Late (2)..

Laughter rolled across the class, as i stood outside.

"Seems they don't like you much, Hero." 

'Well.. I don't care much about them anyway.'

My memory is washed, i could've arrived to the class quicker if i knew the location of the classroom. It's been years since i studied here, after all.

The sun hung high overhead, bright enough to make guessing the time pointless. It felt like mid-afternoon.

I stared at the sky, squinting slightly as i shoved my hands into my pockets and shifted my weight from one foot to the other, slowly moving toward the grounds below.

I sat alone on a bench underneath trees on the edge of the ground. 
Far away that no one could brush past me, but close enough that, it didn't look like I'm on punishment to anyone who passed by.

My stomach twisted, a dull reminder that I’d skipped breakfast today. 

If i didn't leave early, my mom would've cooked something for me.

I wonder what i should buy for lunch.. something cheap, probably.

A rice ball or bread. If i buy a pack of bread, then i can hold onto it for a few days.

"Running tight on money..?" Virgilia inquired.

'Yeah..' I replied. 'I spent a lot on the rent and advance for the apartment.. I have to save some cash before i could get back to working in Ishinori-san's shop. and i have to repay him for the train ticket too..'

Manager Ishinori-san helped me at the right time when i wasn't sure of myself. 
I'll have to pay him back for his kindness.

At this moment, I heard a lot of footsteps from the corridors of the campus. 
My classmates poured onto the field in clusters. A crowd of noises cut through the whole ground. Someone laughed too loudly. Someone else complained about sore muscles. A few were already arguing about training before anything had been announced.

Final year meant fewer lectures and more combat exercises.

Everyone knew it. This was the part they’d been waiting for, the chance to prove themselves, to measure their progress. For some of them, this field was the closest thing for them to fight while using magic freely.

Lee sensei stepped forward and silenced the crowd.

"Hey, Akira! Come and join the class!" Lee sensei shouted to me from the far end.

I obliged and joined the class.

“You’re cleared to participate.” he said. "Don't come late again."

I bowed down and apologized. 

'Finally..'

Lee sensei's gaze swept across us.

“One-on-one battles.” He addressed the whole class. “Choose your opponents.”

The response was immediate.

Voices overlapped one another. Fingers pointed. Laughter sharpened. The air became more competitive. Names were called out. Challenges issued and accepted in the same breath.

'I dislike situation like these..'

"Not everything goes in our favor, Hero" Virgilia whispered. 

Some eyes slid towards me, lingering just a little too long for comfort.

In their expressions, I saw the same thing that I’d seen countless times before. 

A convenient choice. An easy win to warm up with.. That's how they see me.

“Akira!” someone called out, already grinning. “You’re up—”

“Back off.” Lee Sensei snapped. His words cracked through the air.

The noise died instantly. Conversations cut off mid-sentence. Fingers lowered. Even the laughter vanished. 

Lee sensei turned toward me.

“Akira.”

“Sensei?” I answered.

The words left my mouth automatically, but unease settled in my chest all the same. I straightened my posture without thinking, shoulders squaring as his attention locked onto me.

“You’ll fight me.”

I felt the attention shift all at once, every gaze snapping toward me like iron filings to a magnet. 

Some were shocked. Most were confused. 

Somewhere behind me, someone let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh and then stopped.

“…Why?” I asked.

“If I let them fight you..” he replied. “you’ll keep hiding away.”

".."

“You pretend to be weak because it’s easier to be that way.” he continued. “I know you can fight! so fight with all you got!”