Two years earlier, back when Ao was still a first-year student—
Back then, no one feared him. No whispers, no scared glances.
He was just an ordinary kid with a naturally grumpy face that made him look unapproachable.
Ao always sat alone, never changing.
While everyone else chatted with their friends, he buried himself in reviewing lessons— simply because he had no one to talk to.
"Hey, I heard some third-year used to attend a magic school back in elementary."
"For real!?? I wanna meet him!"
The conversation drifted right into Ao's ears, and they perked up instantly.
He stood from his seat.
Grab.
The group fell silent the moment Ao suddenly inserted himself and tapped one of them on the shoulder.
"H… hey," he muttered, voice low and rough.
Everyone looked confused—Ao never talked to anyone, yet he approached them first.
"W-what's up… Onishima?" his classmate stuttered.
"That senior… what class is he in?"
Ao's eyes were dead serious.
At Class 3-A
A merfolk boy was chatting casually with his friends when—
"Is Jacob Aero in this room!?"
A voice boomed from the hallway.
Jacob blinked, confused, stood up, and opened the door.
Ao stood there, staring him down with a fierce, unfriendly glare.
He immediately pointed a finger at him.
"Fight me, you washed-up fish!!"
The entire class froze, baffled. Jacob, too, stared blankly.
"H-huh—?? Who's this rude little first-year…?"
Jacob forced a friendly smile—complete opposite of Ao's hostile aura.
"Didn't you hear me, washed-up fish? Fight me. I heard you came from a magic school. Must be pretty good, huh?"
Any attempt at friendliness immediately collapsed. Jacob sighed.
"Fine, fine. I'll go easy on you then."
"No need. Go all out."
"…This damn kid…"
The Duel
Jacob Aero fell in just forty seconds.
Ao walked away covered in scrapes from Jacob's spells, while Jacob lay unconscious after being whacked under the chin with Ao's wooden baton.
Normally, someone who wins a magic duel becomes popular instantly—admired, praised, talked about.
But not Ao.
Their duel ended in a way that highlighted just how different they were:
Jacob—casting spells gracefully, attacking and defending like a real mage.
Ao—charging in like a wild beast starving for victory.
Magic duels were supposed to be beautiful—two combatants trading elegant spells and coordinated martial techniques, like artists painting across the battlefield.
But Ao?
He was a kid waving a dirty brush dipped in mop water, slashing wildly across the canvas.
Bare fists, bare feet, and sometimes a beat-up baseball bat.
And his hands were almost always stained with blood when the fight ended.
Who would want to fight someone who'd punch you until you couldn't stand?
Who would enjoy collapsing unconscious at the end of every "friendly duel"?
Most people surrendered the moment they lost technically—before anyone got seriously hurt.
But Ao didn't stop until the other guy was completely out cold.
This was the spark that ignited the fear surrounding his name.
Despite defeating a supposedly talented senior, Ao received no praise.
Just fear.
And instead of stopping, he kept dueling.
And kept winning.
Everyone who fought him lost to his brutality—his unpredictable swings, his reckless lunges. To duel him was basically suicide.
Students began hiding their magical talent just so he wouldn't challenge them. But still, there were those who wanted to fight him, hoping to become heroes for defeating the "Mad Dog."
The fear of Ao should've remained within his school.
But then—he destroyed an entire gang.
The Incident at the Delinquent School
It happened near the end of his first year, when rumors about him began spreading outside school grounds.
On his way home, Ao was ambushed by a group of six delinquents. He managed to knock out two of them, but eventually collapsed from his injuries.
Days later, after discovering their school, he stormed it out of sheer vengeance.
A Delinquent School, Late Morning
The school was practically lawless—broken windows, trash everywhere, chairs piled in corners.
A few delinquents guarded the gate like it was a fortress.
It should've been another boring day for them—
Until Ao appeared.
"Hey!! Who the hell are you!? Never seen you before!"
They squinted at his gakuran jacket and noticed the badge wasn't from their school.
"What brat wandered all the way here? Your school's that way! Shoo!!"
Ao stayed silent, glaring murderously—his fist trembling with anger.
"What's with that look? You don't understand the language of this district or something?
Wait—are you some foreign exchange kid? Your hair's weird as hell! Is that dye or natural?"
Seeing Ao's unusual hair, the delinquent walked closer and reached out to touch it.
Wham!!
"Gah!!!"
Ao's fist smashed straight into his face, blood spraying as the guy collapsed.
Expression twisted in fury, Ao stepped through the gate with blood still on his knuckles.
He headed straight for the six who ambushed him.
"Fight me!!"
"…Huh?"
The six exchanged confused looks.
"Who the hell…?"
"If I'm not mistaken, that's the kid they call the Mad Dog…"
"Ohhh! That brat!?"
They had completely forgotten him because it'd been so long since the ambush.
Still laughing, they agreed to fight—on one condition:
Ao wasn't allowed to use magic.
Ao agreed instantly.
"Alright… this'll be easy money."
Their presumed leader stepped forward, the other five behind him.
The match
"Ready yet?"
Ao was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Alright. Three… two… one—GO!!!"
Ao lunged immediately, throwing a punch at the leader.
CLANG!! A metal rod blocked it just in time.
The next kick— CLANG!! blocked again.
"Wind Cutter!!"
The leader shoved Ao back and swung his staff, sending a violent gust that scattered desks everywhere.
Ao ducked under it and charged again—
CLANG!!
Blocked. Both retreated briefly.
Ao grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it.
THUD!!
"Barrier!!"
The leader cast a spell, shielding his group.
But one chair wasn't enough.
Ao hurled everything he could grab—chairs, desks, debris—until the room was a disaster zone.
Using the distraction, he dashed around the barrier.
"I knew you'd try that!!"
The leader struck Ao's chin with his staff, knocking him to the ground.
Ao lay motionless, blood dripping from his mouth.
"A weak little brat! Not scary at all! 'Mad Dog'? What a joke!!"
Silence filled the room.
Until—
"M…!"
A faint growl came from Ao's throat.
"I'm not a MAD DOG—!!!"
He sprang up like a zombie, roaring with fury.
He tackled the leader and slammed a fist into his face.
THUD!!
"I-I surrender!! I surrender!!!"
He pleaded, nose bleeding profusely.
But Ao's fist was already in motion.
THUD!!
The leader's eyes rolled back.
Ao moved on to the rest.
Even though they surrendered, Ao didn't stop until all six were unconscious, bloodied, and collapsed in a heap.
When he finished, he walked through the stunned crowds of delinquents—
Only to be met by nearly a hundred more returning to the school.
They immediately spotted their unconscious guard at the gate, then the blood-soaked boy standing there.
A huge delinquent—half white lion, nearly three meters tall—stepped forward.
"Did you do this?"
"If I did, so what? You guys jumped me first. I'm just returning the favor."
"You really have no shame."
"Look who's talking. Maybe third-years like you should learn not to attack people from behind."
The lion boy's temper snapped.
"Watch your mouth."
The two clashed again— And unbelievably, Ao won.
He collapsed afterward and was taken to the hospital with severe injuries, but the damage was done:
From that day on, Ao's reputation spread across the city.
Students from other schools feared him too.
But as time passed, the hype died down.
Trends changed, memories faded.
And Ao eventually stopped going to other schools to pick fights.
These days, he only duels people who want to fight him.