The Smile After the Clash

The murmurs of the crowd filled the arena as the last match approached. Chris had already showcased his efficiency with a swift victory, while Alysha's effortless dominance left everyone in awe. The spotlight now turned to me and my partner, Putri, a reserved Wizard who had spent the previous matches showing little interest.

"The last pair, please come to the stage!" Mr. Alan's voice echoed across the arena.

I glanced at Putri, who sat next to me, her expression as indifferent as ever. She sighed lightly and stood up after a moment's hesitation.

"It's our turn," I said, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Yeah," she replied, her tone as lazy as her movements.

"You don't seem too interested in this," I commented, genuinely curious.

"I'm not," she admitted. "I just do what I like, and I don't like fighting."

Her response was unexpected, even refreshing. I wasn't sure whether to be amused or disheartened by her approach.

"Rare to meet someone with a principle like mine," I said with a smirk.

"Hm. Pity we don't share the same hobbies," she replied, her sharp observation catching me off guard.

As we walked toward the arena, I decided to settle something that had been bothering me. Mr. Alan stood in the center, waiting to oversee the match.

"Mr. Alan," I called out before we began. 

"Sorry, but I don't like being watched. Maybe others don't notice, but I do. It disturbs me," I said bluntly, recalling how I'd seen Mr. Alan use his ability during earlier matches. His skill, <StakeOut >, seemed to gather detailed information beyond mere observation, and I didn't want him using it on me.

Mr. Alan looked confused. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

I decided to be direct. "Can I ask about your power?"

Though surprised, Mr. Alan quickly regained his composure. "My power is <Position Stalker>. I can know the location of anyone I've seen. If using it bothers you, I apologize."

It wasn't quite what I suspected, but it was close enough. "Then prove it. Can you tell me where the other students are without facing them?"

He closed his eyes and activated his ability. <Position Stalker>. The information flowed into my mind, confirming his claim. He wasn't just skilled—he was a rare Dual, someone with more than one power, a trait less than three percent of users had.

"Alright, Sir. Sorry for doubting you," I said finally, adding with emphasis, "But no surveillance on me."

Maybe my tone was a bit rude, but that's how it was. Mr. Alan nodded slightly. I think he had lost the desire to use his power. Thankfully.

"Alright, let's start right away, Sir. Sorry for making this a bit long, Putri." I turned to Putri, who was standing across from me.

"No, it's okay. You just wanted to check something important, right? Relax."

Luckily, Putri was understanding.

"Alright, let's begin. Everyone, get into position."

Putri and I faced each other, and I took a moment to observe her. Her attire was typical of a Wizard—a flowing cloak and a large staff—but her calm expression gave little away. She seemed very calm no matter the situation. I knew I couldn't rely on my powers this time, having already hit my daily quota. This would be a test of pure reflex and strategy.

Unlike when facing fellow Espers where information about them would automatically appear in my head, since I didn't know any information about her, I would just go with the flow.

"Ready!... Set…. Start!" The match began.

Putri wasted no time. She began chanting, and a magic circle formed behind her. The heat emanating from it told me she was preparing a fire spell. Knowing Putri was casting a long-range spell, without hesitation I sprinted toward her with fast tempo, forcing her to cancel her chant and switch spells mid-flow.

Smart move. She shifted to an enhancement spell, her second magic circle smaller and harder to read. Despite my best efforts, unfortunately, it wouldn't be in time. Before I could get very close to her, she finished her chant. Since the second magic circle was right behind her and smaller, it was hard to read, and I didn't know what spell she used. To anticipate the spell, since I wasn't very close to her, I chose to retreat first to my previous position by moving to the edge of the arena.

This was a bit different from an all-out battle, so I wouldn't be too serious.

As a note, attack spells and enhancement spells have different lengths of chant. Attack spells have a longer tempo. That's why the strong first attack spell, she canceled and switched to enhancement magic.

When I returned, she tried chanting again. But this time it was different. The magic circle she used was an attack spell like the first one. Knowing she would launch a long-range attack, I just stood still and prepared.

Putri didn't expect me to stand still and do nothing, looking a bit surprised. Or so I thought. Her face hadn't changed at all from before. Seeing my fast run earlier, she thought I would reach her if I ran again, but I didn't.

This time, she cast lightning magic. The speed of the attack surprised me, a jagged bolt of electricity racing toward me. But with ease, I tilted my body just enough to let it pass, the energy crackling in the air as it struck the ground behind me. Dust rose, obscuring the arena.

"Nice spell," I remarked, the compliment genuine. Lightning magic was difficult to dodge, but my reflexes made it manageable. Plus, lightning magic, which is smaller than other long-range attacks, made a big difference in dodging it. For others, they might have been struck by lightning earlier.

Lightning magic is speed-based and has a lasting effect. When she knew I was fast and at a considerable distance, she used a fast spell too. If I had charged forward, I might have been hit by the spell directly.

"That was a good idea, but too bad."

Seeing me still standing, Putri felt surprised and impressed. 

The difference was that I could read the attack. Dodging intentionally without using my power, that's what impressed Putri.

Approaching her, it would be dangerous if she cast the same spell again, but it didn't matter. The enhancement spell that she cast before is small, so the effect must disappear. I guessed she also would be more careful and not use spells recklessly anymore. So whether I go to her or not is not much different for me.

Seeing me run, Putri chanted calmly. She squatted a bit and placed her hand on the ground. As she chanted, a magic circle floated behind her back.

Alchemy Magic, a form-changing spell. That's what I read from her magic circle. Unlike earlier, the position of Putri's magic circle, which was behind her back and hard to read, was now clearly visible because she squatted a bit.

The chant for the magic circle usually didn't involve looking at its composition, but if you saw the magic circle and chanted simultaneously, it could increase the understanding of the magic being cast, making the chant faster.

Besides from behind her back, a small circle also appeared on the ground she touched. I know where this is going~.

Putri lifts her hand with the earth flowing easily to her hand. Moving her hand to her staff, the earth rose and began to attach to her staff. The earth started to form and looked like a sharp tip. A spear.

She could mix earth into her wooden staff and form a weapon. As expected from an S-class.

For the current situation, it was quite disadvantageous for me. I didn't know what buff magic she used earlier even though it should be dissipated now, I didn't have a weapon, and I wasn't using any power. This was like a fight between a powered person and a normal person with more physical abilities than a normal person. This would likely be a close-range fight. So as an Esper, I could reduce my disadvantageous position.

Putri pointed her weapon at me. Although she didn't look very skilled in martial arts, she looked very prepared.

As I got closer, Putri tried to thrust her staff at my chest. Because the initial position was pointed forward, I easily dodged it by tilting my body to the side. I squatted a bit and tried to hit the hand holding the staff.

Surprisingly she can dodge that, spreading her hand to the side. Although I knew my punch wasn't slow, she could avoid it. Was it her enhancement spell earlier? That was pretty good.

"But sorry, I think it's still not enough to fight me in close range."

I followed with a low kick, knocking her off balance. As she fell, I grabbed the arm holding her staff and extended my free hand, stopping just short of her neck.

"Nice Fight," I said with a smile. This was pretty good for a warm-up. It had been a while since I had a practice match like this.

"The winner is Naozumi!!"

I let go of Putri and extended a hand to help her up. To my surprise, she took it, and for the first time, she smiled—a small, genuine gesture that made me pause. Her usual stoicism melted away for a moment, revealing a striking warmth.

"Thank you," she said softly.

For a moment, I was stunned. This was the first time I saw her show an expression. She was already pretty, but I thought she looked even sweeter when she smiled. I was momentarily stunned before I realized after hearing her words.

As we left the arena, the applause of the crowd faded into the background. I couldn't help but wonder: what lay behind that rare smile?

Man, she is really pretty.

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