The Academy's First Touchdown Showdown
The duel between instructor and student was an unprecedented event in academy history. In reality, Zeroa and Philia fought on proxies, but the lost honor fell squarely to Rai or Philia—one of the two.
No wonder students could not look away. Not only freshmen, but upper-year students too were peeking into Class B. With Aria's beauty already filling the hall, the Class B classroom became so crowded during breaks that no one could squeeze through.
Where people gathered, money inevitably flowed. And wherever there was a winner and a loser, gambling was always close behind. More than half the students who came to watch Class B placed bets.
Some only wanted fun, but others chased a big payout. Still, those chasing the jackpot usually sighed when they saw the odds were too lopsided.
"Even if the instructor teaches us, could we close the gap in just two weeks?"
"Impossible. If it were possible at all, we'd have to overtake, not just close the gap—and the difference is already huge from the start."
"I heard from classmates in our class that Zeroa's training method is completely mastered?"
"Completely mastered? Didn't you hear the instructor? The advantage is safety and sustainability, but the disadvantage is weak results. If there had been more time, maybe, but two weeks was too short."
Most students bet on Philia winning, so the odds gradually tilted heavily in one direction. The students analyzing the match even hesitated before placing a bet on Zeroa for a big payout.
When the situation was like this, even the people running the bets were troubled. The closer the gap, the more people would bet, but the situation was too one-sided.
"Hey—what are you doing?"
Jay, who had been accepting applications, suddenly jumped when Rai walked up and spoke to him casually.
"Instructor, this is perfectly legal. We haven't broken academy rules or imperial law."
"Who said that? What's the payout?"
Gambling was not officially encouraged in the empire, and it was not strictly banned either, but some instructors hated it and interfered. Jay explained with a shrug.
Rai, however, paid him no mind, quietly checked the odds, and slipped two gold coins into his hand.
"Put it on Zeroa. And spread the word that I placed the bet."
Jay's eyes sparkled. If the instructor in charge of training casually bet on the weakest student, the entire betting pool would swell even if the matchup itself stayed the same.
Jay calmed down quickly and realized the match was only a few hours away. He asked Rai.
"Then... could we delay the match a little? Honestly, everyone is excited about this matchup, and it would be a shame to do it during class time. I could go out and sell watermelons on the side and earn some extra income. I can take up to twenty percent of the watermelon profits as instructor's share."
"No, that's impossible. Too many spectators leave the loser with a big scar. They might not be able to recover or their growth might stall. It's even worse for your age group."
Rai was betting on his own victory, so the side he mentioned was Philia. Jay, a year above the freshmen, had only ever seen Rai from afar and did not know him personally.
He had heard many things about how different Rai was from other instructors—some said he was confused about his own duties, others that he was either good or bad at teaching.
Jay had always thought of him as just a strange instructor, but even though Rai had challenged him directly, Jay now looked at him with eyes full of respect for thinking about his students' honor and future.
'Besides, our timid guy will be too tense with so many spectators and won't show his real skill.'
Although Rai had taken pity on him, he chose the time considering the odds. If too many outsiders watched, Zeroa would never win.
"Pay attention to class. We're a little late, but we're gathering more guests."
"Yes, I'll take care of it. And... um... you should get that face checked."
"I'll take care of it myself."
Jay did not know where the injury was, but Rai's swollen jaw looked cool as he flashed a smile and left to teach.
Class B's mana control lecture time arrived and students gathered.
But today the students kept glancing at Philia, who had come to class for the first time in ages, and Zeroa, who looked tense, paying more attention to their matchup.
The practice hall was surprisingly crowded. Students who could not come during class time but had free periods, plus academy staff, had come out of curiosity.
Rai, Xenia, Elbert, and many other instructors were seated. Even Vice Principal Bright was there, so the weight in the stands was heavy.
Since Bright, the highest-ranking staff member after the headmaster, was sitting in the front row, non-instructors did not get close but watched from a distance.
'Just like the army or academy, people love watching fights.'
Although many had gathered, this number was exactly what Rai had expected. When Bright had lectured him about his honor as an instructor, Rai had already warned Zeroa. Even knowing that, Rai felt tension when the vice principal sat there with a stern face.
But Rai had nothing left to say to Zeroa now.
He had done everything possible. If he gave one more motivational pep talk or threatened him, Zeroa might break under the pressure and do something rash, so he would only pray that he would overcome it himself.
"I guess in the end, prayer is all that's left."
Even if he increased the probability, whether the opponent would accept the bet still depended on luck. The chaos of the battlefield flashed through his mind and Rai laughed inside.
Just then Xenia walked over.
"Rai-nim."
"Oh, Xenia-noona. I didn't know you'd come. Is it a free period?"
"Noona? Stop using that title since the vice principal is here."
She tried to scold him quietly, but Xenia's shy smile showed she did not mind the "noona." Her sky-blue hair fell from her ears and tickled her cheeks, making her look much younger than her age.
She had come to cheer for the match, but seeing the students watching made her words hard to say.
"I... I think Rai-nim will win this match."
"Wh... Xenia-nim also bet on me?"
"Eh? No, I didn't bet..."
The conversation was not what Xenia had expected, so Rai laughed.
Leila, sitting beside Bright, frowned when she saw Rai chatting so friendly with Xenia.
'When did they become this close again?'
Every day a new person appeared beside Rai—Zeroa, Xenia, even the cleaning staff. It felt as if he had been friends for years.
Rai had a knack for making people like him, but Leila could not understand why anyone would befriend him when she herself disliked him.
"What do you think, Elbert-nim?"
"I should of course cheer for my fellow instructors. But even if I gave private lessons, it might be hard."
Elbert answered quickly when Bright asked, then rattled off his analysis—differences in family backgrounds, education from childhood, and so on. Bright said nothing and asked the other instructors in turn, finally turning to Leila.
"Then what about you, Leila-nim? How do you feel?"
"Whichever side wins, both should be disciplined. Both of them."
Leila spoke about the unpleasantness between instructors and students, and Bright nodded in agreement.
"That's right. This is not about who is better or worse. Why can't everyone see that and stop fixating on the win or loss? We are instructors, not gamblers, yet so many students don't understand their own status."
The instructors around them were flustered and avoided meeting Bright's eyes.
"Would you have done the same if it had been Philia?"
"I don't know the situation at the time, but if she had relied on the lecture content, she would have asked questions. She could have asked other instructors for advice. If she still could not accept it, she would have formally lodged a complaint with the academy. Institutions and organizations are built to solve public issues."
"Excellent answer. But asking that of an inexperienced student might be too much. Philia has the absence of education, so there is some room for leniency. Then... what about Rai-nim? What was the problem?"
Leila glanced at Bright, who had corrected his own slip of the tongue, but pretended not to notice and answered.
"Exactly the same as Philia."
"Even though you've been out in the real world?"
"Yes, because the fields are different. He tried to teach an excellent training method but failed the entire first lecture. However, he admitted his shortcomings, took feedback from the students, and the next time he made them praise his teaching. He lacks manners or etiquette and tarnishes the instructor's dignity, but he has fulfilled his duties properly."
After listening, Bright fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"The lecture content is good. I have to think about whether I should try Solterian Training Method myself—the old man like me. But the issue is still dignity."
"Yes, so both should be disciplined."
Leila's firm reply, as if she was taking one side or the other, made Bright nod.
Instructor dignity was extremely important. Not just for respect, but if trust could not be built, the lessons would not be transmitted properly. If students looked down on an instructor and challenged him easily, no matter how much he shouted, the students would not accept it.
"I did talk about instructor dignity once. Rai-nim probably needs some retraining as well."
"Definitely necessary."
Leila wanted to run away, but swallowed the rest of the sentence and conveyed her hope to Bright.
"I see. It seems not only Rai-nim but many others also need education about what makes an instructor qualified. Do you all agree?"
"Yes... Vice Principal's words are correct..."
"Um... I'm busy with recent research..."
The instructors' mouths hung open at Bright's thunderbolt words. They looked away, flustered. Meanwhile, Philia and Zeroa had finished their preparations for the duel.
The two would battle in a game called Touchdown, a tabletop mana control sport. Many had thought it was odd to use a board game when fighting only with mana, but it was the best way to test pure mana control.
The board was about the size of a small table. The simple rule was to guide the small balls across it into the opponent's zone to win. It was not limited to one ball; depending on the players' abilities, more balls could be placed.
Mana was sent from the mana stones in front of their seats to control the balls on the board.
Sending too much mana could break the stones and result in an automatic loss, so the test cared only about control ability regardless of power.
The stones used today were eighth-rank, low-grade consumables that academy students could break without effort.
If mana was not properly controlled, the stones broke immediately.
They had decided on two balls for this match. Since they had discussed the matchup in advance, they had practiced enough. The player who held ownership of the balls would win, so higher mana control ability gave the advantage.
Zeroa swallowed dryly, tense. He had been flustered when chosen as proxy, but as the crowd's interest grew, the pressure only increased.
He had rarely drawn so much attention before, yet now the entire academy—students and instructors alike—watched him. He could not help but feel nervous.
Especially with Vice Principal Bright watching, his vision grew dark.
A warm hand landed on Zeroa's trembling shoulder. When their faces drew close, Rai whispered.
"You should respond to the people cheering for you. I don't ask for much, but at least send them a look."
Zeroa looked around with trembling eyes. Many cheered for Philia, but some for both, and some for him.
And among the crowd, Aria was staring at him. Her jewel-like eyes glowed without trembling, then checked the surroundings before raising her tiny fists as if to cheer. It was such a small gesture that Zeroa almost missed it, but he caught it. The moment he saw her cute support, strength flooded back into him.
"Instructor Rai-nim."
"Why? Feeling better now?"
"Yes, the power is overflowing."
Rai looked at Zeroa strangely, thinking the effect was better than expected, but Zeroa stared at the board with burning eyes.
"I don't know what happened, but it went well anyway." Rai sat calmly even in the noisy environment, watching Philia.
She showed no sign of being shaken by the surrounding attention. Despite lacking experience, she had an unshakable composure that withstood the pressure pouring down. She was bolder than the timid Zeroa beside her.
Beside her stood Cesset, her coach. With a towel around her neck, she forced a water cup to Philia's lips, who refused. The playful action seemed to help her relax, and Rai thought Cesset was a good friend.
'She doesn't seem tense, though.'
Cesset, sensing the gaze, slipped her hand into her coat pocket and strolled over to Rai.
"I hope for a good match, Instructor Rai. Today our player's condition is excellent, so it will be tough."
"You bet on Zeroa earlier..."
"Nope! Shhh! What if someone hears that here?"
Cesset, who was short and bouncy, covered Rai's mouth with her small hands, then waved her hand at the suspicious Philia.
"Ah, our player is only focused on the game. This side is business talk, business."
Philia eyed her suspiciously, but Cesset turned to Zeroa, shook his hand, and spoke.
"Sorry for bothering you for nothing."
"Not at all. Thanks to you, I've learned a lot."
"It's not like I taught you anything... Anyway, no matter who wins, let's not hold grudges against each other."
"Yes, thank you in advance."
"By the way, you speak politely to others. You don't have to. Treat me comfortably."
"Uh... it's just... I've been doing it for a while and it became natural."
Zeroa smiled awkwardly, and Philia nodded. She had no intention of forcing the issue when he clearly disliked it.
By the time their conversation ended, the friendly shoulders of Rai and Cesset had approached.
"Alright, let's begin."
"Hoi, hoi~ Academy Touchdown tournament starts~~~! ... ... ... ... ... ..."
Zeroa and Philia stared blankly as Rai tossed two balls onto the board without a care.
Before the balls even hit the surface, both players' hands moved faster than thought and grabbed the stones. It was a desperate grab, but Zeroa's instant reaction showed he was an academy student.
The balls numbered one and two bounced a few times before suddenly sticking to the board as if magnetized. Someone had claimed ownership.
Philia had sent mana into both balls. When the two-ball was snatched immediately, she panicked for a second, but then realized why. Zeroa had focused all his mana on the two-ball from the start.
Naturally, the empty one-ball fell to Philia. Without waiting, she rolled it into Zeroa's zone.
— Thud.
The two-ball rolled over and smacked the one-ball's side. Philia was surprised by the unexpected attack and lost ownership for a moment, but quickly grabbed the one-ball and moved it.
Meanwhile, the two-ball kept attacking the one-ball. Philia realized Zeroa was ignoring her own zone and using the balls as attack targets.
'This must be the method the instructor taught me.'
Philia recalled Rai's smug smile and scowled, adding spin to the ball.
Zeroa's two-ball charged forward, but when it met Philia's spinning one-ball, it veered away and circled around as if riding the one-ball.
The two-ball raced toward Philia's zone, and the watching students gasped in surprise.
Philia, who had already been ambushed in the first exchange, found her own ball pushed toward her side. If they kept running toward their respective zones, the nearby two-ball would reach first.
Philia gritted her teeth and focused mana, jumping and striking the two-ball with perfect timing.
As the balls grew farther apart, control became harder, but the students watching were stunned by her skill in jumping and hitting exactly.
The two-ball, thrown off balance by the strong impact, twisted and raced toward Philia's zone again. She had defended perfectly, but the ball still pushed her way.
The tense battle between the two-ball trying to enter her zone and the one-ball trying to defend continued.
At first the students had muttered that the game was boring, but they soon grew absorbed in the exciting development and cheered.
Some cheered for Philia, who stubbornly resisted until the last second before Zeroa's zone was taken. Others were thrilled by Zeroa's comeback.
But the endless clash ended surprisingly quickly.
"Ah..."
Philia's mana overuse shattered the stone she held. The one-ball rolled erratically and stopped in an odd spot. The two-ball slipped into her zone, and the game ended.
The remaining one-ball was still in play, but with the stone broken for Philia, it was impossible to continue.
When the match ended, cheers and sighs overlapped. In the chaotic atmosphere, Philia lowered her head for a moment, tasting defeat, then raised her face and greeted the winner, Zeroa.
"I lost. You really are good. I was so embarrassed to think I would win."
"No. Instructor Rai was there to teach me, so I won. And he even taught me the match tactics."
"I practiced the game too. But I lost because the stone broke, so my skill is lacking."
Philia smiled bitterly, but Zeroa insisted otherwise.
The tactics Rai had taught him had been to treat the stone as the objective from the beginning. By using a few paint tricks to lead the clash, the defender was forced to move recklessly to counter the attacker, making it much more tiring.
Only someone who had played the game for a long time would understand. Philia, unfamiliar with it, had no idea of the stone's durability.
After hearing the explanation, Philia frowned at the idea that it had been planned from the start, but she did not feel wronged. Zeroa had done well to bring his weak mana control to this level in such a short time.
When the result was announced, Philia, who had been ready to accept it, looked at approaching Rai and felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to kneel to his smug face, but she forced herself to stand.
"Instructor, I am sorry for dishonoring your name. I was rude."
Philia bowed her head in apology. Rai stopped dancing.
"Philia, no matter who wins, she was going to apologize to the instructor after the match."
Cesset helped from the side. Rai glanced at Cesset, then looked quietly at Philia, who still bowed her head, before gently stroking her hair.
"Did you work hard?"
"... ..."
Philia looked up. Rai continued.
"I thought you were being careless. But you kept training mana control alone. Your skill changed so much I was shocked. If you had done just a little more, this guy's stone would have broken. You raised your level through self-study—that was amazing."
"T-Thank you..."
Philia had never expected praise. Her face flushed as she stammered.
She had not attended two weeks of mana control lectures, but she had trained alone, searched the library for books, and asked others for advice to fill the gaps.
It had been difficult to master the ambiguous mana control that felt like she was catching a ghost, but she had trained silently. When defeat came and no one knew about her effort, praise felt strange yet joyful at the same time.
"Philia must have fallen for it."
"Cesset!"
Cesset covered her mouth and whispered, but only pretended to do so with her actions. When she spoke loudly, Philia lunged at her and Cesset squealed, running away.
Zeroa watched the two with a warm smile as Rai's hand landed on his shoulder.
"Congratulations. You are a night learner."
"Eh?"
Zeroa, who had expected praise, stared at Rai in bewilderment at the completely different words.
"I taught you so much and you only barely won. I can't accept that. You need extra training."
"More mana control training...?"
"No, I'm not giving you useless stuff anymore. I'll teach you many things. Anything you want."
Rai patted Zeroa's shoulder and said he had worked hard before walking away. Zeroa felt oddly proud and rubbed the shoulder Rai had grabbed while looking around, only to meet Aria's eyes.
Zeroa smiled, and Aria smiled back, but the students who had been swept up in the match's excitement missed her smile.
"Hey, you kids! Who said Touchdown was boring?! It's awesome!"
"Yes! It's fun!"
"Everyone gather! Today let's do a Touchdown tournament. Test how much your skills have grown."
Except for a few who had lost money, everyone was still immersed in the excitement after betting big on Philia, so energy ran high.
"Hey, go get coffee, desserts, or whatever you want! I'll pay!"
"Waaah!"
The instructors watching the lively atmosphere could not decide whether to be shocked or excited. The instructors and even Vice Principal Bright ignored them and cheered together, so the staff quietly checked Bright's expression.
Bright, who had been watching quietly, slowly stood up.
"Everyone rise. Students are enjoying themselves like this—we should not let outsiders who have nothing to do with the lecture interfere."
At Bright's words, the instructors stood one by one and dispersed.
Bright, who had been walking away, stopped, turned back, and watched Rai shouting on the table for a moment before shaking his head and walking on.