"What's up, buddies! It's been a while!"
"No. We met yesterday."
"That's what I said! It's been a while!"
I gave up trying to understand Tyler before I lost the few neurons I still had left.
"What are you doing here, Tyler?" Jayden asked.
"Come on, man! I want to join this awesome club, of course!"
"Oh! You too?"
Jayden actually looked happy that he might not be alone here.
Well, he still didn't know that I was planning to join too.
"Oh man! This is fate!"
How exactly?!
"Oh, we've got three juniors here."
A man approached us from the side.
He was wearing the academy uniform just like us, but the blue tie around his collar marked him as a third-year student.
"Are you interested in joining our club?" He asked. "Then follow me, please. I'll register you for the next friendly match."
Jayden and Tyler followed him immediately.
I followed behind them with much less enthusiasm.
"We have a lot of applicants today," the third-year added while leading us farther in. "So we're only keeping the best. Be ready to show what you can do."
I let out a quiet sigh.
No choice then.
If I wanted a place in this club, I had to go all out.
Jayden and Tyler would probably pass the test without much trouble. Jayden was talented by default, and Tyler was the type who could succeed in physical things without using his brain too much. As for me…
That was another story.
I had never played Skyball before.
Still, I trusted my speed.
"Professor, three juniors want to join our club."
The third-year called out to a dark-haired woman standing nearby.
The woman turned toward us, and her blue eyes landed on our group before a smile spread across her face.
"We really are popular, aren't we?" She said. "Welcome, boys. I'm the teacher in charge of this club, Julia Stormdila."
Right.
She wasn't just Miranda's aunt.
She was more troublesome than that.
"I'm also the homeroom teacher of the second-year Phoenix Class," she continued. "Wait in line. The current match is about to end. Theo! Come here."
Theo?
That name felt familiar.
I didn't have to think long.
The moment he stepped into view, I recognized him.
Ugh...
Theo was one of Miranda's friends. I had met him before in the Enigma Dungeon, and at a few noble banquets too.
"Professor?"
"Help them put on the equipment, then call Dylan. He'll examine them."
"Yes, Professor."
Theo nodded, then turned toward us.
The moment his eyes met mine, his face passed through several expressions in quick succession before settling back into a polite smile.
Well, that made sense.
Theo lived in my father's territory, so he knew me well enough. And since I had once been close to Miranda, we had crossed paths plenty of times in the past.
He brought over a box filled with bracers and boots that looked like some cursed mix between armor and wheel-less rollerblades, then started explaining how to wear them.
He helped Jayden and Tyler first before coming over to me.
"How long has it been, Edward? I'm glad you're back."
"No need to waste your poor acting skills on me."
I cut him off before he could keep smiling like that.
Theo was a decent guy.
That didn't mean he had a good opinion of me.
"Yeah…"
His smile stayed on his face, though now it looked painfully awkward.
A few minutes later, we were fully equipped.
I glanced down at the metal bracers locked around my forearms and the strange floating boots fixed to my feet. I shifted a little, tested the weight, then checked that everything was tightly fastened before giving a small nod.
"Oh, Edward. What happened to you?"
Professor Julia had finally decided to address me directly.
Once upon a time, I'd had a pretty good relationship with Miranda's aunt.
Then I snapped.
The last time I had seen her, I'd been twelve.
"You look better than before," she said, eyeing me carefully, "but you still have that arrogant gaze."
What arrogant gaze?!
"And what exactly is this sudden desire to join my club?" she went on. "Are you here to chase after my niece after stealing her innocence?"
Don't say things like that so casually!
People could misunderstand!
"Or maybe you're here for Kleah?"
She placed a hand under her chin as though she were seriously considering it.
She still thinks I am a scumbag chasing after all beautiful women.
"I hope that in these last four years you've changed at least a little, Edward, because I will not tolerate any reprehensible behavior."
"Good to see you too," I said dryly. "But I assure you, I changed. Unlike some woman who would use her own niece as a tool to sedu—"
"Edward."
I stopped instantly.
She stared at me with a cold smile, and I immediately lost the courage to continue.
"Y-Yeah. Good to see you again, Aunt Julia…"
[
Shut up.
"Theo."
"Yes, ma'am?!"
Apparently Theo had noticed too that Professor Julia's mood had just taken a turn for the worse.
"Put Edward on the other team. His two little friends will be on Dylan's team."
"Yes!"
"..."
Dylan?
That annoying guy who had been with Miranda back then?
And of course she put Tyler and Jayden on his team while I ended up with the leftover beginners.
Perfect.
[
She started it!
"It's a shame, Edward."
Tyler patted my shoulder with exaggerated sympathy.
"The three of us could've made a deadly trio."
"No. Forget it. I'm fine alone."
"Why?!"
There was, admittedly, one good thing about not being placed with Tyler.
At least I wouldn't die from secondhand embarrassment during the match.
"Don't hold back, Edward."
Jayden tapped his fist lightly against my chest.
"I won't."
I smiled and walked away.
I had to get into this club.
No matter what.
Which meant I had to impress Aunt Julia and the others whether they liked it or not.
"Do I really need to remind you of the rules, Edward?" Theo asked.
"No need."
I waved a hand dismissively.
I already knew them.
Skyball.
A mix between basketball and handball.
The ball was roughly the size of a basketball, but unlike a normal ball, it had a floating function that could be activated with mana.
The main rules were simple:
First, the game lasted one hour, divided by breaks every twenty minutes, for a total of three periods.
Second, if the ball touched the ground while in your possession, the opposing team got control.
Third, there were two goals behind each side: a large white one worth one point, and a smaller red one worth three.
Fourth, using large-scale attacks against players was strictly forbidden.
And fifth, feet were off-limits.
Those were the main rules.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
A third-year student shouted into a microphone as the next match was announced.
"The next game is about to begin! On one side, we have Dylan, one of our club's finest players, accompanied today by two of the most renowned first-year juniors!"
About fifty students gathered in the spectator area, waiting eagerly for the start of the match.
I looked up.
The playing field floated in the air, outlined by pillars hanging high above the ground. Beyond them were spectator stands, also suspended. It looked like a giant aerial basketball court.
"The opposing team is made up of promising new students hoping to prove that they deserve a place in the club! And among them is the famous—"
Damn it.
I shut down my hearing mentally before he could finish.
"The famous Edward Falkrona!"
—OHHHHHHHHH!
Even with only fifty or so spectators, the reaction boomed through the whole area.
"U-Um, Edward…"
I turned around and looked at my teammates.
Skyball was played eight against eight.
So aside from me, there were seven others on my team.
All first-years.
Three girls.
Four boys.
And not a single trace of confidence among them.
Could I really win with this group?
Honestly?
It felt impossible.
Dylan had experience. Jayden would adapt fast. Tyler was too athletic to be useless.
Meanwhile, my side looked like they were being marched toward execution.
"Just pass me the ball the second you get it," I said. "Five of you focus on guarding the goals. Understood?"
"Yes!!!"
The moment I frowned at them, they all agreed at once.
"Good."
I smiled.
[
Any means necessary to win this game, useless Goddess.
This was a matter of survival.
I had to get into this damned club.
Miranda and the last Main Heroine were both in it.
This club mattered.
For Jayden.
No, for the whole kingdom.
Jayden needed ties to Miranda and Kleah. He needed those connections if the future was going to unfold the right way.
I closed my eyes and poured mana into the bracers and boots.
Little by little, I felt my body lighten.
Then came the strange sensation of floating.
Awkwardly, stiffly, I rose into the air.
It was harder than it looked.
Still, after a few shaky seconds, I began to get a rough understanding of how to move while suspended like this.
This was really difficult.
When I saw Skyball in newspapers or on those screens, it had looked simple. Fun, fast, natural.
But in reality, you needed fine control over both your mana and your body just to stay stable.
Eventually, I reached the floating field.
The other team was already there.
Dylan stood at the front with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
I ignored him and looked back down at my own team.
"..."
They were…
…pathetic.
The three girls were making slow but steady progress toward the field.
But the boys?
What a disaster.
One of them was floating upside down.
Another was vomiting.
The remaining two were clinging to each other like frightened children caught in a storm.
[
What part of this is good for me?!
I can't fight alone!
"U-Um, Edward…"
I turned and saw the three girls from my year looking at me.
Or trying to.
The moment my eyes moved over them, they all averted their red faces, their bodies visibly tense as they hovered there awkwardly.
What the hell?
"Defend," I told them. "I'll attack."
Then I turned away from them and moved forward to face Dylan.