Rising Against Fate

Things had been awkward for Yasumi since this morning.

Unfortunately, it just so happened that she ended up being in the same block as Souta, with whom she had a little history. And to make the matter worse, after the sixth match ended, those two were the only ones left in the waiting room.

As one would expect, Souta looked bummed out, but he wasn't trying anything stupid.

There were surveillance cameras on the ceiling, and the instructors visited the room frequently, so only a fool would try anything crazy in a place like this.

Even though Souta did many things that could be called half-witted, he was sane enough to realize that.

Both hadn't spoken a word since they entered the waiting room, and even though it had been several hours, Souta hadn't even looked at Yasumi's face. A sign that at this point, he was disappointed in himself.

Despite what happened last time, Yasumi wasn't concerned about her safety. In a closed space like this one, she would easily be able to chop off his limb or two if he tried anything. Although killing him would be much easier than that.

In comparison, Souta's wind manipulation magic wasn't that efficient in a place like this. Certainly not against someone from the Ito clan.

The moment of awkwardness ended when the lady instructor, who was in charge of sending block B participants to the stage, showed up.

She was someone whom the majority of male youth would describe as 'hot.' Her black suit looked a bit tight on her, and the way she was revealing some of her skin below the neck was enough for males to make that judgment. Her skirt was long and in accordance with the dress code for the staff, so there was nothing special there.

By her appearance, one would think that she was in her late twenties, but that wasn't true. As a girl, Yasumi knew that she was definitely over thirty-five.

Normally, Yasumi would have paid her no mind, but the way she was staring at her felt rude. It was occasional stares, but something that she was awfully familiar with. It was how a few women who refuse to believe that they are growing old envied the young beauties.

"Yasumi Ito, come with me."

Not just her look, but her tone was also reflecting the jealousy. It was hard to notice because of the professional manner, but the way she said that was completely different than how she invited others.

Even though she felt that she didn't say anything, she just stood up from her seat and walked towards the door.

"Hey granny, you should mind how you speak. You aren't fair here."

The lady bit her lips when she heard that from Souta. She looked angry, but she was running out of time here. The last thing she wanted was to get into an argument at this point.

In this situation, she did what appeared to be the wisest based on her years of experience. She acted as if she didn't hear it and continued walking towards the next waiting area.

As this was happening, a small smirk appeared on Yasumi's face.

She left Yasumi in the waiting room and rushed out as soon as they reached there.

Yasumi looked at the screen that was displaying the stage and the crowd. As expected, the crowd was waiting for her with heavy anticipation.

"I wonder how they would react when I lose."

There was no one to hear her whispers, but that was exactly why she said that. For a trained assassin, being secretive was like second nature, but for a girl who was just seventeen, there were times when that mask wouldn't work as perfectly as it was meant to.

On the screen, they were broadcasting the segment where the announcer was trying to collect the judge's opinion before the match. It was a rare segment used to spice things up when they start getting less interesting after several exciting matches.

"So, Doctor Abe, who do you think has better chances of winning the next match?"

"Based on the performances until now, Yasumi has a better chance of winning here. Amaya is better when it comes to attacks and defense, but she relies more on offense than tactics. By doing so, she leaves a lot of openings, and Yasumi showed in her last match that she is good at finding and using them."

"Thank you, Doctor. Now that the stage is ready, it's time to welcome our next contestant."

Almost at the same time, the instructor suddenly came in.

"It's time."

Yasumi stood from her chair and walked towards the stage. Normally, an instructor would come in early and wait there to synchronize their timing with the announcement. But in this case, that didn't happen.

As she walked out of the waiting area, a loud cheer was heard. It looked like her opponent had already taken the stage, but by what she had heard, she expected no less from Amaya.

When she climbed up to the stage, Amaya was already stretching. The beaming excitement on her face made it evident that she had been impatiently waiting for the match.

"Ooh, the princess of the Ito clan has the habit of showing up late, doesn't she?"

"And you are as impatient as ever, troublemaker of the Tsuchi clan."

"Tch!"

The two of them took their position. Yasumi was staying vigilant for the openings, while Amaya looked like a tiger ready to jump in on its prey. She was leaning forward, and her arms were open.

"Looks like the participants are ready. Now, let's begin the countdown."

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let the battle begin!"

"Mudball!"

As soon as the signal was given, Amaya created several mudballs and fired them at Yasumi. Those balls were composed of loosely compressed ground soil instead of the stadium concrete.

Yasumi understood they were only supposed to be distractions, so she quickly jumped high and created a string beneath her and stood on it.

"String trap."

After she activated the spell, several strings extended from her hands and surrounded her in a way that it was almost impossible for physical attacks to get through.

As soon as she realized that Yasumi lad laid traps, Amaya took a step back. Her first attempt failed before she could land a hit.

Now she had to come up with another plan of attack entirely, but in a situation like this, it was easier said than done.