Chapter 21

We end up at another part of the training grounds… Yup, we actually end up at precisely the field of sand I saw yesterday. Taya Hanebana, the teacher who brought me to this school in the first place, was already standing there, awaiting all of us - me included. If I had known that she was one of my teachers, I wouldn’t have skipped her class yesterday. After all, she knew of my existence even the day before yesterday… But she doesn’t really say anything regarding me skipping, so I believe she doesn’t care that much either. Or maybe she just wants to protect me and not reveal my secret, who knows?

“Hi, Isuri! How are you doing? Made yourself feel at home yet?” I look at her for a second. Did I? Well, it certainly feels a bit more familiar than the night I arrived here, but it doesn’t feel like home…

“Uhhh… I’m slowly getting to it.” I don’t want to hurt her feelings by basically telling her that her efforts of bringing me here did not really make me comfortable at all, but I do not want to lie straight into her face either… So this must work as a compromise.

She nods and smiles at me, then she quickly pats my head. Then she seems to fully switch into teacher mode. “Okay, everyone! Gather up! I thought that today we might want to actually practice your Blessings in the way you will use them most of the time after joining the military: In a fight! Mhhh…” She pulls out 13 sticks. Each one of them has a small point on top of them. “There are seven different colors. You will each draw one of them anonymously and then fight against the person who has the same color as you. Capiche?”

“U-uh… Miss Hanebana?” One girl has something to say. Her fluffy hair is reaching down to her shoulders and has a light pink color. She is wearing some sort of blue hair clip which perfectly matches her blue eyes… She is pretty short though and is probably the youngest one of my peers.

“Yes, Uyeno?” The short girl was supposedly named Uyeno.

“Uhm… We are 13, right? Won’t one of us end up alone?” Miss Hanebana snaps her fingers and nods. “Yes, you are correct. Though this should not pose much of a problem. This one person will not fight, simple as that.”

The girl simply nods quietly. She does not talk back any longer… Obviously she doesn’t. It’s not like there is anything she could possibly say now.

Anyways: We end up stepping to her one by one and secretly drawing one of the thirteen paper sticks.

After I draw my paper stick I back off a bit and look at it. Its color is grey. “Huh.” I want to look around and notice if anyone else also has grey - and if someone has, who that certain someone is.
But before I spot my partner Iwata Shuji stands in front of me. He’s taller than me and looks down at me through his glasses with some sort of look that can be described as a fusion of coldness, superiority and disgust. I think I do realize just what Itoh Koichi wanted to tell me when he ‘warned’ me in the changing room.

“You’ve got grey, right? Come on, we’re switching.” Before I even really realize what happens he takes my paper stick and instead hands me his. I don’t really object either but it was definitely pretty surprising. Was grey perhaps the color without a partner? In that case he just wants to relax it seems.

“Alright everyone! Let’s start! The first color that will fight is red! Please, step forth! For the rest of you, please sit down on the sidelines.” As Miss Hanebana says those words Muraoka Minoru - the one who was part of Kida’s gang - and Aomade step forth. Aomade smiles a bit.

“Been a while since I fought in the school uniform.”

The rest of us sit down. I sit down next to Aki and thus also sit down next to a girl with blonde hair… well, partially blonde hair. Her hair does have some purple parts as she has probably dyed it. There is a single purple strand of hair hanging down her face. The rest of her hair is either hanging down her back or hidden beneath the purple cap she is wearing. She doesn’t seem interested in me in the slightest and doesn’t even look at me as I sit down.

“If you want to, just undress.” Muraoka grins at him as he is warming up by stretching.

Aomade does not undress. Luckily.

“So, who do you think is gonna win?” Aki smiles at me.

“Uhh… No idea. I know nothing about either of them.” Aki shrugs. “So what? Just because you don’t know you cannot place a bet? It’s not like your life is depending on this very bet or anything like that. Also, even if it were - which it isn’t! - you would have to choose one of the two, correct?”

Aki did have a point and yet it was kind of weird how she was pushing me.

“Um… Then I guess Aomade? After all, he was on the mission of finding the village, just as you and Hibiki… I doubt they would send weak people to such an important mission.”

Aki nods and taps her finger against her head. “Yup, your reasoning does check out…”

Hanebana claps her hands once. “Okay, everyone! The rules will stay the same throughout each fight: You are only allowed to use your body and your Blessings for this battle. Nothing like weapons or the like, understood? Also, if I say that the battle is over, the battle is over. Miss Haruka is close by and she will come here to treat your wounds, if they are serious that is. Your goal is to practice and improve your fighting spirit and your Blessing mastery, not to actually hurt your opponent, understood?”

Both of the contestants nod.

“Alright… Let’s go!”

And thus the fight starts.