"Okay, are you ready?"
"Ready for what? I'm not a kid," I replied to Kleah, slipping on the bracers and boots of Skyball. It took me a while to get used to flying with them, but I had finally nailed it.
"Well, unfortunately, you're a kid to me, Junior," Kleah retorted arrogantly as she elegantly rose up into the sky. I rolled my eyes, not letting her get under my skin.
I channeled my mana and took off into the sky. At first, everything was going well, and I felt the wind rushing past me.
"As if it was that haaaaaaaaaaardd-"
But then, something strange happened
What's happening?!
I felt like I was moving at an incredibly fast speed, and I couldn't control it. Panic set in as I tried to regain control, but it was no use.
"Just... a little!" I muttered through gritted teeth, trying to slow down. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I managed to stand upright in the air.
But I was already exhausted, and my body was giving out. Blood was flowing out of my nose, and I had to wipe it with my sleeve. I took a deep breath, trying to recover as I stood hundreds of meters off the ground.
Just as I was catching my breath, I lost control again and dived towards the ground as would a professional swimmer in a swimming pool. It was terrifying, and I felt like I was going to die.
"Pfffft! Ahahaha!"
Suddenly, I heard laughter - loud and clear - and I knew immediately that it was Kleah.
I looked up to see Kleah holding her stomach while floating in the air, laughing hysterically.
A vein popped out on my forehead.
She's sure having fun.
By the way, all the guys, including my so-called best friend Tyler, were looking smitten with her. But I was the one in trouble!
Hey fuckers!
I am going to break bones here!
"T-Tyler! Help me!" I cried out to my self-proclaimed best friend. "We're best buddies, remember?"
[<How can you be so shameless?>]
'Then help me, useless Goddess! I'm dying here!'
"Holy shit!" I exclaimed as I felt the ground coming closer and closer. I panicked and quickly channeled mana into my bracer and ring to retrieve my staff, but it was too late.
Just as I thought it was game over for me, a hand wrapped around my waist, stopping my fall. I looked up and saw Kleah, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Hope I'm not too late," she said with a smirk.
[<See, the hero saved the princess as expected.>]
Who is the princess?!
"What was that, Senior?" I glared at Kleah.
"Don't underestimate the power of the Skyball equipment," Kleah shook her head.
Turns out, the boots and bracers I was wearing until now were just for beginners. Kleah had been holding back on me this whole time, not giving me the professional equipment because it could potentially harm me. But after two weeks of training, she decided to give me a chance with the real deal.
"I decided to give you them now since, in two weeks, you've progressed a lot but maybe I've been too impatient with you," Kleah sighed.
I nodded, finally understanding why I was struggling so much before. "What about Jayden and Tyler?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Who?" Kleah looked genuinely confused.
I couldn't believe it. I had been talking about Jayden nonstop, but Kleah didn't seem to remember him at all. She only recognized him by his face and didn't seem to have a good impression of him either.
I sighed. It was clear that Kleah wasn't going to be any help with my Jayden dilemma. But at least I had her as my sponsor and training partner. We may have only known each other for two weeks, but we had already spent countless hours together.
I couldn't help but feel grateful for her guidance, even if she did have a bit of an attitude problem.
Anyway...How should I put it...?
It was over.
I spent only two weeks with Kleah, but we spent a lot of hours together since she was my sponsor and also because for her I was the only person who could approach her.
I knew Kleah from the game, but now that I'd spent time with the real her, I had a better understanding of how she worked. And, without hesitation, I could say that she would never fall in love with Jayden.
Kleah's revelation had confirmed my suspicion that she would never fall for Jayden. There were two reasons for this.
Firstly, her impression of Jayden had changed after she learned of his loose tongue, and she saw him as someone dangerous who could easily spill her secret.
Secondly, my endorsement had put her in a competitive mindset, as she was determined to train me and get me onto the elite team before Jayden and Tyler. By outperforming Miranda through me, she could earn bonus points for her class and prove herself as a superior endorser.
However, this newfound drive to train me had caused Kleah to spend all her time with me or Professor Julia, leaving no room for her to develop any feelings for Jayden. I couldn't help but feel like I had become a hindrance to any potential romantic relationship between them.
But I had grown tired of trying to play matchmaker for Jayden anyway. Perhaps it was time to let things unfold naturally, and allow Jayden's protagonist aura to work its magic on the other heroines. It had already started with Carla, and maybe it would continue with Milleia.
I explained to Kleah that Tyler and Jayden were the two guys who accompanied me, both of whom were Miranda's endorsers. Kleah seemed awkward as she responded, "Oh, them...well, it has been a week since they started using the professional equipment."
"What? And they're doing well?" I asked Kleah incredulously. It had only been a week since Tyler and Jayden started using the professional equipment, while I had just started to use it myself.
Kleah simply nodded, leaving me at a loss for words. It was no surprise, though; Tyler and Jayden were clearly better than me in this sport.
"D-Don't worry, Junior! That way, the victory will be sweeter!"
But despite Kleah's attempt to lift my spirits, I wasn't upset. It was just another reminder that I had a long way to go if I wanted to compete with the best.
But before I could dwell on it any further...
"When are you going to put me on the ground?!"
"Oh, sorry."
Kleah finally put me down after holding me like a sack of potatoes for what felt like forever. However, just as she was about to set me on the ground, my bracers suddenly started to emit a bright light.
Oh no, I thought to myself. I had filled them entirely with overload mana to slow down my fall, but I had forgotten to remove them.
"R-Remove them!" Kleah panicked.
"How am I supposed to do that?!"
I had no idea how to do it.
It won't hurt anyway, I will just get knocked away at best so why-
As I braced for impact, Kleah suddenly turned pale and tried... to run away without me?!
"Senior?"
I couldn't believe it; had I been betrayed again?
Before I could think too much about it, I fell from the sky once more, and my bracers exploded, blinding me with their bright light. I groaned as I hit the ground, thankful that it was only artificial grass. Smoke rose around me, a clear indication of the damage I had caused.
"Damn," I muttered to myself as I slumped on the ground.
Aunt Julia will beat me up for that...
I knew Professor Julia would not be happy with me for causing such a commotion.
Should I just blame Kleah?
"E-Ed--ward--"
"!"
As I stood up, I heard a faint, trembling voice calling out my name. It was Kleah, but something was off. Her voice was strained and filled with panic.
"Senior?!"
I ran through the smoke, using all my senses to find her. When I finally reached her, she was lying on the ground, her body trembling and convulsing. I knelt beside her, trying to get her attention.
"Kleah! What happened? Can you hear me?"
Her eyes were unfocused, and she didn't respond to my voice. I could feel my heart racing as I watched her struggle.
I quickly noticed the red bracelet on her wrist, which was emitting an intense light. Strange red lines were spreading from the bracelet, coursing through her body like veins. It must have been what caused her distress.
Without thinking, I tried to remove the bracelet, but it burned my fingers, causing me to yelp in pain.
"What the hell is going on?!" I muttered, feeling helpless as Kleah continued to convulse on the ground.
[<Your fire, Amael.>]
"R-Right."
I clenched my hands to stop them from shivering.
"Kleah..."
I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as I looked down at Kleah's trembling figure on the ground. She was always so confident, but now she seemed so vulnerable and scared.
Determined to help her, I conjured up a ring of dark purple fire around my wrist and formed a flame blade at the tip of my finger. Slowly and carefully, I approached the bracelet on her wrist, making sure not to burn her delicate skin as I cut it in a single swift motion.
Kleah's body stopped trembling as soon as the bracelet was cut, and her skin began to emit a bright red glow.
"J-Junior..." she managed to speak, raising herself up from the ground.
"Are you okay?" I quickly asked her if she was okay, relieved to see her recovering. But before she could answer, she noticed her cut bracelet lying on the ground.
"N-No...!" she gasped, her face turning even paler than before.
"W-What...?"
I was taken aback when her fake human ears slowly elongated back to elven ears.
Kleah's body was now emitting a pure, unmistakable elven aura that I had never felt before. It was a stark contrast to her previously human-looking appearance. I couldn't help but be awed by her natural beauty and true appearance.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time-
"What happened?"
"!"
I flinched when I heard Miranda's voice and felt her mana.
No!
Her strange wind began to clear away the smoke.
Kleah put her hands on her ears in a desperate attempt to conceal them, but it couldn't conceal the elven pure mana that was pouring out of her body. Her entire body shivered, most likely as a result of her past trauma.
Fuck!
I went in front of Kleah and prepared myself.