016 Heroine’s Heart - Part 2 - Mirai’s POV

The blue-haired girl was taller than me, and she had an easygoing, friendly smile. She leaned back slightly, arms crossed as if she had all the time in the world.

“Annabette Tether,” she introduced herself. “But just call me Anna.”

I liked her already.

We clicked almost instantly. I plopped down cross-legged beside her, keeping my chair in its ring form. No point in taking it out when the floor was just fine. It definitely wasn’t because Ann didn’t have an armchair. Maybe? I expected Mark to drag his seat over to mine like he usually did—or at least sit near me—but before he could, Ron swooped in, taking the spot beside me.

What was Ron’s problem?

I shot him a look, but he just grinned like he didn’t do anything.

“So,” Ron said, stretching out his legs, “what’s the next class again?”

I groaned. “Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it.”

Anna chuckled. “You’ll be fine. You placed pretty high in the Entrance Exam, didn’t you?”

I blinked. “Oh. Yeah, I guess?”

It was easy to forget. Those who lasted the longest in the Entrance Exam got better ranks. I had done well, but honestly, Mark should’ve ranked way higher than me. The only reason I looked impressive was because I had someone to copy.

I glanced at Mark, wondering if he’d say anything about his own rank. He didn’t seem interested in the conversation, though. Instead, he was idly spinning his ring—the compacted form of his chair—between his fingers, lost in thought while he leaned on the wall.

Anna nudged me playfully. “See? You’re good. Just don’t stress too much.”

Easy for her to say. She didn’t have to worry about living up to heroine expectations.

Well, it was my dream, so I only have myself to blame.

The moment the clock neared the end of the first class, everyone remained seated, waiting for Master Reina to leave. Instead of walking out, however, she casually tucked the essay papers under her desk, then strolled back to the front of the classroom.

“I hope you weren’t expecting a break,” Reina said, stretching her arms. “Because lucky for you, I’m also your instructor for the next hour.”

No one groaned.

Maybe we were already used to her antics. Maybe we were just too scared to react. Either way, the announcement was met with silence—just a few glances exchanged between students.

“This class is Combat Training I,” Reina continued, grinning. “So, first things first—put your armchairs away. If you still have them out, you’re a damn fool.”

In seconds, the room became wide and empty again.

Reina pulled her chair and desk into the far corner, dusted her hands, and turned back to us with an almost too-pleased expression.

“We’ll start with a sparring match.”

There it was. The thing everyone knew was coming.

I saw Karl visibly tense, Matt adjust his glasses, and Ron crack his knuckles like he was actually looking forward to this. The blonde girl—Elena, Ron’s cousin—just crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

“We have seventeen students in this class,” Reina continued, smirking. “That means one lucky student gets to spar with me.”

Reina pulled down the blackboard again, and just like before, something was hidden behind it. This time, instead of armchairs, a set of sleek-looking bracelets hung from hooks on the wall.

“Line up,” she ordered, waving a hand.

We did as we were told, forming a mostly orderly line. As each student stepped forward, Reina handed them a bracelet. When it was my turn, I got a closer look—it was a simple metal band, smooth and cool against my palm, with a faintly glowing display on the surface showing 100%.

“This is enchanted with my power,” Reina explained once everyone had received theirs. “It acts as your health gauge. If it hits zero, that means you lost.”

I fastened mine around my wrist, watching the numbers stay steady at 100%. The concept was simple enough.

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“Now, clear the floor,” Reina continued, gesturing for us to move aside. She then turned toward the class with an almost eager look in her eyes. “For our first bout, step forward… Valentine and Wentworth.”

Oof.

Matt Wentworth adjusted his glasses. Mark remained expressionless, his usual unreadable self.

Without thinking, I raised my voice. “Matt, kick Mark’s butt!”

A few students turned to look at me.

Mark himself blinked, his gaze flicking toward me with a slightly confused expression—almost like I had hurt his feelings.

What? I liked underdogs.

Matt, on the other hand, huffed and frowned, looking just as displeased.

Oops.

“I mean—” I scrambled to fix it, looking at Matt. “You can do it! I wasn’t thinking you were a wimp or anything.”

He sighed, rubbing his temple. “...Right.”

I wasn’t lying! The dude got Rank 1 in hide and seek during the Entrance Exam, didn’t he? He had to be good at something.

Matt removed his glasses.

It was a small action, but it felt like something shifted. His entire aura changed. He looked more focused, sharper—like someone who had just switched into battle mode. He rolled his shoulders, letting out a breath, then smirked.

“I’ll take it easy on you,” he said, voice casual but carrying an edge. “I don’t want to hurt you, after all.”

That was coming in a little too spicy.

Mark, in contrast, was just quietly cracking his knuckles. No bravado, no taunts—just a simple stretch of his fingers before he took a loose stance.

The fight started.

And… it was normal.

No explosions. No weird ESP abilities flying around. Just two guys throwing punches at each other, like some after-school brawl.

I could tell neither of them were using their ESP. Mark’s presence was whole—he wasn’t activating Nth Person, which meant he was fighting completely on instinct or how he seemed to normally do it. Matt was dodging well, countering here and there, but neither was going all out.

The bracelets on their wrists still showed 100%.

Reina sighed. Loudly.

“Okay, what the hell are you two doing?” she said, stepping forward with an exasperated expression. “Why are you holding back?”

Matt adjusted his stance, glancing at Mark, then back at Reina. “I did say I didn’t want to hurt him.”

Mark, deadpan, responded, “I don’t want to get hurt.”

The class collectively blinked.

There was a long silence as everyone processed that.

I tilted my head. “Wait, Mark, are you saying you’re scared of getting hit?”

Matt looked even more surprised than confused. His brows furrowed slightly as he studied Mark, as if suddenly realizing something.

Reina groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Both of you. Bench. Now.”

Mark and Matt exchanged glances. Then, wordlessly, they stepped off to the side, taking seats at the edge of the sparring area.

Well. That was anticlimactic.

Reina continued the sparring matches, pairing up the rest of the class in different configurations. Some were one-on-one, others were two-on-two, and a few unlucky ones got thrown into chaotic free-for-alls.

It was the first real look at what our classmates could do, and the variety of ESPs was insane.

Some had elemental control—fire, wind, ice. Others had self-targeted effects, like enhanced speed, reinforced durability, or even partial shapeshifting. Then there were the more unique abilities, the ones that weren’t as straightforward. A guy with a gravity-based ESP, a girl who could make objects “stick” together with invisible force, and someone who could copy movements after seeing them once… wait, that was more like power.

With each match, the tension in the room grew. Most of us were on edge, wary of one thing:

Who was Reina going to pick to fight her?

No one wanted to be the one stuck in the ring with that monster.

But before that could happen—

“Mirai. Anna. Step up.”

I blinked. That was unexpected.

Then Reina turned toward the other side of the room.

“Karl. Elena. You’re up, too.”

A two-on-two match.

I gave Karl a look. He stretched his arms out, shaking off his jacket like he was warming up for a real fight. Meanwhile, Elena—who had been throwing me dirty looks all morning—let out a small huff and crossed her arms.

This was so intentional.

Reina had definitely picked this combination to fan the flames. Karl and Elena already seemed to have some sort of beef with me, and this was only going to make things more heated.

Anna, standing beside me, leaned in slightly and whispered, “My ESP is called Threads of Fate—my accuracy is off the charts, and I can conjure thread-like energy constructs.”

That sounded… absurdly useful.

I scratched the back of my head. “Uh… mine’s Heroine’s Heart. I still don’t really know what it does, other than something about using luck.”

Anna gave me a polite smile. “...That’s not very reassuring.”

I sighed. “Yeah. I know.”

Elena, who had been listening, snorted. “Are you two done with your little strategy meeting?” she said, voice dripping with condescension. “Or do you need a little more time to come up with a way to lose?”

What was this lady’s problem?

Seriously. She had it in for me.

I clenched my jaw, already irritated, but before I could say anything, Reina clapped her hands.

“Enough talk,” she said. “Step into the ring.”

Fine.

If she wanted a fight, she was going to get one.

I cracked my knuckles. Yeah, I was feeling pretty confident.

Karl? No beef with him. He already apologized, and he seemed more interested in his game console than me… or maybe he was still interested on beating me up? No dice, this was a team match anyway.

But Elena?

I was going to own this bitch.

The best part? We had bracelets. Once our percentage hit zero, we’d heal automatically as it had been demonstrated a few time already. That meant no permanent damage. No guilt. No holding back.

Reina raised a hand.

“Begin.”

Elena immediately lifted her arm.

Shadows stretched from beneath her feet, writhing like living things. Then, something crawled out of the darkness.

A creature, tall and lanky, with elongated limbs and glowing red eyes. Its body was made entirely of shifting black mist, barely holding its form.

It let out a guttural hiss.

I froze.

Was that a—?

No way.

She had summoned a shadow demon.

A cryptid.

I had only ever seen those things on TV, in documentaries and recorded dungeon footage.

And she just casually pulled one out like it was nothing.

“Ah, shit,” I muttered.

Anna, standing beside me, let out a low whistle. “Welp,” she said. “Good luck with that.”

Hey, you’re in my team, right?!