The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 6

The Iron Maiden of the Greatsword.

Aisha Bizbell.

A top martial arts student in her first year.

And now, she is kneeling before me, bowing her head.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here.”

The greatsword that almost split me in two in an instant.

It was the sword Aisha accidentally threw.

I was flustered too, but now that time has passed, I’ve calmed down.

On the other hand, Aisha seems still shaken by the fact that she almost struck someone with the sword.

“It’s fine. You can get up. I’m not hurt.”

For now, let’s calm her down.

I don’t know what others would say if they saw this.

But Aisha still doesn’t stand up from her bowed position.

“I’m so sorry. If there’s any problem, please come to me, and I’ll compensate for everything. I truly apologize.”

Was Aisha always the type to apologize this excessively?

I suppose since the game mainly revolves around Lucas, I didn’t know much about the personalities of the younger students.

“Really, it’s okay. I’m perfectly fine. But how did you end up throwing the sword?”

At that moment, Aisha flinched.

Seeing her reaction, I grew curious.

Is there something she can’t say?

However, perhaps thinking it would be wrong to hide something from the person she almost harmed, she spoke while still bowing her head.

“I-I was spinning it like a windmill and lost my grip.”

Hearing her next words, I blinked in surprise.

A windmill.

So Aisha was spinning around while holding the greatsword.

Just like her ‘Iron Maiden’ image, Aisha has always given off a heavy, sturdy impression.

Thinking of her doing something like a ‘whirlwind attack’ was honestly a bit absurd yet amusing.

‘Well, it does sound fun.’

Spinning around while holding something has a sort of primal appeal.

But that’s usually the kind of fun you outgrow as a child.

Realizing this, Aisha’s ears turned red with embarrassment.

She buried her head even deeper, like a rabbit hiding in a hole.

“U-um, I’m really sorry, but could you keep this a secret?”

“That’s not too hard to do.”

Come to think of it, Aisha is only 17 years old.

At that age, high schoolers often do random silly things.

And they’re also at the age where they feel embarrassed by what they’ve done afterward.

Considering her age, I understood everything.

“Oh, that reminds me.”

A good idea popped into my head.

I was about to say her name casually, but then stopped myself.

I shouldn’t know her name since we’re not acquainted.

I need to be careful.

“Your name is?”

“Aisha Bizbell. I’m in my first year.”

It’s hard pretending not to know something you already do.

“My name’s Airei. I transferred to the second year yesterday.”

“So you’re a senior!”

“You’ve been at the academy longer, so it feels like you’re the senior here, Aisha.”

“M-me, a senior?”

Aisha’s eyes darted around, as if she didn’t mind being called ‘senior’.

It’s kind of cute.

If only there wasn’t a giant greatsword stuck in the ground beside her.

“Aisha, do you train here every morning?”

“Ah, yes, it’s part of my routine.”

How diligent of her.

Rain or shine, Aisha trains here every morning.

Knowing this, I smiled.

“Do you think I could join you in your training sometime?”

“Join the training?”

“Yeah, I want to do some training myself.”

In Blazing Butterfly, there’s a concept of stats.

Stats naturally increase through repeated actions or mastering certain skills.

But unfortunately, no stat window pops up in front of me.

One day, I tried calling out every possible type of window, starting with the stat window, but…

Nothing came up.

‘This is reality now.’

So I’ve just accepted that there’s no stat window.

However, I’ve come to the conclusion that the concept of stats still exists in this world.

I confirmed this through several incidents before I transferred to the academy.

‘Stats definitely increase when you repeat actions or master specific abilities.’

Even if I can’t see it, my body can feel the difference.

‘Well, that’s pretty much how it works in reality too.’

It’s like when you break through a barrier, you can feel it.

Furthermore, I’ve come to one more realization.

‘In this world, talent is how fast your stats increase.’

The stronger your innate tendency towards a certain field, the faster your stats related to that field rise.

So training is important.

My strength lies in stamina.

To work as a martial arts student, I need to improve my combat abilities somehow.

‘There’s a mock battle exam in just a few days.’

Combat skills are essential if I’m going to fill Lucas’s role.

Aisha is called the ‘Iron Maiden of the Greatsword’ and is one of the top fighters in her first year.

And I know what her main stat is.

‘The same as mine—stamina.’

Aisha’s unique trait is ‘Iron Maiden’.

Training with her will definitely be beneficial.

“Training… partners?”

Despite the suggestion potentially being bothersome, Aisha surprisingly seemed excited.

I could feel her eyes scanning me quickly.

It was like the look of a gym veteran evaluating a newbie at the gym.

“… Are you sure it’s okay to train with me?”

Aisha asked, looking slightly worried, though the upward curve of her lips gave me a strange sense of foreboding.

Her eyes were intense.

Her breath felt heavy.

It was the look of an experienced trainer about to devour a clueless newbie.

Did I make the wrong decision?

But this opportunity is too good to pass up.

“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”

I’ll just go with it.

Aisha clenched her fists.

“Alright! If I can help you in any way, I’m all for it!”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Her eyes were a bit too intense, but still, I’ve gained a reliable training partner.

“What… what are you doing?”

At that moment, I heard a familiar voice and froze.

Turning my head, I saw a woman standing there, dressed casually as if she’d just stepped out for a quick walk.

Her honey-blonde hair reminded me of the sun.

Underneath it, there should have been a bright, sunflower-like face.

But what I saw instead were dark, heavy circles under her empty eyes and disheveled hair.

Isabel Luna.

She’s Lucas’s childhood friend and one of the main heroines.

‘Looks like she didn’t sleep well again today.’

Since Lucas’s death, Isabel has developed insomnia, unable to sleep properly.

Because of that, her once bright appearance has turned gloomy.

She probably couldn’t take it anymore and went for a walk to clear her head.

And now, by chance, she had run into me.

For some reason, her eyes were wide open.

Then I realized my situation.

Aisha was still kneeling in front of me with her head bowed.

I had told her to stand up, but she hadn’t, so I just left it.

To others, it would look like a second-year guy was making a first-year girl kneel.

Not exactly a great look.

Normally, I’d try to clear up the misunderstanding.

But the problem is that the person in front of me is Isabel.

“W-wait, this isn’t…”

Aisha, realizing the situation too late, tried to explain the misunderstanding.

But I stepped in front of her and shot Isabel a cold look.

This is my chance.

A chance to drastically lower Isabel favorability.

“I made her apologize for bothering me. Is there a problem?”

“What?”

Isabel stared at me in disbelief.

She probably expected me to explain the situation, but instead, I boldly asked if she had a problem with it.

She was clearly taken aback.

“I was wronged, so I accepted an apology. I don’t see how this concerns you, Isabel Luna.”

In Blazing Butterfly, saying someone’s full name is a kind of warning.

A warning not to interfere.

Isabel’s lips parted slightly, and she looked like she was about to say something.

Then, her eyes filled with anger, and she clenched her fists tightly.

“You’re really a piece of trash.”

“I’m more curious. I received an apology for something worth apologizing for. You’ve been sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong—just like yesterday.”

“You think getting angry about you insulting Lucas is being nosy?”

Isabel snapped, shouting.

It’s rare to see her, normally as bright as a sunflower, get this angry.

Others probably haven’t seen it either.

Even I had only seen her this furious once before, when Lucas returned from a dangerous mission.

But right now, I needed that anger more than anything.

I had to draw out her emotions somehow.

“So, what are you to Lucas?”

Isabel froze.

“Are you family? Or maybe lovers?”

“…We’re friends.”

Isabelle shot me a look, as if to ask why that mattered.

I said nothing.

I could only give her a look of pure exasperation.

“Birds of a feather, huh.”

Whoosh!

At that moment, I saw Isabel’s fist suddenly right in front of my face.

My hair fluttered quietly in its wake.

Damn, she’s fast.

I’ve trained in martial arts for a long time, but I barely managed to follow her with my eyes.

She’s one of the top-tier fighters among the second-year martial arts students.

Her movements clearly went far beyond human limits.

“I told you,”

Isabelle’s low, menacing voice came through.

“Don’t insult Lucas.”

I silently stared at her fist.

If that had hit me, I’d probably be lying flat on the ground right now.

This was her final warning.

“Then prove it.”

I flicked her fist away with my hand and glared at her.

“Prove whether your friend’s strength and death were in vain or not.”

Isabel slowly lowered her fist.

Her eyes now burned with a quiet determination that hadn’t been there before.

“The upcoming mock battle exam,”

She mentioned the exam that was just around the corner.

“I’m going to crush you. Let’s see if you can say the same thing then.”

That was typical Isabel.

Even though she was furious enough to fight right now, she still declared that she would face me in the mock battle instead.

Even in her anger, she was kind enough not to throw punches recklessly outside of an official match.

“Just so you know, Lucas was way stronger than someone like me,”

I said as I watched Isabel’s retreating figure.

Finally, I let out a breath.

Damn, I thought I was going to die from the tension.

My face felt stiff from holding such a sharp expression for so long.

“More importantly, the mock exam, huh.”

The exam was looming closer.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I guess I’ll need to speed up my plans.”

If I don’t, Isabelle’s going to completely wipe the floor with me.

“Uh, um…”

Then I suddenly realized that Aisha was still there.

“Ah, sorry for dragging you into this mess.”

Maybe because I apologized so easily, in stark contrast to how serious I’d been earlier, Aisha looked a bit bewildered by the sudden shift in my demeanor.

“…Are you and Isabel not on good terms?”

Aisha asked cautiously.

She must have known Isabel’s name well, given how famous she was among the second-year martial arts students.

“Pretty much what it looks like.”

It’s a complicated situation.

“Hmm, seems like there’s a deeper story there.”

“You don’t have to help me with training if you think this could cause trouble for you.”

I didn’t want to create more conflict than necessary just for the sake of training.

But Aisha shook her head firmly.

“No way. We made a promise! I’m the type of person who keeps my promises!”

She’s a cool woman.

Aisha fidgeted with her fingers, despite her tall stature.

“And I don’t think you’d act that way without a good reason.”

“How do you even know that? You barely know me.”

“It’s a woman’s intuition.”

I prefer edible persimmons over gut feelings.

“Well, I’ll be counting on you for training then, Aisha.”

“Yes, of course!”

“So… could you maybe stand up now?”

“Oh.”

Aisha shot up, her face turning bright red.

As she straightened her tall frame, she dusted off her knees.

For a moment, her collar dipped and my gaze wandered somewhere heavy, but I quickly looked away.

Instead, I noticed her bright red knees.

Had she been kneeling long enough for them to get like that?

“Uh, and, um, when should we start training, Senpai?”

Aisha’s eyes sparkled with eager anticipation.

Her excitement was almost overwhelming.

…Did I make the wrong choice?