"Oi, get your hands off me."
Felix didn't move. "Give me a reason why I should."
"Because I said so."
"I don't want to. Not until you apologize to her."
"Hmm... okay then."
I let a smirk crawl onto my face, the kind of look a villain gives when they've already won.
"How about we make a deal? We'll have a duel. If you win, I'll stop bothering Edna for good. But if I win..." I paused, letting my gaze drift toward her. "Edna has to be with me for the rest of the day."
And Edna speaks up.
"Are you insane?!" Edna's voice cracked through the silence. She stepped forward, her face flushed with pure anger. "I am not a prize for you to-"
Felix held up a hand, stopping her mid-sentence. He didn't even look back at her, his eyes were locked on mine,
"Fine, but you have to keep your promise. "
"Felix finally let go. Without a word to him or Edna, I turned toward my two lackeys. A single nod was all it took; they got the message and vanished before the crowd could even start whispering."
I reached the arena and saw so many students, I looked around
'why do I feel like people just came to see me lose and fail'
And I walked over to the weapon rack and grabbed a training sword.
And I walked up the stairs to the arena and saw that Felix was already there, and I continue to check the crowd and saw one familiar face, Daniel, a spear user.
Daniel was one of the mc's companion who helped Felix defeat the demons in the final act of chapter 1, and they became friends after that chapter.
But I don't need to worry about that, I just need to finish this fight and go to class.
I then Yawned and got ready
"ready to lose, Felix?"
Felix stayed silent, and the match begun
I then rushed and slashed my blade.
WHOOSH!
and then went Clang!
I immediately went for another slash and Felix blocked again, and Felix went for a quick slash, but I jumped back before the strike, and then I dashed for a stab and he tried to block, Felix managed to block it but I slid my right foot to the front and made a full rotation with my other leg and slashed Felix from behind.
I didn't expect it to hit, Felix immediately stood up after falling to the floor.
"your too slow."
Felix then was the one who rushed and tried to get a cut on me, I swayed to the right and slashed, but Felix blocked it, and knocked my sword back and slashed my chest and I staggered.
The crowd was still focused and continued to watch the fight.
I staggered back from the blow to my chest, my breath hitching as I struggled to find my footing on the arena floor. Felix didn't give me a second to breathe. He was on me again, his sword moving with disciplined precision.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
I parried three consecutive strikes, the metal-on-metal impact vibrating through my bones. My arms were growing heavy, and the lack of stamina in this body was starting to show. Felix noticed my slowing pace and lunged with a determined thrust. I twisted my body, and the blade grazed my side. It was a narrow miss that drew a collective gasp from the students watching.
Felix didn't say a word. His expression was one of pure focus, his eyes showing that he was taking this duel seriously. He swung horizontally, his form perfect.
I ducked under the blade, the wind of the strike whistling over my head. As I straightened up, my vision blurred for a split second. My muscles were screaming.
I knew then that if this continued for another minute, I wouldn't just lose. I would collapse from sheer exhaustion. I had shown enough.
Felix recovered his stance and charged again, his eyes determined to finish this properly as he had promised Edna.
That was my cue. I didn't wait for the hit. I dropped my weapon and raised both my hands.
"I give up."
The arena went dead silent. Even the wind seemed to stop.
Felix was mid-lunge, his sword stopped inches from my throat. His face was a mask of pure confusion, his momentum forced into an awkward halt.
"What... what did you just say?" Felix stammered.
"I said I give up, and I'll keep my promise."
I then placed my hand on his sword and lowered it. Without another word, I walked down the stairs and left the arena behind.
'Finally, that's over. Now I need to worry about the heroines. In the game, some were fated to die unless the player intervened... but this is reality now.'
'I will need to save all of them from dying. To do that, I will need to get stronger.'
I went to class and listened to the professor. After class, I headed back home and entered my room. I grabbed the sword I hadn't managed to use in the duel and leaned it on the side of the mirror.
I let out a long sigh as I sat on the edge of my bed.
"it feels weird going to school again at this age"
I didn't stay down for long. I forced myself off the bed. My mind was drained from the day, but my body was still far too weak. If I wanted to save the heroines from the death that awaited them in the game, I needed to get stronger.
I stood in the center of the room and began to slash. One. Two. Three.
I didn't stop. I focused on the repetition, blocking out the soreness starting in my shoulders. At two hundred, my arms began to feel heavy. At four hundred, my grip was slick with sweat and my lungs were burning. I pushed through the exhaustion, my adult mind forcing the teenage body to obey.
"Five hundred."
The final strike felt faster and more precise than the first. The physical strain hit me all at once. I didn't even have the energy to change; I just collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
I finished the final strike and let the sword point drop. My breath was heavy and my skin was slick with sweat, but I wasn't completely spent.
"This body is too weak... it gets tired way too quickly," I muttered, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
I stood before the mirror and looked at my reflection, thinking about how easily this body had reached its limit. I picked up the scabbard and sheated the blade. I leaned the sword carefully against the side of the mirror, putting it back in its place.
As I turned away, a blue window flickered into existence in the dark room.
[Health increased 2>3]
I ignored it. I didn't even bother to read the notification before I collapsed onto the bed. I didn't have the energy to change. I just fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.