After defeating the strongest contenders from various schools and advancing to the finals, ten students were matched in a tournament. By a twist of fate, two [Unique Ether] users faced each other in the very first round. These two were the most likely candidates for the championship, making the situation even more ironic.

One of them was Eir of the [Crimson Trajectory], who hadn’t fought a single match in the Combat Festival, yet everyone predicted her victory.

But Eir chose to forfeit the fight.

“Huff… I’m done with this.” “…What?” “Two years ago, I fought until I could taste blood in my mouth. And even though I got beaten up by Narsen after that… it was a great fight.” “That’s…” “This year, I’ve come this far without fighting even once… It just doesn’t feel right.”

Eir stared blankly at the audience. Tens of thousands of students had gathered at the largest school to watch the Combat Festival, all of them looking at her with wide, astonished eyes.

“…” Most of the faces were unfamiliar. The faces she always imagined were no longer there.

It was only natural.