Apologies for the unusually late update, I lost motivation for this after a while but it returned soon after.
Thank you for all the positive feedback! Delusionalweeb and a Guest commented about me using Japanese Words in an English text in the previous chapters, which I apologize for ^^' it is a bad habit which I'll try to look out for in upcoming chapters.

Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danmachi.

"... And then she declared I'd fight with one of her students JUST cause Ms. Hestia put a bet on, and now I must... ya know." He grumbled. The hell did Hestia have to BET?! If another member joined they'd leave the minute they learned. He finally looked up at Raul who stared at him gaping.

"... Did she say who you were battling?"

"Someone named… Tiona Hiryute I think." At that the other nearly fell over. Bell suddenly felt a wave of dread pass over him. "... is she bad?"

"... Hah." Instead of answering, he just gave Bell a pitiful, sympathetic look- what was with those teary eyes?! "... You'll see."

"Eh? Eh, eh?" His mind going in a flurry of questions as Raul turned away with a sad look. Jolting upright he leapt at him from behind, locking himself around his waist. "Whatcha mean?! Who is she?!" His panic started to grow while Raul tried to push him off.

"If I tell you you'll faint!"

"Em…" Both froze and looked up at the customer who'd passed by earlier, looking at them weirdly. Bell quickly de-attached himself and cleared his throat, putting on a smile despite his pale face. Raul rolled his eyes and went back to work, picking up a few boxes laying nearby and heading down the aisle.

Raul's word spun through his head over and over again as he made his way back to his apartment, his shift having ended. Was this Tiona person really that dangerous? He knew the school had some talented students. The seniors, more or less, were always the talk of the school. Heck, all of orario even. Their skills and their accomplishments showed how good they were. According to Eina, all of them were in groups, meaning one backed another one.

He shuddered at the thought. If he would, be any unbelievable miracle or chance, be able to defeat this Tiona person, would that not mean that defeat would affect the rest in their group? He was the only member in his group. Hestia wasn't the replication of famous. It didn't look like they were getting new members anytime soon with the chaos happening. And with what just happened today, neither the school nor the teachers showed mercy.

In other words, they were more or less doomed.

"No, no, don't think about it." Bell gave a shake to his head, looking at the road ahead. "Everything, will be fine." He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, his footsteps becoming more hurried.

… At least, he hoped.

…..

Somewhere in the middle of orario, was a mansion. The mansion, or what people liked to call it, the 'twilight mansion', was home to not a lot of people. From what others had seen, only a few lived in the mansion, despite it's huge size and beauty. The building was surrounded by walls, the huge metal gate guarded by two watchmen who stood stiffly on either side.

Through the walls was the garden beside the mansion, having grown and taken care of.

If one stepped inside the mansion itself, it would feel like a castle. The main hall was wide, having a sofa and table set up in a delicate manner. The huge windows that lined the walls beside were covered in pure-white curtains, and the huge staircase that led up to the second floor was probably the highlight of it all. Below the staircase were hallways that led to other parts of the mansion.

Soft footsteps echoed through the building as an elf with long jade-colored hair that was tied in a low ponytail and an elegant and slim figure walked down the stairs. Her eyes soft green, she wore a simple green and white knee-length dress with black pants and sandals of the same color. She was a high elf, a race of elves who held the utmost nobility. Her beauty, though, was compared to none.

She glanced around, giving a sigh when she spotted the still figure of a girl sitting on one of the chairs near the windows, staring outside in a daze.

She walked up to her and took a seat on the chair opposite her. "Ais. Is everything okay?"

Ais jumped at her appearance, having not actually paid attention. "Oh… Riveria…" She gave a nod. "Yes, everything's fine. Why… why do you ask?"

"Well…" Riveria squinted her eyes at the girl, as if trying to determine whether she was telling the truth of not. Ais only blinked, not having much of a reaction. She gave a sigh. It would have the same as usual, but she knew the golden-eyed girl was distracted by something. "Is... it about the boy you saved a few days ago?"

Her head immediately snapped up. Nailed it.

"W-well…" Her cheeks slightly flushed pink at being discovered, and Riveria would have been amused if she wasn't so curious. As far as Ais had told her, on her way back home she encountered a boy who was being attacked by a bandit. She saved him, but he ran away. That night, the girl arrived home to a furious Riveria who immediately took note of her upset mood.

Whoever this boy was, he was either an idiot or an absolute genius. He ran away, yes, but he also caught Ais's attention. That wasn't an easy task to do.

"Hmm… what is so special about him-"

"Oh, hey gals!" Both turned towards the voice, as Loki arrived from the hallway looking like she'd just gotten into a fight with a lion. It was actually Tione-

"Loki." Riveria gave a curt nod, not minding to ask what actually happened. They were already used to it, so it wasn't much of a use actually asking. She noticed Ais shifting back to the window, dropping the question she was about to ask. she'll have to bring it up later, then. "Where are Tiona and Tione?"

"They're inside, said they wanted to practice some more." Loki slumped on the sofa, stretching her legs. It was true that not many lived in the house, outside only them. There was Riveria, ais, the two amazon sisters and the teacher herself. "I dropped the news on Tiona about her fighting a white-haired newbie. Boy she sounded excited!"

"White-haired…?'' This caught ais' attention. Riveria rolled her eyes, looking displeased.

"You mean the one who just started today?" From what she was told, Loki and Hestia had made a bet about the first student to join Hestia's group was to battle one of Lokis. Apparently a new kid managed to join Hestia and also got roped in the bet. "Is it really necessary for you and ms. Hestia to carry out your little bet?"

"Of course it is! Neither of us can go back now can we."

"Finn will not be pleased. And neither am i."

"It's a bet, it's between us and I'm your group's master. Now who has more power?" She gave a smirk, eyes glinting mischievously. Riveria gave up. It was no use trying to pursue her if she was like this. She straightened herself, turning serious.

"Look, I'm not trying to be mean. Yeah, I know the kid is new, and yeah, the kid looks like he can't fight for life, but you know the things that go on in this school. If I put off the bet, Freya is gonna be up my neck talking about it for the next thousand years. No way in hell am I letting Hestia put it off, since she's the one who iniciated it and Ouranos probably doesn't give a fuck about it all. He's literally always hauled up in his office!"

"You shouldn't talk about him like that. He's the headmaster."

"Headmaster my ass!"

"W-wait…" They turned to ais. "You said… white hair…?"

"...? Ya, like pure white. Why, you remember someone?" Loki leaned in.

"Huh? Oh, n-no… I mean, yes… no, no I don't." She fell quiet again, looking out the window.

Riveria gave yet another sigh. No one could understand what was going through her head.

…..

"... You look like you're about to faint." Raul commented on their way to school.

"Well excuse me if I can't help it." Bell snapped back cranky. He didn't have the best sleep last night, nor was he in the mood of hearing how pale from fear he was.

"Geez, calm down. You could always tell Loki that she's being stupid and she should drop it."

"That sounds too mean…"

"It's a matter of you getting beat up, I think you can manage being mean for once."

"But still…" he didn't want to upset her. Even if she didn't look like someone who would be upset over such words, he still didn't have the guts to say that. Raul rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, you're too soft. Stiffen up a bit and you won't be pushed around so easily."

You're one to say. A year ahead of me yet still single. Bell shot him a glare, pouting and turning away as they reached the gate to their school. "Well see you- he's already gone." He spotted Raul already leaving, waving to a group of students who greeted him back. Despite being plain and boring, he actually had friends. Friends… When was the last time I had friends…?

Shaking his head he continued his way to the school. Besides… It was getting hard trying to avoid the whispers and murmurs around him.

"Hey, isn't that the kid?"

"So unlucky, first day and fight with Loki's group!"

"Probably should call an ambulance beforehand."

What, was he going to the hospital straight after?! He hurried his steps, racing inside the school and looking around for Eina. She said she'd meet him and try to talk things out with his homeroom teacher, but now she wasn't in sight!

"Hey, you there!" He jumped and turned to the counter where the pink-haired girl was leaning over to him and motioning him closer. "Is Eina in-charge of you?"

"Y-yes…?"

"Sorry but she told me she was gonna be on some other meeting. Also said if I see a white-haired rabbit like boy then tell him she'll meet him near the end of school."

End of wha- that's when the battle starts! He really had the worst luck possible, didn't he. Nodding at the girl, he sighed and turned to the hallways. Best chance was he could either try talking to Loki himself or wait until after school and get together with Eina to talk things out. Both options looked unaccomplishable, seeing they had tried yesterday and Loki hadn't budged. Hestia had even gone as far as to doing a full-fledged japanese bow. Still, Loki hadn't budged.

Walking through the hallways, he reached his classroom and walked in. The class went dead silent and he gulped, feeling all the stares on him.

So much for calming down.

Hesitantly he walked down the row of desks, to the one he had sat on yesterday. All eyes were still on him, and he believed him when he said he didn't mean to be a bit shy… but he still was a bit shy. That is, until he noticed someone staring at him.

Footsteps walked towards him timidly. He looked up curiously to see the frame of a slim girl in front of him. He vaguely remembered his classmates' faces but he hadnät seen her. She had deep blue long hair, falling over her eyes that were also blue. Wearing the same uniform as the rest of the student body, she looked even more scared and timid than him at the moment. He was a bit shy, but she was a whole bundle of anxiety. Finally, she spoke.

"... I-it'll be okay. The rabbit will get h-hunted but… he'll escape victorious, in a sense."

… What? Before he could ask, she scurried away towards the door. He was left confused in his seat.

Bell stared at the device in his hands with wide eyes, then up at the grimacing and apologetic Eina and the gloomy Hestia. School had just ended and no longer when he exited his classroom had he been pulled to the side by Eina who had immediately handed him a gauntlet. The gauntlet that was supposed to take care of his score. Basically, what could enable him to join in combat. But… she was supposed to give it to him when he signed a few papers. That was what she had told him earlier. Why was she giving it to him out of the blue?

"..." Eina, seeing his expression, sighed. "... I talked with the captain of Ms. Loki's group. He's a good leader and the vice-principal so he SHOULDN'T allow a battle between a junior and a senior but… he couldn't do anything." no way. "I'm sorry, Bell, but you're going to have to put that on and battle Tiona hiryute."

Bell immediately shook his head, starting to feel scared. "E-Eina, what are you saying! I- I don't know anything about fighting, or combat or well anything!" He wouldn't stand a chance. Even if it was someone his own level- which he doubted it would be- he would lose easily. The only thing he really had was his brains. At least, from what he knew about himself.

"... You can always quit."

Eina and Bell snapped their attention to the petite teacher standing beside him. She looked at them with a grimace.

"You can quit you know. You quit my group, you get saved. The bet would be off and you wouldn't get hurt."

"..." A look of realization passed over Eina. "... why didn't I realize that earlier. You can quit the group and you wouldn't have to battle at all." She smiled almost excitedly for not remembering it sooner. Bell, though, was far from excited.

… Wouldn't that mean you will be alone again? He wanted to say. The bet would still be there, un-dealt with. The next member joins, they also leave when learning about it. It would be a circle of repeated things unless Loki decided to be merciful and let the bet go. He doubted she would. But, in other words, he'd be a coward for running away from it. Rather, running away from her. Even after he promised he'd stay, he'd just turn him back and walk away, leaving her all alone again.

"Bell, please come with me and we'll get you out of Ms. Hestia's group-" Bell snapped back to reality and looked up at Eina, quickly shaking his head.

"No." The other two women froze, looking at him surprised. He frowned. "I'm not leaving her group. If I leave, then the problem would be unsolved. Besides, I chose this group and I'm staying in it."

"... But, Bell…" Hestia trailed off and he shot her a calm smile. He was panicking on the inside, but screw that for now. He knew what he had to do.

"I'll be okay, promise!" Hestia blinked, still not believing he'd rather stay and fight than go away to the safety of his home. Eina sighed, this time supporting a small smile.

"You're going to be a handful if you continue like this."

"Eh?"

"Anyways, in that case put that gauntlet on and let's see your status." Shaking the subject away she motioned towards the gauntlet and he nodded, giving it a glance before putting it on. Noting the button in the middle, he clicked it and the screen beside the other button lit up. He blinked, wondering what this was supposed to do. It was such a weird device-

SHIIIINK!

"-! A-AGGH!" His scream of pain echoed around the room, his hand immediately reaching to take the device off but Eina grabbed it, preventing him from doing it. She was smiling apologetically, feeling bad as he looked at her with teary eyes.

"Haha… I seem to have forgotten to tell you. First time you wear it, you kinda feel pain."

You could have told me that earlier you know! He wanted to complain but bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming further.

"It's the device's way of checking your body." What, how much pain he could feel and withstand? "To get your physical status ready. Just wait…" She motioned back to the device and he noticed… numbers, taking place in the previously blank blue screen. On top was spelled, in bold letter, his name.

Bell Cranel.

Level 1

Group: ….

Guess you had to fill that in yourself.

Status:

Str: H 114

Wait, seriously? He didn't remember being THAT strong, he expected at least over 10. Not over 100. And what was with that H… he really needed to learn the system here.

End: I 55

Now THAT was normal. Still he felt kinda bummed. That wasn't helping him any in battle.

Agi: -

"... ?" it was still switching between numbers. Was it broken? He blinked, spotting the slot below it.

Man: ?

Okay, those question-marks raised questions. What did Man. stand for exactly? Eina told him there were only 3 categories, not a fourth one too. The numbers on the Agi. still hadn't been decided. He must have looked confused because Eina came up to his side.

"What's wrong?" He motioned the device to her and he took a look. Her look also turned into that of confusion. "What… is the device broken?" So she didn't know anything about it. Hestia, curiously, walked over to them and took a look as well.

"Huh, weird. I thought there were only three."

"Man… what does that stand for? I don't think i've heard of something like this appearing on the device…" Eina hummed, trying to figure out what it could mean. Honestly, bell was just as confused. If nor Eina nor Hestia know about it, was it new?

… he wasn't in trouble, was he?

Speaking of, the agility numbers were still moving.

RIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG!

As if having the worst of luck, the bell rang. That meant the battle would start anytime now. Eina and Hestia exchanged worried looks while Bell paled, the footsteps outside the door alerting them that someone was coming.

Moments later the door was kicked open by none other than the image of chaos herself- Loki. And Bell was sure he was about to faint now if not in the morning, because she had that smile on her face. That smile that screamed mischievousness and pure chaos.

"Well? I assume you've given him the device?" Despite being eager to continue with the bet, she also knew and kept in mind the other rules in the school. One of them being you couldn't fight or practice without the gauntlet on. When she spotted it on his wrist, she clapped delightened. "Great! Let's get this show in the-"

"W-wait!" Eina stepped in before Bell had a heart-attack. "I-i'm still going over the basics with him. A-and the device is still trying to determine his agility." it was true, the numbers on the agility still kept moving. Bell frowned, wanting it to hurry up already. It was broken, he knew it.

Loki rolled her eyes. "They'll settle overtime. Let's get going!" Shoving past Eina, she grabbed Bell by the wrist and started dragging him out the room and down the hallway, outside towards the school grounds. He could do nothing but stumble after her, Eina and Hestia following suit.

When they arrived, he noticed the crowd gathering around the place. He gulped, catching the slightly nervous Raul's eyes. Before Raul could say anything, he was dragged in the middle by Loki. The crowd of students started murmuring when spotting them, creating a slight circle around them.

"Everyone! As you know, Hestia here-" She pointed at the other fuming teacher. "-and I made a bet! That the first student to join her group, would battle one of mine!"

"Loki, we talked about this." That sentence belonged to a blond-haired prum in the front of the crowd, with an outfit similar to his own except with a black jacket and a different badge.

"And it made no difference, now shush." Loki waved him off. "Anyways, i'm not going to waste a lot of time on this and just let it continue. Can the other competitor step in?"

"Of course!" That chippery voice… "So you're my competitor, huh! I was so excited when Loki told me yesterday!" The black, short-haired amazoness jumped in front of him, dark-green bright eyes sparkling with energy. She had a slim figure and the school uniform on herself. A white button-up shirt alongside a blue skirt, white knee-high socks and black shoes. She had her coat around her waist similar to Loki, as well as in terms of bust sizes. She was appealing, in a sense.

"I'm… afraid I can't share that feeling." He replied back meekly, glancing at the giant weapon she held in her hands. She noticed and held it up.

"Do you like it? I named it urga, it's one of my best weapons!"

"Y-yes…"

"... Eina, is she really that talented?" Hestia glanced up at Eina as they watched from the side. Eina nodded.

"She's a level 5. It's safe to say she'd been trained ever since she was little. Currently, she's ranking as the number 9 best pupil in the school. If Bell were to ever go up against her…" Which he was right now...

She and Bell exchanged glances, his eyes shifting towards the worried Hestia. The fear in his eyes immediately got replaced by blinding determination, a frown overtaking his lips. If he was going to lose, the least he could fall with the pride of knowing he at least tried. He was in this, he wasn't stepping out so soon.

He turned back to Tiona who looked taken aback at his sudden change of attitude. He gave a bow. "I hope our match goes well!"

Immediately whispers burst out around him, the leader of the Loki group raising an eyebrow. From behind, Ais alongside Riveria and a few other members arrived, pushing their way to the front.

"Oh? Confidence he's got there." A werewolf person called out, giving a gruff snort.

"Eehhh…?" Tiona looked at him curiously, deciding whether or not she should start. Loki, however, answered it for her.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, let it BEGIN!"

Silence fell over the group of people, all watching with bated breath as Tiona continued to contemplate the situation. On one hand, she liked fighting. On the other, this was a boy who didn't know a thing about fighting. On one hand, she wanted to end it quickly and not make it painful. On the other, the glint in his eyes made her feel things and she wanted so hard to go against him. Feel the rush of the situation in hand.

Fortunately (and unfortunately) for Bell, she chose the latter.

He had no time to react as she raced in fast, jumping in the air with the wind flaring around her, ready to swing her leg across him. She hit his torso, making him stagger back at the sheer force of it. She was strong! And that was just the first hit! He didn't see her movements- in her place was a mere moving blur that didn't stop until another kick met him at his other side.

His sight focused on the target only to get hit by a third kick, the amazon hitting his chest and knocking the breath out of him. This was followed by a fourth kick, then a fifth. The places the foot met throbbed in pain, his head in a blur. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't even SEE her, he couldn't catch a chance to breathe and it hurt. She pushed herself back to a backflip, landing perfectly on her feet- Ah, she was wearing training shorts under her skirt. Wise choice.

"Hmm..? weird, usually newbies pass out by these many kicks." Wait, what was that supposed to mean?! He sucked in a choking break, wiping away the saliva that was dripping from his mouth. His whole body, probably covered in bruises and aching in pain, still stood in front of her. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down-

She raced in again, going for the same exact routine again. He failed to guard or defend himself against her powerful attacks again. She wasn't even using her weapon, just her legs. He tried to swing his arm aimlessly, but that did him no favor. She jumped back yet again, giving him time to get himself up.

"E-Eina, get them to somehow stop this!" Hestia tugged on Eina, looking on worriedly. Most of the crowd watched in silence, knowing full well the boy had lost since the match began. Throughout this, Ais had watched with wide eyes- it was the same boy…

"Eehhh, that's enough." Loki stopped Tiona from attacking again as Bell pushed himself on his feet. "Doesn't look like he's winning. Better we spare him and that shrimp and call it a loss for them."

Oh… Bell felt very disappointed. He already knew he would lose. He felt like a loser. He didn't expect himself to win against her, and his trying wasn't even trying. He just took the hits and did nothing more than that. Well… I can't help it I g-

YIIIIIINNNNNKKKK!

A shock of electricity raced through him, his head starting to hurt. It felt like someone was nabbing him in the of his head and then stabbing him over and over again without stopping. His lips opened to let out a scream of pain, his hands flying to his head- but simultaneously, it closed again.

Why should i… I give up-

Tiona noticed his sudden change of behaviour, raising a curious eyebrow. His arms fell in front of him, in a sloppy but stiff defensive position. He gave her a frown, the glint in his eyes the same, perhaps even brighter- slightly different…

"No." That word stopped her. He raised his arms, feeling heat through them and it honestly burned- "I'm not giving up that easily!"

Before she could reply, he raced up to her, directing his fist to her stomach. She stumbled back surprised, barely able to dodge- another punch accompanied it, her hands flying to grab and pull him towards her. He gave her a growl, kicking her leg and almost making her stumble while pulling himself out of her hold.

"What the heck…?" Loki watched in surprise as Tiona got up, looking just as surprised and excited. Moments ago he couldn't defend. Had he just gotten faster?

"Whoaaa you're good with your newbie moves!" She admitted, readying herself for another round of attack. His attacks were amature, she noted. They still got to her. His speed was dozens of times slower than her. Still, it was cool. He had his fun, yeah. Now let her have hers.

That feeling of winning that was running through the Bell was of now wasn't quiet enough for the amount of power she now was using on him. He knew what he did. He was surprised himself, for actually doing that. That feeling, however, was quickly drained when he was met by her kicks yet again.

This time, though, he blocked some. She noticed too, grinning wider and attacking faster.

He forgot he had a limit of withholding to her attacks though. The pain returned, and he stumbled back as another kick hit him in the chest. Then another at his side. And another.

"T-Tiona… don't..." Ais reached out looking almost desperate. Riveria didn't fail to notice, curious to why she was like this right now. Her eyes widened, remembering ais's words-

"I… saved a boy. He looked like a rabbit, but he… ran away."

It couldn't be…

Just as Tiona was about to kick again, strong winds stopped her attack. The wind around the high elf and flared up, her glare scary. "Tiona, that's enough." Tiona fell on the ground, pouting at being interrupted. Many of those in the crowd also wanted to protest, but didn't dare say anything against the high elf.

What was… wind? Bell's hazy mind offered as the winds calmed down. He nearly fell on his knees had Hestia not run up to him, immediately grabbing him by his torso and supporting him up. He wondered what he looked like. A mess? He was sure he broke his nose. Probably a few ribs too, and his arms burned. By the look Hestia and Eina were giving him, he probably took a beating.

Heh, probably.

"Uhhh… well, seeing Riveria stopped the match, I can say that none have won."

"Wait, Finn, what?!"

"But Tiona obviously won!"

"That boy just got a few hits in!"

"Stop bickering and call the school nurse!" Eina, in a rare moment of annoyance snapped, immediately making a few race inside to get her.

Bell felt faint. He felt so tired. Maybe he could sleep for a while, it wouldn't hurt right? Hestia's fading voice and Eina's worried look were the last thing he could see before his eyes started to close-

-who was that long-haired blond girl approaching him?

He blacked out.

…. I might be unnecessarily dragging it, but now I'm finished with this and can move on to the rest of the fic ^^' To few things you might be confused about: Riveria and Finn as there? Well, I wanted them to not be since they were not at the age of going to school. Instead, I decided to give them other roles in the school, alongside the rest of the danmachi cast (Ok I'll stop spoiling). More or less, they won't always be in school. As for the rest of the things happening here, you'll (probably) find out in the next chap XP Don't forget to leave reviews on how it was and till next time!