By the time she left class Tuesday, she had spent a few days wondering if she'd only achieved her rank from Aimee's help, and was thinking of how to either win the tournament next week or have Aimee adjust her rank properly.

She was walking down the hall of the first-year building when she heard a woman call her name, and turned to face Matoi standing too closely.

"I - yes?" said Mia, stepping back. "Do I know you?"

"You will." said Matoi. "You're competing in the tournament next week, correct?"

"…I am."

"Fortunate. Every student can see how little you deserve your rank. It's obvious you receive special treatment as Aimee's girlfriend."

Mia looked down, not wanting to show the barb had struck. "I… suppose we will see, then?"

Matoi sneered and walked past her. Matoi had been frustrated by her own lack of two-star yet, in part because she took it as an extension of her work ethic; yet she despised nepotism. As she usually admired Aimee, it had surprised her to see her allow it.

Mia went home and talked to Marisa about it, setting the fashionista a bit aghast. She rarely saw anger from Marisa: she heard it now.

"I have half a mind to go out there and - ugh." grunted Marisa. "That's really fucking shitty of her to do. And not true, either."

"It's alright, Marisa." mumbled Mia. "I can't help but wonder if she's… correct, in some way."

"Uh, no, no, she's not. Everything you've like, been through, and especially after last month -"

" - does not change the fact that - Aimee was only hunting with me because -"

" - you had to fight two hosts at once!" said Marisa. "You… you dealt with two Revenants at once, Mia-Mia."

"One of them was easy."

"Yeah, because you actually train. Like, way harder than I used to, too." said Marisa. "You deserve to be two-star. You definitely deserve to be two-star. I mean, you beat Jeanne, too, right? She used to be three-star."

"I suppose." muttered Mia. "…I still need to go practice."

Marisa put her hand on Mia's shoulder. "Don't let her get to you." (Mia felt it tense.) "…ugh. She's like this, too. She just judges people. She just like, stands above people and judges them."

+++

Mia trained with Aimee the rest of the week, and Matoi with her protege Samuel, whose neck had grown another three inches in the interim. If some of her liking of him was because he no longer gave any argument, she did realize it. She did not dislike him, but privately nothing irked her as much as the times he'd saved her life. If she was to fight Revenants for a living, better she do it by her own missiles & lasers.

These thoughts traveled with her on her way to Yuruko. As she knew Mia had electricity & fire & ice, she had the chemist create liquid nitrogen and bathed until her legs cracked, attempted to drop a toaster in with it (and found Urasaria's outlets suicide-safe), and she'd held her feet to fire until it was painful, then another half hour after. She hated training, but hated being weak more.

Monday morning, Mia passed her first matches, and felt slightly nervous over Matoi passing her's. As it wasn't any way to judge their opponent's strength, both went off to train again. Matoi knew her Revenant innately countered one of Worldwide's elements.

On Tuesday, both passed their matches; they would meet Thursday at this rate. On Wednesday, Mia watched Matoi's last replay in Aimee's mansion.

"Gonna be fighting her tomorrow." said Aimee, and Mia scrolled down her notes. "Feeling okay?"

"…er, yes."

"Do you want to know her Revenant -"

" - no - no, don't tell me that." said Mia and Aimee tensed.

"Uh, s-sorry. Just wasn't, um, w-wasn't sure."

"I - no, it's…" She reached over and squeezed Aimee's hand. "…I'm sorry, Aimee, I've just been thinking about something Matoi said to me." She sighed. "She approached me outside of class, and told me that I don't deserve to be two-star, because… because of how I attained my kills."

"What do you…? Oh." murmured Aimee. Mia saw her eyes wet. "…s-sorry. G-Guess I-I did do that, yeah. T-Thought it would help, but… s-sorry."

"It's alright, Aimee." Mia kissed her cheek. "I promise."

Aimee nodded, wiping her tears. "T-Thanks."

"When I return from… dreadnought, I think it would be best to readjust my ranking."

"I-I can do that, yeah." said Aimee. "…um. But I know you deserve to be two-star. You don't need to listen to her. You would've gotten it without me, anyway."

"And who would I have to kiss?" Mia grinned.

"Anyone you want?"

Mia pulled Aimee on to her lap and gave her a few kisses. "No. Just my Mad Dog."

"Doesn't sound very romantic." laughed Aimee, then glanced back the screen, Matoi still on it. "…uh. Mind if I say something?"

"Go ahead."

"I can't wait to see you make her bleed."

+++

Next afternoon, Mia stepped past the enormous double doors of the building that had been constructed for the tournament. Matoi was on the other end. Wedding's veil & armor was on, her sword was drawn, and two tunnels were drilled in to Wedding's shoulders; two eyes burst out of the chest.

Mia raised her weapon, and Matoi her own.

"Mia Schultz." she said. "I've been waiting for you."

And their gaze left no more words to be shared. Haze claimed Mia's eyes as she & Matoi rushed forward, and for the spite filling her mind, she carried it through in a strike that met Matoi's steel, two combatants clashing with all their might against the other. Scarab swarming and chattering around her, her eyes twitched as their weapons smashed, and as a heat grew from Wedding's eyes -

- Mia swept to Matoi's back; a score of lasers lit aflame the spot where she'd just stood, but an ice scarab extinguished it, and as her sword sought Matoi's spine -

- it caught only air as Matoi swept with the speed of lightning away. Snarling to Mia, Wedding's shoulders vibrated as she ran back, and as Mia rushed in pursuit -

- a volley of missiles erupted from Wedding's shoulders and blast in to her path, wooden spikes shooting outward and slashing Mia; but sheets of ice formed at her feet as she slid underneath, smoke clouding seconds behind her position, more missiles soaring towards her -

- but a swift wall of ice blocked it -

- and in to a thousand shards it shattered, cloud of steam buying Mia time to reach Matoi again - their weapons clashed again. In a whirlwind of blows and scarlet tatters they revolved around the arena; Matoi's sword cleaved Mia's chest, and as her hilt smashed Mia's blade -

- crystals of ice burst from the steel and froze Matoi's grip, and as her electrical scarabs followed it -

- she was as unaffected by it as Mia. "Thirty degrees warning than I was expecting, Mia Schultz!" shouted Matoi, bashing Mia with her frozen sword back -

- and the clash began anew, Mia stumbling between lasers & sword again as she stepped back again, viciousness of Matoi's strikes growing; Mia swept back again, and as Matoi surged in pursuit -

- right in to a puddle of water; a second electrical swarm surrounded Matoi, and as the lightning surged through her body -

- her arms twitched, skin started to char, hairs standing at attention -

- but the lightning dispersed, one explosive shockwave throwing Mia back and against the wall, Matoi stomping forward still.

"Your electricity is the easiest to counter. A hundred pounds of insulated padding beneath Wedding's armor. Two swarms left, Mia Schultz!"

And she was among Mia again. Inch by inch, the pressure of Matoi's blows forced her further along the wall, and as the corner of the arena approached -

- a flash of fire scarabs melted Matoi's sword's hilt -

- and despite her agonized screams, the feral woman would never relent, her grip more decisive around her weapon than before as she fought. Mia's steel blunted the first and second strike, and as the third impaled through her chest -

- a set of icicles grew at the floor & impaled through Matoi's boots; the pain unclenched her grip as she staggered, Mia yanking out the blade from her own internals, discarding it aside as she ran back, more field of icicles growing behind as Matoi rushed in pursuit. As she turned, she saw with aghast eyes the white wedding still stomping with no care for the pain, red path behind as her feet were sliced, boots torn and gashed but rabid haze in her gaze.

"Half of your ice swarm left! Vermin - vermin - vermin!"

- their weapons clashed again, dodging and sweeping underneath sword and scarabs, clouds of ice freezing lasers & missiles still erupting even as Wedding came danger close. Mia's sword bashed Matoi's blade back -

" - Wedding -" grunted Matoi -

" - Worldwide -" grunted Mia; her ice scarabs flew to Wedding's eyes -

- and froze it solid, lasers swallowed and no movement coming -

- and one slash of her sword shattered Wedding's eyes to a dozen shards; Matoi shrieked as she staggered back, Mia's next flurry of strikes coming and hacking her chest, and as Mia swept underneath another explosive volley -

- an explosion hit the ceiling, and the storm of rubble smashed her skull down; she staggered back against another wall, Matoi having recovered ahead as she rushed forward, blade drawn as she breached Mia's guard -

- and Matoi's grip shot to her hair as it threw her to the wall, kicking down and stomping her spine - " - vermin - vermin - vermin!"

- her steel impaled Mia's palm, and as Wedding's shoulders prepared for launch again -

- Mia's hand ripped up her blade and to the hilt; a spray of fire erupting from her wounded hand -

- and the madwoman dodged back as she yanked her blade out, retreating back as Mia rose to her feet staggering, swift fire scarab cauterizing her wound as she saw Matoi rush back across the arena -

- and leap to the opposite wall, zigzagging back and forth, missiles shooting from her shoulders and explosions hitting the wall -

- and Mia realized it then, fear touching her heart -

" - are you fucking crazy?!" she panted, one moment of lucidity in that tear -

"Come to me - or I'll demolish this entire building to rubble! They'll pull our crushed corpses out from the mountain of ashes!"

- the two rushed to each other again, and as their weapons clashed, Mia's sword burst in to white flames, metal starting to bend & warp, and in the next instant -

- it shattered open -

" - are you fucking -"

- and Matoi's blade was at her throat.

For all the arrogance in Matoi's eyes, Mia found her sword's failure worse, and didn't wait before waiting surrender and stomping out.

"Un-fucking-believable."

+++

"I would suggest not using your scarabs on -"

" - obviously!" sighed Mia, Gamage & Yuruko across - " - I thought you - I have another fight soon, I can't risk my sword breaking on me in the middle of it."

Gamage frowned, but nodded. "… I apologize, Swarm. I should have checked it at higher temperatures -"

" - no, that's on me too." sighed Yuruko. "I'm the one that tried to enhance it like that. That's on me. I'm sorry, Mia. I spent a whole bunch of time trying to simulate what your temperature would be like, but I didn't account for how Revenants get stronger when they're stressed, since - uh, the way Volgari protein production increases because of xenohydrase, and…" Her hands scrunched nervously. "…um. Yeah."

Mia sighed, but found it hard to stay mad sitting across from a man dressed like a samurai and a woman with blue-hair, wearing a lab coat, red boots and red gloves, while she was wearing an obsidian mask with a curved beak. "I… I just need something durable. Very, very durable."

Yuruko nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry that I messed up, yeah. Do you want to just like, use one of your elements? Like a really good firesword, but can't handle ice or electricity?"

Seeing Yuruko's mouth open to ramble: "Just something durable for now. I won't use my scarabs on it."

"It shall be done, Lady Swarm." said Gamage and Yuruko laughed.

+++

To some comfort for Mia, Matoi won the tournament next down, putting herself five ranks up & Mia back down to #51. Over the next weeks, she saw Matoi around campus occasionally, glancing at her if she was walking back with Aimee, but she paid it little mind. When it came to her friends & girlfriend, she knew Aimee's mouth could scorch the bark off a tree from thirty feet away.

December 7th was the last day before her winter break, and on that day, she was already ready to leave before Marisa came in to the living room.

"Are you sure you don't want me to mention anything to her?" frowned Marisa. "Like, she's in my class, I might even see her on the way out…"

Mia shook her head. "It's alright, Marisa."

"Are you sure?" Marisa frowned. "I just, like - I hate that she's not getting punished for being a dick. Even if I have to do it myself."

Mia took that to be her asking for permission, if not approval. "No, I… it does bother me, but I need to think forward. I have Dreadnought in two weeks, and…"

Marisa nodded and hugged her. "You can do it, Mia-Mia. I know that I haven't… like, been that hands-on, but - you've got Aimee, too. If you want to train, like, just call me any time. Okay? Remember my family is near here, so, yeah."

"Thank you." Mia smiled and hugged back.

As Marisa pulled away, she gestured to her room, then went in & came back out with five bags lugged by five Boudoir strands.

"Good lord." murmured Mia and Marisa laughed.

"Yeaaaah. I made a bunch of clothes over the semester, though." She laughed. "Uh, speaking of. I gotta go steal some presents, so don't follow me out this time."

Marisa turned, and Mia watched as Boudoir turned purple, hands moving at her face. A full-mask glanced back at her.

"But if you require my aid, I will answer your call, my fellow lesbian!"

"…er, isn't that dangerous?" said Mia. "If a student -"

- her dress opened to reveal her Urasaria badge, and Mia saluted The Lavender Menace as she swung out.