Saturday morning sunlight poured over Eclipse Academy's outer gates — for once, the air didn't hum with mana or tension.
Students milled around in casual clothes, laughing, stretching, actually relaxed. The academy had officially declared the weekend a rest period before the quarter finals.
Jiwoo stood by the entrance, hands in his pockets, watching the street beyond the walls.
Minjae waved from behind him. "Finally! Civilization! Real food! Fresh air!"
Rina appeared next, wearing a cap and a gray hoodie. "You make it sound like you've been imprisoned."
"I was," Minjae said. "In a cage of stress and Instructor Baek's death training."
Jiwoo smirked. "You lasted a month."
"A month? It feels like It's been a year already!"
Rina rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. "Where are we even going?"
"The city market," Minjae said. "Food, arcade, maybe the riverside if we don't get lost."
Jiwoo nodded. "Sounds fine."
Rina tilted her head. "You're really coming along? I thought you'd spend the weekend practicing like usual."
Jiwoo looked ahead toward the city. "Even swords need to rest before a sharp cut."
Minjae blinked. "Was that… poetry?"Jiwoo shrugged. "No. Just tired."
The three strolled down the cobblestone path leading to the city below. Beyond the academy walls, Seoul's neighborhoods pulsed with the vibrant energy of the weekend — gear shops filled with magical trinkets and food stalls wafting the enticing aromas of street food. Air trams glided overhead, their gentle whirring blending seamlessly with the laughter and chatter of people enjoying the day. It felt just like a normal day without worrying anything.
They stopped at a food cart when Minjae suddenly gasped. "Hold on—emergency."
Rina groaned. "You've said that three times today."
"This one's serious!" Minjae said, pointing. "Grilled chicken! You can't walk past that."
Jiwoo shrugged. "He's got a point."
"Not you too," Rina said, but followed them anyway.
Minutes later, Minjae was eating like he hadn't seen food in months."Ahh, this is what victory tastes like," he said with his mouth full."You didn't win anything," Rina muttered."Emotional victory counts."
Jiwoo smiled faintly, looking around. The place was alive — students from other academies, vendors shouting deals, a few street performers weaving mana illusions for coins.For once, he didn't feel like the "E-rank kid." He was just… Jiwoo.
Rina caught his expression. "Weird seeing you relaxed."He blinked. "Am I that tense usually?""Yes," she said flatly.Minjae raised his skewer like a sword. "Don't worry, man. I, your emotional support extrovert, will fix that."
"You're not helping," Rina said.
"I'm absolutely helping," Minjae said proudly. "Step one — shopping."
Jiwoo blinked. "Shopping?"
"Therapy through retail," Minjae said. "You ever seen a sad person holding new shoes?"
Rina sighed, muttering, "This is going to be a long day."
They weaved through a few stores, mostly watching Minjae get rejected by mannequins. In one shop, he proudly held up a sparkling jacket. "Rina, this screams confidence."
"It also screams 'don't talk to me, I'm tacky,'" she said.
Jiwoo chuckled quietly. "She's right."
Minjae pouted. "You guys have no fashion sense."
After a while, they left the shopping area and walked through the market street.That's when Jiwoo stopped mid-step.
"What?" Rina asked, following his gaze.
Standing across the road — holding a paper bag and looking completely out of place in a crowd of shoppers — was Kang Jisoo.
Rina blinked. "Isn't that…?"
Jisoo waved, walking over. "Hey. Didn't expect to see you guys here."
Minjae crossed his arms dramatically. "Oh sure, just casually bump into your mortal enemy on a weekend stroll."
Jisoo looked confused. "Mortal enemy?"
"Metaphorically," Jiwoo said quickly. "He exaggerates."
Rina tilted her head. "You know each other"
Before Jiwoo could answer, Minjae grinned. "Oh, they go way back. Apparently, Mr. Calm here was a national-level kendo player before awakening."
Rina's eyes widened. "You were?"
Jiwoo rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. A long time ago."
Jisoo smirked. "He's being humble. You saw his old matches. He was terrifying even without mana."
Minjae gasped loudly. "Right? It's like he didn't even need mana that's why he was Ranked E to be fair."
Jiwoo sighed. "Why are we talking about this?"
"Because it's fun," Rina said. "Also, I feel betrayed. You didn't tell me you were a mini celebrity."
"I wasn't," Jiwoo said.
Rina smirked. "Explains your stance, though. It's textbook kendo."
Minjae pointed dramatically. "See? Even your posture screams disciplined Mr. protagonist."
Jisoo chuckled. "Some things don't change."
Rina crossed her arms. "So, you're tagging along or what?"
Jisoo blinked. "What?"
"You're already here anyway," Minjae said, grabbing his arm. "Congratulations, you've been adopted into our outing."
Before he could protest, they were already dragging him along.
They ended up in the entertainment district — lights, food stalls, even a small mana-projection theater playing old hero films.
Minjae stopped at every stall. "Ooh, look, spell cards! Ooh, mana plushies! Ooh—"
"Stop saying 'ooh' every ten seconds," Rina said.
"But everything here deserves an ooh!"
Jisoo leaned closer to Jiwoo. "Is he always like this?"
"Every day," Jiwoo said. "Sometimes even worse."
Minjae suddenly stopped, pointing at a street game booth. "Aha! Winner gets a mana crystal keychain. I'm doing this.
"Rina looked at the sign. "It says test your focus. You can't even focus on one snack."
"That's hurtful. True, but hurtful."
He grabbed a pistol, aimed at the moving targets, and instantly missed all three.
The booth owner stared. "Congratulations, you hit absolutely nothing."
"Skill issue," Rina muttered.
"Alright, alright," Minjae said, handing the weapon to Jiwoo. "Let the ex-kendo prodigy show off."
Jiwoo blinked. "It's a gun, not a sword."
"Same thing, different shape," Minjae said.
Rina rolled her eyes. "That's not how weapons work."
Jiwoo sighed, aimed once, and fired.
Three perfect hits.
The crowd nearby clapped.
Rina smirked. "Show-off."
Minjae pointed at Jiwoo's face. "See that? That's the face of a man who pretends to be humble."
Jisoo chuckled. "He's always been like that. Quiet, efficient, secretly terrifying."
Jiwoo just shook his head. "You guys are exhausting."
Later, they stopped by a rooftop café overlooking the city.
Minjae leaned on the railing. "Man, you forget how nice the city looks from up here."
Rina sipped her drink. "It's peaceful… for once."
Jisoo glanced toward the academy towers far in the distance.
"Hard to believe in two days we'll be back there trying to kill each other again."
Minjae grinned. "Keyword — trying. You're up against Jiwoo's sister; good luck."
Jisoo laughed lightly. "I'm also curious about how good his sister is."
Jiwoo set down his drink. "Then you better start praying, because I haven't won even once against her."
There was a beat of silence.
"...Wait, really?" Minjae blinked.
"Like, never?" Rina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not once," Jiwoo said with a perfectly straight face.
Jisoo almost choked on his drink. "You're kidding. You? The human precision machine?"
"I wish I was," Jiwoo muttered. "She's on another level."
Rina laughed. "So she's that strong?"
"Stronger," Jiwoo said.
Minjae groaned. "Man, even your family's overpowered."
Rina laughed. "I'm starting to think you're the side character in your own family."
Jiwoo sighed. "Feels like it sometimes."
Rina tapped her chin. "So basically, if she and Jiwoo end up facing each other, we should all just… evacuate?"
"Good plan," Minjae said. "I'll bring popcorn and a first-aid kit."
Jiwoo groaned softly. "You guys are the worst support team."
Minjae grinned. "We call it moral support."
Rina smirked. "More like verbal harassment."
"Same thing," Minjae said cheerfully.
Jisoo leaned back in his chair, sipping his drink. "Don't forget my brother."
Minjae blinked. "Oh yeah, right! Your brother was in the same bracket as Jiwoo."
"Yeah," Jisoo said, his tone easy but his smile edged with pride. "My brother's understanding of magic… it's on another level. I haven't even seen him go all-out yet. But when he fights?" He chuckled quietly. "His opponents usually don't last thirty seconds."
Rina raised an eyebrow. "Without him using full power?"
"Without him getting bored," Jisoo corrected. "He's got that kind of confidence that makes you want to punch him and take notes at the same time."
Minjae whistled low. "So he's that kind of prodigy, huh? Great. As if Jiwoo's sister wasn't terrifying enough, now there's another Kang with main-character energy."
Rina leaned on the table. "That explains why he barely trains in public. Always looks like he's just waiting for someone to be worth his time."
Jiwoo stayed quiet for a moment, his expression unreadable. "He's strong. I could tell from the first round. His control's perfect."
"Don't flatter him too much," Jisoo said with a grin. "He already knows."
Minjae groaned. "Man, the Kang siblings sound like they were built in a hero factory. Hyunwoo, Jisoo, Rina… what's next, a cousin who controls time?"
Rina flicked a straw wrapper at him. "I'm not related to them, idiot."
Minjae rubbed his shoulder where it hit. "You share the same last name! It's confusing!"
"Common surname," she said flatly.
Jiwoo chuckled quietly, watching them bicker. "You two really never stop."
Rina crossed her arms. "So, Jiwoo… what'll you do if you end up facing Kang Hyunwoo?"
He looked down at his cup, thoughtful. "Fight. Same as always."
Jisoo laughed. "You're either brave or insane."
"Probably both," Minjae added.
Jiwoo smiled faintly. "I don't plan on losing."
That earned a pause. Even Jisoo tilted his head slightly, something like respect in his eyes."
Then I hope you don't," he said. "It'd be boring otherwise."
Rina gave Jiwoo a side glance. "You nervous?"
He thought for a moment. "A little. But I've got something to prove."
"Good answer," she said, smirking. "Just don't break yourself trying."
Minjae leaned back in his chair, groaning dramatically. "Man, I think the academy was literally built for the Kang and Han families. Everyone else's just here for decoration."
Rina snorted. "Speak for yourself."
"Hey, I'm serious!" Minjae pointed between Jiwoo and Jisoo. "Han prodigies, Kang prodigies — what about the rest of us average folk trying to survive?"
Jisoo smirked. "Then stop being average."
Minjae sighed deeply. "You make it sound so easy, Mr. 'My brother breaks records before breakfast.'"
Jiwoo chuckled. "You complain more than you train."
"Because training hurts," Minjae shot back. "Complaining is free."
Minjae clapped his hands. "Enough deep talk. We're supposed to be relaxing."
"To surviving the first round," Minjae said.
"To not dying next week," Rina added.
"To improvement," Jisoo said.
Jiwoo smiled faintly. "To whatever comes next."
They drank, laughter echoing as the night breeze rolled by.
By the time they headed back toward the academy tram line, the streets had quieted.
Minjae walked backward, talking nonstop. "So next time we hang out, we go to the beach district. I heard there's a training area with mana waves!"
Rina frowned. "That sounds dangerous."
"Exactly!" Minjae grinned. "Adventure!"
Jisoo sighed. "How do you deal with him every day?"
Jiwoo smiled. "You get used to it."
Rina muttered, "Or go deaf eventually."
They laughed together, the city lights fading behind as the train arrived.
As they boarded, Jiwoo looked out the window — the skyline glowing against the night.
For the first time in a long while, he felt at ease. No duels. No rankings. Just friends.
He leaned back in his seat, the faint hum of the tram blending with Minjae's ongoing chatter.
Monday would come soon enough. For now, he'd let himself breathe.