Emelio: "Alright, class," Emelio sensei announced, arms behind his back with his usual princely posture. "It's time for sparring practice. Pairs will be chosen at random. As always, you're free to go all out, provided you have the skill to remain elegant while doing so."
Dakota: "I hope we're not paired up again. I don't think my wrists recovered from last week."
Erika chuckled: "Sorry."
From the other side, Yuji rolled his shoulders and glanced toward the back row, where Mike was stretching. His face was unreadable, but his jaw was locked tight.
Pairs were picked. Dakota was up against Mike. The air between them rippled with quiet animosity. Dakota stood calmly, sword held at a neutral angle. He didn't have any hostility in his eyes, only focus.
Mike's, however, burned with restrained fury.
Dakota: "Let's have a good match."
Mike didn't respond.
Emelio raised his hand: "Begin!"
The moment his hand dropped, Mike dashed forward, his wooden blade slicing the air. Dakota blocked cleanly, the impact reverberating up his arms.
The two circled each other. Wood met wood in sharp bursts. Mike's movements were fast, almost desperate. His form was technically sound, but his swings carried too much emotion, too much force. Dakota could feel it in every strike, the frustration of a man trying to bury humiliation beneath fury. Dakota parried a diagonal strike and shifted his stance, pivoting to Mike's blind side. A quick sweep to the ankle—blocked. Mike countered with an upward slash. Dakota jumped back and rolled away. Mike growled, bringing his sword down in an overhead slash. Dakota sidestepped, spinning his own weapon around to tap Mike on the back before leaping away again.
Mike exhaled sharply. Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead. They reset.
Mike forced a grin: "You're holding back, aren't you?"
Dakota tilted his head: "Not really. You're just swinging too hard."
That made Mike's smile twitch. He launched himself forward again, but this time his approach was more calculated. He faked left, then right, before lunging straight down the middle. Dakota blocked again, their swords colliding with a sharp crack. Mike's patience shattered. He shoved Dakota back and came in with a wild barrage, every swing a frustrated cry for validation. Dakota deflected each one calmly, breathing steady, steps precise. Wood cracked, feet slid. Sparks of motion blurred the air. Dakota ducked low, pivoted, and swept Mike's leg with a low kick, not enough to hurt, just enough to break his stance. Mike stumbled, and Dakota struck him across the shoulder.
Mike took a deep breath. His glasses slid slightly down his nose. His expression hardened.
He remembered the Dark Arena.
The humiliation of losing to someone he thought was inferior to him.
He couldn't—wouldn't—lose again.
Mike exploded forward a third time. His movements blurred—a sharp, angry rhythm that forced Dakota onto the defensive. Mike was by no means weak, but his adversary has more on the line. Dakota blocked once, twice, his arms started to ache. Mike's attacks were unpredictable, fueled by spite while still holding technique. But Dakota's patience never cracked. He waited for the right moment then parried with perfect timing, letting Mike's blade slide past before striking his ribs cleanly.
Mike gasped, the air knocked out of him. His sword fell from his hands. Mike fell to his knees, fists tightening. He slammed his fist into the ground.
The others around them winced.
Emelio's smile didn't waver: "Temper, Mr. Mike."
Mike said nothing. He stood, snatched his sword, and walked away.
The class ended soon after.
As everyone gathered their things, Erika glanced toward him: "What's wrong with Mike?"
Dakota shrugged lightly: "He's probably mad I've beaten him twice now."
Yuji, stretching his arm, added flatly: "He won't last long here with that attitude. The moment ego outweighs reason, you've already lost."
Shinatsu hummed in agreement: "Pride is a fragile weapon."
Meanwhile, whispers rippled throughout the students who were just about to leave. One student, pale as snow, stared down at their weapon, split clean in two.
"Someone broke their sword…"
"It finally happened."
"Poor guy."
Emelio's smile was serene: "Well, now isn't this delightful." He approached the trembling student, his footsteps echoing: "You've broken the instrument of your soul. How careless."
The students looked on holding their breath.
Emelio: "Everyone, get going now. Max here is in need of an extra lesson."
The class filed out quietly, none daring to look back. The sound that followed—thuds, sharp yells, the rhythmic agony of torture in the form of training was enough to make them quicken their pace.
***
The quiet hum of the dorm hall was a welcome relief. Dakota slid open the door to his room, rubbing his shoulder.
The lights were off.
Dakota: "…Austin?"
Silence.
He stepped in.
"BOO!"
Dakota flinched back, nearly tripping over his shoes as Austin burst out of the closet wearing a blanket like a ghost.
Austin: "Gotcha!"
Dakota groaned: "Really?"
Austin grinned: "C'mon, you walked right into it!"
Dakota shook his head, dropping his bag onto the floor: "You've got too much energy after a long day of classes."
Austin: "I save it just for you."
Dakota: "You shouldn't have."
There was a brief silence.
Dakota: "What do you think all these people are training to become Hunters for?"
Austin: "That came outta left field."
Dakota: "I know. I'm just thinking. There's this guy who transferred at the same time as me and Erika. Totally irrelevant, but he hates my guts. I was just wondering why he's trying to become a Hunter."
Austin: "To fight vampires, no?"
Dakota: "I don't know. I feel like he has another reason. I'm sure it's the same for other people."
Austin: "Can't say you're wrong."
Dakota: "Y'know… I never asked why you're training to become a Hunter."
Austin blinked: "Me? Oh, that's easy." He made the money gesture with his hand. "For the cash, baby."
Dakota laughed: "That's definitely a reason."
Austin chuckled too: "Is it a bad reason?"
Dakota: "Nah."
Austin then leaned back, eyes half-lidded: "Yeah… well, that's not actually it."
Dakota: "It's not?"
Austin's voice softened: "Nah. I was kidding."
Dakota: "Then what is it?"
Austin was quiet for a moment, staring up at the ceiling: "…Truth is, I kind of got dragged into this. My family thought it'd be good for me to 'find purpose' or whatever."
Dakota smiled faintly: "Ha. Same here. I got dragged into this in a different way. At first, I psyched myself up saying I'll become popular as a pro gamer and a Hunter."
Austin grinned: "Multitasking king."
Dakota looked down at his calloused hands: "But now… I've got real motivation to become stronger."
Austin glanced at him: "Oh yeah?"
Dakota: Yeah." He smiled slightly.
Austin: "I get that."A silence settled again—comfortable, but heavy in its own way. Then Austin spoke, his tone quieter than before. "Hey, can I tell you something?"
Dakota: "Sure."
Austin hesitated. His usual playfulness vanished, replaced by something earnest, vulnerable even.
Austin: "I was able to find a real reason too. To impress the girl I like."
Dakota blinked: "That's… honestly not a bad reason either."
Austin smiled faintly: "Heh. Yeah, well… it feels dumb sometimes."
Dakota chuckled: "It's not dumb. People fight for all kinds of reasons. That one's probably better than most. So, are you gonna tell me who the girl is?"
Austin's gaze dropped to the floor: "…It's Remi."
Dakota's heart stopped for a moment.
The air between them seemed to thin, like the world itself held its breath.
Remi.
The name echoed in his head like a hollow note.
He managed to smile, though it felt forced: "Oh… Remi, huh?" He shouldn't be surprised. But the thought failed to cross his mind. He'd hoped they would stay nothing more than good friends.
Austin nodded, unaware of the turmoil brewing beside him: "Yeah. She's amazing. Strong, patient, driven." He laughed softly. "I wanna be someone worthy of her, y'know?"
Dakota stared at the floor. The words tangled in his throat.
Worthy of her.
The thought twisted something deep inside his chest, but he forced himself to speak, his voice steady: "Yeah. I get it."
Austin smiled warmly: "Don't tell anybody else though. This is just between you and me."
Dakota looked away, hiding the faint shadow that crossed his eyes: "No problem."
Outside, the wind whispered softly through the trees. The day's tension, the noise, the sparring, all of it faded, leaving only the dull ache of something unspoken.
Dakota leaned back in his bed, staring up at the same ceiling. At that moment, he realized he had to give up on Remi.
***
First period bustled with morning chatter. Erika waved brightly at Dakota the moment he walked in.
Erika: "Good morning, Dakota! Did you eat breakfast?"
Dakota: "I… yeah," he muttered, dropping heavily into his seat.
Remi was already there, calmly organizing her notebooks. She looked up and smiled at him, simple and genuine: "Morning."
His chest tightened. He barely managed to nod back, pulling out his textbook like it might shield him from the world. He thought Remi would be better with Austin. It felt like a knife twisting into him.
By the time lunch rolled around, the cafeteria was buzzing. The group gathered at their usual spot: Erika bouncing in with her tray followed by Sylvie, Esmarie nearly dropping her soup, Yuji grumbling about something, and Shinatsu sipping on her tea.
Dakota slid into his seat across from Remi, while Austin sat beside her.
Austin: "Save some for the rest of us, Remi."
Remi: "Unlike you, I word hard. So I need twice as many calories as you."
Austin: "That's harsh."
Marlon: "She roasted you good bro."
Shinatsu: "Meanwhile, Dakota is in the mood for just an extra-large serving of french fries."
Hina laughed softly: "Here, you can have some of mine."
Dakota: "So much for your calorie intake."
Remi: "And whose fault is that?"
Her encouragement warmed him for a brief moment… until Austin leaned closer, adding: "If you keel over from sodium overload, I'll carry you to the nurse's office. Hero move, right?"
The group laughed. Dakota forced a small smile, but the sound was hollow in his chest.
The practical class was merciless. Today was conditioning, which wasn't fun for anybody, not even Yuji. Dakota's head wasn't where it should've been, so he couldn't keep up.
After class ended, he took Erika to go ahead without him because he was going to the bathroom. That was a lie. He was going to wander off and walk aimlessly, clearing his head. Then suddenly, Remi catches up to him before he gets too far off.
Remi: "Yo. Where are you heading off to?"
Dakota: "Nowhere. Just need to take a walk."
Remi: "You doing okay. You seemed out of it today, even before conditioning."
Dakota: "Yeah, I'm just tired right now."
But she didn't press. She just smiled at him, calm and steady as always: "Then get some rest, okay?"
Her kindness should've felt like sunlight. But all Dakota could think was how much brighter she seemed when Austin was around.
By the time Dakota collapsed onto his bed that night, his thoughts had circled themselves raw. He liked Remi. That much was undeniable. But Austin liked her too. He's popular. Outgoing. Easy to be around. They've known each other longer.
He's better for her.
'…Right?'
The thought settled in Dakota's chest like a stone. He turned onto his side, staring at the glow of his desk lamp.