School Story of Wandering Witches : Arche's Daily Life

On our way to school, Arthur and I walked side by side, the usual morning chatter filling the air.

I nudged him playfully. "Hey, Arthur, how about we play that game again after school?"

"Hm… ah, I can't. I have to practice Kendo," he replied, his tone serious as always.

"Really?" I sighed dramatically. "What a shame. I guess I'll just have to practice basketball then."

As we walked, I noticed something strange on the ground—a couple of wooden sticks.

They looked like swords, and my imagination immediately ran wild.

I stopped in my tracks, causing Arthur to walk a few steps ahead before turning around to look at me. "Hm? What's wrong, Arche?"

I grabbed one of the sticks, holding it like a sword, and turned to face him.

"My name is Arche, and you, my unsuspecting foe, must prepare yourself for battle!"

Arthur blinked at me, clearly confused. "Huh?"

Without warning, I lunged at him with my makeshift weapon, but he dodged the attack effortlessly.

"We're in a public place, you know!" he scolded, his hands raised defensively.

I tilted my head dramatically, scanning the area around us. "There's no one around, O enemy whose name I do not know."

"Okay! I'm going to show how cool I am!" I smirked, the playful glint in my eyes betraying my intentions.

Arthur hesitated, his expression caught somewhere between doubt and amusement.

But then, with a sudden resolve, he grabbed the second stick. "I am Arthur, a Kendoka, sworn to protect the world from reckless challengers like you!"

I grinned wider. "Come at me with all you've got!"

The battle began, fast and fierce. I struck with swift, spinning blows, trying to control the space between us, while Arthur was more cautious, blocking each of my attacks with remarkable precision.

Our wooden swords clashed, testing our strength and skill.

I could feel the tension in the air. Arthur was skilled, no doubt, and he wasn't holding back.

Each strike I made, he countered with impressive technique, though I could tell he was holding back.

There was respect in every move, but I knew he didn't want me to underestimate him.

"Stop holding back, Arthur," I said, jumping back for a moment to create some space. "Show me your true strength."

Arthur gritted his teeth, pausing for a second, then launched a full-force strike at me.

Though I could still block it, I could feel that he was getting serious.

I responded with a more aggressive and sharp technique, hoping to finish this fight.

We moved swiftly, our sticks cutting through the air in a rapid exchange.

Every second felt like a high-stakes duel. Arthur, despite his caution, wasn't backing down.

With one quick move, I aimed my stick toward Arthur's back, but he twisted his body with incredible speed, narrowly avoiding the strike. "Nngh!"

"Come on, Arthur! Don't give up now!" I taunted, enjoying the challenge.

Arthur only smiled, determination in his eyes. "No such thing as giving up!" he shouted, then launched a final attack that nearly hit me.

I dodged just in time, laughing.

"Nice try, but not enough to defeat me!"

We both stopped, panting heavily, but with satisfied smiles on our faces.

"Still holding back, huh?" I teased, tightening my grip on the wooden stick. "Are you afraid of hurting me, Arthur?"

Arthur glared at me, frustration flickering in his eyes.

"I'm not afraid of you, Arche," he replied, his voice steady, though I could tell he was struggling.

"But I won't fight recklessly."

"How noble," I smirked, lunging at him again, my attack sharp and quick.

I aimed for his side, but just before impact, I feinted, twisting my body to strike at his legs instead.

Arthur barely had time to react, his guard slipping just enough for me to land the blow.

He stumbled back, barely keeping his footing.

"You're leaving openings, Arthur," I said, a teasing tone in my voice. "If you keep holding back like this, you'll lose."

Arthur steadied himself, but I could see the internal struggle.

He wasn't used to going full force against me—his hesitation was exactly what I needed.

I pressed the attack, my moves swift and calculated, exploiting every moment of doubt he had.

I dodged his counterattack with ease, spinning out of range.

"Come on, Arthur! If you don't fight with everything you've got, then this is just a waste of time!" I taunted, trying to push him to his limits.

His eyes narrowed, and for a brief moment, I could see the conflict within him—he wanted to go all out, but he still held back.

That hesitation gave me the perfect opening.

I lunged forward, not waiting for him to fully commit, and swept my stick low, knocking his legs out from under him.

"Fall towards me!"

Arthur fell to the ground, momentarily stunned. I stood over him, the tip of my stick pressed against his chest.

"Alright I won! Did you see the behavior of a knight?," I said with a grin, breathing heavily from the intensity of the fight.

Arthur looked up at me, a frustrated but determined expression on his face.

"You... you took advantage of me holding back," he said, sounding almost impressed despite himself.

I shrugged, lowering my stick and offering him a hand to help him up.

"It's all about taking what the opponent gives you," I said casually.

Arthur chuckled softly as he took my hand, standing up with a smile.

"Maybe. But you've got a point. I can't always hold back."

Before I could even react, Arthur sprang forward with surprising speed, his wooden stick swinging in a wide arc toward me.

I barely had time to raise my own stick to block it, but his strike was powerful, more intense than anything he'd thrown at me before.

The impact sent a shock through my arms, and I stumbled back, momentarily caught off guard.

"You think I was holding back, huh?" Arthur's voice was filled with intensity now.

His earlier restraint was gone, replaced by a fierce determination.

"Let's see how you handle this!"

His next strike came fast, aimed directly at my midsection. I blocked it just in time, but the force of his blows was overwhelming.

Arthur was no longer the cautious fighter I had been toying with—now he was all in, and every move felt like it could knock me off my feet.

I dodged as best as I could, but his relentless assault was wearing me down. I countered with a swing of my own, but it was clear I was struggling to keep up.

Arthur wasn't just matching my speed anymore; he was anticipating my every move, using my earlier taunts against me.

"You're too slow now, Arche!" Arthur shouted, his strikes coming faster, more aggressively.

He wasn't holding anything back, and it showed in the intensity of each hit.

The sound of our wooden sticks colliding echoed through the air, and we both found ourselves moving faster, our breath growing heavier with each strike.

Arthur's breath was heavy, his eyes full of unwavering determination.

Suddenly, a smile spread across his face, as if a great idea had just come to him. "Alright, Arche. Let's finish this."

Arthur's movements changed in an instant. He planted his feet firmly into the ground, his grip tightening on the wooden stick in his hand.

He raised it high, his body trembling with rising energy. "This... is a battle to save the world."

I knew right then that I couldn't let him win so easily.

I took a deep breath, gathering my strength. With a shout, I swung my wooden stick high.

"O everlasting Holy Light, O infinite colors, O my peerless knights! Demonstrate my royal prowess!" I shout, my voice filled with passion.

I leaped high, my body launching toward Arthur. "I'll crush you down!" I shouted, putting all my power into the final blow.

Arthur shouted back, "Killing blow!!" and in an instant, our wooden sticks collided.

With a small explosion, both of our wooden sticks broke. The battle ended there.

"Dammit… I'll bear it!" I grumbled through clenched teeth. Who would have thought a wooden stick could hurt this much?

"This is nothing...!" Arthur huffed, clearly feeling the same way but too proud to admit it.

We stood there, panting, wooden sticks dangling limply in our hands as we stared each other down.

Both of us looked like we'd just come back from a battlefield.

"This is it for me… how pathetic…" I groaned, letting myself sink into the drama.

"It didn't land after all, huh…" Arthur muttered, just as melodramatically.

After our theatrical declarations of defeat, we clumsily helped each other back to our feet, as if we were war heroes supporting one another after a grueling campaign.

"You're pretty good, Arthur," I said with a tired grin.

"You too, Arche," Arthur replied, nodding with approval.

For a moment, we just looked at each other, and then it hit us how ridiculous this all was.

We burst out laughing, clutching our sides like idiots. "The… killing blow…!" I managed to wheeze between laughs.

"You really say the stupidest things," Arthur chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye.

Just as our laughter started to settle, Arthur suddenly froze. His face turned red as a tomato.

"Huh? What's wrong?" I asked, following his gaze.

That's when I saw them—five girls standing just a few feet away, watching us. The one with ashen hair—oh no, it's Elaina—was holding up her phone, recording every second of our embarrassing performance.

"Uh… Elaina…?" I croaked, feeling my soul leave my body.

And standing beside her were Amnesia, Avilia, Saya, and Mina, all struggling to contain their laughter.

That didn't last long, though—one by one, they burst out laughing like hyenas, their voices echoing through the street.

"Pfft… ahahaha!" Mina doubled over, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hahaha—I can't, I can't breathe—hahaha!" Saya tried to say something, but her laughter drowned out every word.

She was practically doubled over, tears streaming down her face.

"What are you guys doing so early in the morning?" Avilia asked, giggling as she covered her mouth.

"You two… have such wild imaginations," Amnesia said, shaking her head while chuckling softly.

Mina crossed her arms, trying to look serious but failing miserably.

"Didn't it ever occur to you that someone might pass by?"

And then there was Elaina, who had finally stopped recording, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"I didn't expect to find two knights dueling here at dawn," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

I turned to Arthur, whose face was as red as a stoplight, and I knew mine wasn't any better.

My gaze drifted to our clothes, which were covered in dirt from our overly dramatic battle. Yeah, this is bad.

"See you at school, Arche, Arthur," Elaina said with a wave, her mocking grin impossible to miss.

Amnesia gave us a small, polite wave before following Elaina. The others trailed behind, still laughing under their breath.

Once they were out of sight, Arthur and I just stood there in silence, the weight of our humiliation sinking in.

"I want to disappear from this world," Arthur muttered, his voice hollow.

"Me too," I said, nodding solemnly.

Arthur hesitated for a moment, then glanced at me. "Let's skip school."

"Agreed." We said it at the same time, our voices in perfect sync.

Without another word, we made our way to Arthur's house, where we collapsed on the couch and continued playing the game we couldn't stop talking about yesterday.

Needless to say, neither of us would be doing that again anytime soon.