"W-Wow… that was so fast, I didn't even see you grab the flag," Shion said, blinking in disbelief.
"Thanks," Sara replied, calm and steady as ever.
A twitch pulled at the corner of the girl's mouth.
"I went for the flag—her arm snapped out, knocked mine aside like it was air. And just as I blinked… the flag was already in her other hand." Her fingers curled slightly. "She was faster. Cleaner."
"Shion, you can have it," Sara said, calmly extending the flag toward him.
"H-Huh? Wait—me? But I can't take it… what about you?" Shion stammered, eyes wide as he looked at her.
"Don't worry," Sara said with a faint smile. "I already have another one."
"Thanks… but when did you even find another one? We've been together the whole time," Shion asked, clearly confused.
Sara's gaze stayed forward as she spoke, calm as ever.
"When we first stepped into the forest… I felt something soft under my boot."
She held up a second flag, barely reacting.
"It was just lying there, half-buried in the grass."
Shion and the other girl stood frozen, mouths slightly open, eyes stretched wide in disbelief as if their brains had just short-circuited.
"So lucky…" Shion muttered, voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah," the girl sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Well then, what about you? Have you gotten any flags ye—wait, sorry, I totally forgot your name again," Shion said, scratching his head with an awkward grin.
"It's Eriska, okay? And I-I don't need your help or anything… h-hmph!" she huffed, crossing her arms and turning away with a dramatic flick of her hair.
"Alright then, let's go. Ito's waiting," Sara said coolly as she grabbed Shion's wrist and pulled him along without breaking stride.
"Wha—wait, Sara! Slow down!" Shion stumbled after her, barely keeping up.
A few minutes into their walk, footsteps continued to trail behind them.
Sara stopped mid-step, not even turning her head.
"…Why are you still following us?" she asked, her voice flat but sharp as a blade.
"W-what are you saying?! I'm just… going my own way!" Eriska snapped, puffing her cheeks and deliberately looking anywhere but at them—despite very obviously walking in the same direction.
"Both of you, please calm down," Shion said, raising his hands in a peacekeeping gesture.
Then he turned to Eriska with a sheepish smile.
"If you're heading this way anyway, why not just… join us?"
"If you're really insisting… then I guess I can," Eriska muttered, glancing away with a tiny blush, arms still crossed like she wasn't totally into it—even though she clearly was.
"Pretty sure she was already tagging along before you even said a word," Sara muttered, her tone so flat it could iron clothes.
"Did you join the tournament solo, Eriska?" Shion asked, tilting her head.
"No, I've got two more idiots with me," Eriska huffed. "But the moment we stepped into the forest—poof—we got separated."
"Hm... so you mean..." Shion began, trailing off.
Sara added, "You're lost, aren't you?"
Eriska stood there, unblinking, as a leaf floated aimlessly in the air beside her. Silence.
"Sara..." Shion cut her off, giving her a look.
"Hm, Eriska, don't take her seriously, she's just joking," Shion said, trying to smooth things over.
Eriska's face remained unreadable.
Shion sighed. "Don't worry, we'll help you find them."
"Thanks, but why are you helping me?" Eriska asked, her tone cautious. "Don't you want to win the tournament for yourself?"
"Well, you're right about that," Shion said with a sheepish smile. "But just because we want to win doesn't mean we can't help others too, right, Sara?"
Sara shrugged, her voice calm."Winning means nothing to me… I'm only here because of Ito."
Eriska crossed her arms, letting out a tiny huff like it physically pained her to say it."O-okay then… if you really want to help that badly…"
She looked away, trying to hide the faint twitch in her eyebrow.Prideful to the end—but maybe… just a little grateful too.
"She's just repeating herself," Sara said, already turning around with a blank face and tiny steam puffing from her head like a tired kettle."Let's go, Shion."
Shion flinched. "W-wait, Sara, don't drag me like that—!"
Eriska scrambled, waving her hands frantically. "Wait, sorry! Please, let me come with you!"She gave a small hop forward, her face a mixture of panic and embarrassment, like a kitten caught in the rain.
As that awkward trio wandered deeper into the woods, totally unaware of what awaited them, the focus shifted elsewhere—to a not-so-glorious trio lurking nearby.
Yes, them—the same three who once mocked Ito.One of them, forehead so massive it practically had its own weather system, was already causing problems again.
"Boss, did you see that guy Ito and his friends here too?" one of them said.
"I know," the one with the big forehead said with a smug grin, brushing a speck of dust from his pristine sleeve."Those pathetic commoners? I'll crush them in the second round. Teach them what happens when they dare stand against someone from the Whales lineage."
"That's all good, boss, but... why are we heading so deep into the forest?" the other one asked, glancing around nervously as the trees thickened and the light thinned.
"Huh, obviously. Fewer students out here means more flags for us to snatch without the fuss," he sneered, brushing past a low branch with the arrogance only a noble could wear.
"That's our boss!" one of them said with a proud grin."You're a genius, boss!" the other chimed in, eyes sparkling with exaggerated admiration.
The two flattered him like loyal lackeys, practically wagging invisible tails as they followed behind.
As they pushed through the thicket, their boasting faded.Just ahead, beneath the shade of a gnarled old tree, a lone figure sat slouched against the trunk—hood drawn low, knees up, arms folded, and head gently tilted like someone who'd dozed off mid-watch.
"What kind of idiot takes a nap in the middle of a tournament?" one of them scoffed, arms crossed with a mocking grin.
The other one leaned in, a sly grin creeping across his face."So, boss... what do we do with this loser?"
"Let's see... if they don't have a flag, we'll just kick their ass for wasting our time," the boss said with a smug chuckle.
"But wouldn't that disqualify us from the tournament, boss?" one of them asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Who's going to disqualify us? There's no knight around here to stop us," the boss smirked, waving off the concern.
They burst into wicked laughter, but when they looked back, the figure had disappeared.
They hurried toward the spot, confusion creeping in.As they neared the tree, a finger brushed against its trunk from behind—and before they could react, the entire tree began to topple toward them.
The sound of the tree crashing echoed through the forest, causing nearby birds to take flight in a flurry of movement.
The mysterious figure, still perched calmly on the fallen tree, spoke with a quiet, almost detached tone,"Next time, when you speak ill of someone, make sure they aren't listening."
The three would-be bullies lay unconscious beneath the tree, their faces twisted in surprise, completely unaware of what had just happened.