0 April, 2026 — Sagar, India
A figure sprinted frantically through the corridor, breathing hard as hurried footsteps echoed against the walls.
"Uh-uh-uh... He made me late. The ceremony was already ended," the person muttered between breaths.
According to the Head Boy, the new session of Dark Knight Academy was beginning that very day.
"Thanks to you all for your hard work in the entrance exam!"
The students erupted into applause. The ceremony soon came to an end, and everyone began filing out of the hall.
"Where is he?" Reno asked, looking around.
"He's gone with Sam somewhere, but he said he will come back before the class starts," Asuna replied.
A moment later, the classroom gates swung open as Kirito dashed inside.
"Sorry, guys!"
Reno immediately turned toward him.
"Kirito, where have you been all this time?"
"It took us some time," Kirito answered, still slightly breathless.
Before Reno could ask anything else, a snobbish voice cut through the conversation.
"We have a part-timer with us. What a joke."
The speaker was Lucius Velgand.
Kirito's expression hardened.
"What did you say?"
He grabbed Lucius by the collar.
"Kirito, leave him! We are not here to fight!"
Reno quickly pulled Kirito back.
"Oye, you commoner! How dare you touch Master Lucius!" David shouted.
Before the situation could escalate further, the class bell rang through the room.
Everyone reluctantly returned to their seats.
I am Kirito Kaizawa. I am from Japan.
DKA is known as a university offering multiple fields of study. From the outside, DKA operates like a normal university, but forty percent of the students here plan to become Dark Knights. Our schedules were designed so we could focus on both our regular courses and Dark Knight training.
I chose the Developing Branch.
Reno chose Computer Science, while Asuna also chose the Developing Branch. That meant Reno would be in a different class for only two lectures. After that, all three of us would have the same classes.
But why did Sherry say we would meet soon?
I don't get it.
Kirito sat quietly in the last corner of the classroom, still trying to process everything.
"Kaizawa-kun!"
A voice came from beside him.
I should talk to her after class.
Kirito was about to turn when another voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Oye, bhadwe (idiot), listen!"
A foot suddenly struck him.
"Ouch! What is your—"
"Sherry," she said with a smug smirk.
Kirito stared at her in disbelief.
"For how long are you going to ignore me?"
"Sherry, sorry, but I really didn't notice you. And why are you here?" Kirito asked.
"Of course, I am here to study. I also got selected," Sherry said proudly.
"What is your rank in the entrance exam?" Kirito asked.
"Better than yours. In the Top 50," Sherry announced confidently.
"What?"
Kirito's eyes widened.
"Who else is also here?" Sherry asked.
"Hmm... me, Reno, Asuna, and my sister," Kirito listed.
"I thought you both were always together," Sherry commented.
"Say what you want, but we are just friends," Kirito corrected her firmly.
After the class ended, all the Dark Knight students were called to the ground.
"Good morning, students. I am your instructor, Yuki. Today, I will distribute your IDs, which will enable you to enter the training and research facility," Yuki announced.
One by one, Yuki handed out the ID cards.
"Now, dismiss!"
The students began dispersing across the academy grounds.
Evening — Sagar, India
"Oh man, I am exhausted," Kirito sighed.
"It was good that we got buses to drop us home, or walking all the way here would kill us," Asuna agreed.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
All three of them collapsed onto the couch.
"What happened to you three? You were acting like you were going on construction work."
Allya walked into the room, looking at them with amusement.
Kirito lifted his head.
"Huh? You came too early from school."
"Al, I already told you. School gets out at 2:30," Allya replied.
"Sure. Was the school timing different here from the one we had in Japan?" Kirito teased.
Before Allya could answer, Sam entered the room.
"You three, stop lying around. Catch it!"
He tossed a stack of ID cards toward them.
Reno caught one.
"What is this?"
"These are your new IDs. They show your current rank and Mana Type. There are only a few students in the academy who were enrolled before completing the academy, so be proud," Sam explained.
"Give it here."
Allya snatched Kirito's ID from his hand and examined it.
"Kirito Kaizawa, 5th Grade Dark Knight, Mana Type—Water."
She immediately frowned.
"Then stop! My type is Water too!"
"Don't be silly. You can't use magic," Kirito said, taking his ID back.
Allya puffed out her cheeks.
"I am your sister, so I can. Sea Dragon's Roar!"
Mana surged around her.
Before anyone could react, a massive dragon made entirely of water formed in the room. It lunged forward and sent Kirito flying straight through the window.
"Huh?!"
Asuna stared in complete shock.
"What, when, how?"
Reno looked as though his brain had stopped functioning.
Sam, meanwhile, simply applauded.
"What wonderful progress."
Allya beamed with pride.
"What an easy task!"
A moment later, Kirito climbed back through the window, completely soaked. Water dripped from his hair and clothes as he glared at his sister.
"Wait, you little cat!"
Allya's confidence vanished instantly.
"By 'better,' you mean that Allya can use magic?" Reno asked.
"No fighting," Sam interjected, giving Kirito a light slap on the arm. "Go first, change your clothes."
Kirito turned toward his room.
Just before disappearing inside, he made a face at Allya.
"Sam!"
Allya immediately hid behind him.
"Kirito!" Sam shouted.
"Yes?"
"When did you learn to use magic?" Reno asked Allya.
"Hmm... I guess six months ago," Allya admitted.
Asuna's expression changed.
"That means her powers are as well-polished as Kirito's."
"But how did you get it?" Reno asked.
"Aah, that's a long story," Allya sighed.
10 October, 2025 — Tokyo, Japan
"Unaha..."
Allya groggily stirred awake.
"Ali, it's already 8:30. I think brother has already left for school."
Still half-asleep, Allya opened the curtains of her room. Morning sunlight spilled inside.
She grabbed a towel and headed toward the bathroom.
When she raised her toothbrush to begin brushing her teeth, a bucket's worth of water suddenly poured over her.
"Aaaha!"
Allya froze.
Water dripped from her hair and clothes.
"What is this? Is this a prank?"
Her sleepy expression instantly transformed into one of pure irritation.
She looked around for the culprit.
But there was no bucket.
"Hm... that's strange."
Confused, Allya eventually ignored it and stepped into the shower.
Later, while she was eating breakfast, something even stranger happened.
A small bubble of water suddenly formed directly in front of her eye.
It floated there for a second before dropping onto the table.
Allya's eyes widened.
"Devil!"
She jumped out of her chair and ran toward her room. Grabbing her phone, she immediately called Sam.
"Hello, Sam... Sam, there... there is a devil in our house! He is following me!" Allya cried, panic filling her voice.
"Oh... okay. Don't get nervous. Get inside your room and wait there. I will be there soon," Sam reassured her.
The moment the call ended, Sam's expression became serious.
He left his cabin.
"Cloie, come with me, fast!"
He grabbed her hand and hurried away with her.
"Oye, what happened?" Cloie asked.
"Allya is in danger," Sam stated.
When they reached the house, they immediately noticed something wrong.
The front door was already unlocked.
"Sam, it's open," Cloie pointed out.
"That's strange. Normally, when she is home, she always locks the front door."
They cautiously entered the house.
After checking the main rooms, they finally opened Allya's bedroom door.
Allya was sitting on her bed, completely wet and trembling with fear.
"Sam... Save me," she whimpered.
"Allya, don't worry. It will be fine," Sam comforted her.
They carefully checked the entire house.
Then Allya suddenly screamed.
Sam and Cloie rushed toward her.
"Sam, look..." Allya said through tears.
Sam followed her gaze.
"What is that?"
"A water bubble."
Cloie immediately understood.
There was no devil in the house.
It was Allya's magic.
Her powers were awakening, and she had no control over them.
"Sam, go and bring me lemon and turmeric from the kitchen."
"Yes."
Sam hurried into the kitchen and returned with the ingredients.
Cloie mixed the turmeric into the lemon juice.
"Allya, drink this," Cloie said.
Allya drank it, tears still gathered in her eyes.
Cloie then helped her change out of her wet clothes. She suddenly noticed Sam still standing in the room.
"You perv! Can't you see I am taking off her clothes?" Cloie glared at him.
"Sorry, I didn't notice," Sam apologized.
He looked away, guilt weighing heavily on him.
He felt terrible for not realizing what was happening to Allya sooner.
Cloie changed Allya into dry clothes, dried her hair, and made sure she was warm.
Eventually, Allya began to calm down.
When the two of them returned to the living room, Allya immediately curled up on Sam's lap.
Sam gently rubbed her head.
"I am too scared. Please don't leave me," Allya begged.
"Don't be scared. I will never leave you," Sam promised.
Cloie looked toward Sam.
"She awakened her powers. Are you going to train her too?"
"No. Never. You know my relationship with them, so there was no chance of it. But for now, I'm going to hide her awakening from everyone," Sam replied.
"Because of Zeno?" Cloie questioned.
"No. Because of someone else," Sam stated.
Present Time
"Sam, why did you use that spell on me?" Kirito demanded.
"Just to make Allya happy, right?" Allya quickly interjected.
"Yes," Sam agreed.
Allya and Sam were desperately trying to cover up the mess.
Asuna narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you both lying to Kirito?"
Reno folded his arms.
"And Kirito, use some brain. How can Sam use the same Water spell as you while his attribute is Fire?"
Kirito's expression slowly changed.
Asuna suddenly realized the truth.
"Allya really uses magic! She got awakened six months ago!"
"Guys, why are you planning our funeral?" Allya suddenly yelled.
Sam froze.
"What are they saying, Kirito?"
Kirito didn't answer.
His expression had gone completely still.
The air around him seemed to grow heavier.
Asuna quietly leaned toward Reno.
"What happened to him? He is giving scary vibes."
"It's your first time witnessing this, but I would say we cut the wrong wire," Reno muttered.
Kirito finally turned toward Allya.
"My precious little sister... what will you say?"
His voice was calm.
Far too calm.
Allya's smile disappeared.
"Hmm, Big brother... that... Sam said not to tell you."
She immediately shifted all the blame onto Sam.
Kirito's eye twitched.
"Why... Why me?"
He slowly turned toward Sam.
"Sam... Sam... let's have a chit-chat."
"No... No... K-Kirito, no... No... Kirito, I am sorry!"
Sam immediately turned and ran.
Kirito chased after him.
Allya quietly slipped away and locked herself in her room.
A few moments later, there was a knock at the front door.
Asuna opened it.
The landlady stood outside.
"Yes, Aunty?" Asuna asked.
In the background, Kirito was still chasing Sam around the house.
"Beta, can you move your car a bit? The construction truck can't get through because of the car," the landlady said.
"Yes, Aunty. Reno, are you going?"
"Yes," Reno replied.
Asuna and Reno went outside.
By the time Reno returned, Kirito was standing in the middle of the room.
Sam was sprawled on the floor, looking completely defeated.
Asuna and Allya watched cautiously from behind the couch.
Reno stared at the scene.
"From this time on, he is on total rage mode."
Kirito turned toward Sam.
"From next time, if you hide anything like this, I will surely kill you."
Sam swallowed nervously.
Kirito grabbed his things.
"I am going on a walk."
He opened the gate and left the house.
The gate shut behind him.
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Reno looked at Sam and pulled the car keys back.
"Sam, you should have told this to him from the start."
Sam sighed.
"Yes. I know. It's my fault."