Detention, the only place in school that I never wanted to see. And yet here I was, sitting all quiet and pretty in front of a very big man, and smiling way more than necessary.

There were two others with me here today. One was Ariel who had a smile similar to mine. And the other was Dan who was still dazing off. But upon closer inspection, he was actually sleeping with his eyes open.

The big guy was big. And by big, I meant big in the width department. I bet he weighed more than a few hundred kilos at least. There was no smile, there was nothing. He just sat in front of, glaring at us with the full brunt of his being.

I really wanted to avoid all this, but I really couldn’t, not this time. I didn’t have an excuse. I mean, I literally burnt half of Dan’s clothes and even some of his skin. The nurse treated him but he still needed rest. Hence he was lucky enough to be spared from detention in a mere hour. While me and Ariel would stay here for the rest of the day. Even when I tried to explain that this was just friendly sparring, Rose did not like that. Actually, she was very furious.

Just the thought made my stomach rumble. “I actually haven’t had lunch. Can you at least get me a glass of water? Please?” I pleaded.

Asking for food might have been a bit too much. So I opted for the next best thing. Water, was free, right?

The guy just glared at me and stood up. The seat creaked and slipped back. He didn’t say anything, but went to the corner and brought out a hot packet of nacho and cheese. I was glad and then not so glad a second later as he started eating in front of me.

Okay, NOW I was hungry.

With tears in my eyes, I watched him savor each and every single nacho. He smirked the whole time and when he finished he went out of the room, to clean up.

I hated this: I hated detention.

“Here.” Ariel handed me a peach. “Eat it before he gets here.”

“Where’d you get this?”

It was fresh and looked rather juicy.

“You don’t wanna know.” She giggled. “Fast.”

I didn’t know how long it’d take for the guy to come back but she didn’t have to tell me twice. I ate the peach: more like, I shoved it down my throat. I almost choked too: it did taste pretty good though.

I was somewhat satiated. Now granted, a single peach wasn’t the best of fruits to eat on an empty stomach and feel full, but I sure didn’t have anything better. Hell, I didn’t have anything else.

I wiped my face and waited for the guy to return. I still didn’t know if he was a teacher or just one of the staff. Come to think of it, I didn’t know any teachers apart from the headmaster and Miss Maire, anyway.

Roughly five minutes later the big guy came back and he had a glass of water in his hands. I guess he was going to drink the stuff right in front of me. I sighed. I really hated all this, but I guess they needed to do this to maintain order at school.

“Here.” his voice was prickly and this time instead of glaring, he just stared, holding the glass close to me.

But I did not expect his voice to be so sharp. That body and that high-pitched voice? It did not flow.

I took the glass and he went back to his seat. I drank the water. It was plain. At first, I thought he’d put something in it, but he didn’t. I guess this guy wasn’t as bad I thought he was.

“I guess someone likes you,” Ariel whispered, giggling a little.

“I’d rather not be liked by men,” I mumbled. Though, I didn’t really mind this either. At least I got some water.

***

Around eight the detention was over and we were out. Dan had gotten out just after the first hour. The guy actually slept through the whole thing, so he didn’t really have anything to worry about. As for me and Ariel? Well, we basically spent the whole afternoon, staring at the empty board and searching for the meaning of life.

Just why the hell had I ever agreed to do the sparring?

‘Oh wait, I actually hadn’t.’

“But I didn’t think you had it in you.” Ariel began.

“Me either.” I had no idea what was going on. Did my powers grow in the span of three years? I’d heard of people’s powers becoming stronger over long periods of time and with extensive training but three years was a bit too short. Or had I miscalculated something?

If Ariel wasn’t there, things might not have been too good for our pal Dan. So I was glad if nothing else.

“Well I guess you’ve got potential to be a ranker yourself. Though I’d advise against using THAT.” She came close and looked me straight in the eye. “Who knows, you might actually kill someone.” For a second she was dead serious.

“Noted.” I already knew that.

“Good. I’m pretty sure now you’ll be targeted by a lot of kids wanting to prove their superiority by beating you- you who beat the ninth ranker or our school.” She was giggling a bit too much.

‘No. nine? Proof of superiority?’

‘Wait, what?’

I was lost. Way too lost. Dan was the ninth ranker? But what about the proof thing? “You mean I’ll be attacked all the time?”

“I’m pretty sure you’ll only be challenged on duel. You can always decline.” Ariel yawned. “It’s late, so I’ll go to sleep.”

“Sure but try to not grow palm trees on roads.” My voice was shaky. This whole thing just shook me up.

She giggled hard. “Sorry, can’t help it.” She didn’t give me a chance to respond and left.

I guess I should have at least thanked her for the fruit. But I didn’t really have the time. More like I forgot, but there was always next time.

Since this was my first time doing detention, they let me out with a warning: I literally felt like a criminal at this point. Next time I’d have to spend at least one week there, every day from three to eight. It wasn’t that bad. And come to think of it, the guy who oversaw us, said nothing. Plus it was quiet.

‘Maybe I can read stuff there without getting distracted if I ever ended up having another detention?’

But I sure didn’t want another detention.

Ariel’s words did worry me. But who knew Dan was so famous and-

‘Didn’t Mike say something about the ninth? What’d he-‘

And then I came to the realization. Dan had actually lost against Blaze- at least that’s what Mike claimed.

I did beat Dan but at what cost? And if Blaze could beat someone like Dan who was so strong, that did mean, I had some serious competition on my hands.

With another sigh I bought bread, chocolate milk and headed for the dorm: I was so hungry that I might have bought too much. At least now this miserable day would end: I didn’t get enough practice but I definitely learned my limit. Maybe I could improve a little more tomorrow.

‘Oh wait, the duel IS tomorrow.’

Just the thought alone was enough to give me crippling depression.

***

ON my way to the dorm, I was stopped about fifteen times. If I wasn’t famous already, I was definitely famous now.

“What do you want!” Before the Sixteenth guy could walk on me from behind, I lashed out.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down there buddy. It’s me your pal.” It was Clyde. I didn’t like his awfully familiar attitude but I guess I was in the wrong here. At least the lashing out part was.

“Oh hey. Haven’t seen you around lately.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I was out of the country for a day.”

“How come?” I started walking. He matched my pace.

The guy was literally towering over me. And he was still in his black leather jacket. Come to think of it, most people just wore normal clothes even now. I was also wearing normal clothes since my uniform was a bust, but oh well.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t get a new uniform.’

He sighed. “We’re close so I’ll tell you. I’m actually searching for a cure.”

“Cure? For what?” I didn’t how much this guy was serious. But this just felt awfully comical.

But thanks to him, anybody who was getting close to me for a duel was getting out of the way, smiling awkwardly. I guess he had a reputation almost as bad I mine. So his presence was welcome, well, at least for now.

He bent down a bit. “Impotency.” He whispered some over-the-top stuff in my ear.

Did my hearing malfunction. It could have been stress. It was eight-thirty and there were artificial lights everywhere, not to mention I was tired and hungry. So my ears probably malfunctioned. Yeah, that was definitely the case.

So with a smiling face, I asked again. “What did you say?” ‘Please work this time.’

“I’m impotent. I’ve been like this ever since being born.” He almost leaked tears as he whispered those words.

Okay, what were the chances of my ears malfunctioning back to back?

‘Oh thank God.’ And yet, I for once felt relieved to hear that this guy couldn’t really raise his Excalibur. If he was so much into this stuff just from the fact that he was impotent, then what would have happened if this problem never existed? I bet he would have given the Battlesuins a run for their money.

But one thing struck me odd. “Since born?” How’d he know?

“Let’s not talk about that.” he moved his head away.

‘Wait, weren’t we looking like-‘

There were a lot of girls giggling around. I did not like those looks. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.”

He was whispering pretty close to my ears though.

We kept walking and talking wasn’t something I wanted to do anymore. Honestly, I felt pity for him and happy for society as a whole. Probably not the best of combination. But how could he have not found a cure? There were a lot of hospitals with great tech and people with powers who could cure impotency rather efficiently in this age. So how come? I certainly didn’t have the guts to ask him that.

“I’ll be watching your duel tomorrow. Good luck.”

Eventually, we reached the dorm and Clyde bade me goodbye.

“Yeah, and good luck with the cure.”

‘Please don’t find it though.’

He flashed me a smile and a thumbs-up, before leaving.

He didn’t live here, rather he lived in a mansion just outside the school boundary: at least, that’s what he told me. I’d almost forgotten that his father was a commissioner.

‘But impotent, really?’