Even though I was suddenly challenged to a fight, I wasn’t all that surprised.

Freyr was that kind of character, after all.

She’s a crazy girl with nothing but swords and battles in her head.

A my-way-or-the-highway type who doesn’t care about others' feelings and just does whatever she wants.

If she thinks it’s worth it, she’ll just challenge anyone to a duel on the spot.

And she was a character I didn’t particularly like.

To put it bluntly, I hated Freyr.

I hated how she acted on her whims, dragging others along with her.

I hated how she would hurl sharp words with an innocent face and then tilt her head as if she didn’t know what she did wrong.

But most of all, I hated her because her gameplay in the game was utterly terrible.

It wasn’t that Freyr’s stats were bad.

Freyr, who would eventually become the Swordmaster, was undoubtedly one of the strongest melee characters in Soul Academy.

So, what was the problem?

Freyr acted on her own whims.

Regardless of the player's commands or instructions, she did whatever she pleased.

How many times had my party been wiped out because of her trolling while I had her in my team for achievements?

Ever heard the saying, “I fell in love with overwhelming power”?

Well, I came to hate Freyr because of her overwhelming incompetence.

I can confidently say that Freyr was one of the worst characters in Soul Academy.

And just because the game had become reality didn’t mean I thought her personality or style would change.

So, I had absolutely no desire to get closer to her.

Let alone the idea of having her in my party.

With all the variables I already have to deal with because of Agra’s curse, and now I’m supposed to bring her along?

That would be suicide. I’d rather go solo.

If at least managing her affection points were easy, I might try to work on it for the sake of clearing the quest, but even that is tough with her.

"Didn’t you hear me?"

Freyr tilted her head, seeming puzzled by my lack of response.

Even in the game, I thought her illustration was incredibly well-done, but now that it’s real, it’s on another level.

Her eyes, like embedded jewels.

Her hair, so fine it looks like it could slip through your fingers.

Her pristine, white skin, despite her love for roaming around outside.

I never understood the people who praised Freyr's looks as part of her appeal, but now I think I get it.

She was beautiful.

So beautiful that anyone who saw her face up close would never forget it.

It wasn’t just me; I could tell from how all the students' eyes were glued to Freyr, even with me standing right next to her.

She didn’t seem to care at all about the attention she was getting, though.

'I heard you.' "Yeah, I heard you, useless swordswoman."

Useless swordswoman, huh?

I really don’t get how these nicknames are decided.

Why does one person get a nickname that matches and another doesn’t?

I’m just glad this one doesn’t match.

It could have been something like "Crazed Sword," "Psycho Lady," or "Party Crusher."

None of the nicknames she could’ve had are positive.

But "useless swordswoman" isn’t too bad.

"Huh? Useless? Me?"

'Yes.' "Is there anyone else here besides you?"

"Hmm. So I’m the useless swordswoman, huh? First time hearing that nickname."

Even though I was insulting her, Freyr didn’t seem to care much.

She didn’t seem to care how others perceived or addressed her.

Just like in the game.

"Anyway, answer me. Let’s fight."

'No.' "Why should I fight a useless swordswoman?"

"It’ll be fun."

'I don’t think so.' "Sorry, but I’m not interested in fighting someone as useless as you."

"Really? But still..."

Does she even listen to what I’m saying?

Talking to her felt like talking to a wall, and it was frustrating.

Since inhabiting Lucy’s body, I hadn’t felt this outmatched in a conversation before, but today was different.

To someone who just blocks out others and says whatever they want, it didn’t matter if I had the Mesugaki Skill’s translations or not.

"So, I just have to prove I’m not useless?"

The moment Freyr said that.

<Young lady!>

Iron Wall shouted.

He told me to raise my shield.

My body, trained over the past few months to the point of coughing up blood, moved before I could think.

I recited a prayer in my mind and created a divine shield on my arm, moving the shield in line with Iron Wall’s instructions.

Clang!

Freyr’s sword struck my shield and was deflected.

Her red eyes calmly stared at me, the emotion within them unmistakably one of interest.

The kind of interest a child would show when discovering a new toy.

"Wow. You blocked it?"

'Are you insane?!' "Useless swordswoman! Are you out of your mind?! Swinging a sword here, of all places!"

"But you blocked it, so it’s fine, right?"

This crazy woman.

This is exactly why I didn’t want to get involved with her.

With every swing of Freyr’s sword, Iron Wall kept warning me of the danger.

Each attack was a killing blow.

The moment I let my guard down, my flesh would be sliced open.

I kept reciting a prayer to cast buffs on myself, blocking her attacks while waiting for an opening.

Freyr was undoubtedly strong for her age, but she was no match for the knights of the Allen family.

If it were Carl in front of me, and he was serious about taking me down, I’d already be dead.

"Lady Allen! Step back!"

Just as I was holding out, I heard Joy’s voice.

As soon as I heard her, I deflected Freyr’s sword and stepped back.

In that moment, an ice wall sprang up between me and Freyr, and divine power descended upon it, reinforcing the wall.

Was this the combined work of Joy and Phoebe?

"Are you alright?"

When did she get here? Phoebe was suddenly beside me, looking at me with concern.

Are you worried that I might have been hurt?

Godly Saintess. You’re the only one for me.

Even though I keep calling you useless, you’re still worried about me.

How should I express my gratitude for your kindness?

'Yes.' "Of course, I’m fine. Useless Saintess. Do you think I’d lose to a beast like that?"

Phoebe chuckled when I confidently replied in Mesugaki-speak.

It seems she’s gotten used to being called "useless saintess" by now.

"Lady Kent, what do you think you’re doing?" "Why?" "You drew your sword in the classroom." "I had to prove I’m not useless." "Do you really think that’s a reasonable explanation?"

While I was chatting with Phoebe, I overheard Joy and Freyr talking beyond the ice wall.

As the conversation went on, Joy’s voice grew sharper, but Freyr remained as calm as ever.

Joy is terrifying when she’s truly angry, yet Freyr remained unfazed even in the face of that. That’s just like her.

If I leave them like this, Joy might actually explode, so I decided to step in and walked past the wall toward them.

'Joy.' "Airhead Lady."

"There you go again, calling me Airhead Lady."

'Didn’t I win the bet?' "The Airhead Lady who lost the bet sure is talking a lot."

"Ugh..."

By now, she must have checked the entrance exam results.

She should know she lost the bet, so she should just accept that she’s the Airhead Lady now!

I shifted my gaze from the frustrated Joy to Freyr.

"Are we going to keep doing this?"

'No.' "No, useless swordswoman."

"Aww."

Freyr looked genuinely disappointed when I refused.

I think she really does like me.

She probably only sees me as a fun punching bag, but once she’s interested, there’s no getting rid of her.

This is going to be a hassle.

If I just let her go, she’ll come at me again, saying she wants to fight.

I need to put a leash on her first.

'Freyr.' "Useless swordswoman."

"Hmm?"

'Do you want to spar with me again?' "Do you want to fight me again?"

"Yes! Of course!"

That’s the most enthusiastic answer I’ve gotten so far.

It would’ve been nice if she’d answered other questions like this.

'Then don’t do anything like this again.' "Then don’t do anything this stupid again."

"Why?"

With this "why," you can’t just answer with common sense.

Freyr is far from being a normal person.

There’s no point in trying to apply common sense to someone who lives in their own world, regardless of who’s in front of them.

The answer I need to give must align with Freyr’s world.

Just like how the protagonist in the game had to adjust to her, I need to do the same.

'Freyr, you...' "Useless swordswoman, you want to fight me, right?"

"Yes!"

'Then...' "Then wouldn’t it be better to prepare thoroughly and fight in the best place possible? Or are you such a useless swordswoman that you can’t win without ambushing me?"

Freyr rolled her eyes as she listened to me, then nodded in understanding.

"You’re right. You’re really smart."

Now that she’s convinced, she probably won’t ambush me anymore.

Though I’ll have to spar with her regularly now, I’ll just consider it part of my training.

She’s actually a decent sparring partner.

"So when are we going to spar?"

'Let’s do it tomorrow...' "Tomorrow. Unlike you, a beastly swordswoman, I’m tired."

"Mm. Okay. Tomorrow then?"

Freyr nodded, satisfied with my answer, and Joy let out a sigh of relief.

Even though she’s probably still annoyed that I called Arthur the Pitiable Prince, she still cares about me!

You’re such a good person!

'Thank you, Joy.' "You did well, Airhead Lady."

"Ugh. Don’t mention it. More importantly, Lady Kent, please be more mindful of your actions next time." "Huh?"

Joy frowned slightly as she responded to Freyr, who looked back at her as if she didn’t understand what she had done wrong, before dispelling the ice wall and walking away.

Wow. That was intense.

To see Freyr still tilting her head even after Joy gave her that look, she’s truly one of a kind.

Not that I’m one to talk.

Alright, now that the situation’s somewhat resolved, I should find my seat.

I’ll try to find a spot that doesn’t catch the professor’s eye.

If they call on me and ask a question, I’m bound to say something rude.

As I took a step, Freyr, who had been watching me quietly, started following me.

'Freyr...' "Useless swordswoman, why are you following me?"

"Is that not allowed?"

Seeing Freyr’s innocent eyes, I couldn’t find the words to respond.

There’s nothing really wrong with it.

It’s just that your attention bothers me.

Damn it. I can’t just tell her to get lost because it’s annoying.

Sigh.

'Do what you want.' "Do what you want, useless swordswoman."

"Okay, I will."

It really annoys me how she only responds quickly to things that benefit her.

When I found a suitable spot to sit, Freyr naturally took the seat next to mine.

Do you really like me that much?

Did you like the way I fought back earlier and find me a good punching bag?

But so what?

To get your affection to 70, I have to help you reach some enlightenment about the sword.

Of course, there’s a way to do that, but it’s only possible in the second year.

Having to raise two people’s affection to 70 by the end of the term, Freyr’s interest is no help at all!

Watching Freyr, who was humming a tune to herself while gazing out the window with her own rhythm, made my head hurt.

Ugh.

If only her conditions weren’t so bizarre, she could have been one of the people whose affection I raised to 70.

It’s a shame, really.

Still, having someone to sit next to me is better than nothing.

At least one of the seats that should have remained empty beside me is now filled. That’s something to be thankful for.

Not long after, the professor entered the classroom and gave the usual speech that teachers give on the first day.

Things like the class schedule, tips for school life, and so on.

Having played Soul Academy so much, I’d heard this speech countless times, so I was only half-listening. Soon enough, the professor’s explanation was over.

"That concludes today’s entrance ceremony. You all worked hard this morning."

And with that, the entrance ceremony was officially over.

Now, it’s free time where we can do whatever we want.

Alright. As a seasoned player of Soul Academy, it’s time to go and gather what I need!