.”
“Must be some spoiled rich kid from a fancy family, huh?”
“What a weird bastard.”
Before long, Kang Sian and the muscle mages had completely surrounded him. The encirclement and annihilation formation was complete.