### The Night Before
The S-Class common room was dimly lit, most students having retreated to their rooms.
But six figures remained.
Ryo was sprawled across the couch—unusually, he was awake. His steel-gray eyes stared at the ceiling, unblinking.
Mochiko sat at the table, her blade across her lap. She wasn't polishing it. Just holding it. Feeling its weight.
Kagari had claimed the window seat, her knees drawn up, watching the stars.
Noah sat in his usual armchair, a book open but unread. His crimson eyes kept drifting to his friends.
Leo was pacing. Back and forth, back and forth, wearing a path into the rug.
Sora stood in her corner, sharp eyes missing nothing.
None of them spoke.
Because tomorrow was the First-Year S-Class Tournament.
---
### The Rules
Noah's voice cut through the silence. "We should review. One more time."
Mochiko nodded. "First-Year Tournament. Tomorrow morning. All forty first-year S-Class students."
"Single elimination," Leo added. "Five rounds. Winner takes all."
**Tournament Star Distribution:**
- **Champion — 3 Stars**
- **Runner-up — 2 Stars**
- **Third Place — 1 Star**
"Only three people get Stars," Kagari said softly. "Everyone else gets nothing."
Ryo stretched. "Brutal."
"That's the point." Noah's crimson eyes were distant. "The system rewards excellence. Not participation."
Sora's voice came from the shadows. "At least we're only fighting our year. No second-years."
Mochiko nodded. "First-years only. Forty of us. That's it."
Leo swallowed hard. "Forty first-years. We know most of them. Ren Takami. Mira Ashford. Kaelen Voss. Lin Wei."
"Sora's already beat half of them," Ryo said lazily.
Sora's lips twitched. "Not half. A third."
"Show-off."
---
### The Unknown
Leo's pacing resumed. "We don't even know the bracket. Who we'll face first."
"No one does." Noah's voice was calm. "The bracket is posted tomorrow morning. One hour before matches begin."
"One hour to prepare for our first opponent."
"Yes."
Silence.
Ryo broke it. "So we go in blind. Adapt. Improvise. Survive."
"That's the plan."
"Works for me."
Mochiko stared at him. "You're not nervous at all?"
"Didn't say that." Ryo's lazy grin faded, just slightly. "I'm nervous. I'm just too lazy to show it."
For some reason, that made everyone feel better.
---
### The Competition
Kagari's soft voice: "Who are we most worried about?"
Everyone considered.
"Sora," Mochiko said immediately.
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Flattering."
"You're undefeated in sparring. Against all of us."
"Not all." Sora's eyes flicked to Ryo. "Haven't faced him yet."
Ryo grinned. "Scared?"
"Prepared."
Mochiko continued. "Ren Takami. That swordsman from the dummy exam. He's good."
Noah nodded. "Rank four knight. Probably. His form is excellent."
"Kaelen Voss," Leo added. "Greatsword user. Strong. Slow, but strong."
Kagari: "Mira Ashford. Fire mage. Creative. Unpredictable."
"Lin Wei," Sora said. "Fast. Precision wind magic. Annoying to fight."
Ryo yawned. "So basically, everyone's dangerous."
"Basically."
"Great. Love that."
---
### Two Weeks Ago — The Memory
Leo's mind drifted back.
Two weeks ago, they'd been in this same room. Professor Whiskerbottom had appeared without warning, unrolled a parchment, and announced:
"The First-Year S-Class Tournament. Three weeks from today. All forty first-year S-Class students will compete."
Chaos had erupted. Questions. Panic. Planning.
Then two weeks of training. Sparring. Studying opponents. Pushing limits.
And now here they were.
The night before.
---
### Back to the Present
"You're thinking about the announcement again," Mochiko observed.
Leo blinked. "How did you know?"
"Your face does this thing. When you're remembering."
"What thing?"
"I don't have words for it. But it's a thing."
Ryo snorted. "Face thing. Very descriptive."
"Shut up."
"No, really. 'Face thing' is going in my vocabulary now."
Mochiko threw a pillow at him. He caught it without moving.
Kagari smiled—that tiny, rare smile.
Even Sora's lips twitched.
---
### The Night Deepens
Hours passed. The moon climbed higher.
Leo had finally stopped pacing. He sat on the floor, back against the couch, surrounded by notes he'd taken over the last two weeks.
Mochiko had sheathed her blade. It rested beside her, close enough to grab in an instant.
Kagari had moved from the window to the arm of Noah's chair. Close, but not touching.
Sora had shifted from her corner to the edge of the group—closer than usual, part of the circle.
Ryo was still on the couch, still awake, still watching the ceiling.
"You know," he said quietly, "whatever happens tomorrow... we did this together."
Mochiko snorted. "Sentimental, coming from you."
"Shut up. I'm having a moment."
"No, go on." Leo's voice was soft. "What do you mean?"
Ryo sat up slowly, looking at each of them in turn. "I mean... two months ago, we were strangers. Now we're..." He trailed off, searching for the word.
"Family," Kagari finished quietly.
"Yeah." Ryo nodded. "Family. Corny, but true."
No one argued.
Under the stars, six friends sat together—bruised, trained, prepared.
Tomorrow, they would fight.
Tonight, they had this.
---
### A Distant Threat
Somewhere across the academy, in the second-year dormitory, a figure stood at his window.
Kaito watched the same stars, but his mind was elsewhere.
The first-year tournament. Tomorrow.
He couldn't compete—different year, different bracket. But he could watch. Could study. Could prepare.
The Reinhart prince would fight tomorrow. Would show his skills. His weaknesses. His patterns.
Kaito smiled in the darkness.
"Show me what you can do," he whispered. "I'll be watching."
The tournament was hours away.
And for Kaito, the real game hadn't even begun.