One hour later, Scáthach returned to the bounded field, and the training resud.
The training maintained an extrely high intensity throughout, with almost no breaks whatsoever.
This woman's training thod was straightforward and brutal—constant combat, learning and growing through battle. If you happened to die, well, that was just an unfortunate inevitability. It was even more Spartan than actual Sparta.
"Got wrecked all over again today."
It wasn't until dusk approached that Eiji and Aoko were finally allowed to leave the bounded field, marking the end of the day's training.
Eiji rubbed his shoulders, wincing in pain.
Though most of his injuries had been healed by Scáthach's runes, after being pumled all day, his entire body still felt off.
"I'm surprised you still have the energy to complain about it."
Aoko's face was even more exhausted, her shoulders slumped, but when she saw Eiji's still-upright posture, the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.
Her training had been tough enough to leave her nearly collapsed, but Eiji's intensity was ten tis higher than hers. Yet he still seed so energetic—was the gap in their willpower really that vast?
"I'm just enjoying the training, that's all."
Eiji waved his hand dismissively.
"Enjoying?"
"Watching yourself grow stronger step by step—isn't that sothing to enjoy?"
Eiji said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Even when beaten unconscious or drained of all strength, the re thought of it revitalized him, squeezing out even more energy from within.
"You're not exactly normal either."
Aoko gave him a complicated look.
Soone so obsessively pursuing strength must have had so extraordinary past.
In a way, Eiji, who relentlessly sought power, and Scáthach, who trained without holding back, were a perfect match.
"Enough about that. I'm drenched in sweat."
Eiji tugged at his collar, looking disgusted.
His whole body was soaked, as if he'd just been fished out of water. Who knew how much he'd sweated over the course of the day.
"Let's head back and take a bath first."
"Yeah, good idea."
As they chatted, the two made their way toward the school gates.
At the highest point of the school stood a large clock tower, its face showing the ti nearing seven. The sky had mostly darkened, approaching the hour of twilight.
By this ti, the school was practically empty, the entire campus eerily quiet.
Tap!
Just then, Eiji heard a crisp set of footsteps.
"Huh? There's still soone at school this late? Either they've got a death wish, or they're just clueless little lab rats."
Aoko's eyes narrowed with displeasure.
Eiji, however, focused intently.
In their line of sight, the figure of a young girl fluttered into view.
She had long purple hair and wore an unusual outfit—a bodysuit and miniskirt that hugged her voluptuous figure, paired with a black, long-sleeved trench coat with a high collar. A red ribbon tied into a bow adorned the side of her head.
Contrary to her cute face, her smile was laced with malice.
Her gaze at the two of them was like looking at pets spinning in the palm of her hand. The malice in her eyes—whether it should be called teasing or cruelty—made it seem entirely possible she might crush those pets at any mont.
She was a toxic and unpredictable woman.
Though it was just a brief encounter, Eiji, who was skilled at observation, had already grown wary of her.
Aoko was no exception.
Moreover.
Her peculiar outfit struck Eiji as oddly familiar, stirring up long-buried mories that resurfaced in his mind.
"This woman seems like..."
Eiji pondered silently.
It was as if only a thin veil remained—one that, if lifted, would reveal her true identity.
"Who are you? What kind of rude talk is that right after eting soone?"
Aoko narrowed her eyes, her tone sharp with displeasure.
She wasn't the reckless type.
She must have sensed sothing suspicious about the other woman and wanted to probe further.
"I'm BB."
The woman flashed a malicious smile.
"Right now, I'm a teacher at this school. Though I'm often absent, I'm still your teacher—so you'd better call 'Teacher BB' properly!"
Holy shit!
This damn AI!
Eiji's lips twitched slightly, though his expression remained neutral. Internally, he was screaming.
Why was this woman here?
She definitely didn't seem like a Servant with tampered mories—so what was her goal? Did Scáthach and Goetia know about this? Why had she suddenly appeared before them?
He needed to stay far away from her!
Every cell in Eiji's body was screaming at him—otherwise, he'd definitely be toyed with!
"I've never heard of you, and that na's weird!"
Aoko crossed her arms, shooting her a disdainful glance.
Aoko's personality was like a spring—you had to speak to her carefully. If you applied too much pressure, she'd bounce it right back at you.
If you pissed her off, she'd send a roundhouse kick your way without hesitation!
Thwack!
"Ow! What was that for?"
Suddenly feeling a sharp pain on her head, Aoko shot Eiji an extrely annoyed glare.
This woman's already pissing off—now you're trying to provoke too?
"There was a mosquito."
Eiji replied with a perfectly straight face.
Then, he reached out and pulled her behind him.
"We're Scáthach's students. We've been training with her all day, so we haven't had ti to go ho yet."
Eiji took a step forward, facing BB directly.
Aoko blinked in surprise.
She glanced at Eiji, then at BB, and fell silent.
"Oh my? Seems like you're a bit smarter than this emotionally unstable girl!"
BB's deep violet eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Eiji with interest.
"Training under that queen ans you're both Awakened, right?"
As she spoke, she flicked a finger through the air.
Instantly, a transparent screen materialized before her.
Aoko stiffened slightly, while Eiji remained silent.
"Hmm, if you're Awakened, there should be records here..."
The screen displayed sothing neither Eiji nor Aoko could see, but BB scrolled through it with ease.
Then, her gaze paused.
"Ah, here we go. Aoko Aozaki... So you're a Magician? No wonder you're so high-strung—like an old hag!"
Aoko's expression twisted instantly.
The urge to beat that woman to a pulp surged within her. Without a second thought, she took a step forward.
Eiji quickly grabbed her arm.
Don't act rashly!
One reckless move, and she might be gone for good!
"Then the you over here is...?"
BB shot Eiji a sidelong glance before continuing to search through the images.
"My na is Eiji."
Eiji volunteered his na.
Since she could find out anyway, there was no point in hiding it.
"Eiji, hmm... This is quite an extraordinary situation."
BB's fingers, which had been flicking through the images, paused slightly as the smile faded from her face.
Like a programr who'd discovered a bug, she stared intently at Eiji with furrowed brows.
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