Watching the pink-haired girl approach, Luris’s expression softened considerably. It was normal for a young lady to be angry. After all, no one had ever spoken to her like Yan Yi did before.
“We’ve already decided. With you added, it’ll be exactly three people.”
Hearing this, Yan Yi, who had been napping on the table, felt something was off about how things were unfolding.
“Mm, that’s good. Who’s the other person?”
The pink-haired girl spoke gently, the complete opposite of Luris.
“This one.”
Luris pointed at Yan Yi sprawled on the table.
The scene froze for a moment.
“Wait! What about my opinion?!”
“Luris, you mean Yan Yi? But his mana—”
Yan Yi jumped up, speaking at the same time as the pink-haired girl.
“Oh? You’re awake.”
Luris glanced at Yan Yi but ignored him, turning back to the pink-haired girl.
“Think about it. If just the two of us teamed up, it’d be too unfair. Adding Yan Yi balances our strength.”
“Hold on! You’re peak Class C—you could handle three alone. Even with me tagging along, we’d still be above average!”
“No worries. Besides, which team would even take you?”
Luris almost forgot: who’d be stupid enough to team with Yan Yi? (Herself.) It was basically suicide.
“Uh.”
Yan Yi was cornered. If he quit, two others would follow, leaving them short on numbers…
“By the way, Yan Yi, you probably don’t know Interle, right? You were spacing out before introductions.”
The internet? I know that.
Yan Yi was confused. The pink-haired girl turned to him.
“I’m Interle Liz. Nice to meet you, Yan Yi.”
Interle gave Yan Yi a slight noble bow.
Yan Yi snapped to attention and bowed deeply.
“My apologies! How could I miss the introduction of such a beautiful, gentle, and lovely lady like you, Interle? I’m truly sorry!”
Yan Yi’s reaction was overly intense—beyond normal. He had his reasons: he remembered the saying. Anything pink? Cut it open, and it’s black inside…
He had to be careful. Offend someone like her, and he wouldn’t know how he died.
“Oh, no, it’s fine! Really!”
Interle was startled and hurriedly bowed back.
“No, no—I really must apologize.”
Yan Yi lifted his head, his expression still apologetic.
“So, please take care of me, Interle.”
“No need for formalities. Just call me Interle. I’ll call you Yan Yi too.”
Interle forgot to ask about Yan Yi’s strength, thrown off by his weird behavior. Yan Yi sighed inwardly. At least he hadn’t offended her… hopefully.
“Then, please take care of me, Inter— uh, Interle.”
“Likewise, Yan Yi.”
The two kept exchanging pleasantries.
Luris watched them getting along so well and suddenly realized:
I can’t get a word in. Not at all. Was I just the extra one all along?!
…
At the cafeteria during lunch, the trio ate together while discussing magic strategies.
“Let’s start by introducing our magic. It’ll help us plan better.”
Interle ate elegantly, somehow speaking fluently. Yan Yi glanced at Luris unconsciously, making her face flush red instantly.
“Ahem. I’ll go first. Luris doesn’t know all my abilities anyway.”
Spotting Luris about to snap, Interle quickly continued, drawing her attention.
“I specialize in wood magic. I can’t cast high-tier spells, but my power’s decent. I also excel at traction magic—two mid-tier spells.”
Interle was Class C. Though she hadn’t learned high-tier magic, her strength matched Luris’s.
“I get wood magic. But traction?”
Yan Yi asked. Interle glanced at Luris. Luris snapped her fingers—a water orb appeared out of nowhere. She lifted a finger, and it shot toward the ceiling.
Interle reached out. The orb froze mid-air. Guided by her hand, it dropped neatly into Yan Yi’s empty cup.
“Uh, is this water drinkable?”
The two, expecting understanding, nearly face-planted into their food.
“You—you idiot! Did you think we did that just to refill your cup? Yes, it’s drinkable!”
Luris fumed. Interle just sighed with a wry smile.
“Oh.”
Yan Yi nodded and took a sip. Huh. Distilled water.
“So Interle can control trajectories.”
“Mm. But high-tier spells are almost unaffected. Even mid-tier ones can’t be guided this freely.”
Interle nodded. Her traction magic required infusing her own mana. The more complex the spell, the harder it was to influence.
“As for wood magic, nothing special. Standard spells. Your turn, Luris.”
Luris set down her fork and knife. She couldn’t eat and talk like Interle.
“Mine’s simple. Water magic. I know beginner, mid, and high-tier spells.”
Both stared at Yan Yi. He felt the pressure in their gazes and finally answered.
“Strength. Speed. And concealment.”
“No way. Even with concealment, we’d see something. The crystal didn’t detect anything.”
They clearly didn’t believe him. Yan Yi had to bring up his Unique Magic—the same excuse he’d used with Liette. Their shocked acceptance followed.
“Wait, Yan Yi, you have a Unique Magic? Are you… a genius?!”
Luris said, still reeling from the surprise.
*Heh. I wish that were true.*
“Impossible! I don’t even know my mana rank. Who do I complain to about this suffering?”
Seeing Yan Yi’s tragic act, both sweat-dropped. They really wanted to punch him.
“Alright, alright. Finish eating. Let’s find a training ground to practice coordination.”
Interle dabbed her mouth with a napkin. Only then did the other two realize they still had half their meals left—while she’d finished ages ago.
“Are you a monster?”
Despite their weird tone, Interle just smiled.
…
The trio rented a private training ground. These areas were huge—enough for a team to unleash magic simultaneously. Protective barriers prevented disturbances outside.
“This place is actually pretty nice.”
Yan Yi scanned the area. *If only my master’s run-down dojo could be swapped for this.*
“Let’s start by testing our max output. It’ll help us gauge limits.”
Interle adjusted the barrier controls to withstand at least mid-tier Class A magic. Even Luris’s high-tier spells would be fine.
Yan Yi looked the most uneasy. Max output? He didn’t know his own limits. Last time he didn’t suppress his power, he’d flattened a skyscraper.
Glancing at the barrier, he shook his head. Better watch their output first before showing off.
