Chapter 3 — The privilege of luck

The morning slipped by in a haze. Ryûko was at her desk, deaf to the world around her, her every thought back to her encounter with Yuuki. His rejection looped in her head. Yuuki's words spun around, drowning out the voice trying to get her attention.

"Ryûko? Hey, Ryûko!"

She came back to reality, lifting her head from the cool surface of her desk. In front of her was Odogiri Yôsuke, her childhood friend. He was trying to gauge what was wrong with her, since she hadn't eaten lunch yet.

"Aren't you eating lunch? If you skip it, you will pass out, you know?"

"I know..."

Ryûko reached into her lunchbox from her bag. The orange box contained delicious-looking meatballs, egg rolls, and a mound of steaming rice.

"It looks tasty... Mind if I take a bite?"

Ryûko nodded, staring at her meatballs, her chopsticks not moving. Any other day, she would have already pushed the lunch box toward him with a cheerful "Try some!" before Yôsuke could even ask.

"Hm... Was today's research unsuccessful?"

Ryûko nodded again. So it was about the tournament after all... But why was she so down?

"I'm not surprised, Ryûko's strategy is garbage, after all."

Another person joined them. Another male, with a neat cut and see-through bangs, slid into the seat beside Yôsuke.

"Bet they ran away after getting beaten up."

...No response from Ryûko. Yesterday, the same joke had made her laugh. Was she mad at him?

"Akira... I don't think it's the right time to tease her, it looks like she got dumped."

Chewing on her meatball, she nodded.

"Dumped... What happened exactly?"

"Um... How do I put it...? You see, I met this guy this morning and..."

She told them everything that happened on the rooftop, from the fight to the rejection. The two boys' reactions were very different. The calmest was Yôsuke, analyzing the situation as he had heard it.

"I get him. It's his dream, after all. I wouldn't risk it with weak teammates, either... But I'm stuck with Akira."

"F*ck off, I'm not that weak."

Ryûko glanced at him and averted her gaze. It was more of an answer than any words.

"Still. That guy seems like a strong fella. Too bad we can't have him—"

"—Yet."

Ryûko cut off with enthusiasm, putting a smile on Yôsuke's face.

"Looks like your batteries are fully charged again. That's great to see."

"Yeah!! Ryûko's back to full energy!!"

She looked at Akira again.

"I remember what you said, you know... and I think you are partially right."

"Well, duh. Your success rate with that method is zero to twenty-seven."

Ryûko pouted, not that he was wrong, but having this reminder wasn't something she wanted.

The bell rang, marking the end of the lunch break. The students gathered gradually before taking their seats. It didn't take long before their teacher slid open the door.

It was Kaede Mikagura, a tall and beautiful woman with long, wavy green hair and a witch hat, and more importantly, their homeroom teacher.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you ate well at lunch break. With today’s special event, I didn’t see anyone this morning. And as I can see, some of you didn’t bother to come to class."

Mikagura's voice was soft, but those who knew her enough noticed her displeasure. The sight of the cherry blossom outside calmed her down a little as she got her attention back to her class.

Today is more than a recruitment festival day, we will also welcome a new student. He moved to Tokyo alone, so I hope you can help him have fewer problems at school. I'm counting on you."

She looked at the door frame, gesturing for the figure outside the class to walk in. After a few quick peeks, Yuuki entered the class with his typical emotionless face. Ryûko jumped back in her seat, feeling a little too dumbfounded.

"Now, why don't you introduce yourself, Harumaki-kun?"

He nodded and addressed the class. Introductions are somewhat pressuring, usually, a lot of students prepare theirs beforehand. Yuuki wasn't part of that spectrum, it was just an introduction after all. He stepped up, his blue gaze on the class.

"So... My name is Harumaki Yuuki."

... ... ... Was that it?

"Is that it?"

A student asked out loud, to which Yuuki replied with a nod. He was ready to leave for a free seat when Mikagura grabbed his shoulder. The class buzzed with whispers.

"You can't possibly be done. There is so much more to tell, like where you were born or things like that. Playing dumb on your first impression won't do you good, you know."

Yuuki nodded at the lecture, his teacher had a point, even though he wasn't playing dumb on purpose.

"I guess so... I can do it again if needed. My name is Harumaki Yuuki. I was born in Eastern Hokkaido and raised there. I attended middle school in Kyoto, and now I live here for high school... and I hope that we will spend a good year together and have a lot of fun..."

His new classmates greeted his introduction with applause.

"I want to add something."

With his brisk addition, he brought the silence back because his tone was snappier this time.

"I noticed that the Erabareshimono no Kyousou is an important event in this school and that people are really passionate about it... So, I need to make something clear..."

He met Ryûko's gaze with a calm intensity.

"I will take part in the Erabareshimono no Kyousou. But don't bother asking me to join your team. I will participate and win alone, because I'm the strongest."

His cold reply hit the mark with the class, except for one person. That person saw it as another chance to recruit him.

From the back row, Hinata Ryûko repeatedly raised her hand, asking her teacher for permission to speak. Once her teacher granted her permission, she said:

"There is a free seat right next to me. Why don't we become seatmates, Newbie?"

Quite the proposition, Mikagura waited for Yuuki's nod to agree.

"Since you're both willing to, I have nothing against it. But don't disturb him too much, okay, Ryûko?"

"No promises!!"

"You meant... No worries, right?"

"Of course, haha!"

Yuuki strolled to his desk, greeting every person on his way. Before Ryûko, he stopped.

"Let's have a good year together... You."

"Huh?"

Yuuki sat down silently, without clearing Ryûko's obvious confusion.

Calling her "you" feels both uncommon and weird, since he is supposed to know her name. I mean, Mikagura even said it out loud.

"Well, I hope we'll have a fun year, too!"

The two of them exchanged a nod. The afternoon class started, Ryûko kept peering at Yuuki, who couldn't look less interested in class. His attention was only on the sky and its clouds passing by.

The young girl tried to spark scattered discussions here and there to no avail. Yuuki wasn't keen on chatting with her, it seemed.

The final bell rang. While every student was gathering their belongings, Ryûko tried to talk to Yuuki again.

"Do you live nearby?"

"No."

"Oh? So you take the subway to get here, huh?"

"I do."

Yuuki stood up, eventually looking away from the sky. He hoisted his bag over his shoulder.

"Are you going already?"

"Yes, class ended after all."

"Yeah... that's not inaccurate..."

Her voice faded away. Her cheeks puffed in a soft pout. How is it possible to be this uninterested in someone?

Yuuki stepped out of the classroom. Ryûko missed her chance to invite him to join her team again. She really believed it could work this time, despite how her first attempt went.

"So, is that the guy you mentioned earlier? He sure looks cold."

Akira walked past, dropping his bag lightly on Ryûko's head.

"I know that you want him on our team, but you should at least give us a heads-up beforehand."

Akira continues, Ryûko's head subtly bobbing from the movement of his bag.

Yôsuke walked past them.

"Ryûko is our official recruiter. If she says that he is strong enough, I believe her."

"Of course you do..."

A pair of girls joined them. One had long magenta and orange hair in twin tails. She was Tonakura Waguri, Ryûko's childhood friend. Yet, she wasn't close to Akira or Yôsuke.

"I don't even know why you are complaining, Toshinori. She took you on her team even though you are a penalty."

Akira's brow furrowed.

"I'm not a penalty! It's just that I'm as strong as..."

"As strong as anybody else, yes, you already told that excuse."

Waguri's retort made Akira grit his teeth.

The girl with the short black bob looked calmer with her round glasses. Her name was Tsukishima Mori, a friend of the group for the shortest span.

"I agree with Odogiri-san... Ryûko's judgment has its value."

"But still... Recruiting right away is difficult, more than that, we would still be short one member."

Akira's worries were valid. The Erabareshimono no Kyousou was a team combat tournament where each team had six members.

Missing one leads to a point deficit. While pondering that he wasn't strong enough to guarantee a point himself.

But his short friend didn't share his stance.

"...Earlier, he said that he didn't want to risk it... So maybe... we just have to prove that we are worth it!!"

"And how do you want to do that?"

Yôsuke grinned, he knew exactly where she was going.

"Since he wants to participate alone, why don't we show him that being with us is worth more? Let's show him what we're made of."

"You are planning to fight him? You're no different from your captain, after all." Waguri raised her shoulder. "But yeah, I guess it can work."

"I know, right?! I'm so smart, haha!! Let's go find him!!"

Ryûko turned towards her friends...

Ryûko ran outside the class, trying to track Yuuki's aura with her kikai.

"I don't think mine was given for that purpose. I was the victim of a fate that was imposed on me in the past... And I don't want to accept it. I will win the Erabareshimono no Kyousou. I'll transcend this destiny with this Kikai."

She remembered his words from earlier, in a way, she was trying the same thing.

For more than just his strength, Ryûko needed Yuuki to transcend destiny with her, even if it meant she needed to transcend his'. Because...

"YUUUKIIIII!!! WAIT FOR ME!!!"

Just in front of the entrance gate, Yuuki heard a voice screaming his name.

"That voice... Isn't it that short girl's?"

"I think so. Her passion is simple to remember, even though I forgot her name."

"Are you a poet now, Yuuki-kun?" the voice in his head asked. For some reason, Yuuki didn't have a clear justification except that:

"I just feel it. That girl is just like..."

Ryûko dashed out of the school building, with a leap forward, she tried to kick Yuuki.

He parries her kick with one hand, making the girl lose balance and fall.

"Nice block!"

"Is there something wrong?"

Yuuki let go of her leg as she got back up.

"No... I mean, yes! Something is wrong." She held out her hand. "Join my team, Harumaki Yuuki!!"

"Um... No."

Ryûko's smile broke into a laugh. Her hand curled into a fist.

"I understand you. It's risky, isn't it? Picking up strangers for your journey to defeat fate. I totally get you."

She took a step back, followed by other ones.

"That's why you are so strong. I bet you trained a ton!"

She launched another kick, which Yuuki dodged. Then another, dodged again.

"Flattering me won't work; my answer is still no."

"Yeah, I know. But you'll change your mind!"

An ice spear of his launched from behind Ryûko, passing right by her to target Yuuki. Remarkably, the spear shattered into pieces just before hitting Yuuki.

Yuuki noticed the squad backing Ryûko, composed of her four other friends.

"Team Hinata's gonna win the Erabareshimono no Kyousou. And you, Harumaki Yuuki, gotta take part in it!!"

"She is quite the persistent girl. What will you do, Yuuki-kun?"

Yuuki kept silent to the voice. Yes, having teammates was a risk. Yes, he was strong enough to win alone. He wasn't convinced by Ryûko's speech but still...

Why not give them a chance? He thought to himself. There was no way he would lose in any possible matchup anyway.

"I will accept your challenge. It's not like I will lose anyway. However, I have three conditions. First, we must fight outside of class schedules, it can be anytime you want before Friday, of course. Second, I will take responsibility for any injuries you may suffer."

"Uh? Why would you? We challenged you."

"It's true. But I'm accepting even though I know you will get beaten up. So I'm an accomplice as well."

A light arrow swooshed by him, he dodged it with a swift head movement. The girl with pink hair pointed at him, the edge of her mouth twisted into a displeased smirk.

"Shut up already! You are talking like you are so much better than everyone else. That pisses me off to no end."

"I don't see what's wrong with it, since I'm better," Yuuki replied in a flat tone.

He dodged another arrow. Waguri's onslaughts were not as fast as the ice spikes from earlier.

"And last, one touch will be enough for you to win. It could be a direct hit or a projectile, it doesn't matter. You can fight one versus five, too. The more, the merrier, right?"

Waguri's brow knitted even tighter. She was sure of it now; that guy was on the "I hate your dumbass" spectrum.

Having a completely different reaction, Yôsuke laughed it off.

"Your confidence in yourself shows no end, I see. Just don't regret it."

He signed them to attack with his hand, as he made his bag float away from his shoulder.

"Don't worry about me. I'm the strongest, after all."

To be continued...