Chapter 80: The truth [1]
Walking inside the Spear Division, Klein had a thoughtful look on his face ’I should get every answer from Yinran today.’
The moment his foot crossed the entrance, the conversations that were ongoing suddenly quieted as their eyes instinctively turned toward him one after another.
"...That’s him."
"Klein Faress..."
"The one who defeated Shui Yinran..."
He didn’t even make it ten steps.
"Klein! Wait!"
A student rushed toward him, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste, his face filled with excitement as he held up his phone.
"C-can I get a photo with you?!"
Klein stopped, and for a brief moment, he just stared at him.
Then, before he could even answer more voices joined in.
"Me too!"
"Wait, wait, I was here first!"
"Can you sign this?!"
Within seconds, the hallway turned into a crowd as students began gathering around him, some pushing forward with their phones already raised, others trying to get closer.
"Just one selfie!"
"Please, just one!"
"I bet my credits on you yesterday, you’re a legend!"
Klein’s expression slowly flattened.
"...You’ve got to be kidding me."
A girl stepped right next to him without hesitation, leaning in before he could react as she held up her phone.
*Click* "Got it!"
Another one immediately took her place "Wait, my turn!"
Klein didn’t even move.
He just stood there, completely still, his soul leaving his body a little more with every flash.
"...What is this," he muttered under his breath as he stared forward like he had accepted his fate.
"Move a little closer!"
"Smile!"
"I AM smiling."
"You’re not!"
"...This is my face."
Some students even tried to get creative angles, crouching slightly or standing on their toes just to fit into the frame with him.
---
After dealing with the crowd downstairs, Klein didn’t waste any more time and made his way toward the Spear Division.
The noise gradually faded the higher he went, where only a few advanced students trained.
Klein walked down the corridor without stopping, then pushed open the door to one of the private training halls.
The moment he stepped inside, two figures came into view.
Ji Shenyi and Shui Yinran.
Ji Shenyi was holding her spear, clearly in the middle of training, but the instant her eyes landed on Klein, her entire body stiffened as if struck by lightning.
Her pupils shrank as she involuntarily stepped back in fear.
"H-He’s here?!"
And before either of them could even say a word, she turned and ran.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Her footsteps echoed loudly as she rushed toward the exit, pushing the door open and disappearing from the training hall in a matter of seconds.
Klein stood there watching the door for a brief moment with a completely blank expression.
"...Was I that scary?"
"Pfft." Shui Yinran stood there, one hand lightly covering her lips as she laughed under her breath.
"My poor disciple," she said with a soft chuckle in a teasing tone.
Her gaze slowly returned to Klein.
"Well, it appears you’ve left quite the impression on her."
As he walked toward her, Shui Yinran tilted her head slightly "Seems like we both have questions, brat," she said lightly, a faint smile playing on her lips as she rested her spear casually against her shoulder.
"But I think I somewhat got the gist of what happened."
Klein stopped a few steps away from her, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Is that how you address your Master?"
Shui Yinran blinked, and a flicker of genuine surprise crossed her face as she stared at him "Huh?"
"Did you forget the bet?" he uttered with a calm gaze.
"If you lose, you become my disciple."
Klein took one more step forward, stopping directly in front of her as he looked down at her with calm authority.
"Pay your respects."
Silence filled the training hall.
Then, a soft sound escaped her lips.
"...Heh."
"...You really are a troublesome brat." she murmured, lifting her head again as a wide, almost dangerous smile spread across her face.
Her grip on the spear tightened slightly as she stepped closer, closing the already small distance between them until they stood almost face to face.
"You defeated me once," she said softly.
"But don’t get ahead of yourself."
A pressure began to spread from her body "I don’t kneel that easily."
"... But I suppose a bet is a bet."
She adjusted her stance slightly to show that she was no longer treating him as just another student
Though her posture still carried the natural elegance and authority of someone who stood at the top for far too long to simply bow her head without resistance.
Klein watched her silently, waiting to see just how far she would go in honoring that bet.
A faint chuckle escaped her lips "You really intend to make a Division Head call you Master?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"That was the condition," he replied simply as he looked at her without the slightest hesitation.
Another brief silence settled between them as neither of them looked away.
"Tch." Shui Yinran clicked her tongue and shook her head helplessly as if she had just accepted something troublesome before taking a small step back and straightening her posture properly.
"...Fine."
She lowered her head in front of him.
"Then I suppose I should at least acknowledge it properly."
"Klein Faress... Master."
*click*
Hearing the sound, Shui Yinran glanced up and saw the mobile in his hand.
"Huh? Did you just take a picture of me bowing?"
Klein glanced at the screen for a brief moment before looking back at her with a neutral expression on his face.
"...For documentation."
ಠ_ಠ Shui Yinran stared at him, and her eye twitched.
"Delete it."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
A faint pressure leaked from her as her grip tightened around her spear and the floor beneath her feet cracked ever so slightly from the force of her mana.
"You really want to die?" she asked in a chilling tone as she took a step forward.
Klein didn’t move.
Instead, he calmly tapped his phone once more.
*click*
"...I took another one," he said.
Silence.
For one second.
Two.
Three.
"YOU BRAT-!"
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