In the instant that Cold Zero was activated, Koya used Overdrive.

His body blurred backward, clearing the distance from that point to the far end of the arena… away from Reito and from the spreading wave of absolute zero that threatened to freeze everything it touched.

Reito had sprung outward to punch the air where Koya had been standing just a fraction of a second ago.

His fist connected with nothing but empty space, and white frost exploded from the point of impact. It spread around the field in a perfect circle, expanding outward like a shockwave made of crystallized death.

Since Koya wasn't there, the frost flowed outward toward the stands.

The crowd screamed, scrambling backward as the white wave approached but the frost hit the barrier first, freezing that section solid. The ice spread along the protective barrier's surface, creeping across like frost on a window and within seconds, it had frozen the barriers between arena and stands completely.

"Fu-fu... Fuck." Reito muttered then he collapsed onto the ground. Cold Zero had drained every drop of his mana.

Itsuki, on the other hand, sighed from his position. He didn't have the power for this kind of responsibility anymore.

Watching his class get demolished one fighter at a time had been exhausting in ways he hadn't anticipated.

The blue-haired Aozora clan heir raised his hand up, then brought it down in a decisive motion.

"The match is over!" Itsuki announced, his voice carrying across the frozen arena through the sound system. "The winners of the Buffer Day Tournament have been decided!"

He walked over to Koya as the barriers were dropped and the Cold Zero technique began to dissipate with the ice slowly melting away and turning to mist.

The crowd erupted into cheers… chanting Koya's name and chanting Class 5 as well. Itsuki reached out his hand toward Koya.

"It was amazing to see Class 5 dominate this tournament…" Itsuki said, the words tasting like ash in his mouth but his noble training forcing them out anyway.

Koya brought out his hand as well, gripping Itsuki's in a firm handshake.

"Thank you for hosting this thing," Koya said with a slight smile. "And thanks for the Class Points too."

Itsuki's teeth clenched involuntarily at the reminder, though he couldn't say anything in response.

He was the one who had organized this tournament in the first place. He was the one who had wagered everything and he was the one who had lost.

Itsuki raised Koya's hand into the air in the traditional victory gesture.

The cheers reached the peak of their intensity with the sound deafening as the voices merged into one continuous roar of approval.

The streaming drone returned to where Ichinose was sitting in the stands with the red recording light finally blinking off as she ended the broadcast.

'While this loss matters…' Itsuki thought as his mind already moved to damage control and future planning. 'we should still be able to get more Class Points during tomorrow's exam.'

He had bought information from Tech Tube, expensive information that had cost him a lot but information nonetheless.

Tomorrow's exam was going to be a free-for-all tournament in a VR world where students could kill their opponents without real consequences.

In a setting like that, Class 1 could split up, divide and conquer, use their superior numbers and coordination to dominate so Itsuki couldn't wait.

Koya let go of his hand and walked off the stadium floor.

Several students exited the stands, rushing down to surround him with their voices overlapping in their eagerness.

"Koya-kun, How are you so strong?!"

"Can you give me your skin care recommendation, Koya-kun?"

"What's your training routine, Koya-kun?"

"Koya-san, Will you be my mentor?"

Koya didn't know how to answer. If he said he was "just like that" he'd sound like a cocky noble though one question made him pause.

"How would you respond to Reito-kun's feelings?" a girl asked teasingly.

Koya's eyes darkened slightly.

"Reito was probably joking to keep me off-guard…" Koya said evenly and the girl laughed in agreement.

Koya looked around at the crowd pressing in on all sides feeling slightly overwhelmed by the attention.

"I'll answer your questions later…" Koya said, raising his voice to be heard. "For now, I want to go rest."

Surprisingly, they listened and the crowd parted, creating a clear path for him to walk through.

Somebody even patted him on the back as he passed.

"It wasn't easy facing against Class 1…" the student said. "You deserve the rest."

Koya smiled at them and walked past, heading back toward the main ALI building.

His first destination was the infirmary… he wanted to check on Mio and make sure she was recovering properly after tearing out her own eyes then he'd probably head back to meet up with Misora, who had run off the moment her battle ended.

'She's probably cooking food.' Koya thought, understanding her priorities completely.

Misora was very strict about lunch schedules, and honestly, he felt hungry too. Fighting always worked up an appetite.

However, as he walked across the campus grounds toward the main building, he heard somebody call his name from behind.

"Ko-Ko-Koya~!"

The person managed to stutter and yell his name simultaneously.

Koya turned his head and saw Miyuki not too far away from him with her hands on her knees as sweat dripped from her skin.

The Aozora heiress was completely exhausted… she didn't have the strength to run like that anymore and her breathing came in gasps.

"Miyuki?" Koya asked, turning to face her fully. "Did you just yell out my name?"

Miyuki looked at the ground with a flush crossing her pale cheeks. Her blue hair fell forward, partially hiding her face as she struggled to catch her breath.

"I-I had been calling your name over and over…" Miyuki stuttered, her words coming out in fits and starts. "A-and you hadn't replied..."

Koya rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that," Koya said. "I was too lost in my own thoughts."

Miyuki glanced up at his handsome face, and her legs trembled… not from exhaustion this time, but from nervousness. She swallowed hard as her throat suddenly got dry.

"C-congratulations." Miyuki muttered, the word barely audible.

"Huh?" Koya asked, leaning slightly closer. "I didn't hear you."

Miyuki turned to face him properly, forcing herself to meet his crimson eyes despite how much it made her heart race.

"Con-congratulations for winning!" Miyuki said, louder this time and Koya smiled, that genuine smile that made her brain short-circuit.

"You're so cute…" Koya said without thinking.

Miyuki's lips trembled. Her face became completely red with the blush spreading from her cheeks down to her neck. She looked like she might actually faint from embarrassment.

Koya walked back toward her, closing the distance between them until he was standing directly in front of her.

"Of course I'd win." Koya said confidently. "How would I do my job as your fiancé if I wasn't strong enough to protect you?"

Miyuki looked at the ground again as her hands clenching into small fists. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"I-I would protect you too…" Miyuki said softly then she looked up at him, and for a brief moment, her expression was completely confident.

He liked when she was confident too.

"If Reito tried to do anything," Miyuki continued clearly, "I will whip him across the face with a whip of water!"

Koya chuckled.

"Reito surely wouldn't do anything then…" Koya said then extended his hand toward her.

"Do you want to follow me to the infirmary?" Koya asked.

"O-O… Okay" Miyuki said while taking his hand immediately making her fingers intertwine with his and together, they walked into the main ALI building, heading toward the medical wing.

…

"Why did they have to put me next to you?" Mio let out a groan.

She was reclined on one of the infirmary beds, and next to her on an identical bed separated by only a thin curtain that had been pulled back was Kaguya.

Mio had woken up not too long ago and her eyes were completely fixed now. The head doctor had advised her very sternly against pulling out her eyes again, explaining that it had taken a massive amount of healing fluid to regenerate them completely.

The regeneration process was expensive and not something that should become a habit.

Kaguya sighed with her gray eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"It's okay if you dislike me…" Kaguya said quietly then she turned her head to look at Mio directly. "But I want to know why you ran away…"

Mio closed her eyes and the memories flooded back.

Back then, she had been constantly disrespected by everyone in her own family for her weakness and ability to use only one form of their clan's technique. Everyone had treated her like a failure and like a stain on the family name.

Everyone except one person… Kaguya.

They used to meet each other in secret… sneaking away from clan duties to practice together in hidden courtyards and Kaguya had tried teaching Mio the other forms, being patient and encouraging despite Mio's repeated failures but Mio simply couldn't learn them since her mana refusing to flow in the patterns required.

That had been okay for little Kaguya at the time.

She hadn't cared about Mio's weakness since she'd been much more interested in Mio's swordsmanship instead, watching with fascination as Mio practiced her blade work for hours.

Mio opened her eyes again.

"I wanted to grow stronger…" Mio said simply.

Kaguya let out a slow exhale, nodding in understanding. "Well, you did get stronger."

Then she sat up in her bed and her expression became serious.

"I'll push for the clan to leave you alone…" Kaguya said. "Even after finding out about your location."

"Why would you do that?" Mio asked, genuine confusion in her voice.

Kaguya smiled.

"Because we're friends, Mio," Kaguya said. "Or should I say... Kagura?"

Mio flinched slightly at hearing her birth name. She didn't know what her parents were thinking when they named her that… with only one word being different from the main head's daughter but she was sure she had disappointed them regardless.

Pale looked at Mio from where only she could see the astral goddess.

"You should hurry up and get out of here so we can watch more anime." Pale said and before Mio could respond mentally to Pale's comment, the infirmary door opened.

"Can I come in?" Koya asked from the doorway and Mio smiled immediately.

"Of course you can…" Mio said.

Koya entered with Miyuki in tow. The blue-haired girl was looking down at the ground with a shy expression on her face with her hand still holding Koya's.

"Did we win?" Mio asked, though she already knew the answer from the cheers she'd heard earlier.

"Naturally." Koya said with a small grin.

Mio's hand made a triumphant fist, pulling it close to her chest in celebration, then Koya placed his hand forward, putting it on Mio's head gently.

Both Kaguya and Miyuki perked up immediately as their attention was laser-focused on the gesture.

"Though I didn't like the fact that you tore out your eyeballs…" Koya said with concern in his voice. "I'm glad you're okay and you won too."

Mio looked down with a pink blush coloring her cheeks.

"Did you... like my fight?" Mio asked quietly.

"I really did." Koya said without hesitation. "You'll need to teach me how to do that sometime."

"O-okay..." Mio said in a small voice while he kept rubbing her head.

'You're humble like a cute little puppy…' Pale commented with a smile.

'You would do exactly the same thing if you were in my position!' Mio shot back mentally.

Kaguya, on the other hand, looked at the interaction with wide eyes.

'The same Kagu who had been telling me off since we woke up is that calm?' Kaguya thought, genuinely shocked.

Yes, Kaguya was one of Koya's fans.

Her clan head… her father had already told her that she should approach Koya if possible and try to do the same thing the Aozora clan heiress did which was to get him engaged to her.

The goal was to determine if he could use different kinds of magic beyond those two elements everyone knew about but Kaguya was more interested in who Koya was as a person.

It sounded very dumb considering that nobles mostly did their marriages for political reasons but she wanted to really know how it felt… to know Koya truly, not just as a political asset.

Kaguya cleared her throat loudly and Koya stopped patting Mio's head and looked over.

Mio immediately gave Kaguya a harsh stare with her silver eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I'm Kaguya Tsukuyomi…" Kaguya said formally, sitting up straight despite still being in a medical gown. "The only heiress of the great Tsukuyomi clan and I have a request."

Koya raised an eyebrow.

"What's your request?" Koya asked.

Kaguya cleared her throat again, building up courage.

"My request is pretty simple…" Kaguya said then she moved to kneel on the bed, patting the top of her own head with both hands. "I want you to do my head like that, It's prepared and if you don't, I'll stop being a fan."

Koya blinked with genuine confusion crossing his features.

"You're a fan?" Koya asked.

Kaguya nodded enthusiastically with her earlier noble composure completely abandoned.

"I've watched all of your streams!" Kaguya said as the words tumbled out rapidly. "You recommended my first anime and manga! I've watched all the streams where you fought, including the first and second Salamander's Lair runs! And if you start releasing Koya merch, I'll be the first to purchase them!"

She took a breath.

"For all that effort, I deserve a head rub too!" Kaguya finished. Koya sighed, but he was smiling slightly as he walked over to Kaguya's bed.

"Just like Mio, right?" Koya asked.

"Yes!" Kaguya confirmed.

He rubbed her head with his hand with the same gentle motion he'd used on Mio.

'Please, I don't think I can handle even more women…' Koya thought, closing his eyes in resignation. 'The ones I have are already enough as it is.'

However, it seemed that all of his thoughts were currently being invalidated as Kaguya's gray eyes lit up like stars and her entire face radiated pure joy.

"I've felt enough!" Kaguya declared. "I want to marry you!"

Koya immediately pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned.

"Don't people want to know each other before marriage?" Koya asked with genuine desperation creeping into his voice.

"What more is there to know?" Kaguya asked, tilting her head in confusion. "I already know how you fight and your favorite manga!"

Koya wanted to fall to his knees right there.

'Do I seriously have to re-explain what I told Mirei to Kaguya?' Koya thought. '... Just kill me.'

However, Miyuki touched his sleeve gently, drawing his attention.

"Y-you gave the two other women headrubs," Miyuki said quietly as her voice trembled slightly. "And I'm your fiancée, so I..."

Miyuki took a deep breath, then exclaimed the rest.

"I deserve two times the headrubs!" Miyuki finished loudly.

Both Mio and Kaguya looked at her like she had committed a war crime.

"Okay…" Koya said simply.

His ALI phone chimed in his pocket with a notification. He brought it out while simultaneously rubbing Miyuki's hair with his free hand, checking the message that had just arrived.

[Saki: Are we still going on the date? I can get it if you want to cancel since you're tired from all that fighting]

[Koya: No, I wouldn't cancel… We can still go]

Immediately, Saki sent him the meet-up location and typed underneath.

[Saki: Let's meet up in 30 minutes]

Koya kept his phone back in his pocket and immediately, Kaguya took his other hand and placed it on her head.

"I feel like you're touching my brain…" Kaguya said with wonder.

"I'm not sure that's healthy." Koya replied then he looked to Mio, hoping the mature one here would help him escape this situation.

The woman stood up from her bed, walked forward with purpose, pushed Kaguya back to her own bed with surprising force, and placed Koya's hand on her own head instead.

Koya shook his head slowly.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

…

About thirty minutes later, Koya walked on one of the many streets in Keropolis Supercity.

He wore a cap over his head with a big shirt that hung loose on his frame, white jeans and sunglasses he'd just bought from a convenience store. The disguise was hastily assembled but hopefully effective.

'Is this how popular people feel?' Koya thought, adjusting his sunglasses.

The moment he had initially wanted to come out of ALI through the front gates, a crowd of people had been gathered there.

They'd recognized him and asked for autographs, photos, and general conversation. He'd been delayed by at least fifteen minutes just trying to politely extract himself.

'Next time I might have to be grabbing disguises left and right just to fit in…' Koya thought.

Even now, people were looking at him. The disguise wasn't perfect since his height and build were distinctive, and there was something about the way he carried himself that drew attention regardless of what he wore.

He had his ALI phone in one hand, checking the location Saki had sent. He stopped, looking around carefully.

He was sure this was the place where Saki said they should meet up. A small plaza with a fountain in the center, surrounded by shops and cafes.

It was public enough to be safe but not so crowded that they'd be constantly interrupted.

'Where is she?' Koya wondered, scanning the area and his back was suddenly touched by someone.

Koya spun around immediately and standing there was a black-haired beauty who looked exactly like Saki except with black hair instead of her usual color.

She was wearing casual clothes: a simple blouse and jeans that looked nothing like her usual professor attire.

"I got held up, so I hope I'm not too late…" Saki said with her usual teasing voice then she noticed that he was staring at her so Saki gave him a quick spin, showing off the outfit.

"What?" Saki asked with a smirk. "You're finding your professor attractive already?"

Koya blinked, recovering from his surprise.

"It's just weird to see you with black hair…" Koya said honestly and her eye twitched slightly at the comment.

Koya quickly course-corrected.

"But you look beautiful…" Koya said sincerely "And the outfit suits you."

Saki's expression softened as a genuine smile replacing her earlier smirk, after that, Koya brought his hand forward in a formal gesture.

"Shall we?" Koya asked.

Saki took his hand.

"We shall…" Saki replied.

They walked together into the bustling city as the date between professor and student had begun.