Chapter 13: Hearts, Wands, and Warnings

[Event: Love Hearts Academy – Interclass Arcane Exhibition Begins]

[Player Status: Observer Tier | Combat Authority: Provisional Access]

[Affection Logs: Rika – 100% | Mikasa – 86% | Airi – 92% | Hina – 90%]

[System Alert: Competition Phase Initiated – Cross-Heroine Interaction Imminent]

"Today," the Headmaster's voice boomed through the crystal speakers across campus, "marks the opening of the 44th Interclass Arcane Exhibition—a week-long display of magical prowess, discipline, and school pride!"

I blinked at the bulletin board.

Magic tournament?

Oh, right. This was still a harem eroge world, which meant things like "duel spells" and "mana compatibility" somehow shared a curriculum with Home Economics.

[New Quest: Arcane Hearts, Competitive Sparks – Objective: Witness at least 3 duels. Optional: Interfere.]

The courtyard had transformed overnight. Banners in pastel hues fluttered along archways. Floating spell matrices hovered above the dueling rings like referees. Students buzzed everywhere—some with grim determination, others just for the spectacle.

I leaned against a pillar, hands in my pockets.

And then I saw her.

Mikasa Kurono. Lavender-eyed. Ponytail coiled like a whip. Wearing her formal fencing coat—reinforced with spell-thread. Her saber glowed at her hip.

She spotted me.

Narrowed her eyes.

Then smirked.

[Interaction Event: Mikasa Kurono – "Cold Steel, Hot Blood"]

[Affection Bonus Available – Optional Dialogue Path]

"You here to watch me win?" she asked, striding over with blade confidence.

"I'm here to see if anyone survives you."

"You're sweet," she deadpanned.

Then, leaning in just slightly: "Sit ringside. I fight better when I know you're watching."

Before I could answer, someone else chimed in—

"Too bad we're not in the same bracket. I'd paint the arena with her blood."

Rika.

She stood on the other side of the courtyard, arms crossed, eyes narrowed like twin daggers. Today she wore a black robe with violet brushstroke embroidery—probably custom. Her familiar—a floating, sketchy crow—perched silently behind her.

Mikasa raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Still mad I stole first place in last semester's alchemy practical?"

"I'm mad you exist."

Mikasa grinned.

Rika cracked her knuckles.

[System Alert: Rivalry Detected – Passive Affection Collision in Progress]

[Route History Enabling Cross-Tension Response Dialogue]

"I see our lovely duel event's turning into a catfight," came a third voice.

Airi Fujikawa. Idol, illusionist, resident sugar-voiced viper. She twirled her wand like a microphone and offered me a wink.

"Don't look so overwhelmed, Librarian-kun," she teased. "You've already got three of the top competitors fighting over who gets your front-row ticket."

Hina Yukimura appeared seconds later—silent, as always. Her black spell rifle was slung across her shoulder. She said nothing, but stood quietly beside me… and subtly brushed her sleeve against mine.

The four strongest students at Love Hearts Academy.

All staring at me.

And I was still just Sera—the NPC who'd decided to break the game.

[Scene Branch: Arcane Exhibition – Day One]

[Main Matches: Mikasa vs. Class 3B Duel Captain | Rika vs. Crystal Stream Mage | Airi: Exhibition Spell | Hina: Tactical Solo Round]

[Player Action: Attend Mikasa's Match]

Mikasa's match was brutal.

She moved like lightning. Her saber was laced with electric mana—each swing punctuated by thunderclaps that sent shockwaves through the audience barriers.

Her opponent? A massive senior with a warhammer and earth spells. His defense was impeccable.

Didn't matter.

She dissected him like a surgeon. Precise. Relentless.

And when he tried a seismic slam, Mikasa countered—not with strength, but with finesse. She stabbed her blade into the ground, diverted the force, vaulted into the air—

—and clocked him with a wind-augmented spinning kick.

The crowd went wild.

She caught her breath and glanced at me in the stands.

Then—

[System Snapshot Captured: "The Moment She Fought for You"]

Next was Rika.

Her match wasn't flashy.

It was terrifying.

She didn't move from her spot in the arena.

Instead, her opponent—a conjurer of crystal-based elemental streams—was overwhelmed by an ever-growing mural of spells she painted midair.

Brushstrokes became barriers. Ink bled into reality. Every attack sent toward her was either absorbed, rerouted, or turned into part of the battlefield art.

By the time her opponent yielded, the entire ring looked like a haunting gallery of abstract spell decay.

She bowed slightly, then walked past the loser without a word.

I caught her gaze as she left the arena.

She looked away—but her ears were red.

Later that evening, I found myself beneath the orange tree again.

This time, not by accident.

Airi was already there—sitting on the grass, playing with her wand, humming a song I vaguely recognized from her idol route.

"So, Mister Librarian," she said, not looking at me. "Did today satisfy your appetite for chaos?"

"It was… intense."

She smiled.

"Rika's scary when she paints. Mikasa's scary when she moves. And Hina… well, she's scary just by breathing."

I chuckled.

"You're not scared?"

"Of course I am," she said with a grin. "But fear makes it more fun, doesn't it?"

She looked at me.

"You broke something in this world, you know. The moment you started loving us like we were real."

I didn't reply.

Because part of me knew she was right.

"You better be ready," she said, brushing her bangs back. "When the others start noticing what's happening... you won't be able to play background anymore."

"Maybe I never was."

She smirked.

"Good answer, protagonist."