C-035: Bro Talk and Announcement

"Tell me something," Frank began, him and Ace inside the toilets as they washed their hands after their short call. "How many girls does that make?"

Ace's eyes remained inexpressive as he replied. "I think she was the 6th. I never keep track."

"Come on~" Frank began with a playful smirk that also seemed to hide a tinge of annoyance while he elbowed Ace lightly. "No need to be embarrassed. We're between guys here. And when you see how cute that girl was, there is no doubt that she's a winner. And she also seemed kind."

Ace remained stoic as a deadpan expression appeared on his face. "So?"

"Do you think it make sense that you rejected her so coldly?" added Frank as they dried their hands, exiting the restrooms.

"I'm not prepared to engage in a relationship of that kind," replied Ace, not affected by the fact that he had harshly and coldly rejected a first-year student that tried to confess to him.

"Normal people would at least try to sugarcoat things, but you outright told her no before walking away like the worst bastard on earth!" Frank said, his brow twitching as he boiled with rage while they walked in the hallway. "At least send them to me."

"Why?" Ace raised a brow. "Mira is no longer enough for you?"

"Bastard," Frank retorted under his breath. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"No."

With a deep sigh from Frank as he slightly leaned forward, looking at Ace with inquisitive eyes, "Fine. Back to our point. Do you like Emi then? Considering that she's beautiful, has a cute and gentle personality, and that you've literally lived together for almost a year, it would be the most logical conclusion. If that's not the case, then I don't understand why."

"To your question, my answer is no. And sorry to burst your bubble, but I doubt living together is reason enough to fall for someone," Ace said firmly, closing his eyes in contemplation before reopening them the next moment.

Frank's eyes were filled with doubt as he simply let the matter go. "Well, if you say so. In any case, we'd better get to class fast. I'm sure they're going to do an announcement about the competition."

"Sure," Ace replied, following after Frank as the air around them was filled with a sense of easy camaraderie.

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Several minutes later, under the clear morning sky within the second years' class 1, the sun bathed the room in a warm, golden hue, casting long shadows of the furniture and the students who buzzed with sounds of excitement about the event that was on the verge of commencing at the academy.

Amidst this auditable chaos, Ace and Emilia were once again witnessing another vigorous bickering match between Mira and Frank before Isabella came in, making the entire class fall into silence.

"Wow!" Isabella began with a light grin, her eyes twinkling with anticipation. "I suppose each and every one of you is very excited about our academy's 5-Star Competition, huh?"

"WOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" All the students roared in excitement at her words.

"Okay, okay, calm down everyone," Isabella gestured, indicating them to calm down and regain their seats.

Ace also had a light smirk curling on his lips, the thought of the competition making his heart palpitate with both curiosity and excitement.

"As some of you must know by now, the 5-Star Competition is an academy-wide event that is held every two years during the third term of the academic year." Isabella started to explain the event to some of the students who didn't know what it was.

"To put it in simple terms, it is a battle royale style event where students from all classes in each year participate and compete against each other. Not only that, but as long as its danger levels towards other contestants isn't life-threatening or beyond the student's abilities, there are no restrictions to the type of equipment you can bring to the competition," she continued to explain while gesturing around. "Of course, they will still need to be approved by the academy staff, so… be careful, okay?"

"Well, I already knew that it would happen, but I'm still curious to see how strong the students at the academy really are," thought Ace as he also absorbed Isabella's explanation. "Not only that, but it will also give me the opportunity to test that out."

"Anyway, this year's competition will be held on 23rd October so be sure to prepare accordingly. Your opponents will be the new talents among the first years and your seniors who are in their third years. You better not take it easy if you don't want to embarrass yourselves," added Isabella teasingly. "That's all from me, and this is the end of homeroom for today. Good luck~!"

She exited the room, glancing momentarily at Ace who locked eyes with her with a chilling gaze that made her smile.

After Isabella left the room, "Hehehehe~" Mira giggled mockingly while looking at Frank.

"What?" Frank frowned, clearly annoyed as if he could read Mira's mind like an open book.

"Oh, nothing~" she continued to mock him, holding back her giggles while Frank became more annoyed, almost growling like an enraged dog.

"Give it a rest, you lovebirds," Ace's voice cut in like a knife that dug deep in their hearts like poison.

"Uuuhh. Ace?" Emilia expressed herself. "They're not going out together, you know?"

"I know."

"Then-" Emilia started before being interrupted by Ace.

"But a wise man once said that the opposite of love isn't hate. Instead, it was said that it's indifference," he said looking at Mira and Frank with a knowing and teasing smirk accompanied by a condescending gaze that seemed to affirm that he was correct. "In that case, the fact that they continue to bicker among themselves must mean that they are unable to express their honest feelings for each other, right?"

"But still…" Emilia hesitated, unable to fully contradict him.

"Well, if they want to prove me wrong, why not take advantage of the competition to convince me?" he said, an unsettling smile on his face. "I'm always up for a challenge if they're not chicken."

"It's too late now. They've already fallen into his trap," Emilia let out an exasperated sigh before her gaze momentarily shifted from Mira and Frank towards Ace with a doubtful and confused expression. "I noticed it recently, but he really has been taking pleasure in teasing them lately. Does he enjoy messing with people?"

At the same time, though their heads were lowered and their expressions hidden from Ace, Mira and Frank had snapped internally, their thoughts aligning on the same thought: "I'M GONNA BEAT THE LIVING HELL OUT OF HIM!!!"