(Arin's Perspective)
The forest on the outskirts of the Academy should have been tranquil this morning. Birds chirping, wind rustling through leaves, and squirrels leaping joyfully from branch to branch.
It should have been so.
If only there wasn't a crazy girl in front of me trying to detonate the local ecosystem.
"Focus, Erika! Compress it, don't scatter it! You want to shoot an enemy, not water the plants!" I shouted while hiding behind a large boulder; a very wise preventive measure considering her questionable accuracy.
Erika stood ten meters ahead. Her face was scrunched up in seriousness, looking as if she were trying to solve a calculus problem while lifting a heavy weight. Beads of sweat the size of corn kernels rolled down her temples. Her new magic wand trembled violently in her grip.
The tip was no longer emitting a cute little blue light like a firefly. Instead, a clump of mana the size of a basketball hummed angrily, as if ready to explode at any second.
"It... is... so... heavy!" Erika growled, her teeth gritted against the immense mental burden.
Erika's previous problem was that the mana intensity of her bullet magic was too small, like throwing pebbles. Her initial solution was to stack ten spells into one barrage.
But today, she did something that made the laws of magic weep. She didn't stack circuits sideways for fire rate; she stacked them inward for density.
She forced a fragile First Circle circuit to hold mana equivalent to the Second Circle. It was like forcing an elephant into a broom closet.
Technically, this was impossible and dangerous. But Erika had a brain that was... unique, or perhaps slightly short-circuited.
"Fire!" I shouted the command.
"HAAA!"
BOOM!
Not a cute 'Pew' or 'Bang'. It was the roar of a pirate ship's cannon.
The giant mana ball launched out. But strangely, the cannonball moved at a very low speed. About one meter per second. Extremely slow, like a drunken snail crawling through the air.
Whoosh...
The ball floated lazily, passing through bushes and making the surrounding leaves wither instantly due to mana burn.
However, when that slow cannonball finally hit the magic-armored training dummy at the far end...
KABOOM!
A massive explosion occurred. The shockwave even vibrated the rock I was hiding behind.
Dust billowed high. When the smoke cleared, the dummy wasn't just broken. It was gone without a trace. Even the ground behind it had a hole half a meter deep, scorched black.
The panicked chirping of birds returned as they flew away in all directions, protesting the noise and terror created by Erika.
Thin smoke curled from the tip of Erika's wand, which glowed red-hot. And of course, fresh blood poured profusely from her left nostril.
"H-How was it?" Erika asked while wiping the blood with her sleeve that was already dirty with soil, grinning widely with red-stained teeth. A sight somewhat horrific but... well, proud.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
I stepped out from hiding, applauding slowly while shaking my head.
"Incredible. You just created 'Mana Cannon' magic," I commented as I approached. "Its destructive power is equal to a military cannon, but the speed is pathetic. An enemy would have time to order coffee, drink it all, and write a complete last will and testament before that ball hit their face."
Erika pouted, her cheeks puffing up in annoyance. "But it hurts if it hits, right?"
"Hurts? It would send the target straight to the afterlife without transit. The only problem is your enemy must be a statue that cannot move, or a paralyzed tortoise."
"I will fix it! Just watch!" Erika stomped her foot, annoyed but her spirit burning bright.
"I pray you don't stray from the path of a true mage and become walking artillery instead."
"Arin! Don't make fun of me!"
Erika puffed her cute cheeks, her face smeared with blood and dirt. Amusement tickled my heart seeing this funny sight.
"Hey, Crazy Couple."
A familiar voice, arrogant and elegant, cut through our evaluation session.
We turned. From behind the trees emerged two figures who made this slum-like training atmosphere suddenly feel like a fashion show runway.
Elena Rhyms walked with grace, her expensive blue robe untouched by a single speck of dust, as if the dust itself were too shy to stick to her. Beside her, Rose Carlos walked casually with her hands behind her head, grinning mischievously.
"My, my. Blowing up the forest early in the morning. are you a heretical sect or students?" teased Rose while looking at the crater from Erika's explosion.
"We are conducting scientific research, Lady Carlos. Something that might be too complicated for a muscle-brain like you," I replied casually.
Rose laughed crisply. "Your tongue is getting sharper since our draw yesterday. Just so you know, my body is still sore from being slammed by you."
"My shoulder also feels like it's about to fall off from holding back your sword," I complained while rotating my arm which still felt stiff.
While Rose and I exchanged friendly sarcasm; or veiled hostility; Elena stepped forward. She didn't look at Erika or Rose. Her golden eyes were locked on me.
There was a different aura about her today. She literally seemed to shine. Her skin glowed with health, and fine ice particles danced around her silver hair like visual effects in a noble romance novel.
"Arin," she called softly, her voice like a crystal bell.
"Yes, Lady?"
Elena raised her right hand. With a graceful movement, she snapped her fingers.
Ting.
In the blink of an eye, three tiered magic circles appeared in the air. Intricate, beautiful, and perfectly precise.
The temperature dropped drastically, but not painfully like before. From that circle emerged an eagle made of pure transparent ice.
The bird flew in circles above our heads, flapping its crystal wings with a melodious clink-clink sound, then landed obediently on Elena's shoulder.
Second Circle Magic: Ice Familiar.
High-level magic requiring microscopic mana control. And she did it while smiling, without sweat, without trembling, and without pain.
Elena stared at me. Her eyes sparkled, her chin lifted slightly in pride. Her expression clearly said: 'Praise me! Look at me!'
"I advanced to the Second Circle this morning," she said, her tone trying to sound casual and cool but failing completely. Her enthusiasm leaked everywhere. "My circuits are perfectly stable. No cold and no pain at all."
"Congratulations, Lady," I said sincerely. As her 'doctor', this was a huge achievement. "Your body's defense mechanism no longer considers mana as a virus. You are fully cured."
Elena stepped closer, ignoring personal boundaries. Her beautiful, beaming face was reflected clearly in my irises.
"This is thanks to you. You know? My father cried yesterday when he saw me make ice without coughing blood. He said..." Elena looked down slightly, twirling the tip of her hair with her finger, her face flushing faintly. "He said I must bring 'the savior' for a formal dinner at the Rhyms residence."
Formal dinner? At the Duke's house? That was code for a high-level political disaster. Damn! I was happy to be acknowledged by nobles but being invited to dinner with a Duke was too heavy for my heart.
"That is... a heavy offer, Lady. I don't have a proper party suit yet," I answered awkwardly, trying to dodge politely.
"No refusal," Elena looked up, staring at me with a gaze that... wait a minute. Why was she looking at me like a puppy waiting for a ball to be thrown?
"I will prepare the suit. And... don't you want to say something else? About... my progress?" she fished.
I blinked in confusion. What did she expect?
"Oh. Your circuit efficiency increased by forty percent. And that bird's ice molecular structure is very dense, almost equal to diamond. You are a genius, Lady."
The beautiful smile on Elena's red lips twitched slightly hearing my comment. It seemed that wasn't the answer she wanted.
Rose beside her suddenly slapped her own forehead. "So technical. You insensitive man. Can't you say... 'You are amazing, Elena' or 'You look beautiful with that magic'?"
"Ahem!"
A loud and hostile clearing of the throat came from the left side.
Erika was already standing there, hands on her hips. The aura around her was pitch black, contrasting with Elena's ice glitter. Her usually bright blue eyes now dimmed terrifyingly, staring at Elena with the gaze of a serial killer.
"Sorry to interrupt your 'romantic' moment," said Erika, stressing the word 'romantic' as if it were a filthy curse word. "But Arin is my training partner now. We are busy. So, could the Princess please show off somewhere else? Your ice bird is blinding."
Elena turned slowly, her eyebrow arched elegantly. "Oh, Erika. Sorry I didn't see you. You blended in too well... with the dirt and mud. I thought you were part of the bushes."
A critical hit struck Erika's femininity. She was indeed dirty and covered in mud from the explosion residue, while Elena was clean and sparkling like an angel.
"At least this mud is proof of hard work!" Erika retorted fiercely, her face turning red. "Not an instant result from drinking someone else's medicine!"
"That medicine was Arin's concoction. I drank Arin's hard work. So technically, Arin and I are already one... entity," Elena replied with logic that strayed far but was effective at provoking emotion.
"WHAT?! ONE ENTITY?!" Erika's face turned beet red, imaginary steam coming out of her ears. "Take back your words, Ice Woman!"
I massaged the bridge of my nose which was starting to throb. "Please don't use ambiguous sentences that can cause misunderstandings, Lady. My reputation is bad enough."
Damn it! Why did the atmosphere turn like this? Why was it so hard for them to get along?
"Hahahahha..."
Rose, who had been watching while leaning against a tree, laughed out loud. She applauded slowly, enjoying this drama like a cinema audience getting a free show.
"Oh my, you two are so funny," said Rose while walking to the center, separating the two girls who were ready to pull each other's hair.
"Instead of arguing about who has more right to Arin's time, why not settle it the Academy way?" Rose grinned widely, looking at Erika and Elena alternately with sly eyes.
"Meaning?" asked Elena, glancing at Rose suspiciously.
"Duel," Rose answered briefly. "Magic duel. Simple, right? Winner takes all."
I immediately interrupted in panic. "Wait a minute. Duels are forbidden outside instructor supervision. And furthermore, why do I feel like I'm being made a betting object here? I am not an item!"
Rose ignored me completely. She looked at the two girls with the gaze of a master provocateur.
"The winner... gets to take Arin on a date all day tomorrow. You can watch a play, eat good food, go shopping... a normal date like a couple. Without interruptions and without guards. And the loser? Must stay ten meters away from Arin for a full week."
Silence seized the four of us.
My brain tried to process. Date? Me? Damn it! I didn't even have dating experience in my entire life.
"I refuse," I said firmly. "Tomorrow I want to sleep all day. My body is crushed after going through Instructor Brook's insane training. Please understand, I need rest."
"Who asked for your opinion, Cripple?" Rose cut in sharply, then looked back at the two girls. "So, you two? Dare to accept?"
Erika and Elena looked at each other. There was a slight spark of rivalry burning in their eyes.
Erika's face turned red. "D-Date? Who wants to date this idiot?! I... I just don't want him bothered by a spoiled noble who acts bossy!"
"I am also not interested in a boring commoner date," Elena replied arrogantly, though her hand gripped her skirt tightly. "I just want... to prove that my magic is superior to Erika's slow cannon."
Both looked away, their cheeks equally flushed.
"Hoho, a double tsundere story. Interesting," teased Rose.
What kind of natural disaster is this? I thought miserably.
"If you don't want to, fine. I'll just take Arin out myself," Rose teased while wrapping her arm around my neck, pulling me close until our faces were inches apart.
The scent of sweat and rose perfume wafted from her body. "Arin is quite decent up close. Nice eyes."
"I ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!" Erika and Elena shouted in unison, their voices booming louder than the cannon explosion earlier.
They both stared at Rose with murderous gazes, then shifted to stare at each other. Static electricity sparked between their glares.
"Fine," hissed Erika, raising her wand. The tip began to glow blue. "I will wipe that arrogant smile off your face, Princess."
"Just try if you can hit me with that pathetic cannon," replied Elena coldly, ice starting to spread under her feet, freezing the grass.
I tried to break free from Rose's embrace. "Hey, seriously, I don't agree! I have human rights! Let me go!"
Rose just laughed in my ear, holding me back easily. "Shut up and enjoy it, Mr. Popular. It's rare for two beautiful girls to want to kill each other for you. This is every guy's wet dream at the academy, you know."
The situation was out of control. Erika began to charge mana into her wand, creating a dangerous low hum. Elena summoned a mini blizzard around her body.
No referee. No rules. Only two women's egos at stake.
And me? I was the trophy. A trophy that really wanted to go home and sleep.