The day after Yuuji's second duel began the way most cursed events did—quietly.
Too quietly.
The sun rose. The birds chirped. No system notifications jumped out to strangle his morning. For a brief, shining moment, he believed the chaos might've taken a break.
Then his bedroom window shattered.
A sleek silver owl construct dive-bombed through it, unfurled a scroll in its beak, and chirped out in a perfect imitation of Professor Varnes's voice:
"HOSHINO. REPORT TO STRATEGIC WAR ROOM BETA. IMMEDIATELY. BRING NO DIGNITY."
"Bring what now?" Yuuji croaked, still tangled in his blanket cocoon.
From across the room, Elira blinked once. "He means don't make it worse."
Kael peered in from the hallway, sipping black tea and wearing a cloak made entirely of shadows and bad decisions. "The battlefield calls," he intoned. "Or possibly bureaucracy. They're very similar."
Yuuji groaned and faceplanted into his pillow. "Just five more minutes of being irrelevant, please."
The pillow did not answer.
The Strategic War Room (Beta Version)
War Room Beta was less a room and more a tactical situation that had gotten bored and decided to redecorate. Maps hovered in the air, glowing sigils pulsed along the walls, and a huge illusion of the Inter-House Tournament bracket floated center-stage.
At the far end of the chamber, Professor Daelin stood with her arms crossed. Next to her: the Headmistress. And next to her—
Rafe.
Still smirking. Still effortlessly smug. Still dressed like someone who'd walked out of a drama adaptation titled Secrets and Strategy: The Musical.
[System Notification: Rival Character Encounter – Rafe Greystone]
➤ Disposition: Intrigued (with Bonus Chaos)
➤ Threat Level: Medium-High (and climbing)
➤ Special Trait: Dramatic Timing
Yuuji muttered under his breath. "Of course it's him. It's always him."
"Mr. Hoshino," the Headmistress began. "You've become a wildcard."
"Sorry," Yuuji said automatically. "It's a defense mechanism."
She ignored that. "You've destabilized tournament predictions. That makes you... valuable."
"That's usually not a word people use after I ruin things."
Daelin stepped forward. "Your synergy with Elira and Kael has been noted. But now that you've won two public duels, you're a strategic variable."
Rafe finally spoke. "Which is why I've requested to test you myself."
Yuuji blinked. "Test me? In what sense of the word?"
"Combat. Tactics. Vibes."
"Vibes aren't a valid metric!"
"They are in my grading system," Rafe said cheerfully.
[New Quest Unlocked: "Match of Methods – Duel Rafe Greystone"]
➤ Reward: ??? (You Probably Won't Like It)
➤ Risk: Ego Damage (High Probability)
➤ Objective: Don't Die, Cry, or Both Simultaneously
Yuuji turned to Daelin, pleading. "Do I get a say?"
"No," she said gently. "But you do get a helmet."
Lunch: Tension Sandwich with Extra Rivalry
By the time he escaped the War Room, Yuuji was vibrating with dread.
Elira found him in the dining hall, poking a suspicious meat pie with the business end of a spoon.
"I hear you've been drafted again," she said.
"I've been challenged," Yuuji corrected. "By the universe's most dramatic man."
Kael slid into the seat beside them, carrying what looked like a salad made of bones and sorrow.
"Rafe," Kael said grimly. "The Trickster of House Sylvaeon. Known for misdirection, feints, and looking smug while doing it."
"That last part is the worst," Yuuji muttered.
"He's unpredictable," Elira added. "Cunning. Trained under three different House strategists. Fights with both illusion and elemental redirection. And he plays the flute."
"...Why does the flute make it worse?"
"It always makes it worse."
[Side Objective Unlocked: Survive Rafe's Flute Solo]
➤ Emotional Damage Resistance Recommended
Pre-Duel Prep: Strategic Regret
Hours later, Yuuji stood in the side ring of Arena Ward Gamma, stretching nervously while Elira calibrated his spellglove and Kael muttered curses into a skull for luck.
"You're overthinking," Elira said.
"I'm underqualified."
"Same thing," she replied.
"Should I have a strategy?" he asked.
Kael handed him a scroll. "Step one: Don't die. Step two: Let the shadows take you. Step three—"
"Stop reading after step one," Elira advised.
The audience seats were packed again. Word had spread—another duel, this time between Halcyon's rising oddball and the smirking chaos-prince of House Sylvaeon.
Rafe stood across the platform, adjusting his coat with the casual menace of someone about to launch a boss battle cutscene.
"You ready, Hoshino?" he called.
"No," Yuuji called back. "But that's never stopped me before."
[Combat Start: Yuuji vs. Rafe]
➤ Countdown: 5… 4… 3…
The Duel Begins
Rafe moved first, flicking a single coin into the air—and it multiplied. Dozens of silver discs danced in the sky, reflecting illusion magic at dizzying angles.
Yuuji rolled left as one sliced down like a sawblade.
"What is this? Lasers?!"
Rafe smirked. "Artistry."
Yuuji fired a scatter-glyph, disrupting the illusion field just long enough to see the real Rafe approaching from the left.
He activated his new skill—Reactive Glyph Pulse—just in time to deflect a feinting frost strike.
"Elira, Kael, please tell me you're recording this," he muttered.
Back in the stands, Elira sipped her tea calmly. "If he wins this, I might allow myself a third smile."
Kael nodded solemnly. "I have already prepared a ballad."
Climax: The Counterplay
Yuuji caught Rafe mid-strike with a glyph he hadn't fully finished sketching—chaotic mana backlashed just right to destabilize the illusion grid.
It was messy.
It was risky.
It was Yuuji.
Rafe stumbled, surprised. "You used feedback magic... to glitch my pattern?"
Yuuji, breathless, replied, "No, I just panicked and drew really badly."
[Critical Hit! Improvised Chaos Glyph Detected!]
➤ Bonus Effect: Pattern Desync
➤ Additional Buff: Smugness Nullification (Temporary)
The duel reset.
One final clash.
And—
A draw.
Officially, neither student landed the finishing blow.
Unofficially, Yuuji collapsed dramatically and Rafe knelt beside him to whisper: "Well played, Commoner. But next time, no mercy."
[Quest Complete: Match of Methods – Rafe Greystone]
➤ Outcome: Mutual Respect (???)
➤ Title Gained: "Strategic Disasterpiece"
➤ Relationship Update: Rafe – +3 Rivalry, +1 Affection (??)
Aftermath: Confused but Triumphant
Yuuji hobbled back to the dorm with a faint grin.
Elira nodded once. "Not bad."
Kael offered him a potion labeled "Drink Me If Reality Fails."
[System Update: You Are Now Considered a Wildcard Threat]
➤ Tournament Dynamics Will Shift Accordingly
Yuuji raised his arms weakly. "I'm not a main character. I'm a meme."
"You're our meme," Elira said.
[Bonus Objective Progress: Make Elira Smile Again (Progress: 3/5)]
Yuuji sighed, flopped onto the couch, and whispered, "I am going to nap until this tournament resets the timeline."
Kael patted his head.