16

In my time at Kuoh Academy, I had begun to grow myself something that approximated a fanbase. At least that was the only thing I felt comfortable calling them. The constant stalking and whispers in the hallways were becoming annoying.

It had gotten so bad that I had to seek advice from Kiba. Kiba was, as always, a good sport about the whole thing. Honestly number one bro, hands down. His advice was to ignore them until they did something you couldn't ignore.

It worked, up until a point. The fangirls eventually solidified into a mob that demanded a presentation. Apparently, I had become more of a commodity than a person to them. I had heard whispers about how my broad shoulders and solid thighs meant that I was a warrior. That I was a protector of someone. Someone who just so happened to be whichever girl was whispering at the time.

The rumors came to a head with a coerced duel between Kiba and I. A match between the Prince of Kuoh and the Golden Eyed Warrior. With the court of public opinion backing the exhibition, Kiba and I had no choice but to comply. We met in front of an audience of what had to be half the population of Kuoh Academy. The other half were catching the duel's livestream live.

Kiba squared off against me with a contrite grin. He was sorry about the spectacle of the match, but obviously eager to test his skills. I met him blank-faced, not letting a hint of the annoyance I felt over the duel show on my face.

Our first clash was signified by the crash of bamboo. A quick, testing advance by the Knight. I parried the probe effortlessly. I had never wielded a sword, but the King imparted the necessary knowledge upon my muscle memory. Two more strikes were deflected in rapid succession. I had yet to go on the offensive. Even with the meta help of an essence, I knew I was at a disadvantage.

"You have good reflexes," Kiba stated.

"A product of a misspent youth," I replied.

Kiba's next strike came in low. A quick, sweeping stroke that threatened to take my feet out from underneath me. I retreated to get away from it, and Kiba easily pressed the advantage. His swings came fast, and were frantically diverted by my blade at the last moment.

Kiba was smiling an adrenaline junkie's smile. His obvious enjoyment of our conflict inspired me to meet him in kind. At the barest hint of an opening, I attacked. A fast thrust broke through Kiba's defenses, and, suddenly, I was advancing. I pushed for all I was worth, knowing that if I let him take control again I would pay for it.

The echoing 'clack' of bamboo drowned out the sounds and cheers of our audience. All that mattered to Kiba and I was the test of skill. Kiba launched a riposte that caught me off guard, and, all of the sudden, all I could do was hold my ground.

Skillful flicks of the wrist threatened to dislodge my grip on my shinai. Kiba's smile grew more vicious as the fight developed in his favor.

"Are you sure you've not had any training?" Kiba asked, out of breath from our vigorous exchanges.

"Positive," I nodded, just as fatigued. I knew the King's essence was aiding me, but it wasn't enough to overcome the difference in skill and experience.

The battle was over in a flash. A slight misstep put me out of position, and Kiba capitalized. His sword moved like lightning, knocking mine out of my hand before I could react. The silence of my defeat was only broken by exhausted panting from the both of us.

After the audience registered my loss, the dojo we were in went wild. The cheers for Kiba were deafening, but not undeserved. I walked up to Kiba and shook his hand. It was a good fight. I could tell Kiba thought so too.

I felt like I had connected with the Knight on a level beyond conversation. The stereotypical 'men bond by fighting' trope was a trope for a reason. Sometimes you just needed to turn on your monkey brain and beat each other with sticks until you were friends. I walked out of the dojo with my arm around Kiba's shoulders, with the both of us trying our best to ignore the swooning girls we left behind.

"We should get you some actual training with a blade," Kiba commented.

"I would be agreeable to that."

"The way you move is impressive already. I dread to think about what you could do with proper guidance."

I laughed uncomfortably. Technically, everything I was now capable of was thanks to the essences. But, in another way, the essences were now a part of my very being, so anything they did was also me doing it. It was a dilemma I had been facing. Were the things I could do because of the essences my own, or were they just because of meta powers puppeting my body.

At that moment, I decided it didn't matter. The essences had brought me closer to Kiba, and other people as well. I could overlook a couple silly philosophical conundrums for that.

We were intercepted by Koneko on our walk back to the ORC.

"Un," Koneko said, handing the both of us something from her snack stash. "Taylor-senpai is strong. Good match."

The fact that Koneko was actually sharing snacks seemed to catch Kiba off guard. I accepted the offered candy with a laugh and headpat. The almost imperceptible purr that Koneko let out at my touch was adorable. She made herself comfortable on my lap immediately after we got back to the clubroom.

Akeno was present, and set about making tea while Kiba cleaned up. The Breeder essence ensured that even if I smelled, it would be a pleasant smell. Koneko certainly thought so, because she was unconsciously leaning into me a bit more than would be considered wholesome. Must… not… lewd… the loli… kitten. Akeno saved me from my struggles with tea.

Unfortunately, this being Akeno, she couldn't resist the opportunity to tease, "Oh my, Taylor-san, Koneko seems quite fond of you already. Why, I almost wish I could take her place."

Koneko stiffened slightly, but I just laughed off Akeno's attempt, "You're certainly welcome to try. I doubt even the end of the world would move her now that she's comfortable."

"Well now, that's such a shame. Ah! I know," Akeno pretended she just came up with an idea, "I'll just have to make myself as comfortable as she is. That spot next to you looks awfully inviting."

"Be my guest."

Akeno sat down. Koneko was about to go back to just enjoying her seat, when Akeno leaned into me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Ah yes, I was right. Very inviting," Akeno's sultry tone, and the fact that she was intruding on Koneko's 'territory', made visibly tense. I could practically see Koneko assume that posture that cats have when startled or threatened. My emergency headpats seemed to calm her down.

"Oh, do relax, Koneko. I'm not going to steal him from you," Akeno said. "Though I must say, you smell ~wonderful~, Taylor-san~"

Conversation fell into an enjoyable silence. I could hear Akeno humming a tune under her breath. It was vaguely familiar. Like one of those songs you get sung as a child to help fall asleep. It made Koneko relax, and proved to me that even though Akeno liked to tease, she really did care about her peerage members.

Kiba returned, and shot me a cheeky grin when he saw my position. I rolled my eyes, and just enjoyed everyone's company.