I threw myself into practicing the forms of Blossoming Horizons, not wanting to think about whatever had just happened.

But of course, forcing my mind not to wander somewhere only made it want to go there even more.

I… couldn't get her face out of my head.

The way she looked up at me, color blooming on her cheeks, the tips of her ears red, all flustered and shaking adorably, panting and wide-eyed.

And I didn't even want to think about how good she felt in my arms, hot and soft and just so… so right, like she belonged there.

I breathed through my teeth, feeling my heart rate quicken just as I lost focus and made one slash a bit faster than the other.

The flow between my two stone swords broke, and I lost the rhythm completely.

"What are you doing?" came Michael's infuriating voice just as I stopped to collect myself. "You lost the rhythm completely."

I fought off the urge to hit him. "I know, genius."

"You're swinging your left blade wrong. Why did you pull back your stance on that third step right there?" Michael asked, analyzing my practice from where he was sitting against a boulder a few steps away.

Next to him, Ray was busy telling Vince why he believed scotch was better than wine… and why attractive people deserved better treatment than ugly ones.

Yeah, both discussions had nothing to do with each other. Both discussions were stupid.

I shrugged at Michael. "What do you mean, Juli does it like that?"

Michael knitted his brows in a furrow. "Julia is a woman."

That drew Vince and Ray's attention.

"Whoa, Mickey, don't be sexist! Most of the world has moved past the age of discrimination, you know?!" exclaimed Ray, a lookist.

"Yeah, dude. What are you, a Southerner? Only they still believe in old-fashioned customs and beliefs like that!" accused Vince, a Southerner.

"Exactly! Everyone should be treated equally! We're all humans, we're all the same!" I nodded along, an alleged soft supremacist, aristocratist, and social Darwinist.

Michael facepalmed.

"I didn't mean it like that, idiots," he turned to me. "I meant women have a slightly lower center of gravity compared to men, due to more mass in the lower body and wider pelvises. In short, you can't copy Julia's style because you don't have her balance."

I leaned on one sword, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "Fair, so what do I do?"

"Well, men aren't as stable, but we do generally have taller stature and longer limbs. So just step back instead of pulling back. Keep yourself stable and use your long reach to carry out the slash," he said helpfully.

I nodded once, then shifted my footing as he said, testing the stance.

"Like this?" I asked.

Michael squinted. "Don't ask. Do."

I rolled my shoulders and let my body settle.

This time, when I stepped back instead of pulling myself, the motion felt a lot cleaner. The reach extended naturally while the arc of the slash became smoother and less forced.

Just to be sure, I tested the swing once again.

And once again, stone sang through the air.

Swish—!

The rhythm reformed as the second blade followed the first without lag.

"Huh," I muttered, impressed by how even a little movement could make such a big difference.

"See? That's so much better!" Michael clapped his hands, satisfied. "You know what, you should start sparring a little. I've noticed you fight more on instinct. If you practice that swordart in a real fight, you'll instinctively make adjustments and learn faster."

I snorted. "You just want an excuse to hit me like Alexia."

Michael's mouth twitched. "If I wanted an excuse, I wouldn't bother hiding it!"

Ray looked up immediately. "Ooh, sparring? Let's make it a group thing! Girls can have their jacuzzi bath, we'll have real fun."

"Yeah, no. I'm not joining," Vince got up and walked over to where Kang was lazing comfortably on his side. "I don't think getting hit by a couple of B-rankers would be real fun."

Unfortunately, he underestimated how stubborn his best friend could be. At last, to stop Ray from pestering them, both Vince and Kang had to join.

•••

We sparred for an hour.

And somewhere during that hour, the sparring session turned into a full-on brawl.

I don't remember what happened, or who started it.

But by the end of it, the clearing looked like a crime scene.

Someone (Ray! It was Ray!) had managed to crater the ground so thoroughly that it resembled a patchwork of shallow impact zones.

Loose stones were everywhere and a tree had lost a significant chunk of its bark.

And all of us were… ruined.

I was on my back, staring up at the canopy, chest heaving, one arm draped dramatically over my eyes like I'd just survived a war — which, frankly, wasn't far off at that point.

To my left, Michael lay flat on his stomach, face pressed into the dirt, fingers twitching every few seconds like he was trying to remember how to move his hands

Ray was sitting upright against a rock, hands on his knees, wheezing loudly.

"Okay," he gasped, "I'll admit it. Maybe… maybe B-rank doesn't make me invincible."

"Oh, you don't say!" Kang hissed from somewhere nearby.

I turned my head just enough to spot him sprawled half on Vince, half on the ground, both of them staring blankly at the sky like men who had seen too much.

"Why," Vince croaked, "did we agree to this?"

"Peer pressure," I said weakly.

"Idiocy," Michael added into the dirt.

Ray lifted a finger. "Men bonding?"

"No," four voices replied in unison.

We stayed like that for a while. No one moved and no one spoke.

The jungle filled the silence with the serene sound of soft wind rustling leaves.

Then, all at once, all of us burst out laughing.

Even Kang couldn't help himself and dropped his aloof exterior, reducing to a mess of breathless gasps that were undoubtedly chuckles.

"Ahh," Vince sighed after calming down. "Maybe we should all also take a bath."

"Yeah," Ray tried to move his head in a way that could've been a nod before sniffing himself. "God, I smell bad."

"Heh," I scoffed. "Peasants."

He frowned at me. "Don't act like you're any better, Lord Theosbane."

I let out a loud snort. "Please, smelling bad is such a pedestrian thing. I always smell amazing."

"Bullshit!" Ray snarled, then gathered all his willpower to pull himself up and began crawling over to me.

"Ray, don't—" I started.

He leaned in and sniffed… only to be absolutely petrified.

The expressions on his face shifted so fast it was almost comical — from skepticism to confusion to disbelief, then something resembling betrayal.

"…What in the name of Monarchs," he whispered.

Kang's ears perked up like an interested pup. "What?"

"You—" Ray leaned into me again, slower this time, like he couldn't trust his own senses. "He smells… good."

Dead silence was what followed upon his declaration.

Michael lifted his head an inch from the dirt. "No way."

"Yeah! I mean," Ray corrected hurriedly, as if embarrassed by the word itself, "not just good. He smells amazing."

I groaned. "Oh for the love of— get off me!"

Michael pushed himself up onto his elbows and leaned over. "Move."

"I am not moving," Ray started shaking his head like he was scared to be dragged away from me. "This is a scientific anomaly! I must look into it!"

Michael ignored him and leaned in anyway to take a sniff himself. His brows immediately shot up. "…What the holy fuck!"

That piqued Kang's full attention. He rolled onto his side and narrowed his eyes. "What?! What?!"

Vince followed, crawling closer on sheer curiosity alone. "Okay, now I have to know."

"No, you don't!" I protested, already trying to scoot backward. "Back off, everyone! Back the fuck off!"

But it was too late again.

One by one, the three of them leaned in, sniffed, paused, and stared with their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"What sorcery is this?! You smell like—" Vince frowned, searching for words. "Like clean air. But… expensive!!"

"Like a noble," Ray added accusingly.

"That's classist," I muttered. "Now get off!"

Kang came to sniff last, almost reluctant but looking like he couldn't help himself. And like everyone else, his reaction was the same. "…Huh."

That sealed my fate.

Because within seconds, they were all over me, kneeling and leaning, with their faces far too close for comfort.

Someone's elbow dug into my ribs. Someone else's knee was definitely somewhere it shouldn't be.

"Okay, okay—" I tried to push Ray's face away from my neck. "Enough! Personal space! Please!"

"No!" Ray said firmly, almost on the brink of genuine tears. "This is bullshit! You were sweating like the rest of us!"

His reaction was still tame compared to Michael's, who began tearing my clothes off and patting me down. "Are you hiding cologne in your pockets?!"

"What?" I barked. "Why would I— Hey! Don't touch me there!"

He touched me there.

"That's it!" Vince snapped his fingers. "Black magic! It has to be black magic!"

"Yeah!" Kang jumped in. "There's no way this is natural!"

I finally managed to sit up halfway, only for them to pin me down. Kang and Vince grabbed my waist and arms, while Michael continued to search every inch of me.

"I don't use cologne, Michael! Stop! Stop touching me!" I cried out. He didn't care. "It's just how I always smell!"

That somehow enraged them even more.

"Bullshit!"

"No way!"

"I'll kill you!"

"I hate you!"

"Get off me! Just get off me!" I growled, shoving uselessly at shoulders and arms. "You're all disgusting."

"You're deflecting," Ray accused.

"No, moron! I am suffocating!" I snapped.

And then…

Thak, Thak, Thak—

We heard footsteps.

Everyone froze at the sound, and then tried to scramble off me. But as was the norm today, it was too late by then.

We heard someone gasp.

I sucked in air and sat up with everyone else, only to see the girls standing at the edge of the clearing.

They took in the whole scene silently.

The clearing looked like it had been mauled by wild beasts.

And the five of us were in the middle of it with messy hair, dirt-streaked faces, and torn clothes. We were breathing far too hard, sitting far too close together, and looking far too guilty.

No one said a word.

Juliana's gaze lingered for half a second longer than necessary before she turned away without a word.

Lily followed after her. "I don't want to know."

"Thank God I can't see," Alexia muttered. Then she too turned away and walked off, her cane tapping lightly against the ground.

"W-Wait! Lady Alexia, wait!" Ray called.

"Yeah, it's not what it looks like!" Vince added a cliché line desperately.

"We were sparring!" Michael said quickly.

"And then sniffing Samael!" Ray finished.

Silence.

Complete silence.

The girls disappeared down the path, not looking back. We stayed there on the ground, watching.

"…Why did you say that," Michael hissed.

Ray slapped his forehead. "I panicked!"

I rubbed my face, exhaling through my nose. "I hate all of you."

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