Chapter 147: Budding of Strange Friendship

After separating from the hug, Zac and Ravena stood opposite each other again.

Ravena looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "Why?"

"Because I don’t think it’s worth it." Zac lowered his sword slightly. "Losing control over your curse energy for a small tournament? Yeah, I don’t see the point."

"I don’t need your pity."

"It wasn’t pity. Just healthy camaraderie between fellow students."

"Yeah, I don’t need that shit either." Ravena’s expression darkened. "And for fuck’s sake, keep your damn hands to yourself next time."

The referee looked between the two of them. After confirming that both contestants were still standing, he raised his hand again. "Continue!"

Ravena did not move. Instead, she raised one hand.

"I concede."

"What?" Zac was the first to ask.

The referee stared at her, and the audience also fell into the same confusion. "What?"

Ravena clicked her tongue and looked at both Zac and the referee. "Are you deaf? I said I concede."

Zac frowned. "Why?"

"I don’t want to live on someone’s mercy." After saying that, she turned around and stepped down from the stage.

The referee was silent for a moment before raising his hand. "By submission, the winner of this match is Zac Delencore!"

The audience, who had been holding their breath in shock until now, finally exploded.

"What the hell?"

"What did that guy do inside the smoke?"

"Please don’t tell me he did something weird in there."

"It was just getting interesting, and now she concedes?"

"I left my work to watch a great tournament, and this is what I get?"

Whispers, murmurs, and confused shouts spread all across the arena.

In the stands, Marty leaned forward. "Come on. Don’t tell me she also fell for his pretty face."

Kelly looked at him from the side. "I don’t think that’s what happened."

Once Ravena stepped down from the stage, the medical team rushed toward her. But she stopped them with one raised hand. "I don’t need treatment. I’m good."

Without waiting for a reply, she continued walking away.

Mimi’s voice rang across the arena. "Ravena Voss has conceded, and by default, Zac Delencore advances to the finals!"

"The audience is confused, and so am I. What the hell happened inside the smoke? The academy wants to know. The students want to know. I want to know."

Zac watched Ravena leave without another word; he then jumped down from the stage and followed her.

Kelly blinked. "Where is he going?"

Marty leaned back. "Probably to talk with his new girlfriend."

Sabrina quietly watched Ravena leave the arena. Her eyes then moved to Zac as he followed behind her.

Outside the arena, the academy grounds were strangely peaceful. After all the shouting, cheering, and chaos inside, the silence outside felt almost fake.

Ravena had not gone far. Zac saw her walking away and immediately followed.

"Ravena."

She did not stop and kept on walking. Zac quickened his pace and caught up to her. Without even turning around, she said, "Get lost. Why the hell are you here?"

"You conceded."

"No shit, Sherlock. I was there, and I’m the one who did it."

"That’s not what I meant." Zac frowned. "You could have kept fighting. Do you really have that much pride?"

"Yes, I fucking do. What are you gonna do about it?"

Zac opened his mouth, then stopped. He could not find the right words fast enough.

Ravena finally turned around and looked at him before asking a simple question. "My curse aura. It doesn’t affect you, does it?"

Zac froze for a moment.

[Some great actor you are.]

"No, no." Zac quickly shook his head. "You saw it yourself, didn’t you? I was getting tired and all."

Ravena let out a rough, barking laugh. "Do you honestly take me for an idiot?"

Zac went quiet.

"It’s my damn aura," she said. "I know when it is really sinking into someone and when some bastard is pretending. And your acting? Fucking terrible."

Zac remained silent for a second. "I had my reasons for doing that, and it has nothing to do with you."

"Yeah. Secret Pretty Boy bullshit."

"Something like that."

"Tch."

Ravena turned around and started walking again.

Naturally, Zac followed.

She stopped after a few steps and glanced back. "Why the hell are you following me? Don’t tell me you fell for me."

"Just think of it as something like that." Her eyes narrowed with a fearsome anger. Zac immediately corrected his words, "Not in a romantic way, of course."

"You shouldn’t get involved with me."

"Of course I shouldn’t. Like I need more problems."

[I think you’re not her type.]

"Now you care about my preferences? You were the one who said she might be useful in the future if I befriended her."

[I said befriend. Who told you to hug her in front of the whole academy?]

"You told me to make contact."

[I said touch her. Her hand, shoulder, maybe even her head if you were feeling creative. But what did you do? You grabbed her like a pervert in a crowded subway and turned the tournament into a romance novel cover.]

"I don’t think that’s the point here."

[Keep arguing with me. She is already walking out of your sight.]

Zac looked ahead and realized Ravena had already put a good distance between them.

He ran after her again. "Hey. Don’t walk away while I’m talking to you."

Ravena did not slow down. "From where I’m standing, it looks like you’re talking to yourself."

"Yeah, that’s a long story."

"Keep it to yourself. I have zero damn desire to know." She shot him a cold look. "And don’t make me repeat myself. Get your ass out of here."

"Wait. I actually have something to say. Or ask. Whatever."

Ravena stopped and turned around with an annoyed expression. "For fuck’s sake. Fine. Say it."

Zac took a breath. "Look, I don’t know what’s wrong with you."

Her eyes sharpened. "I mean, not wrong like wrong wrong way. But there’s clearly something going on with you. Something about your curse gives me a really bad feeling."

"Oh, believe me, you are not the first person to notice that. Maybe, if it were the other way around, you would be the first."

"Okay, let’s not argue for one second and let me finish."

Zac looked at her seriously. "It feels like you’re suffering from yourself. I’m not pretending I can fix it like some miracle doctor, but being alone with that kind of thing is not a good idea. It will only make the suffering worse."

Ravena stared at him and started laughing again. "You knew me for what, two damn days? And now you’re acting like you care?"

Zac did not answer and simply stood with a serious face.

"Tell me something, Pretty Boy. Are you some kind of psychopath who lures girls with soft words and kills them later?"

"And don’t give me that philosophical crap about suffering alone." Her voice turned colder. "You don’t know how it was. You don’t know shit about me. Seeing something doesn’t mean you understand it."

She stepped closer. "So for the final time, get the fuck out of my way."

Having said that, she walked away again, but after a short distance, she stopped and looked back. "You’re strange."

Zac gave a small shrug. "Yeah. That’s one of the things people usually say about me. Troublemaker, handsome dude, locked-up basement, and various other creative insults."

Ravena stared at him for a moment, then she turned and continued walking. "You should stop hanging around that narcissist. His disease is corrupting you too."

Zac gave a faint smile and let her leave.

[Do I smell friendship budding?]

"If you look at it from one angle, maybe."

Zac then returned to the arena.

The moment he reached his friends, Kelly hurried over. "Zac, what happened? Where were you?"

"For your first question, she lost control on the stage. For your second question, I went to make sure she was okay."

"Of course you did," Marty said.

Daniel looked at Zac carefully. "I’m not someone who likes butting into other people’s business, but can you tell us what happened in the dust?"

Zac paused for a moment.

"What? Cooking up a made-up story?" Marty asked. Immediately seeing the glare he was getting from Zac, he stopped talking.

"I had a small trick that helped control her curse energy and bring her back to herself."

"Yeah," Marty said. "By molesting her in front of the whole audience."

Zac slowly turned his head.

Marty raised both hands. "Don’t glare at me like that. You’re the one who gave the academy a live demonstration."

Shobin adjusted his glasses and looked thoughtful. "Was it something like hiccups? Giving someone a sudden shock to stop it?"

"Not exactly."

Kelly stepped closer. "I don’t want details about your romantic encounter. Is she okay?"

Zac sighed. "She didn’t exactly let me check properly."

"So you tried to touch her again?"

"Just shut your spoiled mouth, Marty."

"As I said, I couldn’t clearly see if she was okay, but from the way she talked, I think she’s fine."

Marty nodded seriously. "So basically, she cursed at you, insulted you, and walked away, and you’re calling that fine."

"Hey, look. They updated the screen." Shobin pointed toward the display above the central stage.

The words appeared in bold letters, with ice and lightning effects flashing behind the names.

Final Match

’Zac Dellencore vs. Sabrina Snow’

Sabrina stood silently, her expression unchanged. Zac looked at the screen, then turned toward her.

She also looked at him for a moment, with neither of them saying anything.

Marty stood beside Shobin and Daniel, his voice quieter than usual. "Here it is, guys. The clash between two forces is finally happening."

Then his expression shifted. "And once again, did you see his luck? He fought a gothic beauty this round, and now he’s going to fight the Ice Queen next."

Mimi’s voice burst across the arena. "And there we have it, everyone! The final is set! The final match has been decided!"

She raised her microphone with sparkling enthusiasm. "I hope all of you bring even more people tomorrow to witness this epic showdown! And also to witness your lovable Mimi carrying the commentary, so please cheer for her too!"

Zac ignored her and looked at Sabrina. "Let’s finish what started on the first day of academy."

Sabrina stared at him with the same deadpan expression and gave a slight nod.