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[Time: 10:45 AM]

A flash of black hair caught my eye as they revealed the updated bracket. The match times had shifted across the board. This meant not just my own but…everyone\'s fight order had been affected.

[Next Match:]

[Right Side Bracket]

[Time: 10:55 AM]

Alice Elizabeth (4)

—————| Winner: TBD

Nevel Tems (29)

I scanned the chart and checked for the next upcoming match... Seeing that it was Alice vs. \'Nevel Tems\' at 10:55 am which was less than ten minutes from now.

I turned to see that Alice appeared completely absorbed in her world, seemingly unaware of her match?

Normally, that wouldn\'t have concerned me, but her name was literally flashing on her wrist saying,

"Missing Inspection"

"Missing Inspection"

"Missing Inspection"

Did she miss it? Maybe. Then again, she could be dreaming of something else in her usual calm expression. was she nervous? It seemed uncharacteristic.

And with a quick thought I decided to tell her, I leaned forward, tapping her gently on the shoulder. "Um, Alice? Isn\'t your match next?"

"...!"

Suddenly, focus snapped back into her eyes. She blinked, the spell broken, and then her usually composed face took on a shade of crimson as she glanced at her watch.

"Oh…oh! Uh…you\'re right," she stuttered, the words barely audible against the rising crowd murmur. "Thank you for telling me…" Her voice trailed off, and there was a distinct urgency in her next motion.

Before I could say anything else, she was up and rushing out of the stands, the usual aura of serene control traded for a quick but obvious panic.

Well, it seemed not even Alice was immune to my author\'s curse. There was certainly more to her than meets the eye…and even if it wasn\'t intentional, It was a nice side to see from her.

The roar of the crowd intensified within the arena, which had started to grind on my ears as the announcer was preparing for the next match between Alice and whoever that guys name was.

I needed a break from the energy surging through the stands. With my match still hanging in nothingness, there was little point fixating on potential opponents and There was no point in seeing Alice fight since she wasn\'t in my bracket anyway.

I needed space to decompress and just relax.

"It\'s scary how far I\'ve managed to get already," I murmured to myself. This whole situation still felt…surreal. To think that there was enough stress with the fights. I had to worry about who I could be versing in the next upcoming rounds.

glance... glance... glance...

checking the all-around bracket for the right side I was sure it was game over for me so I didn\'t want to think about it for too long so a quick walk brought me out of the stadium and out into the open air.

...

[5 Minutes Later]

...

...

[Pinnacle Academy Stadium 1 - Arena A: Outside of the Stadium]

Haah... the campus grounds were so peaceful, This silence was much better than hearing hecklers from the second and third-year students.

HaaAAAAAH

With a relieved sigh, I spotted a bench nestled in the shade of a leafy tree, overlooking a well-groomed stretch of lawn. It was a break from the mess, and it didn\'t seem occupied. Perfect.

whoooshhh

As the sway of the branches under the sunlight was…almost hypnotically calming. I let the cool breeze wash over me, my body started to relax and the earlier tension finally faded.

The world narrowed down to the rustling of leaves and the pleasant warmth on my skin. Eyes closed, I allowed my mind to drift into nothingness.

"Rel?" a voice shattered the silence.

Just when I felt that peace washing over me, a loud and very familiar voice brought a frustrated look to my face.

Snapping my eyes open, I blinked once or twice, momentarily stunned as I adjusted to the abrupt switch from the smiling face of Jan standing above me. "Jan?"

Seriously... Why is it that he\'s always here around me when I just need the peace, Is it my luck stat or was it that I was unlucky enough to always see him?

"Are you a stalker by any chance? Because there\'s no way... I\'ve seen you for the fifth time this week," I let a note of mock weariness settle into my voice as Jan dropped beside me on the bench. His presence wasn\'t exactly unwelcome, but a part of me wished for just a few more minutes of quiet thinking.

Jan smiled, completely unfazed, as if my question was simply a polite greeting. "Hmm... I\'m not a stalker, but we do see each other quite often." Jan Paused, "Maybe, It\'s a touch of fate." He looked straight at me pointing towards nothingness.

A touch of fate, huh? That thought struck me as oddly as it sounded. Even though some higher power did throw me into this world, my world…this story was unfolding in ways I had never thought possible.

Although a rough few months had passed, those quiet moments of reflection held a strange satisfaction. The fights, the characters, even the frustrations I faced as this lower class student known as \'Rel Laurence\'…there was beauty in the constant struggle.

With a nod, I relaxed back against the bench, I guess I had to accept seeing Jan as often. although he\'s more of a disruption than a main character in my eyes.

"Hey, Jan," the words formed unexpectedly, a question that had nothing to do with the tournament like this, "What do you think about…demons and devils? Like, do you think they exist out there?"

"..."

A rare silence followed. Jan stared across the mowed lawns, that ever-present expression blinking as he considered my question.

The change in tone seemed both startling and confusing to him. Finally, in a voice quieter than expected, he answered,

"That\'s a weird one, Rel, but sure. If devils and demons are out there, I bet there are angels and heaven, too. Gotta be that balance, right?"

pffft...

A warm chuckle slipped from my lips. That was not at all the reply I\'d expected. Jan had never been known for philosophical deep dives. Still, his sincerity was strangely warming.

"That\'s an…interesting response," I replied, keeping my face expressionless as I hid a hint of amusement.

"Eh? Why did you ask that in the first place?" Jan squinted at me, the carefree aura finally shaken with a glint of his interest.

With a slight shrug, I chose an evasive yet true answer. "Nothing really. It\'s just a random thought…"

Of course, in this world, Demi-humans aren\'t well known yet, And Jan would be the first of many students to witness the true nature of what a monster is, as the first sighting to the world would be when we travel to France and afterwards many other outbreaks would follow of these so-called demons shaking the world in fear.

The group responsible for the production of these people is The Devil Worshiper Cult, the monstrous outbreaks... all of it overlooked just under the surface of our conversation.

The end of the world is far from near, yet here I sat beside the one person who could stop it all. I knew his secret, I knew everything about him, From every small detail, to his character traits, and mannerisms there wasn\'t anything I didn\'t know about Jan.

He was my idea of a perfect person.

He was the concept of a true hero.

_____________

Authors Notes:

- No authors notes today D: