Chapter 82

"Miss Yuna's performance just now was truly amazing! The last song, you listened to it seriously, right? A lot of people around us were crying."

The boy, moving slowly with the crowd, lowered his voice to speak to his companion beside him. After finishing, he looked around stealthily, noticing a few gazes directed his way, and immediately lowered his head in embarrassment.

The boy's name is Sakai Yūji, a first-year student at the Central District Second High School. With an ordinary appearance and average build, his personality was also unremarkable. Although his grades were good, such a person was common on School Island, and he had never received any special attention, especially from the opposite sex. If it weren't for his excitement over the concert, he would have been too shy to lower his head and run home, not daring to speak.

"Yes, it was indeed a beautiful melody."

The man beside him nodded, agreeing with Yūji's opinion. In fact, the glances from the crowd were mostly directed at this man, but he was completely unaware, instead finding it strange why Yūji was hunched over, never realizing he was the cause of it all.

The man was over 180 centimeters tall. While this height wasn't unusual in modern times due to better nutrition, it stood out among the mostly East Asian middle school students. His handsome face and tall, straight figure, even with the long hair that was usually seen on delinquent students, still exuded a mature and steady demeanor. Such a man was the epitome of the ideal prince charming in the eyes of female students, and it was natural for him to attract their attention. Yūji's embarrassment probably stemmed from a sense of inadequacy. A slightly introverted and inexperienced teenager was most likely to have such thoughts.

To avoid being affected by the girls' intense gazes for too long, Yūji stopped talking and quickened his pace.

Although there were many students leaving the venue, it was nothing compared to the population of School Island. After all, even if all the island's residents were Yuna's fans, the venue could only accommodate so many people. The crowd was very dense in the square, but as they walked a bit further, the number of people on the road gradually thinned out. By the time Yūji reached a point that was one-third of the way home, there were no other pedestrians in sight.

Arriving here, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. In the comics he had read, there was a concept of "defeating enemies with a glance." Yūji now understood this. Although the focus of the girls' gazes was the person beside him, he felt as if he had just fought a battle.

"Walking with you is exhausting. Can't you do something about your clothes, Zhao Yun?"

The boy leaned against a lamppost at the corner, complaining to his companion.

"Clothes? I believe my attire is in line with the general standards of this era. If there are any improvements needed, please specify."

"Uh... this..."

Yūji looked at his companion, who wore a white shirt and white pants. Apart from the long hair tied back, his outfit was quite ordinary.

That's right, the long hair. Yūji nodded to himself, feeling he had found the root of the problem. However, this wasn't something he had just noticed. In modern times, except for a few special professions like arts and sports, long hair among students was usually associated with delinquents. But he couldn't convince his companion to cut his attention-grabbing long hair.

The body and hair are gifts from one's parents. The academically excellent Sakai Yūji knew this ancient Chinese saying. Asking someone from ancient times to cut their long hair would be a great insult. Being a fan of the Three Kingdoms history, he knew the story of Cao Cao cutting his hair to replace his head. So, although he didn't want to draw attention, Yūji had never suggested that his servant, the unparalleled hero from the Three Kingdoms period, cut his long hair.

"Zhao Yun..."

Just as he was about to change the subject, his companion stopped him.

"If it's not necessary, please don't call me by my name. Hero..."

"Sorry, heroes can't have their real names known to prevent others from finding their weaknesses through historical records, right?"

Yūji waved his hands, looking a bit innocent. In fact, having been taught to be polite from a young age, he always felt it was impolite to omit someone's name, so he often forgot this rule. And...

"Does Changshan Zhao Zilong have any weaknesses? I've never read about any."

Yūji's muttered words couldn't be hidden from the hero's superhuman hearing.

"Not so. Besides the fact that there are always better people out there, I am a cavalry general, and my skills on foot are not my strength. Most of my spear techniques were learned on horseback. If others know this, they can easily find the weaknesses in my spear techniques. Therefore, although it may seem deceitful, I must keep my true name hidden."

"Yes, I will remember that."

Zhao Yun's words made Yūji feel very ashamed. Being a fan of the Three Kingdoms history, he knew that this white horse and silver spear general was a true gentleman. While war is full of deceit, hiding one's true name was more for personal safety. If Zhao Yun were defeated, he, a mere high school student, would have no chance to escape. Yūji felt that his earlier words were quite hateful, as he was the one dragging down this hero.

"Let's go home, Master."

Zhao Yun could see that the boy was a bit dejected by his words. But as a general, he didn't know how to comfort others, so he just patted Yūji's shoulder.

"Okay."

Silently following behind Zhao Yun, Yūji thought about the words the hero had said when they first met.

Chosen as a Master because of a vast reservoir of magical power and excellent potential? The boy looked down at his hands. Could this ordinary body possess magic? If not for witnessing the miracle of the summoning, he would still be a high school student who laughed at ghosts and gods! If he really had special abilities, why couldn't he help at all?

When he woke up late at night and found his servant not at home, he knew Zhao Yun must have gone out alone to face enemies that were beyond ordinary understanding. Despite it being a war, he, as a partner, could only hide cowardly at home.

The Holy Grail is said to be a divine artifact that can grant any wish. Before this, Sakai Yūji, like other students, diligently completed his studies, aimed to enter an ideal university, found a good job after graduation, and made his parents worry less. That was all. Even knowing about the Holy Grail, he couldn't find a wish that required supernatural abilities to achieve.

Maybe winning the lottery could save him from struggling. But to waste the omnipotent wish-granting machine for such a trivial wish seemed ridiculous even to him. Moreover, although Zhao Yun hadn't said it, the Holy Grail could probably only grant one wish. Yūji believed his situation was already strange enough and that the three-wish dragon from comics wouldn't appear. Even if it did, there were wishes it couldn't grant. He didn't think a weakling who only hid under others' protection had the right to claim the fruits of others' hard work.

He had to do something. The boy's determination was as simple as his age. If he had excellent potential, then with effort, he should be able to help.

Yūji looked at the towering back of the man in front of him with admiration.

Wasn't the best teacher already here?