Chapter 35

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On a certain afternoon, I was waiting for Safina's class to end in the usual lounge. Since not all classes are the same, when she takes a class that no one else does, I end up with nothing to do.

"Everyone is getting tense as the martial arts tournament approaches."

"Yeah..."

I give a half-hearted response to Zahh, who is looking around with an excited face. Honestly, what concerns me more is Safina, who occasionally looks troubled.

(But Magilka told me not to stick my nose in... Ugh, I'm so worried... I'm really, really worried.)

Today, I'm determined to find out what's troubling her, so I'm waiting for Safina, but she hasn't shown up in the lounge at all.

(That's strange, she usually comes straight to us after class...)

Worried, I decide to leave the lounge. Zahh says I'm overthinking it, but follows me anyway.

As I step out into the corridor, I spot Safina.

(Am I overthinking it...?)

I try to go to her, but I stop in my tracks. Safina is being cornered against the wall by a man, who is saying something to her.

"What's going on?"

I say in a terribly unpleasant voice, and Zahh, narrowing her eyes and looking serious, stands beside me.

"He's saying something... I can't make out what, but she looks scared."

Just as Safina tries to run away, the man grabs her arm, and my unpleasantness reaches its peak.

"Zahh!"

"Ah!"

Without needing to be told, Zahh approaches Safina and the man, grabs the man's arm, and twists it behind his back.

"Ouch!"

The man, whose arm was suddenly grabbed from behind and twisted, screams. I approach him with a cold stare.

"W-What are you doing! Ah, you, Elexil!"

"That's my line... What are you doing to my friend?"

"...Tch... Regalia, huh..."

The man spits and struggles to break free from Zahh, but she doesn't let go, apparently as angry as I am.

"Let go, damn it!"

Finally, the man gets serious and tries to break free with force. Zahh, caught off guard by his quick elbow strike, lets go and steps back.

(Huh? That stance?)

The man takes a martial arts stance in front of me. I recognize it from the badge he's wearing, indicating he's from Solos, but his stance is very familiar.

(The same as Safina's...)

"Do you know who I am?"

He tries to intimidate us with his noble status, but it has no effect on me. I look at him coldly and ask Zahh in an indifferent voice.

"Who is he? I don't know."

"Who are you, then?"

Our blunt responses make the man turn red and glare at us.

"It's none of your business! This is between that woman and me! Don't interfere!"

Realizing his status isn't working, he changes the subject, but his "that woman" comment makes something snap inside me.

"...Zahh, let's finish this."

"Huh? Is it okay?"

"I'll allow it... Make sure he can't talk big again."

At this moment, "I" refers to my position as the daughter of the Duke of Regalia, a noble family with no equals. I usually avoid using this power, but I command it now, feeling a cold detachment as I want to get rid of this unpleasant presence.

"What are you doing, you two? Can't you settle your differences?"

A light voice interrupts our tense standoff from behind us.

"Karis-senpai."

Safina, who had been silent, calls out the name of the class master, and my rationality quickly returns.

"Tch!"

Realizing he's in a bad position, the man spits and glares at Safina before turning and leaving.

"Who is he?"

I continue to glare at the direction he left, half-closed eyes.

"Who knows?"

"Hey, you two really don't know? He's the most likely candidate to be your rival in the upcoming martial arts tournament, Zahh."

"Me? My rival?"

"Ah!"

Zahh is surprised by Karis-senpai's words, and I let out a deeply annoyed sigh.

"He's one of the few who has mastered the martial arts of the Kalsana family, after all."

"Wh-What!?"

Karis-senpai's words make us both look at the downcast Safina.

---

We are now at an open-air café outside the school building. After the commotion near the lounge, we moved to avoid the curious gazes of others. At our table are me, Zahh, and Safina.

"So, who is that unpleasant man?"

Just thinking about him makes me angry, and my tone becomes a bit rough, causing Safina to flinch in fear.

"If he's going to be your rival, I need to know."

Zahh, unusually, also confronts Safina.

"Um... well... that..."

"Come on, Safina. Don't tell me it's none of our business. Has he been the reason you've been troubled lately?"

Thinking about my friend being troubled by such a person, I can't just stand by, and I also confront her. After looking at us, Safina takes a deep breath and starts to speak.

"First, his name is—"

"I don't care! I don't want to hear it! Just call him 'That Guy.'"

I interrupt Safina, who was about to speak. I don't want to remember his name; my impression of him is that bad.

"So, who is 'That Guy'? Is he part of your family?"

Zahh seems to agree with me.

"No, he's not..."

"But he had the same stance as you, and Karis-senpai said he has mastered the Kalsana martial arts, right?"

"We don't teach our martial arts only to our family. We widely recruit and teach many people."

"Like a Kalsana martial arts dojo?"

"Wh-What??"

"Never mind... please continue."

I realize my interpretation is confusing Safina, so I let it go.

"So, 'That Guy' is a student who learns martial arts from you and is quite strong? And he's getting cocky and bothering the main family members?"

Zahh's interpretation makes my anger rise again.

"I should have taken care of him when I had the chance..."

If I had given him a good slap, I could have injured him so badly that even healing magic couldn't fully recover him. I start to seriously consider it.

"You've been pretty violent, Mary-sama... That's scary..."

Zahh, unusually, comments on my thoughts and backs away.

"...He looks down on me, the main family member. But there's nothing I can do... He has the skills, and my father respects him more than me..."

Seeing Safina's self-deprecating smile, I try to calm down by drinking the tea I ordered.

"But there wasn't anyone like him around you before. Why did he suddenly appear?"

Zahh's question makes me nod in agreement.

"Um... recently... the... topic has come up..."

Safina seems hesitant to speak.

"What topic?"

As my anger subsides, I have the leisure to sip my tea.

"About... potential fiancé candidates..."

"Wha! Choke!"

Safina's unexpected statement makes me drink my tea in one go and choke a bit. I knew noble daughters often have engagement talks at a young age, but hearing it from someone so close is a shock.

"I see... So, 'That Guy' got even more cocky, thinking you're his property, and started bothering you."

Snap!

Zahh's insightful comment makes my cup shatter in my hand. I quickly let go, pretending to be shocked and drop the cup.

"Sorry... I dropped the cup in surprise."

The café staff, hearing the commotion, come to clean up.

A few minutes later, the staff leave, and I use this time to fully regain my composure.

"...It's none of our business... It's a family matter, and you have a point."

"Huh? What are you saying, Zahh? It's just a rumor, right, Safina? It's not official, is it?"

As Zahh tries to conclude, I immediately object.

"Yes... but... I don't have any trouble becoming someone's fiancé... I've been preparing for it since I was young."

Seeing the dark side of the noble world makes me feel sick, but there's nothing I can do. I might be in the same position tomorrow...

"Then, what's troubling you?"

"...He got frustrated with being a potential fiancé and proposed a plan. If he wins the upcoming martial arts tournament, he will be officially chosen as my fiancé, and I will leave the school next year to focus on bridal training."

"What!?"

I stand up, raising my voice. The surrounding people look at us, and a staff member approaches, so I quickly sit down.

"You didn't agree to those terms, did you?"

My intense question makes Safina smile bitterly.

"Originally, I was only supposed to attend the school for one year. From my father's perspective, it wasn't a difficult condition."

"What do you mean?"

"Um... the Kalsana family has a tradition of producing skilled martial artists, regardless of gender. I was no exception and started learning martial arts from a young age."

Safina starts to explain her background, and I try to calm down and listen.

"But as you can see, I'm clumsy, timid, and always running away... My sword skills are defensive, and my father gave up on me, focusing on teaching others..."

"Which led to 'That Guy' being born."

Zahh's words make Safina nod with a bitter smile.

"My father noticed him and even provided the funds for him to attend the school. We both enrolled, but we couldn't afford two years of tuition, so it was decided that each of us would attend for one year, and the one with the lower grades would leave the following year."

"..."

"I was fine with that... I thought I could endure one year in this scary place..."

"Safina..."

I feel a shock and a sense of helplessness.

"But... that was before I started school. Now, it's different... Meeting Mary-sama and everyone in class... I've been scared and almost cried... But I want to stay here with everyone... Even if it's a bother... I feel that way."

"Safina... I don't think it's a bother at all."

Her words make my shock disappear, and I take her hand on the table.

"So, the problem is 'That Guy'..."

Zahh's words make Safina's determined face cloud over.

(If you want to stay in this school next year, you need to deal with 'That Guy'...)

"Is 'That Guy' that strong?"

"Probably. Since he's respected by Lord Kalsana and Karis-senpai, he must be."

My question is met with Zahh's uncertain answer.

"Well, there's no point in just standing here... Let's go with the classic approach!"

I make a fist and stand up.

"What do you mean by 'classic'?"

"Special training!"

When Safina asks hesitantly, I shout loudly, and the manager, looking troubled, approaches. We leave the café... or rather, we are asked to leave.

Thank you for reading, even though Mary-sama is a bit violent.