Jack's POV
"Hey Mei, can I talk to you after school?" I asked the girl of my dreams. Today, I would confess.
"Hey look, that guy is talking to her again," one classmate whispered.
"Yeah, how can someone be so shameless?" another sneered.
I returned to my seat and rested my head on the desk, pretending to sleep.
"Heh. What do you expect from trash?"
"Hey Mei, why do you still talk to that guy?" a girl asked her.
"Don't be like that. He's nice and polite. Why do you hate him so much?" Mei replied.
Hearing her defend me was enough to make me imagine our wedding and naming our kids. Sigh... I hope she accepts me. Otherwise, 'Kakarot' and 'Goku' will never be born.
Our teacher arrived, and class began. I couldn't wait for it to end.
—
After School
Finally, I was free.
Why do we even learn things we'll never use?
"So what if (a + b)² is a² + 2ab + b²? It's not like I'm going to use that in life. School is just a place where parents get robbed and their kids get bea—uh, scolded. Yeah, scolded."
I walked toward the meeting spot with Mei, just one more turn...
"Hey Mei—"
"ROAR!"
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"AHHHHH!!! MONSTER!!!" I screamed as I saw something terrifying.
SMACK! SLAP! WHAM!
"Humph! How dare you call me, the beautiful me, a monster? And stop screaming like that! I nearly had a heart attack."
That was how I started my day.
I'm Jack. And the one who hit me was Jane.
She has waist-length jet-black hair, dark blue eyes, and long eyelashes. She's beautiful, though her attitude is wild. She stands just over 173 cm tall.
In contrast, I have short white hair, crimson-red eyes, and long white eyelashes. I'm 180 cm tall and, not to brag, more handsome than the average guy.
We also have an older brother named Jace. Though we're not related by blood, they took me in when I was eight. While I still miss my biological parents, I've grown to accept this family.
My father was Nick Wolford, an A+ Rank Adventurer with a rare class—"Magic Swordsman." Known as the "Silent Blade," no one ever heard him approach before it was too late.
My mother, Jamie Wolford, was also an A+ Rank Adventurer with the class "Sorcerer," and affinity for all elements. Her chaotic personality earned her the title "Blaster."
Both were national heroes, but they died during a monster outbreak. I became an orphan, and my father's best friend and his wife took me in. But they too died the same day.
Though never an official member, Jace and Jane have treated me like family ever since. As orphans, we received support from the government until adulthood.
Jace is 20, I'm 17, and Jane is 16. Jace works contracted jobs, but he never says much about them.
"Stop daydreaming and get ready! I don't want to be late on my first day!" Jane said, playing with her hair.
Right—her first day of high school. She's a first-year, I'm in second.
"Yeah, yeah—yawn. I'm coming. Go tell big bro to make an omelette for me too."
"He said he's making chicken soup." She grinned—it's her favorite.
"He's making omelette with bread and... mayonnaise?" I said, trying to wipe the grin off her face.
"Nope. Chicken soup with white pear sauce," she replied smugly.
"Bet?"
"Bet. Loser does chores for a week. Deal?"
"Deal."
We went down to the kitchen. Inside, Jace was cooking.
He has the same black hair as Jane, though shorter—shoulder-length. His sky-blue eyes and calm demeanor made him feel like the older brother everyone wished they had. He's a bit over 182 cm tall.
"Morning, bro!" I greeted.
"Jack, good morning." He turned to us. "Good morning to you too, Princess."
"Good morning, big brother," Jane replied sweetly.
Wow... Where did that barbarian go?
"Ouch!" Jane pinched my back.
"Hmm? Something wrong?" Jace asked.
"Nothing at all," I replied, smiling.
We took our seats. Mine was beside Jace, and Jane sat across from me.
I looked at Jane. The despair on her face was priceless.
"B-Brother, didn't you say you'd make chicken soup with white pear sauce? Why the change?"
"We were out of ingredients, so I made omelettes with bread and mayonnaise. Sorry."
"Oh, it's fine. I was just curious," she muttered in defeat.
Wait, wasn't Jane in charge of groceries?
"Weren't you supposed to buy the ingredients?" she asked.
No mercy.
"Ah, no. He did. It was my mistake—I gave the chicken to the neighbors, thinking we had more," Jace said softly.
"It's not your fault, big brother." She smiled, though I could still see the despair.
"Are you ready for your first day?" he asked.
"Yes."
He looked at me. "Help her in school."
"Of course."
"By the way, how did you hurt your hand?" I asked, noticing his bandaged arm.
He flinched and tried to cover it.
"You're hurt?!" Jane pulled up his sleeve and examined the wound. "Why didn't you say anything?! Does it hurt? Of course it hurts! Let's go to the doc—"
"Calm down, Princess. It's just a scratch from work. Nothing serious," Jace said, patting her head.
He's lying.
"Okay..." she said reluctantly.
"Your senses are as sharp as ever," Jace said, looking at me.
"Yeah. He even sensed the omelette from his room," Jane added.
Jace changed the subject. He always did that when hiding something.
"Jack, are you finished?" Jane asked.
"Yeah. Let's go."
We were about to leave when Jace stopped us.
"Wait. I'll drive you both to school today."
"Aren't you busy with work?" Jane asked.
"Yeah, but it's your big day. I want to drop you off."
She smiled and hugged him.
Glad they're enjoying this... But we're going to be late.
"We'll be late!" I said.
They checked the time.
"Oh shoot! Let's go!" Jace exclaimed.
We hurried to the car, a gleaming purple semi-sports model. It took less than twenty minutes to reach school. Jane and I got out.
"Take care, brother!" we waved.
He waved back before driving off.
"Go left, then another left—you'll reach the auditorium. Hurry or you'll be late," I told Jane.
"See you later! Don't cause trouble!" she shouted before disappearing into the crowd.
Sigh. How annoying.
"Truly, how annoying," a familiar voice echoed beside me.
Ron.
"Was that your sister? She's hot."
"Say that again, and you'll meet your maker," I warned.
"Geez, chill. Anyway, let's go to class."
We made our way to the classroom.
Hope I survive today...
We entered the nearly empty classroom. I took my usual seat at the far back left corner, while Ron sat in front of me. One by one, students filed in, and the noise level rose quickly.
Before long, our homeroom teacher walked in, silencing the chatter.
"Good morning, class. Today, a new batch of students is joining our school. To welcome them, the school committee has arranged a surprise physical test."
Groans and protests echoed around the room.
"This test is meant to show the new students what to expect and what we focus on in our curriculum. Take it seriously—and don't get overexcited," she said, her tone flat but firm.
"Say, Jack," Emily, my desk neighbor and one of my few friends, leaned in. "What do you think of this surprise test?"
Ron turned around in interest too.
"It's not much of a surprise. They do it every year," I said, glancing out the window toward the training grounds. "From the setup, it looks like it'll either be one-on-one duels or a team battle."
"How can you tell?" Nick asked from a few seats away.
"Look at the arena and the scoreboard setup," Ron answered before I could.
"Oh," Nick said as he and Emily leaned closer to the window.
"But will it be random 1v1s or matches between pre-selected students?" Emily asked.
"Probably the second one," she guessed. I nodded in agreement.
That's the most likely scenario.
•••
[[Attention: All First-Year and Second-Year students, please proceed to the training grounds immediately. I repeat, all First-Year and Second-Year students, report to the training grounds.]]
The announcement echoed through the speakers.
"Already?" Ron muttered as he got up. "Let's go, my loyal servants!"
"Who are you calling servants, you idiot?!" Nick shouted, chasing after him.
"Idiots," Emily said with a sigh as she stood up. "Let's go, lazybones."
"Yeah, yeah," I replied, rising from my seat.
Within minutes, we arrived at the training grounds. We were told to sit in the lower section of the arena while we waited.
Soon, two members of the student council took the stage.
"Hello everyone! I'm one of your student council reps. Today, my junior and I will be your commentators. Let's begin!"
"As you know, this is an exhibition match to showcase what we teach and what our students are capable of," the girl next to him added. "We've selected two upper-year teams who will spar before you all. Give them a round of applause!"
Two teams—one in blue and one in red—entered the ring with confidence.
"Team Blue consists of: a sturdy Tank, a dual-element Mage, a Support Healer, a swift Marksman, and their leader, a Swordsman."
"Team Red includes: a strong Tank, a Wind-and-Fire Mage, a Damage-focused Swordswoman, a stealthy Assassin, and their leader, a Healer."
The students clapped as both teams stood ready.
"Prepare yourselves. The match begins in... five! Four! Three! Two! One! Go!"