Published: 18/09/2021
Updated: 23/03/2023
The day of the execution cannonball promotion exam will be today. The three of them were around the table. Iruma ate large amounts of food and Hayami had her eyes closed, her fingers laced between each other and her chin rested there. She ate too, but as usual, it would seem normal or too little compare to how much he eats. She only had a cup of tea in front of her.
"The day is finally here!" Lord Sullivan enthusiastically.
She opened her eyes and they looked over at Lord Sullivan. "How are you feeling? You think you'll do okay?" He asked.
"Yes." he bowed a little. "Or at least... I wish I could say that."
"I think so too though I'm more nervous about using my power rather than relying on my spear." She lifted up her tea.
"Are you still scared?" Opera stepped in.
"W-Well, I mean..."
"I guess you can put it that way." She swirled the tea in her cup while staring at her own reflection. "I'm just still not very confident in my magic capability yet." She admitted.
"Allow me to give you one last piece of advice."They lifted the teacup and sipped it. Lord Sullivan tried to talk. "Hey, isn't that mine?" Opera ignored him. "You can consider it a life hack."
"Lifehack?" He repeated.
"It's an old netherworld technique, but fear is utter humiliation for demons. When it comes to surviving in such a competitive society as the netherworld, fearing your enemy is the same as defeat." So the more scared you are, the more you should be upfront. Turn your fear into excitement." They sipped the tea.
"Really, isn't that mine?"
It was quiet afterwards. 'I wonder if Iruma is repeating those words in his mind. Maybe I can—'
Their friends called out to them. "Morning! Morning! Morning! Morning! Morning! Iruma-chi! Haya-ki!"
"Iruma-sama, Hayami-sama! We've come to pick you up." Asmodeus called out.
"Yes. We must reach school! It is going to be an exciting day today."Kuro agreed.
They turned their head. "We'd better get going." he finished up his breakfast and she quickly got up to get their bags. However, before she did that, she came back and gulped down her tea then gone to get them.
Iruma tied his hair up into a ponytail. 'I just need to prepare myself and step forward.'
***
"Today's the day of the promotion exam, isn't it?"
"I wonder if Asmodeus-sama is going to raise his rank even higher." The pink hair demon said.
"I'll be shocked if he doesn't."
"Hot guys who are kept down aren't so bad." One eye demon commented.
Ameri watched the students entered the school grounds through the window. "Today's the day."
***
"I shall win!" Sabnock declared.
"No, it'll be me!"
"Let's finish this up so I can go home and get back to my game," Shax said.
"I haven't exercised in forever." Jazz commented.
"Please take it easy on me," Elizabetta said.
"I shall protect you," Caim told her then Agares yawned.
"Iruma-sama, let's show them the results of your training." He told him.
"Sure."
"Hayami-sama, show them the results of your training too and not to be taken lightly!" Kuro praised, clasping her hands together.
"Right." She also responded. "You two also give it you're all too. I don't want to see any hesitation, okay?"
"Yes, Hayami-sama." Both of them answered.
"Promotion! Promotion! Connor and Murf are cheering you on, too!" Clara cheered and kicked her feet happily.
"Silence." Kalego commanded then everyone went quiet. "let us go over the rules." He snapped his fingers and the heart talking/ teaching board appeared. There was a subtle 'tsk' that came from him and everyone knew the reason for that already.
'Please don't smack down this cute board again.'
"A super easy execution cannonball explanation! one: Each team should have one person outside the field. Two: Everyone else will be within the field. three: those hit by the ball must exit the field. You can continue to attack from outside the field. But please note: Even if you hit someone, you cannot return to the field. Four: You may only use magic on the ball. You may not attack your opponent with magic directly." The heart explained and demonstrated on its screen. "Okay, let's all pla— Ow!"
Everyone seemed not too fazed but Hayami had turned gray. "That basically sums it up." He stated in his normally cold voice.
"He sure does hate that cute explanation thing," Shax commented.
"He hit it again! It doesn't deserve that..." She whimpered and Clara rubbed her back while Kuro give her a tissue for her imaginary tears.
"Your promotions will be determined by which team wins and the ranks of the opponents you hit. I will now hand out armbands for Teams A and B. Team A is yellow, and Team B is red." He held out a box full of armbands and took out the yellow one to share out with the class. "Once you put them on, split up on the court."
"Okay!" Everyone lined up and took the band that he gave out. Clara took the yellow one. "Yellow! team A is the best team! Team A is the victory team! Team A is the best team!"
Iruma, then Hayami, then Asmodeus, then Kuro and then everyone else got their armbands.
"It's finally time," Asmodeus said.
"I-I'm so nervous!" He stuttered.
"It is exciting but I'm still not too confident on this. I'm usually quite confident, so that says a lot about what I'm thinking." She clenched her hands into fists and released them.
Asmodeus smiled. "Fear not! You trained so much. Let's show the class what you're made of!"
"If anything, it only just proves you still have so much room for improvement." Kuro also said.
"Yeah!" Replied Iruma.
They slid on their armbands then turned to the court and walked in opposite directions of each other. "Now, let us enter the court...." He stopped talking and they looked back at each other's armbands.
Iruma and Hayami had Team A's armbands and Asmodeus and Kuro had Team B's armbands. They poointed at each other.
"B?"
"A?"
On Team A's team are Sabnock, Clara, Jazz, Agares and Elizabetta. On Team B's team are Gaap, Caim, Crocell, Shax, Purson and Allocer.
"Hey! Why are we divided up like this?! Having Iruma-sama and Hayami-sama and Kuro and me on different teams when we're friends is inconceivable!" Criticized Asmodeus.
"You were split to even out the power balance." He turned around, his back facing him and pointed. "No objections. Line up."
"Yay! I'm with Iruma-chi and Haya-ki!" Clara cheered.
Everyone got into their teams then onto the court. "But...But..." He murmured while his shoulders shook visibly from the revolution that they were not on the same team. It was good he was with his cousin but their superiors were on the other team. The enemies' team.
"Now, now..." Iruma raised his hand.
"It is unfortunate but we must accept this. It won't change anything between us, Asmodeus. No need for such outburst." Hayami replied, swinging her tail behind her.
'This just means we'll have to help Iruma-sama and Hayami-sama from the enemy camp.' He thought.
"Leave it to us!" Asmodeus assured.
"Come now, dear cousin." Kuro already knew Hayami would not want him to stress out on this anymore. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him away.
"Uh...What?" there was confusion hinted in his voice, not knowing what Asmodeus was saying. Hayami knew what he was thinking. It's not hard to read him. he was like an open book to her.
"Hurry up, Iruma-chi! Haya-ki!" She caught their attention as they turned to her.
"Oh, sure. Let's both do our best!" They caught up with their team.
"Yes. You can count on us!" He firmly shouted. "But how do we help Iruma-sama and Hayami-sama from their side?"
"Now...commence execution Cannonball!" He announced before blowing the whistle to start the exam.
'I-It's finally time...' Iruma thought
'To see the bare fruit of our hard work pays off.' She thought.
Gaap, Allocer, Caim and Shax were grouping and whispering what tactic should they use. "Everyone knows you should play it safe," Shax said. "Don't throw the ball at Iruma-kun or Hayami-chan.
"Understood," Allocer answered. They looked over at the pink hair demon who is still in his thoughts while the black hair female was staring at the other team with narrowed eyes. "Not only are they skilled enough to defeat Asmodeus and Kuro individually, but he's a master of invasion while she is a master of tricks."
"A wise man never courts danger."
"What's the matter? Hurry up and throw!" Sabnock smirked with arms crossed, waiting for them to throw it so he can catch it and throw it back to take out someone else.
"Hey, let's throw at him," Shax said. "Remember? He let all our traps hit him when he arrived in class," he recalled and everyone else agreed.
"Excellent idea."
"Seize the idea while you still can."
"So, who's gonna throw?"
"Leave this to me," Caim said.
"It shall be me!" Gaap volunteered.
Before they could choose the thrower, the ball was snatched from his hand and spinning on Jazz's finger. "Mine!" He grinned.
They were shocked when realizing this. "When did you—"
"And pass." He passed it to Sbanock.
"Indeed. Which one of you suicidal fools is ready to accept my ball?" Sabnock questioned, his smirk never went away. The others backed up a little and then Crocell quickly used her powers to create a wall of ice in front of her for protection. He threw the ball and it hit the wall of ice while she cowered. The ball still hit her head. "Kerori, you're ou—"
"The ball just hit a girl!" Caim caught it. This, fortunately, saved their teammate from being sent off the court. However, that's what they thought.
"He caught it, so she's safe!" He held it to Elizabetta. "Here. I'd love to get to know you better." He blushed.
"Ara." Elizabetta said.
"Nevermind, that's an out. Why are you giving the enemy the ball?" He could not believe he just did that. Almost the whole team could not believe that.
"Camui, you crossed onto the enemy's side, so you're out." Kalego officially disqualified him as well.
"Oh, how disappointing." Hayami placed her hand on her cheek and shook her head. Her tail raised and pointed to Shax. "I can sense some feelings from him but he doesn't throw it all away just for a girl. I respect that." She said.
"Feeling? What feelings are you talking about, my rival?" Sabnock questioned and she shook her head, hiding her tail by wrapping it around her waist under her skirt.
"Time out!" His team started to beat him up for his incompetency of not only giving the ball to the other team but also cross over their territory.
"What the hell, you stupid bird?!"
"I'm gonna fry you up and eat you!"
"Anticlimactic!"
"Resume the game at once, or you're disqualified." He gave them a sharp glare while declaring their disqualification if this continues.
"Yes, sir..." They went back to their side and Caim ran out the court.
A ball rolled over to Crocell. "Um...the ball..." it was a different ball and two additional ones rolled over too.
Clara was using her power to summon any and all sorts of balls in the court. "They've multiplied?!" Iruma looked at her.
"Ara, ara. Balls everywhere." Elizabetta commented.
"Which one's the real one?" Jazz looked at them.
"This is just another trial to become the Demon King or god!" Sabnock claimed.
"We should look for it too!" Shax said.
"Understood."
Allocer slipped on one of them and landed on his butt. "Writhing in agony!"
"Found it! My eyes do not deceive me!" he held up a purple monstrous or demonic-looking ball and it made snarling noises.
"What?!" Iruma yelled
"That is not the ball. The last time I checked, it doesn't have teeth, eyes, or make any sounds. Come on, be serious." Hayami told him.
"That's definitely not it." Jazz told him.
Agares gloated on his cloud. "Ugh, you guys are so noisy." He complained. "You're a nuisance!" He used his power on the ground, and it caused the ground to be destroyed, the ball and Team A sent flying in the air.
"Wh-Where's the ball?" Asked Iruma.
"There it is! Someone grab it!" Jazz said.
Iruma ran to it and avoid the other incoming falling balls then jumped. "Keep your eyes on the ball...and grab it!" He caught the ball and some praises while others scolded.
"Iruma!"
"Crap!"
"You're amazing, Iruma-chi! Woo, woo!"
"Well done, my rival!"
"Way to go, Iruma-kun!" Hayami praised him too.
"Agares, you're out because you used magic on something other than the ball." Kalego scolded.
"Only because you're all so noisy." He complained and floated off the court.
"How useless." She muttered.
He held the ball and smiled. "The results of my training are showing! Thanks, Opera-san!" He lifted it just above his head. "Now, I'll just throw...throw...?" The realization had struck him and she noticed the look he was giving. She opened her third eye and listened to his thoughts. 'They never taught me how to throw the ball! Wh-What should I do?!'
Gaap and Shax warily stepped back. "He looks so intense."
"Crap! Everyone spread out!" They ran off.
"How do I help him?" Asmodeus muttered.
"Iruma-kun, show them the true power of an honour student!" Jazz encouraged him, his hands cupped the side of his lips to make his voice louder.
"Excite, excite! Excite, excite!" She cheered.
Everyone was looking and waiting for him to do something. 'Everyone's looking at me.'
"Let me try." Hayami closed her eye and approached Iruma, taking the ball. "I wanna out someone right now." She looked straight at Allocer who flinched. Before she could throw it, Sabnock placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Sabnock-kun?" Iruma said.
"Excellent work catching the ball, my rival." He told him and took the ball from her. "Leave this to me." He told her.
"Huh?"
"Hey, that's not fair." She complained.
'I don't like it...we're in the middle of a battle, and he's daydreaming. he has lost his edge as a demon since becoming my rival's underling.' He readied himself. "I shall whip you back into shape!" He threw it towards him.
"Azz-kun!" Iruma yelled.
When they thought it was going to hit him, Kuro smiled in a pleased manner. Without looking or opening his eyes, he lifted his hand and stopped the spinning ball. This shocked them. Hayami was quite shocked too, seeing as he was so clearly focused on whatever he was thinking.
"Do not..." He looked at him. "interrupt my concentration!" He threw it back and it hit him.
"Sabnock, you're out."
Sabnock ran off the field and screamed, "Pass the ball to me outside the field!"
"Fare thee well!" Clara waved her handkerchief.
"S-Sure..."
"Honestly," Asmodeus said.
"He should have seen it coming. It was his poor lack of judgement that you won't be aware of your surroundings."
"Wow...Asmodeus is bad news." Jazz spoke up.
"Let's not throw to him," Elizabetta replied.
"I will avenge Sabro!" Clara threw the ball at him. Again, previously like Sabnock, he caught it without batting an eyelash then thrown it back at her. "Yay!" She turned around and hit her out.
Kalego facepalmed and Hayami sweatdropped. "Valac, you're out."
"So much for advice huh?" She chuckled dryly.
The match continued at a steady pace. One after another, the demons disappeared from the court. Then, finally...The ball hit Asmodeus food then he opened his eyes to pick it up. "This is..." The only ones left are Asmodeus and Kuro from Team B and Iruma and Hayami from Team A!
"Iruma-kun and Hayami-chan are hard to hit." Jazz commented.
"Well done, my rivals!"
"Go, go!" Elizabetta cheered.
"You've got this, Iruma-chi and Haya-ki!"
"Get them!" Shax cheered.
"History is written by the victors!" Allocer exclaimed.
"Now, let us cheer together," Caim told Crocell.
Kalego was inspecting the two students on each side while they have yet to move or speak. 'Wh-When did this happen? I was so deep in thought, I hadn't noticed at all! there's no way I can attack Iruma-sama!'
'I can't attack Hayami-sama. I didn't even know it will be boiled down to this. Me to attack her? That I can not do...but...' She thought, looking at them then froze on the involuntarily with wide eyes.
'Wait. If there are only two of us left, I just need to give them the ball and let them hit us!' He was about to call him. "Iru—" Kuro grabbed his wrist tightly. He looked at her confused. "Kuro, what are you doing?"
"Don't. I know what you're thinking, but we shouldn't. Just look." She gestured to them and he stopped to look at them too then froze as well just like her.
Once his eyes met their face, Iruma had a serious look that was never seen before. Hayami had also serious eyes too but her eyes had notable sharp slits and a sharper glare, her purple eyes had a slightly darker colour to them too.
Their eyes shadowed. 'Have I looked at Iruma-sama's ever since the match started? Let him hit e? Lost on purpose? And have him gain a rank...' He trailed off. 'How foolish can I be?! I've been by his side watching how hard he's worked... And yet, I only thought about myself. I didn't even think about what Iruma-sama must be thinking, standing there!' he grew visibly angered and teeth clenched. 'You should be ashamed, Asmodeus!' His pink eyes glared into her pink eyes too. Just like Asmodeus, Kuro felt the same.
Kuro knew that Hayami wanted her to give her all and do not be lenient. 'Hayami-sama. You wanted us to go all out. I will keep my word now. How foolish of I to almost go back on my word!' She let out a breath. 'Unforgivable!'
Fire burst and flared up, causing them to cover their eyes. "I will meet full strength with full strength!" He took some steps forward. "I am a demon his demon who values etiquette. I am Asmodeus Alice." His white waistcoat had fallen off. "And I will give this everything I have!"
Iruma looked a little nervous but the serious shine in his eyes did not waver. 'I'll catch it, no matter what!'
In the meantime, the student council were walking down the stone pathway at the underground sports area. "It's pretty rare for you to come to watch the first years' promotion exam. Oh, you must be interested in the two top of the class, Asmodeus and Kuro."
"He could be an excellent candidate to welcome into the student council..."
"No..." Ameri turned her head to them. "We might actually see something even more interesting."
It was down to two-on-two. It was silent and intense anticipation filled the air. "Now it's down to two-on-two!" Gaap said.
"Being off the field doesn't matter anymore! Get him, Asmodeus!" Shax cheered.
"You can do it, Iruma-kun!" Elizabetta cheered.
"Woo! I've got the best seat in the house! Go, go, Iruma-chi! Haya-ki! Fight on! Fight on! Fight on!"
"If only those who are out could return to the court..." Sabnock said.
"Come to think of it, this is their first battle since the entrance ceremony." Jazz said.
'He seems completely different than before. Azz-kun is serious... No, his malice is even more intense than that.' Asmodeus readied to throw the ball at him.
"Here he comes!"
"Stay back!" Jazz said and Clara had fallen off Sabnock's shoulder.
'I'm scared. I've gotten through some sticky situations before, and the instincts I've developed are telling me to run. But...' He recalled Opera's words of advice. "So the more scared you are, the more you should be upfront."
"Upfront!" He ran straight to him. 'Turn your fear into excitement.'
'Oh, Iruma taking their advice? I want to see what will be the outcome of this.' Hayami thought amusingly as she watched him. 'This is going to get good. To think Iru-kun is going to confront this head front. It is daunting.'
"Wha—"
"Are you serious?! You'll die!" He threw the flaming ball towards him and he caught the ball to which the force pushed him back.
'This is... Azz-kun's true power? I can't...it's too powerful! In that case...I'll just...I'll just...' Everyone stared in awe and anticipation with Kalego judging what is to come. He used the momentum of the ball to jump in the air as the fire surrounded him. "Throw it right back!" He let out a battle cry and thrown it at him, the ball had hit his shoulder.
The ball rolled over to Kuro's feet and she picked it up too. A swirl of red liquid covered around her as she let out an intense aura. Hayami covered her face as the wind picked up from the intensity. 'Wow. This is Kuro's means of going all out!' She cracked her neck. 'This intense malice is high.' She closed her eyes. "I don't know. I should be feeling some sort of fear, but this is fear is seemingly turning more into excitement." She lifted her head and smile.
Everyone else also stared in bewilderment as she let out a laugh.
"What's wrong with Hayami-chan?" Jazz said
"Is she finding amusement in this? Unbelievable!" Shax exclaimed.
"Kuu-chan!" She looked forward and everyone stared in awe and some in fear. Her eyes were now a darker shade with a hint of magenta in them. "Come!"
"Eh?" Iruma stepped aside a little as he looked into her eyes.
Kuro let out deep breaths then readied herself to throw too. She let out a battle cry and threw it toward her. A bloody aura around the ball and it lit ablaze as it reached nearer and nearer her.
She only smirked as it came closer then lifted her hand as it collided and dust picked up in the area with everyone gasping at the possible outcome. "Hayami-chan!"
"Haya-ki! Are you okay? Still, fight on!" She said then everyone stopped talking as the dust cleared with the spinning ball in her hand and a still smirking Hayami.
"She caught the ball without even flinching?!" Gaap yelled.
She gripped the ball. "Oh, that packed a pinch. My turn~" She beamed playfully. She slammed her foot on the ground and her violet aura encircled the bloody flaming ball. "Take...this!" She threw the ball.
Kuro froze with fear when she looked at Hayami. Everyone was frozen, even the student council was flabbergasted. "This overwhelming power... I can't move my body, no matter what I want to move." Kuro muttered, paralyzed as the ball came closer and closer to her that she did not get to react properly. The ball looked like a roaring monster in her eyes. It slammed into her chest and she flew onto the ground.
Everyone was shocked and let out screams as she lay there with a groan. She panted and her eyes went back to their normal purple colour then she blinked. "Huh? Did I just-Ah! I'm so sorry!" She gasped, covering her mouth.
"Woah, Hayami-chan sure is very scary." Shax shook in place.
Sabnock was even left speechless by her actions. "Never hath thou ever experienced this before!"
"Let's make sure to keep on her good side, yeah?" Jazz also laughed light-heartedly.
"Wh-What just happened?" The blonde asked. Ameri let out a shaky breath but smiled nonetheless and in relief. The whistle was blown and the winners had been announced. "Team A wins!" Kalego announced.
The team started to cheer upon hearing the announcement. "W-We won? I won?!"
Hayami was happy but was ready to approach Kuro to see if she was injured but their team made it over to them. "Yay! yay! That was so cool! It was like, whoosh, whoosh, twirly, twirly, kablooey! Then it was all like kaboom, slam, zzzzoooooo, zip and then bam!" Clara hugged them.
"Well done, my rivals!" Sabnock touched their heads.
"You're safe to stay around right now, Hayami?" Jazz asked cautiously and she nodded.
"Yes, yes, I'm okay. All okay. Um, yeah." She said, trying to assure them. She did not want to scare them off. 'I'm just glad not many saw that.'
"You guys were so cool!" Elizabetta complimented.
"Come on, let's lift them up!" They all grabbed him
"Ready and...Heave-ho! Heave ho!"
Then it was Hayami's turn. "Wait. How did I end up here?"
"Did you switch?"
Clara also did the same with them also wondering how she did that then it was Sabnock's turn. They were complaining he was too heavy and he would definitely crush them. "I can do it. Stay back." She grabbed him from under and toss him in the air. "
"Heave-ho! Heave ho!" She lifted him as the other said it while he was being lifted. "Heave-ah!"She tossed him way too high and he slammed right on the ceiling. "Ah! Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" She called out to him.
"No worries! This is all a test for Demon King and God!" His muffled voice echoed and Kalego facepalmed once again. "I'll get you down quickly!"
"Iruma-kun." Jazz said.
"Yes?"
"Is Hayami angry or something?" He asked while she was using her telekinetic powers to get him off though it was taking a little while.
"I doubt that." He sweatdropped.
Asmodeus quickly checked on his cousin. "Kuro. Are you hurt?" He asked, helping her up to her feet. She coughed and held her chest. "Apart from...getting the wind knocked out of me....and the pain here..." She wheezed. "I am....perfectly fine..."
"That was everything we had." He told her then smiled. "We have lost royally. We truly don't stand a chance against them." He looked at her. "We should take you to the infirmary to take care of this issue."
"Yeah..." She wheezed. "I'm happy I was the one...to take her on...!" She chuckled then groaned before Shax jumped on Asmodeus' back "Azz-Azz!"
Gaap wrapped an arm around her. "Those fireballs were amazing!"
"You two were so cool!" Caim said.
"Get off me! Don't you see she is hurt?!"
"There aren't even many upperclassmen who could catch that ball from Asmodeus and Kuro." He said. 'Yet he moved closer instead of running... He used quick thinking to turn the incredible strength of the throw aside, put his own spin to keep its momentum and threw it back at Asmodeus. Iruma managed to use his bizarre evasion skill as an attack. Hayami only just stood there and even though she took the ball head-on, she remained unscathed and easily stopped the ball with only one hand. Her strength is near impeccable.' He sighed
"Iruma! Hayami!" He called out to them and threw the small badge towards them and caught it. "If Asmodeus and Kuro let you win, I wasn't going to let your two raise your ranks ever. But the four of you truly gave it your all. Therefore... Iruma and Hayami, I approve your promotion to Bet and Vav.
They were all awed at their accomplishment. "Yay! You did it!" Clara beamed
"Congratulations." Asmodeus and Kuro said.
"I need to heal you, Kuro! Come this way." She took her from Asmodeus gently and made her rest her arm around her then dragged her off.
"Boo! At least give him Gimel!" Shax booed and complained.
"Indeed." Asmodeus agreed. "Bet for that performance is an insult!"
"You miser! Boo, boo!" Clara booed too.
"Shut your mouths! Your ranks don't go up that easily There will be more exams. If you lot want to be promoted as well, work harder. That is all. " He walked off.
"Okay..." Everyone said.
"Wait!" Sabnock raised his voice to stop him. "isn't my rank going up?!"
"It is not!"
Sabnock was not pleased to hear that.
Everyone began to leave. "All right, let's go home."
"Aren't you tired, Elizabetta? Shall I massage your shoulders for you?" Caim offered.
"I'm fine!" She responded.
"Does that mean a yes?"
After taking care of Kuro, everyone was leaving and bidden farewell. Asmodeus turned around when he noticed that Iruma was not by his side or the other two. "Iruma-sama?"
'I can't stop smiling, and my heart is full...I-I've never had this...'
"Congratulations, Iruma."
"Ameri-san!" he looked at her.
"I was watching your performance. You seem completely different from yesterday."
"That's..."
"The President Student Council." Kuro finished him.
"There you go appearing again, Lady Redhair!" Clara growled and was about to charge in, but he held her back from doing anything illogical.
'But...what could they be talking about?' He thought as she also looked curiously.
"Um... I've never worked hard for my own sake before." he paused then smiled. "But now I know... This is what working hard and seeing results from it feels like!"
"It is, Iruma. That warm feeling you get after using your strong will to overcome challenges and obstacles...That is truly...Ambition!" She exclaimed and with an imaginary explosion in the background.
"A-Ambition?!"
She nodded. "Yes, your passion toward your ambition! Your fighting spirit to see it through!" She blushed with a proud smile.
He placed his hand on his chest where his heart was located. 'Is this warm and fuzzy feeling really ambition?'
Hayami also walked forward with a blank smile. "Hayami, I saw your accomplishment too. Congratulations." She also congratulated and she gave a nod in response, not saying anything else. While Iruma was not looking at her, her eyes narrowed and slits appeared catching her off guard. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Huh?" Iruma looked behind him but she only had a normal look. "Hmm? What do you ever mean?" She questioned. 'I can sense it. I can tell she has something for Iruma too. As much as I respect her, no way I can let her win. She is a liability.'
She looked at her with perplexity but smiled again. "Anyway you managed to take a step forward. Well done, Iruma and Hayami." She praised once more.
He smiled back in return but she kept her blank smile on. 'It's so hard to read her. I can't tell what she is thinking.' Precisely. Hayami normally doesn't show emotions, so her face seems expressionless for the most part.
"Hiss!" Clara growled.
'I can't hear them at all...'
'I wonder what they are talking about...'
"Iruma-kun! Hayami-chan! Kalego-sensei he's buying us some drinks!" Shax called them.
"I did not!" He refuted.
***
Back at home, it was now night time and they finally arrived with surprisingly no issues from Hayami. "We're home!" He called out.
The door opened. "Welcome home." Opera greeted and took their bags.
Lord Sullivan rushed to them. "So, so...How did your promotion exam go?! Tell me, Tell me!"
"Well." He placed his hand behind his head. "I ended up having to face Azz-kun one-on-one in the end, but I managed to safely raise my rank!" He showed his Bet badge.
Lord Sullivan cheered. "You did it, Iruma-kun!"
"Safely?" Opera's ears went flat then they grabbed his hands. "With those wounds on your hands?"
"My Azz-kun is strong." Lord Sullivan commented. "What about you, Hayami-chan?
"Um. It went very well. I was against Kuro and I also safely got my badge too." She showed her Zayin badge to them.
"That's my girl, Hayami-chan!" He also cheered.
"However, something inside me snapped." This got their attention.
"Yeah." Iruma said. "She looked scary and she caught the ball like it was nothing then threw it back at Kuu-chan. She was pretty injured but Hayami treated her so it was fine."
She nodded. "I kept intensely apologizing while she kept telling me she forgave me, but I still feel so bad. I-I just don't know what had gotten over me all of a sudden. Maybe it was the thrill, rush maybe? The adrenaline as I faced her. It got me excited that it was just all new!" She described.
"That is concerning," Opera replied. "It was probably just a one-time thing."
"My, my, you're very strong Hayami-chan. You should take it easy next time." Lord Sullivan patted her head and she laughed jokingly.
"In the end, it was thanks to the training that we made it this far." She said.
"I got to give my full concentration to this match." He agreed with her. "So...Thank you, Opera-san." They smiled together while thanking them.
Their ears perked up immediately but Lord Sullivan was grimacing. from jealousy. 'Wh-why... I helped with your training, too...' He realized. 'Wait. I didn't do a single thing.' He started to throw a small childish fit. "No fair! No fair!" He cried.
"You're the one who put all that responsibility on me." They told him.
"Hey, what's with the attitude? I would have just ended up spoiling them. That's why I asked for your help with tears in my eyes."
"U-Um... I'm grateful to you, too, Grandpa."
"I'm grateful too, Master."
Thus the execution cannonball match, and the rigorous training that went into it, saw its end. In bed, he thought, 'A dream...a goal. I've never felt like this before. Everyone was so happy, and so was I.' he recalled Opera's words.
"Do you want to return to the human world?"
***
He rubbed his now healed hands. "Iruma-kun. That was quite a spectacular show you put up there." She laughed while holding his bandage arms.
"It was worth it. I actually did something without your help, Yami-chan. Are you proud?" He said with a smile. She smiled back. "I am. This is why..." She cupped his cheek gently and leaned in closer, making him widen his eyes by their close proximity. "You should continue to do your best." She pulled away and got up, walking out the room.
"Oh, and one more thing." She stopped by the doorway, "You looked very cute with your hair in a ponytail. Makes you look more distinguishable. It's not like you're not cute I am trying to say. Just some compliments." She walked out.
***
"I..." He fell asleep with the badge in his hand. Suzuki Iruma, age fourteen. Rank: Bet.
Hayami stared at her hands in the darkroom while thinking about what happened today. 'I didn't mean to intentionally hurt her. It felt like I snapped. Could it be my power overwhelmed and clouded my judgment?'
She rubbed her left arm and more scales appeared on the back of her arm. 'It's moving even more. I should continue to tackle this head-on. No matter what. I won't be scared about it. Concerned? Yes. This is nothing more than challenges to be handled.'
She lifted up her Vav badge. "Hey, dad. Are you proud of me? I can't wait to see you someday, you too mom." She clenched her badge tightly and placed it on the dressing table then turned on her side to sleep.
Aikawa Hayami, age sixteen. Rank: Vav.
What Hayami did not realize, someone was staring at her through a window. Their violet eyes glowed and they smiled. 'So much potential, Hayami-chan. Till we meet someday....again.' The figure disappeared without a trace.
Interval
"Hey! Let's get those drinks Kalego-sensei said he'd buy for us!" Shax beamed.
"Oh, sure." He said.
"I'm not buying you anything."
"Aww, Kalego-sensei. Don't be like that. Please?" Hayami asked with a pout and he answered with a firm no.
"You should come with us, Ameri-san."
She turned around, now wearing detection warding glasses With them, everyone will stop noticing you no matter how much you stand out. 'I need to make sure I don't outshine the star. I should hurry and leave.' She walked away.
"Huh? What's up?"
"Well..."
However, they are absolutely useless if someone has already seen you. 'I wonder if those are her personal glasses.'
"Pretty pleae, Kalego-sensei?" She asked once more.
"If I say yes, will you stop begging me already?" He asked annoyed and she nodded. "Fine. Whatever. Let's go."
"Nice!" She cheered.
Trivia
+Hayami likes Iruma putting his hair in a ponytail.
+Hayami was already aware that Ameri had developed some sort of feelings towards Iruma. She just give her the benefit of a doubt and pretends like everything is okay.
(Hope that you will enjoy this new chapter! Thank you for reading, voting, and commenting. Until next time!)