After SSS-class attack training that day, Rita was walking to the cafeteria with her friends. Mecha had officially joined their squad and was rolling along beside them on autopilot.
Mistblade asked, "That bell really can't come off? You almost missed SSS-class today because of it."
At the start of the semester, few dared to attack her—not just because of her strength, but because her double Divine Game championships earlier in the year had given Moonlight Marsh a massive points boost. Thanks to her, the academy managed to hold onto its place as the ninth-ranked of the Nine Magic Academies in July's rankings, narrowly avoiding being replaced by Cliffside Below.
That crisis solved, Mistblade had even rewarded her with 1,000 credits in public.
Rita had to repeatedly insist that she welcomed challenges and would never retaliate against anyone for defeating her before classmates gradually started working up the nerve to attack.
