Amy smacked Jake's arm away, and the mug fell, shattering as coffee spilled across the floor.
"You insolent little—! Ugh!"
Jake, who had instinctively activated his Spirit Zone in murderous rage, quickly suppressed it.
'Damn it…!'
He could feel Amy's Spirit Zone.
"Insolent? You're all talk, yet you think I'm a joke? If you're so pissed, come at me. I'll burn your face off right now."
Jake gritted his teeth.
Underestimating her as just a top-ranked model student had been his mistake.
'She's got combat experience.'
Amy was a battle-hardened fighter, having endured countless dirty fights in back alleys.
Jake clenched his jaw and spat,
"Tch! Using magic here is against the rules."
"You used magic first—when you heated up that civet cat coffee or whatever."
"You crazy—! You think that's the same as attack magic?!"
"Haha."
Amy sneered.
He was just a petty coward—like the back-alley thugs who cowered when faced with a real fight.
"You can't even attack me outright, yet you think you can do something to Shirone? Let me tell you—in six months, he'll grow so much that trash like you won't even register in his sight. Unlike you, he actually thinks."
If Shirone had been helping her just to get by in school, she would've noticed by now.
'He's already made his decision.'
If he was the type to rationally understand injustice and choose the best path, then there was room for trust.
"I'm worse than Shirone?!"
Being compared to a freshman twice shattered Jake's inferiority complex.
"Hah! Yeah, he's promising. But you know what? Crushing guys like him is my specialty. Six months? I'll make sure he can't even use magic by tomorrow."
"Jake."
Amy's pupils glowed crimson.
"Do you want to die?"
"Tch."
Jake was certain now.
The Scarlet Eyes of the Carmis family—something he'd only heard about in rumors.
Just looking into her fully dilated pupils made his body freeze.
"If you kill me, you'll—"
"I don't care. If you don't believe me, keep running your mouth."
"..."
She meant it.
Faced with that unwavering glare, Jake bit down hard on his molars.
'I can't win in a direct fight.'
If she was Class Four's top student, she could incinerate him with near-absolute certainty.
"This isn't over, you arrogant bitch!"
As Jake stormed down the stairs, Amy watched until he disappeared from sight before finally suppressing her Scarlet Eyes.
"Hah…"
Dizzy for a moment, she steadied herself against the wall with one hand while rubbing her eyes with the other.
'I got carried away without realizing.'
Jake's threat to Shirone had made her lose her cool.
'Why did I react like that?'
Responsibility? Fear of a third party accessing her secrets? Or maybe…
Amy shook her head.
"Ugh, I don't know! Today's been a complete mess."
As she descended the stairs, the spilled coffee on the floor reminded her of the day's events.
'I should've just taken the coffee.'
The thought of Shirone not coming tomorrow left her feeling strangely hollow.
The greatest joy of being free from Amy was gaining an extra hour to study.
Though he endured the students' stares, once inside the library, no one paid him any attention.
Not that they weren't interested.
After all, he was the one who'd caused a scandal with the school's most prideful beauty.
But to them, it was just someone else's business—they were all forging their own paths.
This very atmosphere was what made Alpheas Magic Academy prestigious.
Today, too, Shirone hummed a tune as he headed to the library after class.
In front of the faculty dormitory stood Seriel, Amy's friend.
'Strange. They're always together.'
Her restless demeanor suggested something was wrong, so Shirone changed course.
Though they only exchanged greetings in combined classes, he liked her—unlike Amy, who always glared at him, Seriel had always cheered him on.
(Though as time passed, he grew increasingly unsure what exactly she was cheering for.)
"Hello, Senior."
Seriel jumped as if she'd seen a ghost when Shirone approached.
"Hey! What are you doing here?!"
"Huh?"
"Why are you here?! If you're here, we didn't need to send Amy!"
"What's going on?"
"Read this. Are you seriously saying nothing happened?"
The note Seriel handed him was a short warning from someone calling themselves Black Magician.
'Black… Magician?'
30 minutes earlier…
On their way to the library, Amy and Seriel were stopped by a rough-looking man.
"Hello, Senior. Still as impressive as ever."
He was a Class Five student—a repeat offender over twenty-three years old.
Since he'd been in the same class just a year ago, Amy knew his name, but his gloomy personality meant they'd never spoken.
"I'm busy. Move."
"Aw, don't be like that. We were classmates once—spare me a moment."
"Was I your only classmate? There are hundreds who've passed through Class Five—go bother someone else."
Though she used honorifics out of respect for his age, she made no effort to hide her disdain.
'I really hate this guy.'
If he'd made it to Class Five, he wasn't completely talentless—but his mind was always elsewhere.
Content with mediocrity, he spent his time harassing junior girls until he finally fell this far.
"Haha! Still as rude as ever, Amy."
"Excuse me? What did you just say?"
As he dropped the act, Amy didn't hold back—but the man seemed confident.
"The boss wants to see you. You'd better obey. Unless you want your man ruined."
"My man? What are you talking about?"
Amy snatched the note he offered and read it:
"We have Shirone. Come to Training Hall 14 by 6 PM if you don't want him 'unmanned.' If you tell a teacher, you'll regret it for life."
Amy crumpled the note.
"And what am I supposed to do about that? You've got the wrong idea—Shirone means nothing to me. Even if he did, you think I'd listen to you?"
"That's your call. I'm just the messenger."
As the man walked away, smug in his success, Amy threw the note to the ground.
Seriel picked it up, read it, and trembled.
Black Magician.
An infamous delinquent circle, their true nature unknown, but rumors ran rampant among students.
"Amy, what do we do? These guys are real scum. Last month, they say Taira dropped out because of them."
"Taira?"
Taira, a Class Four student, wasn't top-tier but maintained above-average grades.
If they'd threatened her, they must've either ganged up on her or used underhanded tactics.
"I'll go. If they grabbed him because of me, it's my responsibility."
Though she'd acted tough in front of the man, she was worried about Shirone.
"Let's just tell a teacher. Shirone isn't the only one in danger—you could be too."
"A teacher… Hmm."
Amy bit her lip.
The simplest solution—but their relationship wasn't simple.
Amy had a past she didn't want exposed, and Shirone was the same.
'No one at school knows Shirone's a commoner. Only I do…'
She wanted to handle this quietly.
"I'll go first. If I'm not back by 7, then tell a teacher."
Seriel, unaware of their secrets, pressed further.
"What are you saying? We should tell them now! Is there something I don't know?"
"Sorry. There's a reason. I'll explain when I get back, okay?"
Amy, who usually faced everything head-on, pleading like this left Seriel stunned. This was the first time she'd ever asked for a favor.
"Then let me come with you. Who knows how many there'll be?"
"I need you to stay behind in case things go wrong. Don't worry. Even if there are ten of Jake's lackeys, they're no match for me."
Seriel knew better than anyone how strong Amy was.
Though they were both in Class Four, the gap between even a single rank was vast.
"Fine. Exactly one hour. If you're not back by 7, I'm telling a teacher no matter what."
"Okay. Then I'm counting on you."
After hearing the full story from Seriel, Shirone was stunned.
The existence of a delinquent group called Black Magicians was shocking enough, but the fact that Amy had risked herself for his sake was an even greater blow.
Shirone: "You're saying she went because of me. How can I just stand here and do nothing?"
Seriel: "I don't know either! Amy told me to wait! Why the hell are you even here?!"
Shirone read Amy's intentions.
'She's trying to handle this alone to protect her secret. The one-hour grace period is her insurance.'
Leaving Seriel behind had been a smart move.
Shirone: "I have to go. You should wait here until the appointed time, just like Amy said."
His reasoning aligned with Amy's.
He didn't care if his own secret was exposed, but he couldn't let someone else risk theirs for his sake.
Though there were still 30 minutes until the agreed time, Training Ground 14—where live combat drills took place—was deep in the mountains.
'I'll have to run nonstop.'
Just as the thought crossed his mind, his body suddenly felt lighter.
Turning his head, he saw Seriel holding him in her arms as she soared through the air.
Seriel: "You think running will get you there in time? I'm coming with you."
Their bodies glowed as the basic short-range teleportation spell—a staple for mages—activated.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flashing at 10-meter intervals, the sonic bursts drew the attention of students below.
Random Student: "What the—? Who's…?"
Teleportation was prohibited on campus due to collision risks, but this was no time for rules.
In less than five minutes, the two arrived at the foot of the mountain and began sprinting uphill.
Teleportation was as dangerous as it was fast—on steep, obstacle-ridden terrain, a single misstep could be fatal.
Gasping for breath, they reached Training Ground 14 before 6 PM.
But Amy was nowhere to be found. No sign of the Black Magicians—not even a trace of movement.
Seriel: "Amy! Amy! What's going on? Why isn't she here?"
Shirone: "They must've taken her somewhere else. If the note exposed this location, they'd expect her to report it to a teacher. We might've been tricked."
Seriel: "Then what do we do? What about Amy?!"
Realizing the Black Magicians' meticulous planning, Shirone stopped hesitating.
Shirone: "Go back down and tell the teachers everything. You'll be much faster without me."
Seriel: "B-but Amy said to wait until 7 no matter what! She must've had a reason!"
Shirone: "It's fine. That reason was me. If I help, nothing will happen to her. Just go, now!"
Seriel's face went blank.
Had Amy's desperate expression been because of Shirone?
Seriel: "What the hell is going on between you two? What aren't I being told? Are you really dating?!"
Officially, Shirone had been "dumped," but rumors swirled that even that was a smokescreen.
Shirone: "There's no time. The longer we wait, the more danger she's in."
Snapping back to reality, Seriel nodded hastily.
Seriel: "R-right! I'll be back as fast as I can. Don't wander off—stay here!"
As Seriel descended, Shirone closed his eyes and expanded his Spirit Zone.
Unlike nobles who grew up in cities, he had spent his life in the mountains—the dense forest was familiar ground.