Now We Feast [2]

"Yes, the duels are recorded and uploaded to the academy network starting this year. Didn't you know?"

Lami simply shook his head in disapproval; he had no clue, and it could cause mayhem. A simple but foolish oversight.

"....I also didn't know that," Lumia said in an unsure tone.

Lami turned to the other two, who simply nodded, indicating they had already known.

"Let's see how you got your ass handed to you!" Ivy taunted in a mirthful way, not caring about the seriousness of others. 

"....Sure," Lami stated, his mind racing through different scenarios.

'The forum is probably chaotic right now. I really messed up.'

Even though Elliot wasn't in the top 100s, he ranked higher than Lami and was famous for his status.

The rumors without video proof wouldn't be as bad—he underestimated the students.

Yes, a student might have recorded the duel, but as far as Lami knew, it was rare—he was oblivious to the fact it wasn't all that rare.

Even if someone had recorded it, it wouldn't generate the same buzz as an official high-quality upload.

As the first official duel of the year, it would gain even more attention; students were eager for entertainment.

Despite the duel's short nature, it would become a hot topic among Lami's peers. What he underestimated was the students' eagerness for rumors.

Even if the duel hadn't been uploaded at all, he would still be a topic of discussion.

'The older years aren't here, but they'll still watch it.'

The first week of the first year was considered as an orientation week; for that reason, only first-year students were present on the campus, apart from those who were still residing in dormitories. 

"...Let me project the video," Lumia said, holding the remote controller.

Soon a holographic display appeared out of thin air, showing a paused video with a good sideways angle.

"11 seconds? You lost that fast?" Ivy scoffed with a small chuckle.

Lami sighed inwardly at her implying remarks.

"....Yeah, it was embarrassing. Watch closely." 

Everyone's attention was on the screen, even Jack was closely observing it. 

Confirming with her eyes, Lumia pressed the button.

Everything else happened too fast…

"...!" 

Speechless… all four were speechless with disbelieving eyes. 

It was Mateo who shook off the daze first.

"...What did you do there?" he asked with a straight face.

"Where?" Lami pretended to not understand.

"....You did something before dashing at him, he stopped for a second." Mateo's eyes were narrowed as if anticipating Lami's answer.

'Sharp eyes.' 

"Secret."

"....Whatever." Mateo shrugged after a slight pause.

Lami was grateful to Mateo for not getting bothered by questions he didn't want to understand, he didn't want to reveal his illusion specialization just yet.

He turned his attention to shaken Ivy, it was his time to tease. "..So? Who got his ass handed to him?" 

"...."

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?'"

"....!"

She stayed quiet, but a visible vein on her forehead betrayed her rage

Not wanting to test the waters further, Lami stopped it there.

"Good one Lami," Lumia said, clapping her hands. "..He had it coming."

"Thanks."

Lami still couldn't get used to her energetic demeanor, even when they had first met she was the same, but he could see that she felt relieved for some reason.

Mateo frowned, hand on his chin, deep in thought about the challenge. Seren, as always, remained Seren.

Her expression remained disinterested and empty, completely blank and devoid of emotion.

'She's like a statue.' 

Awakened from his dazed state Mateo said, 

"Let's play something. What about playing a tag fighter? It's a 2v2 so we can switch one."

Lami shook his head. "..I'm good, I'll watch you guys."

Lumia and Mateo looked at him with thoughtful looks, but nonetheless, they didn't say anything. 

Lami hadn't played any games in the last few years. And now, he didn't want to. He would rather watch them enjoy their games than teach him.

Standing up, Lumia brought four consoles and handed them over.

"...You know how to play?" Mateo asked, aimed at Ivy with a sarcastic tone.

Ivy rolled her eyes, turning to Mateo. "...A little, but I don't want to—"

"No." Mateo interrupted her. "You will."

"Why the double standards?" 

Mateo grinned at her. "...Because you need to learn to act like a human."

"Oy! I'll poison you."

Lami's face darkened and took a grim expression. 

'He's dead,' he thought, but to his surprise…

Nothing happened. 

Ivy contended with simply shaking her head in a dissatisfied manner. Lami's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight.

Doing the same thing would lead to his certain death. Just like Lami, Lumia was also looking at them weirdly.

"So let's do the teams like," Mateo said "me, Ivy, and Lumia, Seren."

"I'm not good, though," Lumia stated.

Mateo nodded. 

"If it doesn't work we will switch, but I doubt we will need to," he said with a faint smile.

The game soon started…

***

'This will be easy,' Seren thought confidently. 

Simultaneously, Seren underwent a palpable transformation. Her indifferent expression shifted to one of sharp focus.

Lami noticed that even the air around her got colder.

Without realizing it, Seren lost herself.

Her ocean-blue eyes locked in focus, and her lips curled ever so slightly.

As soon as she put her hands on the controller, something in her switched. 

She wanted to win.

She was extremely competitive when it came to things she enjoyed. 

They won the first game; however, it was close.

'Lucky,' Seren thought.

They won the second game by a small margin.

"Tchk," she clicked her tongue silently.

Then they lost the third game…

'How?' Seren wondered, her expression unchanged.

And fourth…

…fifth

She turned to Mateo, who had a wide grin plastered across his face. A flicker of irritation crossed her face.

'Annoying.'

…lost the sixth game, she straightened her posture.

They won the seventh, and she started trash-talking.

…

…

…

She won the tenth game… then lost the eleventh.

"..You're good." Seren finally acknowledged. "..Close to my level."

Seren had a large grin on her face that was betraying her enjoyment. 

Too captivated by the game, she didn't notice the surprised looks on the others' faces. Mateo was so skilled that she had to push her limits. 

It wasn't a team game anymore, no. Lumia and Ivy had given up quite a while ago. It was a 1v1, both of them not wanting to lose. 

Yet, Mateo didn't seem to mind her, his eyes locked onto the screen.

Lami frowned as he watched the game, his gaze shifting repeatedly between Mateo and Seren, shaking his head occasionally.

The two battled for what felt like an eternity. 

Both Mateo's and Seren's eyes were lit with drive, burning with determination. They had played twenty games, tying at ten to ten.

"Let's play one last game," Mateo said. "..Best of one."

Seren nodded frantically, her brows furrowed in intense focus.

Until…