I thought that school life would be a bit more relaxed and easy going.
　Since I'm here on an escort mission, there's at least a chance of a fight.
　But that's only if you need an escort.
　For now, let's not think about that at this time.

"A game?
"Yeah, let's play.

　On top of that, I was going to be challenged by another student.
　The girl, Aria, always looks sleepy. This is especially noticeable during homeroom, and even when I see her at lunchtime, she is often taking a nap.
　I wondered why she was challenging me to a fight.
　--It's not that I'm not interested.
　It's not that I'm not interested, after all, I'm the only one in my class who hasn't had a proper fight with Aria.
　Because I was on the edge of my time limit, I don't know Aria's strength any better than Iris.
　But at least we know that she is capable.
　...... Well, unlike Iris, who is asking for a real fight after school, I'm in class.
　If you're looking for a mock battle, it's a good idea to know Aria's power.

I'm a teacher at the school, after all.
I understand. Watching a mock fight is also a good way to learn, so why don't you set an example for me, Aria?
"Yes.

　I can't tell if Aria's reaction is low or high, but she seems to be happy.

"What? ......?

　It's not that I don't like it.
　The students' eyes focused on Iris when they heard her voice.
　I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that.

"......, it's nothing.

　And then she fixed it.
　Yeah, it doesn't look like nothing.
　It's not like we're really going to fight or anything, but I guess Iris is worried about the fact that I agreed to Aria's challenge.
　In this case, the timing and reason for the challenge would be completely different between Iris and Aria.
　Well, I don't know why Aria challenged her to a match.

So let's start with a little distance between us.
Okay.

　Aria moves out from under me.
　She has a slender body, but the way she carries herself is remarkable.
　In particular, her coordination with Iris was almost perfect, even though it was only for a moment.
　--In terms of ability alone, she was probably one of the most outstanding in the school.

"Anytime.

　I kept my distance and held up my straight sword.
　It's a little short for the size of my body. It's easy to adjust a mock sword like this.
　I'm not sure if you've seen this before.
　Both of these blades were created with magic power by the simulated swords, but she is probably the only one in this class who uses two swords, even if they are short.
　She is the only one in this class who uses two swords, even if they are mock swords.
　Holding both daggers in her opposite hands, Aria lowers her posture and holds them up.
　It's like a cat, and the sleepy expression on her face changes completely.

(It's almost like a kill shot. ......)

　I didn't expect to receive such a look from a student - or rather, from anyone other than Iris.
　After a moment of silence, Aria kicked the ground.
　With a quick movement, she turns around and comes towards me.
　I react, trying to keep Aria out of sight.
　The sound of her running gradually accelerates.
　--What I heard was the sound of the wind blowing.

Oops.

　A dagger was thrown in my direction.
　I turned my body away to avoid the dagger. In my line of vision, Aria was already gone.
　I held up my sword as I looked back.
　Before I could throw the dagger, Aria was there.
　Aria caught the dagger with a snap, and kicked the ground to put distance between us.
　She must have decided that she couldn't attack me at this moment.

"Wow, that's amazing.
It looks like Aria-san has disappeared. ......

　I can hear such voices around me.
　The timing of her attack, her judgment in watching, and above all, her speed.
　I can sense from Aria's movements that she has a lot of combat experience.
　It is far above Iris, who is known as the "Sword Saint Princess".

(......If Iris is strong in head-to-head combat, then Aria will be able to play an active role in group battles where she has prepared a lure or where there are many places to hide.

　But that was just the way an assassin fights.
　I couldn't help but chuckle at her overly timely movements.
　Despite this, Aria's movements did not change.
　She moves as if she is thoroughly looking for an opening.
　If only there was something to block my view, Aria would have come at me harder.
　Once she comes close, she moves backward as I swing my sword.
　As if she knew that the same move wouldn't work, she didn't attack me again, throwing her dagger.
　She just seemed to be trying to deliver a blow to me.

(After all, Aria has her own highlights...)

　It was sudden.
　Aria stopped moving for a moment.
　As at the beginning, she lowered her posture and looked at me.

What's wrong?　Is there nothing more we can do?


"Well, at least I know you're strong, so I've tried everything. But I still think it's better to just do it normally.
Normal ......?
I'm going to--

　Aria moved.
　When she kicked the ground, she accelerated as if she had disappeared from the scene.
　Aria's dagger was right in front of me.
　I cut it off.
　One after another, Aria's daggers came at me. One after another - each blow not as powerful as the last, but quicker and quicker, trying to reach me.
　I step back to get some distance, but Aria won't let me.
　Once I step back, she takes a step forward and unleashes another series of blows.
　It's not a problem if you can just block it.

(...... I'm surprised. (Aria, you're really good at this, aren't you?

　At the very least, you've surpassed the capabilities of the assassin who attacked you before.
　He's also trying to counter my sword -- if I swing my sword badly, I'll be at a disadvantage.
　To put it bluntly, this was completely beyond the level of a class.
　I've had enough of these ...... to know what I'm capable of.

Aria, I think it's time to call it quits.

　I suggested, catching Aria's dagger.
　But Aria doesn't seem to stop moving.
　With her other dagger, she tries to strike me with a blow...

"Stop, sir.
"Stop!

　With a gulp, I grab Aria's arm to stop her.
　Aria looks a little surprised, but then quickly returns to her usual languid expression.

"Thank you, doctor. You are very strong.
"Yes, thank you, sir. Thank you very much.
Right?

　Aria replies with a self-satisfied look.
　Aria is strong enough.

(Yes, I think she'd be fine as a normal opponent.)

　While I'm thinking about this, Aria makes her way over to Iris.
　While I was watching the match, I had noticed that Iris had been getting nervous.
　She seemed to be eager to fight.
　But I don't want to fight Iris now, because I know it will be the same thing again.

"Iris, did you see the fight?
"Yes, I did. That's Aria.
I know.
But what's going on?　You suddenly want to fight Dr. Schweizer. ......
Hmm. What's that?
What's that?

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　...... So, it seems that Aria wanted to get Iris' attention.
　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　I guess it's a kind of jealousy.

(I'd like to say it's cute, but I can't stand it when people fight me like that.

　I sigh a little.
　I'll make sure to keep an eye on Iris so that she doesn't challenge me to a fight every time she looks at me nervously in the future. That's what I promised myself.