Fantasy Libary 33

Title: Everything Will Be Different

Seidoukan Academy, Girls’ Dormitory.

Kirin entered an exceptionally spacious room.

“...I’m back.” She murmured, even though no one was inside. It was a habit she couldn’t break, as if saying those words could somehow dispel the loneliness gnawing at her.

At just thirteen years old, still clinging to childhood habits, Kirin bore an immense burden of pressure despite her determination to save her father.

Her uncle’s oppressive demands... The lack of friends... The constant challenges she faced as the top-ranked student in the academy...

All of it weighed heavily on her young heart, making her feel lonely and overwhelmed every time she returned to that empty room.

But today, everything felt... a little different.

“Ark-Senpai...”

Lying on her back in bed, Kirin’s mind replayed his words over and over, leaving her in turmoil.

She couldn’t even remember what she had done or said afterward—she had just followed him in a daze, all the way back to Seidoukan Academy. Only after Ark escorted her to the girls’ dormitory and left did she find herself alone again.

“What did he mean by that?”

Kirin couldn’t count how many times this question had crossed her mind.

On the surface, Ark’s parting words didn’t sound pleasant.

After all, he had declared his intention to knock her off her pedestal and shatter her dreams. That wasn’t something that could make her happy.

If her uncle heard those words, he would undoubtedly be furious.

Yet, Kirin couldn’t bring herself to feel annoyed.

On the contrary—she felt a faint, inexplicable sense of anticipation.

It felt as if someone had suddenly reached out to her, someone stuck in a deep swamp.

What was he planning? What was on his mind? Why had Ark said those words?

One by one, questions swirled in her mind, dominating her thoughts until—

*BEEP!*

A virtual interface suddenly appeared in front of her.

“...”

Staring at the pitch-black screen waiting for her response, Kirin pursed her lips. She hesitated to answer.

She knew exactly who was calling, and she really didn’t want to hear that person’s voice right now. It would only further disturb her already chaotic thoughts.

But she also knew she wasn’t yet capable of defying her uncle’s wishes.

Suppressing her feelings, Kirin reluctantly tapped the interface to answer the call.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

At the same time, having just escorted Kirin back to the dormitory, Ark hadn’t even reached his own residence before opening the system for an Official Ranked Battle challenge.

“Challenge: Rank One.”

He found Toudou Kirin’s name and clicked on it without hesitation.

Although it was still too early, with more than two weeks remaining until the next ranked battle, Ark had made his decision. Once he decided something, there was no room for second-guessing.

After completing the challenge registration, Ark closed the interface and headed to the underground storage area.

But before he could reach his destination, a call came in.

“President?”

Seeing the beautiful face on the interface, Ark raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

“Good afternoon, Ark-kun.” Claudia greeted. From the background, she was in the student council office, standing in front of a large glass wall. Her expression showed the same mature smile as usual.

“I heard Julis invited you all out earlier. Did you have fun?” Claudia asked with a small laugh.

“It was fine—just a meal.” Ark answered honestly, then added with a smile, “It’s a shame you couldn’t come.”

“Unfortunately, with the next Festa season approaching, my workload keeps piling up.” Claudia said, her tone carrying a hint of regret—whether genuine or not, it was unclear. “If I could, I would have gone too. I wonder if Julis would have been happy about that.”

“That does sound rough.” Ark said, offering a sympathetic remark before getting straight to the point. “But I doubt you called just to ask about that, right?”

“Why not?” Claudia tilted her head playfully. “Everyone went out to have fun while I was stuck working in the student council. Can’t I drop by and see how your outing went?”

Her tone remained light and teasing, as if she was deliberately joking.

However, for some reason, Ark couldn’t shake the feeling that her smile was somewhat forced, even tinged with a hint of bitterness.

‘...No way, right?’

“...If the president is interested, how about I invite you next time?” Ark ventured carefully.

To his surprise, Claudia froze for a moment. Her smile softened, becoming more genuine.

“Will you only invite me?” She asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Or will you bring others along too?”

Ark laughed awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

There was something... off.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Claudia’s attitude toward him had shifted slightly.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.” Claudia said, holding back her smile and becoming more serious.

“Are you really planning to challenge Toudou in the next ranked battle?”

It seemed Claudia had already heard the news.

Ark wasn’t surprised.

As the student council president of Seidoukan Academy, Claudia would naturally be the first to know about his challenge.

In no time, the news would likely spread throughout the academy and cause a huge stir.

Ark knew that his decision to challenge Kirin, the academy’s top rank, would undoubtedly attract significant attention.

Ark remained calm as he answered Claudia’s question.

“Yes, I plan to go through with it.” He said with a smile. “Does the president think I’m overestimating myself?”

Not long ago, Ark had been a rankless student.

Even though he had proven his strength at the Page One level by defeating the former rank thirteen in the previous ranked battle, immediately challenging the strongest in the academy after just gaining attention would undoubtedly make many believe he had let success get to his head and lost sight of his own limitations.

Given the situation, Claudia’s decision to contact him immediately after hearing the news clearly reflected her concern about his actions.

“Toudou is very strong.” Claudia stated frankly. “Even though she’s only a first-year in the middle school division, it’s no exaggeration to talk about her strength. She is undeniably one of the top fighters in the academy.”

“Even if you have Ser-Veresta, based on the level of skill you showed in your last ranked battle, you wouldn’t be able to defeat her.”

“Even knowing this, are you still determined to challenge her?”

Claudia’s serious tone and direct question didn’t faze Ark in the slightest.

He was fully aware of Kirin’s abilities. Although he hadn’t witnessed her battles firsthand, he had seen enough to fully understand her extraordinary strength.

Claudia wasn’t exaggerating.

With the strength Ark had shown in his last ranked battle, he might be able to compete with an average Page One member. He was even confident he could defeat Julis, who was ranked fifth.

But Kirin? That was a different story.

Even the protagonist of the original story had lost to her after unlocking his seal. Ark knew that even with Ser-Veresta, his chances against her weren’t particularly convincing.

However...

“That was before.” Ark replied calmly. “By the time the next ranked battle arrives, everything will be different.”

“...Is that so?” Claudia studied Ark carefully. After a moment, her lips curved into a smile. “Then, I’ll look forward to your performance.”

Ark didn’t respond further. He simply nodded and continued on his way to the underground storage area.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Time passed quickly.

Before long, the day of the ranked battle arrived.

On this day, the Multipurpose Arena was once again bustling with excitement.

The news of Ark’s challenge against Kirin had spread as expected, sparking great interest in this ranked battle.