It's a Secret

It's a secret.

Early morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise.

— Thwack! Thwack!

The sound of a blunt practice sword slamming into a training dummy rang out across the Divos Estate.

Light-blue hair streaming behind her as she continued her drills was none other than Shina Astorius. The sword of a hardworking genius showed no sign of stopping.

— Crunch!

The practice sword, packed with heavy force, exploded against the dummy and smashed it nearly in half.

"Hmm, Miss Shina. Even if we've become friends, mercilessly destroying property at a friend's house is a bit much… Ah, is it considered good manners in the Kirinus Empire to wreck a close companion's belongings?"

I had been watching her from a short distance. Putting on a thoroughly troubled expression, I walked over.

"…! Shion, how long have you been standing there?"

"I sensed someone in the training yard at this ungodly hour and came to check, but it seems my timing was unfortunate. Well, since it came to this, I'll go fetch a spare dummy. Don't hold back—feel free to demolish a friend's property to your heart's content."

"Th-that's a misunderstanding! I have no such hobby of destroying a friend's things!"

"For someone who claims that, you sure demolished it with gusto…"

"This is, well… I'm sorry. I will absolutely compensate you for the dummy I accidentally broke."

Ah. Watching her take my joke completely seriously and apologize made a laugh slip out of me on its own.

"No, no. How could I possibly dare demand compensation from the noble Miss Shina? I'll just tearfully dig into my pocket money somehow, so please don't worry about it."

"If you put it that way, I become the thoughtless person who breaks a friend's things and then washes her hands of it… No! No! I will pay you back. If you keep refusing to the end, I really will get upset with you, so decide carefully."

"Khh— Ahem. All right, all right. Then I'll leave it to you."

Shina tilted her head at the laugh that had escaped me for a moment. Before she could start wondering about it, I changed the subject.

"By the way, Miss Shina, you truly are diligent. Taking up the sword at such an early hour. If everyone in the world were as industrious as you, we'd be living in a completely different world by now."

"You're one to talk, Shion. You got up early yourself."

"Ah, I was sleeping soundly until a certain needlessly diligent person started making noise first thing in the morning and forced me awake…"

"Either praise me or insult me—please pick only one!"

"Hahaha, just kidding, Miss Shina."

I laughed lightly and walked over to where she stood. Then I took a practice sword from the rack and said,

"Miss Shina, the two of us ending up in the training yard this early is already a coincidence. How about we pick up yesterday's spar where we left off?"

"A spar? I don't mind, but…"

Shina's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were briefly recalling yesterday's disaster.

"That was only because Miss Shina wanted to torment me and deliberately went all-out, wasn't it? This time, please match your swordplay to my level."

"I never wanted to torment you!"

"Of course not. Then may I ask a favor? I'm rather curious about those two powers you mentioned yesterday."

"Of course. Take this chance to show off your full capabilities."

Shina nodded and turned, putting distance between us. I quietly let a grin spread across my face.

One of the nicknames Grand Fantasia players had for Shina:

The Experience Point Vending Machine.

Sparring with her filled a character's trait experience at an absurd rate.

The catch was that Shina was extremely busy at the academy. You needed a certain level of affection just to schedule a spar, and even then you were lucky to manage one session a week.

But right now, the academy term hadn't started yet, and I was her friend. Unlike the game, I could ask for a spar whenever I wanted.

Might as well stockpile Retaliation experience while I can. And I need to learn some basic combat sense too.

Until two days ago I was just a guy grinding part-time jobs and playing computer games. There was no way I actually knew how to fight.

For someone like me, sparring with Shina was nothing short of a land of milk and honey.

"I'm ready! How about you, Miss Shina?"

"I'm ready as well. Come."

Gripping the blunt practice sword tightly, I charged at Shina.

— Clang!

My practice sword was blocked with ease.

I'd expected exactly that, of course, so I started to pull my blade back—

"Wha—…!"

—or I should have.

Shina deflected my sword as smoothly as flowing water and closed the distance in a single step. She slammed her shoulder into me hard enough to knock me down, then pinned me and pressed the practice sword to my throat.

It had taken less than ten seconds from the start of the spar.

"If this had been a real fight, you would already be dead, Shion."

"If this had been a real fight, I would have turned and run the moment I saw you, Miss Shina. Anyway, how was my skill?"

"Hmm… It was free-form swordsmanship unbound by any particular form."

"In other words, I have no foundation, right?"

"Are you determined to trample the sincerity I showed by carefully not wounding you?"

"Oof, that wasn't my intention at all. By the way, Miss Shina, perhaps you should get up now?"

Shina glanced downward for a moment, flushed, and scrambled to her feet.

"I-I apologize."

"Miss Shina is as light as a feather… Ah, lying won't do. Let's see—light as a pebble, so it was no burden at all."

Apparently she didn't care for the comparison. Her face hardened and she gave me a chilly look.

"…I'll take that as a compliment. This time I'll be the one attacking. Defend yourself as best you can."

"Uhh, Miss Shina? Your eyes look different all of a sudden? You're scaring me!"

"Take up your sword."

Wearing the same look as yesterday, Shina swung her blade. But the speed was markedly slower than last time.

Yesterday it had been so fast I'd completely mistimed the Retaliation. At this pace, though… I might be able to do it.

— Crack!

"Whoops!"

I triggered Retaliation at just the right moment. My sword bounced hers aside and slammed straight into her shoulder.

"Oh, lucky me. I was just trying to stop your sword when— Miss Shina? Is something wrong?"

I scratched my head with a sheepish laugh, then carefully asked when I saw that her expression was anything but ordinary.

"What was that just now?"

"Pardon? Unfortunately I have amnesia, so if you speak that vaguely there's a limit to how well I can understand."

"The technique you just used—completely nullifying my attack and immediately counterattacking."

"Hmm… Even if you put it that way, as a complete novice to swordsmanship I find it hard to grasp. Is it something other people can't do?"

She nodded vigorously at my question. She looked thoroughly excited.

"The technique you just displayed is impossible by any ordinary common sense. Even my older brother might not be able to pull something like that off… Ah, could it be?"

Speaking with rising excitement, Shina suddenly seemed to realize something. Her eyes lit up and she murmured,

"Perhaps one of the two powers you possess is exactly this… Shion, can you do that technique again?"

"Of course. For a request from Miss Shina, I'd do it even if it wrecked my body."

Normally she would have made a face and told me not to say such things, but the Shina who had just discovered an unknown realm didn't even seem to notice such minor details.

If Light Counter is this strong… I wonder what Medium Counter is like? Suddenly I was curious about her reaction.

"Here I come, then."

Once more Shina's sword rushed toward me.

I held my breath, watched the blade, and triggered Medium Counter at the perfect moment.

— Crack!

My practice sword, having completely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠absorbed her strike, smashed into her wrist.

"…?"

Faced with a Retaliation far stronger than the previous one, Shina couldn't hide her confusion. The blank expression of an earthling who had just witnessed alien technology probably looked exactly like that.

Seeing the girl who boasted the greatest talent of mankind looking half-broken was the best reward I could have asked for.

Oh, sweet points.

"Um, Miss Shina? Maybe you could say something…"

I waved my hand in front of her eyes, but she still hadn't pulled free of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the confusion. The stunt I'd pulled must have been too shocking; it would take a little more time for her to return to normal.

"Miss Shina has died on her feet— I mean, frozen solid!"

"…What? Miss Shina? You've finally lost it, haven't you?!"

Just then, a sharp, forceful voice rang out from the entrance to the training yard.

"Oh! If it isn't Lady Frelia! I was just about to go wake you myself—what a shame!"

"Be quiet. And how long are you going to keep calling me by my family name? I don't mind, but if family members address each other by surname, other people will find it strange. Just use my given name."

Chloe sighed, strode straight up to me, and grabbed my ear to whisper,

"Anyway, get a grip, will you? Do you have any idea what kind of discourtesy you're committing toward Lady Astorius? I explained yesterday that calling someone by their first name the moment you meet is rude…"

"Hmm… Sound advice, of course, but if we're friends, using first names shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

"What are you talking about? You've only known each other for a single day and you're already friends?"

I wagged a finger and shook my head at her with the air of someone pitying a primitive mind.

"Tsk tsk, Lady Clhloe. The modern world moves a lot faster than your old-fashioned thinking."

"Cl-Clhloe?"

Chloe's face crumpled as her name turned into something that clacked like wooden blocks. I opened my mouth so she could hear me clearly.

"Miss Shina, are you feeling a little better now?"

"……Honestly, I still don't fully understand. Would you mind doing it once more? Shion?"

"Shion…?"

Chloe's eyes trembled at the words that left Shina's mouth. She immediately seized me by the collar and hissed quietly,

"What on earth did you do to wrap Lady Astorius around your finger?! She's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠famous for never opening her heart to anyone!"

Is that so? It was pretty easy, though.

"Hmm, well about that…"

"About that…?"

At her question I slowly curled one corner of my mouth and answered with shameless nonchalance.

"It's a secret."