Chapter 2: Princess' Dog
When Azaka turned fifteen, he started attending the Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy at the Royal Capital.
This academy is known as the Crème de la Crème of schools on Midgar continent, where promising knights and nobles gather not only from this nation but all over the world.
Azaka attends the school like his sister did, it has been two months ever since.
When he first arrived at the city of Royal Capital, he was doing a bit of sightseeing. He also was told that the lower rank of nobles such as Baron, must live at the dormitories outside of the school grounds since they only provide the high ranking members.
Azaka sees no issues with it, in fact he doesn't care since he's not even a noble blood, just an adopted child and his sister is obviously the heir of the Family.
Besides, being on the lower ranks doesn't mean they're weak, not when they have a monster like Azaka around.
He also made friends with two fellow Barons who are in the same class, Jaga Imo and Skel Etal, both of them are the second sons of their Families.
Skel, the second son of the Baron Etal. He's slim and tall, and though it seems he cares about his outer appearance, he has zero style. If anyone looks at him from far away, he could trick them into thinking he's hot.
Jaga, the second son of the Baron Imo. He's short and somewhat stocky. He's like there's one potato-esque guy on every baseball team, that's basically him. It doesn't matter if you look at him from afar, from up close, or from any and all angles. He can't trick anyone into thinking he's cool, not with that look.
Then there's Azaka, who is now wearing glasses. The adopted son of Baron Kagenou, the smartest guy in the Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy. His dark purple coloured hair is stylish, his blue coloured eyes are sharp although he's wearing glasses.
The reason why he's wearing glasses is not because to support his eyesight, rather to protect others from his eyes because one of the Noble Phantasms he has is a psychic ability called Mystic Eyes, that can kill just from a look.
The glasses is a magic item that he took from the Gate of Babylon to prevent his psychic ability to kill, it's a fitting glasses for him with black and rectangular frames.
Over these past two years, Azaka has trained some of the skills in sword fights. In fact, he developed his own tactics and styles. He used to act loose when he's acting as Semvoid, but now he is ruthless himself and Semvoid becomes more dangerously charismatic.
It is certainly a progression, not to mention he can use blades to fight although his skills are not that great.
Though, not many people in the school appreciate him despite being the smartest. It's because he's an adopted child, noble families never like adoption, because they only like pure bloods.
That is why Azaka gets looked down on, he also gets bullied for being an adopted child and labeled as a fake noble.
The only friends that stick with him are Jaga and Skel, also his sister Claire.
One day, it was after a magic related test. Jaga and Skel approach Azaka, the three of them are in an empty classroom since class is over.
"Azaka, how did you do in the magic test? Both of us got B's" Asked Skel.
Azaka sighs. "No good, I got C"
Since the test was about measuring a person's magical energy, Azaka is definitely the lowest because the Noble Phantasms that he has, drained him. Plus, his Mystic Eyes are always activated too so his magical energy is always passive.
That's why he can't score when it comes to specific tests like this that involve measurements, since it has nothing to do with wisdom.
"You remember our bet? The loser will receive a penalty" Jaga said.
"Yeah, yeah, that stupid penalty. You guys already know that I can't make up for my magical energy with my head, you two really are prepared for this" Azaka rolls his eyes.
Skel grins. "So you know what the penalty is?"
"No, what is it?"
"Whoever loses in the test must confess to a girl! That's the bet we made!" Skel said.
"Huh? Confessing to a girl? Dude, that's embarrassing" Azaka is surprised.
"That's why it will be fun, dumbass! We just wanna see some pathetic chump getting his ass dumped real hard"
"What are you? A devil?"
"Anyway! We have already set the target of who you will confess to" Jaga said.
"I can already tell who.."
"You will confess to Princess Alexia!" Skel grins widely.
There are many nobles in this school but Alexia Midgar is the biggest fish of them all. Not only is she a princess, but she's also known to be the idol of the school.
Even a chimpanzee would know she's the top tier. There's an ultra-famous big shot named Princess Iris Midgar, but she already graduated. So, Alexia is the idol.
Azaka blinks. "You want a nobody like me to confess to a literal princess? Are you out of your mind?"
"Losers get no words" Skel said as Jaga nodded with him.
There were many reckless challengers who went after Alexia. It's been two months since the beginning of school, and more than a hundred nobles have already tried to win her over.
All of them were met with one bitter phrase. "I'm not interested"
Considering her position as a princess, she must have a political marriage or something lined up for her when she graduates. There are also times when people said she's trying to say she doesn't like being in love because it's childish.
That said, the aristocratic students in love with her share the same fate, a political marriage.
"Let's go already! I heard she always hangs out on the rooftop, so go meet her!" Skel said with full spirit.
Azaka follows his two idiotic friends, where they hide at the nearest hidden spot while Azaka sees Alexia who is staring at the scenery from the rooftop.
He takes a deep breath, wondering why he would agree to this. But, he doesn't care much since the nobles in this school already looked down on him.
"Princess"
Hearing someone called her, she turns her back to see Azaka Kagenou from Baron ranked Family.
The light of evening's sun radiates the face of Princess Alexia from a distance. Her platinum hair is cut straight across at her shoulders and her red eyes are beautifully shaped, the gentle breeze flowing smoothly.
Her looks are all aloof with her perfect face. A form of beauty, a definition of gorgeous.
Princess Alexia, she's standing there looking all high-and-mighty. She faces a guy with glasses who is in a relaxed position, although he's actually pretending to be relaxed.
His dark purple coloured hair moves in a peaceful tone of the breeze, his blue eyes are like a glass behind the glasses.
He lets out a gentle breath, locking eyes with her as he confessed.
"I love you" His voice is calm, but it's loud in this situation. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
There you go, Azaka chooses to go with an average confession like in every cliché, if not boring romance scenes.
This young man keeps his cool posture, but he's actually screaming internally in his head as he said that. He was just a geek who loved the Fate series in his previous life, he had no idea about romance in the first place.
At least he did the penalty, his idiotic friends who are hiding, watch and hold their laughter as he confessed to her.
The Princess is silent, analyzing him with her sharp, beautiful red eyes as she says.
"Sure"
"Huh?" Azaka was already pleased with himself and just about to leave, when he experienced an auditory hallucination. "What did you just say?"
"I said, sure"
"Um, okay.." Azaka blinks, he totally did not expect that, his look of pure shock is a proof of that.
At the same time, both Jaga and Skel are shocked as well. Jaga's eyes were wide open while Skel's jaw is literally on the floor, both reactions are real.
The next day, the three friends are sitting at the same table, their usual spot for lunch as three of them are still in surprise of what happened.
Azaka is eating very slowly, Jaga drinks from his cup while his hand is shaking and Skel is chewing his food very loudly.
They are all in agreement: There's definitely something strange going on.
"No offense, but Princess Alexia is way out of your league. If she said yes to me? I'd still think it was fishy. Right?" Skel said with an obvious look.
"At least try to hide your envy" Azaka bluntly said.
"If she thinks Azaka is good enough for her, I bet I would've been good enough, too. Gah, I really should have confessed to her earlier" Jaga rubs his head with his hands.
"To be honest, it's terrible. I have a feeling she's got an ulterior motive, which freaks me out. Plus, we basically live in two totally different worlds" Azaka states.
"Yeah, I hear you. And unlike me, you're not blessed in the looks department. I bet she's just toying with you" Skel said.
"Yeah, now everyone are looking at you, Azaka" Said Jaga.
Azaka scans the cafeteria and sees everyone whispering and observing him, the three's table is a bit further from the main tables but they still can see the whole view of nobles looking at Azaka.
"Over there! That's her boyfriend"
"You're kidding! He's super average"
"It must be some kind of mix-up.."
"I think he's cute"
"No way!"
The female nobles are looking at him in curiosity and wonder, while the male nobles give Azaka a look of deride.
"He must be blackmailing her"
"I'll kill that son of a bitch"
Azaka hears every kind of chatter, he has good ears after all.
"Seriously, what do I do? It'd be weird if I mentioned breaking up when I just confessed my love for her" Azaka states.
"Come on, give it a try. If you're lucky, you might make some nice memories" Skel encourages with a sly grin.
"He's right. Let's say this is all a misunderstanding. You still get to date a princess. Don't waste your time dealing with bullies" Jaga adds.
"It doesn't work that way" Azaka said.
Even as he is now, rumors about an adopted noble dating a princess will continue to circulate around the school.
"But now that you two are actually going out" Jaga muses "You've gotta stay quiet about that penalty"
"Yeah. I can see things getting messy if word got out. Please don't say anything. I'm looking at you, Skel" Azaka eyes Skel.
"Me? I'd never say anything!"
"I'm serious" He sighs as he reaches for his daily lunch for broke aristocrats, which costs exactly 980 Zeni.
He's about to finish his food, but a group of maids set the lunch course of the super rich, which costs a whopping ten thousand zeni, in the seat next to him.
Alexia walks towards the table, standing next to Azaka. "Is this seat available?"
Azaka gives her a blank look, not knowing what to react.
"P-P-Pwease do!"
"Y-Y-You can sit here! If you don't mind!"
Skel and Po respond, basically shriveling into nothing. These are the same guys who were talking big game about how they could date her if they wanted to.
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead" Azaka says to Princess Alexia, who's waiting for his answer.
"Don't mind if I do" She replies, taking a seat. "Nice weather we're having" It seems like an obvious way to fill the silence.
"Yeah"
The innocuous conversation continues, with the elegant movement of her hand, she starts eating her extravagant lunch.
"I assume you're taking Royal Bushin for your practical elective in the afternoon" Alexia says.
"Yes, what about it?" Azaka looks at her in wonder.
The academy requires its students to take general courses in the morning and practical electives in the afternoon. The former takes place in setclassrooms, but the latter is a mishmash of students from all classes and grades.
They're basically allowed to choose one of many weapon arts electives that they feel suit them best.
"I'm in that class, too. I thought it'd be nice to take it together" Suggested Alexia.
"No. You're in Section One. I'm in Section Three"
Bushin arts is so popular that it has nine different sections with fifty students in each, divided up by skill level.
For now, Azaka always avoids the class and only attends when the attendance is recorded so he's performing poorly enough despite having some skills so he's in Section Three.
"It's okay. With my recommendation, I can get you into Section One" Alexia said.
"It's totally not okay. I know that for a fact"
"Would you rather that I enroll in Section Three?"
"No, that'd make me look bad"
"It's one or the other. Choose"
"No"
"This is a Royalty order"
Azaka sighs. "I'm off to Section One"
With that, lunch is over. Skel and Jaga were completely still from start to finish, basically melting into the background.
Azaka marvels the moment he steps into the classroom for Section One. He can't help himself because it looks like a ginormous gymnasium. In addition to the standard locker room, it is fully equipped with a shower room, a cafe, and a maid who opens the entrance, which technically makes it a manually operated automatic door.
To avoid getting bullied by the other students, he hastily changes into his uniform and waits for Alexia in the corner until she walks up to him.
"Let's loosen up" She suggests as soon as she enters the room in her Bushin uniform.
It's just a plain cheongsam, a tight-fitting dress with a high leg slit. That's the uniform for girls. Hers is black, which indicates she's one of the strongest fighters.
In Bushin, each color represents a different level of strength. Black is at the top, white is at the bottom. Azaka wears white for being in a Section One, plus he barely attends any of the sessions before.
Since he's the only one in white in this entire room, he sticks out like a sore thumb. He ignores the stares of other students which are 70 percent hostile and 30 percent curious, then warms up with some light stretches.
"Interesting" Remarks Alexia, mirroring Azaka's movements. In this world, it's common knowledge that it's beneficial to loosen muscles before working out. But with no proper how-to-guides on stretching, everyone does it in their own way.
Azaka came from a modern world with modern knowledge, so he knows warm up stretches are very important if wanting to play sports.
There are others here who use magic to force their muscles to loosen up, but this still affects their performance. Alexia is well versed in that sense, she may not be a high maintenance purist like Azaka when it comes to battle, but she does well. Though, Azaka won't lose to the average pretentious snob.
After a light warm up, they're getting ready when class begins.
"Starting today, we have a new friend joining us" The instructor, Zenon Griffey, starts introducing Azaka.
"I'm Azaka Kagenou. It's nice to meet you"
Full silence. There isn't a hint of friendliness in his classmates' eyes. It's no wonder because Section One is full of snobs who think they're better than everyone, especially these people who also look down on adopted nobility.
The only reason they didn't bark a single insult is because he's dating Alexia, who is a literal princess.
Everyone here comes from a high noble family, the same goes for the teacher, who's the fencing instructor for the country. On top of that, he's a young blond hunk who's only twenty-eight years old.
"Let's welcome him to our class"
With that, they start the training, suppressing their magic through meditation first before practicing their swings and going over the basics of swordplay.
Azaka does not like swordplay since he relies on destructive Noble Phantasms, but his skills have grown over these past years because of his Mystic Eyes which would help him make correct moves all the time.
That is why his skills have grown, he has what it takes to the best. He also thinks all the students here are skilled. It's a neat environment and the techniques taught in this class are hyperlogical.
"Do you like the Royal Bushin method?" Zenon approaches Azaka.
"Maybe"
Mr Zenon grins in an easy-breezy type of way. "As you know, the Royal Bushin method is a relatively new fighting style, a deviation from traditional Bushin. There was some resistance at first between the traditional supporters and the trail blazers. But thanks to Princess Iris, it's now being recognized as the artistic heir of its traditional counterpart"
"And I hear you're one of the swordsmen who's spread the art throughout the country, Mr Zenon"
"Yes, but my contributions are nothing compared to Princess Iris'. In any case, the Royal Bushin method practically raised me, which is why it makes me happy to see others enjoying it, too. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you"
With that, Mr. Zenon goes to check in on the other students.
Azaka can understand his feelings. He also gets all giddy when Alpha and the other girls watch him show off his Noble Phantasms. Which makes him all the more excited when the girls use them, too.
"What did you two talk about?" Alexia asks, appearing from Azaka's back.
"The Royal Bushin method"
"Hmm. We're going to spar next. Let's pair up"
Sparring is basically a form of light training where they review techniques, reversals and battle processes without actually hitting the opponent.
"Why don't you take your glasses off? Don't blame me if it breaks" Alexia points out.
Azaka can't tell the reason why he wears them in the first place, hell would break loose if the glasses go off.
"It's fine"
Alexia looks in disapproval but stays in silence, they pick up their wooden swords and start exchanging blows.
Azaka swings, she blocks. She strikes, he dodges. They don't hit each other, moving at a sluggish pace, and skimp on magical energy.
The other pairs are locked head-to-head in all-out fights, blasting each other with spells.
But to his surprise, Alexia is matching his pace. No. This is normal for her. After all, the purpose of this activity is to review the strategies. Meaning that speed and power are pointless. Alexia is focused on this goal and that alone.
Azaka can tell by the way she handles her sword, she's putting efforts. This entire country sings the praises of Princess Iris, Alexia's older sister, brilliant and fiendish, the strongest combatant in the kingdom.
On the other hand, they don't have much to say about Alexia. She possesses magic andforthright techniques, but she's inferior to her sister. That's what people generally say when talking about Alexia.
But as Azaka spars with her, he thinks she's good. She adheres to the basics and grasps the foundations of combat, though it feels uninspired. It's run-of-the-mill. But that's the fruit of her labor: Her swordplay is polished, refined, and devoid of all excess. That's the proof that she's mastered the basics step-by-step.
"Your swordplay isn't bad" Alexia notes.
"Thanks"
"But I don't like it" The princess bluntly says. "It's like I'm watching myself fight. Let's stop here for today"
Azaka fixes his glasses, grinning since he doesn't even do anything and she judges him from that.
She begins packing up, everyone does that since class is over.
Azaka yawns, turning his back and is about to head towards the locker room when Alexia drags him by the nape of his neck.
"This is your answer, I'm guessing" Observes Mr Zenon, who's standing in front of them for some reason.
"I've decided to go out with him"
"You can't keep running forever" He warns, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm just a kid. This situation is too grown-up for me" Alexia replies, following it with a pompous burst of laughter.
Azaka is silent, but this is enough for him to figure out how he could get into this section and why she chose to go out with him.
After changing to their school uniforms, Azaka confronts Alexia behind the school building.
"So Mr Zenon is your fiance and now you're pushing the onus on me, huh?"
"He's not my fiance, just one of the suitors" Alexia corrects, looking all calm and composed.
"It's the same thing, lady"
"It's not. He keeps pressing the issue as if it's a done deal, and it's stressing me out"
Azaka hits the steel rail with his fist "But this has nothing to do with me! I hate to break it to you, but I have no plans to get sucked into this mess of drama"
"You're awfully cold for a lover" Alexia is still calm.
Azaka scoffs. "A lover? Come on. You just needed a red herring to take the fall for you. Isn't that right?"
"Fine. But that goes for both of us" She quips, a devious smile spreading across her face.
"Both of us? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Playing dumb, huh? Mr I-confessed-to-a-girl-as-a-penalty, Azaka Kagenou" Her grin broadens.
Azaka blinks. "H-Hold up.."
"Oh, to play with the heart and purity of a maiden" She laments. "How cruel" Says the girl without a trace of purity in her entire body. Alexia lets a few fake tears fall from her eyes.
Azaka looks away. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about. Do you have any proof?"
Right, evidence first. As long as the guys didn't stab him in the back, it won't matter how suspicious she is of his intentions.
"I think his name is Jaga. When I approached him, he turned bright red and blabbed everything, including things I didn't ask about. Nice friend you've got there" Alexia grins widely.
"No way! Jaga, you little.." Azaka shakes his fist, imagining himself beating Jaga into a pile of mashed potatoes.
He has no choice but to accept defeat. His fatal flaw is choosing the wrong friends.
Azaka lets out a huge breath. "Have it your way, princess"
Alexia crosses her arms and leans against the wall of the school building. "Let's keep pretending we're together for now, until that man gives up"
"Hey, I'm just the adopted son of a Baron, you know. I'm not enough to stop him"
"I know. I just need to buy time. I will figure something out"
"And I don't want you to put me in harm's way. I mean, the dude is a master swordsman. If things don't work out, I'm gonna get my ass handed to me"
"Stop whining" Alexia snaps before fishing some coins out of her pocket and scattering them onto the ground.
"Pick them up" She orders.
Each coin is worth ten thousand Zeni, there are at least ten on the floor.
"What? Do I look like I'd be swayed by cash, you witch?" Azaka crosses his arms.
Alexia continues to drop more coins, now there are at least 30 coins on the ground as Azaka immediately gets on all fours, carefully retrieving the coins one by one.
"You do"
Azaka is focused on taking the coins as he keeps counting and puts them in his bag, he extends his hand to collect the last coin, she stomps on the change with her loafer.
He looks up at Alexia and her red eyes bear down on him. He can see up her pleated skirt.
"Are you going to do as I say?" She asks with a grin that oozes wickedness.
"Of course" He smiles from ear to ear, doing a full 360 turn of personality.
"Good dog" Alexia crouches and pats his head before briskly walking away with her short skirt billowing behind her.
"I'm no dog, woman! I am-"
She already walked away, he sighs as he wipes her footprint from the coin and gently places it in his pocket.
He may have the Gate of Babylon to gain the money, but he prefers the more honest way so that he can donate to the people who need it while using the ones in the Gate of Babylon for his needs.
The next day, Alexia approaches Azaka.
"Come with me" With this order, he's dragged into the classroom for Section One students in the Royal Bushin elective in the wee hours of the morning.
They're the only ones here. The sun is streaming into the room and it's peaceful. It's time for morning practice.
After the warm up, Alexia swings her sword and he follows suit next to her. She's very serious when it comes to practice. It's the one thing he doesn't mind about her.
They never speak, just practice in absolute silence and he's not annoyed about spending time with her, for once in his life.
"Your swordplay is strange" Alexia comments.
"You've got the basics down. That's it, but…" She pauses. He's obviously subduing his strength, magic, and abilities as he slices through the air. Which leaves him with the fundamentals. ".. But I can't take my eyes off it"
"Thanks" He can hear the birds chirping outside, but he knows they aren't whistling a tune to themselves. It's a war cry to claim their territory, which means they're really duking it out.
"But I still don't like it" Alexia adds. They don't speak after that. They just keep practicing.
Two more weeks pass, Azaka somehow manages to survive as Alexia's "boyfriend". They did all sort of things just because Alexia wanted to, from clinging arm to arm, feeding to one another and hand holding, all of them in public just to show that they're "legit" couple.
Every once in a while, the other students will bully him when Alexia is not around, but it's nothing that he can't handle.
Mr Zenon is suspiciously calm since he hasn't made any move or availed himself of any quick and savage tricks to erase him from existence.
In fact, Mr Zenon is polite to the two of us during class, instructing them as if he and Azaka don't have beef with each other.
It's after school, both Azaka and Alexia are heading to her dorm.
"That jerkwad pisses me off. Thinks he's all that just because he's alright with a sword" Alexia acts nice in public, but behind closed doors, she's a foul-mouthed-tornado.
"Uh-huh" Azaka nods, listening to her usual rambling. By this point, he knows disagreeing only wastes time.
"Pooch, I'm guessing you saw his fake-ass grin, too"
They're on their way to Alexia's Royalty dorm after school. It's already late at evening, since they have gotten the habit of taking a small detour down a quiet path through the forest on the way back to her dorm.
Azaka looks at the evening sunset as they walk at an excruciatingly slow pace down the road, while Alexia runs her mouth.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Azaka asks.
"What is it, Fido?" Alexia sits on her favorite stump and crosses her legs.
"You hate Zenon because he's "too" nice of a guy, is that it?"
Alexia crossed her arms, slightly vexed. "Yes. I hate everything about him. His very existence"
"So you don't judged people on the surface"
Alexia snorts. "Yeah, on the surface. Anyone could pretend. Take me, for an example"
"Heh, now I'm suddenly completely convinced" Azaka sits next to her at the stump.
She's super-popular because she's the master at wearing a mask in front of others, a good princess who behaves in public, a tomboy in close doors.
"So, what do you look at?" Azaka asks.
"Their flaws" Alexia smiles smugly.
"What a negative approach. It suits you perfectly"
"Why, thank you. And just so you know, I don't mind you, even though you've got nothing going for you"
"Thanks. I've never received a compliment that's made me feel worse"
Alexia chuckles dryly. "You're scum through and through, and I like it that way. It's also why I can't stand that Zenon guy"
"He does seem like he's hiding something, well, being too nice can be suspicious too"
"Right!? Perfect people don't exist. I bet he's either a big fat liar or totally messed up in the head" Alexia tosses a coin into the air. "Fetch it, my flawed pooch"
His body scrambles to retrieve it. Another ten thousand Zeni, he shoves the coin in his pocket and return to Alexia, who's clapping herhands in delight.
"Good doggy" She rubs his head. "Ooh, you hate this so much" She observes as she vigorously tousles his stylish hair.
"I will take this opportunity to remember you're the worst" Azaka said.
"I can see the disgust in your face" Alexia notes as she giggles and gets up. "All right. Let's head home"
Azaka sighs, she turns back to him.
"And, Fido, note that I'm going to lodge my wooden sword into that damned Zenon's face tomorrow. Make sure you're watching"
This compels him to ask another question. "Would you seriously do that?"
"What do you mean?" She replies, glaring at him.
"It's fine to insult and run mouths about someone, but getting physical is another story. Zenon is definitely stronger than you but not to the point where you wouldn't be able to fight back. Still, being a princess doesn't mean you can get away with assault cases"
Azaka likes the way she handles her sword. Her skills evolve every day with her efforts, one step at a time. But in an actual fight, there would be too manyextra movements.
He would hate to see it sully her swordsmanship, especially he thinks it's good.
"You make it sound so easy. Even though you're the one wearing white" Alexia replies, trying to say "mind your own business" in her own way.
Azaka fixes his stance. "Don't mind me. It's just the ramblings of a white coat"
"Fine, I'll let you know the truth. It's not as easy as you think."
"What is it?"
"I have no talent. I was born with a significant amount of magical energy and I've worked hard to get to this point. I think I'm all right now, but I know I don't stand a chance against a true genius" Alexia states.
"I have always been compared to my older sister, Iris. Everyone expected great things from me. And more importantly, I respected Iris and wanted to be at her level. But I realized I will never be as good as her. I mean, we weren't born on the same playing field. I tried my best to get stronger. But I'm guessing you already know how people describe my fighting style" She continues.
There's a certain phrase that's always uttered when the two sisters arecompared.
"The swordplay of an amateur?"
"That's right. And yours is, too. How unfortunate" Alexia flashes him a lopsided smirk.
"I don't think it's unfortunate. I like your swordplay"
Alexia reacts by holding her breath for a moment and scowling. "I've been told that before. By Iris, when she beat me onstage at the Bushin Festival" Alexia curls her lips and imitates her sister. "'I like your swordplay' she doesn't understand me at all. I felt pathetic and she had no idea. Ever since then, I have always hated the way I fight" Alexia smiles sadly.
"If you're teaching a fish to climb a tree, it will live its life thinking its stupid" Azaka said. "Humans are bound to limits, there are gifted and talented, there are average and losers. Everyone has their own perks, their own weakness. What you're trying to do is forcing yourself into a new field, plus setting the bar too high"
"What!? Are you saying I'm not good enough?" Alexia barks.
"Compared to Iris, yes. You see, levels are determined by the talent, average and hard work. Average is for those who don't take it seriously, hard works are people who put their life into it and talented are just people that can do anything while they're sleeping" Azaka said. "Let me ask you, would you blame a fish for not being able to climb a tree? Would you blame a monkey for not being able to swim?"
"That's.. That's not the point!"
"No, that is the point. We're just humans after all, so we can't be perfect at anything, you said it yourself. There is no such thing as a perfect human" Azaka tells her. "The real solution here is to love yourself, don't compare yourself to others just because they're good at their own field. It's like Earth and the Sun, Earth has habitants, plants and sea. The Sun shines the brightest in the solar system, two different things, the same can be said about people too"
"So let me say it, I like your swordplay, Alexia" Azaka looks into her eyes seriously.
".. I see" Alexia pivots on her heels. "I'm heading home alone today" She turns her back and walks away.
He simply stares at her back, then he turns to the evening sunset.
The next day, Azaka, Jaga and Skel are at their usual table at lunch break in the cafe.
"It's been a while since the three of us have eaten together" Comments Jaga the Traitor.
"That's because he was dining with the princess every day" Adds Skel
"I don't want to hear that from you, especially the traitor" Azaka said.
It's the first time in a long while that the three of them sit together in the cafeteria. Alexia is not here, which is rare.
"Come on, Azaka, cheer up! I even went bald for you" Jaga rubs his head.
"You were always bald!"
"Now, now. Real men don't hold grudges, you know" Skel said.
"We even bought you the lunch for broke aristocrats today, costing nine hundred and eighty Zeni" Jaga said.
"Our treat! Let bygones be bygones, and let's be friends again"
"Alright" Azaka sighs.
"Yeah, that's our man!"
"Thanks for forgiving us, Azaka"
"Whatever" Azaka simply shakes his head at both Skel and Jaga's words.
"So how far did you get?" Skel asks, holding back his excitement.
"With what?"
"Well, did you do the "deed" with the princess? You've been dating a whole two weeks, so you must've done something"
"No. We didn't do anything"
"Huh. You're a friggin' wuss. I would have gone all the way for sure" Skel's shoulders slumped.
"Right? I would have smooched her, at the very least" Jaga adds.
Azaka simple shakes his head as he eats his food, then somebody approaches him.
"Can I have a moment?" Zenon, the blond-haired guy, asks.
"Yes, of course!"
"By all means!"
With that, my two pals melt into the background as they melt into the background.
"What is it?" Azaka asks, slightly on guard. He's wary that Zenon might pull something while Alexia is not around.
"You might have heard already, but Alexia hasn't returned to her dormitory since yesterday"
"No, this is the first I've heard of it" Azaka starts to look worried.
"I was searching for her this morning when I found this" Zenon holds out a loafer in his hand, it's no doubt Alexia's. "There's evidence of a struggle nearby. The Knight Order is investigating this case as a potential kidnapping"
"..." Azaka falls silent, his mind is racing with theories but there's also a guess that this is a potential set-up.
"We narrowed the culprit down to the person who last came into contact with her, Azaka Kagenou" Zenon looks at him square in the eye. "The Knight Order would like to have a word with you"
The entire Order is in full gear, standing menacingly at the entrance of the cafeteria.
"I'm assuming you will cooperate, right?"
Azaka stands up, fixing his glasses and his posture. "Of course"
The Knights wanted to drag him, but Zenon told them to let him walk as the Knights surrounded him.