Yeah, I’m definitely going to fail this final. I’ve been guessing almost every single question and it’s up to fate whether my answers are correct or not. If only I still had my notebook then I would have been able to study for this class but that wasn’t the only problem.

“Jude, I’m bored, let’s go home and practice magic. It’s more fun than taking this test thingy. Jude! Jude!”

This annoying fairy was bugging me during my finals so I can’t concentrate at all. I was going to study these past four days but she’s been forcing me to practice my magic so I don’t know anything on my tests.

I admit, it is pretty fun learning magic but it made me incredibly tired. Fifi’s training course was very harsh. She would make me use magic until I run out of mana and past out, and when I wake up she would make me repeat that process again. The only time I had a break was after every 3rd time I pass out. It was only an hour break so I was going to use that time to study but she kept on bothering me to play with her.

“I’m so bored when you knock out. You have to play with me.”

That was her excuse to force me to play with her. Either we would play games, watch TV, or she would have me teach her. I wonder if she’s been abusing my kindness? I just can’t say no to her.

I didn’t have a single moment to study at all.

“Time’s up. If your pencil isn’t off your paper then it’s an automatic failure.”

What? Time’s already up? I only answered 70% of the questions on the test.

“Jude let’s go. Your professor said you’re done already.”

“Ok. Ok.”

I might as well not dwell over it. I already know I failed so it doesn’t matter.

I grab my backpack and leave the classroom. Fifi sat on my head like its the most natural thing.

“Fifi can you not sit on my hair in public.”

“Ehhh, ok.”

She complained a bit but eventually, she gave in. I’ve talked to her about this before but somethings she just forgets and sits on my hair anyway.

We were currently heading to the university’s gym to work out my body. Fifi demanded that I work out my body and magic if I want to become a hero. I still don’t really know what being a hero entails but I listen to Fifi anyways.

Going to the gym wasn’t rare for me but I used to go there less often. Before I met Fifi, I only went to the gym 2 times out of the entire week because of my heart condition. I couldn’t really push my body because I was scared of having a heart attack but lately it hasn’t been too bad. I hadn’t told Fifi of my heart condition yet but she could see that there was something wrong with my body.

She pushed me to train with magic and train my body because it’ll make me stronger. She said that the more I train, my body will increase in durability, my stamina will increase, my mana pool will grow, and even my intelligence could increase. She called this process gaining experience.

But repetitive action isn’t the only way to gain experience. Even doing actions like training a dog or flirting will gain you experience but the best way was to fight monsters. Fifi said that I’ll gain more experience from fighting monsters because in that situation I would be risking my life. Staking my life with a monster will cause my body to work at maximum power to survive and after the battle is over, everything will become stronger to adapt for future battles.

Since I survived my battle with the prison monster, that was probably why my heart problems haven’t been as bad lately.

“Hey, it’s Mako and Lisa.”

The two of them were also walking towards the gym. When I went to the gym on Monday and Tuesday, I had met the two of them. I even became acquainted with Lisa through Mako. Today was different though because both of them were wearing some kind of protective gear.

Lisa was wearing something you would see a motorcyclist would wear. It didn’t look cheap and the protection on the vitals looked durable. Mako, on the other hand, looked like she was ready to face a riot. The gear seemed heavy but very strong.

“Heyyy, Jude! Are you going to the gym right now? You want to join us?”

Lisa was a very energetic person and already treated me like a friend even though we only knew each other for two days. I wasn’t used to having an energetic person like Lisa around me so I don’t know how to act around her.

“Y-yeah, why are you guys all dressed up?”

“Heh, I wanted to fight Lisa without any restraints.”

“Try all you want but you won’t beat me, Mako.”

“I’m going to win today!!”

The two of them were very energetic people. All I could do was follow behind as we enter the gym. People were obviously staring at the way the two of them dressed but the two of them didn’t mind. They walked into the gym with swagger but they were stopped by the security guard.

“What are you doing, Lisa? Why are you all dressed up?”

“Don’t mind it, Richard. I’m just going to spar with my friend for a bit. We won’t cause you trouble.”

“Haah, you’re up to your antics again. Alright, since it’s you I’ll let you through.”

The guard seemed used to Lisa doing something like this. They seemed to be on friendly terms so the guard let Lisa passed through.

“Let’s go, Jude. You’re going to be the witness to our fight.”

“Ok.”

I was planning on going to run on the treadmills but Lisa wasn’t giving me the chance to run. She held me by the wrist and dragged me along. Her grip was incredibly strong so I didn’t resist her.

The gym at our university was pretty large compared to other places. On the first floor, there were courts for basketball or volleyball, workout machines, and rooms for sports like boxing or wrestling. The second floor had a pool, cardio machines, and various rooms for ballet and yoga.

The room we were heading towards was one of the wrestling rooms because the ground was padded. It wouldn’t hurt too much even if you were slammed onto the ground. We enter the room and we were the only ones here.

We lay our backpacks and bags on the side. I sit by my bags as I watch the two of them stretch their bodies. Lisa was on the ground stretching out her legs while Mako was tieing up her hair. She probably didn’t want her hair to get in the way of their fight so she tied it into a bun. Looking at the two of them, I felt that this was an unfair fight. Lisa was around 5 feet 4 inches while Mako was 5 feet 8 inches. Lisa’s body was also slimmer than Mako so the weight difference was also pretty big. I don’t know anything about fighting so I can’t tell who would win this fight.

“Hey, Fifi, who do you think will win?”

“Probably Lisa. Just from her demeanor, it looks like she has more experience than Mako. The difference of experience in actual battles will determine the victor.”

“Does experience also affect normal people the same way it affects me?”

“Of course. Every living being out there gain experience just by living. Those who train gain more experience than others. You’re a special case because of your hero’s blood. The benefits you can get from gaining experience is drastically noticeable. If it takes a person 10 years to build the perfect body then it’ll take you 5 years. That’s how powerful your hero’s blood is.”

“I see.”

“That’s why you should have these two girls train you. It’ll benefit you more than you know it.”

Can I really train with these two girls? They seem vastly stronger than I am. Would they really waste their time just to train a beginner?

The aura the two of them were emitting was somewhat terrifying. I’m just a bystander but the atmosphere in the air has changed.

They were both staring at each other while adjusting their gear. They pulled on their gloves and tightened any loose straps. Lisa and Mako were ready to fight.

Both of them were in their fightings stances and the first person to make a move was Lisa. Her armor was lighter than Mako’s so her speed wasn’t diminished. She quickly got into Mako’s space and aimed for her left leg. Lisa sent out a kick towards the knee area of Mako’s leg because it wasn’t as heavily guarded.

Mako raised her left leg to block and a loud boom echoed through the room as Lisa’s foot made contact. It was definitely a strong kick considering the sound it made.

Mako brought her leg down and aimed a right hook into Lisa’s sides. It missed because Lisa decided to jump back to avoid it. Lisa lost her initiative and Mako took this opportunity to charge towards her.

Mako’s charge looked awkward because her armor was large and stiff. It seemed that Mako wasn’t used to wearing it.

Lisa saw this weakness and aimed for Mako’s leg during her charge. Her body hunched down and her head was parallel to Mako’s thighs. She put strength into her legs and flew towards Mako’s left leg again.

Mako could see that Lisa was aiming for her left leg since it was her weaker leg but because Lisa’s head was at knee level, she decided to knee Lisa’s face. It would definitely hurt because of the padding on her knee.

But it didn’t work out as Mako had planned. Lisa wasn’t aiming for her left leg anymore, she was going for the right leg. It was too late for Mako to regret because she was now standing on one foot.

Lisa grabbed at Mako’s right leg with both arms before jerking it towards her. Mako was now off balance and falling to the ground. Mako’s head and back slammed into the ground but the battle wasn’t over yet. Lisa quickly got on top of Mako and began throwing punches at her face. It was the only spot that wasn’t heavily armored. Mako was being dominated and if she couldn’t get out from this position then she would lose.

Mako’s arms were brought up to protect her face but Lisa’s flurry of attacks was too many. She wasn’t able to block all of them. She had to take a risk or she was going to lose. Her armor was too stiff and didn’t allow her to roll back up.

Mako stopped using her right arm to block and Lisa’s punches continued. Lisa thought that Mako was on the verge of losing so her attacks lessened but she was wrong. Mako’s right hand which was wearing a glove with metal plating punched Lisa on the side of her stomach.

It dealt massive damage to Lisa as she lost her position on top of Mako. Mako didn’t miss this opportunity to push Lisa off.

Lisa fell on her back but unlike Mako, she was agile. She rolled backward and immediately got back on her two feet. At the same time, Mako still struggled to get up because of her armor. Mako was almost up but Lisa came in and kicked her back down.

Mako was pinned down again but this time it was even worse. She fell on her side and Lisa pounced at her in the blink of an eye. Her right arm was pinned in the ground by Lisa’s left knee, her left arm was being choked to death in between Lisa’s left arm and armpit, and she couldn’t adjust her position because Lisa’s right leg was positioned right behind her back. She had lost.

“I win!”

“Ahhh, I lost again!!”

“Your armor is way too clunky, Mako. You lost all mobility and was unable to adjust your positioning quick enough.”

“Yeah, I need to adjust my armor.”

The two of them continue to talk about each other's flaws and strong points. The battle had only lasted a few minutes but it was so intense.

Both of them were sweating intensely. Lisa had taken over her gloves and boots while also unzipping her suit partially down. Mako also took off her gloves, boots, and the top half of her armor. Underneath her armor, she was wearing a black Dri-FIT t-shirt.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

“Thanksies.”

I handed them their individual towels and water bottles. They wipe their sweat off but Mako also had blood. She had a small cut on her face from Lisa’s deadly assault.

These two women were vastly stronger than me. No matter how much I fight them I wouldn’t be able to win. Compared to them I lack everything: Stamina, strength, and reflexes.

“You want to join us, Jude? You’ve been staring quite hard.”

“Oh, no, sorry.”

“Hahaha, there’s no need to say sorry. If you want to join just ask.”

“No, I…”

I was about to reject Lisa’s offer but I hesitated. If I can gain experience through fighting then this would be a good opportunity but I don’t want to bother them. If they take their time to train an amateur like me then they won’t be able to grow. I’ll be the only person taking the experience from them without giving anything back.

But I have to get stronger.

“Yeah, I think I want to try learning how to fight.”

“How about that Mako? He says he wants to learn, how about you teach him, wink?”

I wonder why Lisa decided to say wink.

“If he wants to learn then I’ll teach him but I expect you to not give up mid-way through your training.”

Mako was glaring at me. I wonder if I did something to make her mad at me. Sometimes I feel like she’s unsatisfied with the way I am but sometimes she’s off in her own world not minding me at all. If I’m going to train under her then I’m not going to give up that easily.

“Yeah, I won’t quit halfway through.”

“Nice guts, Jude. Sorry to pop your lovey-dovey atmosphere but I’ll be taking Jude’s first time.

“Lovey-dovey!? Stop kidding Lisa.”

“Hehehe, you’re such a tsundere.”

Lisa was teasing Mako again. I’ve only known Lisa for a few days but I know that she loves teasing her friends.

“Good, then let’s spar, Jude.”

“But I don’t know how to fight.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just do whatever you can to avoid my attacks.”

Is this really fine? I don’t think I’ll have a chance at beating her at all? I’ve never even been in a real fight before, but If it’s just running away then maybe I’ll win.

I walk up and stand before Lisa. Mako had switched positions with me and she was now on the sidelines drinking water and talking with Fifi.

Wait, I can’t let myself get distracted. Lisa was willing to train me so I have to give her my full attention. Even though this girl in front of me was shorter and slimmer than me, it doesn’t mean that I’m not afraid of her. I was about the same height as Mako but the pressure coming off of Lisa made me feel small. Her entire presence was suffocating.

My heart was racing as I was about to fight Lisa. I take a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m ready.”

“Good, I’ll take the first move then.”

She’s fast, we were about 10 feet apart but she closed that distance in an instant. All I can do is retreat back.

“Keep your feet stable or this can happen.”

She sweeps at my legs and I fall onto my butt. She was going to straddle me like she straddled Mako. I can’t stay on the ground. I could see that Lisa was about to pounce on top of me but I roll to the side.

“Good instincts.”

Maybe its because she let me go but she didn’t get on top of me. I instantly try to get back up but she wasn’t giving me any time to breathe at all.

“You should be ready the moment you got up.”

My body was thrown backward as she tackled me onto the ground. She was on top and throwing punches at my face.

“Put your guard up.”

As instructed I bring my arms up and copy Mako’s actions when she was in this position. I position my arms to block my face.

“Don’t just protect your face. You have to try and escape.”

She punched my stomach and I try to wiggle out but I couldn’t. Her right leg was pinned on my left thigh. I struggle for a few more minutes until I lose all the energy in my body. It was barely a minute since the fight started and I had already lost.

My heart was throbbing in pain and I desperately try and catch my breath. My entire body was hot and I was sweating like I was in a sauna.

“I guess that’ll be all for today. You did pretty well for your first time.”

“T-thank you.”

Lisa gave me her hand and helped me off the ground. My first fight against a person was a loss but it was a good experience. It was a totally different experience from fighting the prison monster.

Comparing Lisa to the prison monster, she was definitely harder to fight than the prison monster, but a lot safer. Lisa was holding her punches back so my body doesn’t hurt as much. When fighting Lisa she didn’t give me any time to think at all. Every decision I made, I had to do it on the spot.

This was different from the fight with the prison monster because I had Fifi with me back then. Fifi gave instructions and I followed them without having to think much about how the monster would attack. Since I didn’t have Fifi’s experience level, I wasn’t able to make quick judgments during my fight with Lisa.

I still have a lot to learn.

“Good job.”

Mako throws my towel at me and I caught it. It seems that she wasn’t that mad at me anymore. The expression on her face was a little softer. Maybe it was because she saw me get dominated by Lisa that she feels better.

“Thank you.”

“Alright, let’s get going. Let’s go shower Mako, this suit made me way too sweaty.”

“Ok.”

I follow along as they head towards the girls’ locker room. I sit on the bench outside of the locker area and wait for them to come out. I wanted advice on how to improve myself.

“How was it, Jude?”

Fifi’s been quiet this entire time because Lisa doesn’t know that she exists. Now that we were alone she came out to ask me about my experience fighting with Lisa.

“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I thought I would be able to last longer because I survived the prison monster but I didn’t. If Lisa was really trying to kill me then I would have been dead in seconds.”

“Good, that’s how real battles are. That monster in the prison was stupid and enjoyed playing while killing so you were able to survive, but in real battles, your enemies won’t be that lenient. You still have a long way to go to become a hero.”

It’s been a week since I’ve met Fifi and my life has become a lot more fulfilling. Before meeting her I had been living life just to live but now I have a goal in my life. I don’t have a concrete vision of my goal but if Fifi wants me to be a hero then I’ll become a hero for her.

I check the weather on my phone and it seems that this entire week will be sunny besides the weekends. I had to buy a new phone because my phone was destroyed in the bus crash.

I went during the weekend and checked if the police station had the items I lost in the bus crash, and they did. I was overjoyed when I heard that but the only thing that was still safe was my wallet. My laptop had broken into two, my phone was shattered, and my backpack was shredded. My wallet was safe and that’s all that really matters. I don’t have to renew my ID or debit card.

“Dude, there’s a huge fight outside.”

“What?”

“There’s like people biting each other and stuff. It’s crazy.”

“Eww, let’s go see it.”

I could hear the sounds of commotion. People were heading out of the gym to look at what was happening outside.

“Did you wait long, Jude.”

Lisa suddenly appeared in front of me so I was a bit surprised. Her hair was still wet and the longer side of her hair swung towards the right. She was wearing a white tank top and black shorts while carrying a duffle bag. My face blushed as I could see her bra.

“Jude you pervert.”

Fifi pinched my earlobe but Lisa couldn’t see it.

“Um, Lisa your bra is visible.”

“Oh, it’s fine, it’s just a sports bra.”

“But don’t you have a boyfriend. He probably wouldn’t like you exposing yourself to another person.”

“Ahaha, what a cute kid.”

She rustled my hair. How could she call me a kid, I’m only two years younger than her.

“You’ll understand when you find someone you love. No matter what happens your heart will always be with them. Isn’t that right, Mako?”

Mako had exited the locker room and her hair was also still wet. Her hair was tied into a ponytail and I could see the water dripping down her neck. She was wearing black sweat pants and a black t-shirt that says “Don’t fear” in bright orange font with a cute tiger printed on the shirt.

“W-what are you talking about?”

She was flustered. I wonder if Mako found someone she loves. I hope I can find someone like that.

“Ehh, but just the other day you were talking about…”

“Don’t say anymore.”

Lisa laughed as Mako chased after her while trying to shut her mouth. I guess Mako wants to keep her love a secret. It’s fine, people have secrets they can’t tell others.

“Ok, ok, I give up. Let’s just go home.”

“Okie dokie.”

Lisa evaded all of Mako’s attacks so she just gave up. We were leaving the gym but we could see that a large crowd was gathered outside of the building. It must be the fight I heard from the people who passed by me. The doors opened up and I caught a familiar smell from the air. It was the smell of blood.

“Yo Johnny, what’s going on?”

“Oh, Lisa. A security guard is trying to break up a fight. There have been so many fights today and I heard that they all ended bloodily.”

“I don’t get how people find this entertaining. I find fighting in the ring way better.”

“Holy Shit!”

“AAaahhh!!!”

“Someone help me.”

“Get the fuck away from me.”

“Run!!!”

The crowd suddenly got really loud. People were screaming and the crowd was breaking up. Through the gaps between the people, I could see someone or something. The person’s mouth was bloodied and I could see a chunk of meat. The whites of his eyes were pitch black.

My heart was racing. This sensation was all too familiar to me, I was looking at a monster.

“Lisa where’s your car!?”

“It’s in parking structure 3. Why?”

The parking structure wasn’t that far but it also wasn’t close. We have to leave immediately.

“We have to run! It’s a monster!!”

I grab Lisa's and Mako’s wrist and try to pull them away. I don’t want them to die here. Mako was my friend and Lisa is an important person. I don’t know how to feel about her but if she died then I would feel sad.

I try and bring them with me but Mako didn’t budge. She was still staring at the scattering crowd.

“Lisa, let’s take down this monster and save these people.”

“Alright, let’s test our training.”

The two of them break out of my weak grip and run towards the monster. They don’t understand, you can’t beat a monster with human strength.