"Begin."

At the start of Stephanie's word you activated all the magic you had, treading your muscles, coating your bones your veins and skin. All in a attempt to brace for the hit that was coming. Without a sword you were going to have to sacrifice your arms. It would be smarter to block with one so you had the other left to strike but surviving the first blow is what matters. With your arms up in front of you you wait for your opponent to move watching her between your forearms.

She was patient. Standing still having not even gotten into position. That much confidence could be down to an assumption of superiority, not a bad assumption honestly, or she was trying to lure you into striking. As you are unarmed your best bet would be to strike first but you couldn't risk it.

You kept an eye on her waiting for her movement when she see she was moving. The hand holding her sword was slowly moving and her feet were shifting. She was very slowly getting into position. You keep waiting for her to strike assuming her creeping pace was deliberate, an attempt to lure you into striking.

She was still getting into position. You felt like an idiot as you took a step to the left, if she was waiting for an opening that should be enough to draw her strike. None came but more importantly her eyes didn't follow you. You took a step further and still her eyes didn't move.

Your confusion was resolved when you checked her magic. Unlike you her body wasn't seething with magic. Then it clicks. You must not supposed to be using magic for this. Stephanie hadn't said anything about not using magic but she also hadn't said you were allowed. Your opponent mustn't have activated any magic out of caution, this was a duel but she wasn't supposed to kill you. Honestly not using magic is probably a matter of common curtsy in sparing matches, because you'd never dueled before yesterday you'd never learned it.

You took a step back out of the court and deactivated your magic. "Sorry I didn't realise we weren't supposed to use magic." You say. "Does this mean I'm disqualified?" You ask more than a little hopeful it does and you wouldn't have to lose any limbs here.

The look of surprise on everyone's face confirmed that not using magic was in deed the curtsy. "The holder of thirteen will be removed from this class." Stephanie reiterated. "Step back onto the court Christopher." Her was an actual response.

"That doesn't really answer my question." You point out. "And can I grab a sword?" You ask hoping that you would be allowed to grab something to hold between yourself and the coming defeat.

"You are allowed to use magic, and no, step back onto the court." Stephanie said.

This was undoubtedly a teaching moment, if you'd attacked you would have had an advantage to make up for the lack of sword. If you'd just attacked at the start you might have had a chance to not get beaten down. You step rather unhappily onto the court and swallow. Your opponent still looks a little surprised but that disappears when Stephanie says, "Begin."

As before you activate your magic and prepare. Your opponent isn't moving any faster. You wrinkle your eyebrows trying to figure out a way of out of the trap. She was waiting for your advance before she struck. You took a step to the left and her eyes didn't follow you.

You hesitated and checked the magic of your opponent, there was no change from last time. You looked at the audience, Stephanie was moving sluggishly but was moving.

You carefully lowered your arms hoping to trick her into striking so you could counter but none came. When you arms were at your sides you let out a "Huh." You prepared your defense and took a step closer to your opponent, she was almost into position and didn't react to your movement.

"Huh." You said again taking a careful step closer. She didn't react. You took another step, nothing. You ready your arms for defense and step into her striking range. No reaction.

Oh she was humouring you. She'd not activated her magic to be fair because you were a man.

Well you felt more than a little patronised. Stephanie said magic was allowed and your opponent didn't even use any. You in close and looked down. You opponent had black hair tied into a ponytail, soft features and was came up to your shoulder.

You felt kinda bad for her. Patronising you or not she was going easy on you to avoid hurting you. But she was still patronising you. You grabbed her swords cross-guard and pulled it out of her hand stabbing it into the court in front of her you wondered if a victory was getting her out of the court or if she had to yield. If it was yield it meant putting her in a position she couldn't fight then deactivating your magic and hoping she couldn't get out of it.

You considered for a moment then reached down to pick her up. With the sword out of her hand you weren't as worried about her suddenly attacking. Grabbing her hips you lift and carry her out of the court. Putting her down you can see her only just starting to look at her now empty hand. You return to her sword and take it out of the ground. You looked at her and she was still turning her hand to her hand. It occured to you that with how slow she was you probably mess with her a bit.

You deactivated your magic. She was trying to be kind, even if she had been patronising is doing so. As she sped up you watched her look at her sword then up at you then at the sword in your hand then at the ground. "What?" She said looking utterly baffled.

"Do you yield?" You asked. Stephanie hadn't said anything so you figure this was to the yield.

Your opponent looked back up at you still baffled. "What?" She seemed to recognise her position. "Wait how? You cheated." She took a step over to you and you prepared for an actual fight.

"Christopher what number is on your stone?" Stephanie said walking onto the court.

"He cheated!" Your opponent shouted taking another step. You prepared for an attack but Stephanie appeared between the two of you.

"Your stone." Stephanie said then looked at your opponent. "Wait."

You held out your stone. "One." You said feeling like Stephanie's point was coming, something along the line of assigned rank not mattering.

"What?" Anastasia voice came first and you looked over to see her and the eleven other girls approaching.

They reached the court when your opponent said, "That isn't right. He's a man how could be better than me?" Well that felt a little insulting.

"You can yield or you can keep fighting and be beaten by a man." Stephanie stated.

Your opponent opened her mouth then looked at the sword still in your hand, the sword that been in hers. If she was going to attack see wouldn't hold back. It was starting to feel like Stephanie wanted you to get hurt. Your opponent glared at you for a moment longer. "I yield." She said looking more than a little dejected.

You went back to feeling bad for her. You were suddenly distracted by feeling bad for her by a sudden application of boobs to the side of your head. Vatarie crashed into you. "YOU DID IT!" She shouted bouncing up and down. You heard her take a deep breath and the arms that wrapped around you squeezed very tight.

"What happened?" Anastasia asked. If she was taking to you it was pointless because Vatarie had moved around to your front and her excitement at your victory was turning into a different sort of excitement as she breathed in your scent.

"Line up in your rank." Stephanie said to the student. You couldn't see anyone, your vision currently focused on Vatarie's school uniform covered tits. But you could feel the students hesitate. "Now." The student's sprung into action quickly ordering themselves into their assigned rank. Except for Vatarie who was still hugging you. "Lady Vatarie." Stephanie said to little reaction.

You could feel Vatarie getting more and more turned on as she held you. "Vatarie." You said softly while you were enjoying her being close after her recent isolation this was very public and you still didn't know what was going on with her transformation before but she seemed very conscious of it at the time. "Eyes." You whisper it softly but Vatarie stops her movement. You look at her face and see a concerned but otherwise human face. "You're good." You say as she pulls back taking a few shaking breaths.

She looks into you eyes for a moment longer before going to take her place. You look at the line are surprised by who you saw standing at the top end, Lady Asune was smiling at you with a proud looking for all the world like she had been the one to win the duel. After her was Anastasia, and in fifth was Vatarie.

"Christopher." Stephanie said making you hurry to take your place next to Lady Asune. Lady Asune's aura reached out and stroked you as you neared. The feeling wasn't improving at all. "Number twelve do you want to challenge anyone?"
There was a slightly pause as everyone had forgotten about the challenges. "Twelve?"

"Yes Lady Stephanie." The woman second from other other end of the line stepped forward and stood in front of tenth place.

"Clear the court." Stephanie said. You walked with everyone else to the viewing stands and took a seat, Lady Asune stayed next to you for the walk and the sitting, Anastasia stood in front of you and you quietly thanked her. You shifted on your seat to make room for the Princess between yourself and Lady Asune.

"We should talk." Anastasia whisper to you. "So glad you came to the capital just for me." She said louder as she leaned against you.

You were expecting Vatarie to be on your other side but she wasn't. You felt her sitting quite a distance from you. Guess the isolation is back.

"Begin." Stephanie said and the two combatants joined swords. You kept a close eye on both, remembered each mistake they made with a returned sense of magical interest.