After Sora returned to the field, she immediately ran to Ren Isana and shouted, "Class Rep, that didn't count! I was careless, let's go again!"
She was still unwilling to accept it. After all, her previous defeat was far too humiliating—she had practically run into him herself. It was incredibly embarrassing, and she was determined not to let it happen again!
"Forget it, forget it. You're not having an easy time either. You should just focus on getting familiar with that speed first. I've never seen anyone kill themselves because they couldn't hit the brakes," Ren Isana sighed, having no desire to keep lecturing her.
Hearing this, Sora grew even more annoyed. She couldn't help but argue, "That was just an accident! I'll definitely be careful next time!"
Ren Isana curled his lip and replied, "Life doesn't give you a next time. If this were reality, I'd hope your life was as tough as your mouth, but right now, the only hard part about you is that stubborn attitude."
Knowing she was just being mouthy, Ren Isana had no intention of continuing the fight. He ignored the girl and let her go off on her own.
"Damn it!" Sora couldn't find a way to refute him. This was a virtual world, not reality; in the real world, you only got one life.
After thinking it over, Sora stopped pestering him. She ran off to a corner to start getting used to that terrifying speed, otherwise, it would be useless if she couldn't control it.
After all... she really didn't want to run directly into someone's blade in the real world and get her heart or lungs pierced. That would be a truly terrible way to go.
For the rest of the day, Ren Isana and the others continued training in the virtual world. Once everyone became familiar with the [Shunpo・Flash Step] that Ren Isana had taught them, they began actual combat. Then... Ren Isana was isolated!
The rest of the class flatly refused to spar with him. This included Ais, who had already been killed twice by Ren Isana, because getting beaten up one-sidedly wasn't fun at all.
Thus, Ren Isana found himself lonely. No one wanted to fight him, not even Asuna, which left him feeling quite depressed. He considered looking for Shizuka Hiratsuka to fight, but she simply ignored him.
As for fighting Yor Forger? That wasn't even an option for Ren Isana. He couldn't win, and going over there would just result in a one-sided beating.
With nothing better to do, Ren Isana decided to learn from Yor Forger instead. She had many assassination techniques that were well worth his time to study. The group spent the entire day in this practical combat class.
It wasn't until evening that everyone disconnected from the virtual world and returned to reality. As they headed back, they tried to use the [Shunpo・Flash Step] they had learned.
However, their control wasn't quite there yet. Just like in a game, they had learned the technique, but there was a gap between a game and reality. Mastering it in the real world would take time and patience.
"Class Rep, Class Rep! Combining my talent with [Shunpo・Flash Step] creates insane speed, but I can't keep up with the reactions! What should I do?" Sora couldn't help but crowd around Ren Isana to ask this question.
This was her biggest frustration. Ren Isana's [Shunpo・Flash Step] was good—too good. When paired with her talent, the power it unleashed was so great that her reaction time couldn't keep up.
To perfectly integrate her talent and [Shunpo・Flash Step], she would need to significantly enhance her reflexes. Only then could she fully harness the power of both.
"Practice makes perfect," Ren Isana said, giving her a flat look. What else could she do? She just had to train. She'd get the hang of it after crashing into a few more walls.
Wasn't that exactly what she did in the virtual world? The method was already there; she just had to put in the work herself.
"Please, Class Rep, teach me! I really want to improve!" Sora didn't get upset by his words; instead, she began to plead. Her dear Class Rep, please help a girl out!
Asuna glanced at her before saying subtly, "Sora, Ren Isana means you just need to keep practicing. You can't skip the work for this, or perhaps you should look for a potion that improves reflexes."
Asuna had a say in this matter because her own attack speed was exceptionally high, so she also had to focus on her reflexes. She shared some of her own insights with Sora, hoping to keep the girl from pestering her boyfriend!
Hearing Asuna's advice, Sora's eyes lit up. She immediately began asking questions. Slowly, she learned a lot from Asuna and began to understand the path she needed to take forward.
For a long time after that, everyone attended school normally. Every weekend, Ren Isana would accompany Asuna on strolls outside the campus.
Their relationship gradually ceased to be a secret within the class. Everyone knew Ren Isana and Asuna were dating, as it was obvious to anyone with eyes.
Though some were surprised, they didn't think too much of it. After all, they were adults now; dating was perfectly normal.
One Saturday, Ren Isana and Asuna went to the beach to relax. Although many parts of Nexus Island were man-made, the beaches were quite nice. Since it was summer all year round, the coastline offered plenty of beautiful scenery.
"The scenery is beautiful, but there are too many people," Ren Isana said as he and Asuna stood on a high point overlooking the ocean. He had never liked crowded places.
Even in his previous life, it was the same. Traveling during holidays? Don't make him laugh. Why spend all day waiting in lines just to come back? Because of that, he wasn't very fond of going out like this.
"I didn't expect it to be this lively either, but we're just here to look, not necessarily to go down and play," Asuna said, holding Ren Isana's hand. She was in a very good mood.
The reason she dragged him out was to prevent him from being a shut-in at the dorm all day. She suspected that if she didn't force him, Ren Isana wouldn't leave the school grounds until the end of the semester.
Ren Isana looked at her helplessly and was about to say something when he suddenly sensed a slight spatial fluctuation, which immediately piqued his curiosity.
His gaze shifted to a specific spot on the sea. A moment later, his expression turned incredibly grave as he muttered, "No way... is that a Dimensional Rift?"
A newborn Dimensional Rift was opening right before his eyes. This was beyond ridiculous. Without hesitation, Ren Isana used the mark on his body to contact Natsuki Minamiya.
The mark Natsuki Minamiya had placed on him hadn't faded, and even if it had, Ren Isana could have reconnected it. It was the perfect tool for getting her attention.
"Natsuki, check your phone. I'm sending you coordinates. The space where I am is getting thin. It looks like a new Dimensional Rift is forming," Ren Isana said as he pulled out his phone to send her the location.
Asuna, standing beside him, was stunned. A new Dimensional Rift? Was he serious? She didn't interrupt, but silently held his hand and waited for him to finish.
At home with Kayo, Natsuki Minamiya frowned when she heard Ren Isana's voice. Without any delay, she turned to the girl and said, "Kayo, stay here by yourself. I need to go out for a moment."
Kayo Senju nodded in response. She didn't ask questions. During her time living at Natsuki Minamiya's house, she had come to understand her guardian's special status and knew she was often busy.
Natsuki Minamiya checked the location Ren Isana sent and vanished on the spot. As for whether he was playing a prank? She wasn't worried about that at all.
Ren Isana wasn't the type to joke about such things, so it was almost certainly real. At the same time, she was puzzled; Dimensional Rifts had been appearing quite frequently lately!
Thinking this, Natsuki Minamiya arrived at the destination via [Spatial Teleportation]. She saw the two holding hands but said nothing, moving to Ren Isana's side to look toward the sea.
"It really is a Dimensional Rift!" Natsuki Minamiya confirmed instantly. She sent out a message on her phone, and a few seconds later, an air raid siren wailed across the area.
The people playing at the beach were startled by the sound, but they didn't hesitate to pack their things and rush to leave.
Ren Isana sensed several members of the Civil Security Corps arriving quickly to maintain order and evacuate everyone. Seeing this, he said, "We'll be going then. You can handle this."
Ren Isana didn't plan on staying; he intended to leave the rest to Natsuki Minamiya without getting further involved.
However, Natsuki Minamiya shook her head. "No, don't leave yet. This is a perfect chance for me to teach you a few things. You might not use them now, but you'll definitely need them later. Pay attention!"
Natsuki Minamiya wasn't going to pass up such a good teaching opportunity. She could demonstrate some advanced [Spatial Magic] for him, especially the more complex spells. Seeing them in person would help him memorize them better.
Ren Isana was momentarily stunned but didn't refuse. If that was the case, he might as well stay and watch. He was certainly interested in learning more advanced [Spatial Magic].
And from the look of things, Natsuki Minamiya intended to teach him magic related to communicating with other worlds. That was perfect. He absolutely had to learn it. At the same time, he wanted to see if this new world was one he recognized.