While the four were heading to their own respective classrooms Oliver went beside Alex and whispered to him. “Hey luckily you weren’t caught. Your luck is actually pretty good.” Oliver was of course talking about getting caught by Sayaka, Alex on the other hand understood what Oliver said in a different way.

‘He noticed me, and even knows what I did to the newspaper club… I was so vigilant yesterday, how did he?… Heh, my comrade in arms is actually that good or did I just get rusty? It’s only been five days since I left the battlefield and I’m already losing my edge?’

In Alex’s mind Oliver was someone of equal or even greater skill than himself, so he had a different interpretation on everything Oliver said. Alex at that moment wanted to witness all of Oliver’s skills and see who between them was better, yet he easily restrained this emotion of his. Since he was at school and in the middle of a mission at that, asking for a duel was no good. Alex sighed and remembered something he needed to say to Oliver.

“Oliver, my dad said you can come meet him tomorrow, here’s the address.” Alex handed a piece of paper and in it was a detailed map of the area pointing where to go to find Alex’s house. Oliver was greatly excited in meeting Alex’s dad since he wanted to learn a lot from him. Yet as usual Oliver kept a serious face on, and simply smiled a bit.

“Roger that comrade, what time should I arrive?”

“You should be there at 08:00”

“Roger that” Oliver nodded his head. While the two boys were having their semi serious conversation the girls were also having their own conversation.

“Hey Rachel are you still testing Alex? Isn’t he clearly solely devoted to you? If you don’t hurry and decide, Evangeline is going to snatch him from you.”

“Hmph, if he’s easily snatched like that, then I don’t want him to be my boyfriend. Anyway why are you pushing me like my mom and brothers? We just met like three days ago and it wasn’t actually a romantic meeting either.” Rachel pouted at Sayaka’s comment.

“Well whatever, I just wanted to warn you… I’m not that interested in your relationship with Alex, I’m more interested on Oliver the rumored delusional guy. How come no one wants to claim him? Isn’t he quite a catch? He’s smart, his body is a bulging mass of muscle, and he’s handsome, the only drawback people seem to have is his personality, which personally I think is cute.”

Hearing Sayaka’s high opinion of Oliver, Rachel could only shrug. “Well, your the only one who thinks that way Sayaka.”

The four of them finally reached the classrooms, Sayaka was a student of classroom 1-C so she needed to separate from the group but before she did so she reminded them, “Don’t forget after school go to the kendo clubroom… Oh, wait we’ll be using the gymnasium for the exhibition match.” The three nodded at Sayaka’s reminder.

…

After class, the three headed towards the gymnasium where they heard some people arguing.

“Why the hell did you invite amateurs to help us?!”

“Do you have a better idea? The exhibition match requires five students to participate, you guys are already down by two. We can’t use the girls since this is for the men’s division right?”

“Damn it! Then I’ll just fight the additional two battles! I can do it! I can win even without the captain, and that showboat of an ace!”

The three entered amidst all the screaming. Alex noticed that one of the people screaming was Sayaka and she was screaming at a boy with slightly unkempt fawn colored dyed hair and brown eyes. He stood at around 179 cm which made him an inch shorter than Alex, his eyes were slightly slanted which made him look angry all the time.

Sayaka noticing the three entering the gymnasium waved her hands. “Over here!” Her frown from awhile ago turned into a bright smile.

The boy who was arguing with Sayaka glared at Alex’s group. He then approached Alex’s group and pointed at them. “We don’t need you here! Go back to where you came from amateurs!” Sensing the boy’s hostile intentions Alex was looking at the boy’s unguarded areas which were a lot, compared to Rachel’s family this guy wasn’t even fit to be called a martial artist.

“Now is that how we of the kendo club respect our visitors?” Another man approached the group, he had a gentle smile floating in his face. A well combed black hair, with matching black eyes, and with the glasses on, this person looks like the personification of the studious type. When Alex saw the man’s center of gravity he was surprised, this person was actually pretty good, he’s just one level below Rachel’s brother’s.

“But”

“There are no buts, Ryuuji! I apologize for my junior’s outburst.” The man with the gentle smile bowed his head as he apologized.

“It’s ok we are the ones imposing.” Rachel quickly responded to the bowing senior.

“Thank you for your forgiveness, allow me to introduce everyone from the male kendo team. This here with the loudmouth is a first-year like you, called Ryuuji. The one beside him is a second-year like me William, and I’m the Vice-Captain Noel.”

Rachel then started to introduce the members of the Mercenary Circle. “I see so your the rumored Rachel, and the one beside you are Alex and Oliver, right? The three of you are very popular in our school at the moment.” Noel looked at the group in interest.

“Famous for being weirdos,” Ryuuji said with a snicker.

“Ryuuji! How many times are you going to insult our guests! Apologize now!” Noel yelled at Ryuuji who clicked his tongue in response.

“I apologize for the rude comment.” With that insincere apology, Ryuuji bowed his head. Rachel wasn’t able to hear the apology she was still stuck on Ryuuji’s comment.

‘I’m treated like a weirdo as well?! How did this happen?! What happened to my Queen like aura?! Was I affected by these three people’s weirdness.’ While Rachel was still having her internal dialogue Noel approached the sleeping teacher who was sitting at the side.

“Sir Lyner these two wish to replace the Captain and Robert.” Noel pointed at Alex and Oliver, Lyner the teacher in charge of the kendo club opened his eyes slightly, looked at the two, and yawned.

“Do whatever you deem fit.” After saying that, Lyner went back to sleep.

“There you go welcome to the team, temporarily of course. The opposing team will be arriving at around 5:00 p.m so there’s thirty minutes left, how about we start warming up..” Noel looked at Alex and Oliver very interested in what kind of performance the two will show.