"Stop hurting yourself, you idiot." Marga hits me on the head with her fist. It was pretty soft, just symbolic to make her point.

"I can't help it. If I don't practice, I don't get results… it's not like I want to end up injured either." The three girls arrived several hours later. During that time, I spent all my mana trying to improve the ability, and once I ran out, I trained my body and swordsmanship instead.

"Have you made any progress?" Sol asks, her face showing genuine concern.

"No, not even a little." I smile cheerfully. I haven't improved yet, but I will if I keep practicing.

"That's not something to be happy about. You almost scared me to death the first time I saw you without your limbs." Arisa scolds me, pointing her finger.

"I told you I was going to show you something interesting… I never said it was safe." The three of them want to kill me with their stares. I just play dumb and put on a sad puppy face to make them laugh.

"Don't make that face, you know how cute you are, and it's hard to stay mad when you look like that." Marga starts shaking me by the shoulders with both arms.

"If there's no other way, then we can't do anything about it. If this is the only path to what you want, then we can only support you." Sol, always so understanding with me.

"I just hope we don't end up getting used to seeing you hurt…" Arisa's voice was very soft, almost a whisper, but all of us heard it since we were close. Their faces gradually shifted as they imagined such situations.

"Don't worry, I'll try to get hurt as little as possible. And if I can't avoid it, I can heal myself. As long as I don't die, we'll be together for as long as you want to stay by my side." I realized the weight of my words only after speaking them. When I raised my head to look at them, their faces were red as they stared at me.

"Do those words mean what I think they do?" Sol is the first to react.

"I'm not ready yet… but if it's Maki…" Arisa starts to drift off.

"What kind of cheap proposal is this… honestly, I wasn't expecting much better." Marga is lost in herself.

"Hey, girls… are you okay?" They all keep staring at me. I don't want to hurt their feelings—I truly love them with all my heart. "We can leave that kind of talk for the future… just keep those words as a promise…" I can't find the words to deny what I said. No, I don't want to deny it—I just don't know how to fix this situation. I'm still too young to be thinking about this.

The three of them nod up and down without stopping. The tension eases a little after a few seconds. "By the way, I haven't asked—have you made any decisions yet? Where are you planning to study?" They're skilled and strong enough to choose any school and still stand out above the average with ease.

"We haven't made it official yet, but I already spoke with my parents. They're still set on sending me to the marquisate's school. They studied there, my brother studied there, and they want me close." Sol looks a bit sad as she says it.

"My parents and uncle want the same for me. My cousin and I are the symbols of our territory. He's studying in Skyblue River, and they don't want to discredit the school if I go elsewhere like he did. People would start talking if I changed schools, and since the marquisate's academy is in the empire's top three, they won't allow it." Arisa also looks a bit down.

"I'm undecided. I was planning to attend my duchy's academy, which is among the empire's top five. But now that I've become closer to the Timal marquisate, my father is considering sending me to the same school as Arisa and Sol to strengthen our friendship and show trust between both territories." So Marga might also end up at the marquisate's school.

That leaves me alone. I'll be separated from them for a long time, only seeing them once a year during vacations. Though, if I talk to Susan, she'll let me skip some classes if I ask her directly. According to her, I'm already overqualified for almost all the first two years' lessons.

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"I already promised Susan I'd attend her academy, and it's always been my dream. It'll be hard to be apart from you." Deep down, I'm happy—they'll stay together and grow even closer. I wouldn't be surprised if they formed a group and became famous: Sol, an excellent long-range mage; Arisa, a threat with her close-range magic and spear; and Marga, whose plant magic is perfect for restraining, distracting, and attacking enemies. They make a perfect team.

They need a tank… wait, I have an idea. "Girls, remember Matt? The boy who was being bullied—he could make a good tank for your group if you need one." That boy is nearly my size, and if he grows to his father's height, he could be a perfect tank as long as he has the right skills. He'd surely be delighted if my family accepts his.

"Yes, we've had trouble finding someone to act as a tank in our group. We've always had to rely on attendants from our families for that role. It's time to find someone suitable. Recruiting him isn't a bad idea if his family passes the tests from my family and yours." Arisa is the first to give her opinion, since she's the one who's crossed paths with him the most, living in Primaver.

"I don't know… I don't trust him yet. If he passes my captain's credibility test, then maybe we can let him join." Marga has a point—he needs to earn a spot or prove himself trustworthy to hold such a key role. A tank is the backbone of the team.

"Yes, his position is the most important in battle. We can't just trust him—his skills need to be at our level." Sol also makes a good point.

"It was just a suggestion. It's up to you whether you recruit him or not. I'd be more than happy to be your tank when we're together." In the end, it's their decision, and how they judge Matt will depend on their families. I just want to help.

"You? Acting as a tank? Thinking about it, you're right—your skills are spread across every role. You're a whole team in one person." Marga rests her head on her hand, thinking.

"Maki, we can't enter grade 3 dungeons yet, and a grade 2 dungeon means nothing to you—you could clear one while walking casually." Arisa leans her head on Marga's shoulder.

"You'd get bored if you came with us—you wouldn't find a challenge. But if you want to join, we'd be grateful." Sol always knows the right words.

"We could try a grade 2 dungeon before starting school. It'll be an experience we'll never forget." All three agree to my idea. I could clear it easily with my arms crossed, but this way, I'd only serve as support so they could improve their skills.

Once I'd nearly recovered my mana, they helped me practice Susan's mana and Imra prison technique. I can't restrain all their movements or block their abilities yet, but I can make them heavy enough to struggle breaking free. They battle against my Imra and mana, testing their control and endurance.

"With each attempt you're getting better. This skill is very useful." Arisa is impressed with how I can capture all three so precisely.

"Yes, I've only seen Ruby ranks pull it off. For us, it's still impossible right now." They tried it one by one on me, but I broke free easily within seconds.

When they tried it among themselves, it took each of them a few seconds to break out. Their control isn't bad—it's just that mine is already at the next rank. For them, it's a useless skill at this stage, a waste of energy, mana, and Imra if they can't make it work.

"Have you heard the rules for tomorrow? The registrations closed before we came here." Sol reminds me. I shake my head—I hadn't paid any attention to the tournament updates.

"They're almost the same as when we practiced, but this time, way more people are entering. The requirement is being Emerald rank and under 18. You might run into total newbies or even people with pseudo-laws or laws." That makes it interesting. The chances of losing are low, but never zero.

Arisa takes over the explanation. "This time, there are tons of entrants. You'll be fighting a lot each day—at least 23 matches total with this format." I almost spit out my drink at the number. "Since there were nearly 2,000 entrants, they filled it out to that exact number. The first round will be groups of 10, and only the top 3 will advance, using a point and time system. That leaves 600. Then, the same system again, but only the top 2 and the best 8 third places will advance." This is going to be long…

"From there, it's single elimination. Lose once, and you're out." That sounds more reasonable.

Marga speaks next. "The early rounds will be three matches per day during the first three days. Then, a rest day before repeating the cycle to close out the week. After that, there'll be two rest days, then the first two elimination rounds, then two more the next day, and the last three during the weekend. They've set the best matches for when the most people can watch." That's smart—it ensures the biggest audience.

"The last day will be the awards ceremony, and apparently, they've prepared shows for the town too. There'll be a big festival." If my group doesn't have any interesting opponents, I'll be bored during the first week…

"Thanks for explaining. I'd only have found out tomorrow at the event—it's better to know a day ahead." I hand out chocolates to each of them from my storage bracelet. They all look happy as we eat together. Tomorrow, the tournament begins—I'm looking forward to facing worthy opponents!

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