THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"Can't you be a bit nicer?!"

"Why would I? you cut my ear!"

"I didn't do intentionally!"

Farner has pinned me on the bed is holding my hands down. What is wrong with her? She even smacked me out of nowhere.

"Hm…Guys…"

"What?!"

"What?!"

"I don't want to sound lewd but…"

"You guys look like a damn couple right now."

"Eh?...." Farner looks at me then at the position we are in right now. "Hyaa!!" And she slaps me.

"This damn gnoll of a woman."

I am pretty sure I lost a tooth or two with that slap.

"You gigantic perv!!"

"No, was it not you who-hmph!!"

"Shsss." Lanuvel is holding Esteressa's mouth while looking at me with a smile. What is she doing?

"Anyway, we can go now, right?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Hmph!! Puaa!! Fuck! Don't block my nose like that!"

"if you died, I wouldn't mind. We won't have to hear you shouting every time."

"Say that again!!"

"Yeah, yeah." The girls leave, leaving the mirror they brought in my room. When they are a the door, I remember something Excafol said about saying thanks even when you don't mean it. People are more receptive to you when you show them appreciation and compassion. Even if you fake it.

"Girls."

"Hm." Lanuvel turns her head slightly while the other two continue walking.

"Thanks for cutting my hair."

"No prob. Just make sure you come to class."

She leaves with the others without any further comments. I suppose it didn't work out well. Though, I am not even sure of the reaction she should have had.

***

The next morning, I wake up before the sun himself and use the machine again. My score is growing but I still feel like I lack something.

When the others wake up, I go and wash up then change. Like any other day, they act as usual. Farner wakes up late. Excia is on her every move. Roxcia is ready to go and is reading a book calmly. Cordel is on a couch, his eyes closed and his hands crossed. The other guys are ready as well. Esteressa is nowhere to be found. She overslept for sure.

As we all go out, Cordel goes upstairs, surely to wake her up.

"See you in class."

"Yeah, be gentle with her."

"She should have woken up in time, then."

One of the guys talks quite familiarly with Cordel. He is the one who was sitting at his right that time. They look like a good pair of friends.

***

At the training grounds, we meet the teacher from that other time and he immediately takes me to a stage.

"You guys train as usual."

"That's unfair!!"

"We also want to hit you teach!!"

Everybody starts complaining for a moment but the guy doesn't even mind them and just drags me away.

As soon as he throws a raizen at me, he lunges forward and slices the air midway before reaching me. the next instant, a blue crescent wave of Angas appears and cuts the air in my direction. That's a super cool technique he just used there. I jump and catch my wooden raizen then fall while using Lumion. His attack completely destroys mine but I still manage to block it.

I thought the teacher would come after that but he stayed in place. Why?

"This was a simple attack using Angas. IT wasn't a script like yours. A cross slash with the raizen requires too much movement and is predictable. You may have created a script with it but it is useless."

"So you have decided to teach me then?"

"Don't get cocky, brat!! I am just asserting your strength. Nothing else."

"Okay." Like Excafol, you can't be honest, fufufu.

"What's with the smile?!! Do I look funny to you?!!"

"No, no, don't worry."

"Anyway…"

***

After the morning practice, I leave the training grounds to go and see K'nor but then a hand holds mine as I come out.

"Where are you going?"

"Roxcia?" Why is she holding me?

"We have another class. In case you didn't know."

"Yeah, but-"

"No but. You have been missing pretty much all class until now and almost no teacher knows you. Let me remind you that to graduate from the academy, you need the teacher's recommendations as well as a good development project of Angas use and a noble's recommendation as well. So, if you continue like this, you won't ever graduate from here."

"Eh?" Wait, you need something to graduate from here? The way this school works looked so shabby I didn't even imagine.

I follow Roxcia seeing as we are the only omega who stayed behind. That old man didn't want to let me go.

"What the name of that teacher?"

"Which one?"

"The guy who-"

"Ah, Meister Albert."

"Yeah, that one." He is called Albert then. Okay.

"It's Albert Ballence. Meister Albert Ballence. He became a meister ten years ago and then retired three years later because of a wound at the shoulder."

"He is that nimble even though he got wounded before?" How is that possible?!

"Like he said, becoming a meister requires at least as much discipline and determination as becoming a DIZ'KAR. Just because he got wounded doesn't mean he would be weakened."

"I see." I have a lot of efforts to do then if I want to reach his level.

"But he seems to like you. The only other persons he ever accepted to train were Farner and Lanuvel. Though they both quit after some time because he became too aggressive."

"Farner gave up? And Lanuvel as well?!" Those gnolls fled from training?!! Really?!!

"I don't know how you see them but…No, nevermind."

See, even you find it hard to cover them. They are too violent.

"Anyway, we are here."

By the time we finished talking, we are in front of a normal classroom door with the number 2 engraved on it.

"Here. Have fun." Roxcia leaves after tapping my shoulder. Wait.

"We aren't in the same class?"

"Of course not. I am your senior."

"Really?"

"Yup. Anyway, I am late for my own class."