I have fought mana beasts the size of houses. I've stood toe-to-toe with B-rank adventurers twice my size not like it means anything. I once outran a wyvern using nothing but only my physical abilities and a reckless disregard for physics. Well I could have done it blindfolded.
But nothing—nothing—prepared me for asking a girl out.
Let alone this girl.
Varay Aurae.
And now I had to hit her in a spar just to qualify for a date.
Why do I do this to myself?
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The training field was quiet, tucked behind Xyrus Academy, one of those "staff-only" courtyards that no student dared enter unless they had a death wish or massive daddy issues. I'd bribed the janitor with a mana-charged protein bar to let me in.
Totally worth it.
Varay stood across from me, calm, regal, and probably calculating my internal mana channels just by vibes alone. Her silver-blue eyes were cold enough to give Round Deer a heart attack.
I, meanwhile, was sweating bullets.
Not from fear, obviously. Tactical perspiration. For heat dispersion.
Shut up.
Now the real question is, how much should I show , so that it's not suspicious and she is impressed. I don't need to use vector manipulation too much anyways, I can just beat her with my haki and senju muso. As for affinities let's go with earth and wind for now.
"Let's begin," she said, mana flickering across her fingers like moonlight on glass.
I nodded and activated my haki, boosting my speed and reflexes to moderate levels, but holding back my aces. No invisibility cloak, no Vibranium suit, no Death Note shenanigans—this wasn't a fight to win. It was a fight to impress.
I stepped forward.
She moved like lightning or ice....?
A sheet of frost erupted beneath my feet, trying to freeze me in place. I leapt back, launching a big boulder directly at her face. Not enough to hurt her, just enough to create a distraction in the battlefield.
I blurred forward.
She anticipated it.
Of course she did.
With a flick of her wrist, jagged ice spears erupted from the ground. I ducked, rolled, and barely avoided getting impaled like a discount kabab.
"I thought this was a spar!" I called.
"It is," she replied calmly. "You're still alive."
"Gee, thanks."
I weaved a quick chain of wind and earth spells, launching rocks at her from every angle like some budget Earthbender. She didn't even blink. A swirling barrier of snow caught them mid-air and shredded them into glitter.
This woman was scary.
I'd seen her as a Lance in the future—silent, composed, terrifyingly efficient—but seeing her as a normal conjurer? She was already leagues ahead of everyone else.
And yet… she was here. Sparring me. Talking to me...a little.
Maybe that meant something.
I jumped again, trying to catch her off guard.
It almost worked.
She spun with a blast of cold aura, forcing me to retreat back a meter before I lost my eyebrows.
"Nice trick," she said.
"Thanks," I gasped, brushing snow out of my hair. "I call it 'Panic and Pray.'"
She actually huffed. Not quite a laugh, but close. I'll take it.
I landed, feeling the mana hum through my whole body. She was pushing me, sure—but not going all out. She was testing me.
Well, two can play at that game.
This has continued for too long , time to end it. A burst of pressurized wind launched her slightly off balance.
I shot forward.
Our eyes met mid-clash.
She formed an icicle dagger and slashed.
I ducked under it—
—and gently tapped her shoulder.
Boop.
Silence.
She stared at the spot I touched. Then looked at me. Then back at the spot.
"I win," I said acting breathles.
She blinked.
Then, quietly:
"…No one's ever landed a hit on me before atleast not in my age group."
I grinned. "Then I guess this really is a first date."
Another pause.
And then—finally—the smallest, most fleeting smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"You're still weird," she murmured.
"And you're still scary."
She turned and began walking off the field. "Meet me up at seven. Don't be late."
"Wait, is that a yes?" I called after her.
She didn't answer.
She just lifted one hand and gave a small wave without looking back.
And just like that, I stood alone in the field, heartbeat pounding, grinning like an idiot.
Was this how Arthur felt when he made friends?
Nah. He didn't get threatened with ice spears as foreplay.
I wiped frost off my cloak and whispered to myself:
"Well… this is going to be interesting."
I spent the next six hours doing what any rational, capable, battle-hardened mage would do after scoring a date with one of the most dangerous women on the continent.
I panicked.
You'd think after outrunning a wyvern through a collapsing ruin , I'd be calm under pressure. But no. Apparently, nothing tests your mental fortitude quite like date planning.
Especially when it's with Varay "Literal Ice Queen" Aurae.
And if you are wondering why am I not using Gamer's mind, well because you know I don't want to become a psychopath and I want to feel how it feels to act normally. Its not like I need it anyways I have assimilated many characters which can keep their composure in any situation. But this doesn't make it useless this can still save me from mental interference and illusions.
I ran through the checklist like I was prepping for war.
Clean outfit? Yes. Tactical casual: matte black shirt, mana-weave jacket, not too flashy, but durable enough to survive spontaneous elemental attacks or social awkwardness. And yes they are the clothes which I got from the gacha.
Location? After ruling out every cliché and potential assassination site, I settled on a quiet rooftop café overlooking Xyrus. Private, scenic, and outside the blast radius of any errant spells.
Jörmi, coiled around the lamp in my room like a sleepy wristwatch, lifted his head as I paced. He has grown not that much just enough to show that time has passed and our bond has also progressed significantly it's now at 6.
"You think I'm overthinking this?" I asked.
He flicked his tongue, which I chose to interpret as "absolutely."
I straightened my collar, checked my breath (minty), and teleported a block away from the café so I wouldn't look like a show-off. Yes, teleported you read it right I can now do many powerful thing with vectors, power boost card remember.
When I arrived, she was already there.
Seated at the edge of the balcony, sipping something from a tall glass that looked like winter and judgment in liquid form. Her hair was tied back in a loose braid, and she was wearing a soft black dress that made her look less like a Lance-in-training and more like some noble's rebellious daughter.
Which… technically, wasn't that far off. Maybe she is or maybe she is not.
She looked at me, expression unreadable. "You're late."
I glanced at the clock.
"It's 7:01."
"That's late."
"…Right."
I took the seat across from her, trying not to visibly sweat. Tactical perspiration again. Totally.
She tilted her head slightly. "You're nervous."
"And you are beautiful." I said and that got a reaction,not on her face but her ears turned slightly red.
So, she can react to compliments. Good to know.
She sipped her drink again, pretending to ignore me, but I could see her grip on the glass tighten ever so slightly.
Victory.
I sat a bit straighter, feeling marginally less like I was walking a tightrope above a pit of emotionally-loaded spikes. "So," I said casually, "what do terrifyingly composed battle prodigies do in their free time? Or is sparring potential dates just your idea of small talk?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly—uh oh—but then she gave the faintest shrug. "Is that what this was to you?"
I didn't answer.
The waiter came by, I gave him a polite nod, while he stared like he was taking mental notes for his will. We ordered—nothing fancy, just a pair of drinks and some light food. Romantic, but not 'I'm about to propose via chocolate mousse' romantic.
"I thought you'd pick something more dramatic for a first date," she said after a moment.
"I was considering the city's top dungeon restaurant. You know, where the waiters are all ex-adventurers and you might get cursed along with your entrée. But I figured rooftop views and not getting poisoned was a safer vibe."
A twitch at the corner of her mouth. Not quite a smile.
She was warming up.
Figuratively.
Hopefully not literally—otherwise I'd be frostbitten by the end of dessert.
"Why me?" she asked suddenly, setting down her glass. "You're… odd. Skilled. Confident. You could've asked out anyone."
Oof. Now how should I answer that, I can't say that she is the only beautiful (human) female in this kingdom who is of my age group and is relevant to the story.
Sigh... Let's Just give her a honest answer.
"I could give you the smooth version," I began. "Something about how your poise is mesmerizing, your combat ability is inspiring, or how your mana control is borderline unfair—"
She raised an eyebrow.
"—but the truth is, you scare the crap out of me."
Her head tilted slightly. "That's your reason?"
"Yup." I nodded. "You're terrifying in the best way. You don't pretend to be anyone else. You don't waste words. You have this whole 'I will end you with elegance' vibe. And… I like that."
Her eyes searched mine for a long, uncomfortable moment.
I pressed on before my nerves could self-destruct. "You're real. Strong. You carry yourself like the world doesn't get to tell you who to be."
Another pause.
Her expression hadn't changed, but her breathing had slowed slightly.
Then:
"That was… a terrible answer," she said flatly.
I choked. "What—?!"
"But an honest one."
"I've never done this before," she said after a while, quieter than before.
"What, spar with someone you secretly find charming and delightful?"
Her face didn't move, but her ears definitely turned pink again.
"I mean dating," she said.
I blinked. "Oh. Right. That makes two of us."
We looked at each other.
Then both looked away at the same time.
Was that a mutual vulnerability moment? Did we just unlock relationship XP?
Before I could overthink it, the waiter returned with our food—thankfully interrupting whatever spell of awkward intimacy had been brewing. We dug in, the conversation gradually shifting to more mundane things.
By the time the moon rose higher, casting silver light across the tiles and mana-lanterns began flickering to life, I realized something shocking:
I was having fun.
Not 'dodging-death' fun. Not 'I-have-a-secret-plan' fun. Just… genuine, uncomplicated fun.
With her.
Varay glanced at the sky, then back at me. "It's getting late."
"Yeah," I said, though I didn't move. "Thanks for coming out."
"You earned it," she said simply. Then added, "And you didn't make it weird."
"That's… a high compliment from you."
She stood, brushing a strand of silver hair behind her ear. "Want to walk me back?"
"Of course."
We walked together in silence, footsteps quiet against the cobblestone, the city's magical glow painting the walls with light. She didn't say much. But she didn't have to. Just walking side by side felt like its own kind of victory.
When we reached the gates, she paused.
"Same time next week?" she asked.
My brain short-circuited for a second.
Then I grinned. "Wouldn't miss it."
And then, with the grace of someone who had probably leveled entire battlefields, Varay Aurae leaned in—
—and tapped my shoulder.
Boop.
Then she turned and walked off into the night.
"Jörmi's going to troll me later about this" I muttered. "She wins the date and the last word. Typical."
But I was still smiling.
Because damn.
That really was interesting.
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CHAPTER END
A.N.
I know I know it's not that good ,just bear it with me alright. Did I feel like a forced situation? Tell me. And do you think they can become a couple and if they can how Long will they last?
Anyways, from next chapter the canon is going to start. What do you think about that. And one more thing I am thinking of changing the update schedule to a single chapter per week so that the quality will increase, should I go for it? Your thoughts.
That is all I want to say.
Thank You.