Scumbag Fate System

Chapter 131: Evening Walk

Six hours passed before Sirin finally told everyone to stop.

Rika sighed before bringing a bottle of water to her lips and drinking it while feeling the descending sun rays on her sweaty body. She watched the others pack up their equipment and head toward the dormitories. She stayed behind for a moment, bow still in hand, thinking about what Reinhard had said to her earlier.

You’re not extra weight. You’re the one who makes sure we don’t collapse.

The words had settled into her chest like a warm coal, still radiating heat hours later.

She wanted to thank him properly.

Rika quickly heads over to Reinhard, her footsteps barely making a sound on the arena floor.

"Reinhard," she said softly.

He turned and smiled when he saw her. "Hey. Good shooting in that last drill. You really found your rhythm."

"That’s because of what you said earlier." Rika clutched her bow a little tighter, gathering her courage. "Thank you for that. For reminding me why I’m here. I needed to hear it."

"You don’t need to thank me for telling the truth," Reinhard said gently.

"Yes, I do." Rika took a breath and made herself meet his eyes. "And I want to do something to show my appreciation. Would you like to go out this evening? Just the two of us. There’s a cafe I’ve been wanting to try, and I thought maybe we could talk about how everyone’s progress is going with the training."

She braced herself for him to make an excuse. To say he needed to keep training, or needed to rest, or had other plans. Everyone knew how focused Reinhard had been lately on preparing for Silent Peak.

Getting him to take a break seemed nearly impossible.

But Reinhard smiled and nodded without hesitation. "I’d like that."

Rika blinked before tapping her ears in disbelief. "Really?"

"Did I really give off that impression? Of course, I will go."

A light blush spread across Rika’s cheeks as she processed his easy agreement. "I thought I would have to convince you. You’ve been training so hard lately that I figured you’d want to spend the evening practicing more."

Reinhard’s laugh grew warmer. "I need a break. I could use some normal time away from Sigils and combat drills."

Rika’s face lit up. "Then let’s go now! Since you said it, then you can’t regret it!"

Reinhard chuckled but nodded as they quickly left to get change and then left the arena.

They changed out of their training clothes quickly and met back at the arena entrance. The evening air was cool and pleasant as they walked through the academy grounds toward the small cafe district near the southern gate.

Students passed them in groups, laughing and talking about their own training. Such a sight gave Rika a sense of comfort she hadn’t had in a while.

The cafe Rika had chosen was tucked into a quiet corner away from the main streets. It had large windows that let in the fading sunlight and comfortable seating that invited long conversations.

They found a table near the back and ordered tea along with some small pastries.

"So," Reinhard said once they were settled. "How do you think everyone’s progress is going? You’re good at observing those kinds of details."

Rika considered the question while pouring tea for both of them. "Everyone has improved significantly over the past two weeks. Alice’s magic control has gotten much sharper. She can reinforce her body with almost no delay now. It used to take her a full second to channel the energy properly, but now it’s nearly instantaneous."

She took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Louis has gotten better at sustaining his Sigil activation, too. He used to get exhausted after fifteen minutes of continuous use, but yesterday he maintained it for almost an hour during that endurance drill."

"That’s good progress," Reinhard agreed. "What about Sirin?"

"Sirin’s reinforcement has also improved a lot."

"It’s more like she just never had much time to practice."

"Too busy researching." Rika giggled. "Recently, she has been working on amplifying different parts of her limbs without delay."

Reinhard nodded thoughtfully. "And Yor?"

"Yor’s control over her Void Sigil has reached a completely different level." Rika’s voice filled with genuine admiration. "She can create stable void orbs for over thirty minutes now without any sign of strain."

They talked about training progress for another twenty minutes, discussing the small improvements each person had made and speculating about how those skills would translate to the actual expedition. Rika found herself relaxing more and more as the conversation flowed naturally between them.

This was nice.

Just sitting and talking without the pressure of combat drills or Sigil practice.

The cafe began to empty as evening deepened into night. Rika and Reinhard ordered drinks to go and walked slowly through the quieter parts of campus.

Neither had a destination at the moment and simply enjoyed the breeze passing by.

"There’s something I want to show you," Rika said after a while. "If you don’t mind a small detour."

"Lead the way," Reinhard said easily.

Rika guided them toward the older academic buildings on the eastern side of campus. Most classes had ended hours ago, leaving the hallways empty and quiet. She led Reinhard up to the third floor and down a corridor lined with darkened classrooms until she reached a door at the very end.

The classroom inside was empty except for rows of desks and a large window that faced west. The evening light poured through in golden streams, painting everything in warm amber tones. Rika had discovered this spot weeks ago during one of her solitary walks.

It was peaceful in a way that the busy training areas never were.

"I come here sometimes when I need to think," Rika explained quietly. She set her drink on one of the desks and moved toward the window. "The light at this time of day is beautiful, and it’s quiet enough that I can actually hear myself think."

Reinhard joined her at the window, looking out at the campus bathed in evening gold. "It’s a nice spot."

"I wanted to bring you here because I needed to tell you something." Rika turned to face him, the warm light making her crimson eyes look almost luminous. "About Silent Peak."

Reinhard’s expression grew more serious. "What about it?"

Rika took a breath, organizing her thoughts. "I’m scared. I’ve been scared since the moment we decided to go there. Scared that I won’t be strong enough. Scared that I’ll fail when everyone needs me most. Scared that something terrible will happen and I won’t be able to help."

She wrapped her arms around herself slightly. "But I’m also happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time. Because even though I’m scared, I’m going there with people I trust. With people who believe in me even when I don’t believe in myself."

Rika smiled softly. "You helped me clear my doubts about whether I was helpful or not. I know I should understand this, but..."

"Sometimes your thoughts come out differently than you hope they will?" Reinhard offered.

Rika slowly nodded. "It’s just after seeing how much better everyone was getting at such a vast rate... I felt inadequate. But you helped me realize that wasn’t the truth... And that means more to me than you probably realize."

The words came easier now, flowing out of her in a way they rarely did. "I’m still scared about Silent Peak. I think I’ll be scared right up until the moment we actually leave. But I’m also grateful that I get to be part of this."

Rika stepped forward and hugged him tightly without any hesitation. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and her face pressed against his chest.

Reinhard laughed and gently caressed her black hair. "It’s more like we’re lucky to have you with us."

The evening light streamed through the window behind them, casting their shadows long across the empty classroom floor.

Rika enjoyed this warm hug. She had been feeling so much anxiety and doubt over the past weeks.

That it was a wonder she could still function.

But standing here with Reinhard’s arms around her and the golden light washing over them both, she felt some of that weight lift away.

"Thank you for coming with me."

"And thank you for inviting me. It was not only fun but comforting." Reinhard muttered as his expression softened. "This was exactly what I needed. Just being here with you, talking about normal things, remembering why we’re doing all this in the first place."

Rika finally pulled back slightly to look up at him. The evening light caught in his eyes, making them look almost golden. "We’re going to be okay, aren’t we? At Silent Peak."

"Of course."

Reinhard then kissed her deeply, making Rika tremble, and then pressed against him more. Before she felt him grab her butt and lift her up onto the desk.

There, Rika saw it, the mischief and desire in Reinhard’s silver eyes that made her blush.

"Well, now, I think this is a good place."

"... For what?"