The late-afternoon sun streamed through the towering glass windows of the shopping mall, bathing the polished floors in a warm, golden glow. The bustling crowd moved from store to store, their voices blending into the steady hum of the mall.
"Big bro, come on! I need to buy two or three outfits—you'll pay the bill, right?"
Allya's voice rang out brightly as she tugged relentlessly at Sam's sleeve. Her eyes practically sparkled with mischief as she dragged him toward a high-end clothing boutique.
Sam sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in defeat as he allowed himself to be pulled along.
"Yeah, yeah... but just three. No more than that, alright?"
"Yeah! Just three!"
Allya answered with a cheerful, entirely too-innocent smile.
Sam should have known better.
The sharp squeak of rubber soles against the hardwood court echoed through the arena.
The tension inside the gymnasium was suffocating. Every spectator seemed to be holding their breath as Reno and Kirito fought through the third set, clawing their way back into the match.
The score had reached 18–20.
One more point.
Just one more, and the match was theirs.
Sweat streamed down Reno's forehead, stinging his eyes as he tightened his grip on the racket.
"Hey, don't screw this up," he muttered under his breath, anxiety creeping into his voice. "We barely made it to match point."
Kirito adjusted his grip, his pulse hammering in his ears.
"Yeah, I know—will you stop nagging me for five seconds?"
He drew in a deep breath.
The noise of the crowd seemed to fade into the background.
For a brief moment, there was nothing but the shuttlecock, the court, and the opponent standing across from him.
Kirito stepped up to the line.
Then he served.
The shuttlecock shot forward in a razor-sharp, low trajectory, skimming just over the top of the net.
The opposing team reacted instantly.
Their player stepped forward and returned it, sending the shuttlecock dropping toward the dead zone near the net.
It looked like a guaranteed point.
Then, in a fraction of a second, Kirito moved.
His shoes scraped violently against the court as he launched himself forward.
He dove across the floor, stretching his racket out to the absolute limit of his reach.
"How did he...?!"
The opposing player's eyes widened in disbelief.
For a moment, he simply stood there, unable to comprehend how Kirito had reached the shot.
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Kirito's racket caught the shuttlecock at the last possible instant.
The shuttle changed direction.
It dropped cleanly onto the opposing side of the court.
The referee's whistle pierced the arena.
His arm extended decisively toward Kirito and Reno's side.
"Yeahhhhh!"
Kirito scrambled back onto his feet and threw both arms into the air, releasing an aggressive, triumphant roar.
"Yes!"
Reno rushed forward and slammed into Kirito from behind, wrapping him in a desperate bear hug.
"Straight to the semi-finals now!"
The two shouted the words together, their voices swallowed by the thunderous roar of the crowd.
The next sound came from somewhere completely different.
The quiet rumble of an engine filled the air as Sam's car idled beside the curb.
Sam stared through the rearview mirror.
The back seat was practically buried beneath branded paper bags and shiny boxes.
Beside him, Allya sat humming innocently to herself.
"Allya..." Sam began, a vein practically throbbing at his temple. "We agreed on three items. So what, exactly, is all of this?"
Allya turned toward him and raised both hands, dramatically counting off the purchases on her fingers.
"Well, I did buy just three of each! Three dresses, three T-shirts, three frocks, three pairs of jeans, three jackets, three one-piece outfits, three perfumes, three lipsticks, and—"
"Enough! Enough... I get it!"
Sam threw his hands up in surrender.
"Forget it. Understanding girls is completely beyond me."
He pulled up to the curb where Kirito and Reno were waiting, their sports bags slung over their shoulders.
Sam gestured toward the car.
"Hop in."
The two opened the doors, only to discover that the back seat was barely visible beneath the mountain of shopping bags.
After pushing aside as many bags as they could, they squeezed themselves inside.
"Whoa."
Kirito stared around the cluttered interior, his eyes widening.
"How did you guys manage to do this kind of damage?"
"None of this is mine," Sam grunted, casting a pointed glance toward the rear seat. "It all belongs to Allya."
Kirito slowly turned toward her.
His eyebrow twitched.
"Hey, Allya, what on earth did you buy? And where did you even get that kind of money?"
Allya tilted her head, her expression becoming a picture of genuine confusion.
"When did I ever say I bought it with my money? You left your credit card with me, so I just used that to pay."
Kirito froze.
His heart seemed to drop straight into his stomach.
The color drained from his face.
"Hey... my entire life savings were in that account."
His voice trembled.
"How big was the bill?!"
"Uh... 15,000 yen, maybe?"
Allya answered cheerfully.
Kirito stared at her.
Then he clutched his head with both hands.
"She just ate through half my internship earnings in five minutes!"
His anguished scream filled the car.
Sam couldn't help but chuckle. He reached over and turned up the volume on the car radio, drowning out some of Kirito's complaints.
"Don't worry about it too much. I've officially signed you up as a 'Dark Knight.' You'll get 50,000 yen every month until your training is complete."
Kirito went silent.
His head slowly lifted.
A massive sigh of relief escaped him.
"Alright... I guess I can handle the expenses for this feral cat now."
Allya puffed out her cheeks.
"Who are you calling a feral cat?"
Kirito simply looked away.
The following morning, the familiar sounds of the city had disappeared.
Instead, an eerie rustling filled the air as wind moved through the branches of a dense, secluded forest.
Sunlight struggled to pierce the thick canopy overhead, leaving the forest floor covered in patches of muted light and shadow.
"So, you've fully covered the basics," Sam said.
He stood several paces away with his arms crossed, his expression calm.
Kirito stood opposite him, tightly securing the straps around his combat gloves.
The metal buckles clicked firmly into place beneath his fingers.
"So, what are we doing today?"
Sam's expression became noticeably more serious.
"I've taught you mana control and basic spells over the past few weeks. Today, you take the test."
"A test?"
Kirito raised an eyebrow.
"Consider it your official entrance exam."
Sam stepped backward.
Then he extended his right hand.
The air around them suddenly trembled.
A shimmering, translucent barrier erupted from the ground, rapidly expanding until it encased Kirito within a massive sphere of magical energy.
The instant it formed, the sounds of the forest vanished.
No rustling leaves.
No distant birds.
Nothing.
Kirito looked around the isolated sphere, his expression shifting from curiosity to alarm.
"By the way!"
His voice came from behind the barrier, slightly muffled.
"How many devils are you sending in here, and how are you even going to bring them?!"
Sam smirked.
A dark glint flashed through his eyes.
"Not many," he called back casually.
"Just a hundred E-rank or lower."
Kirito's expression froze.
"A hundred?!"
Sam's grin widened.
"Sit tight—let me show you how a real master uses devils to get the job done."
The forest fell silent once more.
Inside the barrier, Kirito slowly tightened his fists.
His entrance exam had begun.