Pathetic Trait: Can't Refuse
—Wham!
—Bam!
The sharp crack of gloves slamming into a sandbag rang through the entire gymnasium without mercy.
It was free practice after classes.
With midterms looming, every first-year in the Special Class had signed up for evening self-study. First exam since enrolling at the academy—everyone was wound tight, and the atmosphere in the gym was quieter and heavier than usual.
—Wham!
Lua, stuck on duty as both safety officer and supervisor, stared blankly at the students drilling for their practical exams.
Himari's back in the classroom hitting the books…
Of course Himari had wanted to tag along to the gym, but Lua had ordered her to pour everything into her weak subjects for the exam period.
Feels kind of empty, though.
Maybe it had started around the physical fitness test. Whenever Himari wasn't beside her, something felt hollow; whenever she was, Lua's heart settled. Even at night, when they parted ways, she found herself wishing they could stay together a little longer.
Lua was aware of the change. She just chalked it up to familiarity breeding more familiarity.
—Wham!
"Urgh!"
The student holding the bag couldn't take the force of the punch and went sprawling across the floor. The one who'd thrown it rushed over at once and offered a hand.
"Sorry! You okay?"
"Yeah, I just lost my balance."
"Your knee's scraped! From the fall?"
Healthy, sun-bronzed skin. A round short crop. A tank top that left a sharply defined set of abs on full display. She didn't seem to notice, but from a distance Lua could see the boys glancing her way again and again.
Yu Juju.
The same Juju who'd tanked so well in the gate before. Given that even Himari had mistaken her for a guy, she didn't have a scrap of conventional femininity—but she did have a boyish charm all her own.
"Teach! Hit us with a Healing over here!"
"Ah—right!"
Juju pointed at her friend's scraped knee and called Lua over. Lua stood, climbed up onto the boxing ring, and joined them.
"Healing."
"Thank you, ma'am."
The boy dipped his head, got back up, and took hold of the sandbag again. Lua stepped back.
"Alright—goin' again!"
Juju adjusted her gloves and settled into her stance. Lua leaned against the ropes and watched.
"Hah!"
—Bam! Wham!
Triple Strike.
—…Wham!
—Whoosh, bam.
Charge Straight. Arang Fist.
Juju was testing out different skill combinations. To Lua's game-trained eyes, every one of them was obvious.
"Hah."
She finished with a few jabs, wiped her sweat, and stopped.
"Juju, was that skill order something you came up with yourself?"
"Huh? Yes, ma'am. Last time against the Skeleton Knight I couldn't do anything but defend, so I figured I'd put together a sequence that covers offense and defense both."
Interest sparked. Lua crossed her arms without leaving the ropes.
"The idea's solid. But what if you swapped the order of Charge Straight and Arang Fist?"
"Those two… y'mean?"
"Yeah. It's more efficient that way. Bang-whoosh-bang-bang or KWAANG-whoosh-bang both lose out to bang-bang-whoosh-bang for damage in the same window of ti—"
Juju tilted her head. The student holding the bag stared at Lua in a daze.
"Ah. Whoops."
True loser trait: once I know something, I can't shut up.
"I-I was just imagining out loud! That's all!"
Face burning, Lua waved her hands and scrambled to take it back.
"Hmm. I'll give it a shot, then."
Half convinced at best, Juju set her feet again.
"Hahp!"
—Bam! Wham!
—Whoosh, bam!
—KWAANG!
She finished the full routine and caught her breath.
"Yeah, the efficiency's definitely better."
"R-right?"
"But… transitionin' from Arang Fist into Charge Straight is kinda rough."
Juju swung her arms through the air as she explained.
"You whip up from below, then immediately cut from right to left—that's hard no matter how you slice it."
"Ah. Is it…"
Lua nodded under her breath. In a game, you triggered a skill and the character moved on its own, so none of that mattered. Here, real physics applied.
"You'll have to brute-force that with pure physical—"
"……"
Juju's face went complicated for a second. Then she was grinning again.
"Got it! You taught me this for my sake, so I'll practice like crazy!"
"Y-yeah! Thanks."
A smile tugged at Lua's mouth too. Juju's particular brand of energy was contagious; it rubbed off on anyone standing next to her.
"Alright, one more se—"
—And that was when it happened.
The gym doors slammed open with a heavy bang.
"?"
Every student mid-drill turned their head. Maybe a classmate finished with notes and coming to loosen up—except nobody would throw the doors open like that.
"Yo, brats!"
A pack of upperclassmen. Swords, spears, shields—each of them had their gear slung over a shoulder as they swaggered in.
"Studying hard, are we?"
Lua recognized them on sight. The cocky lead with the loose, rolling gait, and the clean-faced guy behind him—both of them lived in her memory.
Third-year Special Class…!
Two years above. At Felix Academy, where third year ended in graduation, these were the ones who could truly be called the top of the top.
"U-um, who are you?"
One of the first-years worked up the courage to ask.
"Haha. Don't even recognize your seniors?"
"Back in our day we went and introduced ourselves the second class assignments dropped—"
"Shut up, you old fart."
They snickered and tossed jokes among themselves. The first-years drew together, tense.
"Uh, what's the business?"
Juju asked.
"If you're here to use the gym, we already filed the permit…"
"Ah, no, no. We're not here to get in you kids' way."
The third-year standing second in line waved a hand with an easy smile. Handsome face, smooth voice, polished delivery.
"Sorry. This idiot was just flexing for no reason."
"Ow!"
He pinched the ear of the guy who'd been posturing up front, and laughter rippled through the third-years. The first-years eased a fraction.
"We just figured we'd check if a certain someone was here. We're about to start practice ourselves."
"A certain someone…?"
"The school nurse. Ah—there you are."
The moment he pointed her out, Lua snapped fully alert.
"Ah—uh, y-yes. I'm here…"
"Hahaha. Still as entertaining as ever."
He held a hand out toward her.
"Our drills run a little rough, so we need a healer. Would you come with us?"
Lua looked from Juju to the upperclassman and back.
"I'd like to help, but… I-I'm supervising here right now, so…"
"Ma'am."
He was still smiling.
"Compared to a bunch of brats, we're the ones about to walk into guild recruitment. Doesn't that make us a little more important?"
"E-excuse me?"
"We've got guild entrance exams coming up. The more of us who land in the big guilds, the better the school's standing gets—and the wider the path opens for the underclassmen, right?"
"Th-that may be true, but—"
"So what's there to hesitate over? Second gym. This way."
"……"
Lua wavered. From the academy's overall perspective, he wasn't wrong—going with the third-years made sense. But she couldn't just abandon the first-years.
If it were only up to her heart, she would have stayed—
"—Y-yeah. Okay."
She nodded.
At once the first-years' faces fell, and smug satisfaction bloomed across the third-years'.
"Appreciate it, ma'am. Come on—with us."
He casually took Lua by the arm and started drawing her along.
"S-sorry… I'll just watch them for a bit and come right back."
"…Understood."
Juju's voice carried clear disappointment, but she recovered that bright smile of hers a second later.
"Teach, I heard third-year seniors drill real brutal. Don't push yourself too hard!"
Lua nodded, then let the upperclassmen close around her as they left the gym.
—She hadn't accepted the offer for no reason.
Because this is the one I marked…
The smiling upperclassman. He was someone Lua had already earmarked as a party member for the final battle.
Name: Lee Hwiseong. Position: provocation-type tank.
Strong taunt performance, high-grade defense skills, and even a workable amount of personal damage—among recruitable tanks, he fought for first or second place.
She'd been wondering how to approach him. Him walking up first was a gift.
Earlier than expected, but fine. Help with their practice, build the connection, get close enough to pull him into the party later.
With that settled in her mind, Lua stepped into the second gymnasium.
"Cough!"
The instant she crossed the threshold, a wall of smoke punched a cough straight out of her.
"Hey, kill the cigarettes! Teach is here—we're starting!"
At Hwiseong's shout, the third-year Special Class rolled to their feet, shaking out their muscles. They ground their butts out carelessly against the gym floor under their heels.
They were adults, so smoking itself wasn't the issue. But lighting up inside school facilities and not even bothering to hide it…
"What, already?"
"Found her fast."
"Ugh…"
Their lifeless eyes and the thick reek of tobacco stirred an unease in Lua she couldn't quite name.
This'll be… fine, right?