Vol.3 Chapter 2

“Over here, Kat!” Lena called out to me as I scanned the cafeteria for a seat.

The aroma of various dishes filled the air, mingling with the buzz of conversations and the clatter of trays and utensils as I navigated my way to our usual table, tray in hand.

I took a seat and placed my tray on the table. Today’s special was pasta with a side salad and a small dessert. A quick glance around confirmed that Benny, Romel, and Raynolds were already seated. The whole gang was here, except for Liz.

“You’re early today. Looks like you didn’t get caught up in any fan confessions,” Lena teased with a mischievous grin.

“Don’t start, please,” I said, not wanting to relive the endless teasing from last time.

“Oh, how cold! I guess that’s our Ice Queen for you,” she bantered.

“Urk! Please don’t call me that… ever again,” I kindly advised her, my tone carrying a hint of a threat.

“Hehe, alright, alright,” she said, raising her hands in surrender.

“I-I kind of understand why many students are becoming your fans. Your fight with Murasame was incredible! I still get goosebumps whenever I watch it,” Benny said, his eyes glowing with admiration.

“Yeah, I agree. Just don’t forget that I was your very first fan, Miss Katherine,” Raynolds added with a wink.

“Hehe, I can’t believe we have someone as good as you in our guild. Speaking of which, we have a betting match later. Join us again this time! We could make a lot of money with you around,” Romel said, rubbing his hands together like a money-hungry politician.

Please don’t include me in your money-making scheme.

“I don’t think we could even find anyone willing to bet against us with her on our team. She’s famous in the CoA community now after that last tournament. Everyone would recognize the MVP of the Champion’s Brawl and back out instantly,” Raynolds explained.

“Hmm, that’s kinda true. Tsk! I hate it when you make sense sometimes,” Romel irritably said.

Shouldn’t it be the other way around? He made a good point, you know.

As we continued to eat and engage in light chatter, Lena suddenly spoke to me with a hushed voice.

“Hey, isn’t that girl the member of the journalist club who interviewed you and Liz last time?” she asked, gesturing toward a girl who appeared to be looking for something.

A quick glance confirmed who she was referring to. Angela’s appearance was quite distinctive. She had a petite frame, with a cascade of wavy, chestnut-brown hair that framed her face. Her large, expressive eyes were a striking shade of green, giving her an almost doll-like appearance. She wore stylish glasses that added to her intellectual charm and perfectly complimented her journalistic interest.

Angela was in the same year as us and a classmate of Liz in some subjects. Her passion for journalism was admirable, though sometimes she seemed a bit overly enthusiastic.

As our eyes met, she seemed to convey that she needed something from me. This is bad. I can guess what she wants. I’ll just lie that I have classes after this, so I won’t have to entertain her.

Angela made her way towards our table, her face lighting up as she neared.

“Phew! I finally found you! And great timing, too. You don’t have any class after lunch, right?” she asked, slightly out of breath.

“…How did you know that?” I replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Hehe, I have my sources. I’m part of the journalism club, after all!” she said with a proud grin.

Tsk! It seems that the ‘I have a class after this’ option is now off the table.

“…What do you want?” I asked, already suspecting her intentions.

“Oh! I want to write a school article mainly about you this time, so please let me interview you!” she enthusiastically declared.

Thought so.

“Not interested…” I said flatly.

“Oof! Rejected right out of the blue. I expected as much. Still, I have a trump card to convince you,” she said with a confident smile.

I have a bad feeling about this. Does she have any blackmail material on me? Or maybe she intended to ruin my reputation with a defamatory article if I didn’t comply with her wishes.

“W-what is it?” I asked nervously.

“I’ll beg until you accept my request!” she said with determination.

Phew, I was worried for a second there. As passionate as she is, I guess she doesn’t seem like someone who would do such unsavory things to get what she wants.

“Do your worst…” I replied unenthusiastically.

Taken aback by my curt response, Angela seemed to steel herself for action. “A-alright! I’ll start right now!” she declared, then dropped to her knees and began to beg.

What the heck! I had always known that this girl was weird, but I didn’t think she would be this unhinged!

The other students in the cafeteria began to glance our way, their curiosity piqued by the unusual scene.

“Isn’t that the girl who won the Champion’s Brawl? What are they doing?”

“Probably just another student confessing and getting rejected harshly. Look at how desperate that girl is. Poor thing…”

“Oh, it looks like she’s got another one wrapped around her finger. That girl is literally begging on her knees to go out with her.”

“Seems like even girls can’t escape her charms, huh?”

“Is she making students kneel and grovel before her now… where do I sign up?”

Please stop! You’re making me look like the villain here!

I glanced at my so-called friends in a silent plea for help, only to be instantly betrayed by what I saw. Lena struggled to hold back her laughter while the guys watched with keen interest, not intending to do anything—such supportive friends, indeed.

“F-fine, alright, just please stand up! I’ll do your interview or whatever it is you want.” I finally caved into her demands.

“Hehe, it seems that what Elizabeth said is true: You really are a softie inside despite your cold looks,” Angela said with a victorious smile as if she had proven a point.

What lies are you spreading about me now, Liz?! I’m not soft at all! I just don’t want to cause a scene here!

---------------------------------

After eating my meal, which Angela generously waited for me to finish, we made our way out of the bustling cafeteria, seeking a quieter spot on the college grounds for the interview. We strolled along the winding paths, passing groups of students lounging on the grass and chatting under the shade of large trees.

Eventually, we reached a small, secluded garden area tucked away from the main flow of foot traffic. As we both sat down on the bench, Angela quickly set up her recorder. I took this time to ask what had been on my mind.

“Why now, all of a sudden? And you already interviewed us back when we won, right?”

“The last article I wrote about you guys was super popular among the students! It even got plenty of views online, and our club president applauded me for it. So, I’m aiming for part two so I can get praised again!” she explained, her ulterior motives barely concealed.

You could at least hide your real purpose and say it’s for journalistic reasons or something.

“Also, the Andartha Cup is currently ongoing right now! It’s all the rage among the students. I’m sure a lot of people would be interested in CoA-related articles this time of the year. Speaking of, have you watched the upper-bracket placement fights? My idol, Murasame, is doing spectacularly in her matches! Many even say she has improved significantly going into the tournament!” she continued.

“I haven’t…” I replied curtly.

“Huh, why?! It’s the biggest craze right now! The Andartha Cup is held only once a year to determine the legends of the CoA community! How could you miss watching such a momentous event?”

“…It brings up bad memories,” I muttered weakly.

“Huh? What did you say? I didn’t quite catch that,” she asked, leaning closer.

“…It’s nothing. I’m just not interested,” I lied.

Seeing that I didn’t plan on elaborating, she continued with the interview. “Anyway, since this is an article about you, I might ask some personal questions. Is that okay?”

I couldn’t really refuse after already agreeing to her request. I’ll just avoid the hard ones.

“Alright, go for it.”

"Sure! Let’s begin," she nodded, opening her notebook. "The first question is, why did your team disband? You guys had remarkable synergy and even won the Champion’s Brawl. Many in the CoA community were surprised by the news!"

"We just wanted to pursue separate paths, that is all," I said, fabricating the truth.

I felt a pang of guilt for not revealing the real reason. My departure from the team led to its disbandment.

When I announced that I was leaving the team, they were all quite shocked. Liz didn’t take it well at first, but eventually, being as sympathetic and understanding as she was, she respected my choice. Although she still tries to convince me every now and then to join her in going pro.

Chu was also quite chill and accepted my decision after his initial shock. Even though he admitted that he was dissatisfied, he still remained open-minded and did not dissuade me from quitting the team. But Clarence? That’s a whole different story. We even had a minor argument a while back. He probably still resents me even now.

Although Angela didn’t seem entirely satisfied with my noncommittal response, she did not say anything. She probably could tell I was struggling emotionally with the query.

“Okay, on to the next question. Which organization do you want to join? Or are you considering creating a new team?” she asked curiously.

“I don’t plan on going pro,” I responded truthfully.

“W-what?! Why!?” she exclaimed, clearly shocked by my declaration, though she quickly composed herself, befitting a proper journalist.

“Not everyone who joined the tournament pursued a professional career, right?” I explained my stance.

“T-that’s true, but for someone like you, the MVP of such an important under-20 tournament, not going pro is unfathomable! I’ve become a fan, and I really want to watch you play again, ideally in the professional scene against other top players!” she said, her motives evident yet again.

“…Sorry, I’ll have to disappoint you,” I apologized wholeheartedly.

She appeared to want to continue trying to convince me, but I had already made up my mind, and she seemed to realize that.

“I understand. But can you tell me why? Most CoA players dream of becoming pros just to join the Andartha Cup. Winning the tournament allows you to make a mark on history and become a legend in the world of CoA. I don’t understand why you would pass up such an amazing opportunity,” she asked instead.

“…It’s… more of a personal reason,” I said ambiguously.

Sensing my discomfort, she attempted to steer the conversation with another more lighthearted question.

“Ahem, well, moving on, here's a question that has been on the minds of many male students since your sudden rise to popularity. What type of boys do you like?"

“Hmm, I’m not sure since I’m not really interested in dating right now,” I tried to answer the question as honestly as I could.

“That’s…  quite a dull answer. Can you just make up good traits or something I could write for a hot topic?” she suggested.

Do you want me to lie?! Are you really a journalist?! Well, I guess modern journalist often exacerbate their stories in order to draw in clicks on the net, so I guess you’re the real deal.

“That’s the truth, though,” I maintained my stance.

“I’m not really buying it… hmm, unless…” she said, her tone conspiratorial.

“Unless… what?” I asked, not liking where this was going.

She closed her eyes for a while, thinking hard about something. It is as if she was connecting the dots in her mind’s eye in order to find the culprit of a murder case.

After a short while, she eventually exclaimed out loud like she had uncovered a profound secret. “Aha! So, my intuition is correct. You and Elizabeth Miles are already dating!”

The heck! Where did that absurd line of thinking come from?!

“Since you’ve rejected every male suitor and even looked at them with disdain, some speculate you swing the other way. Also, people often see you in a good mood whenever you’re with Miss Miles on campus. Therefore, there can only be one explanation!” she continued, explaining her thoughts with the fervor of a detective who had caught the culprit red-handed.

There are plenty of explanations for that! And what do you mean by flirting? Is hanging out with a friend considered flirting nowadays?!

“Oh! This is juicy! I’ll include it in the article. Many will be surprised to read this!” she declared.

Don't just speculate on things without proper evidence, and base your article on intuition alone! Where is your journalistic professionalism?! At this point, you’re better off writing fanfiction with that kind of imagination!

“Angela, listen. If any of that false information gets out… I will be furious, understood?” I said in the most threatening tone I could muster.

She seemed confused about why I suddenly sounded mad, but she eventually reached a conclusion inside her hyperactive mind… even though it was far from the truth.

“Oh! I see. You want to keep your relationship a secret, especially now that Miss Miles is on the Atelier team, an idol-like group in the CoA community, to prevent her from receiving backlash from her fans! Now I’m convinced! You really are kindhearted, thinking out for your partner first and foremost! Don’t worry, I got you!” she said with a wink.

That’s not it! And what are you winking for?! You don’t get anything at all! I’m saying you’re just making things up!

I sighed mentally. What had I found myself into? Well, as long as she doesn’t write about it in her article, then I guess it’s fine. I don’t think I can change her mind either way since she seemed to already think of her delusions as an irrefutable fact.

The interview continued with more questions along the same lines. I tried to dodge most of them, and thankfully, my evasive skills served me well. One thing was certain, though—I wasn't keen on going through this again.