CHAPTER 32: I REFUSE!

Even as Akira was desperately chasing after the two brown bears and making a big ruckus, the rest of the crowd surrounding them was actually in a stunned silence.

They were all staring at the strange and wonderful ways in which the Ice Energy was being manipulated by the strange and barbaric young man shouting about eating hearts.

For the students, they were spellbound by Akira’s skill and accuracy.

The frost curved with his every motion, precise and responsive. Spikes formed without effort, patterns wove along the ground with elegant symmetry, and every pulse of his mana seemed perfectly timed. Not a single shard was wasted. Not a single flicker of power was out of place.

"I have never seen anybody control their elemental energies with such dexterity. Not... not even the professors!"

"My God... Why are you so unfair!" A girl cried, slamming her fists against her thighs. "I’ve been training in elemental control since I was five days old! Five!! And I still can’t even sculpt a proper frost needle without shattering it!"

"Bastard. He is showing off in front of Shiina-san. So what if he has great control? His power is clearly still at a very low level. Hmph. I will teach him a lesson later!" A jealous voice growled from the back.

But not everyone was wallowing in envy.

Professor Tsunaka, standing in the front row with her clipboard forgotten at her side, had eyes wide enough to swallow moons. Her pupils sparkled like polished coins, and visible ¥ symbols glinted within them as the ghostly sound of cash registers echoed in her mind. Somewhere, the opening chorus of "Money Money" by LaLeesa was blaring at full volume in her imagination.

"S-rank control..." She breathed heavily, chest rising and falling rapidly under her silk academy robe, which was now straining to contain her massive twin peaks.

"A genius... Surpassing even Shiina?!"

Her hands trembled.

"Haaaa... Haaaahaa... Haaahaaahaaa..."

Then the dam broke.

"Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHA!! HAAAHAAAHAAAHAAAA!!"

She cackled wildly, spinning in place, arms spread toward the heavens.

"We are rich! Richh!! Take that you damn mother in law! Who’s your momma now?!"

"I can complete my Hello Kitty Collector’s Set!!" Assistant Professor Minami next to her began to shout and jump with pure joy.

She grabbed the stunned third professor by the shoulders and began shaking him violently.

"We’re printing cash with this kid!! Do you understand?! It’s an Ice-Type ATM with legs!!"

In the distance, Akira’s voice echoed again.

"GIVE ME YOUR HEADS!! GIVE ME YOUR HEARTS!!"

The bears continued to howl in terror.

Shiina stood just behind the fence, hugging her towel close to her chest, fingers gripping the edges like it might anchor her.

The soft breeze from Akira’s Ice Energy brushed against her legs, cool and tingly, like winter sneaking up her skin. Her heart felt like it was thudding a little too fast.

"W-what is even happening...?"

She watched in stunned silence as Akira sprinted across the enclosure like some kind of wild spirit, frost swirling behind him with every step. The terrifying, fully grown brown bears were actually running away from him.

"H-he’s really chasing them? Not the other way around...? Don’t tell me he’s serious about eating their hearts..."

Her jaw almost dropped, but she held it shut. Barely. Her eyes stayed locked on him.

"He’s so fast... and the way he moves... It’s like he already knows how they’ll react before they even do anything... He is the most natural and instinctive fighter I have ever seen!"

Her fingers curled tighter around her towel.

"At this rate... He might just succeed in killing the bears!"

Her face turned pink.

"That’s insane. Completely insane!"

But still... there was something about the way he darted forward, the way the cold shimmered along his shoulders, the way he didn’t hesitate, not even for a second.

It was reckless. Stupid.

...And really cool.

Her eyes widened suddenly.

"Ah! No no no! I can’t think like that! Don’t compare him to... no, NO! Stop! BRAIN, STOP! I COMMAND YOU!"

But it was too late. Her mind had already made the connection.

"He kind of... really reminds me of Lord Valtier..."

Lord Valtier.

The aloof vampire prince from her favorite midnight romance comic, Blood Blossom and Moonlight Kiss. Clueless in conversation, dangerous in battle, secretly kind behind that grumpy face.

She had only just read Chapter 42 last night...

"No. Stop! Akira-kun is not a vampire prince! He’s... he’s the vending machine guy!"

She covered her mouth quickly, but her cheeks were burning now. Her legs felt a little light. Her heartbeat hadn’t slowed at all. Her thoughts were a mess.

But still... the way he said "Give me your hearts"... even though it was about bears...

"Uuuuuu... what is wrong with me?!"

She pressed the towel against her face with a quiet squeak.

"I can’t let him see my face like this!"

Back in the enclosure, Akira was blissfully unaware of the intense emotions he had triggered in the hearts of everyone watching.

He had completely no idea that his innocent actions of trying to rip the heads off two fat bears and eating their hearts had sent shockwaves of confusion, admiration, and emotional collapse rippling through the entire spectator gallery.

All he knew was that the bears were not cooperating.

"Stop running!" he shouted as he leapt across a patch of frozen grass. "I need to eat your hearts to pass the test and gain my freedom!"

One of the bears tripped over a rock and yelped.

"Why is he still chasing us?! Why?!"

"This isn’t what we signed up for! He was supposed to cry and call for his mom!!"

They skittered across the enclosure, panting, slipping, and scrambling like startled dogs, while Akira sprinted after them at full speed, leaving trails of jagged frost behind every step.

And then...

BOOM!

A new gust of force shook the air, followed by a sharp crack as a figure slammed down into the center of the enclosure.

Professor Tsunaka had arrived.

Her high heels clicked once against the frozen earth before her aura exploded outward in a shimmering wave of pink energy laced with gold rune patterns.

Her long robe which flared behind her like a cape barely contained the wild sway of her legendary twin peaks.

The two brown bears screeched in horror.

"NOOO!! THE DEMONIC SPAWN HAS ARRIVED!!"

"THE CURSED ONE WITH THE GIGANTIC DUAL MOUNTAINS!!"

WHAM!! WHAM!!

Both bears were casually backhanded in opposite directions and sent flying through the air like sacks of flour. They slammed into the far wall of the enclosure and slid down in a heap, eyes swirling and whimpering in defeat.

Professor Tsunaka dusted her hands with a satisfied smile.

Then she turned to Akira.

Her eyes sparkled with delight.

"Akira-kun~ You were magnificent." She purred and took a step forward.

She put one slender leg forward, tilted her hip slightly and caused her robe to be pulled just tight enough to make her chest rise and sit at full display, dangerously close to breaching school decency codes.

"Such control~ Such ferocity~ Such raw youthfulness~" She giggled, blinking slowly. "You were like... a rampaging snow dragon. My snow dragon~"

Akira blinked.

Once.

Then twice.

Then his entire face crumpled into panic.

"NO!"

He pointed a trembling hand at her, backpedaling immediately.

"So you are actually that kind of gang leader!! Stay away from me, evil one!!"

Professor Tsunaka paused mid-step, startled. "Eh?"

Akira stumbled backward and bumped into a rock.

"You’ve come to recruit me into your underground lady gang, haven’t you?! You want me to seduce your rivals, right? What the hell is wrong with this school! I don’t want to be seduced and I don’t want to seduce anyone!"

He flung a handful of snow in her direction and shouted with a voice which rang out clearly across the huge field filled with people.

"I refuse to be your boy toy!!"

Professor Tsunaka stood there frozen, one eye twitching.

The crowd watching from outside the enclosure began to squirm.

They wanted to laugh. But they were also afraid of the crazy Professor Tsunaka’s response!

Shiina, still red in the face, muttered into her towel, "He has absolutely no idea how the world works, does he... Just like... Just like Lord Valtier..."