After the Match – Waiting Room
The arena roared with cheers for Midoriyama High School.
Meanwhile, Horizon Academy's team sat in silence inside the waiting room — heads down, shoulders heavy with defeat.
Celica, Yumi, Akira, Amelia, Aisa, and a few others stood nearby, watching them quietly.
The air was heavy. No one dared to speak at first.
Amelia broke the silence with a teasing smirk.
"Aww, the mighty Horizon team... losers now?"
The boys didn't react.
Not even a glare.
Celica crossed her arms and tried to lighten the mood.
"Hey, don't be so down. It's just one loss."
But Sol muttered under his breath, "We lost."
Ryker suddenly stood up, his eyes sharp as they locked onto Shin.
"And it's your fault, genius," he said coldly, before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.
Sol clenched his fists, but stayed silent.
A few seconds later, he too got up and left without a word.
The others watched in silence.
Yumi whispered, "Sol..."
But he was already gone.
Rooftop – Night Sky
Sol stood on the rooftop, hands buried deep in his pockets, the night wind ruffling his hair.
The city lights blinked far below, distant and cold.
Yumi found him there, quietly approaching from behind.
"Heyyy, Sol... you okay?" she asked softly.
Sol didn't turn around.
His voice came out low and broken.
"I lost. We lost... That means we're not going on our date."
Yumi smiled gently and stepped closer.
"Dummy," she said. "We're going on a date anyway."
Finally, Sol turned to face her.
Pain clouded his usually bright eyes.
"You don't get it, Yumi... Boys... when we make a promise, we take it seriously."
Without giving her a chance to reply, Sol walked away into the night.
Yumi stood frozen, the wind pulling at her hair, her chest tightening.
She watched him disappear into the darkness, her heart heavy with unspoken words.
Rooftop – Moments Later
Yumi stood still for a heartbeat longer—
Then her eyes narrowed.
She took off after him, footsteps echoing against the rooftop floor.
"Sol!" she called out.
He stopped at the edge of the stairs, but didn't turn.
"I don't care if you lost!" Yumi shouted, her voice trembling.
"You think that changes how I feel about you?"
Sol closed his eyes. His fists trembled at his sides.
"You made a promise, right?" she continued, stepping closer.
"Then keep it. Don't run from me."
Finally, he turned around, his face a mix of surprise and sadness.
"I promised I'd take you on a date after we won," he said, his voice hoarse.
"And we didn't... So I don't deserve it."
Yumi walked right up to him and gently took his hand.
"You're wrong," she said firmly. "The promise wasn't about winning. It was about us. About you and me."
Sol looked at her, his breath caught in his throat.
Yumi smiled through the tears gathering in her eyes.
"And right now, I don't want a perfect hero. I want you. Just Sol."
For a moment, there was silence—only the wind between them.
Then Sol finally let out a soft, broken laugh.
"...You're scary when you're serious," he murmured.
Yumi smiled wider. "So, does that mean our date's back on?"
Sol looked into her eyes, the pain in his chest slowly fading.
"Yeah," he whispered. "It's back on."
They stood together on the rooftop, beneath the stars—
Two hearts a little more healed.
Next day
Outside the School Bus – Morning
The Horizon Academy team and their friends were already seated inside the bus, chattering quietly.
Aria-sensei was late, as usual.
Ms. Sakamoto stood near the front, arms crossed. She looked at the watch and sighed.
"He's never changed," she muttered, a fond but exasperated smile on her face.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed.
Aria-sensei came jogging up, papers in hand, hair slightly messy, a bag slung over one shoulder.
He stopped in front of the bus, panting, then looked at everyone.
"Do you all know how much work I had to do because of you?" he snapped, waving the papers in his hand dramatically. "I spent thirty minutes—thirty—with the Guild Leader just to convince him to even look at your files!"
Everyone stared, wide-eyed.
Ryker raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Aria grinned.
"And after seeing your battle skills and the match reports, he agreed."
Everyone gasped.
Sol leaned forward over the bus seat. "Wait—seriously? We got in?!"
Aria adjusted his glasses smugly. "You've all been granted a trial period... in three months. Make it count."
Cheers erupted inside the bus.
Sol laughed in disbelief. "O-sensei, how the hell did you pull that off?"
Aria turned to him, striking a confident pose.
"I am your sensei. That's how."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Yumi nudged Sol with a grin. "He's cooler than you."
Sol groaned. "Don't remind me..."
The bus drove off, sunlight streaming in through the windows as laughter, hope, and excitement filled the air.
Inside the School Bus – On the Way Back
Everyone was still buzzing from the news about the guild trial when Aria-sensei suddenly cleared his throat loudly.
"Alright, alright! Settle down!" he said, standing near the front with a serious face. "Don't forget — next week is your written exam. I want your heads in your books, not floating in the clouds!"
A collective groan echoed through the bus.
Ryker leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, and smirked.
"Oi, Sol... didn't you make a promise to Yumi or something?" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Yumi looked over with curiosity.
"Huh? What promise?"
Sol instantly panicked.
"N-Nothing! Shut up, Ryker!"
But it was too late — all eyes were on him.
Amelia leaned forward, grinning. "Oho? A promise to Yumi?"
Sol scratched the back of his head, blushing. "I just said I'd... get in the top 20. That's all."
Celica nearly fell off his seat laughing. "Bro, the TOP 20? You're usually ranked 75th!"
Sol shot up. "Hey! This time I'm serious!"
Ryker smirked. "You were serious last time too. You ended up getting 27... out of 100."
The bus burst into laughter.
Sol groaned and looked at Yumi.
"...You still going on that date if I hit 21?"
Yumi smiled playfully. "Top 20, or no dessert."
Sol slumped in defeat. "I'm doomed..."
Aria-sensei sighed, rubbing his temples.
"You all make me question my life choices as a teacher..."
Next Day – School Morning
The sun had just risen over the campus as students began trickling into Midoriyama High.
Ryker and Celica walked side by side through the school gates, Ryker lazily adjusting his uniform jacket.
"You say Sol already came to school?" Ryker asked, raising an eyebrow.
Celica nodded. "Yeah, he was here before even the janitor finished unlocking the doors."
Ryker sighed. "That idiot's taking this 'top 20' thing way too seriously..."
Classroom – Morning
Inside the classroom, the atmosphere was unusually quiet.
Sol sat at his bench, hunched over a thick textbook with a pencil in his mouth, eyes laser-focused.
Right next to him, Yumi sat at her desk, leaning over with a small smile, pointing at his notes.
"This formula is always used for defensive enchantments, not offensive ones," she said patiently.
Sol nodded vigorously. "Right, right... defense, not offense... got it!"
Just then, Ryker walked in with Celica and spotted the two.
"Oi, Sol," Ryker called out casually. "Come with me. Let's hit the cafeteria before first period."
Without looking up, Sol replied firmly, "No. Study is important now."
Ryker blinked. "What?"
Celica leaned in and whispered, half laughing, "I think we lost him, Ryker. The boy's officially been possessed... by responsibility."
Ryker smirked. "Nah. He's just possessed... by love."
Yumi blushed slightly. "Shut up, Ryker..."
Sol raised his hand without turning. "Silence. I'm manifesting knowledge."
Ryker collapsed into a chair. "God save us..."