The next day.

'What?　What's that?

　In between lectures, I let Amu talk to the headmaster on the side of the road, and that was the answer I got.

　Amu is not happy about it.

'Why haven't I been approached!　This is a swordfighting competition, right?　Magic aside, with a sword, no one in this school could beat me!
I knew you wanted to get out?
''Hmmm ... not so much when you think about it. I'm not interested in the Kingsguard or anything like that, fighting against people, not much compared to dealing with monsters.......

　Amu says with a snort.
　It's surprising for her to say she likes fighting, but... well, she didn't show that much interest in fighting against people to begin with.

　Or maybe she's become somewhat more rounded.
　Lately, he no longer has a spiky attitude towards anyone or anything else.

　Amu says again, frustrated.

'But I'm not convinced that you haven't been approached.
'You didn't want someone too strong, did you?　Depending on how you look at it, you could say that the Konoe Guard will take the personnel. There seems to be a faction of school graduates in the court, so depending on what the higher ups have in mind, such a choice could be made.

　When I said such a thing, Amu stared at me with a thin stare.

"Then why do they pick you?
Me?　I'm not as strong as Amu.
Don't give me that fake laugh.
Okay, fine. But I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to appreciate it so much.
You helped me in the dungeon. And if you've been a bit of an adventurer, you'll get a pretty good idea of what they're capable of.

　Amu looked away and said as if to mend that.

　Hmm.........
　I guess I should be a little more careful. Even though it was unavoidable at the time.

　Amu says again.

''And yet I don't understand.......aside from you, I can't believe Yifa was a candidate.
'Well haha, I guess so...'

　To Yifa, who laughs in annoyance, Amu closes one eye and says

''I'm not saying you aren't capable. But you, can you turn your spirit magic on people?
It's...
I'm sure you'll find that magic is even harder to aim at than a sword. You can't get away with a minor injury if you hit it. It's a good thing that you're not the only one who can do this. You've never even killed a monster before, have you?　You won't be able to fight properly in a real show all of a sudden.
That's the way it is.

　I mutter to myself.
　I remember my own case I was one of the crazy ones because I cursed the first time I used a curse on the wildling gang and their bloodline together and killed them.

　Amu continues.

'And then there's this new guy called Mabel or something.
'Oh yes I do. Who are they?

　I've been using the shikigami to monitor him since yesterday, but he doesn't seem to be interacting with anyone, and today he's just taking a lecture in a casual manner.
　His practical skills seem to be majoring in the Darkness attribute, but he only does it in a safe manner, and I'm not sure how good he is at it.

　Amu says.

''You're a nobleman, right?　What kind of family is the Baron Crane family?
'Like Lamplogue, there seems to be a lot of magical researchers here but I don't know much about them.

　Or rather, it's simply not that famous of a house.
　Maybe you could ask your parents.........

I think...

　Amu says in a serious tone.

'Probably a nobleman's mouthpiece.
There it is. The aristocrat is backbiting.
'I'm not being backward. It's not normal for an aristocratic child who has been brought up well to be strong. I'm sure they are planning to make him a good candidate for senior officials by having him demonstrate that he has participated in martial arts competitions in the imperial capital while in school.
I'm not so sure.

　It's not hard to see what you're saying, though.
　From that depressed look in Mabel's eyes, I didn't think it was such a lukewarm situation.
　The fact that she was adopted also bothered me.

　But Amu, who hadn't seen the person himself, seemed confident in his own thoughts.

''Of course you are. Well, you're going to abstain from the main game early, aren't you?　We'd be in big trouble if you got hurt...
You are the one who has been growing up all wet.

　At the cold voice, he turned around.
　The one who was looking at Amu from behind was a girl with rust-colored hair.
　Mabel Crane.

　Amu turns to Mabel and glares back at her cloudy sky blue eyes.

''What are you trying to say?''
He's so weak, he thinks he can't handle it. You must have been spoiled.

　Mabel continues, as if she were talking to herself.

'You weren't chosen because you just don't have the power. Whether by magic or by sword.
Yeah, you said it.

　Amu gave an angry smile.
　Then he turned to the school knights who were hanging out across the street and called out to them as he crowded in.

'Hey you guys!'
'Deputy Commander Amu!　Good job.
Don't you dare take this deputy commander thing seriously!　Ahhhh, that's enough for now. Hey, lend me those two mock swords.
Oh, yes.

　Amu throws one of the borrowed mock swords at Mabel's feet.

....
Come and fight with me. Now that you mention it, you know how to use a sword, don't you?
What does it all mean?
This is a funny thing to say when you try to pick a fight.

　Mabel silently picked up her mock sword and confronted Amu.
　I was surprised.
　The figure that loosely holds a one-handed sword is as good as that of Amu.
　Is it really possible to use a sword?

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that I'm not going to be able to stop you, Seika-kun.......
You'll be fine.

　I answer a worried Yifa.
　I don't think either of us are willing to go that far, and I can stop them if I have to.
　And besides you can get a glimpse of what Mabel is capable of.

Seika. Just say the word.
Yeah.

　I answer Amu, and after a beat, I keep my voice steady.

"Start.

　As soon as the signal was given, Amu kicked the ground.
　And with the momentum, a sharp slash from the upper level is carried out.

　It was probably a weapon aim from the beginning.
　Amu's strike, probably close to full force, attacked the sword in Mabel's grip with such speed that it was difficult to follow it with the eye.

　It was a flash of bravery that seemed to decide the game.

　Mabel received it ------ with only one step and a pull back.

''T........!

　High-pitched metallic sounds and sparks fly, and Amu's eyes widen in surprise.
　It would be so. It's hard to believe that an ordinary person could take that first attack.
　A fierce scramble begins, but Mabel remains expressionless, catching Amu's ridiculous power and eventually starting to push back.

　It was Amu who pulled back first.

　A retreat to regain his bad stance.
　That, Mabel did not miss.

　The chase was a flurry of sideways strikes.
　Amu raised his sword and tried to receive it.
　But it was not possible.

　With a ripping sound----the mock sword flips out of Amu's hand.

　A few moments later, the sword barrel that rolled to the ground in the distance was twisted and twisted.

　Mabel released her zanshin posture and threw the mock sword to the ground, muttering as she walked away from Amu's side.

'You can continue to be pampered. Cute little brave girl.''

　I furrowed my brow.
　Now, Mabel was just about to say

Wait.

　Mabel looks back at the voice that was called out.
　Amu puts his hands on his hips and says.

'No magic?　I was planning on it.
....

　Hmm, did Amu notice it too?
　Ever since I received my first attack, I had felt the flow of power in Mabel.
　It was hard to tell at first glance because she wasn't using a staff, staff sword or magic circle.

　I thought it was a body-strengthening support magic, but if you're a user of the dark attribute, perhaps.......

I know there's more to come. That's why you're so weak.

　Mabel said.
　And then she turned to me.
　"Oh," she said, looking at me like I was some insignificant outsider.

"You should start now, if you're going to take it lightly.
Why is that...?
It's not going to be a sweet tournament where you don't get hurt.

　I reply with a smile.

"Thank you," I say with a smile, "I'll think about it. I'll think about it.
....

　Mabel silently turned on her heel and left.

　What.
　She was angry and provoked by Amu's flippant remarks, or she was worried about others and warned him.
　She was no more decent than I thought she would be. At least, compared to me when I was young, it's a lot better.

"Amu-chan are you hurt?
You okay?

　Amu didn't respond to our questions, but crossed his arms and pondered for a while... but then he looked up and said in a commanding voice, "I've decided.

'Okay, I've decided.'