Friday, 12 January, 18 NE.
The sound of rain could be heard from outside. For the first time, I felt the rain in the Pillar Eight while the class went on as usual with a slight feeling of drowsiness due to the calming atmosphere of the falling rain.
The rain soaked everything outside, but luckily it stopped when break time came.
This time, I wanted to use the break time to gather information about the closed festival tournament—both the rules and potential opponents who could be troublesome.
I planned to ask Chris or Alysha first, but they weren't in class and had something to do. Instead, I decided to talk to Kyle.
"Kyle, do you have a moment?"
Kyle, who was with Cheryla, turned his gaze toward me.
Honestly, I didn't want to bother them, but I didn't know who else to go to.
Cheryla glanced at me warily, almost fearfully, then looked away. It seemed like a bad time to interfere with them.
"Sorry, Cheryla. I don't want to cause trouble. I'll leave if you don't want me here."
"N-no… It's fine."
Cheryla's voice was nervous, though she tried to remain calm. She doesn't look scared of me like the first time we met, but I bet she is just shy around people.
"So, what's up?" Kyle asked.
"Ah... I wanted to ask about the upcoming festival tournament."
"The tournament, huh... Sorry, I don't know much about the closed tournament. I've never been in it and not really follow it either," Kyle replied, scratching the back of his head, clearly unsure. "Maybe Chery knows?" he asked Cheryla straight.
"I… same as you…"
Cheryla seemed confused by the sudden pass from Kyle, but still answered it.
"I see. Sorry to bother you. But now what should I do?..."
I didn't have anyone else to ask. Maybe I could ask a student council member, but I couldn't just do that suddenly. Or it is just don't want to see Imelda right now.
"Pu-Putri…" Cheryla murmured.
"Oh, right. You can ask her. You've talked to her before, right? I think she knows a lot about it. Her knowledge is one of the highest in our class."
Putri. I'd completely forgotten about her. I guess I could talk to her.
I looked toward her seat, but she wasn't there.
"She's probably outside. She often eats out there."
"Thanks, Kyle, Cheryla."
Taking their advice, I went out to find Putri. Just as Kyle said, I saw her sitting alone on a bench under a tree.
I wondered, is she always alone? She didn't have a partner during group selection yesterday either.
"Hi, got a minute?"
I greeted her first.
"!? What is it?"
Putri, noticing me and looking a bit surprised, set down the lunchbox she was holding.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"About the tournament?"
Her words surprised me. She guessed my intent perfectly, even though I'd only decided to find information this morning.
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"I don't know. Just a guess," she said nonchalantly.
Just a guess? Her intuition is scary.
Putri resumed eating her lunch, looking totally calm, even with that expressionless face of hers.
"What do you want to know? Oh yeah, you're the student council rep, right?"
Putri pointed her spoon directly at me.
Her thinking was far ahead. I guess it was predictable I'd be the rep. But I wanted to hear her thoughts.
"Why do you think that?"
My tone sounded a bit like I was testing her.
"If you were like me, in spectator perspective, it would be more fun without knowing to detail, so you wouldn't be looking for info unless you were in it."
Well, she had a point. Why watch something if you already know everything? It's more fun if there are still unknowns and kinda of mysterious. Like reading a book without getting spoilers.
I nodded in agreement.
"You're part of the student council, and their rep graduated. So, of course, you'd be a candidate. Not that I'm completely sure."
She followed that with another bite of food.
"You're right, though."
...grr~~
Suddenly, my stomach growled. A bit embarrassing, but I woke up late this morning and didn't get to eat. Alysha and Violet also left early.
"You haven't eaten?"
"Yeah, I didn't have time."
I didn't bring lunch, and the cafeteria would be packed by now. I didn't want to rely on the student council either—Imelda would take advantage of that. Honestly, I little bit hungry.
Putri, seeing I was hungry, seemed sympathetic.
"You can have mine if you want." She offered me her lunchbox.
"No, it's fine. I don't want to trouble you." I waved my hand to refuse.
I really wanted it. But asking for info and now her food? That felt wrong and a burden to her.
She looked a bit sulky after I said that. Her expression barely changed, but I felt like she really did.
Did I say something wrong?
"Stop feeling burdened. I don't think that's to you."
Again, that terrifying intuition. Is she always like this? If someone I knew offered something, I wouldn't hesitate. But she's a little different, so I felt unsure.
"Well, it's not that. I just didn't want to ask for too much."
"Be yourself. I don't like people who always refrain themself."
If that's how she wanted it, I didn't mind. Honestly, it made things easier.
"Are you always like this with people?"
"I am who I am. I don't want to hide behind lies or anything. Even if no one likes being around me."
She was fully aware of her behavior, but stuck to her principles without hesitation. I didn't know whether to be amazed or sorry.
"Alysha. What about her?"
I wanted to see how far she could read people. Alysha is a bit… well, not many know her true self.
"I don't know. She's a bit confusing. She's open, but sometimes I don't like it. Still, she's one of the few who talks to me normally."
Open with no filters. Clear, without hiding. She says what she wants, no matter how strange.
"Have you told Alysha that?"
"No. It'd cause problems, so I stayed quiet. Though I think she already knows."
Before, I thought she was like Chris—blunt and straightforward—but now I think she can restrain herself and read the room.
"You might think it's bad, but I'm only telling this to you, okay?"
Once again, she pointed her spoon at me, filled with food. Her expressionless face was scarier than one with expressions, you know. And again, her intuition is terrifying.
I raised both hands. I gave in.
"Alright, I get it. So I just eat, right?"
I took the bite from her spoon.
"This is good. Did you cook it yourself?"
"Yes, thanks."
After that, I had a few more bites. It kind of makes me happy that a girl is feeding me, even though it's quite embarrassing, but Putri didn't care.
"Alright, now what's your question?"
Putri started the real conversation while packing her lunch.
Finally, we got to the real topic.
"The basic rules, the system, and if you know, some people to watch out for."
"Alright."
She explained that the basic rules were important since I knew nothing. The system refers to how the matches work. And finally, the people who could be threats.
The system used in the preliminary rounds is a battle royale—students are grouped together, and a few from each group will move on to the next stage.
The tournament is divided over several days, including preliminaries, top 16 and top 8 rounds, semifinals, a third-place match, and the final.
Each organization or club sends its representative. Second-year students also choose representatives. As for first-years, they are required to participate. Third-years don't have their own representatives.
First-years are there to re-evaluate their individual abilities. They'll be tested to see how far they can go.
Second-years are just added challenges for the first-years. But if a second-year class wins, they get bonus points.
Third-year students aren't allowed to participate in the tournament because they already have enough experience. They're only allowed to join if they represent a school organization, so that's why, if the organization needs more points, they will send a third-year student to go.
At first, I was surprised that third-years weren't allowed, but after Putri explained further, I felt relieved. It would be a problem if my fight with Vain had to be delayed.
Next came the basic rules:
A participant is declared the winner if the opponent surrenders, leaves the arena, or loses consciousness.All weapons used must be approved by the committee beforehand.Attacking vital areas with weapons is forbidden: the head, heart, or genitals.Strength and magic have no limits.The referee's decision is final and cannot be contested.
The basic rules were pretty simple. I was happy to learn weapons were allowed—it gave me more room for strategic planning. Because in the end, I cannot use my power freely.
"The rules and system are more or less like that," Putri said.
Her explanation was easy to understand. I mostly grasped what she was saying.
"And about people to watch out for… Should I include Espers?"
Putri probably assumed my power could handle Espers since I'd told her about it before, but she didn't know about my limitations.
"Of course."
"For our class, you already know—it's Alysha, so I don't need to explain. Class A has an Electromaster, a level 8 ESPer. Class B has a Talisman user, a level 6 mage. Next…"
Putri gave me information on all the second-year classes and some of the club representatives. She really knew a lot.
From the list, I figured the most dangerous people for me would be those with high-level abilities and those who were natural-born, talented fighters—and maybe also those with surprise-based tactics.
Anticipating someone with a high power level is extremely difficult. Even if I have a plan, it's not easy to counter them with strategy alone.
Natural-born fighters are problematic because I won't use my power right away. It would be a direct match of weapons and fists, and if they're stronger than me in that area, I'd be at my disadvantage.
And lastly, the surprise type. This one felt special. For example, Lucia from our class and the Talisman user who was just mentioned.
Lucia fights in the fog. If I face her, I'll have trouble because of the limited visibility, while she's already used to it. Well, luckily, Lucia isn't representing any group.
Talisman—she uses magic paper or something like that. I don't think I need to explain that much here. The reason is simple: I don't know what she's got, that's it. I can't detect Esper powers from mages, and I can't read magic circles from spell paper. She's the worst type of enemy.
"Thanks. Your information really helped."
"No problem. It was fun talking about this kind of stuff."
Putri smiled faintly, her cheeks slightly pink. It was the second time I saw her smile.
Alright. That's bad for my mind. I didn't realize a smile like that could deal damage to me. I'd have to be careful if she smiled again in the future.
I never cared much about girls before, but her smile didn't seem fair.
"Well then, we can talk more next time."
Trying to avoid this mood, I stood up and started to leave.
"I'll go back to class first."
Just as I was about to walk away, Putri stopped me.
"Wait… I'll come too. It's almost time for class."
Putri stood and picked up her lunchbox.
So, Putri and I returned to class together.
Even though I'd wanted a moment alone, she ended up tagging along. Oh well. I shouldn't overthink it. That'll just mess with my head. Besides, I did enjoy talking with her.