'It's been 4 months since I started, and out of the 4 months, there's one thing important to know... Is that all kinds of schools suck ass.'
Kuro was laying his head on the table, resting as the teacher discussed self-defense techniques. The reason why it was bad because of the fact that it was only effective for incapacitating classless, not classed people or monsters. Many of the students were easily defeated by the teacher because class abilities are disabled once they start. Riel has an awakening skill, "Duel". This skill allows her to place disadvantages to her and her opponent, so long as both parties agree to the conditions. The current conditions are that we can't use any element and null element and they can't use any class benefits. Basically, they turn into classless. For Rin, she has a hard time trying to defeat Riel due to her being a pro already. For Kuro, since he never used his class benefit aside from mana, he had a pretty easy time being equal to his teacher, but still loses due to inexperience.
'Haa... I want an awakening skiiiillll......'
Kuro then felt a poke on his cheek. He looked at the source, which was Rin.
"Hey, don't sleep."
"... Nuh."
As Rin pouts, she continues to poke Kuro's cheek.
"Heeyyyy, wake uuupppppp~"
"Naaaaaaaahhhhh~"
Then, Riel turns to them.
"Oh ho~, we have a lively couple here~"
As Kuro hears that, his ears jolt and he stands up.
"Miss, may I go to the comfort room?"
"Hmm? That's unusual. You never go to the comfort room, you embarrassed?"
"No miss, just wanna check my face just in case she caved it in due to excessive poking."
"Geh-! Hey, don't blame it on me!"
"Hoho, really now?"
"Alright, before I let you go, how about one more spar? I suppose everyone wants to watch again, right?"
As she said that, everyone started going to their friend groups.
"Oy, who do you think will win this time?"
"I'm betting that Miss Riel will win again."
"I'm placing my bets on Kuro this time. He's been getting better and better as time went on."
"Heehhh... I'm still betting on Miss Riel."
As Kuro saw them betting, he yelled at them.
"Oi, if I win, I'm getting part of that share, hehehe"
"Shut up and win for us!"
"Only if you asses agree to give!"
As everyone started messing around, Kuro then stood on the arena, which was lower than the podium. Kuro then put up his fighting stance as he faced his teacher who also put up her guard.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
""Hmm?""
The person opens the door.
"As much as I want you guys to fight so I can watch, might I suggest listening to me first?"
It was Rai. As they saw him, everyone immediately stood up and bowed down. Everyone including Rin and Riel, but Kuro...
"Oi, can't you wait?"
Everyone else was surprised. Riel was about to charge at Kuro, but Rai signaled her to stand down.
"Well Kuro, 4 months haven't changed you."
"Well Rai, 4 months isn't long considering I'm a Dragonkin and you're an old man who's immortal. I doubt that 4 months could change both of us."
Everyone's mouths were open. They knew Kuro was Rai's disciple, but to be that rude to his senior was the one that was surprising. For Kuro however, that was casual, and being casual is him respecting them as his loved one.
"So, what's the announcement about? I doubt you're just here to mess with me."
"Oh, then you don't know me that much."
"Ass."
"Anyways, I've come to announce to everyone that we will hold the annual fieldtrip."
As Rai announced it, everyone burst in joy.
"Wait, with the others or...?"
"Ah, each class will be sent to separate venues. Your class' venue will be the Dwarven kingdom, since they're experts at CQC."
"Then, why isn't Kenny's class there?"
"His class will be sent on another kingdom."
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"... Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"It's just your imagination. Don't worry, I'll be joining you since I have close relations with the king. You'll be needed with me though."
"Haa... Can't I just train, eat and sleep?"
"You will train, but not in the way you want though."
"Haa... Fuck."
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As Kuro took his food in the cafeteria, he sat down on their usual table. He was the first to arrive, so he was the only one at the table. Kuro winds him right arm up as he winces in pain.
"Damn, Miss Riel doesn't know how to hold back huh... Gosh damn..."
"Did you lose again?" Kenny asks as he sat down next to Kuro.
"Duh."
"Aww did poor leader get his ass beat by a mountain?" Gran messed with Kuro as he sat beside Kuro.
"Not a mountain, just a person a lot more skilled than you."
"Geh!"
"Come on Kuro, don't be like that. Do you need some heals?" Bea says as she sat across the table along with Levy.
"Nah, I can heal by myself pretty well."
"Still, I thought that the spirit ritual can't let you stay human anymore. Or something along those lines." Rin says as she sat next to Bea.
"Didn't I explain it already? I'm half. Still though, for a being that can't read, you know a lot of stuff."
"'Learned'."
"Right right~"
They all ate together in that table, telling jokes and entertaining stories to one another as they ate. Kuro relived his youthful days. Days that he wanted to both remember and forget.
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~Next Morning~
"Alright guys, 3... 2... 1... GO!"
As Kuro said "GO", all 6 of them dashed as fast as they could, with Kuro faceplanting onto the tree. All three of them were tied, being Kuro, Levy and Gran while Bea was last, Kenny being 2nd to the last and Rin being 4th place.
"I'm first!" Gran yells.
Kuro recovers from his face planting and yells at Gran.
"You fucking idiot, I'm first!"
As they argued, Kenny, Bea and Rin conversed to one another.
"So you guys do this everyday? This early?"
"Yep. We don't wanna skip a day in training, but Kuro keeps on forcing us to rest. He doesn't know that we know he still trains continuously and a lot more than us."
"Really?"
"Nn. He's kind, but he's also selfish. Ever since that time, he's been trying to get stronger and stronger. It's not obvious, but he's really angry. He just likes to wear a mask." Bea says as she tries to catch her breath.
Rin looks at Kuro's face, "... But he's not wearing any?"
"Ahaha, that's just a figure of speech. What I meant was that he likes to hide his emotions and look like that."
"... What was that 'incident' you guys said before?"
Kenny covers Bea's mouth, "I'll explain it to you. You know that we're Dragonkin of the same clan, right?"
"Nn."
"Well, we're the last ones left. The reason for that is because of a sole Dragonkin. We don't know what it is, but it annihilated everyone. Kuro was able to fend it off, but he broke his entire body as a price. He had to recover for a long time just so he could be like that again."
"... Sorry."
"Eh, it's no problem. It's no secret anyways. Kuro's just sad that he didn't get to save everyone we loved. We wanted him to stop, but he kept on going, blaming himself for something he had no control off."
"... I see."
"Oi, what are you guys talking about?"
They turn to see Kuro was actually behind them.
"Ah, so you guys really are here."
They all turn again to see Rai behind Kuro, about to slap his ass.
*PSH*
"FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
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"Alright, are you kids ready to go to your field trips?"
"""""Nn!"""""
"YeeEeeeeEEeeesssssSss...."
"... Alright Kuro, be honest, what time did you sleep?"
"... I only sleep in class."
"..."
"..."
"... Alright, I'll have to discipline you later."
"... Shit."
As they packed their belongings, they looked at each other one last time before heading onto their commutes.
"Oi idiots, don't fucking die on me."
"As if the storm can be overpowered."
"I could say the same thing to you Kuro, you always dive in head first."
"Please be careful in your trip guys!"
"Take care everyone."
"... Let's meet again next time."
"Oi Kenny what'd you say?"
"Come on you brats, let's board the carriage." Rai says as he pulls on Kuro's cheeks.
"Owowow"
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"Heee... So this is a wind dragon juvenile... It's so damn big."
"Of course, how else are they supposed to control the winds and skies if they're as small as all the other dragons?"
"True. So, where are we assigned to seat?"
"Hmm? Ah, both of you guys are gonna sit in the front."
"Behind the driver's seat or...?"
"Ah, right I forgot. On the driver's seat?"
"Eh?... Well, who would need to drive a dragon that knows where to go anyways?"
Kuro and Rin sat in the same chair, since the chair itself fit them comfortably with more room to spare. Rai sat on the chair next to them. Rai then looks at Kuro, who still hugged his bag.
"Kid, why're you still holding onto your bag?"
"Well... Can't feel comfortable without hugging something, especially when I'm just sitting doing nothing."
"Why not hug her?"
"Rai, I won't hug her. She's a living being."
"... It's okay if you want to hug me."
"No Rin, just don't listen to this jackass."
"Ouch for both of us kid."
"Really now?"
As they kept arguing with one another, the students behind them were "kyaa~"-ing and fainting on Rai's "glorious" presence.
As they had finally departed, they saw many things, such as a huge orange weather controlling dragon clearing the skies for them as it smiled on the children that were in awe of its presence [1], and furthermore, there were many people in a spot on the ground where they were celebrating their friend's marriage.
As they kept travelling, Kuro's eyes slowly became heavy. He kept pulsing his mana to strengthen himself, but even that had slowed down due to his drowsiness and fatigue of not sleeping at night at all. He looked at Rin who was already fast asleep on his shoulder. He opened his arm and let her sleep on his chest so that he wouldn't wake up with a stiff shoulder. He did his favorite on her, which is caressing her hair. He was always weak to cute, soft and fluffy things, which was her hair. As Kuro had caressed her hair even more, his relaxed expression only made it easier to make him fall asleep.
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"_______, what do you want for a gift?" The father asked as he looked at his child.
"I want a switch!" The child exclaimed, with his brother who was giving him the thumbs up. The father laughs.
"No can do, you're going to go to college soon, and you need to focus on school."
"But..."
"Sorry, no buts for now."
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A different scene came into mind. This time, a father was beating up the child.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I'VE PAID JUST SO I COULD GET YOU OUT OF THAT DAMNED ORPHANAGE?! GET OUT THERE AND WORK FOR THAT MONEY BACK! USE YOUR DAMN BODY IF YOU NEED TO FOR ALL I CARE!"
The father kept beating up the child with a wooden bat. The mother charged onto the child and protected him.
"AH, SO YOU WANT TO PROTECT HIM HUH?! FINE THEN! GIT!"
"No, stop it mom!"
As the mother kept getting her back beat up, she hums a song to the child. The child's eyes, although shaky, slowly became heavier and heavier.
"... eet dre... Sh..."
"... ro..."
"... Ku... Kuro!..."
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"OY YOU FUCKING BRAT WAKE UP!"
Kuro's eyes suddenly widened at the sight of Rai being in front of him. He looked around to see that they were the only ones left, and it was already sundown.
"You had another nightmare? You were crying."
To Kuro's surprise, he suddenly touched his eyes that evidently had tears on it.
"Ah... Weird, my father never beat me up before."
Rai's face suddenly became serious.
"Really? What was he like?"
"Which one? My past father, my current father, or the father there?"
"The father there."
"... He was very abusive, I could also smell beer there, he beat me up with a wooden bat."
Rai became eerily silent.
"... Rai, you know something don't you?"
"... Yes, I do know something. However, it's something I can't tell you."
"... Okay then, I'll trust you on this one. Let's go."
"Yup... To the King's chambers!"
Field trip -END-