I spread out a mat on the training area.
"Rudy, what are you up to? Why did you suddenly ask me to wear comfy clothes?"
Yuni showed up, grumbling in her casual sportswear.
It was around the time when the sun was beginning to set.
A reddish twilight hue bathed the training area.
Complaining was understandable, given that it was dinner time.
"Nothing special. Just thought we could play a simple game."
"A game?"
I tapped the mat laid out on the ground.
"Feel it. Doesn't it seem soft and safe, even if you fall on it?"
I looked at Yuni with a smile.
She shot me a suspicious look.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Nothing much. So, up for a challenge?"
"Hmm... I'll hear it out first."
It already seemed like she was up for whatever, having come this far.
"The goal is simple: knock your opponent down. The win is confirmed when their back touches this mat — not just a bit, but the entire back."
"Wait, how... using magic?"
"No, magic would give me an advantage. We'll do it with just our physical abilities."
Yuni stared at me, incredulous.
"Do you really think I have the same strength as you?"
"But."
I held up two fingers.
"You only have to do it one time, while I have to do it two hundred. You only need to knock me down once."
"...Two hundred times?"
Yuni's eyes widened in surprise.
"How about it? Not too hard, right?"
Seeing my smirk, Yuni covered her mouth, pondering.
"...And if I lose?"
"You'll have to do something for me. I can't think of anyone else but you for that particular task."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"For you? Only me?"
Yuni pondered for a moment, then broke into a sly grin.
"Well, if that's the case, I have no choice. It does seem simple and fun, after all. I just have to knock you down, right?"
With that, Yuni stepped onto the mat.
"I'll win in no time."
Diark heaved a sigh.
He made a mistake.
Unable to contain his anger, he blurted out words he shouldn't have.
"That commoner..."
Diark thought of the smirk Kuhn had shown at the end.
An expression so annoying that he couldn't bear it.
He nearly threw a punch upon seeing that smirk but, with immense self-control, he hastily retreated from the scene.
Yet, reflecting on the current situation, he felt he should've just thrown that punch.
He never thought Princess Yuni would relinquish her student council presidency so readily.
No, it was even more shocking to hear she had never desired the position from the start.
There had always been many rumors surrounding Princess Yuni.
From being labeled a talentless princess and the disgrace of the royal lineage, to the clueless princess and others, she had been given numerous peculiar nicknames.
But having spoken to her personally, Diark realized these rumors didn't hold up.
She was knowledgeable in various areas, her grades at the academy were among the top, and she was skilled enough to be in the elite class.
Yet, every time he watched her, something seemed wrong.
Despite her apparent depth, there was an emptiness about her.
And with what happened recently, he pinpointed what it was.
It was ambition.
Most of the discussions between Diark and Yuni centered around the student council presidency.
But from the beginning, Princess Yuni showed no genuine interest, hence the lack of enthusiasm.
That said, it didn't mean she lacked enthusiasm in other areas.
When attending classes, she was always listening with full concentration.
"Ugh..."
Diark sighed again and rose from his seat.
While Yuni might have had thoughts of giving up from the start, had he not made a mistake, she might have changed her mind.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})In the end, the reason they lost the election was due to his mistake.
That didn’t mean he wasn't irritated with Yuni.
Though he acknowledged his error, he was genuinely angered by her words.
Such thoughts only increased his frustration and concerns.
"Maybe I should train a bit..."
Diark picked up the sword beside him and headed to the training area.
With midterms around the corner, he needed to refocus and get back to studying.
Though Diark enrolled in the magic department, being a magic swordsman, he occasionally trained by himself.
As Diark approached the training area, he began to hear an unsettling noise.
"Kyaaaaa!!!"
A woman's shriek.
But it didn't end there.
"St-stop!!! I admit defeat!!! Keeeek!!!"
Diark, with his sword lowered, cautiously moved towards the training area.
He wasn't sure about the specifics, but it was clear someone was in distress.
To save that person, it was essential to approach cautiously and silently subdue the perpetrator rather than rushing in.
A hasty move might turn the victim into a hostage.
Diark carefully opened the door and peered inside.
Inside, he saw a man and a woman.
“Kiyaaaaaaaa!!!”
Thud!!!
The man forcefully slammed the woman onto the ground.
'Is that... Rudy Astria?'
The woman on the ground was Yuni.
The two had once vied for the position of student council president.
But what were they doing now?
"I admit defeat alreadyyyyyyy!!!"
Thud!!!
Rudy seized Yuni's arm, causing her to trace an arc in the air before crashing back down.
Looking at Yuni on the ground, Rudy remarked,
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"That's the 87th time."
While Yuni wore comfortable sportswear, Rudy was dressed in the academy's uniform.
Rudy removed his tie and threw it to the ground.
"Get up. Let's finish this quickly."
"Can we... can we end this now? I've had enough..."
Rudy gently helped Yuni to her feet.
His grip, though firm, didn't seem harmful.
It was as if he was merely assisting a younger sibling to stand.
However, his next move showed no mercy.
“I've had enoughhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
Thud!!!!!!!
"......"
Multiple mats cushioned the floor, reducing the impact.
But being continually thrown into the air like that must have been disorienting.
Still, seeing Yuni repeatedly crash onto the ground evoked an inexplicable satisfaction in him.
For a moment, Diark watched the scene, feeling a rush of joy.
It was as if he was relieving stress without having to undergo any training himself.
After observing for a brief period, a contented smile formed on Diark's face and he returned to his room.
"Rudy... that's too much. Seriously... how could you do this to me!!!!"
"It seems you still have the energy to complain."
The match didn't feel like much of a contest anymore.
Around the time I slammed Yuni to the ground for the tenth time, she had lost her enthusiasm, but I was committed.
200 times.
I had a sense of obligation to keep to the 200 throws I had promised.
Eventually, I achieved it.
Wiping my sweat, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
Around the 100th throw, Yuni had yelled for me to stop.
But by the 150th, she simply got up on her own, signaling for me to continue.
She probably decided it was better to finish quickly than to resist.
"We're finally done."
I picked up my school uniform and tie from the floor.
"So, I won, right?"
"Yes~ Yes~ You won."
Yuni raised her hand in a sign of defeat.
I chuckled at her reaction.
"Rudy!"
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Luna dashed in.
"Rudy! You skipped dinner and didn't study... what have you been doing?"
Entering the training area, Luna's eyes darted between Yuni and me.
Seeing our disheveled state, Luna looked at us with a mix of shock and confusion.
"Huh? Luna?"
Confused by her abrupt reaction, I tilted my head.
Why was she reacting like that?
I glanced over at Yuni and myself.
The floor was wet from our sweat, Yuni's clothes were disheveled, and I had casually unbuttoned my shirt.
Yuni was sitting on the floor, seemingly too drained to stand, gasping for breath.
"Luna... You’re not thinking something weird, are you?"
"Ah, ah..."
Luna’s eyes widened, and she began to step back.
"Hey, it's not like that."
Though the scene might have looked a bit peculiar, who in their right mind would do anything indecent here in the training area?
Sure, this place was on the outskirts, a place not frequented by many.
Someone might assume something might have happened, but...
Just then, Luna seemed about to scream.
"Ru-Rudy...! Rudy has become...!"
"Shh, quiet!"
From behind, Rie appeared with a smile, covering Luna's mouth.
"There's no problem here, so don't worry."
"Mmm...?"
I awkwardly smiled at Luna, who was looking baffled.
Lately, Luna seemed to find herself silenced quite often.
"Rie..."
Yuni looked intently at Rie.
Rie released Luna and walked over to Yuni, squatting down in front of her.
"You do realize you were in the wrong, right?"
"...Yes."
"Why did you do it? You weren't like this before."
Rie spoke in a soothing tone.
Initially, I had thought they didn't get along well, but seeing them now, they seemed closer than I had assumed.
"......I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize to me. You should apologize to those who had faith in you."
Rie extended her hand to Yuni.
I tilted my head, wondering.
So why did she do all this?
I was curious, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask.
“Come on, get up. You haven't eaten, right? Let's go eat."
Yuni, with a gloomy expression, took Rie's hand.
Rie looked at her and smiled gently.
“Oh, by the way, Rudy, what was that thing you bet on?”
As Rie helped Yuni to her feet, she glanced at me.
“Oh, that?”
I chuckled lightly.
Then the next day.
"I'm... I'm to be a teaching assistant?"
I walked with Yuni towards Professor Gracie's laboratory.
"Yes, you'll be a teaching assistant."
"But I'm a... princess, aren't I?"
"It was the result of our bet. You do what I tell you."
"But you never mentioned anything about being a teaching assistant!!! You said it would be something only I could do!!!!!"
I just shrugged in response.
I smiled as I opened the door to Professor Gracie's laboratory.
"Professor, hello."
I stepped inside.
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That ends the mini Yuni arc!
