In the stands where Class 2 students sat, Ryouma was sitting down next to Takeru.

The roar of the crowd washed over them with cheers, gasps and the sharp whistle of someone's wind magic cutting through the morning heat.

Below, the holographic scoreboard cycled through instant replays. Mio's blade caught the light for exactly one frame before the Class 4 student collapsed.

Ryouma watched the replay loop.

The way she vanished and reappeared, the way space bent around her movement… it wasn't teleportation, she had been moving really fast. Mio belonged to Koya, which was unfortunate but that didn't mean Ryouma couldn't appreciate the technique.

He turned to the black haired lastborn heir of the Kurohane clan.

"That looked like Frame Skip…" Ryouma said.

Takeru didn't look at him. The depressed young man shook his head with his eyes fixed on the arena floor where medics were cleaning up the aftermath.

"If it was my Clan's technique, I would know about it." Takeru said quietly.

Then he focused forward again as the conversation was over.

Ryouma stared at him for a moment, then sighed and leaned back in his seat. He guessed anyone would act like this if their Big brother died… Takeru hadn't been the same since the funeral yesterday.

…

The holographic board that showed the names and pictures of the current contestants in the air updated. Nishimura Daigo's name and picture faded to black replaced by the tournament bracket reshuffling in real-time.

Itsuki cleared his throat. He didn't say anything yet… honestly, he wasn't expecting the match to be over that soon.

The tournament had just started and Nishimura had already been taken out of the field. Class 4 was falling apart faster than expected.

He opened his mouth.

"That battle was a wonderful one!" Itsuki announced. "But the next will be even better!"

Two names on the holographic board blinked, highlighting in gold. They were Tachibana Misora and Okabe Setsuna.

The crowd erupted.

Itsuki immediately called them down to the stage, but internally he was screaming.

'Why the hell do I have to be the Referee?!'

Apparently the Principal had decided that since Itsuki was the one organizing the event, he should also be the referee for it which made him sigh.

Kaede could have done this. Hell, literally anyone else could have done this. But no… he was stuck out here playing announcer while sweating under the sun.

From the two ends of the field, the two girls strode toward each other. Misora's brown hair caught the wind with another one of those perfectly timed gusts that made everything look cinematic.

Her walk was casual like she was heading on a stroll instead of a fight. Setsuna, on the other hand, had black hair with green stripes that flickered in the light and her stride was stiffer.

They stopped at the designated distance. Misora looked Setsuna up and down slowly.

"Thirty seconds to prepare!" Itsuki announced for the second time today.

Setsuna tapped the metallic ALI ball in her hand.

The device hummed, unfolding with a series of mechanical clicks until it produced her weapon that was a spear with a pointed edge that gleamed under the sun.

She took a stance with her feet shoulder-width apart and her body weight balanced on her back leg.

「BROOOO SHE LOOKS HOT」

「I WOULD LET HER STEP ON MEEEEE」

|___ 「Izana, we know it's you. She's not even 20 yet fam.」

「Is that really someone from Class 5? She looks like a noble」

「She's easily as beautiful as most of the nobles I know」

「Why can't I be in ALI toooo?」

「I wouldn't even mind letting her dominate me.」

「Tachibana clan genes are actually insane.」

Ichinose's eyes twitched as she scrolled through the live chat feed.

'Tch, perverts… The lot of them…'

Down on the field, Misora glanced at Setsuna again.

"You're trembling…" Misora said flatly. "If you want to stand down now, you can. I won't hurt you."

Setsuna aligned her blade forward without saying anything, though her thoughts weren't so calm.

'Is this bitch fucking serious? How am I supposed to give up when we have that stupid Hiroto as a class representative?'

Her and Nishimura had been shoved into this fight for no reason other than Hiroto's ego, rather than proving he could take on Class 5, he'd just thrown them under the bus.

She hated the bastard and wished someone would just kill him already but while she couldn't give up, she figured she should be able to hold back and lose gracefully—

"If you don't want to stand down, that's fine…" Misora interrupted with her voice dropped lower. "But you better not hold back or I'll kill you."

The way she said it made Setsuna's throat bob.

'Well, if she wants me to get serious, then I will but she better not regret it when I win.'

Setsuna held her spear properly in a defensive stance with her muscles coiled and ready.

There were rumors circulating everywhere about the Class 5 rep being able to beat high-tier nobles in Familiar Island, but Setsuna called cap on that.

Misora was a lower noble with potential so bad that she'd ended up in Class 5. What kind of rumor was that?

Itsuki brought down his hand.

"Begin!"

Setsuna blinked and in the microsecond between her eyelids closing and reopening, Misora had already crossed the distance.

Twenty meters vanished like it was nothing… The brown-haired girl was right there with her fist reared back and mana surrounding around her knuckles in a visible spiral of pressure.

Setsuna barely had time to form a thought…

'Wha—'

CRACK!

The punch connected with her spear and then her sternum making the world suddenly turn inverted.

Setsuna's body launched backward like a cannonball, the shockwave from the impact radiating outward in a visible ring of displaced air.

The blast ruffled Itsuki's hair and kicked up a cloud of dust from the arena floor.

Itsuki had seen her attack back in Familiar Isle, but it never ceased to amaze him... That kind of raw power shouldn't have been possible for someone in Class 5.

Setsuna skidded across the ground with her boots digging twin trenches on the tiled ground of the stadium.

Her ALI-issued spear took the brunt of the impact with the shaft cracked cleanly in half and fragments of the metallic weapon scattering across the arena floor.

Unlike the Class 5 weapons that had to return to their pod form to start regenerating, the ALI-issued gear for Class 4 was different.

Immediately, the broken pieces began mending with threads of light weaving the spear back together but Misora wasn't waiting for that.

She took a step forward then another and the distance closed again.

The Tachibana clan was well-known for their movement techniques despite their decline.

Once, they'd been a top-tier noble family… back before the resource wars and political purges had gutted their holdings but even in their reduced state, their techniques remained legendary.

They dealt with three things: Movement… Striking and… Power...

Misora stabbed her hand forward in a palm strike and Setsuna saw it coming this time.

She ducked low, letting the strike pass over her head and felt the force of it push outward in an explosive burst.

Mana rippled through the air before dispersing, and Setsuna's instincts screamed at her… That strike could have knocked her out cold, could have broken ribs too and the fight could have ended right there.

She countered and swung the head of her half-regenerated spear in a wide arc aimed at Misora's exposed side but the weapon cut through empty air.

Misora had already moved… vanishing from the point of contact as instantly as she'd closed the distance in the first place.

The Tachibana movement technique was at work again making Setsuna's spear whistle harmlessly through nothing.

"You better take this fight seriously…" Misora said from in front of her.

Setsuna gritted her teeth.

'Fuck this.'

She discarded her weapon to the side making the spear clatter uselessly against the ground and charged forward on raw instinct.

Wind mana gathered beneath her feet in a burst of green light, propelling her forward like a launched projectile.

"Shut the fuck up!" Setsuna roared.

Misora sighed and just stood there, letting her close in.

Setsuna came in with a dive kick aimed at the ground, intending to use the impact to generate a shockwave of her own.

The wind beneath her feet spiraled into a visible vortex but before her boot could land, Misora disappeared.

The kick struck the ground and wind exploded outward, kicking up a cloud of debris and scattering dust everywhere.

Setsuna stumbled to her feet, spinning wildly, looking for the annoying Class 5 girl… but Misora was behind her with her back turned with a casual look on her face, like she hadn't even bothered to face Setsuna properly.

She gave a backhanded punch without looking and the same explosive mana detonated outward.

The impact caught Setsuna in the side of the head and her vision whited out.

The force launched her forward like she'd been hit by a battering ram and her body became a projectile.

She hit the ground face-first with the momentum carrying her forward in a tumbling scrape that tore skin from her cheek and jaw as blood streaked across the dirt.

She rolled… Once… Twice and finally came to a stop in a crumpled heap with her limbs twisted at wrong angles and even one arm bent beneath her torso. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Her body twitched then went still and it was clear she wasn't standing up again.

The crowd fell silent for a heartbeat then erupted.

Medics from the ALI medic bay came rushing onto the field with their white uniforms stark against the bloodstained dirt.

They surrounded Setsuna's unconscious form, already pulling out diagnostic tools and healing fluid. Itsuki cleared his throat, stepping forward to make it official.

"The winner of this match is Misora Tachibana!" He yelled out and the crowd went wild, especially Class 5 who were cheering saying Class Rep and she gave them a smile and a wave.

「 SHE IS SO HOT!!!」

「 That backhand was personal.」

「 Class 5 is actually cooking this year.」

「 Misora is a literal queen.」

「 Did you see that shockwave? Peak!」

Misora walked off the field with a small wave to her class section.

The holographic barrier updated with Setsuna's name blanking out in a fade to black. Immediately, two other names lit up in gold: Amagi Koya and Tanaka Hiroto.

The crowd's energy changed instantly and Itsuki called them onto the field.

He was well aware that Koya was physically strong… everyone in the Academy knew that by now but the real question was how he'd handle these matches since he'd bet not to use mana for the entire Buffer Tournament.

Nobody was forcing him. He could use magic at any given time if he wanted but Itsuki was genuinely interested in seeing how Amagi Koya planned to handle the fights with pure physical strength alone.

Tanaka stepped onto the field first.

Unlike the previous matches where there'd been at least some cheers, some scattered applause or even enthusiastic shouts, the arena fell pitch quiet.

「 Who is this mob character?」

「 Why does he look so confident? He's about to get folded.」

「 This guy really thinks he's the protagonist like Koya.」

「Koya this, Koya that… Can't you guys stop sucking his dick? He isn't even attractive.」

|__「 Can someone please ban Izana from this livestream? He's jealous」

|__「 You're just jealous cause you're Sub 5 🤣🤣」

|__「 Didn't you just get exposed for donating 1 million royals to PumPumGirl's Fansonly? I don't think you should be talking son」

And then Koya walked onto the field making the stadium explode. The roar was deafening…

Every student in the stands shot to their feet… Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, even some of Class 4 who should have been supporting their own representative.

Hell, even some of the female Professors were cheering for him, which was genuinely embarrassing to witness.

「 Koya looks as handsome as ever!」

「 Did he become even more muscular? Look at those shoulders.」

「 I'm literally screaming right now.」

「 He's the only reason I'm watching this.」

「 Why is he so aesthetic?」

「 Step on me Koya-sama!」

Itsuki's eyes twitched.

'Even if all of them have no shame... at least my Class 1 has some dignity.'

He looked toward where Class 1 sat. Several of the girls including Kaguya were on their feet screaming Koya's name and his eyes twitched again.

Did these girls have no shame? Seriously?

Koya waved at the crowd with genuine warmth… at his classmates, at the Professors, even at the drone camera hovering overhead.

Thousands of girls and women swooned through the live stream feed while one man glared at his face. He walked to his position in the arena, and Tanaka immediately stepped forward.

"You bet not to use magic for this whole Buffer Tournament," Tanaka called out. "So you better honor that. Don't think you can—"

"I'll enjoy beating you without magic…" Koya interrupted with his smile not quite reaching his eyes and it seemed like the temperature dropped.

Sensing the tension crackling between them and seeing that both combatants were already prepared… Itsuki didn't even bother with the thirty-second preparation announcement.

"This will be the final match between Class 5 and Class 4!" Itsuki said. "Even if Tanaka wins, Class 4 will still lose all the class points they bet on this tournament."

Tanaka's jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists then Itsuki brought his hand down.

"Begin!"

Tanaka didn't hesitate. He took a step forward, and the winds surrounded him immediately with green mana spiraling around his body in visible currents.

The air pressure in the arena shifted and his hair whipped wildly as he channeled everything he had into his dominant hand.

The wind condensed… compressed… and became a vortex of cutting force wrapped around his fist.

He punched Koya in the chest with everything he had and the impact generated a shockwave with wind exploded outward in a visible ring, blowing both combatants' hair back and kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured them from view.

For a moment, the crowd held its breath then the dust cleared.

Koya stood exactly where he'd been standing and Tanaka's fist was still pressed against Koya's chest then his hand exploded.

Blood erupted from his knuckles as every bone in his hand bent in directions bones were never meant to bend.

His fingers twisted backward and his wrist snapped in a wet crunch. Tanaka bounced back, falling to his knees, clutching his ruined hand and screaming.

"What... what the fuck are you made out of?!" Tanaka gasped through the pain.

Koya leaned down with his shadow falling over Tanaka's kneeling form.

"Was that even an attack?" Koya asked. The question hung in the air for half a second then the audience erupted.

Laughter poured from the stands with the students howling and professors hiding smiles behind their hands even the stream chat exploded with reactions.

Tanaka's face burned red.

Desperation and humiliation mixed into something ugly in his chest. He shot out his other hand… his good hand gathering what little wind mana he could muster for one desperate strike but Koya caught his wrist mid-punch effortlessly.

He lifted Tanaka off the ground like the man weighed nothing. Koya was significantly taller, so when he stood to his full height, Tanaka's feet dangled uselessly in the air.

"Put me down!" Tanaka yelled.

Koya adjusted his grip, tossed Tanaka up slightly to catch him by the ankles instead and now Tanaka hung upside down with the blood rushing to his head and his arms flailing.

Tanaka yelled at Koya to put him down but Koya swung him back and threw him into the air generating a shockwave of his own as Tanaka shot into the air with a lot of force… despite the man being a wind mage, he didn't focus enough and as a result, he slammed down into the ground soon after and though he would have splattered, the barrier finally decided to work once for a change but the man was down for the count.

"The winner of this match is Amagi Koya! Class 5 has advanced to the semi-finals and have won 20 Class Points from Class 4!" Itsuki announced, making everyone cheer as Koya walked off the field.

…

The Buffer Day Tournament continued.

More battles unfolded as Class 2 and Class 3 squared off against each other.

The first battle between Himuro Sousuke and Asakura Hina had ended in a draw with both combatants knocking each other out simultaneously in a mutual finishing blow that had the medics scrambling.

The battle after that had been between Ryouma Kagutsuchi and Fujishiro Rei, and it had ended embarrassingly fast with one spell from Ryouma and Fujishiro hadn't stood a chance.

Now the Class Reps of the respective classes walked onto the field. Up in the commentary box, Ichinose trembled in her seat.

The stream numbers were insane.

They currently had 15 million viewers... Fifteen million… and the donation counter kept climbing, she tapped the side of her glasses to check the total, and her breath caught.

[800,000 Royals]

Eight hundred thousand.

The chat was moving so fast she could barely read individual messages, but most of them were calling this tournament peak content.

Though, if she was being honest, a majority of the donations had come from people simping over Koya.

One person had even sent over 100,000 Royals with a message saying Koya should come to her spa in Omni City for a good time.

Ichinose's eyes twitched.

'Just how many simps does Koya have? Seriously?'

Down on the field, the two class reps were approaching each other, they were Shion from Class 2 and Yoru from Class 3.

They stopped at the designated distance, and Itsuki raised his hand.

"Thirty seconds to prepare!"

Though everyone knew that really meant thirty seconds to smack talk each other. Shion held her ALI-issued blade in her hand with the weapon gleamed under the afternoon sun.

"If you stand down now, you won't be hurt…" Shion said and Yoru laughed.

The sound was light but it made Shion's eyebrows raise.

"What's so funny about this?" Shion asked.

Yoru didn't reply and she just kept smiling.

Shion had to admit, it got on her nerves.

This young girl acting like she had the upper hand when Shion was a full rank above her in combat experience… but whatever.

She'd planned to finish this off in one strike anyway since she needed to conserve energy for the inevitable battle with Class 5.

The shadows around Yoru began to tremble with the darkness pooling beneath her feet rippled like water disturbed by a stone.

Tendrils of shadow curled upward, wrapping around Yoru's ankles and climbing higher. Yoru placed a hand over her face with fingers spread across her features like a mask.

"Look out…" she said softly.

Shion blinked and looked around the arena, trying to sense whatever attack was coming.

Her mana detection flared.

She scanned the field… left, right, above, below but she couldn't feel anything neither could she see anything out of place so she turned back to Yoru with a frown and Itsuki brought his hand down.

"Begin!"

Before Shion could move, Yoru smiled devilishly and then Shion was hit.

A barrage of invisible attacks slammed into her body from every direction.

Her ribs cracked and her nose broke with a wet snap.

Blood spurted from her face as the impacts kept coming… fists, elbows, knees, all of them being devastating strikes. She shot backward with her body tumbling across the arena floor and the crowd gasped.

Yoru lowered her hand from her face as the shadows around her writhed.

"...Unseen Umbra."