CHAPTER 221: CHAPTER 221: THIRD YEAR

Shoulders raised, arms crossed, and chin angled up — cheeks puffed — she pouted.

"Yes!"

"Sorry, what?" I stuttered, forgetting what i was just thinking.

"I said, yes — we have met before." She said again with reproach. "It’s only been a few years, have you really already forgotten, Vic, our promise too?"

"Eh? Few years? Promise?"

’What promise?!’

My mind raced, and suddenly i was sweating bullets.

"Sniff...sniff... Hiek..!" The next second, the golden haired girl cupped her oval face into her hands...and began tearing up — sniffling as her shoulders trembled from time to time.

I felt my heart speed up unconsciously at the sight and immediately panicked.

"H-hey! Why are you suddenly crying? People are looking?"

"Sniff sniff. Suddenly?" She sniffled and bawled in her cupped hands. "So it’s true after all — you really don’t remember me. You really have forgotten everything. All our promises. All our shared... moments."

"No, no. What moments? Don’t say weird things, people are watching! Come on. Maybe — maybe you got the wrong person, alright? Yeah..."

She continued to sniiffle messily and raised her head slightly to peek through her fingers.

"Are you Victor Bright, the First Year Cadet, ranked 1499, and nicknamed ’No Talent Bastard’?"

—Twitch!

"...Y...Yeah."

She gave a deadpan glare at me.

"Then no. Not the wrong person. It’s you."

Is this some kind of prank? A new form of creative bullying? Have my opps really abandoned the usual and typical physical approach, opting for a more inventive way of teasing me like this?

But this is the first time I’ve had a senior, talk less of a third year, come after me like this. The academy had distinct boundaries and territories for each of the three years — so while it wasn’t weird or strange to run into an upperclassman or lower classmen in general, it also wasn’t often.

But until now, i didn’t think I’d quite drawn the attention of an Upperclassman, especially a Third year like this one. Haven’t i been good and on a low-key these days, what’s this about?

"Look," i shook my head with a deep sigh, spreading my arms up in the air almost resolutely.

"I think you’ve got the wrong person, okay. I don’t think we’ve met. And I’m more than sure i would have no hard time remembering someone with a face like yours...!" At this point i wasn’t even sure what i was saying.

If my opps’ goal was to break my dignity and composure, then they were good.

But even though i said all that, there was still this vague sense of familiarity, and an itch scratching down the back of my mind that i couldn’t quite reach. It was like i was trying to remember something at the tips of my fingers, but couldn’t quite reach it.

The thrid year upperclassman with Golden blonde hair raised her head fully at me, her eyes like two miniature sun pools that glinted with radiant amber.

Her lips thinned and curled at an angle, and her eyes curved in such a way you’d find it hard to believe she was crying barely half a second ago.

"Did you just call me pretty?"

My mind blanked out.

"Eh?"

"Huhu. You called me pretty, right? Admit it."

"No, i..."

"No. You definitely just said i was beautiful and made your heart flutter. Oh, Vic. Kyaa! You were never afraid to put the moves on me. Kyaah!"

"No...what is going on...?" My voice was coming out hoarse at this point and i could no longer even think properly.

Who the hell was this girl? She’s crazy!

If i had an emotional or mental stamina health bar, i could imagine it hitting the reds now.

•[Ding! Mental health: -2%! ;⁠)]

’...’

Fuck you Meta.

"Not again...!!"

"Huh?" Before i could say anything else, a sudden sharp voice penetrated the afternoon air out of nowhere, and i snapped my gaze to look behind the blond Upperclassman.

The voice was loud, bordering more on a wraithful shriek that cursed the world actually. All heads snapped towards the same direction; a little into the distance as the same sharp voice, laced with venom followed, this time, chanting all sorts of atrocious absurdities that could make even the dirtiest of imaginations blush.

"Ahh, that %$€¢π!! How could she do this every time we step out, %$€¢¥! I’ll %$€^$©!!"

"Oh dear." The strange female Upperclassman with hair that seemed to draw in sunlight from the word, clasped her mouth shut in shock as she gasped slightly before i could even spot whoever was spitting out such profanities from the crowd.

My current location was a quadrangle courtyard right next to the Library designed for the Cadet’s leisure, and it was midday — so there were quite a number of loitering Cadets all around — each of them had their heads sprung around looking for the loud swearing voice as well, the owner lost in the crowd if people.

Amongst them, i shot the female senior standing before me a meaningful look.

She knows something.

She flashed a beautiful smile, full of warmth, and fraudulent butterflies.

"It’s loud here. Let’s go somewhere else."

"Huh— woah!"

Without leaving me to protest or process, my right hand was suddenly yanked from my side, and i was pulled — dragged along by the golden haired young woman who sped along the courtyard hurriedly without looking back.

"What the..?"

It sounded embarrassing, but i couldn’t even fight back! Her grip around my right wrist was gentle, but firm — just enough to maintain a good grasp on me that didn’t hurt — yet i couldn’t do anything.

No, one had to understand.

I was Eta Rank right now. Even though i hadn’t fully tested out my new limits, strength and capabilities...i was suppressed. Easily.

’This girl is...’ my eyes widened silently as I seemed to finally realise something.

But before i could say anything else, she hurriedly rushed forward in a sprint like a debtor running from a collector — dragging me along through the courtyard as we vanished deeper into the crowd of cadets.

Yes, no matter how you looked at it, this was suspicious!

****

"Haah...haaah...haah..."

Just...how far did we run?

After getting dragged off all of a sudden by the third year senior, i was finally let go to catch my breath. It wasn’t as much as me being truly exhausted or out of breath to be honest — and if you even asked me why i was panting this much, i wasn’t even sure why. Perhaps maybe it’s some kind of human reflex?

Leaning with one hand pressed against the wall of a building i found myself between, I raised my head and shot a deadpan glare at the golden figure.

"What the hell was all that about?"

The third year senior beamed, her smile as radiant as the sun...and as smackable as Don’s on a normal day. She laughed and chuckled dryly.

"Haha. That place was a bit too rowdy, am i right? Needed somewhere more quiet to talk."

No, if I didn’t know better, it sounded like you were desperately trying to get away from something...or someone...

’But what does that have to do with me?’ the million credit question.

My brows furrowed in a frown as i stood up straight. I stared into her eyes with suspicion and wariness before looking around and examining the surrounding.

"And this is?"

We were currently standing in the shadows between two large buildings and structures, like a kind of alleyway. The sun was blotted out by the familiarly imposing size of the buildings, and i could still faintly hear the hum and chatter of the cadets in the distance.

All in all, it was indeed a quiet and secluded place — just like the blond senior had said.

Quiet and secluded enough for someone not to quickly notice something was happening...

The third year senior continued with a beautiful smile.

"Just behind one of the first years’ Gym and Training Building."

Ah, no wonder i thought it seemed a little familiar.

Well if such was the case, then that was good. It meant i still had a chance out of here in case anything tried to happen.

But at the same time, there was also a reason why i still hadn’t immediately tried to run even now, and why i managed to keep my guard under control and maintain composure while being measuredly wary of this person, all at once.

One reason i hadn’t run was simple; curiosity.

I had to at least figure out what this Senior wanted from me, and how exactly I’d gotten her attention. Or if she were sent by someone.

At this point, I was more leaning towards my initial suspicion of this being a new and inventive creative bullying attempt. Was it weird i also wanted to see how far it’ll go? Just... curious.

Now that we were out of sight and view from anyone, would they switch back to physical force or oppression. Perhaps.

I could more or less easily take care of most other First Year Cadets who aren’t part of the top ten Rankers, so is that why they got a Senior?

But...how would my opps know that?

’Has news of my Rank Up already spread so quickly?’ i frowned internally.

That couldn’t be, right? I wasn’t sure.

I was now currently the only known Eta Ranked First year cadet, where a majority were only peak Mortal Rank or below — and my lowest Cadet ranking, — as a result — at this point, was only, technically, in name.

Perhaps...i was now the strongest First Year.

... second only to just Ceres of course. Ahem.

So sending a Senior at me instead of someone from my year, as incredible as that sounded, seemed more likely.

But how the hell did they get a third year?! Isn’t that too much? Who even was i going up against?

For fucks sake, i just got out of the hospital!

While i was grappling with my thoughts, a small ripple in the form of a short laughter ran through the air.

"Pfft. You’re eyes are hardening up. Are you wary of me?" The Senior laughed with a hand to her lips and leaned forward.

I stood straight without flinching even as her face intruded close into my personal space.

I met her gaze with a calm and measured defiance without a change in my expression, and replied in a low voice.

"Do i have any reason to be... Senior?"