Chapter 19: Elaine Academy Practice Tournament
"Say, do you know what the Practice Tournament is?" asked Kay.
"The Practice Tournament? Yeah, do you not?"
"I'm not too familiar with it."
"It's what it sounds. A two-on-two practice tournament before the Interschool Tournament. What about it?"
That's what Kay assumed based on the requirements of the mission. The actual event hadn't been announced by the school yet. But listening to Alice's response, it seemed that the event was quite well-known.
"I want you to be my partner."
"Huh? Me? I mean... what rank are you?"
"I'm 29th at the moment."
"Sorry, it's really important to me, so I'm not going to partner up with you."
She looked down at Kay with a somewhat disappointed expression. With her leg bandaged up, she got off his bed and began making her way to the door.
"Do you already have a partner in mind?" he asked.
"I don't believe that's any of your business."
"Can you at least tell me why this is so important to you?"
She suddenly stopped walking.
"Why? Well, if I can't even win a little interschool tournament, I'll never be able to stand side-by-side with Luc or Karin..."
"Your siblings?"
"Yeah... anyways, this is personal. Thank you for bandaging my leg, but I've got other plans for the tournament."
With no other options, Kay lay on his bed as Alice left. Staring up at the roof, he pondered possible options.
I guess I don't have a choice.
***
The next morning, Kay sat beside Shiina as the teacher prepared to give another long spiel.
The teacher shushed everyone before slightly leaning over the lectern.
"As most of you have probably heard from the older years, we'll be having our practice tournament next week. For those who don't know, it's a duel where everyone fights in pairs in preparation for the official Interschool Tournament. Even though there's technically nothing major at stake yet, this is an important opportunity for you to get used to fighting in the arena. The results may also be taken into account during the groupings of your opponents. You're also allowed to experiment with partners since you can change them before the official tournament."
Instantly, some chatter spread through the room as people discussed partnership options.
"Anyways, when you decide on your partner, put it through the Engage App. Anyone who doesn't have a partner before next Monday will randomly be given one. Other than that, more things will be explained once we get closer to the date."
With that, everyone began talking with each other, trying to organise groups. Considering that this was class-A, everyone would likely be in high demand.
"So, who's your partner going to be?" asked Shiina.
"I've decided on one. I just need her to agree to it."
"Eh? I didn't realise you were so pushy."
"I've got... personal reasons."
"Don't tell me you like her?! Who is this person?"
"It's not that."
Kay looked over at Alice, who seemed to have yet to decide on a partner. However, he realised that it would only be a matter of time until she decided on one. This meant that he didn't have much time to win her over.
***
At the beginning of recess, he approached her.
"What do you want? I've told you that I'm not partnering up with you."
"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"
"No. I'm going to partner up with someone stronger."
"What if I become stronger."
Alice rubbed her forehead in annoyance.
"Ugh. You remind me of that girl."
"What?"
"Never mind it. No means no. Please stop bothering me."
Pushing Kay away, Alice barged off, stomping out of the classroom as her footsteps faded into the distance. Kay got up and began making his way to the training centre. He would have to prepare his next plan in order to try to get Alice to team with him.
Finding himself training alone in one of the training rooms, he began to look through some of the students who were ranked above him in class-A. Looking at all of their stats, he was going to choose someone to duel in order to achieve a higher rank.
However, even such a plan wasn't guaranteed to succeed. He had unintentionally made Alice dislike him, which meant that even if he were to prove his strength, she might just reject him anyways. With this in mind, he tried to think of another way.
Swinging his katana around, practising various stances, Kay focussed on training his mobility. Straining not only his muscles but also working on his balance, Kay moved around, slashing at the air with his dark blue katana. Continuing his new routine, he relentlessly worked until it was finally the end of the period.
His swordsmanship had significantly developed. Kay had always been a fast learner, but his training with a weapon during the Rudiless Project was basically non-existent, meaning he had to learn everything from scratch.
In the end, he decided to check his attributes again.
-
<Attribute Increases>
Strength: 49 (+2)
Speed: 47 (+1)
Stamina: 50 (+1)
Intelligence: MAX
-
They were growing steadily, but there he was still a fair distance away from the strength of the highest-ranked students in the class. He didn't have much time, but he'd need to become someone who Alice saw as worthy. Otherwise, he'd be suffering some serious consequences.
Making his way to the combat class, he noticed that there were significantly more students than usual, likely due to the upcoming tournament.
The class went as usual, albeit with a slightly more cramped space. During the training, Kay carefully observed some of the other students, trying his best to see which one would be the best target for him. The quickest and easiest way for him to get Alice to recognise him was to rise significantly in the ranks. However, that was easier said than done.
Sparring with Leon, he practised putting more strength into his strikes. Leon was quite proficient with his weapon, blocking most of Kay's attacks without much trouble, so Kay attempted to break his balance by putting all of his strength into the swings.
Eventually, the class ended, and Kay made his way to the cafeteria.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone