"Phew, that's such a relief!"

"Right? I still can't believe the whole academy gets a two-week break just because of Class AB-1's accident!"

"But seriously, what are we supposed to do during that time?"

"I'm going home. Two weeks of sleep and free food sound perfect to me."

The cafeteria buzzed with laughter and casual talk, but one person sat apart from it all.

Gray rested his chin on his hand, staring blankly out the window. The sunlight reflected on the glass, outlining his distant expression.

He sighed softly, then glanced down at his untouched food… and the folded pamphlet lying beside his tray.

He picked it up, reading the colorful words at the top.

"The beach, huh?" he murmured.

The academy had apparently organized a "special relaxation event" because of the incident, two weeks of rest, games, and parties at a private beach.

[Oh? A beach trip? That means… girls in bikinis, doesn't it?]

Jasmine's teasing voice echoed in his mind.

Gray blinked once.

"You're right." He folded the pamphlet neatly, nodding.

"You convinced me."

[...]

Standing up, he grabbed his tray, dropped it off at the return counter, and walked toward the exit. His pace was slow, his mind still a little hazy.

To anyone else, it might've looked like he was heading back to his dorm. But instead, his steps turned toward the infirmary.

However, just as he reached the door...

"Priestess Selveria! Please… go out with me!"

The voice was loud and desperate enough to echo down the hallway.

Gray froze, then nearly burst out laughing when he recognized the speaker.

"…Frederic," he muttered, smirking faintly.

Dexter's older brother.

[Well, at least he has good taste.]

'Can't argue with that,' Gray thought, eyes narrowing slightly.

Selveria was, without question, one of the academy's most gorgeous women, with her long black hair that shimmered like silk, soft brown eyes, and a small beauty mark under her lip that somehow made her even more captivating.

She carried herself with calm grace, the kind that made even silence feel elegant. Those female students couldn't compare at all.

And now, standing before her, Frederic looked like a hopeless teenager confessing for the first time.

It was quite the contrast from when he met with Gray, where he looked both confident and freaking arrogant.

Selveria, on the other hand, looked perfectly composed. Her hands were folded before her, her voice gentle but firm.

"…I'm sorry, Student Frederic," she said softly.

"But I cannot return your feelings."

Her words were kind, but they dealt quite a blow to Frederic.

Frederic's smile twitched at her kind but resolute words.

"Hahah..."

He tried to laugh it off at first, but the sound came out strained, almost brittle.

"Haha… that's your twentieth rejection, you know?" he said, his voice rising slightly. "Twenty times, and you still give me the same answer every single DAMN TIME!"

Selveria blinked, her calm expression flickering for the first time.

"Frederic, I appreciate your honesty," she said softly. "But… it doesn't matter how many times you confess. My answer won't change."

Behind the door, Gray covered his mouth to stop a chuckle, while Jasmine's voice hummed in his head.

[Twenty times? That's some serious dedication…]

'A true simp, indeed...'

[Simp?]

'...Forget it.'

Inside, Frederic's forced smile finally cracked.

"I see…" he said quietly, his fists clenching at his sides. "So it really doesn't matter what I do, huh?"

"…Frederic?" Selveria frowned slightly, sensing something off in his tone.

Then, that small, fragile smile vanished from his face completely. Instead, a dry laugh escaped his lips,

"Heh… I really tried, you know," he said, taking a step forward.

Selveria instinctively stepped back.

Her hand twitched slightly toward the holy charm around her neck.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked, voice trembling a little.

Frederic's eyes had changed; the warmth in them had gone, replaced by something wild and desperately crazy.

He looked at her like someone staring at a precious thing he couldn't bear to lose.

"I didn't want to do this…" he whispered softly. "I really didn't. I wanted to be gentle. To let you fall for me on your own."

He took another slow step forward.

"But you didn't give me a choice, Selveria."

The air between them felt heavy.

Selveria's back touched the infirmary bed behind her, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she tried to keep her voice calm.

"Frederic… stop this. You're scaring me."

He smiled faintly, and that was somehow worse than if he'd screamed.

"I just… want you to love me."

[...Are you going to keep watching?]

Jasmine asked in disbelief.

'...Nah, I'm getting out of here,' Gray replied flatly.

[Huh?!]

'That guy's way stronger than me. Fuck this, I'm not dying for a romance scene.'

He turned to leave quietly, but of course...

Creak…

The floor betrayed him.

"WHO'S THERE?!" Frederic's head snapped toward the sound, his mana surging violently, covering the whole infirmary.

Gray froze mid-step.

"Gray?" Selveria blinked, exclaiming in surprise.

"…It's you?!" Frederic's voice dropped low, his expression twisting with pure rage. "YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING?!"

"Oh, shit," Gray muttered.

Fwoosh!

Before he could even breathe, Frederic dashed forward, the ground cracking under his feet as he launched himself at Gray.

'Oh...? Is it because I've already fought against him?' Gray muttered inwardly.

'I can see the trajectory lines of his punch...'

Seeing this, Gray's lips curled up as he sidestepped to the left, where Frederic quickly pivoted on his feet, throwing a kick at his head.

But predicting this, Gray had already crouched down before pressing the palm of his hand against Frederic's waist.

"The fuck are you doing?!" Frederic cursed, bringing both of his fists down in a close-up big hit on his back.

SPLURT!

"ARGHHHH!" Frederic screamed loudly as Gray took a few steps back, with blood dripping from the tip of his fingers.

He had extended his strings just inside of Frederic's body, but it seems that he could only break the first forcefield of a Master for now.

"YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!" Frederic turned slowly, eyes wide with fury and disbelief, veins pulsing across his neck.

"Yeah, I figured," Gray sighed.

[You really don't know when to stop, do you?]

Jasmine said dryly.

'Hey, it's not my fault the floor hates me,' Gray replied, brushing blood off his hand.

BOOM!

Frederic didn't wait; the moment Gray spoke, he vanished.

The ground where he stood cracked apart as his fist smashed forward, wind bursting from the impact.

Gray barely twisted aside, but the shockwave still threw him back several meters, rolling across the ground.

"Shit!" he hissed, coughing.

His vision spun.

'...Shit, he's at the Grandmaster realm?!'

He could barely follow Frederic's speed.

"You dare touch me?! You think you can fight me, you piece of trash?!" Frederic appeared in front of him again, eyes burning red.

He swung again, this time faster.

THUD!

Gray crossed his arms to block, but the hit still sent him flying, crashing into a wall. However, surprisingly, the wall suffered no damage on impact.

"Frederic! Stop it! Please!" Selveria screamed.

But he didn't even look at her. He grabbed Gray by the neck the moment he tried to stand, lifting him like a rag doll.

"Do you know how long I waited?" Frederic muttered, voice shaking. "How much I gave up for her?! And now you, YOU, come out of nowhere?!"

"The f-fuck are you talking about?!" Gray tried to complain.

Grip!

Frederic's grip tightened, mana surging around his arm, humming dangerously.

'This motherfucker...'

"Frederic, stop! You'll kill him!" Selveria ran forward, clutching his arm.

He turned his head toward her, his expression twitching with pain and obsession.

"Why do you care so much about him, huh?!"

"I—just stop! You're not thinking straight!"

Her voice cracked, but Frederic only looked more furious.

He threw Gray aside like a doll.

CRASH!

Gray hit the wall hard, dust exploding around him.

He barely moved, his body trembling.

Frederic took a slow step forward, mana swirling violently. His aura felt heavy, like gravity itself was pressing down.

THRUM!

His hand rose, mana gathering again. The pressure in the air thickened, and the ground started to crack under his feet.

"Don't do it!" Selveria grabbed his arm tighter.

But Frederic's rage burned too deep. The blast forming in his palm pulsed violently, as his arm shot towards Gray's face.

"[✧Swap✧]"

BAAM!

CRACK!

"AAARGHHHHH!!"

Frederic's scream tore through the infirmary.

His arm twisted at an unnatural angle, bone snapping loudly as his fist smashed straight into the fortified wall instead of Gray's head.

The stone didn't even chip, but his forearm bent inward, bone bursting through his skin as blood splattered down his sleeve.

He dropped to one knee, clutching his arm and trembling in rage and agony.

"Y-you... YOU BASTARD!!"

Gray stood a few meters away, his expression calm despite the blood dripping from his mouth.

"Gotcha," Je wiped it away with his thumb and smirked faintly.

Thought, inwardly, he clicked his tongue.

'As I thought… these walls are reinforced with strong barrier layers. Even a Grandmaster's strike broke itself instead.'

But as he looked at Frederic, who was beyond angered, he soon frowned.

'...Shit, I'll simply escape now that I have the opportunity...' he thought, but as his eyes briefly landed on Selveria's face, his lips curled into a different kind of smile.

"...Heh."

Fwoosh!

Frederic shot forward again, his aura exploding in pure madness.

A sword of condensed mana formed in his left hand, humming with pressure as he swung it down diagonally.

Gray instantly fired threads toward the nearby wall, pulling himself aside just in time. He slid across the ground in a smooth arc, right beside Selveria.

"Kyaa!"

Her startled cry echoed as Gray's arm wrapped around her waist, steadying himself.

"GRAY!!" Frederic roared, panic flooding his voice.

"LET HER GO!!"

But Gray didn't even look at him.

"Calm down. I'm not hurting her...," he lazily replied.

Yet the thin glimmer of silver threads began to twist gently around Selveria's neck, close enough for her to feel the faint sting on her skin.

Her breath caught.

Gray's smile didn't fade.

"…unless you make me."

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