Souta heard someone called his name. He looked over and saw a man with huge build. He has short brown hair and sky blue eyes. He was Brando Hylott from the Shield Class 1-A.
"Oh? Brando! How are you?" Souta greeted Brando with a smile.
"Iâm fine. How about you?" Brando replied as he walked towards Souta. He noticed that Souta was with Bryan, Lumilia, and a little girl.
"Iâm fine," Souta said and he turned his attention to the salesman. He received the paper bag that contained the strawberry cakes.
Brando had many bruises in his body. After all, Souta defeated him before in the special test.
"Hello, Bryan and Asvares." Brando greeted Bryan and Lumilia then he looked at the little girl with long green hair. He wondered whoâs this little girl.
Cl.u.s.ter hid behind Lumilia and carefully looked at Brando. Since she didnât know him, she was shy and wary at the same time.
Bryan smiled at this and said, "Sheâs Cl.u.s.ter. Weâre taking care of her."
"I see..." Brando nodded his head in understanding.
Souta who finished buying the strawberry cakes joined the conversation. "Howâs your injury?" He asked Brando.
Brando looked at the bruises on his body before he replied, "Itâs okay, the healers from the Institute healed most of the heavy injuries in my body leaving only the bruises."
"Thatâs great," Souta said.
"Do you have something to do?" Bryan asked Brando.
"Nothing, why?" Brando replied to him as he slightly tilted his head.
"Then, do you want to join us? Actually, weâre going to Soutaâs house." Bryan asked Brando even though it wasnât his house.
Brando looked at Souta and asked, "Is that okay?"
Souta pondered and thought that thereâs no harm if Brando was going to join them. He looked at Lumilia and asked, "Is that fine with you?"
"Itâs okay, itâs your house after all," Lumilia replied to him as she patted Cl.u.s.terâs head.
"You heard her," Souta said as he shrugged his shoulder.
"Thanks, then I will take your offer." Brando thanked them with a smile.
Lumilia looked at Brando and never thought that Souta and Bryan were his friends. He wasnât surprised that Brando was Bryanâs friend because most of their classmates were Bryanâs friend, but what surprised him was Souta. In the class, Souta would only talk to a few individuals and itâs pretty rare if he would talk to someone else besides Alice and Bryan.
Itâs already rare that Souta would talk to someone in their class, then what about the other classes.
Souta and Bryan knew Brando well. Back in the ranking battles, Bryan challenged Brando a lot as Brando defeated him in the mini-tournament before. While Brando challenged Souta in the battle for the same reason.
Ever since then, the three of them became close and always talked when they met each other.
Souta and the group went to the best shop to buy some fruits and honey for Yuko. He wouldnât forget something important.
"Honestly, I got scared when Souta appeared in my classâ campsite," Brando said with a sighed. He knew from the ranking battles that Souta was many times stronger than him, thatâs why he trained harder for the past months.
He wasnât prepared to fight Souta in the special test, so heâs planning to avoid their class at all cost, but who would have thought that Souta was going to appear in front of their campsite.
"Haha, thatâs nothing." Souta laughed lightly.
"Itâs okay if it was only Bryan but you Souta... It was a different matter." Brando sighed helplessly as his shoulder dropped down. He wanted to get stronger not just for himself but for his class too. A lot of people were ridiculing his class saying that they were not fitted to become a class 1-A. Their class was the weakest among all of class A in the Institute.
"Ha, so youâre telling me that you can handle me," Bryan said as he smiled deviously.
"Of course, if itâs you I still have a chance." Brando didnât back down.
"Haha, then letâs fight and see if you can do it." Bryan laughed.
"Stop it, you two. Both of you know that you canât win against me." Souta said as he walked between them.
Lumilia just simply listened to their conversation. Cl.u.s.ter was sticking close to her as thereâs a new face in their group.
Suddenly, Souta stopped walking as he felt the presence of someone following him.
"Hmm...?" Souta quietly looked around his surroundings. He tried to guess whoâs following him.
"Whatâs wrong, Souta?" Lumilia asked him when he suddenly stopped walking.
Bryan and Brando too looked at him with a questioning gaze.
Souta looked at them and he took a deep breath. He slowly opened his mouth and said, "Donât be surprised about what Iâm going to say."
Lumilia, Bryan, and Brando nodded at him. They noticed his serious expression, so they thought that whatâs his going to say next was important.
"Follow me, Iâll tell you while walking," Souta said in a low voice and he started to walk.
Lumilia held Cl.u.s.ter in her arms as she followed Souta closely.
Bryan and Brando followed him closely so that they could hear what heâs going to say.
After a few moments, Souta opened his mouth and said in a low voice. "Someone is following us."
Lumilia frowned when she heard his words. She looked down at Cl.u.s.ter with a worried expression. She then asked, "How many?"
"Five or more," Souta said to them.
"Hmm... That many people are following us but I still couldnât notice them. It means that they have some skills. I want to fight them." Bryan commented and grinned widely.
"I felt that they are powerful. With skill like this, I think you wouldnât stand a chance against them." Souta said.
"Is this true, Souta?" Brando asked from the side.
"Yeah, I think it would be good if you go now," Souta said to Brando.
"I will stay here. Iâll gladly help a fellow schoolmate of mine." Brando replied to Souta.
"Oh? Then, thanks." Souta was surprised at Brandoâs words. To think that Brando would choose to stay here despite knowing that someone was following them.
It seems that he needed to place Brando in the bracket of a good guy.
"Letâs go here." Souta went inside the restaurant. He thought that if he went inside the place where a lot of people stay those people wouldnât show themselves. Also, if someone went inside this place, Souta would be able to mark them and remember their face.
Lumilia, Cl.u.s.ter, Bryan, and Brando just nodded their head and followed Souta with asking any questions.
Souta was the strongest among them and he knew how to handle this kind of situation, so they followed him like a leader. Also, Lumilia and Bryan would follow him and know that he wouldnât bring them any harm from their experience in the Desolate Forest.
Soutaâs group went to the second floor of the restaurant and there they sat in the vacant table. No one said anything and they sat silently sat in their seat.
Souta rubbed his chin and he looked outside the window. He wondered why someone was following them and he wanted to know whatâs their purpose.
He couldnât clearly determine their number as some of them were quite skilled in stealth. If not for his good intuition, he wouldnât be able to notice that someone was following him.
If these people were following them then they clearly have a target. Souta guessed that it was Cl.u.s.ter. He thought that the people who were after Cl.u.s.ter found her. Itâs not that surprising as Souta didnât bother himself in disguising her.
It was only a possibility. He wasnât sure if sheâs really the target. Thereâs only one thing that he was sure and thatâs these people were quite strong.
Souta noticed that something was wrong. Thereâs no waiter that ask them about their order even when they were just sitting here for a while now.
He turned around and saw two people wearing black cloaks in front of them.
Bryan and Brando immediately stood up and put up their guard when they saw this.
A commotion started, so the people in the other tables turned their heads to watched them. They all looked at the two people wearing black cloaks and Soutaâs group who were facing them.
Souta was still sitting in the chair while observing the two people. The person on the right side was grinning and his presence wasnât that much, but the problem was the person on the left side. The person on the left side doesnât have any presence at all.
If Souta werenât going to focus his senses then he would be able to sense the manâs mana.
âThis man could hide his mana this well. Compare to the other one this one is more dangerous.â Souta thought and he focused his eyes on that person.
Then, the person on the right side lifted up his hands. He pulled down his hood and revealed his face to the rest.
Souta saw the manâs face and was surprised. He smiled and said, "I should have killed you at that time. Well, I wonât let you go this time."
He suddenly pulled out the [Vajra Sword Saya] on his waist and used [Crimson Moon] skill immediately.
Swoosh!!