Jason was shaking me by the shoulders.
Not metaphorically.
Physically.
"LANE," he hissed, panic all over his face, "YOU JUST CAUSED INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY DAMAGE AND MADE THE OCEAN DO A MOSES COSPLAY."
I grabbed his wrists. "LOOK—I PANICKED, OKAY?! SHE LITERALLY TOLD ME TO STOP HOLDING BACK."
"That does NOT HELP YOUR CASE!"
"Even if I used a trillionth of a trillionth of my power—"
"THAT MAKES IT WORSE!"
I groaned and slumped back onto the rooftop bench. "Come on, at least nobody got hurt. Plus—REI IS WAY SCARIER THAN ME."
Jason stared at me.
"…She's a nightmare with a blade!!!," Jason continued. "You're a cosmic nuke with attitude."
I paused.
"…Oh."
I nodded. "Makes perfect sense."
Before he could grab me again and continue the intervention, my senses itched.
Not danger.
Not killing intent.
Something sharper.
Petty.
I grabbed Jason by the collar and yanked him sideways just as a crimson projectile slammed into where his head had been, detonating in a burst of fire and spiritual pressure.
The rooftop barrier screamed.
I caught the remaining energy midair.
Crushed it in my palm.
"…Hey," I said calmly. "I know you're there. Show yourself."
The air warped.
Then she stepped out.
Red hair in twin-tails.
Sharp eyes.
Aura flaring like a wildfire having an attitude problem.
School uniform modified just enough to scream 'I break rules and hearts'.
Tsundere energy so strong it could power a city.
Jason's face went white.
"L-Lane…" he whispered. "That's—That's Chiyo Watanabe."
Oh.
One of the Six Heavenly Stars.
Spirit Tamer. Dragon Rider. Student Council elite. Walking disaster with anger issues.
She crossed her arms, glaring at me. "So you're the one who trashed the arena."
I raised a hand. "In my defense—"
"I didn't ask," she snapped. "You embarrassed Rei."
Jason squeaked. "E-Embarrassed?"
"She doesn't lose," Chiyo growled. "And now everyone's talking about you."
I sighed. Of course this was about pride.
"I don't want beef," I said honestly. "I just want to pass my classes, not explode the school, and maybe eat lunch without starting a war."
She laughed. Sharp. Mocking. "You think you can just exist here without consequences?"
I tilted my head. "I mean… yeah?"
Her aura flared harder. Spiritual beasts flickered behind her—dragons, phoenixes, ancient spirits snarling for release.
Jason stepped back. "L-Lane…?"
I put an arm out in front of him. "Relax. I got this."
Chiyo took a step forward. "I'll give you one chance. Fight me."
"No."
Her eye twitched. "…What?"
"I said no."
"You scared?"
"No," I replied. "Just tired. Also broke. My dad's wallet is already suffocating. I don't need another international repair bill."
For a moment, she just stared.
Then she laughed again. "You really think you can refuse a Heavenly Star?"
I leaned forward slightly.
The air tightened.
Her summoned spirits froze mid-snarl.
The rooftop barrier dimmed.
"I'm not refusing you," I said evenly. "I'm saving everyone the paperwork."
Silence.
Chiyo's confidence wavered—just a little.
Jason whispered, "Lane… her aura—"
"I know," I said. "She's strong. Ridiculously strong."
I looked back at Chiyo.
"But I don't want to hurt you. And I really don't want a student council vendetta."
Her fists clenched.
"…You're annoying," she muttered.
I smiled. "I get that a lot."
She stared at me for a long second. Then clicked her tongue and turned away.
"This isn't over," she said. "I'll be watching you, Walking Calamity."
She vanished in a swirl of flame and spirit light.
The rooftop relaxed.
Jason collapsed onto the bench.
"…I hate this school."
I sat next to him. "Same."
He looked at me. "You realize every Heavenly Star is going to come check you out now, right?"
I groaned. "Great. Exactly what I didn't want. Attention."
Jason smirked weakly. "On the bright side… you didn't nuke her."
"Progress," I agreed.
I stared up at the sky.
Somewhere, the Student Council was definitely talking.
Somewhere else, Rei was probably sharpening a new sword.
And I had a sinking feeling—
Life at Water Star Academy was about to get way more complicated.
Meanwhile
The dojo trembled.
Not from explosions.
Not from flashy magic.
From precision.
Rei moved.
Once.
Twice.
A hundred times.
Her katana blurred, slicing through the air so fast it screamed. The giant reinforced training dummy—made from spirit-forged alloy meant to withstand city-level attacks—was shredded again and again, each cut layered perfectly atop the last.
One second.
One hundred slashes.
The dummy didn't even fall apart.
It simply… ceased to exist.
Rei stood there, breathing steady, posture perfect.
But her eyes—
Her eyes were burning.
That slash.
She could still see it.
Not the destruction. Not the ruined arena. Not the mountain or the ocean split like a wound.
No.
She remembered the moment before.
The instant her blade stopped.
The instant reality itself refused to let her sword move closer.
The instant Lane strike could have killed her.
The instant she realized—
She couldn't reach her.
Rei tightened her grip.
Another dummy rose from the floor automatically.
She attacked.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each strike flawless. Each motion honed by years of blood, discipline, and solitude.
And still—
It wasn't enough.
A cold voice echoed from the edge of the dojo.
"You're going to break the floor at this rate."
Rei stopped.
Charlet Frost leaned against a pillar, arms crossed. Her breath crystallized the air around her, frost crawling lazily across the stone beneath her boots. Her expression was calm. Detached. Ice-cold in every sense.
"I see you're still angry," Charlet continued. "About Lane White."
Rei didn't respond.
She simply sheathed her katana with a sharp click.
Charlet pushed off the wall and walked closer. "Your first loss."
That did it.
Rei's jaw tightened.
"…It wasn't a loss," she said quietly.
Charlet raised an eyebrow. "You didn't land the final strike. Your blade broke. You knelt."
Silence.
"That's a loss," Charlet finished.
Rei's spiritual pressure spiked—sharp, violent, compressed—but it didn't explode. It stayed contained, like a blade pressed against flesh without cutting.
"…I have never failed to reach my opponent," Rei said.
Charlet studied her. "And now?"
"…I couldn't touch her."
There it was.
Not rage.
Not hatred.
Frustration.
Worse—uncertainty.
Rei turned away, staring at the ruined dojo. "Her slash… it wasn't technique. It wasn't Sword Art. It wasn't power."
Charlet nodded. "I felt it too. From across the academy."
Rei clenched her fists. "It was like the world agreed with her."
Charlet's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's not cultivation."
"No."
"Not magic either."
Rei was quiet for a long moment.
Then, softly: "For the first time… my blade was meaningless."
Charlet didn't mock her. Didn't comfort her either.
She simply said, "That's why you're angry."
Rei exhaled.
"I don't hate her," she admitted. "I don't even want revenge."
Charlet tilted her head. "Then what do you want?"
Rei's red eyes sharpened.
"I want to understand."
The air grew colder.
Charlet smiled faintly. "Careful. Curiosity gets people killed around beings like her."
Rei turned back to the center of the dojo.
"I don't care," she said. "If she exists beyond the blade… then I will sharpen myself beyond meaning."
Another dummy rose.
Rei drew her katana again.
"I will reach her."
Charlet watched in silence as Rei attacked once more—stronger, faster, more desperate than before.
As frost crept across the walls, Charlet murmured to herself:
"…This academy really did accept a monster."
And somewhere else—
Lane White sneezed again.
And Rei paused mid-strike.
Her eyes widened.
"…She did it again," Charlet said flatly.
Rei stared at the air.
Then, slowly—
She smiled.