<Verin>

 

 

 

It wasn’t even a fight.

Sweat poured down Verin’s neck as he hollowly stared at the ground.

She was worse than he could’ve possibly imagined. What little power he had amassed paled in comparison to her. If she were a raging storm, then he would be a gentle breeze. The might Bright possessed exceeded his expectations to a ridiculous degree. Her power was blazing like the sun, destroying everything that so much as dared to look its way.

Taking the towel next to him, Verin wiped the sweat accumulated on his body.

He got up and took his stance once more.

Replaying his defeat in vivid detail.

The entire opening act had been a complete sham. A lie to trick Verin into a false sense of complacency. Verin had thought himself prepared to defeat Bright but was merely dancing at her feet. A fact that only became more telling the longer the battle drew.

She was fast, really fast. The movement of her blade, the Khopesh, gradually turned into a blur. With each slash, it felt like it was getting faster and faster. Marks that drew blood gradually started appearing on Verin’s body. They were shallow cuts, delicate and oddly gentle. Nothing like the blade she was wielding typically left. It was upon noticing this that Verin’s confidence in his impending victory first wavered.

It shouldn’t have been possible for such a barbaric blade to leave light touches.

Especially considering the brutish way it was wielded.

A tool meant for hacking and slashing.

It was then that Verin seriously started paying attention to the way Bright wielded the blade. He was quick to notice something. The seemingly lacklustre method of attack was a carefully crafted dance. Each movement was deliberate and smooth. Flowing from one means to another seamlessly. It was an expert-level style of attack. A completely new style of handling such a blade.

Verin’s mind raced at that moment.

His main edge in the battle was lost. Bright’s manner of handling the blade showed a comprehension much deeper than he had anticipated. And, to make matters worse, she appeared to be getting better and better at handling it. Now, not only was she getting faster than him, but she was also getting better. Predicting her next attacks slowly became impossible, and Verin started depending on pure instincts to not lose.

At the apex of the fight, a truth revealed itself to Verin.

All those times he witnessed her in battle, she had been holding back.

She was much stronger, faster and more capable of enduring than he thought.

Lying broken on the ground, he cursed his weakness.

A wicked monster had defeated him.

All the while a golden spoon hung out of its mouth.

Breaking free from his stance, Verin collapsed to the ground. The sound of his unsteady breath filled the empty training room. He let himself get beat by someone most undeserving. A person who only succeeded because everything was handed to her since birth. The true embodiment of the word “privilege”.

It was a frustrating feeling.

Reaching into his pockets, Verin clutched the tome hidden within.

With its power, he wouldn’t be playing second fiddle anymore.

He would win.

 

 

---

 

<Bright>

 

 

 

Bright yawned.

Staring at the sweet bacon lying on his plate, he felt it a waste.

He couldn’t muster up the desire to eat.

It felt like too much work.

“Are you okay?” (Y)

Seeing his pathetic visage, Hero Yuki asked a very pointed question.

“Yes…. I’m okay.” (B)

An attempt to nod while answering saw the weight resting on Bright’s head fall forward and land in his food.

It looked like dog was going to be part breakfast.

“…How late did you sleep?” (Y)

The question, sounding more like an accusation, was enough to wake the sleep-deprived Bright.

His answer immediately rolled off his tongue as naturally as water flowed.

“I-I went to sleep… at a reasonable time!” (B)

‘Nailed it!’

For some unexplainable reason though, Hero Yuki’s eyes narrowed the more Bright talked.

He bit his lip.

‘She doesn’t know, does she? No, no, how could she? It’s impossible!’

After filming the rather… interesting ad and having dinner, Bright excused himself to head to bed early.

The reason being?

His new phone, of course! The precious gift bestowed upon him by the timid girl. With the signal he was able to pick from the guild’s public WIFI downstairs, Bright was able to redownload some real entertainment. Granted, the signal was very weak and would randomly flicker out, but it was still good enough! He still got to play some classics and watch shows the hero duo would no doubt not approve of.

‘I may have overdone it a little bit though…. But I should be fine’

Bright had only gotten two hours.

If he were any other twelve-year-old, such a thing may have been a hindrance.

But.

As the most powerful of the new-gens, this “problem” was trivial.

Bright yawned again.

Mostly trivial.

Hero Yuki suddenly appeared before Bright and placed a hand on his forehead.

“Have you fallen ill?” (Y)

Her face was close, real close.

“N-No? I don’t think so.” (B)

‘Goddamn it…’

Bright all of a sudden felt flustered. Perhaps due to the unexpected skin contact, his eyes inadvertently darted away from Hero Yuki’s face. It was quite pathetic. He of all people shouldn’t be flustered by this, given how much time they spend together. He saw her face as well as Hero Sun’s face every day. Heck, he sees his own, a comparable counterpart, every morning.

‘Bloody, beautiful people!’

Bright will say this again.

This level of beauty shouldn’t exist!

“Relax. There’s no way she is sick.” (S)

Hero Sun chimed in as Hero Yuki continued to inspect Bright. Checking his pulse, testing his reflexes and even inspecting his mouth. The impromptu doctor’s appointment didn’t stop even as Hero Sun repeatedly stated Bright was fine. Bright, for his part, agreed with Hero Sun. Awakened didn’t typically get sick, and when they did, they would recover so quickly you wouldn’t notice.

He didn’t resist, though, on account of how serious Hero Yuki looked.

It felt like she would knock him if he tried.

“She appears merely tired.” (Y)

“See. I told you.” (S)

“I said ‘appears’. I will call the doctor to come up.” (Y)

Hero Sun clicked his tongue.

“Come on, now. This is just a trick kids do to avoid going to school.” (S)

Hero Sun turned to Bright and winked.

“I see you with the eyeshadow. Love the commitment!” (S)

‘Huh!?’

Hero Yuki paused as if having an ‘Ah, ha!’ moment.

She settled a serious gaze on Bright.

“Bright. Is this true?” (Y)

“What? No way! I don’t even have eyeshadow!” (B)

‘What is this conversation?!’

“I’m just tired.” (B)

Earnestly speaking the truth, Bright met Hero Yuki’s eyes.

When her gaze seemed to soften a bit, he mounted a quick attack. Mustering up everything his face had to offer. If he was really, really lucky and this worked, he could maybe stay home today and get back to enjoying himself. It was not hard to see she was developing a soft spot for him.

“…Would it be okay if I stayed at the house today?” (B)

Hero Yuki paused.

Hopefully lost in thought about the cute girl begging in front of her.

Hero Sun didn’t give her the chance to answer.

“Why, of course! You don’t need to ask for permission to stay.” (S)

Interjecting in a place he wasn’t supposed to be in.

Getting his permission wasn’t worth the same as getting hers.

“It’s great, really. We’ve been talking about this a lot recently, and I believe it’s better when you stay here.” (S)

Still.

Bright liked the fact that he agreed, although something felt off with the way he said it.

“Going to that school is just too troublesome. We are better off hiring tutors to come.” (S)

“What.” (B)

Bright’s head instantly snapped to him.

He didn’t hear what he just heard.

There was no way they were seriously considering taking him out of school. As the only thing serving as his escape from the overbearing pair, losing it was on par with losing his devices. Not to mention…. Private tutors were a hell and a half, and Bright wasn’t ready or willing to be ready to have them. Spending dusk till dawn in this place was a big no.

A pair of hands grabbed Bright’’s own.

“Perhaps it is time.” (Y)

‘Wait, wait. How are we going this off track? I just wanted to stay home today’

A mild headache started to assault Bright.

Dealing with these two was always such a pain.

“…You know what, I should probably finish getting ready to go.” (B)

Fleeing the situation is the best course of action right now.

Bright didn’t even have the faintest idea these two were talking about this.

Trying to counter it while not prepared would lead to his quick defeat.

“Bright.” (Y)

Unfortunately, Hero Yuki, already holding his hands, prevented an escape.

“This will be good for you.” (Y)

“Yes. Your grades will improve, and afternoon training time will be extended.” (S)

Bright shivered at their words.

How was more work ever a good thing?

“I-Isn’t that illegal or something?” (B)

The government mandated all school-age children join accredited schools—publicly owned institutions. It was why even the most wealthy and prestigious children go to regular schools. The families of such children didn’t mind because joining top-rated schools was viewed as an honour if not a right of passage. Schools like the one Bright currently is in were a bragging right.

“It is not illegal.” (Y)

A loophole to this rule existed, of course.

One only fit for the uber wealthy.

If one created a shell company and sold shares to the government, they could claim it as a public institution and then open shop.

Bright had only given the pitiful excuse to stall for time.

Time to think of another good excuse.

“M-My friends, I would miss them so terribly!” (B)

“We will arrange playdates.” (Y)

Bright stared emptily at the ground.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of a rebuttal.

“Can I… Can I please just continue the way I am…? Please.” (B)

Too tired to think, Bright gave up and resorted to begging.

There were frankly no excuses he could give that they wouldn’t be able to easily counter.

Silence descended on the table.

“Is this important to you?” (Y)

“...Yes.” (B)

Bright let out a sigh.

He closed his eyes and looked down.

It was practically over already. These two were so used to getting their way that regardless of how he feels, they would just brute force it. The moment they raised the matter, it was already settled. A done deal. Bright was going to be a homeschooled weirdo.

“How about a compromise then?” (S)

Hero Sun’s words hung in the air.

Bright slowly looked up, failing to hide his surprise.

“If you can score first for the whole year, we will drop this matter entirely.” (S)

Hero Sun wildly gestured while stuffing food in his mouth.

“But! If you don’t… well, we all know what to expect, right? I hope you’re ready for your midterms.” (S)

Bright looked towards Hero Yuki.

She hesitated for a moment before finally nodding along.

…Who knew begging could work?