Chapter 6: The Art of Misfortune
"Welcome, both of you, to the AH Association!" The receptionist's smile was perfectly practiced, bright and professional. "Zin Lein, your bracket is Number 4, so you have plenty of time before your match."
"Sure..." Zin nodded, feeling a swell of pride. He leaned against the counter casually. "Umm... where can we rest?"
"Oii, Zin! Over here!" Tobi's voice echoed from across the lobby. He stood near the food court, waving. "Waiting lounge is that way!"
'This guy didn't even let me talk to her...' Zin sighed internally, glancing back at the receptionist before turning toward Tobi. 'Where's Aira?'
He walked over, eyes drifting to the tray of fries in Tobi's hands. His stomach growled. "Oii... Tobi, you just ate three omelettes..."
"Yeah, but I get hungry fast." Tobi shoved another fry into his mouth, grinning.
Zin looked away, trying not to stare at the food.
---
The waiting lounge was spacious but quiet. Cushioned couches lined the walls. A balcony overlooked the main arena floor below. Only one person sat inside—a guy hunched over a book, glasses slipping down his nose. He looked tense. Anxious. Like he was trying to disappear into the pages.
"Oiii, Zin—are you sure you wanna fight?" Tobi plopped onto a couch, sprawling out. "I mean, your first opponent is a D-Rank Mage. I believe in you and all, but... you might get roasted in the first round."
Zin's eye twitched Again.Tobi had just humiliated him in front of a stranger. "Hahh?! Oii, I'm not an empty pen! I know how to fight..." He muttered under his breath, glancing at the guy across the room.
The guy didn't even look up. He just kept reading, flipping pages like the world didn't exist.
"Oii! Who are you, and why the hell are you acting like that?!" Zin shouted toward him.
"Bruh, you shouldn't talk to him that way..." Tobi chugged the rest of his cola. "Hey, who are you?"
Zin walked over and snatched the ID card clipped to the guy's jacket. He squinted at it.
"Jack Williams. C-Rank. Hunter with Telekinesis... and White Uniform?" Zin read aloud, eyebrows raised. Tobi leaned over his shoulder, peering at the card. Jack looked up nervously, clutching his book tighter. "Oii, why do you have a 'Special' title too?"
"I-I don't know..." Jack stammered, adjusting his glasses. "I was invited as an exchange student to Fire and Ice Academy... in W Country..." He set the book down slowly, hands trembling.
"Oii, Zin, don't talk like that." Tobi sat between them, acting as a buffer. "Hey, Jack—I'm Tobi. You're Jack, right?" He grinned. "Since you're coming to our Academy... why not be friends?"
Jack blinked, surprised. "Uh... sure... sure!" He laughed nervously, picking up a decorative weight stone from the side table—steel, shaped like a chrysanthemum flower. He turned it over in his hands absently.
Zin studied Jack for a moment. 'This guy's so sincere and clumsy... easy pickings for bullies. But how does he have a White Mark? Maybe I can figure it out...'
"Hey, I'm Zin. Nice to meet you!" Zin said, flashing a fascinated smile.
"He's E-Rank, by the way! I'm D-Rank, and you're C-Rank, so...!" Tobi trailed off, his attention drifting toward the food court again. A new dish was being prepared. His eyes locked onto it like a predator spotting prey.
'This endless food luggage...' Zin thought, glancing toward the balcony entrance. 'I'll definitely get close to Aira today...' He laughed to himself, unable to contain his excitement.
Tobi stood up, already heading back toward the food court.
Then Zin saw her.
Aira. Walking in from the balcony entrance, textbook tucked under her arm. Wolf ears twitching. Tail swaying slightly. She scanned the room, eyes landing on an empty couch near the window.
'Perfect.'
"Hehe, you're a good guy, Jacky!" Zin said quickly, shifting seats. He moved to the couch where Aira was headed—right where she'd sit—and plopped down with a confident grin.
---
Inside Jack's mind, something shifted.
JACKY-JOHN—JACKY-JOHN—
A voice. Smooth. Mocking. Malicious.
'Now let's make this guy's ass a masterpiece...'
John grinned internally, eyes locking onto the steel chrysanthemum weight stone in Jack's hands.
"Eye of Jack's Mom!" Jack's mouth moved, but the voice wasn't his. The weight stone vanished from his hands—and reappeared on the couch. Right beneath where Zin was about to sit.
Zin leaned back, settling into the cushions—
THUD.
Pain exploded through his tailbone. His entire body locked up. His face went white. His soul felt like it left his body for a second.
'Awoo... what's happening?!'
Aira approached the couch, book in hand. She was about to sit down when—
"Hey, Wolfy. That seat's occupied." Jack's voice was different now. Cold. Mocking. He adjusted his glasses, smirking slightly.
Aira froze. She looked at Zin—whose face was pale, eyes wide, body rigid like a statue. Then she looked at Jack.
Her wolf ears flattened. Her tail bristled. A low growl rumbled in her throat.
She slammed her hand onto Zin's head.Hard.
"Idiot!" she snapped, storming off.
Zin stayed frozen, gripping the couch. The steel chrysanthemum was still underneath him. He couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Pain radiated through his entire lower body like someone had taken a hammer to his spine.
He glanced at Jack.
'You little bastard...' Zin thought, teeth gritted. He stood up slowly, hiding the fact that his legs were shaking. He shuffled toward the exit, heading for the medical room.
'Now... let's think about how I'll make that burger guy a roasted gentleman next. And then this Jack... haha!'
ACHOO!
Jack sneezed.
The shift reversed. John faded. Jack blinked, rubbing his nose.
"What...?"
Jack blinked, looking around. "Uh... what just happened?"
Jack sat alone on the couch, adjusting his glasses. He looked around, confused.
'Where's the weight stone? Where did that guy go? What happened?'
---
Tobi returned a few minutes later, arms loaded with spaghetti and pizza. "Where's Zin?"
"I-I don't know..." Jack said quietly, still staring at his empty hands.
Tobi shrugged, already digging into his food. 'Probably went to the bathroom or something.'
---
Medical Room, Building Louisa Mariana...
"Hey, don't worry—your... seat is alright." A beastwoman with cat ears and a tail stood over Zin, hands glowing faintly with healing energy. She pressed her palm against the back of his neck, channeling warmth into his body.
Zin's nose exploded with blood.
Like a syringe. A fountain. He collapsed backward, unconscious.
"What the hell..." Kia stared at him, ears twitching in disbelief. "Hey... you'll slip into a coma if you lose that much blood! What kind of... I don't even have words for this! No more healing!"
"What happened?" A voice called from the next room.
A young woman stepped out, adjusting her jacket. Pink hair. Pink eyes. Pink lips. She looked at Zin's unconscious body, then at Kia.
"Who's this troublemaker, Kia?"
Kia sighed, wiping her hands. "Some E-Rank idiot."
The pink-haired woman tilted her head, studying Zin's face.
"Did that potion work, Clara?", kia asked, making a bill and putting it on table.
Clara smirked, running a hand through her hair. "Perfectly."
---
[End of Chapter 6]