Oda found himself outside the imposing Castle Phantasm, just before the bridge that allowed free passage to the structure. More than just for mere sightseeing, Oda was here with purpose today, thinking back to what had happened yesterday with an embarrassed expression, wondering what his life was. Really, why was he like this?

He'd accidentally bumped into a girl the day prior while chasing a criminal. The runaway perp had fled from sight, but he could at least make sure that the girl was alright. After getting a good look at her, making eye contact, he had become a stuttering mess while asking if she was unharmed. Noting her attire as an adventurer and asking her about her profession, he would mix and mingle his words, tongue-tied like a blabbering drunk. Ultimately, he would squeak out, "I'm an adventurer too, and a mage, and a Rune Knight, so we should train together some time...!"

...

In truth, the boy was trying to lean it in the direction of a date, but his tiny teenage boy brain hadn't evolved far enough to unlock the ability to say that just yet. Oda had heard about those guys called "pick-up artists" that specialized in these sorts of situations... so perhaps what the Page actually needed was to find those gentlemen and ask them for advice?

Yeah. Yeah, that would be good for next time, right? But for now..., Oda thought, trailing off and sighing at what he'd gotten himself into.

They were about the same age, Oda figured, so going with that, perhaps he could look cool and strong as a knight in front of a girl he found pretty? He didn't get the chance to look that way often, so maybe this would be the time. With a tension in his heart, the squire waited on the outskirts of Castle Phantasm outside by the bridge, waiting for the girl to arrive for their sparring match.

---

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Winter:

Rinni wasn't expecting much today. She figured she had had enough excitement in the last few days to last her a lifetime. Between Penumbral Guard's fall and her chance meeting with Gunter not to mention her reunion with Lucian... just about all that was left for her was to find Ko and meet up with Masado so as to update her brother on everything she had discovered regarding their old guild. As she walked across the bridge, Winter rode across her shoulders looking like a white fluffy scarf. As with everything else since her return to Fiore, another unexpected incident occurred as a young boy around her own age crashed into her knocking her to the ground; he had been chasing a man that shoved her precariously out of his way almost knocking her off the bridge.

To her surprise, the boy was more concerned with making sure she was okay than he was on catching the criminal he had previously been chasing. The boy awkwardly apologized and introduced himself as he attempted a very clumsy amount of communication. That worked out fine, as when Rinni stood up and turned to see the boy who had knocked her down, her cheeks flushed pink. He was actually kinda cute. Her heart skipped a beat and she had to remind herself she still had a boyfriend... technically... kind of... out there... somewhere...

She sighed a bit then shook her head and managed to introduce herself in a bit of a timid tone as the white fox on her shoulders quietly watched them. A particular scent reached her nose and she could tell immediately the boy wasn't fully human. But she hadn't met many elves so she didn't quite recognize the scent. It wasn't that she couldn't talk for herself, but she was shyer than Rinni toward meeting strangers. The boy then proceeded to make an odd request that she hadn't received since her match with Jan Ren.

I'm an adventurer too, and a mage, and a Rune Knight, so we should train together some time...!

"Oh, that... that sounds fun! I'm a Ranger... and umm my brother is a Rune Knight too! I'd love to train with you... meet you back here tomorrow?"

____________________

"Ooooh... your first date since Ko left you! This is so exciting!" The small Snow Vulpix squealed in her adorable child voice.

"It's not a date!" Rinni protested, lifting the creature from her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. She was way too adorable to stay mad at, though Rinni tried her best to put on a fake angry face. It turned out more like a cute pout. "Besides, Ko didn't leave me. He'll be back. I'm... I'm sure he will..."

As she walked across the bridge she spotted Oda waited for her and waved to him as Winter trailed behind her legs peeking out shyly. As she neared the boy, she blushed again upon looking at his attractive face. She attempted to greet him, but her voice started as a nervous squeak. She cleared her throat lightly and decided to try that again. "Hi... Oda, right? Are you ready?" She appeared to be unarmed. The only thing visible being an odd ring on her finger. Her outfit was plain street clothes intended with winter warmth in mind.

Before he could ask about her gear, she activated her Pocket Dimension Ring and geared herself up with her bow, quiver, and full armor set. The boy didn't look very strong. She wondered if maybe she should go easy on him. After all, she didn't wish to accidentally hurt him. However, she wasn't even sure what his magic was yet. Hmm... this would be interesting. She stepped back 10 meters and allowed him the opportunity of a first move, Winter standing by herself prepared to go.

[WC: 555/7,500 Weapon Master Training]

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Daystra:

---

Oda blushed when he saw her. This was his big chance, his attempt at turning from a boy into a man! Legends speak of the fabled line, "Dude, be cool, girls are watching!", and that was exactly what Oda channeled through his body now. He stood confident, chest out, eyes firmly ahead towards the girl before him... and had a slight lip quiver, as if nervous. He hadn't really fought many experienced combatants before, especially without his fellow knights, so the thought of engaging somebody alone almost caused his knees to buckle.

Before the boy could ask about her gear, she had equipped it already, materializing it from nowhere. He looked on in awe, seeing her in a full set of gear meant for archery, complete with a bow, as nature intended. "Whoa! Is that Requip Magic, or...?", the boy would start, impressed with a wide grin to wash away his anxiety, and trail off after realizing that this was not the time to ask those sorts of questions.

The squire would quickly return to his more concerned expression after taking in the fact that she was fully geared. On his end, he wore his casual outfit of a black long sleeve shirt and red leather pants. He wouldn't dare wear his Rune Knight outfit for something so casual, nor would he want to if he suffered the humiliation of a quick defeat here...

"R-Rinni, right? Um... yes, I'm ready!", Oda would squeak out as he held out his right hand, a magic circle appearing in front of him 1 meter ahead just as they had mutually agreed that the fight had begun, Rinni 10 meters away. "Daystra!", he would shout. "P-Please don't hold a grudge... forgive me...", the boy would mutter as his protector appeared.

A little girl in a cloak, 3'0" in height, stood a meter in front of Oda, 9 meters away from Rinni. She would immediately lock eyes with the archer girl with a spiteful glare. "Don't you dare flirt with the summoner, hag!", the summoned spirit known as Daystra would blurt out.

With that, Daystra would lunge forward to be 5 meters away from Oda and 5 meters away from Rinni, of which this movement would take a little less than a second by lunging at 7.5 m/s. Then, at the end of her lunge, she would hold both of her hands facing towards the archer girl. A green beam with a diameter of 0.25 meters would shoot forward towards Rinni, aiming for her head.

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"Oh, no. I can't use magic myself. It's my ring's magic."

Once the awkward teen pleasantries were aside, Rinni watched as Oda held out his hand and a magic circle appeared in front of him. She wondered with curiosity what kind of magic he had. The last Mage she battled used some sort of water magic. She noticed the magic circle was on the ground. Was it a defensive spell? Or was he summoning something? As she watched, she realized he was a summoning Mage as a short girl rose out of the magic circle. She was so cute!

Don't you dare flirt with the summoner, hag!

Okay... so she wasn't as cute as I thought.

"Who are you calling a hag, pipsqueak?" A very annoyed Rinni retorted as she readied her bow, aiming an arrow toward the small girl. Before she could release the string, however, she noticed the summon was making the first move as Daystra lunged forward and aimed a spell toward the Ranger's head. Her lunge speed was pathetic. Time to teach this jealous little girl a lesson.

Rinni lowered her bow and lunged to the left moving at 15 m/s and easily dodging the spell. She was fast. Way faster than Oda most likely anticipated. She obviously had some experience behind her as she didn't even break a sweat between point a and point b. Once she moved, she aimed her bow once more at Daystra, this time releasing an arrow at the sprite.

As all this happened, Winter opened her mouth and released a 2-meter wide sheet of ice across the ground 5 meters ahead of herself. "Take this!" The small white fox shouted as she launched her spell. If Oda or Daystra were to step on that ice, they had a chance of slipping and falling. That would play to her favor, she smirked as she awaited their next move. That is if Daystra survived the arrow which would chase her until it hit its mark.

[WC 861/7,500]

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Mr. Madds:

---

"This is bad.", Daystra would state simply, attempting to sidestep the arrow moving at incredible speeds, before succumbing to its piercing sting after it continued to follow her. In a single hit, Daystra had vanished into a cloud of light, returning once more where she came from with a pained yet annoyed look plastered on her face before disappearing. Meanwhile, Oda was in awe, and could barely keep his eyes on the archer. However, while focusing on her and trying to move to re-position himself and defend against her next attack, Oda found himself slipping on a sheet of ice that he'd been too late to register in his peripheral.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!", he would cry out as he slipped flat onto his back. Just as he fell, however, he stuck out his hand and shouted "Mr. Madds!". As he did so, a yellow cat-like blob of a creature would appear a meter in front of Oda, standing between him and Rinni. Mr. Madds would stay within a meter of Oda and looking at Rinni's bow, waiting for the first shot to be fired and reacted to.

Meanwhile, Oda would be stumbling to his feet while blushing like a tomato, his heart racing with embarrassment. How was she so strong? With her speed and precision, he felt like he was being treated like a kid here. "H-Hey, I don't appreciate being held back on! If we're going to do this, then we shouldn't be going easy! I'm not that weak!", he blurted out, his knees nearly quaking and his face beet red and anxious like a rabbit caught by a wolf.

The squire would raise his hand towards Mr. Madds and a ring of leaves and roots would be conjured forth to protect Mr. Madds from the first arrow that Rinni shoots towards him. Meanwhile, Oda would also be alternating his focus between Rinni and her Snow Vulpix. If either got in melee he'd be in trouble, so he made sure to keep his attention alternating between each of them to avoid a humiliating ice slip trap next time.

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Rinni grinned in satisfaction as the annoying little Daystra vanished. She and Winter then burst into uncontrollable laughter, the girl clutching her stomach as the fox rolled around on her back, as Oda slipped and fell mid-summon of his next protector. Their laughter seemed to embarrass him as he was as red as a beet from what the girls could tell. His next summon appeared to be some kind of cat. It didn't seem to talk like the last one, which meant no annoying remarks to listen to. Rinni watched as some sort of magical vines covered the yellow blob known as Mr. Madds. A protection spell? The girl shrugged, holding her position at about 20 meters from where he repositioned, 19 meters from Mr. Madds.

She readied her bow, drawing back the string as another arrow materialized. She then paused as she heard his request. He was actually telling her to quit going easy on him. She shared a look with Winter, both appearing surprised and confused. "So we're going all out, Rinni?"

"It seems so, Winter. After all. It's what he wants." She could smell the fear on him, and heard the shakiness in his voice. She looked up at the boy and shook her head smiling at him with an innocent look that implied no ill intent. It was true. She didn't want to harm this boy. But, he wanted her to play rough. So...

"Let's play rough." "Let's play rough."

Rinni drew back her bowstring as Winter lunged toward Oda, ignoring Mr. Madds completely. Rinni bit her lower lip as she took aim at Mr. Madds and then released the arrow. It flew true straight toward its target, as Winter opened her mouth inhaling deeply and exhaling a blast of freezing air upon Oda and Mr. Madds if he was in the area of the blast.

[WC 1,149/7,500 Weapon Mastery]

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Oda would lunge backwards away from Winter once he noticed the Snow Vulpix pursuing him; though considering his lunge distance of 5 meters, he was unable to avoid the creature's cold breath, which stung him with biting cold for C-rank damage. He would continue to be too slow to move further away in time, and was too exhausted to catch his breath and attempt another lunge. Mr. Madds, meanwhile, was obliterated as if burned by a thousand suns, fading into glitter but hoping that he had done his job adequately. In Oda's mind, he had completely and utterly failed.

The knight would think for a second about how to stop Winter from continuing her breathy assault. Oh no..., he would think, realizing that fighting Rinni did indeed also mean fighting this Snow Vulpix. This adorable, tiny, cuddly little ball of fluff. Thus, even as the baby ice-breather gave him the worst frostbite known to man, he couldn't bring himself emotionally to attack her or kick her away. "I'm s-s-s-sorry, but would you be able to stop that?! I'm f-freezing, and I can't hit you!", Oda admitted aloud as he backed up and away, keeping an arm raised towards Rinni in his peripheral as he once again shouted, "Daystra!"

At that, 5 meters away from Oda and Winter, and 20 meters away from Rinni, the familiar cloaked spirit girl would appear once again. Knowing that she couldn't get in range of Rinni at the moment, though, she turned her attention off to Winter, holding out her hands to fire another beam of green energy towards the Snow Vulpix. "I won't be forced back THAT easily!", the girl would shout with rage, aiming the beam towards Winter's head.

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Well, that was easier than she had hoped for, she had thought as Mr. Madds faded away into nothingness. Winter held her ground, breathing her icy breath upon Oda, trying to assist Rinni as best she could. Rinni blushed a bit when Oda asked the fox to stop, admitting he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. That was actually kind of sweet. She'd have to talk to him after their match. Just then, he summoned Daystra back into the fight. And she didn't seem to hold the same weak spot for cute fluffy creatures as he did!

"Winter! Watch out!" Rinni shouted. The small fox turned her head toward Daystra, her blue eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"

There were approximately 20 meters between herself and that of Daystra and Winter. She could fire her bow, but the spell would reach the fox before her arrow reached the summon. Rinni ran toward them moving at 10 m/s, and once she was close enough she covered the remaining distance with a lunge of 15 m/s, placing herself between Winter and Daystra! Because the spell was aimed at the fox's head, the beam succeeded in hitting the girl's leg instead as she protected her little companion. Rinni, however, barely felt the spell at all.

"Don't you dare come near Winter, you spoiled little brat!"

Rinni aimed her bow at Daystra, and fired another arrow this time aiming for the summon's head. She knew she was going a bit too far, but she was pissed at this thing's gull to try to harm a baby animal. Besides, she was a spirit, right? So it wasn't like she was actually killing a little girl. She did kind of feel bad still, though as the summon looked so young and cute. But she wasn't about to throw the fight. After all, Oda had insisted they not go easy on him.

As Rinni took care of Daystra, yet again... Winter canceled her spell and lunged at Oda in an attempt to tackle him. If she hits, her head would slam into his lower region just above his family jewels.

[WC 1,471/7,500 Weapon Mastery Training]

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With Winter persisting, Oda still wanted to maintain his "no hitting" policy on cute little animals, so he'd try to endure the best he could. Just before Winter lunged forward at him, Oda held out his hand once more. In between the two, the Protection Charm spell would form once again, a wreath of magical leaves halting Winter's assault. As the Snow Vulpix would deal C-rank damage with its physical attacks and the spell would defend against C-rank damage, the barrier would break but Winter would be stopped in her tracks as a result. Oda would let out a beaming smile at this, avoiding a fatal nut shot. He would still have kids one day, thankfully. That much, even if he was now screwed regardless, was still a saving grace.

Meanwhile, Daystra would have vanished once again, making a "tch" noise with her mouth upon realizing that even if her spell hit, these opponents were too durable to care. "This battle is a lost cause, summoner. You were an idiot for fighting it, summoner. Please never reproduce, summoner.", Daystra would state in a lackadaisical way before vanishing once more back to her own realm, a chilling and spiteful gaze now fixed on Oda. "N-No way, I won't lose here!", the squire would respond defiantly to his vanished summon.

Oda would attempt to move backwards with a serious yet concerned expression, trying to get distance from his two opponents, and raise out a hand towards them, shouting "Mr. Madds!", and appearing 1 meter in front of Oda and facing towards Rinni and Winter was the familiar yellow cat-blob once again. With a puzzled expression as if questioning his re-summoning, Mr. Madds settled into a combat stance, his eyes narrowed and his posture lowered as if he'd entered into a boxing ring. The kid gloves were coming off for this god of destruction. Meanwhile, the squire summoner would focus on Rinni, almost getting lost in her eyes if they would make eye contact but otherwise trying to focus on staying alive here.

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"Seriously? This again? You're not going to win, Oda. I'm obviously stronger than you."

He had to be low on magic at this point. He has been summoning rapidly in a desperate attempt to defeat her. She had nearly full mana and wasn't even scratched. Meanwhile, she was fully capable of destroying his summons in one shot every time. Winter bounced back and shook her head as she was deflected by his defensive charm. But if that charm was his only defense, she could end this pretty quickly by aiming her most powerful shot at him. She was pretty sure that wreathe wasn't strong enough to block her arrows at full power; as shown when she shot through the wreathe moments ago and took out Mr. Madds.

And now Mr. Madds was back for round two. Rinni sighed and rubbed her temples. Was this boy trying to impress her or something? He insisted he wasn't going to lose like this... but stubborn pride did not equal victory. Her amber eyes locked with his violet eyes, and she blushed. Winter noticed the two blushing and her ears twitched with curiosity. What was even going on between these two? They were currently staring into the eyes of each other like they were hypnotized.

"Uh, Rinni?"

"O-oh! Right!" Rinni raised her bow, drawing back the string as another arrow materialized. She aimed it at Mr. Madds, trying to focus on the spar. She could focus on... new friends... yes, friends... later. She released the string and sent her arrow spiraling toward Mr. Madds. She then looked at Oda with concern in her eyes. "Look, this has really been fun. But if you're trying to impress me... stop. I don't want to hurt you."

"What she means is she likes you."

"Winter!"

"What?"

"I have a boyfriend!"

"Nuh-uh! He either left you or did something stupid and got killed."

"Why would you say that?" Rinni exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes.

"Because it's true. Otherwise, why hasn't he found you yet?" Winter asked in both an innocent and curious tone. Winter would then look toward Oda and say in a sing-song voice. "Just ask her out already. I know you want to."

[WC 1,759/7,500 Weapon Mastery Training]

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Reality sunk in for Oda after a while, and in the heat of battle, he stumbled after being plainly told that he wasn't strong enough to pose a threat to Rinni. He clenched his fists, but knew already that it was fact. Oda had tried to keep sustaining Mr. Madds, but just as the arrow had hit, the boy knight knew it was all over. Even if that arrow didn't land true, rending Mr. Madds' combat stance and serious glare pointless, the summoner knew that he didn't have the mana to maintain the cat-blob's form for even another second later. Just as Mr. Madds would dissipate once again, Oda would fall to the ground on his hands and knees, panting and sweating. His mana supply had been exhausted, and he hadn't even scratched his opponent. Just how strong was this girl? How strong, fast, accurate with her shots, and cute...

Wait, what?, Oda thought to himself at that last one, not realizing entirely what was going on in his mind anymore. After they had stared at each other for a time that felt like eternity, he didn't know if this was even a fight anymore. Was it a fight in the first place, with how outmatched he'd been? He didn't really know.

The squire would jolt his head upward with unnatural speed when the girl's fox companion had started talking about Rinni liking him. His face was cherry red, but it wasn't like that mattered in the moment, did it? Oda rose to his feet, hands raised as he walked as if admitting defeat. "We can call it here. You thoroughly destroyed me, so there's nothing left I can do to fight back, really..."

Oda's steps stopped once he saw tears in the girl's eyes, and then his heart also stopped once the Snow Vulpix had turned to him and acted as some kind of romantic mediator. He almost fell over from a combination of exhaustion and surprise, not expecting the fluffy companion to be so direct about all of this. More than that, was it so obvious...?

The squire would straighten his posture and take a few more steps towards Rinni, stopping a few feet away from her. "Um. It might be weird for a guy you just beat up to say this, but uhhh...", he'd trail off for a moment, his gaze wandering, until eventually locking onto Rinni's own once again with sincerity. "Do you think we could maybe get dinner or go for a walk in the park or something some time? As maybe something more like... two people interested in spending time together in a non-friend way? I mean, not skipping straight to anything serious, but more like..."

He could feel murderous intent creeping up and down his spine, as if Daystra would force herself onto this plane of reality once again just to smack him upside the head and drag him away before he could finish. Thinking of this, Oda knew that he might not have much time to get the rest out. Even with an exhausted mana supply on his part, a spiteful Daystra would no doubt find a way with enough determination.

"A date? Y-Yeah. One of those, some time, maybe. Wherever you want to go. I don't know a lot of places around here, so I can't suggest anything, but... yeah."

Oda would await her response with a beating in his chest, unsure of how to stand or where to look, so he would just keep looking at Rinni, feeling lighter at having gotten out what he'd felt since yesterday.

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We can call it here. You thoroughly destroyed me, so there's nothing left I can do to fight back, really...

Rinni sighed in relief at that. 'Finally...' She thought, grateful she wouldn't have to worry about accidentally injuring the young Knight. At least the battle was over. It wasn't necessarily a fair fight, but it was training nonetheless. Once he conceded defeat, she activated her POcket Dimension Ring and returns her equipment into storage. Her clothing flashed in a glow of white light as her arm vanished and was replaced by her normal street clothes once again.

She really hated defeating the guy like this, but it couldn't be helped. She hoped he didn't think she was bragging when she stated she was stronger than him. It wasn't her intention. It was simply a fact. As he approached her, only to stop upon seeing her tears, he couldn't have known all the hurt and betrayal and pain and loss she went through in the past few weeks. At this point, her family was truly all she had left. If she lost them...

Do you think we could maybe get dinner or go for a walk in the park or something some time? As may be something more like... two people interested in spending time together in a non-friend way? I mean, not skipping straight to anything serious, but more like...

Rinni looked up at him, wiping her tears as she let him speak. Was he asking her out?

A date? Y-Yeah. One of those, some time, maybe. Wherever you want to go. I don't know a lot of places around here, so I can't suggest anything, but... yeah.

He was.

Rinni's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't been on a date since...

"You know what? Sure. That... actually sounds nice." She forced a smile, trying to push Ko out of her mind. "I actually don't really know Oak very well, myself. I've only been here a few days. I suppose we can discover it together. So um... I'll see you in a few days?"

She told him what hotel she was staying at, complete with the room number, so he could find her if he wanted. She also set up a meeting place for them to meet for their date. Her heart fluttered and she felt butterflies in her stomach. This would be her first real date... as her first date with Ko was more of an apology than a date. Also, this boy was clearly closer to her age so she was certain her brother would approve of him quicker than he approved of Ko...

She really needed to quit thinking about Ko...

Waving goodbye to her new friend... or potential boyfriend, I guess? ... she returned to her hotel with a skip to her step.

-Exit-

[WC 2,217/7,500 Weapon Mastery Training]

Oda's own heart jumped when Rinni accepted. He didn't know that things would go this way, especially on today of all days! After everything that had just happened, he'd expected and was willing to accept a polite 'no', but here he was! He nodded his head with a smile, just barely holding together what tough guy act he could by standing up despite his body screaming at him to just fall to the ground right here and now from exhaustion. No, no, not yet..., he would think to himself, not allowing himself to show any more weakness until after Rinni was out of view.

"Yeah, that works. We can meet up and go wherever, right? That's something I'm okay with. I'll see you then!", the squire would say, accepting her proposition while trying to sound as energized as possible.

As they parted ways, Rinni moving out of view eventually, Oda collapsed to the ground on his back. Breathing in and out quickly, he looked up at the sky above with the pure intent of just regaining his stamina. He'd never fought somebody like her yet, and didn't know that his body and mana would give out before his own will to fight. Even so, he realized that was his current limit. He'd need to work to surpass it in the future, and see where he could go from there.

But who cared about that? Despite losing the battle, Oda did also feel like he'd won the war. He didn't even mean to fight her in the first place, so by getting out his real question now thanks to that Snow Vulpix, he could go on a proper date with a girl he liked. It wasn't the series of events he expected, but he had to admit to still being okay with it overall.

After about ten minutes, Oda had regained himself somewhat, and stood up. Letting out a deep sigh of happiness after processing what had happened, he walked back towards town. This had been a really fantastic day overall.

---

- EXIT -