“Good, I’ll see you at the arena tomorrow,” the girl from the student council said, nodding before she walked away.
Ludwig nodded in return and was about to leave when he spotted Hoyo and Kassandra approaching. They seemed to have just arrived, their eyes scanning the crowd with curiosity.
“Yo,” Hoyo greeted, raising a hand.
“Yo,” Ludwig replied, dabbing up Hoyo’s hand in a casual gesture.
“You’re watching?” Hoyo asked, his tone casual but with a hint of excitement.
“Yeah, got nothing else to do anyway,” Ludwig shrugged.
“I thought you’d be more like security and all,” Kassandra chimed in, her brow furrowed slightly.
“Why is that?” Ludwig asked, tilting his head.
“Since all the creepy stuff and murders have been happening, and usually some of the student council members are responsible for security, I thought you’d also be one of them. Haven’t you been doing rounds around the academy at night?” Kassandra asked.
“Nah, the professors are taking care of that,” Hoyo interjected before Ludwig could respond. “They’ll be the ones doing the security checks and keeping order.”
“Oh, that’s the first I’ve heard of that,” Kassandra said, her tone surprised.
“Yeah, apparently,” Hoyo continued, his voice lowering slightly, “the killer is probably one of the students. That’s the word going around. The teachers will be carefully observing everyone to make sure everything is in order. All student council members for this year are not obligated to do the rounds this time.”
“That should make things safer,” Ludwig said, his tone thoughtful.
“I agree,” Hoyo replied. “It’ll suck if something like that happens again. With the teachers paying closer attention, no one would be stupid enough to commit murders like that.”
“When is the event starting?” Ludwig asked, changing the subject.
“Supposed to be tomorrow morning at ten,” Hoyo said.
“Oi, Ludwig!” a voice called out from behind them. The group turned immediately, but there was no one there.
“Down here,” the owner of the voice said, sounding annoyed.
Hoyo, Kassandra, and everyone nearby immediately backed away when they saw who it was.
“What’s wrong with you people? Looks like you’ve seen a monster,” the small girl said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Ah, Kaela,” Ludwig said, recognizing her immediately.
“Oh, I never mentioned my name,” she said, her lips curling into a creepy smile. She was probably trying to look seductive but failing miserably. “Were you interested enough to look me up?”
“No,” Ludwig said flatly. “I was given your name by…” He hesitated for a moment.
“Mina, Mina Vesper,” Thomas’s voice echoed in Ludwig’s mind.
“Mina,” Ludwig said. “She was here earlier.”
“Oh, that busybody,” Kaela said, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, I can’t see your name on the list,” she added, her tone almost accusatory.
“Not interested,” Ludwig said, shaking his head.
“Bummer,” Kaela said, her grin widening. “I wanted to at least face off against you again—this time for real.”
Immediately, the students around Ludwig began murmuring.
“Again? What does that mean? Did he actually fight the Bloodthirsty Maniac?”
“And he’s still alive?”
More strange and frankly disturbing comments began echoing around Ludwig, but he paid them no mind, despite their absurdity.
Ludwig shrugged. “I’m just going to watch. Not planning on fighting. I also don’t have a sword,” he added.
“Bummer,” Kaela said, her tone mockingly disappointed. “I could have asked Haku to lend you his sword, but he’s also joining this year. He’ll be disappointed if you’re not there,” she said, shrugging. “Regardless, cheer for me. I’ll show you a bloody sight!”
“Sure, I’ll do that,” Ludwig said, his tone dry.
“Okay, let me see,” Kaela said, glancing back at the board. “Damn,” she sighed. “This one’s going to be tough.”
“What is it?” Ludwig asked.
“Oh, my team,” Kaela said. “Looks like I’ll have Esteban as my teammate. He’s also a student council member, a freshman like you. But that’s not the problem… the third person is someone I’m not very fond of,” she said, her tone sour.
“So this is a team tournament?” Ludwig asked.
“Always has been,” Kaela said. “But that doesn’t mean individual effort is wasted. I wanted to actually face off against her, but she’ll be on my team,” she sighed. “Anyway, from what I see, only Haku’s team is going to be a pain. We’ll probably be in the finals, so come and cheer for me, Ludwig!” she said before turning and walking away.
Ludwig looked back at the board, noticing that the teams were organized to include one member from each year—first, second, and third. He still didn’t recognize many of the names, but Hoyo immediately jumped in.
“Sounds like you want to know more about the people who are joining the tournament,” Hoyo said, his tone eager.
“Yeah,” Ludwig replied.
“I know almost everything about almost everyone,” Hoyo said, puffing out his chest slightly. “So buy me lunch, and I’ll spill. I’m still hungry.”
“He just ate like twenty minutes ago,” Kassandra said, rolling her eyes.
“Hey, I’m still growing,” Hoyo protested. “A young man like me has to eat well to stay healthy. Also, I heard they’re serving ale at the cafeteria today,” he added, his mouth almost slobbering at the thought.
Ludwig wasn’t convinced.
“It tastes better than the one back at Rima,” Hoyo added.
That seals the deal, Ludwig thought.
“Fine, I’ll pay up,” Ludwig said, turning to Kassandra. “You’re also invited.”
She flashed Ludwig a bright, beaming smile as she followed after the two, her steps light and cheerful. The trio made their way to the cafeteria, the promise of food and ale lightening the mood. As they walked, Ludwig couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation for the tournament. Even if he wasn’t participating, it was bound to be an event to remember.
Because after all the issues, dungeons, murders and problems he’s been in, at least this should be something that he can sit back relax, and watch with his friends. Finally, he thought he’d have some good time of rest…
Or so he thought…