Julis stared at Haruki in disbelief as he sat down in the desk right next to her.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Haruki muttered to himself. He hadn't expected to cross paths with the fiery princess again so soon.
"That's my line!" Julis snapped, though she kept her voice low. She let out a frustrated huff and slumped onto her desk. "Don't you dare leave after school. This morning was just a fluke. Our business isn't finished yet!"
"Whatever you say," Haruki replied, his voice dripping with a casual indifference that only served to irritate her more.
He didn't mind her challenging him. If anything, it was a good way to kill time.
"You... hmph!" Julis turned her head away, her face still a light shade of pink. In her mind, Haruki's calm was the height of arrogance—the smug confidence of a victor who didn't even consider her a threat.
I'll show him, she thought. I just wasn't in top form this morning. Once I'm focused, there's no way I'll lose again!
Class eventually ended. As the students began to pack their bags, the usual social divide of the classroom became apparent. Ayato Amagiri, the other transfer student, was immediately surrounded by classmates. His friendly, approachable demeanor made him an instant hit.
Haruki, however, was an island. The aura of cold lethality he radiated was a physical barrier. Even though most of the students had heard rumors about the duel that morning, none of them had the courage to approach him. Some still believed Julis had been "holding back" or that the match had been a draw, unable to fathom a nameless student overwhelming the Rank 5 Glühen Rose.
"Are you ready?"
Julis stood before Haruki the moment the bell rang. She looked like a cat ready to pounce, her eyes burning with an intense competitive fire.
"Sure," Haruki nodded.
Her challenge wasn't a waste of time. During their brief clash that morning, Haruki had felt a resonance. By observing the way she manipulated her Star Pulse to create heat, he had caught a glimpse of a higher level of Fluctuation.
In the world of the sword, a Strega's fire wasn't just magic—it was a vibration of the elements. If he fought her again, he might be able to incorporate the essence of "Fire" into his own Asura style.
In the world of Asterisk, the Strega and Dante possessed a level of mana control that was surgical.
Haruki had realized this during his fight with Julis. Unlike Stella Vermillion, who relied on raw, overwhelming power, Julis could shape her flames with incredible precision. To Haruki, seeing her manipulate fire was like reading a manual for elemental fluctuations. He was a student of the blade, and she was providing him with a masterclass in energy harmonics.
This was the primary reason he had agreed to the rematch. He wanted to "download" her rhythm.
As they walked toward the training grounds, students whispered and pointed.
"Is that the Princess? Who's the guy with her?"
"I don't know, but he looks dangerous. Look at those eyes."
"She looks like she wants to kill him. I'd stay away if I were you."
Haruki ignored the chatter. He glanced at the girl beside him. "Everyone calls you 'Princess.' Is that a nickname or a title?"
"It's my title," Julis replied, her tone stiff. "Since the Invertia, many nations returned to monarchies. The Integrated Enterprise Foundations find it easier to manage symbolic royal families in certain regions. I am the First Princess of Lieseltania."
"I see." Haruki felt a sense of déjà vu. Red hair, fire powers, royal blood... She was almost a carbon copy of Stella.
"Why go to school here if you're royalty?" Haruki asked. "True nobles don't usually seek out battlefields."
"That is none of your business," Julis snapped, her gaze hardening.
Haruki shrugged. He wasn't looking for her life story; he was just making conversation. Since she wasn't in a talking mood, he closed his eyes and focused on his Sense of Fluctuation as they walked, letting his intuition map the environment.
They reached the academy's central park, a sprawling courtyard filled with perfectly manicured trees. In the distance, sleek, flat-headed service robots—Al-D units—were busy trimming hedges. These autonomous machines handled most of the labor in Asterisk, a necessity after the global population dwindled following the meteor strikes.
Suddenly, three figures stepped out from behind a large fountain. They were students, but their target wasn't Haruki.
"I've been waiting for you, Glühen Rose!" a large, muscular student shouted. He held a heavy Lux and wore a look of thuggish confidence. "You're fighting me today!"
"Tch..." Julis didn't even slow down. "I have no interest in you, Lester."
"What?! You fought that transfer student this morning!"
"Because he was a challenge," Julis said, her voice dripping with disdain. "I've beaten you three times already. Fighting you again is a waste of energy."
"You... you're looking down on me! I'm Rank 9!" Lester MacPhail roared, his face reddening.
"And I'm Rank 5," Julis countered. "The gap is visible to everyone but you. Come back when you've beaten someone above you."
One of Lester's cronies, a boy with a shifty gaze named Silas Norman, stepped forward. "Careful, Princess. Underestimating Lester might lead to a painful 'accident.'"
"Shut up, Silas!" Lester barked, though he looked mollified by the threat. He glared at Julis one last time. "I'm not giving up. I'll make you acknowledge me!"
The trio turned and stomped away.
"Ugh... how annoying," Julis sighed.
"Now you know how I feel," Haruki quipped from the side.
"I am nothing like him!" Julis shouted, her anger flaring. She couldn't find a logical rebuttal, so she just stomped her foot. "Whatever! I'm stronger than him, and that's all that matters!"
"If you say so." Haruki gave her a non-committal nod.
"Dammit! Between that gorilla and you, I've lost the mood for a duel," Julis groaned. "Let's postpone it. I need to cool my head."
"That's a shame," Haruki said, and he meant it. He had been looking forward to the "Flame Wave" training. But he wasn't the type to force a fight.
Just as they were about to part ways, a flicker of movement in the treeline caught Haruki's attention. It wasn't the "vibration" of a student or a robot. It was a sharp, high-velocity fluctuation.
"Look out!"
Haruki lunged forward. He didn't have time to explain. He grabbed Julis by the waist and pulled her into a tight, protective embrace, spinning his body to act as a shield.
"What do you think you're—?!"
Julis's protest died in her throat. Her face turned a beet red as she felt Haruki's muscular frame press against her. But before she could push him away, a sharp hiss sliced through the air.
THWACK!
A glowing arrow of pure mana buried itself in the pavement exactly where Julis's head had been a second ago.
"What happened?!"
Julis stared at the shimmering arrow in shock. It took several seconds for the adrenaline to clear her mind.
And then she realized her current position. Haruki was practically on top of her, his arm wrapped firmly around her back to keep her steady. Their faces were inches apart. She could feel the steady, calm rhythm of his heart and the warmth of his breath against her skin.
Her own heart began to hammer like a drum. It wasn't just the shock of the attack; it was Haruki's expression. He wasn't looking at her with lust or mockery. His eyes were cold, sharp, and focused on the threat. He looked like a man who considered protecting her as natural as breathing.
Julis had spent her life surrounded by sycophants or rivals. She had never encountered someone who acted with such selfless, professional intensity. It shook her to her core.
Haruki, however, was oblivious to the Princess's internal crisis. He was focused on the arrow.
It was a specialized Lux projectile, hummed with a specific Star Pulse signature. But as he watched, the arrow began to flicker. Because Lux weapons require a constant feed of energy to maintain their "material" form, high-velocity projectiles usually dissolve shortly after impact unless they are "Pure" class.
Shhh...
The arrow dissolved into white light particles, leaving no physical evidence behind.
Haruki scanned the treeline. The "vibration" of the assassin was gone. They had used the distraction of the disappearing projectile to slip away.
"A professional," Haruki muttered.
He finally looked down and realized Julis was staring at him with wide, glassy eyes. He let go of her and stepped back, offering his hand to help her up.
"Are you hurt?"
"No... I'm fine," Julis whispered, taking his hand. Her fingers were trembling. She looked at him, then at the spot where the arrow had landed, and then back at Haruki. A new, complex light began to glow in her turquoise eyes.
The rematch was forgotten. The dynamic between the Sword Ghost and the Rose Princess had just shifted irrevocably.
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