The silence in the Director's office was thick, broken only by the faint hiss of the air filtration system. Ryuko stood, two stark red handprints searing his cheeks, flanked by the two furious newcomers in their immaculate Academy uniforms—white jackets with red trim and dark bottoms.
Ryuko finally broke the tension, his voice dry and devoid of the embarrassment that must have caused his wounds. "Why were there two girls in my room?"
Chabashira Shizuka leaned forward, her expression shifting from playful amusement to professional detachment. "Easy there, Ryuko. It was a simple administrative mix-up. And you can't have a room all to yourself." She gestured toward the pink-haired girl, whose furious glare was slowly melting into a stiff veneer of regal disdain.
"This is Eilona Ignis Lux Aurelius, the Second Princess of the Solarian Empire."
Chabashira added, almost as an aside, "You know, that barely noticed cluster of Mage Knight Territories on the far side of Europe."
"Oh, that thing," Ryuko responded, the casual dismissal cutting through the Princess's pride. He then shifted his gaze to the dark-haired girl. "Okay, so who's the dagger-wielding woman looking at me like I deserve to die?"
"That," Chabashira stated, a small smile returning, "is Rin Mikage. She is the personal Maid Knight and bodyguard to the Princess."
Ryuko nodded, processing the titles with unsettling speed. "So, explain."
Chabashira laced her fingers on the desk. "It's simple. You and the Princess are going to be roommates."
Ryuko closed his eyes, tilting his head back slightly as a heavy sigh escaped him. He didn't need to ask why; he knew the answer involved political necessity, tight leashes, and his mother's meticulous plotting.
"Of course it was that," he muttered, opening his eyes and looking down.
The office erupted.
Rin was the first to protest. Her hand shot to the dagger hidden beneath her blazer, and she fixed Ryuko with an utterly lethal gaze.
"Absolutely not! A B-Rank washout of negligible power? A creature who cornered Her Highness in a state of disarray? He shall not share a space with the Princess!"
Eilona quickly seconded the motion, her voice regaining its imperious ring. "Director, after that vile incident, I cannot be expected to endure the presence of... this man. He is clearly a pervert!"
Ryuko turned to Eilona, sensing the perfect opening to derail the argument with pure honesty. "I was only looking because you were beautiful."
The effect was instantaneous and devastating. Eilona's face, which had been set in a mask of furious indignation, flashed bright crimson. She stumbled over her words, momentarily forgetting her protests as she tried to reconcile her rage with the unexpected compliment. She tried to appear insulted, but the effect was compromised by the heat rushing to her cheeks—the perfect portrait of a Mage Knight struggling to maintain her composure. Rin, however, was undeterred. She drew her dagger, the gleaming silver blade aimed squarely at Ryuko's chest. The verbal abuse intensified, a torrent of sharp, focused insults about his low rank, his "lecherous intent," and his general inadequacy.
Ryuko simply waited for the storm to pass, then turned back to the Director, ignoring the blade pointed at him. "So what now?"
Chabashira took the moment to stand, moving around her desk. "I think you three can solve that yourselves. But one of you needs to move. I can't have the three of you in a room—it violates several rules and common sense."
With that, she walked directly to the office door. "Tell me when you agree on something." The door hissed shut, leaving the three students alone in the soundproofed office.
Wow, she's the worst, Ryuko thought, observing the Director's calculated escape. He was now trapped with a seething, dagger-wielding Maid Knight and a furiously flustered S-Rank Princess.
The soundproof office was now a trap. With the Director gone, the urgency of their situation settled over the three students.
Ryuko, however, didn't behave like the victim of two slaps. He moved around the desk and settled himself into Chabashira's chair, leaning back with the casual authority of a calculating politician. He steepled his fingers, his dark eyes observing the girls over the makeshift barricade of the desk.
Both Eilona and Rin noticed the shift in his demeanor, the way The Zero now occupied the space of power, but they dismissed it, focusing on the task at hand: the room. Rin stepped forward, her body tense and her voice sharp with disdain. "I think it's in our best interests that we resolve this immediately. You find another room, and the Princess and I will take yours."
Ryuko's eyes narrowed slightly. "Is it 'best interests,' or do you just want me gone?"
Eilona, stepping slightly ahead of her Maid Knight, spoke with genuine exasperation. "You obviously don't get it, Kazama. I need my bodyguard with me at all times. My status necessitates it."
"Why?" Ryuko asked, his head resting against the high back of the chair. "You could do more than her in a straight fight. Your Mana reserves alone dwarf this entire academy."
Rin recoiled, her face contorting with a fresh wave of outrage. She instantly launched into a new tirade. Ryuko listened to the storm of abuse, his face remaining utterly placid. The brutal, unsentimental training of his mother, Widow Sayagusa, had long since inoculated him against emotional attacks. He allowed Rin to finish, then stood, pushing the chair back with a soft scrape.
"Fine," Ryuko said, a hint of steel entering his voice. "Let's take a walk around the school while we talk. Chabashira is long gone by now, and this soundproof room is a terrible place to reach an agreement." He gestured toward the door. "You two did just transfer, so allow me to be your guide."
Eilona and Rin exchanged glances. They were both wary of Ryuko, but he was right.
They had no choice but to follow his lead. The tour of the vast TIBA Institution was beginning.
Ryuko led the way out of the Administrative Block. As they crossed the main quad, a vast lawn ringed by high-tech training structures, Ryuko spotted a figure near a massive bronze statue. He called out, "Yuuta."
The boy, who was slightly shorter than Ryuko, looked up, his glasses catching the sunlight. His face instantly lit up. He shoved the drawing pad under his arm and ran toward Ryuko with enthusiastic, bouncing energy.
"Ryuko! It's been a while!" Yuuta exclaimed.
"Are you drawing that girl from the Newspaper Club again?" Ryuko asked.
Yuuta instantly brought his free hand up to his mouth, shushing Ryuko dramatically. "Hey! Keep your voice down, man!"
It was then that Yuuta noticed the two figures positioned behind Ryuko. "Ah, I see you're finally building the harem, my friend," Yuuta teased. "Good job. I always told you being mysterious would pay off."
Ryuko simply ignored the comment. He quickly performed the necessary introductions, and the quartet continued the tour.
They had barely taken ten steps when a harsh, familiar voice sliced through the relative calm of the quad.
"Kazama! Stop right there, you pathetic Zero!"
The atmosphere immediately soured. Kenta Shiraishi, a Third-Year A-Rank Mage Knight, barreled toward them. He was a powerfully built young man, radiating a dense, arrogant Mana signature. Kenta's face was already contorted with fury.
Kenta strode up, his Mana flaring. He ignored Ryuko entirely, addressing the girls. "Excuse me, ladies, is this worthless Second-Year B-Rank, no-talent Zero bothering you?" He finally fixed his gaze on Eilona.
Kenta's contempt curdled into outrage. He laughed harshly, drawing a crowd of murmuring students. "Someone like you is in the presence of the S-Rank Imperial Flare Princess Eilona Aurelius and the A-Rank Maid Knight Rin Mikage? It's beyond insulting!"
Kenta motioned to his five followers, who immediately brought forth their Divine Artifacts.
Yuuta stepped forward. "Shiraishi-Senpai, you can't fight here! Devices outside of training, missions, and verified emergencies are strictly prohibited by academy rules!"
Kenta dismissed Yuuta with a scornful wave and summoned his own Divine Artifact: Titan, a massive, heavy desolator sword. He readied himself. "Time to teach you a lesson, Zero."
Ryuko sighed, his irritation heavy. "He just hates me for little to no reason at all. But don't worry, Princess, I'll handle this misunderstanding."
Ryuko walked forward, his hands sinking into his uniform pockets, walking directly into the center of the growing circle, surrounded by six armed, higher-ranked students.
"Alright then," Ryuko said, his voice flat. "Do your worst."
Kenta roared in fury and sent his five followers to attack.
Ryuko didn't summon Uramasa.
He became a shadow woven into the attack vectors. He moved with Ghost Step, flowing past the weapons with an impossible economy of motion. His counter-attacks were swift, brutal, and precise. He utilized the Ghost Step not just for evasion, but for momentum. He used the war hammer's arc to sling himself toward the Mana gunner, striking the wrist with a knuckle wrapped in his subtly activated Mana Shield, disarming the student instantly before executing a perfect, non-lethal strike to the base of the skull, rendering the gunner unconscious. The swordsman was dropped by a two-hit combo to the ribs and the jaw.
Eilona was awe-struck. The impossible sequence—a boy with no Mana, surrounded by six armed knights, moving with such flawless, economic grace—was terrifying.
In less than ten seconds, five of the six were unconscious. Only Kenta remained.Ryuko stood amidst the fallen, his breathing even.He turned to Kenta.
"Your turn, fanboy."
Kenta snapped out of his shock and brought the massive sword Titan down in an overwhelming overhead swing.
Ryuko let the colossal blade descend until it was inches from his head. Then, using Ghost Step, he shifted his center of gravity by less than a centimeter. The massive blade whistled past his ear, missing him by a hair's breadth, burying itself deeply into the reinforced quad ground.
Kenta, overextended and exposed, was now vulnerable. Ryuko's hand shot out and clamped down on Kenta's exposed wrist, applying a precise, explosive burst of physical force—the Sayagusa Strike—that targeted the nerve cluster in the wrist.
Kenta screamed, dropping the Divine Artifact, which instantly dispersed. He stumbled backward, clutching his useless wrist.
Ryuko dusted off his uniform jacket. The crowd of students remained silent.
Rin, jaw tight, whispered, "He won by incapacitation, Your Highness. Not by power, but by the complete mastery of his body. He made the weapon irrelevant."
Just then, two figures approached the scene. One was Chabashira Shizuka, the Director, and the other was Subaru Itsuka, the Student Council President and a Third-Year A-Rank Mage Knight, radiating an intimidating calm.
"Well, from Zero to hero, I see," Chabashira said, her voice carrying a playful inflection. She gave Kenta a brief, dismissive look. "Go to my office, Shiraishi. Immediately."
Ryuko watched the Director, his mind immediately tightening. This is bad. She probably saw everything. A duel, huh?
Chabashira then focused on Ryuko.
Ryuko glanced at Subaru. Subaru Itsuka, the Student Council President and Third-Year A-Rank Mage Knight, AKA The Flash. She ranks number one. He looked back at Chabashira. What did that woman do?
Subaru smiled, her demeanor entirely composed. "How splendid, Director. But I'd prefer our Zero to take on both of them in 2 v 1, don't you think?"
Chabashira's smile widened, sharp and approving. "Good idea, Subaru."
Ryuko blinked, his apathy finally cracking. "I'm sorry, I'm doing what now?"
Chabashira ignored the question. "You are going to fight Eilona and Rin, Ryuko. You are fighting for your spot, are you not? So tomorrow at 7 AM, at the Arena Quad. Let the entire school see the spectacle!"
The students within earshot immediately started whispering.
Ryuko took a calming breath. "Very well."
Rin fixed Ryuko with a fresh glare. "You will regret this arrogance, Zero! We will not stop until your pathetic Mana is crushed beneath our heels!"
Ryuko sighed, then flashed a brief, calm smile. "Well, this went south fast."
Eilona, her competitive spirit reignited by the insult of the 2v1, stepped forward, her green eyes blazing. "The conditions are final: a two-on-one duel to determine true superiority. If we win, you move out. If you win, you keep the room, and we owe you three favors."
Ryuko turned, his face etched with familiar resignation. "Agreed, Princess."