Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger-Chapter 81: EX . Favorite Person

In the vast, sunlit training ground of the Federal Manor, the air crackled with anticipation, and barely veiled contempt.

Nikko stood alone in the center ring, donned in her standard combat uniform, her expression unreadable. Around her, the sneers of her half-siblings echoed like flies buzzing in a sealed room.

"I heard Daikaichi was sentenced to death for what he did," one sibling murmured, loud enough for others to hear.

"Tch. I wish he’d succeeded before getting caught," another scoffed. "At least we wouldn’t have to see that stain around again."

"Why is it always the useless ones that get so lucky?"

None of it phased her. Not anymore.

The trainer, standing at the edge of the ring, didn’t even raise an eyebrow. Insults like those were common. The Yakomoto household thrived on hierarchy, cruelty, and power, and those at the bottom were meant to either rise or rot.

Across from Nikko stood one of her many half-brothers. Broad-shouldered, confident, sword gleaming at his side. He wore the sneer of a man who thought he’d already won.

The trainer raised his hand.

"Begin."

The boy charged instantly, sword lifted in a clean overhead arc.

"I’m going to enjoy this," he growled.

But Nikko... didn’t move.

She didn’t flinch.

She didn’t even raise her arms.

The boy sneered.

"Thanks for making it easy for me..."

And then, it hit him.

Suddenly, his vision doubled. His legs trembled. His muscles gave way as if the strength had been drained out of them.

He dropped his sword with a clang, then crumpled forward, collapsing flat at Nikko’s feet.

Gasps erupted from the sidelines.

But that was only the beginning.

One by one, the siblings who had been watching with arrogance, began to sway and stumble.

Then, like dominoes, they dropped to the ground in pairs and trios, their bodies paralyzed, mouths foaming or twitching as they struggled to understand what was happening.

In less than a minute, silence reigned.

And only Nikko stood tall.

The trainer’s eyes widened. Not with concern. But with interest.

She had done something.

She hadn’t even moved.

And yet she had brought the entire field to ruin.

****

Nikko stood quietly amidst the bodies, her hands folded behind her back. Her expression hadn’t changed.

But deep in her mind, she recalled Leon’s voice echoing from the backseat of that car, the day everything had started to change:

"If you don’t have the strength now, there’s no reason for you to play fair. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, after all."

The words hadn’t just stuck, they had rooted.

They had grown.

And they’d flourished perfectly in the environment of the Yakomoto family, where cruelty was currency, and mercy a weakness.

Nikko glanced at the trembling limbs of her half-siblings, the vomit on the floor, the pale lips.

She hadn’t killed them.

No.

She’d simply "seasoned" their shared breakfast just a little. An additive here. A neutralizer there. A special toxin crafted for muscle fatigue and "mild’ sensory confusion, but devastating when pushed through rigorous physical activity.

Not her fault they couldn’t handle it.

And if anyone wanted to retaliate?

Let them come.

She had more tricks.

Enough to last her until the Summoning.

Enough to survive until she could leave this place forever.

The trainer didn’t stop her as she walked past him, hands still behind her back, face blank, eyes distant.

He said nothing.

Because in the Yakomoto family, it didn’t matter how you won.

Only that you won.

As Nikko stepped off the training ground, a small smile flickered onto her lips.

Faint.

But real.

And in her mind, just for a moment, she thought of him.

Leon.

Her favorite person.

****

In the present, within the towering walls of the Gubernatorial Chambers, the air was thick with tension, but no one dared to speak.

Nikko remained standing, a single word echoing in her mind like a cruel bell toll: guarding.

Her siblings, each one with real, substantial missions that bore weight and consequence, had been assigned their tasks. Subjugating rebellion. Conquering an SS-rank altar. Preventing a demonic horde.

But her?

Guard duty.

It scraped against her pride like a serrated blade. The same pride that had been forged in torment, sharpened through survival, and polished by the blood and bones of those who once ridiculed her.

She wasn’t the weak girl from back then.

She was a Supreme now.

Her aura was no longer one to scoff at, it made veterans sweat and trainers yield.

Nikko’s fists clenched at her sides. Her lips parted, ready to object, to demand to be treated as the weapon she had become.

But before the words could leave her tongue, the Governor raised a single hand.

Silence.

And then came the phrase that shattered her entire resolve.

"The one you’ll be guarding is Cadet Leon Kael."

In an instant, Nikko’s entire being flipped.

Her eyes widened.

Her lips froze mid-word.

And then, without hesitation, without pride, without question, she dropped to one knee and bowed her head low.

"Your wish is my command, Father. I will begin the task immediately."

There was no protest.

No details.

No clarification of the mission.

The moment his name had left her father’s mouth, everything else ceased to matter.

In her mind, a single thought rang loud and warm like sunlight piercing the clouds:

’I get to see him again.’

Across the chamber, Hiroshi merely shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching in weary disapproval.

Kenji and Ren exchanged a glance, both wearing amused, knowing looks. They’d long grown used to Nikko’s blatant favoritism, her obsession, really, with a certain cadet from the Kael family.

Sakura, however, narrowed her eyes, her thoughts unreadable. She didn’t speak, but something deep and analytical sparked behind her gaze.

But all of that, every look, every smirk, every unsaid word, faded into background noise for Nikko.

Because the only thing echoing in her world now... was his name.

Leon Kael.

Her favorite person.

And this time, she wasn’t going to let him walk away without realizing just how much that meant.

****

A/N: Well, that’s the history between Leon and Nikko. Leave a comment if you like how the story is progressing! If not, you can still leave a comment, and I’ll see if I can work on it.

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