Chapter 19: Break Time

The next day.

Aruta still went to school despite being covered in bandages from his fight with Mono the day before. Occasionally, Aruta would stop walking because his wounds suddenly throbbed with pain. However, once the pain subsided, he would continue on his way to school, holding onto his stomach, which still ached.

"Hehe, Mona's treatment was really brutal," Aruta muttered to himself.

***

Last night, Mona had treated Aruta with full force. She bandaged the wound on his stomach but pulled the bandage tightly and roughly, causing Aruta to writhe in pain.

"Just a little more!" Mona said as she yanked the bandage.

"Ahh, IT HURTS!!" Aruta screamed.

"Hey, sis, are you trying to kill him or what?" Mono asked, grabbing Mona's hand as she held the bandage.

"Of course not! This is how I usually treat injuries," Mona replied, pulling the bandage even tighter, making it painfully snug around Aruta's stomach.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Mono quickly snatched the bandage from Mona's hands.

"Enough! I'll take care of him," Mono said, starting to treat Aruta properly.

***

Back to the present, Aruta finally arrived at school. As he headed to his classroom, he overheard some students whispering about the numerous bandages on his body. Aruta tried to ignore them and went straight to his class.

When he entered the classroom, Kevin, who was sitting on a desk, immediately approached him.

"Yo, good morning, Aruta," Kevin greeted. He was surprised to see the amount of bandages on Aruta's body. "Whoa, Aruta? Why are you covered in so many bandages? What happened to you?" Kevin asked.

"Ah, that... I... I got into an accident," Aruta replied, sweating nervously, hoping Kevin would believe him.

"Hmm? Really? It looks more like you got mugged or something," Kevin said, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I wasn't mugged," Aruta assured him.

"Hmm, alright. It's crazy that you didn't even go to the hospital after an accident that left you like this," Kevin said before returning to his seat.

"Phew, glad he bought it," Aruta muttered, sighing in relief. "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask yesterday if this organization is a secret or not. I'll ask Mono later," he thought to himself as he headed to his seat.

***

A few hours passed, and the bell rang. It was time for lunch. Aruta quickly closed his books and, without putting them in his bag, rushed to the cafeteria.

Food was the perfect way to replenish Aruta's energy after using all his willpower to stay awake during class. The last time he fell asleep in class, he ended up cleaning the school toilets. And something unpleasant happened. Aruta accidentally discovered a "treasure" in the school toilet, which traumatized him and made him vow never to fall asleep in class again. Even though he stayed awake, his brain was practically fried.

When Aruta arrived at the cafeteria, it wasn't too crowded yet since the bell had just rung, and Aruta had dashed there immediately.

Aruta looked around and spotted a burger stall. The poster caught his eye, and he quickly made his way over.

When he reached the stall, the vendor greeted him warmly. "Hello, kiddo. What would you like to order?" the vendor asked.

"What's on the menu?" Aruta asked.

"It's over there," the vendor said, pointing to an iPad.

"An iPad?" Aruta said as he approached it.

"Yup, just click on what you want to order, and I'll start cooking it right away," the vendor explained.

"Wow, cool!" Aruta said, swiping through the iPad's screen, which displayed various burger options. "Hmm, let me think for a moment," Aruta said.

"Take your time," the vendor replied.

Aruta began pondering what to order. A super spicy burger? But Aruta couldn't handle too much spice. A chicken burger? Hmm, that seemed too ordinary. A beef burger? But maybe he should save money. As Aruta continued to deliberate, he didn't notice the growing line behind him.

"Hey, hurry up!" some students behind him called out, but Aruta was too engrossed in the menu.

"Come on! I don't want my break to be spent just waiting in line!" another student complained.

"Ugh, should we just go to another stall?" someone else suggested.

"Hey, kid, can you hurry up with your order?" the vendor asked, since there was only one iPad for ordering.

"Alright, I'll have the chicken burger!" Aruta finally decided.

"YAY!!" The students behind him cheered in relief.

However, just as they thought the ordeal was over, a voice from the iPad asked, "What toppings would you like?" Everyone fell silent, and Aruta started thinking about toppings again. The disappointed faces of the students behind him were unmistakable.

Suddenly, the vendor grabbed the iPad and quickly tapped on the menu. He handed it back to Aruta and said he just needed to pay.

"I've chosen your burger for you. Believe me, you'll love it," the vendor said with a thumbs-up and a big smile.

"Huh? O-okay," Aruta replied.

Soon after, Aruta's burger was ready, and he took the wrapped burger with him.

"Fiuh that kid. I almost lost all of my money today," the vendor muttered as he watched Aruta leave. He then returned to cooking the next order.

***

Aruta walked around looking for a seat, but all the tables were full.

"Huh? The cafeteria's already packed? It was empty just a moment ago," Aruta mumbled, still unaware of how much time he had spent just ordering a burger.

He looked around and finally spotted a table with one empty seat. The table had two chairs, and Mono was sitting in one of them, eating her lunch. There was a book and a phone next to her lunchbox. Aruta quickly approached the table.

"Hey, Mono. Can I sit here?" Aruta asked as he reached the table.

"Oh, hi. Sure," Mono replied.

Aruta placed his burger on the table and sat down.

He glanced at Mono and noticed a large bandage on her cheek.

"Does it still hurt from my punch yesterday?" Aruta asked.

"A little. But it's fine," Mono answered.

"Sorry for hitting you so hard yesterday," Aruta said.

"It's okay. No need to apologize," Mono replied before continuing to eat her lunch.

Aruta looked at Mono's lunchbox and saw rice, eggs, sausages, and some grapes.

"Did your sister make that for you?" Aruta asked.

"No, I made it myself. I'd die if my sister made my lunch," Mono said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Aruta asked.

"Uh, never mind," Mono replied shortly, focusing on her food again.

Aruta was confused but decided not to press further. He unwrapped his burger-a beef and egg burger. As he took a bite, it didn't taste bad at all.

While eating, Aruta remembered the stone from last night and decided to ask Mono about it.

"Mono," Aruta called.

"Hmm?" Mono looked up.

"I'm curious about the stone we were chasing last night. What is it?" Aruta asked.

"Has Mr. Kuroto not told you about it?" Mono asked.

"Not yet," Aruta replied.

Mono glanced around briefly before speaking. "Hmm, it doesn't seem like anyone's listening."

She put down her spoon and placed both hands on the table, clasping them together.

"That stone is called 'Arabes Seal,'" Mono explained.

"'Arabes Seal'?" Aruta asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As the name suggests, it's a seal created by the worst mage who ever lived, Arabes Astropos. Arabes was sealed by the most powerful mage in history, Arthuria Luminaire," Mono elaborated.

"Arthuria Luminaire?! Wasn't she the emperor who ruled the eastern and northern continents five hundred years ago?" Aruta exclaimed in surprise.

"Hehe, you're not as clueless as I thought. Arthuria lived five hundred years ago, during what's known as the 'Golden Age' of LYNK magic."

"The Golden Age?" Aruta asked.

"If nowadays it's rare to find someone who can master LYNK magic, back then, at least one out of every ten people could use basic techniques," Mono explained.

"How do you know all this?" Aruta asked.

"From ancient records. Juntoshi Mages also conduct research like this, you know," Mono replied. "And one of the records mentions that Arabes and Arthuria were among the Masters of LYNK."

"Masters of LYNK?" Aruta asked.

"The ancient records say that Masters of LYNK were titles given to mages who were incredibly powerful and nearly unmatched, except by other Masters of LYNK," Mono explained. "Arabes was sealed by Arthuria in a box-shaped stone covered in symbols. Arthuria broke the Arabes Seal into twenty-seven pieces and scattered them across the world. The stone you found a few days ago is one of those twenty-seven pieces."

"Then why were you chasing the seal last night? Isn't the seal already strong enough?" Aruta asked.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. Besides, for some reason, the seal has started to weaken, and Arabes' LYNK energy is leaking out, even if only a little. But even a small amount of Arabes' LYNK energy is incredibly powerful. That energy attracts junoi," Mono explained.

"Hmm... I see," Aruta said, nodding.

"But the seal shouldn't be able to open. Or maybe it could if someone forced it open. But that seems impossible," Mono added.

"I see," Aruta said, taking another bite of his burger. "Hmm, Arabes sounds really powerful. By the way, this burger is pretty big."

After Mono finished her explanation, the two continued eating their meals.

***

A few minutes later, Aruta and Mono finished their meals. Mono drank from her water bottle and picked up the book she had brought, opening it to read. Meanwhile, Aruta let out a loud burp.

"Ahh, I'm so full. That burger was huge," Aruta said, holding his stomach and leaning back in his chair.

"SAKO!!" Suddenly, a loud male voice echoed through the cafeteria.

Aruta and Mono turned to see a boy kneeling in front of a girl. Several other girls were gathered around them.

"I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?" the boy asked.

Suddenly, Sako kicked the boy, sending him sprawling.

"Tch, no way!" Sako said sharply, glaring at him.

Sako then walked away from the boy.

"Wow, Sako's so bold!" one of the girls exclaimed.

"Sako's such a queen!" another girl said.

"I wish I could be like Sako!" yet another girl added.

"Damn, she's really sharp-tongued. But I don't think I've seen her before," Aruta muttered. "Hey, Mono, have you seen that girl before?" Aruta asked.

"Yeah, I met her yesterday with my sister. She just transferred to this school yesterday. She's a bit sharp-tongued," Mono replied.

***

Yesterday, while Mono and Mona were walking together.

"Ugh, I'm so tired from carrying all that stuff," Mona said, slumping forward like a wilted plant.

"Hang in there," Mono said, playing with her phone.

Mona looked toward the field and saw some students playing.

"Wow, they're having fun. Maybe some fun things doesn't hurt," Mona said.

"Hey, you still have to help the teachers. You'll be in trouble if they catch you," Mono said, lowering her phone.

"Come on. Just playing for a bit won't hurt," Mona replied, giving a thumbs-up and a smile.

Shortly after, Mono and Mona saw a girl walking toward them. It was Sako.

Mona immediately greeted her, "Hi! Are you Yurisako Ayame?"

"Hehe, yes," Sako replied politely.

"How's your first day at this school?" Mona asked.

"Pretty good," Sako replied. "You're the student council president, Mona Stardust, right?" Sako asked.

"Yup, that's right. It's a shame I'm so busy; otherwise, I could show you around the school," Mona said with a sigh. "How about my sister Mono shows you around instead?" Mona suggested, pointing to Mono, who waved.

"Oh, n-no, that's okay," Sako said, waving her hands quickly.

"It's fine, don't be shy," Mono said.

"Ew, gross," Sako suddenly said, her tone shifting sharply as she gave Mono a disgusted look.

"Damn, she's really sharp-tongued. And she's picky too," Mono thought, though her expression remained neutral.

***

Back to the present.

"Eh... whatever," Mono said, lowering her head and focusing on her book again.

Aruta glanced at Sako again and was startled to see her looking directly at him. Sako then walked over.

"What are you staring at? Are you having dirty thoughts?" Sako asked sharply.

"Huh? Hey, don't just accuse people like that. You're the new student, Sako, right?" Aruta asked.

"Yeah. So what?" Sako replied curtly.

Sako looked Aruta up and down and noticed he was wearing shoes featuring a character from the comic Ultra X named Astea. Astea was a "trap" character in the series.

"Huh? Aren't those shoes..." Sako muttered. "Tch, just from the shoes, I can tell. They're Astea's shoes. Ugh, you're such a pervert," Sako said.

"Hey, don't just say whatever you want. These are rare shoes. I saved up for a long time to get them," Aruta said.

"But why Astea's shoes? There are other characters with equally rare shoes. Admit it. You're into 'traps,' aren't you?" Sako said, slamming her hand on Aruta's table.

"This was the only pair left. Besides, Astea's one of the top ten strongest characters in Ultra X. His backstory is great too," Aruta said, standing up to face Sako.

"Ugh, you're so noisy," Mono muttered, getting up and leaving.

"Hmph! Instead of dealing with a pervert like you, I'd rather go buy some pie," Sako said, starting to walk away.

"Wait, you mean the special pie that's only sold today at an insanely low price? I'm coming too!" Aruta said, jumping up and rushing toward the pie stall.

"Hey, why are you following me?" Sako asked, annoyed that Aruta was suddenly joining her.

"If I want to buy it, that's my business!" Aruta replied.

"Then you'll have to get in line behind me," Sako said.

"Tch, why should I listen to you?" Aruta asked, smirking at Sako.

Sako, irritated, suddenly threw a punch at Aruta's face. Aruta caught her fist, but he was also surprised by the speed of her attack.

"Tch," Sako muttered, equally surprised that Aruta had blocked her.

"Instead of fighting, how about we settle this with a challenge?" Aruta suggested, releasing Sako's hand.

Sako looked around and spotted the "Devil Noodle" stall.

"Hmm, how about I challenge you to a level five Devil Noodle eating contest?" Sako proposed.

"Bring it on," Aruta replied confidently. "The winner gets the pie," he added with a wide grin.

"Hehe, you've got guts," Sako said, also grinning. "What's your name?"

"Aruta," he replied.

Aruta and Sako locked eyes, staring each other down intensely, as if a life-or-death match was about to begin.