As soon as he entered the arena, Enrico approached his three friends, who were preparing for the battles. On the other side, the students from Vesparello were also getting ready, showing confidence in the outcome of the confrontations.
Pretending not to know what was happening, Enrico asked why they had gathered there. After hearing the explanation, he nodded.
"You did well. We can't allow other academies to make fun of ours."
Kai nodded quickly, happy that his friend agreed with him.
"I knew you'd understand, Enrico! We have to make these guys pay for what they did. In fact, I'd like a rematch."
"Later. And you did well too, Valença."
Enrico turned his head and saw Valença stroking her own hair with a satisfied smile. As soon as she heard the praise, she picked up her staff and nodded, determined to finish off her opponent in the best way possible.
"I'll finish her off, and then we'll go on a date."
"Our date is already scheduled. Can't you wait a little longer?"
"No."
Valença replied with a completely cold expression.
That week, Enrico had decided to schedule his dates with the girls on different days. The dates would begin the following day, but it seemed someone was trying to cut in line.
[You're asking to die.]
'That's a compliment to me.'
Enrico maintained a neutral expression before continuing to speak seriously to Valença.
"If the others find out, you'll be in danger."
"It's a danger I'm willing to accept if it's for you."
"If you think it'll work, defeat that girl and I'll agree."
An explosion of fire seemed to appear in Valença's eyes as she glared murderously at the red-haired girl.
That student was in trouble. Now, Valença had an additional reason to crush her opponent as quickly as possible.
[You're demonic.]
'That's a compliment to me.'
Enrico then turned his attention to Camila.
"You did a great job too, Camila. Give it everything you've got. Your participation will be important in this fight."
"Why are you talking as if you're not sure I can win?"
Enrico's eyes took on a feline appearance, and an amused smile appeared on his face. For some reason, that expression irritated Camila.
"I believe in you. I just don't believe in you as much as I do in Kai and Valença. Any problem with that?"
"Yes, there's a huge problem with that!"
Enrico's smile widened for a moment before his expression returned to normal. His eyes also returned to their usual appearance.
Realizing he was teasing her, Camila turned her face to the side, sulking.
"Why did Kai have to fall for you of all people?"
Enrico immediately remembered Kai's words that day. He simply shook his head.
'Does she still believe that? She should already know that Kai is an idiot when it comes to love.'
Camila seemed to return to normal after a few seconds.
"Well, putting that aside, you're right. I'll prove to everyone that I'm better than they think."
"Of course. Just be careful, because that red-haired girl is Giulio's half-sister on his father's side. So don't hurt her too much."
The three turned their heads toward Enrico, surprised by the information.
At that moment, Giulio came running into the arena and cast a furious glance toward his sister, who was on the other side. Then he approached Enrico and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"If you fight her, you can beat her up as much as you want. She deserves it."
"Really? Guys, did you hear that? Forget what I said earlier and hurt her badly!"
"That's right! That damn girl deserves it for always stealing my ink!"
Giulio seemed to breathe fire from his mouth as he remembered his childhood, which, to him, had been horrible because of his sister's behavior.
Enrico began comforting him, although the other three couldn't understand why he was so angry over something that seemed so insignificant.
After a few moments, the three Astrong students approached the arena, ready to begin the confrontations. Camila looked at the red-haired girl and asked a question.
"Who's going to deal with the girl?"
"I will. If either of the two gets involved, I'll kill them."
"All right... She's all yours, Valença."
Upon realizing that the first opponent to enter the arena would be the blue-haired boy, Camila decided to fight first. After all, the other two seemed to have already chosen their own opponents.
"So, the girl who looked at me that way will be the first one I destroy."
"You talk too much for someone who's going to lose."
Camila began stretching while her opponent stood with his arms crossed.
"This arrogance seems to be a characteristic of all Astrong students, not just the strongest ones."
A vein bulged on Camila's forehead as she prepared for combat.
"Of course! We're the best young people on the continent, so we deserve a little arrogance."
Lorenzo also assumed a battle stance, paying no attention to the girl's words. He held a long dagger in one hand, keeping the blade pointed backward, ready to charge.
"My name is Camila Cinzaria."
"Pff... Lorenzo Azzurri."
The person responsible for refereeing the fight was a knight who was training some first-year Class C students in the use of weapons. He had authorized the confrontation as soon as he learned why the students had requested the battle.
'I hope the girl wins. I don't like those boys' attitudes.'
The knight positioned himself so he could follow the movements of both combatants.
"The rules are simple. The fight will continue until one of you is defeated or thrown out of the arena. If you're ready, you may begin!"
As soon as he heard the signal, Lorenzo moved his dagger and slashed through the air. A blade of water broke away from the motion and shot directly toward Camila.
She raised her arms, and several ashes appeared in front of her body, gathering to form a sturdy shield. The water attack struck the protection and dissipated without managing to penetrate it.
"Ice Blades!"
Several blades appeared around Camila, positioning themselves to pierce her from different angles. Lorenzo intended to corner her, preventing her from finding an escape route.
Camila, however, showed no sign of panic. She raised both hands, causing the ashes to spread across the ground and quickly rise around her.
She snapped her fingers, and a series of fiery explosions erupted among the blades, melting the ice before it could hit her. The heat spread throughout the arena, dispersing the remaining fragments.
"I admit you're stronger than I thought."
Lorenzo appeared behind her with his dagger raised, preparing to deliver a direct strike to her neck.
Camila didn't turn around immediately. She didn't seem concerned about the possibility of being injured, because she knew the healers could treat her after the fight.
"And you're stupider than I thought."
The next instant, an explosion of fire appeared beside Lorenzo's abdomen.
The impact struck him directly and hurled him out of the arena before he could complete his attack. His body flew across the distance in a few seconds, and he landed outside, unable to hide his surprise.
"I only need a single ash particle to trigger a fire explosion. And thanks for announcing your rear attack while talking. That made winning easy."
"You damn...!"
Camila ignored Lorenzo's furious glare and raised two fingers toward her companions, announcing her victory without showing the slightest hesitation.
Then she gave Enrico an arrogant smile, waiting for some expression of surprise.
However, she was disappointed to realize that he was busy buying popcorn, as if he were watching a show.
Kai and Valença were celebrating, each in their own way.
"Good job, Camila."
"You're amazing! I never doubted you."
'I thought he'd be more surprised.'
Before she could continue thinking, Camila felt a presence quickly approaching from behind.
She turned around and saw Lorenzo charging toward her with his dagger in hand. He seemed determined to attack her again, unable to accept his defeat.
Camila had no time to react.
Outside the arena, a fireball crossed the space and struck the dagger's path, deflecting the attack before it could injure her. Enrico had finally put his popcorn aside.
The boy seemed even more irritated by the interruption, but he still decided to ignore Enrico and focus entirely on Camila.
"That doesn't count! If we'd fought until the end, without that rule, I'm sure I would've won!"
The knight grabbed Lorenzo by the shoulder and stared at him with a stern expression. His posture conveyed such an obvious threat that the young man had no choice but to stop advancing.
"How humiliating, Lorenzo. We'll discuss your defeat in person when we return."
The black-haired student watched his companion with a disappointed expression.
"I'm sorry, Matteo."
Lorenzo put his hands on his head and sat down, bending his body forward as if he wanted to disappear from embarrassment.
Matteo shook his head, but soon noticed that Enrico was watching him with a serious expression while Lorenzo continued lamenting his defeat.
'It's been a long time since I last saw him... he's really changed.'
Meanwhile, Enrico himself had other thoughts, with the System making a little noise in his ear.
[I had forgotten about this guy and that he has the same name as the original Enrico's father.]
'Yes. His parents really admire Matteo.'