Cote: Magic [Exams break]

A duel

After some light conversation with my future classmates, I made my way to the entrance ceremony.

Even though people said this place was tough, the entrance ceremony was the same as any other school's. Some important people offered words of thanks, and the ceremony concluded without incident. Then, it was late noon. After we received some general information about the campus, the crowd dispersed.

70–80 percent of the students headed toward the dormitories. The remaining students quickly formed into groups. Some made their way to cafés, while the louder ones went out for karaoke. The hustle and bustle quickly died down. On a whim, I decided to swing by the convenience store on my way back to the dormitory.

I hadn't planned to join any of my classmates who were going on a shopping spree, so I was all alone at the moment.

Or so I thought. As soon as I stepped into the grocery store, I couldn't help but locate Horikita.

"Oh my, what a coincidence." I greeted her.

In response, she shot me a sidelong glance before subtly diverting her gaze elsewhere.

"Are you really upset about that?" I asked, referring to the incident in class. "I didn't even laugh." I defended myself.

"You were about to." She argued back.

"Ugh...you are being too harsh." I protested."Besides, I told you he was a quadra elemental."

"It would be better if I heard a confirmation." Why does it sound like she is blaming for Kouenji's actions?

Horikita strode through the shop and I followed closely.

"I thought you had more faith in my abilities." She didn't respond to my words and continued to place items into the basket she was carrying. Well, words aren't getting through, time to try tactic two. "Please don't be mad, I'll buy you ice cream."

She paused for a moment, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. "Well, even though you seem more excited by the idea, I'm not going to turn down a free snack."

It always works. I thought with a proud look on my face.

"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

"Horikita Suzune." She said briefly.

'Suzune is his first name, huh? It's quite beautiful.'

As we continued our silent shopping, I noticed something strange. "Hey. What's this?" Some toiletries and food had been tucked away in the corner of the shop. At first glance, they looked the same as the other items, but there was one big difference.

"Free?"

Horikita apparently also thought it strange, so she picked up one of the items. Daily necessities like toothbrushes and bandages had been stuffed into a clearance bin and labelled "Free." The bin was also marked with the proviso "three items per month." These were obviously different from the store's other goods.

"Hey, shut it! Just wait a sec! I'm looking for it right now!"

A sudden, loud voice drowned out the store's peaceful background music.

"Don't think of doing it." Horikita's firm tone surprised me.

"Doing what?" I inquired.

"That thing with the sound barrier." She knows me too well, so I gave up on the sound barrier and changed my objective.

It was the perfect moment to have a go at Horikita.

"My goodness, could it be that you are worried about me?" I teased.