The rest of the day passes slowly, and Miyabi’s gaze never wavers, locked on me, as if waiting for an opportunity. She snaps instructions occasionally, more to look like she’s doing something that actually trying to teach us. When the training starts to wrap up, Miyabi stops me.

  “You’d better not turn down my invitation again, little GIRL.” She lets go of my arm, and I step away, heading to eat, Rana close at hand.

  Dinner comes and goes, as does my bath. No sign of Miyabi’s Limiters around the bathing facilities; I guess the hapless guy who tried first passed the word on to his mates. Annabelle and Rinslet are in the baths when I arrive, and we leave as a group, keeping an eye out as we chatter aimlessly.

  As I turn to smile at a joke Rana just made, I stop, my eyes meeting the gre of two of Miyabi’s Limiters. They’d apparently thought that two would be enough to bring me to Miyabi, but hadn’t counted on me being surrounded by three other girls.

  I call, “You should know, I’m not in the mood for Miyabi’s mind games. I know she’s out to get me. The two of you, hiding behind that tent. Yes, I can see you.”

  Rana and Annabelle whirl, staring in the direction I’d indicated. The two Limiters leg it, muffled swearing accompanying their departing footsteps. The other girls exchange looks with me.

  “Wow…. She REALLY wants to make you suffer.” Annabelle murmurs, as we make our way back to our tent. I nod.

  “She finds the fact that I can do the Double Accel without her say-so… irritating, as well as getting her caught not doing her job as a trainer.”

  Rinslet looks worried. “Will she come after us, too?”

  I smile at her. “I doubt it. I’M the one she wants to punish, and my Pandora is way stronger than me. She’s a second-year, and she’s already pissed about Miyabi being my trainer, so I don’t think she’d leave me out to dry.”

  Rinslet rexes a little, and I smile. The English girl is so shy. She’s got to toughen up, or she’s going to be at risk…

  The night passes uneventfully, and I break my fast earlier than most. Miyabi doesn’t like getting up early, apparently. Good for me, at least. After I eat, I head to the training field and get to work, doing my routine properly, keeping my eyes open for the senior student and her gaggle of boytoys.

  By the time the Limiter Eater drags herself out of her tent and bothers to show up, I’ve been at my training for two hours, with Rana having joined me shortly after I started. My practice becomes sloppier again, baiting her into finding fws in my style that aren’t really there. If she tries to use them against me, she’ll be sorely in for a surprise.

  The rest of the morning slips away, as Miyabi grumpily drinks several mugs of coffee, her face taut and stony, while Rana and I keep practicing the Accel Turn. The Tibetan monk has managed to catch up to me with her Accel, no thanks to Miyabi.

  Lunch is a quick bite, then back to the training field, working on adding strikes and attack combos into the Accel Turn, while Miyabi watches uninterestedly, her nails freshly painted as she stands around looking bored.

  Rana and I whisper briefly between each run-through of our routine, making sure Miyabi doesn’t hear us throwing shade at her worth as a trainer, while making pns to avoid her as much as possible.

  Dinner arrives, and Miyabi approaches as I sit down.

  “Come with me. Now.”

  I look up at her, and then shake my head. “No. if you have something to say, say it here. I’m not interested in going anywhere with you.”

  Miyabi’s eyes narrow.

  “Very funny. Now, do what you’re told and come with me!”

  I shake my head, and, when she grabs for my hand, I Accel Turn away, watching as she stumbles inelegantly, hissing like a cat that got kicked into a swimming pool.

  “Get. Over. Here. NOW.”

  I shake my head as Chihaya shouts, “You leave her alone, you insipid, stuck-up bitch! She’s not interested! Get it through your vapid, empty head!”

  Miyabi whirls, trying to identify who yelled that in the crowded mess tent, and I start to leave, drawing her attention again.

  “Do NOT walk away from me, you brat! I WILL make you pay!”

  She lunges, trying to grab my arm. I sidestep her.

  “Lay a hand on me, and I will take it as a challenge. Do not touch me without my consent. You might be one of my senpai, but I will exercise my bodily autonomy.”

  Miyabi’s face flushes and her eyes widen, her mask of civility slipping off to reveal her furious gre.

  “Oh, you want to throw down? My pleasure!”

  She waves a hand, and several floating knives appear, and she marches towards me. The tent clears, and I vault over a table, the bdes striking into the surface as I twirl away, her cackling ugh shrilling out.

  “That’s it! That’s it, dance! I’ll teach you not to defy your betters! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!”

  I throw my hand out, Odin snapping into existence, the sheathe attaching to my belt as I quickdraw, one of Miyabi’s daggers ricocheting off and embedding itself in the dirt next to the third-year’s foot.

  She blinks owlishly, as if not comprehending what just happened.

  “What…? How’d you do that?! You have some kind of force-field!”

  I simply stand there, hand on Odin’s grip, waiting for her next move. This is going to be a pain. I didn’t know Miyabi’s Volt Weapon was a set of floating daggers controlled by their owner.

  Miyabi flicks her fingers, and three more daggers come zooming my way. With a precise series of quickdraws, I send two of them careening wildly away, before unching the third back towards Miyabi, forcing her to hop out of the way, a slit appearing in her skirt.

  “How are you DOING that?! You’re not even moving!”

  I don’t answer, which likely pisses off the arrogant uppercssman, her directed daggers flying more erratically and with less precision, incensed by my ‘defiance’. I quickdraw when necessary, sidestepping most of the time. Finally, I flick my bde out for real, catching one of the flying daggers and sending it zooming back at Miyabi on a collision course with her face.

  Forced to block one of her own weapons with another knife, Miyabi starts to get downright manic, as Rana arrives on the scene, dashing in from behind, her Shinen taking form around her arms and legs. Sprinting up behind the fixated third-year, the Tibetan bluenette leaps, bringing her right fist down, and cold-cocking Miyabi in the back of the skull.

  Staggering, Miyabi whips around, avoiding the follow-up, as Rana backsteps, gaining a little distance, using her natural speed to evade a pair of scything dagger-sweeps.

  “So, she made her move, then, Akari?” Rana yells, her fists raised. I nod, and reposition Odin in a fsh, sending one of Miyabi’s bdes rocketing away. “Indeed. She couldn’t take the hint and got very rude when I told her to back off and leave me alone.”

  Rana punches one of Miyabi’s daggers away, the sound of metal-on-metal chiming out as Miyabi lunges, trying to ssh at my arm. I sm the butt of my sword into the third-year’s stomach as she overreaches, driving the wind from her in a hacking whoosh.

  Hopping back, I go into an Accel Turn, hoping to keep Miyabi’s attention divided as Rana rushes in to deliver a blow of her own, Miyabi’s daggers deflecting the Tibetan monk’s fist with a quick, jerking wave of her hand. Straightening up and gring, she sweeps her hands out, gesturing frantically as her floating daggers whirl in a blur of steel, before she goes into her own Accel Turn. I intercept, knocking her off-course before she can get up in Rana’s face, giving my friend a chance to clock the uppity bitch in the face, which Rana takes full advantage of, knocking Miyabi ft on her ass.

  The third-year rotates, flipping herself back onto her feet, brushing the back of her hand across her mouth, snarling as she notices a thin trickle of blood running from her split lip.

  “You bitches…. Are going to learn to respect your seniors!”

  Rana scowls, and I rebut, “Then show us something worth respecting.”

  The sound of running feet, and all three of Miyabi’s Limiters arrive on the scene, taking up positions behind her. The one who’d approached me shouts, “Okay, combined Freezing Area!”

  They each raise their hands, the cold blue tesselted pattern rolling out over the ground as Rana locks up in the middle of charging. I feel myself beginning to petrify as well, before flicking my gaze over to Rana as she stares helplessly at me with one eye as Miyabi saunters towards the Tibetan girl.

  “Awww, so close. Looks like you’re all done now, though!”

  The older girl raises a hand, patting Rana’s cheek in an almost-friendly way.

  I’ll only get one chance to make this count…

  “Rana! Activate Ereinbar Set!”

  My own Freezing field cascades out from me, and Rana’s fist finishes it’s movement, cracking Miyabi right in the tit, sending her back again as I dart past, aiming for the trio of suddenly-panicked Limiters.

  “Zantetsuken!”

  I pull off my finishing strike, all three boys crashing down as my bde returns to its sheathe. Miyabi’s face registers shock as she loses her advantage as quickly as she’d gained it. I regard her coolly.

  “Don’t worry; I used the back of my bde. I’m not as callous as you, Limiter Eater-senpai.”

  She staggers, staring, as she stutters, “No, no you can’t do that! What ARE you?! You shouldn’t be able to do that!”

  Any answer I might have made is cut off by the arrival of both Dr. Elise and Ms. Yu-Mi, weapons in their hands, before they stop, staring at the situation before them. Rinslet, Annabelle, and Chihaya are with them. My Pandora shouts, “See? She started it, like I said!”

  Ms. Yu-Mi blinks, and then approaches, as Miyabi’s daggers drift aimlessly. The teacher snaps, “Dismiss your weapon, Ms. Kannazuki. NOW.”

  The daggers shatter and vanish. Miyabi stares at me, pale-faced and wide-eyed. The spear-wielding teacher reaches out and cuffs the third-year, fastening her hands together. Dr. Elise examines the three unconscious Limiters, clicking her tongue.

  “They’ll be fine, but we should probably put them in custody as well, Yu-Mi. So…”

  The blonde school doctor stands, approaching me. “We’ll need to ask you a few questions. From what these three told us, Miyabi came up to you and started hassling you, correct?”

  I nod. “She’s sent those boys after me. That one was waiting outside the girls’ bath-house the night before st, and the other two tried yesterday night. I guess Miyabi got fed up with me not wanting to accompany them to her, and made her move tonight. She didn’t take kindly to my refusal and began unching those floating knives at me. If Rana hadn’t backed me up, I’d have been in serious trouble.”

  Dr. Elise frowns. “Okay. You have no idea why Ms. Kannazuki might want to involve herself with you?”

  I shrug. “I have my suspicions. She knew about my… unique situation, and I think she wanted to ‘collect’ me as a rarity. My refusal seems to have goaded her into far more aggression than I expected...”

  Dr Elise shares a look with Ms. Yu-Mi, and then nods. “Alright. We’ll be taking statements from Ms. Kannazuki and her… partners… but, since you don’t seem like the kind of girl to start trouble. We’ll find a student instructor to take over-”

  “I don’t mind taking them under my wing for the remainder of the camp, Dr. Schmitz.”

  Turning my head, I spot Shion Nayfield, her gsses glinting in the light of the electric mps. She steps closer, joining the staff and holding a hand up to greet me.

  “I’ve got enough time and space in my group to fit two more in, if they don’t mind? I promise, I’ll do a better job than their scker of a senior.”

  Miyabi, still shaken, doesn’t respond, staring ahead bnkly.