BXBX NOVEL Chapter 73 - The Tournament (5)
- Lunch Break -
After the Class B battles finished, it was time for lunch break. The audience was gone within minutes, all scrambling to be the first ones out. For what reason, I do not know. I took a deep breath and also stood up in preparation to leave once everyone else had left...
"Where we going, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, tugging on my sleeve.
...Except a certain four girls.
"Well...I\'m going to the cafeteria as usual," I replied exasperatedly. "You girls can do as you please."
The girls stared at me first, then at each other. After a while, they all sighed.
"Welp, can\'t help it then," Feng Mian said with a light shrug.
Yu An Yan sighed. "Yep."
Qing Yue yawned cutely. "Just what I\'d expect from Big Brother Xuan Kai..."
Even Yu An Xue nodded in agreement.
"...?" I was confused, and raised an eyebrow to show that.
But before they could explain, I sensed someone coming up behind me, and turned around immediately.
"Hm...good reflexes," the man with glasses before me mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
I sighed and relaxed. "What do you want, Mr. Wang?"
Our class teacher laughed awkwardly. "Ahaha...well, you see, about the team names..."
Ohhh. So he caught me looking at him earlier when Song Qian Long announced the first set of teams. I still can\'t believe he forgot to tell us to come up with a team name, but then again, it wasn\'t really anything important, so...
I shrugged. "They aren\'t important. All they\'ll be used for is announcing our identities as a whole. It won\'t improve our strength or anything."
Mr. Wang scratched his cheek anxiously. "Well, that may be so...but Mr. Song gave me a call just now, asking why no Class-D team has a name..."
That sly old bastard. I bet he just wanted to hear what kind of name I would come up with for our team...
"So, you want us to, like, think of a name on the spot?" Qing Yue asked.
Mr. Wang looked apologetic and bowed his head down slightly. "Yes...it was irresponsible of me, as a teacher, to fail in informing my students of this task beforehand. Apologies."
I shook my head. "Er...to be honest, even if you had told us beforehand, I probably would\'ve forgotten, since this isn\'t anything significant..."
"Yep, I can back up that statement," Yu An Yan agreed with an exasperated sigh. "Xuan Kai has a bad habit of only remembering the things crucial to him."
Feng Mian and Yu An Xue nodded as well.
I spoke up to defend myself. "Uh, why is it that all of you agreed immediately when it came to something bad about me? C\'mon, this is the time for some more controversy, y\'know? Some more defending and arguing...some more...no? O-Okay."
After getting stared at with uncomfortable gazes, I trailed off and gave up on the idea of defending myself. Arguing with girls was hopeless.
"A-Ahem...c-can we move back to the original topic?" Mr. Wang interjected, eager to steer the conversation back on course.
"Ah...right. Sorry," I replied to him. Then, turning back to the girls, I continued. "So...team name. What do you guys think?"
The four of them looked at me like, \'why are you asking us? You\'re the team leader\'.
"I-I just wanted to hear some of your opinions..." I said meekly, and took a deep breath.
Team names weren\'t that important, I told myself. There was no need to exert too much effort for this - just think of a random name you\'ve heard somewhere else...
"Okay...fine," I began, as multiple viable team names began popping up in my head. "How about...The Shadow Walkers?"
Cue the dubious gazes.
Cue to uncomfortable silence.
"...Uh-" I opened my mouth to ask what the problem was, but was quickly interrupted.
"H-Hold on. I didn\'t realize you were so bad at thinking of names," Feng Mian said with her eyes closed, probably tired from staring at me for so long. She also had her hand out in a \'stop\' gesture...
Meanwhile, Yu An Yan was laughing while wiping away tears. "Ahahaha! What the heck?! What kind of name is \'The Shadow Walkers?!!\' Oh man, I\'m dying!"
Qing Yue also looked exasperated. "Big Brother Xuan Kai...I\'m not letting you name our kids in the future..." she spoke quietly.
"Huh? W-Wait, our kids?" I asked, picking up on something I probably shouldn\'t have.
"Nevermind..." Qing Yue averted her gaze.
"Uh, okay..."
So the three of them were all disappointed in my inability to name things. I looked to Yu An Xue as a last resort, but even she shook her head sadly when I did so.
"...Was the name really that bad?" I murmured to myself, and looked at Mr. Wang.
...His eyes said \'yes, it was\'.
I racked my brain for any more ideas, not ready to give up, and blurted them out whenever a new one came to my mind.
"Er...how about Nightravens?"
"No." Immediately rejected by Feng Mian, huh?
"Uh...Angels of Death?"
"Nah."
"...The Avengers?"
"Definitely not!"
"Ngh..." I groaned in despair. Why were all of my well-thought and creative names rejected by these four girls?! I carefully looked at each one of them, and then down at myself. They were wearing the beautiful white school uniform and skirt for girls, while I was wearing a pitch black hoodie with jeans. White uniform, black hoodie...white...black...
"Oh, I got it!" I exclaimed in genuine joy, and pounded my fist into my palm.
"Hm?" the girls all looked at me with genuine anticipation.
I took a genuine deep breath, and told them the name I had came up with after very careful observing and thinking.
"Behold: 4 Girls in White & 1 Boy in Black!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
As I thought, the name was so good, it left everyone speechless.
"...Just so you know, we aren\'t talking, not because the name was good," Feng Mian.
Huh? Then-
"AHAHAHAHA!" Yu An Yan burst into laughter. "Okay, okay...I\'m good...you never fail to amuse me, Xuan Kai."
Qing Yue made a huge, dramatic facepalm. "Big Brother Xuan Kai...I think I\'ll have to give you a lesson on naming things. Properly."
"Wait, what? Was that name also no good?" I asked, confused.
"Mm...it was...bad," Yu An Xue concluded, and pierced my heart with those words. The brilliant name I came up with, one that portrayed us perfectly...was bad, you say?! Then what is a team name supposed to be like?! Is it not supposed to depict yourselves?!
Yu An Yan sighed, having calmed down now. "An Xue, it\'s useless explaining to him. He\'s hopeless."
"Yeah," Feng Mian agreed. "More importantly, let\'s focus on coming up with an actual good name for now. Got any ideas?"
Hey now...once again, why are you all so quick to agree with each other whenever one of my weaknesses are brought up?
"Hm...how about The Holy Cavaliers?" Qing Yue suggested.
The Holy Cavaliers? Hm...not a bad name, I suppose.
"It\'s an option, but doesn\'t it sound a bit too...grand and formal?" Feng Mian laughed awkwardly. Not being from one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, it was understandable she felt this name was a bit too \'royal-like\'. Even I felt a bit conflicted.
"Then, what about The Crystalline Fairies?" Yu An Yan proposed. "A little girly, but I\'m sure Xuan Kai wouldn\'t mind, with his nonexistent comprehension skills."
...Weak comprehension skills? Well. Maybe she\'s not wrong, but at least I could tell she was dissing me just now? And right in front of me, no less.
Feng Mian scratched her head. "The Crystalline Fairies, huh...it\'s a pretty name, sure, but doesn\'t that sound...kind of weak?"
"Oh, now that I think about it, you\'re right," Yu An Yan nodded while looking at the ceiling as she continued brainstorming.
"Um..." a tiny, almost inaudible voice began.
"Yu An Xue, you have an idea?" Qing Yue asked, hearing her since she was the closest. "Don\'t be scared, there\'s no way your suggestions can be worse than Big Brother Xuan Kai\'s, after all."
...Was it really necessary to insult me there, Qing Yue?
Yu An Xue nodded at Qing Yue\'s encouragement. "Mm...okay. I was thinking...maybe we could be called...The Chaotic Tranquility?"
"Huh...? The Chaotic...Tranquility?" Feng Mian raised an eyebrow. "That doesn\'t make much sense..."
"No, that\'s actually really clever, Yu An Xue," Qing Yue defended.
"How so?" Yu An Yan asked. Even her own sister didn\'t seem to understand...
Qing Yue sighed, and began explaining Yu an Xue\'s thought process for her. "The Chaotic Tranquility - on the surface, it certainly doesn\'t make any sense. Chaos and tranquility don\'t work well together. However...it is exactly that characteristic that made Yu An Xue choose this name, correct?" she looked at the original founder of this name for confirmation.
Yu An Xue nodded, strengthening Qing Yue\'s argument. She appeared pleased that someone else understood her.
"I still don\'t quite understand..." Feng Mian murmured. Yu An Yan looked similarly puzzled.
"Just wait, I\'m not done," Qing Yue explained. "This irony, this conflict, this paradox that shouldn\'t exist - isn\'t that exactly what Big Brother Xuan Kai, and the rest of us are?"
I pondered about what she said. A paradox that should not exist. Indeed, I matched that description perfectly. I was originally born without any magic, and destined to be weak for my entire life, living as nothing more but a punching bag for others. But ironically, I was now more powerful than any of the people who had once looked down on me. I was the product of a sudden awakening at the age of 14, with a unique power different from everyone else, residing within me.
Such a case has never been heard of before, and the answer was simple - it shouldn\'t have happened in the first place. I was an existence that defied fate, acted against the laws of nature, and bent the rules of this universe.
If we look at our team as a whole, the same applies. I, a talentless waste, was on the same team as the top four beauties of Shenzhen, and of their own will, no less? That was something that shouldn\'t have happened. The current friendly relationship I have with the four of them shouldn\'t exist.
I spoke my opinion once I thought this through. "...I like this name."
Feng Mian and Yu An Yan soon followed.
"Yeah...after that explanation, everything becomes clear," Feng Mian said as she closed her eyes to rest them.
"An Xue, I never knew you had such a knack for coming up with good names!" Yu An Yan complimented her sister.
"Agreed. Good job, Yu An Xue. With this, our problem is solved," I said with a smile.
"Mm..." Yu An Xue blushed slightly and went back to being her quiet self.
"I take it you have settled on your name, then?" Mr. Wang, who had been listening in to the conversation this entire time, said once our discussion was over.
I faced him, and answered.
"Yes. We will be known as...The Chaotic Tranquility."
*****
- The Cafeteria -
After we gave our team name to Mr. Wang, we headed to the cafeteria while our teacher went off to find the other teams of our class (to get their team names, obviously. Looks like somebody won\'t be eating lunch today...).
Well, to be more precise, I headed to the cafeteria, the girls just followed me for some reason. They could eat at a luxury restaurant outside easily...but if I had to be honest, them staying with me was the correct decision - this allowed us some private time to talk.
We sat down at a table in the corner of the large school cafeteria, and began discussing what we gathered from watching the fights so far as we ate.
"As I thought, Ming Hao is still our number one priority, huh?" I said after getting confirmation from the girls.
Feng Mian nodded. "I also found his actions odd during their battle against The Black Knights."
"Well, he didn\'t really make any \'actions\', per se..." Yu An Yan added.
"Yeah, that\'s the mysterious part," Qing Yue rested her chin on her hand as she brought a spoonful of rice into her mouth.
I wasn\'t particularly hungry, so I didn\'t even touch my food one bit, and instead focused on all the information I had currently.
"Seeing as how his profile on the Magus Rankings app was also very discreet, my guess is that he doesn\'t want to show his strength to any watchful eyes - like us - before it is necessary to do so," I explained my thoughts.
"That\'s certainly a possibility," Feng Mian agreed.
"Uh, what about Xuan Kun?" Yu An Yan asked me. "Ming Hao is the most mysterious one right now and has the most unknowns, but in my opinion Xuan Kun is definitely the most dangerous to us."
I clenched my fists. "You\'re right. You\'re right, but...he won\'t be a problem."
Qing Yue picked up on my absolute tone. "Oh? Big Brother Xuan Kai, do you have a plan in mind?"
Normally, I would never say such things with 100% certainty. Instead, I would use the words \'probably\' or \'perhaps\'. But this time...
I shook my head. "An exact plan? No..."
The girls all looked at me with puzzled expressions. I smiled reassuringly.
"...But he WILL be defeated," I stated confidently. "...I will defeat him."