Chapter 45.1: The Outcasts Assemble Part 1
The Outcasts Assemble
The journey to our destination was quite a long one.
We had to switch carriages twice before arriving at the harbor, and then board a large ship to cross the sea.
I heard the destination was an island owned by the Academy, but why so far...?
"Ha..."
I leaned against the railing, letting out a soft sigh.
Glancing down, I could see the hull of the ship cutting through the surface of the water.
The spray from the occasional wave that crashed against the ship sparkled in the sunlight.
-Splash! Crash...
The blue sea shimmered brilliantly under the dazzling sunlight.
A cool sea breeze carried the salty scent of the ocean.
I rested my chin on my hand, mesmerized by the refreshing salty air that brushed against the tip of my nose.
"...This is boring."
How many hours had I spent killing time like this?
Looking at the sea was fun at first, but now, with the same scenery repeating endlessly, I could only yawn.
In my past life, I used to travel by plane in an instant for competitions.
Did no one in this world ever think of flying through the sky?
I stretched, feeling the absence of a certain great brother of mine.
As I extended my stiff limbs, I could hear the satisfying pops and cracks of my back.
Just then, a voice reached my ears.
"Whoa~ Someone's got a killer aura going on. You gonna off someone or something?"
A frivolous yet distinct, lighthearted tone.
Recognizing the owner of the voice instantly, I turned around, muttering his name.
"Golden Boy."
Standing there was a blonde, tanned delinquent, dressed in his usual sloppy attire.
He was fiddling with a pair of black sunglasses perched on his nose.
His fashion sense, which screamed 'beach bum', made me instinctively frown.
Noticing my gaze, Golden Boy spread his arms wide and shouted,
"Woohoo wwww! Look what we have here! The academy's S-rank maniac!!"
"...What's with the disrespectful tone?"
"So-lucky☆!"
"..."
Seeing my icy glare at his ridiculous remark, Golden Boy, who had been grinning foolishly, flinched a little.
"Just kidding... You're hurting my feelings, Professor."
"Good."
"...You're no fun."
Pouting, Golden Boy sauntered over to me and leaned against the railing, mirroring my posture.
He stretched lazily, his back to the backdrop of the sparkling blue sea.
"Ugh... When are we gonna get there?"
"Professor Lucas said we'll be there in about two hours."
"So bored..."
Golden Boy grumbled, letting out a long yawn.
I silently agreed with him.
Come to think of it, there was a large open space at the back of the ship. Maybe we could have a spar there.
And conveniently, there he was, a walking, talking punching bag right next to me.
I turned my gaze towards Golden Boy and spoke,
"I saw that the space at the back of the ship is quite spacious. How about a light spar..."
"Rejected."
"Your rejection is rejected. Let's go."
"Oh, come on..."
I grabbed the back of the neck of the sandbag who was subtly trying to make a run for it.
Where did he think he was going?
It wouldn't be as fun as sparring with Professor Lucas, but this guy was quite satisfying to hit.
He would have to suffice as a training partner for now.
I dragged him by the back of his neck towards the rear of the ship.
And so, until the ship reached its destination...
Unknown sounds of impact and screams echoed across the deck.
.
.
.
Several hours passed.
The ship, which had been sailing across the blue expanse, finally reached its destination.
"Alright, everyone! We've arrived at our destination!"
Sharon, the homeroom professor of Class Xenon, announced energetically, and the students, who had been bored out of their minds, erupted in cheers.
"Wooohoooo!!"
"......"
Among them was Golden Boy, who had been sparring with me until just a moment ago.
He rubbed his bruised arms and yelled,
"Freedom!! Get lost, you crazy bastard!!! I'm outta here!!!"
He threw down the practice mace he had been holding and gave me a defiant middle finger.
I tilted my head, looking at him.
What was wrong with him? Did he short-circuit or something?
Did I hit him too hard?
I let out a chuckle, a hint of concern in my voice.
"Hmm, where are you going? We're in the same group, remember?"
"...Oh, shit."
As if he had just remembered that fact, Golden Boy smacked his forehead and cursed.
He let out an awkward laugh and looked at me sheepishly.
"You... you know how much I love you, right...?"
"How about another spar during free time?"
"I'm so screwed..."
Golden Boy's face fell as he picked up the mace he had thrown down.
"Professor... you're gonna let me live, right?"
"......"
"You are... right...?"
Golden Boy wailed.
.
.
.
As we disembarked the ship, exchanging pointless banter, we could see the other students who had already gotten off.
The bustling scene was clearly that of teenagers excited to be on a 'school trip'.
Golden Boy and I steered clear of the lively crowd, heading towards the outskirts of the group.
"Wow~ Everyone seems so excited."
"Yeah, they all seem to have high expectations."
"Of course they do, dummy! It's a school trip! A. School. Trip!"
Golden Boy, who was just as excited as the others, shouted 'Woohoo wwww!' as he threw his arms up in the air.
Embarrassed by his antics, I subtly distanced myself from him.
"Hey, what are you doing? Come on!"
"Get away from me."
"Agh! You're so mean!!"
As I was trying to escape from the clingy Golden Boy, one of the professors who was leading the students shouted.
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