The bet between the class presidents of Class A and Class B began, with their pride on the line.
The tense atmosphere between the two made me swallow hard without even realizing it.
Marin, in the original story, was the type who often showed affection to those around her.
Naturally, she would have done the same for the Class B students, and she must have trusted them just as much.
Mae, although she seemed a bit aloof, was a child with tremendous affection for Class A.
Neither of them thought their class would lose, so if one side were to win, one of them would inevitably be hurt.
I thought it would be best if the match ended in a 3-3 tie, and I watched the battle of Group 1 displayed on the screen.
Overall, Class B was the one launching the attacks.
However, Class A, with Daniel's timely support and Andre's solid defense, held their ground without much trouble.
It seemed like a deadlock, but then Daniel, who had moved out of sight behind Andre's shield, leaped up and launched a powerful spear.
One of the Class B students, who seemed to have taken more damage than the protective gear could handle, disappeared from the screen and was flung out of the magic circle.
"That was Daniel!"
"Oh no! If he hits that—!"
The mixed sounds of joy and disappointment from the two could be heard.
Even when the numbers were even, the match was intense, but with the difference in numbers, the balance was broken.
With Class A having the numerical advantage and turning to the offensive, Class B's members began to drop out one by one, and Class A emerged victorious.
As the magic dissipated, the victorious Class A students returned with a triumphant stride, as if in a grand parade.
"Hehehe! Applaud for us!!!"
"Daniel! Daniel! He's a god!"
"The others were great too!"
Daniel, who was the main contributor to the victory, raised his spear high and shouted, and the other Class A students, who had been sitting, cheered.
The B class students, who seemed to be irritated by this provocative ceremony, looked angry.
Mae, tilting her head back slightly, muttered to Marin as if stating an obvious fact.
"Looks like Class A will win, huh?"
"Hmph, it's just one match! We'll win the next five, so don't worry!"
Marin, with a look that said it was out of the question, retorted and then loudly shouted to the Class B students.
"Don't lose! Show the strength of Class B!"
Seeing Marin's shout, the Class B students seemed to boost their morale.
They were filled with the determination to win and repay the loss.
Despite her confidence that Class A would win, Mae watched this with a somewhat anxious smile.
Mae must have felt it too.
On average, Class B seemed to be stronger than Class A.
In the original story, when the classes merged, the ratio of Class B students was higher.
This meant that fewer Class B students remained in the gym, and thus, Class B had more students who could be considered combat-ready.
No matter how much Eve tried to balance the groups, there was bound to be some difference.
Fortunately, Daniel and Andre were stronger than expected, and Group 1's victory was a relief.
When Eve called out Group 4, Mae, who had been sitting in the front, jumped up.
"Mae, good luck! Take revenge for us!"
Hearing Jesse, who had been sitting behind me, Mae turned her head to look at us.
I nodded to encourage Jesse, who was shouting "fighting" enthusiastically, and Mae nodded back before stepping forward.
Her eyes were burning with the determination to win.
...I was cheering, but to be honest, the opponent didn't seem favorable.
When I saw the composition of Group 4, I thought it was terribly unbalanced.
Marin, who had been sitting next to me, released the small girl she had been holding.
"I'll be right back!"
"Okay, come back safely."
Flone, who had been sitting on the floor, sprang up with a thud and greeted everyone.
Marin's face showed no worry as she replied.
"This is the first time I've seen it, but I've heard stories about the daughter of the D'Los family. If what I heard is true, this group will have a tough time too."
Silvia, sitting next to me, whispered to me in a low voice.
The D'Los family, to which Flone belonged, was a very famous lineage.
Almost as famous as the Astra family, to which Silvia belonged, and the Aegis family, to which the principal belonged.
A family with significant influence, matching its fame.
Silvia probably didn't know Flone's face because, due to her unique personality, the D'Los family rarely let Flone wander outside.
Still, I knew the stories about Flone from the original work.
The story of Flone's weapon was particularly memorable and stuck in my mind.
Long ago, a group of dwarves, while drunk, debated what the most masculine weapon was and decided to create one from adamantium, the strongest and heaviest metal in the world.
It was a true man's weapon, capable of growing in size and weight according to the user's strength.
Because it didn't grow to a certain size, it remained a toy-like form, and thus, it was called the "Girl Detector."
When the dwarves sobered up, they realized that no one could wield it in its true form because it lacked any lightweight enchantments.
Feeling like they had all turned into girls, the dwarves tearfully gifted the weapon to the only true man who could handle it.
And now, at this moment, the Girl Detector, passed down through generations, was revealing its true form in the hands of Flone, who looked more like a girl than anyone else.
Mae, who hadn't expected Flone to dodge her attack, tilted her head slightly in confusion and then lunged forward, swinging her weapon horizontally.
Mae, who had narrowly avoided the attack, leaped back to evade the massive strike and looked horrified.
Flone, who had switched to a two-handed grip, suddenly increased the size of the Girl Detector.
With a cute battle cry, "Iya!" Flone swung the weapon at Mae.
The sound of the weapon shattering Mae's defensive barrier was far from cute.
Mae's body, which had been lifted into the air by the impact of the magic girl (physics) weapon, disappeared.
What followed was a massacre.
The Class B students, who were trying to keep the Class A students at bay, were hindered by the other Class B students, and each time Flone swung her weapon, one of the Class A students was eliminated.
The result of Group 4's mock battle, as expected, was a loss for Class A.
Whether it was because Class A had lost three times in a row or for some other reason, Mae returned with a slightly dejected look and sat down.
Jesse quickly ran over to comfort her, but Mae's expression didn't improve easily.
Flone, who had hopped over and nestled into Marin's arms, looked at Mae and said innocently,
"I thought the class president would be strong, but you're not that great. Marin is as strong as Flone. But don't be too upset! Losing to Flone isn't embarrassing!"
Mae, who seemed to be seething at this, gritted her teeth and remained silent.
But Jesse, unable to hold back, glared at Flone and shouted,
"Ugh, Mae isn't weak! You little earthworm!"
"Wh-What? Earthworm?! Eek! You're not much taller than Flone! Besides, you are weak! Flone took you out in one hit!"
Flone, who was sensitive about her height, trembled and shouted back.
Jesse, feeling a sense of duty to defend Mae, shouted back.
The two short-statured students, clinging to their respective class presidents, bickered like elementary school kids.
"I have dwarves in my ancestry, so I'm naturally small! You little dwarf! And Mae is strong in spirit! She wouldn't run away even from the hand of sloth!"
"Being strong in spirit doesn't matter! You need to be strong in reality! And Flone will grow taller in the future!"
"Ugh! Anyway, Mae is strong! And thinking about growing taller at this age means you're not just short, but also a bit dim! We've already passed our growth spurts!"
"Ugh... Marin! She's teasing me! Say something!"
Like a child turning to a parent when losing an argument, Flone turned to Marin.
Marin sighed and lightly flicked Flone's head.
Flone, looking indignant, shouted,
"Ouch! Why did you do that? I didn't say anything wrong!"
"You started it. What if you hurt someone with those words! Sigh, I'm tired of you. Sorry, she tends to speak without thinking."
Marin sighed and bowed her head to Mae.
"Hmm, no. It's all true. And Jesse, I appreciate your support, but don't resort to personal attacks. You should apologize too."
Mae, who had been listening to Marin's apology, took a deep breath and said,
"Well, it's true. And Jesse, I appreciate your support, but don't resort to personal attacks. You should apologize too."
Jesse, who had been boasting about the victory, blushed when she heard Mae's words.
She must have realized how childish her actions were.
Jesse cautiously bowed her head to Flone, and Flone, nodding, also apologized, admitting her mistake.
Usually, after such an argument, they would be forced to hug and make up, but fortunately, Marin and Mae didn't seem to have that in mind.
"By the way, I heard that some students defeated the hand of sloth that appeared at school. Were you one of them? It must have been a tough opponent, so that's impressive."
Marin changed the subject to ease the tension.
Mae, perhaps because of what Jesse had said, replied about the hand of sloth.
"To be precise, it wasn't a group of people but one person. I didn't do much. Scarlett defeated the hand of sloth."
Mae looked at me as she said this, and Marin and Flone also turned their gaze to me.
Their eyes were filled with admiration, so I averted my gaze.
The attention was uncomfortable.
Mae, looking at Marin, said with a bitter smile,
"You said you were as strong as the D'Los girl. If you were that strong, you could have helped more... Anyway, I now understand how strong Class B is. You must have many outstanding students too."
Mae's praise seemed to please Marin, who shrugged.
"Hmm, it seems you've finally realized the excellence of Class B. Well, if you acknowledge it, I can consider the bet null and void. I only suggested it because I thought you were underestimating Class B."
With Class A needing to win the next two matches to tie, Marin, who seemed to think they would lose, offered magnanimously.
I sighed, feeling a bit sorry for her.
Marin, who seemed calm but was a bit clumsy, was unnecessarily piling up karma in a situation where she could have just stayed quiet.
Mae, looking at Marin, said,
"...But I haven't lost yet. If Class A wins the next two, it will be a tie."
"Do you have any confidence in that?"
When Marin asked, Mae glanced at me.
She was probably looking at Silvia, who had been quietly observing the situation, clinging to me.
Marin, noticing this, looked at us and said,
"Is that so? It seems you were counting on these two. The successor of Astra and the student who defeated the hand of sloth... Unfortunately, Class B has a secret weapon. It will be tough, and you'll need to take me down first."
It seemed like a misunderstanding...
Just as I was about to correct her, Eve called out the members of Group 5.
"Maybe I'll win 1-5?"
Marin, looking confident, said and walked out.
Silvia, who was also in Group 5, quietly stood up.
"Can you win?"
"Shall I win for you?"
When I asked, Silvia replied.
I subtly checked Mae's reaction.
Her eyes were slightly downcast, and if she lost, she would be even more upset, so I nodded.
"I never thought I would lose, but since Scarlett said to win, I'll try even harder."
Silvia smiled and walked forward.
The battle of Group 5 was incredibly intense.
Marin's parents were both famous heroes with superpowers, and she had inherited both abilities, controlling water and cold freely.
She gathered moisture from the air to launch a powerful water cannon and condensed it above her opponent's head to drop as an ice attack.
Silvia intercepted all of these attacks with appropriate spells.
The silver starlight, symbolizing Astra, reflecting off the water and ice, created a beautiful scene.
The children watching the screen were constantly exclaiming in amazement.
However, each attack carried significant destructive power, and despite Silvia and Marin's constant coordination, the other members of Group 5 were eliminated one by one.
Mae watched this with a complex expression.
I couldn't tell what emotions she was feeling.
But now, she was no longer an extra who didn't even appear in the story; she was my friend, so I gently held her hand from behind.
Startled by the sudden touch, Mae looked at me in surprise for a moment, then smiled and held my hand firmly.
I looked back at the screen.
Now, only Silvia and Marin were left.
Marin, who had been attacking, was now on the defensive, surrounded by an ice fortress to block the swarm of starlight coming at her.
But the destructive power of Silvia's starlight was more than enough to penetrate the ice.
After Silvia chanted a slightly longer spell, the screen suddenly lit up, and the battle of Group 5 ended with Class A's victory.
"Y-You're strong."
Marin, who had gone out confidently, returned with a red face and sat next to me.
"Don't be too upset. Losing to me isn't embarrassing."
Silvia, perhaps remembering what Flone had said, smiled and said this, and Marin, burying her head in Flone's shoulder, was consoled.
Marin, who might have been better off staying that way, slightly raised her head and said,
"...But the next group will really win for Class B. There are still stronger people left."
Marin looked at the Class B students.
Just then, Eve called out the remaining Group 6, and a noticeable male student stood up from where Marin was looking.
A messy blonde with sunken eyes.
Dwayne Nineheart, a character who, if we were to be precise, was a rival to Yun Siwoo.
A magician with the setting of being a descendant of a great mage who had once cast a veil over the city.
He was one of the students evaluated as having asymmetric power.
"Dwayne is really strong. Even you, who defeated the hand of sloth, might find it tough. But, aren't you going out?"
Marin asked me.
She seemed to think I would definitely fight in Group 6, but I shook my head and showed her the gem on my left arm.
"Well, I'm banned from fighting for a while in this situation."
I had worn it to avoid shocking the Class B students, but it ended up being a lie.
Marin, momentarily confused by my not fighting, then exclaimed in surprise when she saw the Class A members of Group 6 step forward.
"Four people? Really? Isn't that unfair?"
She was right.
I nodded in agreement and looked at the most unfair person in this world.
Yun Siwoo, who met my gaze, nodded slightly.
I don't know why, but seeing this, I nodded back, and his expression improved.
There was a murmur from the Class B side, but Eve didn't say anything, so it quieted down.
Dwayne, who seemed eager to finish quickly, was saying something.
He must have been tired from practicing magic every night, even cutting his sleep.
Marin, watching Dwayne with trembling eyes, muttered to herself,
"Facing Dwayne with one person less? Is that okay?"
It was a pity, but it didn't matter.
Regardless of Marin's confusion, the battle of Group 6 began.
Immediately after the start, multiple magic circles appeared around Dwayne.
His ability to deploy magic at this level, even early in the story, was impressive.
Students who knew a bit about magic were shouting that this was impossible.
Magic usually required some time to activate, but Dwayne Nineheart had drastically reduced this time and could perform several spells simultaneously.
The result of his overwhelming talent and terrifying effort.
Each spell he cast had considerable destructive power.
The moment the spells were directed at Class A, Yun Siwoo moved.
A few swings of his sword.
The spells vanished as if they had never existed.
Seeing Yun Siwoo effortlessly cut through the barrage of spells, the children watching were speechless.
Dwayne, shaken, tried to deploy more magic.
But even the best magic couldn't stop Yun Siwoo.
A personification of unfairness, with talent, effort, and a bit of luck, he didn't stop even under the barrage of spells.
Dwayne had never defeated Yun Siwoo in the original story.
How could he possibly win against a Yun Siwoo who seemed to have become stronger earlier than in the original?
So the battle ended quickly, as Dwayne had hoped.
Seeing this, Marin seemed to lose her composure, her eyes trembling.