"Whooo, you knew the principal, too?" Melissa ran towards me, dropping the dead-eyed look from a few minutes ago.
She kept her face totally normal, acting exactly as if she wasn't drooping and staring blankly at the floor just moments before.
The sudden shift in her personality gave me serious whiplash.
"How would I know him?" I asked, keeping my pace steady as we walked out of the assembly hall.
"That is a great point," she mused, tapping her chin.
"But he still went out of his way to talk to you in front of everyone. Did you sleep with him, too?"
'Is she insane?' I thought to myself, letting out a tired sigh.
I didn't even bother replying to her crazy ramblings.
I just kept walking back to the main class building, but she tagged right along, matching my steps perfectly and humming a cheerful little tune.
"Hey, listen, Shane. Let's train today."
"Why?" I asked, looking straight ahead at the crowded courtyard.
"Why else?" She skipped a step to get in front of me, walking backwards so she could look at my face.
"For tomorrow's test. We need to be fully prepared."
"Sure."
"Yay." She clapped her hands together.
Mia followed closely behind Melissa.
The quiet girl did not speak a single word.
She just watched the two of us with those assessing eyes. It was unsettling. I never knew if Mia was just spacing out or if she was actively reading my mind with some weird noble skill.
But I kept my mouth shut.
The less I gave them, the better.
We crossed the main courtyard where students were laughing under the trees, totally oblivious to the real danger of this world.
At midnight in the private training hall, the loud sound of metal clashing could be heard echoing off the high ceilings.
Inside the dimly lit room, both Melissa and I were training rigorously.
I used a standard iron sword available from the hall racks.
It felt unbalanced compared to the legendary blades I used in my past life, but it was all I had.
Melissa used her custom scythe.
The curved blade was polished to a mirror shine, reflecting the yellow lights above us.
Her control over that weapon is insane.
A scythe is historically a terrible weapon for actual combat because the centre of gravity is completely off.
But the way she moves with it makes it look totally weightless.
She dances around the blade, using her hips and shoulders to guide the momentum instead of fighting it.
Melissa stepped forward, closing the distance in a blink.
She spun the large scythe completely behind her back, using her momentum to hide the blade's path, then she whipped it forward like a rope.
I jumped backwards immediately, made sure the curved blade did not reach my chest.
But I completely forgot about her hidden trick.
The scythe suddenly extended as the sharp blade detached from the main shaft, revealing a long, hidden chain connecting the two pieces.
The curved hook flew through the air and almost scratched my face.
My hands reacted entirely on pure instinct.
I brought my iron sword up fast, making the blade appear directly in between my face and her flying weapon to block the hit.
But the curved hook of the scythe wrapped perfectly around my sword.
She gave the chain a hard, sharp pull.
The sudden jerk ripped the iron sword from my grip as the weapon flew across the room and landed on the padded ground.
The scythe blade snapped back to its shaft, locking into place with a sharp click.
Melissa closed the gap between us in a single second, raised the weapon high, aiming the blunt end right at my temple to knock me out completely.
'Think fast,' my mind screamed.
I remembered the specific move Zephyr used against me during our brutal fight last night.
[Mana Manipulation Lv. 10 Active]
I pooled a bundle of raw mana directly into the palm of my right hand, stepped directly into her guard and slapped both my hands before she could swing the scythe down.
"Eh?" Melissa gasped, her eyes going wide in genuine surprise.
The wave of energy exploded from my palm, which hit her squarely and sent her flying backwards. Its sudden impact made her grip loosen on the scythe.
I did not give her a single second to recover.
I followed her closely, matching her backward momentum, then reached down to grab my fallen iron sword from the mats, and kicked her weapon out of the way.
Melissa hit the ground on her back with a soft thud. I dropped down right next to her, pinning her to the floor.
I pressed the flat, cold edge of my sword directly against the side of her soft neck.
Both of us were panting heavily.
The quiet training hall was filled with the sound of our ragged breathing.
I stared down at her flushed face.
Her hair was completely messy, falling out of its ponytail, and a thin layer of sweat covered her collarbones.
I didn't realise she was this good, or maybe I am just out of touch with my combat senses in this new, weaker body.
"That is cheating," she complained softly.
She pushed my shoulder lightly to the side, though she made no real effort to get away from my blade.
Her eyes stared up at mine, sparkling with adrenaline.
"Why use your bare hands when we are fighting with weapons?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.
I leaned down slightly, lowering my face closer to hers until I could feel her warm breath.
"Tell that rule to the monster who is trying to kill you," I replied softly, giving her a mocking smile.
I pulled the sword away from her neck and sat back on the ground.
Two straight hours of intense sparring, and she was still full of life.
"What are you looking at?" Melissa asked, sitting up and fixing her shirt.
"Let's go again."
'She is a monster,' I thought, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand.
I stood up slowly, taking my sword.
Tomorrow's test is important.
It is where the first real incident takes place.
In the original novel, the miracle orb exam was supposed to be a safe, controlled environment.
The students were meant to fight illusory monsters to test their courage.
But the simulation gets hijacked by a mage.
The fake monsters turn into real demons, trapping the freshmen inside the arena with zero adult supervision.
It becomes a bloodbath.
Zephyr barely manages to save a handful of students in the original timeline.
I need to be ready for that.
"Alright," I said, pointing my sword directly at her.
"Let's go again. But this time, I am not going to hold back."