The World After the Bad Ending

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Greatsword Iron Man.

Aisha Bizbel.

A proficient martial artist, ranked top in her first-year martial arts class.

Now, she is kneeling in front of me, head bowed.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t know someone was here.”

The greatsword that nearly split me in two was accidentally thrown by Aisha.

I was shocked at first, but now that some time has passed, I’ve calmed down.

In contrast, Aisha still seems flustered by almost hitting someone with her sword.

“It’s alright. You can get up. I’m not hurt.”

First, I need to calm her down.

I can only imagine what the others would say if they saw this.

But Aisha hasn’t moved from her kneeling position.

“I’m really sorry. If there’s any problem, please come to me, and I’ll accept all charges. I’m truly sorry.”

Was Aisha really someone who would overly apologize like this?

It seemed she was caught up in the game’s dynamics centered around Lucas.

I didn’t really know much about the characters from the lower grades.

“It’s really okay. I’m fine. But how did you end up throwing the greatsword?”

At that moment, Aisha flinched.

Seeing her reaction, I raised an eyebrow.

Did she have some kind of unspoken issue?

However, perhaps feeling that it wasn’t right to hide things from the person she nearly harmed, she spoke while still bowing her head.

“Well, um, I accidentally let go while spinning the windmill.”

And upon hearing those words, I blinked in surprise.

“A windmill, huh?”

So, Aisha was twirling around with the greatsword in hand.

True to her image as the Greatsword Iron Man, Aisha typically gives off a heavy vibe.

Thinking that she was doing something like a ‘spinning tornado’ was honestly a bit mind-blowing and absurd.

‘It must have been fun.’

Grabbing something and spinning around has a primitive sense of joy.

However, that’s usually a pastime one graduates from in childhood.

Aisha, knowing this as well, turned beet red from embarrassment.

Her head burrowed down as if a rabbit had dived into a hole.

“Um, I’m really sorry, but can you keep this a secret?”

“That’s not really hard to do.”

Thinking about it, Aisha was only 17 years old.

High school students tend to do silly things out of nowhere at that age.

And they often feel embarrassed about it afterward.

Considering her age, I understood everything.

“Oh, speaking of which.”

I suddenly had a good idea.

I was about to casually mention her name but stopped myself.

It wouldn’t do to know her name since we’re not close.

I had to be cautious.

“Your name is…”

“It’s Aisha Bizbel. I’m a first-year.”

It was hard to pretend not to know things when I actually did.

“I’m Hanon Irey. I transferred in as a second-year yesterday.”

“You’re a senior!”

“You’ve been at the academy longer than I have, Aisha. It seems you’re more of a senior than me.”

“Me, a senior?”

It seemed Aisha didn’t mind being called a senior, as her eyes darted around.

She was a little cute.

That is, if it weren’t for the greatsword embedded next to her.

“Do you train every morning, Aisha?”

“Ah, yes, it’s my routine.”

So diligent.

Rain or shine, Aisha trains here every morning.

I couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Could I possibly join your training sessions?”

“Training, you mean?”

“Yeah, I want to work on my skills a bit too.”

In the world of Fire Butterfly, there’s a concept of stats.

You naturally improve your stats as you master certain abilities through repeated actions.

However, sadly, I don’t see any stats popping up before me.

I’ve tried calling out every kind of window I could think of, but nothing appeared.

‘Since it’s become a reality.’

I just thought I didn’t have a stat window.

Instead, I came to the conclusion that the notion of stats still exists here.

I confirmed this through several events that occurred before I transferred to the academy.

‘Repetitive actions and mastering certain abilities indeed improve stats.’

Even though I couldn’t see it with my eyes, my body felt the experience directly.

‘Well, in reality, it’s the same.’

More concretely, I can sense breaking through a wall.

Moreover, I’ve come to another realization here.

‘In this world, talent is the speed at which stats increase.’

The stronger the innate inclination in a specific field, the faster the related stats rise.

So training is important.

My strong suit is stamina.

I need to enhance my combat abilities to engage as a member of the martial arts curriculum.

‘There’s a mock battle exam coming up in just a few days.’

I must equip myself to replace Lucas’s role during combat.

Aisha is known as the Greatsword Iron Man and ranks at the top among first-years.

And I know what her main stat is.

‘Stamina, just like me.’

Aisha’s unique trait, “Iron Man.”

Training with her will definitely be beneficial.

“T-training partner.”

Surprisingly, even though it might seem like a bothersome request, Aisha brightened noticeably.

I could feel Aisha’s eyes scanning my body in an instant.

Like a gym buff assessing the level of a newbie friend to work out with.

“…Are you really okay training with me?”

Aisha asked with a slightly worried expression.

Yet, her mouth was curving upwards, which felt oddly unsettling.

Her gaze was intense.

Her breath seemed heavy.

It was like the gaze of a seasoned veteran ready to pounce on a newbie.

Did I make a wrong choice?

But right now, it would be a shame to let this opportunity slip away.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate it.”

Let’s just see how it goes.

Aisha clenched her fists.

“Great! If that means I can help you, I’m all for it!”

“That’s a relief.”

Although her gaze is a bit intense.

At least I’ve gained a trustworthy training partner.

“What are you doing?”

At that moment, I heard a familiar voice and froze.

Turning my head, I saw a woman dressed lightly, as if she had stepped out for a short stroll.

Her honey-blonde hair resembled the sun.

Underneath, she should have a bright face like a sunflower.

But what reflected in my eyes were dark circles beneath vacant eyes and disheveled hair.

Isabel Luna.

The protagonist Lucas’s childhood friend and one of the main heroines.

‘Looks like she hasn’t slept well again today.’

Since Lucas’s death, Isabel has been unable to sleep properly and has developed insomnia.

As a result, her once bright appearance now shines with only gloom.

She must have come out for a breather after struggling with her insomnia.

And just then, she coincidentally ran into me.

For some reason, she now looked wide-eyed.

Then I belatedly realized my situation.

Aisha was still kneeling in front of me with her head down.

Even though I told her to get up, she still hadn’t moved, so I left her be.

To anyone else, it would look like a second-year boy was making a first-year girl kneel.

Naturally, that was not a scenario anyone would perceive positively.

Normally, I’d want to clear up the misunderstanding first.

But the problem was that my counterpart was Isabel.

“W-wait a minute. This is…”

As Aisha finally became aware of the situation and tried to clarify the misunderstanding, I stepped in front of her.

Instead, I shot a look at Isabel with deadpan eyes.

This was an opportunity.

An opportunity to drastically lower Isabel’s favorability.

“I made her apologize for causing me trouble. Is there an issue with that?”

“What?”

Isabel stared at me with a puzzled expression.

I thought she’d ask for an explanation about the current situation.

But instead, she seemed perplexed that I was being so brazen about it.

“I’ve been wronged, so I received an apology. And I don’t see why it concerns you, Isabel Luna.”

In Fire Butterfly, addressing someone by both their first and last names serves as a warning.

A warning not to meddle in needless matters.

Isabel stuttered as her lips moved.

Then she shot me a look filled with a fierce intensity and clenched her fists.

“You’re truly a piece of work.”

“It’s rather puzzling for me. I received an apology because it was warranted. You’ve really got a wide reach.”

“Why the hell would you be mad about someone disrespecting Lucas?”

Isabel snapped angrily.

Others might not have seen her like this, but she was usually upbeat, earning her the nickname sunflower.

I had only seen her this furious when Lucas returned from a dangerous situation.

But right now, this anger was needed more than anything.

I had to draw out her feelings somehow.

“Then what’s your relationship with Lucas?”

Isabel froze.

“Are you two brothers? Or perhaps lovers?”

“…Just friends.”

Isabel looked at me with a face that asked what was wrong with that.

I didn’t respond.

I just made a face as if I was disgusted.

“Birds of a feather, huh?”

Whoosh!

At that moment, I noticed Isabel’s fist aimed directly at me.

My hair fluttered quietly as her fist whooshed past.

That was fast.

I’ve trained in fist-related arts for quite a while.

It was genuinely only just barely fast enough for my eyes to follow.

She was also among the top ranks of second-year martial artists.

Her movements, unsurprisingly, far exceeded human limits.

“I told you.”

Isabel’s voice came low, menacingly.

“Don’t disrespect Lucas.”

I quietly stared at Isabel’s fist.

If it had landed, I’d probably be rolling on the floor by now.

This was Isabel’s final warning.

“Then prove it.”

I smacked her fist away with my hand and glared at her.

“Show me whether your friend’s skills and death were in vain or not.”

Isabel slowly lowered her fist.

A new determination burned quietly in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“At the upcoming mock battle exam.”

She mentioned the soon-to-come mock battle exam.

“I’ll obliterate you there. Let’s see if you still say the same thing then.”

That was so Isabel.

Unable to contain her rage, she was ready to fight even now.

She stubbornly decided to declare a contest in the mock battle.

No matter how furious she was, her kindness still stopped her from recklessly throwing punches outside.

“Just so you know, Lucas was much stronger than someone like me.”

I stared blankly at Isabel’s retreating figure.

Then I sighed.

Oh, I thought I was going to die from holding my breath.

I’d made such a tense expression; now my face felt stiff.

‘But wait, about that mock exam.’

It’s right around the corner.

Just thinking about it made me smile wryly.

‘Looks like I need to carry out my plans more quickly.’

If not, I might really be in for a beating from Isabel.

“Um, hey, there.”

Then I suddenly remembered that Aisha was still here.

“Oh, I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

I might have apologized too easily compared to my earlier serious demeanor, as Aisha seemed bewildered.

“…Is there something wrong between you and Isabel senior?”

Aisha cautiously asked.

It seemed Isabel’s name had some prominent weight among second-year martial arts students.

Aisha was well aware of that name too.

“As you can see.”

Things were messy.

“Hmm, seems like you have quite the complicated situation.”

“If you think you might catch some nasty fallout, you really don’t have to train with me.”

I had no intention of causing any unnecessary trouble amidst my training.

Upon hearing that, Aisha shook her head.

“No! You promised! Once I make a promise, I always keep it!”

What a cool person.

Aisha wiggled her fingers with her long arms.

“And I don’t think you’d do something like that without a good reason, Hanon-senpai.”

“When did you even start watching me?”

“It’s a woman’s intuition.”

I have a good sense of taste.

“Okay, from now on, I’ll rely on you for training, Aisha.”

“Yes, of course!”

“Then, can you get up now?”

“Ah.”

Aisha sprang to her feet, her face flushed bright red.

The tall girl straightened up and dusted off her knees.

In that moment, her collar slipped, drawing my gaze elsewhere, but I quickly averted my eyes.

Instead, I focused on her bright red knees.

Had she been kneeling like that for so long, that her knees turned like that?

“Um, by the way, when shall we start training, senpai?”

Aisha looked at me, bright-eyed with anticipation.

Her breath was pretty heavy.

…Did I make a wrong choice?