The Rival Who Wants to Step on Me #5
It seems like something’s gone wrong. Yeah, this is definitely something wrong.
It’s not true, no matter how much I think about it, this can’t possibly be.
“Hot chocolate flies away! Are you not going to calm down?!”
At the sound of that, I grit my teeth and block Rie’s sword that’s coming at me again.
It was something I never could have dreamed of until recently, but now it’s become possible like a scene from a manga.
Of course, it’s still a fact that Rie is giving me a lot of leeway, but she’s not reducing the speed blatantly like before or loosening it in any other way.
Clang!!-
Rie’s sword that was flying towards me dangerously blocked exactly in the middle.
Again, I successfully blocked the attack that was coming at me at an insanely fast speed.
“Good. You protected the hot chocolate behind you again today, just like yesterday.”
As I listen to Rie’s words, I lean on my staff, using it as a cane for my neck.
From the morning, my body has no strength at all, as if the forbidden symptoms are starting to appear.
Honestly, I really want to drink the hot chocolate behind me right now.
But recalling the promise I made with Rie and Forbes’ ugly face, I end up clenching my teeth and holding back again.
I don’t want to see Rie disappointed, and I especially don’t want to see Forbes smirking saying ‘In the end, your level is exactly here.’
Although I could easily mess with him in other ways, since I decided to step on the guy who thinks he won’t be defeated, I really want to crush him.
Forbes probably doesn’t think he’ll lose at all.
But he’s a Martial Division student, and he’s thinking he can lose to a Literary Division student with swordsmanship, even though the opponent is a sword genius with the worst skills in the Literary Division, right?
It’s much more satisfying to win against someone you know than against someone you don’t know.
And winning against the one you know who looked down on you is the most thrilling moment.
For that, I could stay up all night playing games, and even in this situation where my hands and feet are trembling, I could swing the sword to achieve my goal.
“Lucian.”
While I’m thinking of just sitting down and resting, Rie’s voice calls out.
Lifting my head, I see an angel or devil holding a chocolate, standing there.
“Open your mouth.”
Just like a mother bird feeding her baby, I receive the chocolate from Rie and eat it.
It’s not like I don’t have pride, honestly, I’m dying of embarrassment while doing this.
But since she doesn’t help me in a situation where my pride is about to die from hunger, I guess.
In this situation, it’s so urgent that I even want to suck on the chocolate that’s just a little on Rie’s finger.
“...Huuu.”
Now, my body feels like it has some blood flowing.
This line shouldn’t come out just from eating one chocolate.
I feel pathetic about myself, but then I feel relieved that I’m alive.
Really, this is just ridiculous, and suddenly I feel self-loathing.
“The moves were all good just now. Although they’re still a bit unstable, you’re going exactly in the right direction and how to move. It seems like your eye acuity is playing that role.”
“That’s right. Even without knowing magic, I’m slamming magic formulas and calculations into my eyes, and as a sword genius, I also figure out where the opponent’s sword is going.”
“It seems like the god is jealous of you. He doesn’t give a body that can follow with such eyes. I might have cursed the sky if I were you.”
Since the world where swordsmanship and magic are the best, anyone other than Rie would have done the same.
Even if they complement the old things to design better sword techniques.
Even if they make simple formulas to make magic easier to use.
If they don’t apply it all themselves, what negative thoughts would they have?
Instead of not achieving that, they might not have regrets, but looking at scenes where thanks to themselves, some are training better swordsmanship and some using more powerful magic...
I swear, based on today’s standards, they might have given up all external activities and gone into hiding or made choices that shouldn’t be made.
Recently, other fields are shining a bit besides swordsmanship and magic.
But swordsmanship and magic are naturally seen as evaluating ‘military power’.
Still, in my case, because I have experience from my previous life, I know that if I become an expert in other fields, I can eat and live without any problem, so I did that.
Others, even if they go into administration or art or other fields.
There was a current flowing that everyone wanted to have the basics of swordsmanship and magic.
“I just did what I had to for my survival. There are other paths.”
“That’s why I liked you.”
“...Cough! Cough, cough!”
At the moment I was swallowing the last flavor of the chocolate left in my mouth.
Thanks to Rie suddenly coming in, I had to cough as if I was choking on the example.
At times she’s shy, and at other times she approaches so casually.
It’s a sight that only Rie can’t adapt to.
“...If you say something like that without caring, I get a bit flustered.”
“I-I’m not just saying it without thinking!”
“Then?”
“...I said it first. I like you. Since we started like this, I don’t want to hide and hide, and be anxious about being found out.”
“You should have said it earlier. Before entering the academy.”
“You were busy too, like me. I don’t know exactly what you were doing, inviting people and going somewhere to meet them. And I was busy at the time when I was gaining enlightenment.”
“I understand. It says that even a small enlightenment acts very importantly for those who swing swords.”
“Yes. And...”
Rie suddenly stops talking and glances at me secretly.
At first, I wondered why she was doing that, but now I can roughly guess.
Probably she’s trying to say something embarrassing in her heart.
“Luci, Lucian. I didn’t know how you think about me.”
“Ah.”
Lucian and I haven’t seen each other since childhood for quite a long time.
She had her own circumstances, I had my own.
Being the second son of a viscount family and the daughter of a duke family, it was difficult to see personally.
So, in Rie’s position, it would have been difficult to bring up words without knowing what kind of answer she would hear.
However, thinking about it, it might have worked well for Rie.
Honestly, when I was little, we were just kids, so there was no thought.
If we continued to see each other after that, I might have thought she was pretty, but maybe I would have accepted her as a neighborhood friend, and there might not have been the current fluttering feeling.
Because we didn’t see each other for a long time, and we only roughly heard about each other’s news.
So, on the day I took the entrance exam and saw Rie again.
On that day, I might have unconsciously gasped at her changed beautiful appearance.
“If I had said I liked you when I was little, what would I have answered then?”
“Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have thought that deeply.”
“As expected?”
“It had to be like that. We were both kids, what do we know. Rather, it seemed like you suddenly came in at just the right time. After a long time apart, when we were a bit awkward, throwing a rock into the slightly shaking lake. It completely soaked me.”
“...That’s an extremely metaphorical saying.”
“So. To summarize, the moment I saw you after a long time, my heart fluttered. You were too different from the you I knew, not just in appearance but in every part, you were incredibly beautiful. Especially the scene of you swinging the sword is still vividly remembered in my memory.”
By the way, Rie uses swordsmanship that is one step further than what I designed.
Probably she created her own swordsmanship by complementing various parts.
Seeing that, I felt again how much of a genius Rie is.
It’s a result achieved by utilizing ability, which is somewhat like an unfair advantage.
Rie created her own suitable swordsmanship purely through her own skill, talent, and effort.
Moreover, it’s much faster and more powerful than the swordsmanship I complemented.
The only flaw is that it’s hard to casually imitate her, but it’s not a serious problem because swordsmanship isn’t something easy to learn.
“...”
Even though I’ve said everything, Rie is too quiet.
So, when I look back at her, her face is flushed, and her eyes are rolling around.
It strongly feels like she’s embarrassed and doesn’t know what to say.
After waiting a bit, I secretly check the time.
Today is a day with philosophy lecture, so I should end it around here.
“Rie. I have a philosophy lecture, so I’ll go first. Thanks again today.”
“...No. Rather, I should thank you.”
I don’t know what to thank for.
Anyway, before going to the lecture, I glance at the hot chocolate behind me and quickly pick it up.
And before Rie can stop me, I chug the content down with a slurp!
“Luci, Lucian!”
“I worked hard today, so please give me this much. In return, I’ll work harder.”
“Ha... I really can’t stop you. Good. Since you didn’t do bad today, I’ll let it go. After the philosophy lecture, keep reflecting alone. I can’t do more today because of the lecture. Got it?”
After nodding my head, just as I was about to leave the training hall.
I stopped my steps, turned my body slightly, and approached Rie.
After staring at the angel looking at me as if wondering why, just like she did before.
I lightly kiss her cheek and run out of the training hall.
“Ah, aah?! E, eaaa!!”
Since she likes it herself, why is she so excited.
Rie’s reaction was so fun that I thought it would be good to do it again later.
The academy corridor heading to the lecture room where the philosophy lecture starts.
While greeting my classmates and some seniors.
Seeing a male student ahead, I almost automatically spew out curses.
“Lucian.”
Forbes, who hasn’t appeared much lately, as expected, doesn’t forget and greets me.
Since a while ago, he said he was swinging the sword hard, his momentum feels a bit sharper.
But in others’ eyes, he’s just a bully who makes a little effort.
To me now, it’s a level that I need to be concerned about.
“Hello, Senior Forbes.”
“Stop the greetings. I heard you’ve been focusing on swordsmanship lately.”
“That’s right.”
“Rie was giving you leeway, right?”
“That’s also right.”
While answering with etiquette, suddenly Forbes clicks his tongue.
Why is he clicking his tongue?
Thinking about it, the viscount’s bully opens his mouth with a sullen voice.
“Although Rie made a mistake, are you using that as an excuse to steal her time?”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“It means you’re stealing Rie’s time by trying to do something with the swordsmanship that doesn’t even exist yet. You should think about overcoming the wall yourself and working harder, not clinging to her because she’s better and asking her to teach you the way. That’s not worth eating or sleeping.”
“...”
“As expected, since you’re a Literary Division student, you don’t even know the basics.”
This is a provocation that clearly shows my pride and tries to provoke me first.
So that I can crush him and eliminate the reason to be next to Rie.
At the same time, it’s a real hyena-like guy trying to take her side and get closer.
Although it’s senior-junior, they’re all from noble families.
So there should be at least minimum etiquette to maintain, but this guy keeps ticking as if to provoke me or if etiquette is not in his mind at all.
Hold back or speak up. Hold back or speak up.
Now I’ve just got a hint, and since it’s only been a little while, the way is still long.
Although swordsmanship has increased a bit, this is only blocking attacks so far.
Still, there’s almost no change in the ‘attack’ part from before.
To go beyond this, I need more time.
“Senior Forbes.”
“What?”
“Let’s have a match.”
But.
I’m not the kind of person who can endure that much.
“...What?”
“Let’s have a duel. Let’s see. Who’s the loser. Who’s the one falling behind.”