ASCC-Chapter 34 A Pity He Can Talk

A Weekend Morning

Ryoji stood frozen at the entrance of Hagun Academy, watching Stella Vermillion walk back towards the gate, slightly breathless. His jaw hung open in disbelief.

"…What kind of monster are you, Stella San?"

He was almost speechless, a mixture of awe and envy washing over him.

After only a few days of training, Stella had already caught up to Kurogane Ikki's rigorous routine. Even after a 20-kilometer morning run, she was only slightly winded. The exhausted look she used to share with Ryoji after their runs was a distant memory.

In other words, Stella's physical fitness had skyrocketed in a matter of days.

Ryoji's own stamina had been improving steadily, but nowhere near Stella's pace. If they were ranked, his stamina probably hadn't even reached D-Rank.

'Is this normal?'

He wanted to scream if anyone dared to say yes.

It's ridiculous!

What kind of freak of nature was Stella Vermillion? How could her physical training surpass his, a guy's, by such a huge margin? And she was still improving significantly despite already possessing B-Rank stamina?

Wasn't physical improvement supposed to get harder the further you progressed? For her, it seemed as effortless as breathing. Was the gap between people really this vast?

"Calling a girl a monster is pretty rude, Ryoji-San."

Stella rolled her eyes as she accepted a drink from Kurogane Ikki. Hesitantly, she unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

Damn it. All because of that comment he made the other day, I still haven't managed to get an indirect kiss from Ikki!

"Don't take it too hard, Ryoji," Kurogane Ikki said, trying to console him. "Stella's always been a genius."

Indeed, Stella's stamina was extraordinary.

Just a few days ago, she was noticeably weaker than him. Now, she had almost caught up.

She also ate seven or eight times the amount of food a normal person would in every meal and had terrifying wrist strength. Ikki wouldn't even dare to challenge her to an arm-wrestling match.

It was no wonder she was hailed as a once-in-a-decade prodigy, possessing the world's strongest magic power. Ordinary logic simply didn't apply to her.

Come to think of it, Ryoji vaguely remembered something about Stella's body in the future. Something that made her incredibly fierce as the story progressed. Perhaps her rapid physical progress was connected to that… but he couldn't recall the specifics.

'Brain, how could you betray me like this?!'

In his mind, Ryoji berated his brain loudly, leaving it speechless.

'Body, you too! How could you be so lazy?!'

The body remained silent, clearly too embarrassed to speak up.

"Ding!"

Kurogane Ikki's student handbook lit up, signaling a new message.

"It's from Shizuku. She's asking me to hang out today."

Kurogane Ikki checked the message, a happy smile spreading across his face as he began typing a reply.

"Shizuku? Who's that?"

Ryoji tilted his head, puzzled.

"She's Ikki's little sister and this year's second-ranked freshman," Stella replied, her expression darkening. She seemed inexplicably annoyed by the mere mention of Shizuku.

Now that she mentioned it, Ryoji vaguely recalled Kurogane Ikki mentioning on the first day of school that his little sister would also be attending Hagun Academy.

Incidentally, this year's top-ranked freshman was Stella herself, while Ryoji's ranking was somewhere beyond 100— based purely on their magical levels, without considering battle records.

"On the first day of school, she stormed into our classroom and hugged Ikki in front of everyone! Damn it, I haven't even— cough cough!"

"Isn't that a little weird?!"

Princess Stella fumed with indignation.

In Ryoji's Opinion, Stella Was Angry Because She Missed Out on Ikki's First Kiss

"Ahaha… that was just an accident. Didn't Shizuku apologize yesterday? She was just a little overexcited after not seeing me for so many years."

Kurogane Ikki set down his student handbook, laughing awkwardly as he tried to pacify Stella.

He felt embarrassed himself. On the first day of school, he had even— much to his own chagrin— found himself captivated by the moment and unconsciously responded to Shizuku's actions. Because of this, Stella had spent the next several days glaring at him with disdain, repeatedly calling him a pervert.

"I don't trust her apology at all! It's just a ploy to make you lower your guard. Ikki, you have to stay vigilant— Shizuku will definitely launch a fierce attack when the chance arises!"

Stella was highly wary of Shizuku and kept trying to instill her suspicions in Kurogane Ikki, leaving him with no choice but to respond with a bitter smile.

"This sounds interesting. How come I didn't know about it?"

Ryoji's voice broke in, his face full of regret at not being present for the drama.

"Wasn't it because you left with Kusakabe-San? Shizuku coming to our classroom happened afterward," Kurogane Ikki explained matter-of-factly. "Later, Stella even got into a fight with Shizuku, destroyed half the classroom, and got suspended for a week by the Director… And no, I didn't find it interesting at all."

No wonder Stella had been absent from sight for the past week. It turned out she had been suspended for summoning her Spiritual Item (Device) and engaging in a big fight without permission.

Ryoji now understood, his regret deepening.

'How could I have missed such a spectacular catfight?!'

"By the way, Stella, Ryoji, do you two want to join us?"

Kurogane Ikki suddenly remembered something and extended an invitation to his two friends. "Shizuku mentioned bringing someone along, so I thought it might be more fun with a bigger group. What do you think? Want to come?"

"Stella, are you going?"

Ryoji's eyes lit up as he casually glanced towards Stella for her response.

"I, of course, uh… No. I just remembered I have something urgent to do, so I won't be going."

Though Stella instinctively wanted to say yes— largely to keep an eye on Kurogane Ikki and Shizuku— her words faltered when she noticed Ryoji's kind and innocent-looking smile. Her expression changed, and she quickly switched gears, feigning regret as she declined.

'What?! She's not going?'

No Stella means no chance of a fight breaking out. How boring.

"Then I'm not going either."

Ryoji, now utterly uninterested, waved dismissively.

"Alright then."

Kurogane Ikki seemed confused but didn't press the issue.

The three of them gathered their belongings and quickly left the school gate, heading toward their respective dormitories.

Ryoji and his Senior Sister lived in Dormitory Seven on the west side of the academy, while Kurogane Ikki and Stella resided in Dormitory One on the east side. After re-entering the campus, Ryoji parted ways with the pair.

"Ikki, I just remembered— I'm actually free now. I'll go with you!"

The moment Ryoji was out of sight, Stella's tone made a sharp U-turn. She shot Kurogane Ikki an intense, determined look as if she were squaring off against some unseen foe.

In just a few days, Stella had already figured Ryoji out.

He was undeniably a beautiful boy, likely unmatched in looks across the world.

But, unfortunately, he had a mouth.

(End of Chapter)

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