Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Match Point (2)
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“You think Shirone is like you? Fighting just to be popular?”
“What? Are you done talking?”
Whenever students gathered, they would weigh Shirone's group against Dante's. It was mostly a matter of placing Dante at the top, with countless speculations swirling beneath him. This was what had happened in the two months since Olivia was appointed the new headmaster.
Nade was bothered by the chatter coming from all directions. Before the introduction of the Two Thousand Bouts, it seemed they hadn't been so blatant about taking sides. In any case, since academic achievement was on the rise, the faculty was not about to retract Olivia's policy.
“Ugh, seriously! Maybe we should just transfer schools.”
Nade said, not really meaning it.
Some girls glanced their way, whispering and smirking, before running over to Dante.
“It's fine. Don't worry about it. We just need to do things our way.”
Shirone said calmly and went back to focusing on his lifting training.
Nade clicked his tongue. Dante, who reigned like an emperor despite being just a student, wasn't normal, but Shirone's nerves were just as thick, not batting an eye even when rumors of him being a coward spread.
A week later, there was a midterm evaluation.
Dante's group took first to third place, pushing down the ranks of everyone in Class Four. Of course, the hierarchy remained the same.
After the midterm evaluation, the students stopped talking about Shirone. Without any feedback, spreading gossip was pointless.
Pandora tried relentlessly to blend in with Dante's group, but an invisible barrier still existed between them.
Thinking things couldn't go on like this, Pandora casually brought it up while pretending to massage Sabina's shoulders.
“Hey, Sabina. I want to get better at practical combat, too. What should I do?”
“Practical combat? Right, you use magic by the book. Don't do that. Learn passives. It gets much easier. It's not like you'll get in trouble for learning them early. Anyway, this school is so weird.”
She gave advice, but it was clear she didn't want to put in any more effort than that.
Feeling anxious, Pandora decided to be direct.
“Instead of just talking, could you teach me in the Two Thousand Bouts?”
“Oh? Are you challenging me right now?”
“No, no! It's not like that at all. I just thought it would be good for me to learn some passive skills or tactics I can use in a real fight.”
Closer's gaze drifted to Pandora's chest. He had been looking for an opportunity, and if she was going to be this forward, it would actually make things easier.
“Alright, Pandora is part of our group anyway, so there's no harm in her getting stronger. How about we give you some special tutoring?”
Pandora was ecstatic. Most of all, she was happy they considered her part of their group.
“Oh, really? If you would, I'd be so grateful!”
His friends couldn't possibly be unaware of Closer's true intentions.
Dante wanted power, Closer wanted women, and Sabina wanted popularity.
They were childhood friends who had helped each other get what they wanted since they were young, so this time, Dante went along with what Closer said.
“Alright. Shall we stretch our legs for a change? Let's head to the Two Thousand Bouts.”
Dante's group found a corner in the training hall, had Pandora stand there, and offered her pieces of advice one by one.
As is often the case with advice from others, it was nothing more than packaging well-known facts in plausible-sounding language.
Closer subtly wrapped an arm around Pandora's shoulder and said.
“Alright, the three of us will surround and attack you, so try to counter with your fragrance magic. We'll go slow, so don't worry.”
“Huh? Oh. Okay.”
Dante's group pressured Pandora with basic magic.
From her perspective, it was a somewhat useful lesson, but to their classmates, it looked like they were training a mutt.
Getting excited, Sabina shouted.
“Ho ho! Not bad! Don't just run away, try to fight back a little. We're getting bored.”
Following her words, Pandora cast the floral scent of Oliph, which causes confusion. It wasn't instantaneous, but that made it easier for the opponent to let their guard down, so it was often used in real battles.
And Sabina fell for the tactic perfectly. Thinking she could be caught, Pandora released her trump card fragrance, Fire Flower (made by Alones).
Her senses dulled by the scent of Oliph, Sabina couldn't help but inhale a small amount, even though she knew better.
Heat spread through her lungs as if she had inhaled fire. It would have been dangerous if the synchronization rate hadn't been at 50 percent.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Sabina! Are you okay?”
Pandora, who had been running over in concern, felt a chill and stopped in her tracks. Sabina, who had her head down, looked up with ice-cold eyes.
“S-Sorry.”
“It's fine. You did very well. This is how you improve.”
As if nothing had happened, Sabina's face twisted into a fake smile. She couldn't show that she had been hit in front of the other students, especially the underclassmen.
Terrified, Pandora stammered.
“Um... I think we can stop now. This has been a great help.”
“What are you talking about? You've already improved so much. Now, the real training begins!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Dante and Closer rushed in. Enraged that Pandora had brazenly landed a blow, they no longer held back.
“Here, Pandora! Take this!”
“Hohoho! Here I come, too!”
With the three of them attacking in earnest, Pandora had no way to defend herself. In the end, a near-critical Anti-Magic spell shook her Spirit Zone, and she collapsed to the floor.
Dante's group didn't stop. They controlled their power to make her gauge deplete as slowly as possible, mercilessly pouring on the magic.
The classmates watching the scene spoke with concern.
“Hey, isn't that a bit too much, no matter what?”
“That's not teaching. It's just a beating.”
Pandora, looking resigned, bowed her head and accepted the barrage of magic. She felt so miserable that she couldn't even bring herself to tell them to stop.
Seeing his rival being humiliated, Boil clenched his fists. She had a difficult personality, but Pandora was also a girl who had worked hard since Class Ten to get to where she was. He couldn't understand what she had done to deserve such humiliation.
As Pandora's mental energy hit rock bottom, her bracelet lit up. No longer able to cast magic, Sabina stopped her attack and looked down at her with a smirk.
“How was that? Was it helpful?”
Pandora lifted her head, her eyes filled with sadness. She knew what had been done to her without anyone having to tell her.
But she forced the corners of her mouth up. If even Dante's group abandoned her, she would have nowhere left to go.
“Yes. I learned a lot. Thank you.”
“Puhahahaha!”
Closer clutched his stomach and burst out laughing. He knew she was unsophisticated from the start, but he hadn't realized she was this naive.
Sabina still wasn't satisfied. She had to at least inflict the same amount of humiliation she had suffered from the Fire Flower.
“You have to get beaten like this over and over to get stronger. Understand?”
“Yes. I think I was too weak. I'll ask you again next time.”
“Really? Then hurry up and kneel.”
Pandora looked up in despair. But she could only feel the coldness in Sabina's eyes.
“What are you doing? You lost, so kneel and beg. Have you forgotten the rules already?”
Pandora tried to hold it in, but she couldn't stop the tears from bursting out. Her shoulders trembled, and she burst into tears.
“Hahaha! Are you crying? Don't tell me you're upset? You're so weak, yet so full of drama. Hey everyone, look over here. Your senior is bawling her eyes out!”
The underclassmen turned their heads away, embarrassed. If they were in that situation, the very thought was horrifying.
The teachers also realized the gravity of the situation. Thadd, in particular, had no intention of letting it slide and walked toward them. He would have to hear their side of the story, but disciplinary action seemed unavoidable.
Spotting Thadd, Sabina realized she had crossed the line. It seemed she had gotten too worked up after being hit by the country bumpkin.
But she couldn't show that she was trembling. For a reasonably popular student from Bashuka, a disciplinary action or two was a badge of honor.
In any case, there was nothing to be gained by letting the situation continue, so Sabina tried to defuse it as quickly as possible.
“What? You can't bring yourself to kneel? Then just get lost. Let's not even make eye contact again.”
“No, it's not that.”
Pandora shook her head. It was an action that came before thought. If they could understand her feelings even a little, what did it matter if she knelt now?
“I lost. So...”
The moment Pandora bent her knees, someone grabbed her arm. Thadd stopped walking, and Boil's eyes widened.
“Shirone? Why...?”
Turning her head, Pandora was surprised to see that the person who had come for her was Shirone. He had never once interfered in Dante's affairs until now.
Shirone walked past Pandora and approached Dante. The silence was longer than expected, but no one felt it was long. It was their first confrontation, and it had taken three months to get to this point.
“Why are you doing this?”
Dante snorted. He wondered what the first words out of Shirone's mouth would be, and it turned out to be some cliché hero-playing.
“Doing 'this'? What did we do? We were just practicing interpersonal combat.”
“The three of you attacked Pandora. A person who had already lost their will to fight.”
Sabina covered her mouth and laughed. It seemed she could use this situation to avoid disciplinary action.
“Oh my! Did you have a crush on Pandora? This is priceless! This is perfect. You should confess to her while you're at it...”
“I wasn't asking you. I'm talking to Dante, so stay out of it.”
Shirone's blunt dismissal made Sabina's face flush, but Dante paid it no mind. He judged that it was better to handle this matter cautiously.
“Fine. I admit we were a bit harsh. But Pandora asked us to teach her first, and we just complied. That's the whole situation, so ask Pandora for the details. Now, if you'll excuse me.”
As Dante turned away, Pandora lowered her head, looking dejected. She resented them for pinning all the blame on her and walking away, but it was true that she had been the one to bow her head first.
“Don't be ridiculous. Are you even skilled enough to teach anyone?”
Dante's steps came to a halt.
He knew it was a provocation, but this one had a definite impact. If he had chosen his words deliberately, it was an excellent combination.
“What... did you just say?”
“Don't get the wrong idea. Don't think you're the best just because you've won a few fights against classmates. You can't know about interpersonal combat until you've fought everyone.”
“Haha! What nonsense is this? That's why there are rankings and records. I've never lost before, and I even took down the top student in the advanced class here. Isn't that enough?”
“Are you that confident? In that case, want to have a go with me?”
The students turned around, their faces shocked. It was the first time that Shirone, who had been as still as a statue until now, had thrown down the gauntlet.
Dante's expression wasn't entirely calm either. If things went this way, wouldn't Shirone become the hero of justice and he the villain to be defeated? A champion deserves a stage set for a champion.
“Why should I?”
Dante had no intention of doing what Shirone wanted.
“Think about it. You're the one who has been avoiding a match all this time. And now you want to fight me? I'm not someone you can just fight when you feel like it and run from when you want to.”
“I have no intention of forcing a fight with someone who doesn't want to. Instead, promise me you won't bully my friends again.”
This was what irritated Dante. Shirone treated the power he considered the most important thing in the world, the throne that countless people coveted, as something trivial.
“Who did I bully? They all bow down to me on their own. If you didn't like it so much, why didn't you stop me from the beginning? It's a problem when you throw a tantrum after kicking away the opportunity yourself.”
In any case, Dante, who had received special orders from Olivia, had Shirone as a target. After a moment of thought, he came up with a way to both preserve his pride and crush Shirone.