Chapter 93 - Versus Battle Exam

  Not all good things last forever.

  That truth hits me harder today, because it’s Monday—just two days after the Xyraxis New Year—and the first day back to class. The holidays felt like a dream, especially with Myrrh by my side. Maybe I enjoyed her company a little too much, because this morning I can barely keep my eyes open.

  I trudged out of the dormitory, my footsteps sluggish and my face stuck in a half-squint, half-scowl. The weight of reality—routine, lectures, discipline—settled on my shoulders like an invisible yoke. My mood soured not just from the lack of sleep but from the cruel end of total freedom. My limbs dragged, my mind fogged, and as I passed through the glass doors of the campus building, I yawned so wide it echoed in the lobby.

  The corridors were already alive with chatter. Students traded stories about their holidays, laughter and excitement ricocheting off the walls. Most had gone back to Earth to see family or friends, but others—those who had already made Xyraxis their home—swapped tales of the local New Year festivals and fireworks that lit up the alien sky.

  When I finally reached my classroom, I found it already buzzing with voices. Seats were mostly filled, the atmosphere light and cheerful, as if no one else had suffered the emotional hangover of returning to reality. My eyes scanned the room—then stopped.

  There she was. Myrrh.

  She was chatting animatedly with her new support unit, Kian, their conversation peppered with soft laughter. Her long greenish-blonde hair swayed as she turned her head, and her smile was radiant, unguarded. But the moment she caught me in her peripheral vision, she paused—then turned fully to look at me. Her eyes brightened. A delicate blush painted her cheeks.

  “Oh! Good morning, darling!” she called out, waving cheerfully.

  “Wah—” I choked on my own breath, my face flushing instantly. Being greeted by someone as gorgeous as Myrrh—especially with that affectionate term—hit me like a railgun to the heart.

  Right. The act.

  We were pretending to be a couple—this whole fake romance thing was meant to keep the other guys, especially Kian, from getting too close to her. I had agreed to it. Somehow.

  “G-good m-m-morning…” I mumbled, eyes dodging hers as I offered a quick bow and shuffled toward my seat at the back of the room, trying to disappear into the furniture.

  I couldn’t believe how flustered I was. My jaw trembled uncontrollably, and my mind had gone completely blank. Normally, when Myrrh talked to me, I could keep my cool—feign indifference, brush her off with a casual grunt. But today? My body was betraying me. My chest felt tight. My heart was pounding as if I'd just sprinted across campus.

  I collapsed into my seat with a gasp, as if I'd been holding my breath the whole walk in.

  “What the hell…” I muttered under my breath, staring down at the desk like it owed me answers.

  Was it just me, or did Myrrh look... even cuter than usual? No—beautiful. She’d always been beautiful, but this was different. Something about the way her eyes lit up when she smiled, the way her laughter seemed to tug at something deep inside me... It was messing with my head.

  Back in high school, my feelings toward her were twisted—more lust than love. I used to fantasize about dominating her, about breaking that proud, perfect image of hers down to something trembling and undone. It was shameful. Ugly. A projection of my own degeneracy.

  But now? Looking at her this morning, smiling and carefree, I felt something else entirely. A strange, overwhelming urge to protect that joy. To keep that smile from ever fading.

  What the hell was happening to me?

  “Good morning, Zaft.”

  A familiar voice—soft, feminine—spoke beside me.

  “UWAH!” I yelped, practically jumping out of my skin. I must’ve looked like a startled kitten.

  Whipping my head to the side, I came face-to-face with Fei Xian—my WAIFU partner. Her golden eyes blinked up at me, wide and curious, like a puppy trying to understand why I was malfunctioning.

  “I-I’m sorry if I startled you,” she said gently, her voice laced with concern.

  “Oh… Fei Xian.” I muttered her name as I clutched my chest, still feeling the rapid thump of my heart. “Good morning to you too. I didn’t even notice you were there.”

  “I—I waved at you the moment you walked into class,” she said, her voice quivering with disappointment. “I even called your name first before Myrrh, but you ignored me…” Her lips trembled as she added, “Please don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten your own partner WAIFU.”

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “O-of course I remember you!” I yelped, panic rising again as I scrambled to salvage the situation.

  There was an awkward silence. I desperately needed to push the lingering thoughts of Myrrh out of my brain—wipe the mental slate clean.

  “Ahem! Anyway…” I straightened up and tried to switch gears. “How are you, Fei? I haven’t heard from you since before the holidays.”

  “Oh, I’m great now!” Fei perked up instantly, pumping her fists with childlike energy. “I spent the holiday break with my clan!”

  “…Clan?” I blinked.

  She nodded enthusiastically. “The Xian Clan of New China! We celebrated my 17th brother’s birthday.”

  “You mean… your brother’s 17th birthday?” I asked, a little unsure.

  “No, no,” she said, shaking her head with a sweet but firm expression. Then she began counting on her fingers, totally unfazed. “My 17th brother. I have thirty-two siblings, and I’m the 14th sister of my family.”

  I stared at her. “Wait. What? Is your mother a pig or something? How can anyone even have that many kids?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know if my mother was a pig,” Fei said, surprisingly lighthearted, a carefree smile dancing on her lips. “I’ve never met her. The Xian Clan isn’t bound by blood—it’s a family built on the ideals of righteousness. My biological parents left me when I was four, and the Grand Eldress Xian adopted me into the clan.”

  My chest tightened. “Oh… I’m sorry. I misunderstood your clan,” I said, guilt creeping into my voice.

  “No worries!” Fei beamed, that signature dumb smile spreading across her face. “Everyone’s confused about my clan, too.”

  It was the first time I’d ever heard anything about Fei’s past. There was something quietly sad about it—being abandoned so young, having to find her place in the world without a traditional family. I pitied her, even if just a little. But at least she found a home. At least she was wanted.

  I glanced toward the classroom door just in time to see Neil walk in. As always, he moved like a shadow—silent, unbothered. He didn’t glance at anyone, didn’t acknowledge a single soul. Just headed straight to his seat, sat down, and rested his head in his hand. His WAIFU partner wasn’t with him yet, which somehow made the silence around him even heavier.

  That’s when I noticed it.

  Myrrh.

  She was looking in my direction. Not just glancing—looking. Her eyes met mine, and she smiled. Just a gentle curve of her lips. Nothing too grand. But it hit me like a starburst.

  My world froze.

  Again.

  My cheeks burned with sudden heat, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe properly. Everything else faded into the background—the classroom noise, the voices, even Fei Xian’s presence beside me.

  What was happening to me?

  There was something in that smile—so genuine, so bright—that made me want to hold her in my arms and shield her from every danger in the universe. My feelings had burrowed deeper, into places I didn’t know existed inside me.

  And maybe… just maybe… I was falling for her.

  “Oh! I almost forgot—congratulations!” Fei suddenly clasped her hands together, her voice slicing right through my daze and snapping me back to reality.

  I turned to her, blinking. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

  “You and Myrrh, of course!” she said cheerfully, practically bouncing in her seat. “I heard you’re a couple now. I always knew you two were well-suited for each other! You argue like husband and wife all the time!”

  My face flushed red instantly. “W-who told you that?” I groaned, trying not to bury my head in my desk.

  “Remuel,” Fei said matter-of-factly. “Why?”

  I glanced around the classroom. Remuel’s seat was conspicuously empty. That little bastard. He was usually on time, so he was probably absent today. Good. That meant I didn’t have to throttle him in front of witnesses.

  Spreading misinformation like that... Unbelievable.

  Then again… maybe this was a good time to come clean, at least to Fei. She was sweet, a little dense, and above all—loyal. I figured she could keep a secret if I asked nicely.

  I opened my mouth to speak, ready to explain the whole fake-relationship act between me and Myrrh.

  But before a single word could leave my lips, the school bell rang with a sharp DING-DONG, echoing through the campus halls like a death knell to social interaction.

  Students began to settle into their seats, the casual chatter quickly dying down. I saw Myrrh glance over her shoulder one last time before she turned back to face the front of the room.

  And that’s when he arrived.

  Professor Chaldeas trudged into the room, dragging his feet like he’d just fought off three hangovers and lost to all of them. Today, he looked like a young adult in the middle of a full-blown existential crisis—disheveled hair, crumpled coat, and that thousand-yard stare that screamed, “I hate my job.”

  Sometimes, he came in like a storm of caffeine and ambition. Other days—like today—he came in looking like the spirit of Monday had possessed his soul.

  “Uhhh… good morning, class…” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “And happy Xyraxis New Year, I guess… I’m too lazy to teach today, so instead, we’re just going to have a practical exam.”

  A collective groan rippled through the classroom.

  “Awwwwww…”

  “This practical exam isn’t your regular snooze-fest,” Professor Chaldeas droned, tapping his coffee mug against his desk with the dead rhythm of a man clinging to caffeine for survival. “Today, we’re doing a Versus Match. WAIFUs and WEEBs… against other WAIFUs and WEEBs.”

  A few students straightened up, confused. Others leaned forward with dawning horror.

  “This is to ensure Orbital Tech cadets are ready for all scenarios,” he continued, half-yawning. “Even post-vacation combat fatigue.”

  He tapped his mug again—ting—and a sleek hologram flickered to life above his desk. Rows of student names scrolled upward in soft blue light, blinking with life. With another sluggish tap, the names spun like a roulette wheel, the randomizer engaging with a rapid flurry of chimes and beeps.

  The class murmured anxiously.

  Then it stopped.

  I blinked. My mouth hung open.

  No. Freaking. Way.

  [1st Match: Myrrh Alicent and Kian Cyprus vs. Fei Xian and Zaft Callahan]

  My brain flatlined.

  What kind of cursed gacha roll was this?!

  That randomizer either glitched... or it had a deep personal vendetta against me.

  “Match listings are final,” Professor Chaldeas said, sipping his coffee as if he hadn’t just thrown a lit match into a powder keg. “The rules are simple: behead the opponent’s Frame Unit or force a surrender. This exam is all or nothing—winning team gets 100 points, losing team gets zero. That’s the curriculum’s way of saying: ‘Welcome back to school.’”

  A collective gasp spread across the classroom like a ripple in still water.

  I couldn’t look away from the screen. Myrrh… partnered with Kian.

  Kian, the guy this whole fake relationship stunt was supposed to ward off.

  And I had to fight her.

  Myrrh looked over her shoulder, her eyes locking with mine. Her expression flickered—surprise, then a smile… but there was a flicker of tension in it too.

  Fei Xian tugged gently at my sleeve. “Zaft… are you okay?”

  No. I wasn’t.