Recap of the previous chapter: Hachiman told Shizuka about the recovered memories of his lost childhood with Yui. Shizuka told Hachiman the hypocrisy he carried within his ideals which angered him and left him with confusion. Faced with both praises and criticism from the public, and an internal conflict, Hachiman thought the only solution for this conflict was to tell Yui to stop the pursuit of knighthood and repaying him for saving her which left Yui in tears. Meanwhile, the hooded monster named Havu became impatient for her revenge against those who killed her father. Her mother comforted her and announced their next move is almost upon them.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Oregairu series as it is respectfully owned by the author and studios.

Chapter 10: One's Soul Is As Deep As The Ocean. Impossible To See The Bottom As Every Day The Water Grows Higher.

Everyone is a slave to their past. No matter how much you wish to move forward, the events of years ago or even as short as yesterday will bear down on you like the light of the stars as soon as you glance up. Unable to laugh or to banish your past, you carry it ceaselessly in a corner of your heart, waiting for it to resurrect at an inopportune moment.

The worst thing is, we can't control it.

Time is uncontrollable as well as other things.

Change.

Unknown events.

The inheritance from your parents.

Others.

Though, when I say we can't control others, I meant we can't control the deeper part of their souls. No matter what magic spells or what wicked manipulation you use, the mind of others is not completely in your control. And that also means we can't control others from being enslaved by someone or maybe something.

Take my childhood self as an example: After discovering that my elemental magic is darkness, everyone in the village didn't hesitate to strike their killing intent towards me. Can you believe it? They were planning to kill a child all because of my element? But I digress. Moving on, every time I attend school, everyone around me just ran away. The teachers gave me a "special classroom" where I can apparently study in peace. All by myself. Only one teacher would give me lessons in that classroom and sometimes they would just leave me with assignments and activities and never come back till the day ends. There was this one kid, same age, same gender, and also the same circumstances. He wasn't really a dark mage but a wind mage. His parents were really neglectful and didn't care much about him and other kids would bully him. So naturally, we got along well. We weren't much of a talker but we enjoyed each other's company. Until one day, even he started avoiding me and suddenly had friends around him. How? All I heard was his parents told him to stay away from me. Everyone just assumed that I was the one harassing him and forcing him to do... inappropriate things.

How stupid was that?

I discovered that a teacher found out about the kid's treatment from classmates. As the parents asked their children if it was true, they all pointed at me. Rather than questioning me to learn the other side of the story, they immediately believed those liars and already expelled me from the school. And that kid I was "friends" with? He was already comfortable with the pities his parents gave him and the warm friendships my former classmates had around him.

To choose the better life is to willingly be controlled by someone superior to you.

In a way, we were already shackled by the chains of control from the time we have the capacity to learn and understand knowledge about the world, standards, traditions, etc.

Going back to being a slave of the past, to become that, you require memories. we have memories so we can either learn from them, seek comfort from them, or be unable to move on from the past.

That is, in detailed form, a shackle of time that turns you into a slave.

And I deeply despise becoming one. This is why I, the lone dark mage of this world, am the freest among all living beings. Do you say it is arrogance? no, it's just facts. For example: From past experiences, I learned not to be obedient towards someone who is condescending and foolish; I learned how to fight back against those who are condescending and foolish; I also learned how not to place hopes on people who are condescending and foolish; I then learned, that those who blindly follow discrimination and claimed themselves to be good people are condescending and foolish; Finally, I learned that beasts and animals have a better understanding to others even though they don't have the ability to learn like us humans.

See? I learned from experience and take it to heart. That's how I was able to make friends with beasts and gained more genuine friends than any human can ever make!

Do not misunderstand, even I am still "shackled" by some fragments of the past, but that doesn't mean I'm "controlled" by it.

Unlike Yuigahama, who was shackled by the past and let it control the choices of her future, I move with the past behind me.

Yeah...

That's probably what I told myself to fool my own mind.

A day passed after Hikigaya's final visit to Yuigahama's home. The Sobu Magic Academy reopened as students and teachers entered the educational establishment. However, fewer students were attending because of the growing fears at the incident a week ago. Especially in the 2-F classroom since one female classmate was in the center of that incident. All the students currently either didn't feel such fear or used every ounce of mental effort to ignore such horror never happened and tried to act normal for the sake of returning to the usual buoyant days. Meanwhile, the Hikigaya siblings were still at home eating breakfast while Hiratsuka already left. As they slowly savor the bowl of rice, natto, nori, and miso soup, Komachi noticed something odd in her brother's current behavior.

He was silent.

Too silent.

Normally, Hachiman would ask her about her day at school and express his brotherly love without much hesitation unless he was exhausted. However, he didn't look exhausted (or at least even more exhausted), and it seemed as though his mind was elsewhere. And so, the little sister drank the miso soup to easily digest the rice and cleared her throat to successfully gain his attention.

"Onii-chan, is something wrong?" She asked with an arched eyebrow while watching his facial expressions and body movement closely. Noticing this, Hachiman answered while acting natural.

"Nothing's wrong," He said in a low tone. "It's just that going to the academy is gonna be even more troublesome than ever."

"Oh yeaahh, you gained a lot of attention lately with what happened a week ago," Komachi stared at the ceiling remembering the details in the chronicles and then what she recently heard from her classmates. "And then there's that rumor I've been hearing from my classmates and the folks!"

"About me being able to enter the so-called 'sacred gardens' of nobles? Yeah, that's true." He confirmed the rumor without care and proceeded to finish his own bowl of rice and drank the rest of his miso soup while Komachi just stared in bewilderment at her brother.

"Really?! How?!" She stood up and asked. "Did you bribed someone to let you enter? Or is there some secret entrance you've discovered?"

"No," Hachiman answered and then explained to her his current circumstance as she listened to him while eating nori.

"I see, so Yuigahama-san's mother asked you to protect her daughter and so she gave you a letter to freely enter the noble's territory," Komachi repeated his explanation and drank more of her bowl of miso soup. "So did something happened with Yuigahama-san then?"

"No, you are just overthinking things."

"I don't believe that. How come you aren't talking to me like usual and show off your incestuous love for me."

"Oi, I only see you as my adorable, angelic. and divine little sister. There is no incest involved in this sibling love I share with you."

"Creepy." Komachi mumbled in such a low voice with a look of disgust. Hachiman clicked his tongue and emptied the miso soup. He stood up and approached the stairs.

"Whatever, I'm heading out now," He said with a small wave but the little sister ran and jumped to the stairs in front of him to block his way. Hachiman looked up with an arched eyebrow at Komachi who folded her arms together and looked down at him as if she had superiority over him. "What?"

"Tell me everything." She demanded in a condescending tone.

"There's nothing much to tell," He answered while shrugging his shoulders. "I visited her for a whole week and tolerated her constant blabbering about whatever the hell she talked about and then that was it."

"There's more to it than that, is there?" She asked with a scrutinizing gaze. "Did you two fight or something?"

"If you call 'me mocking her for all the unintelligent remarks she kept spouting and her denying it and continuing for hours' a fight, then yeah, let's go with that."

"You're not going out until you tell me what's on your mind." When she said that, the older brother sighed and suddenly jumped over her to climb the stairs. Komachi pointed her right hand at him and suddenly, his movement froze mid-air which resulted in falling head-first on the flight of stairs. He couldn't even flinch a single muscle and the only part he could move was his eyes. Komachi sat on top of him with a smug on her face and emitted this arrogant and enraged aura. He wanted to speak his mind but he couldn't even move his lips.

"Don't bother," She said. "What I just cast is the classic binding spell but I put an improvement of my own."

"She's not kidding," He thought while analyzing the binding spell he was immobilized with. "Literally every muscle in my body won't move. I can't even expand my abdomen to inhale air! I'm suffocating. Can't... use... magic."

"You can't breathe, right? My binding spell doesn't involve restraining your body as if I'm tying you up with a rope, I interrupted the flow of the magical energy inside your body and then froze it," Komachi said while maintaining her smug attitude and patted his left cheek. "I guess you could say I restrained your soul, oniiii~ chan~!"

"This is very low on Komachi points!" Hachiman mentally expressed his irritation at the little sister. "This is how you pay back my love for you! Damn, I refuse to believe that my sister would hurt me and have that demonic look. Too low! Your Komachi points are so low, it might've touched the surface of hell itself! More importantly... I think I'm gonna die from suffocation..."

"Ah, it looks like you're gonna die. Hold on..." Komachi touched the older brother's stomach, chest, and mouth. He largely inhaled and breathe erratically until the breathing pace turned to normal. Sweat ran down everywhere on his face and closed his eyes to wait for the aching on his chest to disappear. "So, ready to tell me now?"

"Alright... alright..." After taking a few more slow breaths, Hachiman explained everything that had happened between him and the orange-haired girl a week ago. Komachi, meanwhile, dragged his frozen body downstairs and carried him to the couch for him to lie on his back. He didn't leave a single detail as she listened to his explanation attentively. After telling the full story truthfully, she nodded in understanding.

"I see, I see. So you and Yuigahama-san met a long time ago and after years of hard work in pursuing her love, the stupid and insensitive onii-chan rejected her." Komachi said while nodding at the end.

"Oi, wait. What kind of interpretation is that?"

"I mean, she did all that just for you, and then you didn't accept that by telling her to stop. Kinda sound like a rejection to me."

"Okay, fine, that does sound like that but I did that for good intentions."

"So she would focus on her own future, right?" Komachi pouted her cheeks and held her chin in thought. "No matter which angle, it sounds really dumb even for a smart, annoying, creepy, yet amazing onii-chan like you."

"That is a really specific, hurtful, and at the same time, touching description," Hachiman said while staring with a stoic expression at her. "What do you mean by 'dumb'?"

"Exactly what it sounds. I mean, you're saying that she doesn't think about herself but from my understanding, she does. She's thinking about her own future with you in it!"

"You may think that but that's incorrect," He argued. "Her choices and the current situation aren't for her own but someone else."

"And by someone else, that's you?" She asked and the older brother nodded in confirmation.

"That's right."

"And then you're blaming yourself for that?"

"Yup."

"That's why it's so dumb!" Komachi shouted in frustration at her older brother's reason. "Yuigahama-san did it out of her own will. So what if she's doing this for you?! That doesn't mean her life just revolves around only you! She has her own likes and dislikes, her own habits, and most importantly her own taste in men even if it's terrible."

"You don't need to put your opinion at the last sentence."

"The fact is, onii-chan, you're not really doing this to like, 'free' her or something!"

"Yes, I am. She's shackled by the past, thinking about her supposed 'debt' to me. It'll be really annoying if she's gonna stick to me with that 'slavery' mindset. What I did was breaking those shackles for the both of us, mostly for my sake-"

"Liar. If that's the case, then aren't you shackled by a different past? When you promised Wylfrid-san?" Komachi's question silenced Hachiman and left him in shock. They only stared at each other for seconds which felt like an eternity. He quickly removed the look of bewilderment on his face and replaced it with a calm, stoic one but the little sister noticed the hint of frustration within that expression. And so, she pushed further to prove her point and exposed his true intention. "Onii-chan, you're just genuinely worried about her. It's-"

Before she could speak any further, everything around her shook. There wasn't really an earthquake nor any of the furniture moved. It was as if her own perception shaken and from everywhere she looked, any still object or even the air itself were shaking and distorted. Komachi felt unease and then the pressure overwhelmed her until she fell from her sofa into the floor while Hachiman slowly moved his body to sit up as each of his arms and legs began flinching from the fingers and toes to the entire limbs. As he released one sharp breath, all the "shaking" the little sister finally stopped, and then he quickly stood up and went upstairs. Meanwhile, Komachi leaned against the armrest of the couch as support to stand up.

"H-He emitted a large amount of mana focused in the chest and abdomen that I've broken free and burst it inside his body to force the mana I froze to be pushed away, basically forcing the mana within him to move. T-That's onii-chan, alright. Even if there is a risk of blowing himself up from the inside out."

Hikigaya jumped from roof to roof with the magic academy as his destination. Komachi's words echoed repeatedly in his mind and it bothered him to a degree. Was he lying to himself so much to find satisfaction in his choices and see how justifiable and reasonable they were? How many lies did he build to form such an illusion within him?

"So, Hikigaya Hachiman, the dark mage who hates his own human race, is a hypocrite to his own ideals."

Was what the homeroom teacher said a week ago true? Refuting that would feel like denying a possible truth that he couldn't believe until he was fully convinced. He thought that rejecting Yuigahama's pursuit was the solution but instead, it exposed even more difficulties he wasn't aware of until now or perhaps buried in the darkness within his mind. He was even more lost than ever not knowing what could be the correct solution to the situation with the orange-haired girl.

"I honestly wish Wylfrid-san would also give me advice on women... wait." Hikigaya landed on another roof and stopped for a moment to remember the words Wylfrid gave him during his time in the Realm Before Purgatory.

"If a man gave a young lady a bouquet of flowers, she would race home and try to decode it like a secret message. Carnation means love; Suisen means respect; Red tulip means eternal love; and yellow tulip means one-sided love. A man would have to choose his flowers carefully to aid him in conveying his heart to the young lady."

"'Conveying my heart', he said," He scratched the back of his head thinking about the meaning behind that advice. While he still had time before class would begin, the young dark mage sat down on the roof tile and stared at the blue sky with white clouds to contemplate more carefully. He repeated the memory of his blunt demand to Yuigahama about her current path. He mentally listed down every important factor that would reveal his state at that time: What coursed through his mind when he said all those words; the emotions that surfaced in his heart; and the expectations he actually anticipated after that. Any, if not, all of them would lead to the answer. However, there were other factors besides that event that would help him understand his own actions. The greatest factor above all was the memories that returned during the whole incident with the rampaging Ziel puppet. His argument with Hiratsuka showed him the truth with his view towards Yuigahama. "When those memories returned, the only thing I felt was guilt. I blamed myself for influencing her. It's as if she's important to me... Just what do I see her as? An annoyance? An inconvenience? Claiming our relationship as friends seems far off. To begin with, I never saw her as such from the first time we interacted in the academy. I interacted with her for the opportunity to gain trust but does that mean I want to be friends with her? No. It was for my goal. To fulfill my promise with Wylfrid-san. So what does identify true friendship? What does even identify bond in the first place?

Is it through having similarities? Such a simple concept and a good first step but they find similarities to seek comfort with one another. If one is too different from a group, he/she would force him/herself to change in order to become similar for the group. Such a fake and forced friendship

Or Is it the acceptance of differences? But deep inside, it would take all their willpower to ignore the difference that separates which is strong and which is weak, which of them is higher to the heavens and which of them is lower deep in the earth. Also a fake and forced friendship.

It's difficult to define a relationship even if I discuss this with her. You can never be too sure if those feelings are real or just a twisted form."

"Life is full of uncertainties. We have no choice but to walk through it."

Yukinoshita's argument came to mind.

"Even if the consequences are this hurtful for others? Even if it's hurtful for oneself?... I'm thinking about this too much." Hikigaya facepalmed in frustration and covered his eyes with a hand. All the surrounding sound became more muffled until he couldn't hear at all. He emptied his mind to calm himself until a cloud blocked the sun which made him remove the hand from his hand and open his eyes. Hikigaya stood up and took one deep breath as the cloud moved to reveal the sun once more with its light illuminating the land under it including a resolved young dark mage. "No use thinking about this alone. I guess I need to talk to Yuigahama to set things straight. When I think about it, I was kinda too quick to judge the circumstance and immediately jumped to conclusions. I bet even now, that girl is still processing what I just said yesterday. I can't blame her...

I should discuss with her properly."

"So... why are you late?" The question of the homeroom teacher made him flinched. It was lunchtime as Hikigaya and Hiratsuka were in her office eating their own respective food that they brought. However, only the teacher was eating while the student remained sitting still. Hikigaya actually took too long during his self-questioning which resulted in being an hour late in attending the academy and missing her class. He attempted to reach a bowl of rice on the table between them but his hand stopped midway after sensing her glare. He retreated his hand and tried his best to not meet the angered teacher's gaze. He cleared his throat and answered truthfully.

"I was spacing out on a roof of someone's house enjoying the sky and relaxing breeze."

"Hoooh~? So you have the guts to slack off, huh?" Hiratsuka slowly stood up and approached the young dark mage. With all his mental strength, he maintained a stoic expression as with each step from the teacher, his fear grew. Hikigaya expected to be pummeled into nothingness with her fists and braced himself mentally. She grabbed his right shoulder firmly and caressed his cheek with her other hand to lift his face. Instead of seeing the usual enraged teacher, he saw a calm and serious expression on her face. There was not a single breath of animosity in her surrounding air and slowly he relaxed his body from relief, but now confusion surfaced in his mind. After a few moments of silence and staring at each other's eyes, Hiratsuka spoke with a soft and serious voice. "Something happened between you and Yuigahama, right? I already knew from the way you act yesterday when you came back home. And now, during my class, Yuigahama was off to her own world while I was lecturing. Tell me what happened."

"... You can probably guess by now."

"I know... but I wanna hear it from you. It's better to let out your problems to someone than hurt your own back from carrying them by yourself." With that, Hikigaya told her everything the same way he explained it to his little sister. Only this time, he added his recent internal conflict about the decisions he made to act last week and the painful confusion in analyzing his relationship with the orange-haired girl. After finishing his explanation, Hiratsuka went back to her seat with arms folded together and legs crossed. "So you chose to push Yuigahama away and get her out of the path of being a knight but now, you're wondering whether that choice is right or wrong."

"Yes," Hikigaya confirmed with a formal tone. Something that should happen if he was terrified at the powerful homeroom teacher. His tone towards her changed because of his slow-growing desperation in seeking answers to the problems he currently had. He deeply hoped Hiratsuka held at least one single, subjective answer that could help him.

"Well, even I don't know if what you did was right or wrong."

"Eh?"

"On one hand, you deeply hurt the girl who devoted her life and future for you but on the other hand, that could save her from any further danger," Hiratsuka caressed her own forehead expressing her conflicted feelings to her student's current situation. "I can't say for certain if the decision you made was correct, but one thing I am sure of is that you didn't do it properly. Talk to her again after school and get into an understanding. Understand why her love for you drove her into this. Whether she was just in debt to you or that's actual love, at least an understanding would be made."

"I understand." The young dark mage looked down in thought until he grabbed a bowl of rice to eat lunch before break ends. Silence only filled between teacher and student as they both ate their lunch without even a glance at each other. The silence wasn't really uncomfortable because their minds were in contemplation of their own circumstances. After lunch ended and class resumed, Hikigaya paid attention in all lectures while still thinking about him and Yuigahama. In the end, he made a correct assumption earlier that his discussion with her was too messy to establish an equal conclusion for both of them and that assumption was supported by Hiratsuka during lunchtime. He glanced at the orange-haired girl and noticed that she was staring at him. Realizing this, she averted her gaze while he focused his attention back on the current lecture. At the end of every class (except in an Enziel class since they both had different Enziel magic), he would notice her unusual and expected behavior when she interacted with her friends. Sometimes she would be in a daze before Miura woke her up, and then give short replies and comments to the conversation which was peculiar for a noisy and social woman such as her. As the final class ended, Hikigaya stood up and grabbed his cloth-covered sword and sachet bag before staring at the orange-haired girl once again who was talking to Totsuka. He released a sigh and left the classroom to reach the institution room. When he reached the destination, he knocked on the wooden door before opening it to see Yukinoshita just sitting on a chair reading a small book.

"You finally arrived. For I have splendid news," The Ice Queen said as she stood up with a calm smile and took out a small box from her shoulder leather bag.

"Yeah, I can tell just by that look on your face," He commented in a deadpan tone while sitting on a chair. "Is it about the invention?"

"Yes, it was a success," She answered while opening the box to reveal their scientific creation as the young dark mage stared at it curiously, and scanned its appearance from the muzzle to the metallic parts in the middle. Yukinoshita noticed the expression which made her smirk. "While it did fulfill our goal, there were few major flaws. Firstly, the process of preparing a shot would take approximately ten seconds or more depending on how well the wielder can use it efficiently."

"Even if that person fully learned and practiced the weapon, a few seconds of just merely preparing for a shot during battle would get himself killed. Ten seconds is plenty of time for the enemy to escape your line of sight and that's that."

"Yes, and unfortunately, I can't think of any solution to that other than carry more than one gun."

"Sounds logical," Hikigaya agreed while taking out the weapon in the box and analyzed it from testing the weight to figuring out how to hold it properly. "It is small and no that heavy so... wait, what did you call this?"

"A 'gun'. It derives from the surname of a man named Virago Gunnhildr. According to some, he was a war hero who created a powerful bow to destroy hundreds of slave trading organizations seven years ago with the fastest arrow. It was rumored to be so fast that the moment he let go of the bowstring, the blood of his enemies already spilled as they die by the swift flight of the arrow."

"Slave trading organizations, huh?" He questioned in his mind. "And that was seven years ago, that was also the time I escaped that hellish castle... Maybe that Virago Gunnhildr was-"

"YAHALLO! We have a visitor!" The sudden shout from Yuigahama made the two science members jumped. They looked at the orange-haired girl and a certain silver-haired boy with a feminine appearance that many would mistake him to be a girl. "I brought Sai-chan with me!"

"Pardon the intrusion," Totsuka bowed politely and followed Yuigahama to enter the room. Hikigaya noticed how her eyes glanced at him and then averted away before it became too noticeable but failed since he watched her repeated that small action a few times until Totsuka saw him after looking around the room. "Hikigaya-kun?"

"Oh, hey, Totsuka," The young dark mage greeted with indifference while giving a small wave.

"Huh? Why are you here?" The silver-haired gir-... boy asked in curiosity.

"Well, I'm kind of a member here."

"Kind of...?"

"Hmm... I guess the term 'slave' is correct, or maybe the 'peasant' of this institution."

"Ignore the fool. Your mind may be broken if you let his words linger into you," Yukinoshita said after creating a mana sphere to fire one Mana Shot at Hikigaya only for him to block the attack nonchalantly with a barrier spell.

"So, why are you here?" Hikigaya asked the orange-haired girl who didn't appear to be affected by his words nor even his entire presence despite what happened last week.

"Ah, well, y'know? I'm part of the institution, right?" She answered with a finger up. "So I thought I'd do something for the club. And Sai-chan asked me for help about something, so I brought him here!"

"Yuigahama-san." Yukinoshita called out her name but before she could speak any further, Yuigahama interrupted.

"No need to thank me or anything, Yukinon! I just did what's natural as a member here!"

"Yuigahama-san, you are not actually a member of this institution." The Ice Queen's statement caused Yuigahama to have a look of bewilderment.

"I'm not!?"

"She's not? And I thought it would go like those stories where she's suddenly part of the main character's group after one event or something." Hikigaya thought.

"Yes, I never received a letter of intent to join nor any word from Hiratsuka-sensei about this matter," Yukinoshita answered indifferently with a tilted head. "So you're not a member."

"I'll write a letter right now! I'll write as many as you want!" Yuigahama said desperately while taking out a piece of paper. Meanwhile, the two science members' focus shifted to Totsuka.

"So you are Totsuka Saika, are you?" Yukinoshita asked.

"Ah, yes!" Totsuka answered nervously. "I came here because I asked Yuigahama-san to get me to discuss with Hikigaya-kun about the offer I gave him last week and so she led me here."

"You mean about teaching me how to use a katana? I almost forgot about that," The young dark mage scratched the back of his head. "Well, if you're okay with me, then I accept your offer."

"That's great!" Totsuka said excitedly with a smile.

"Uwaah, to think that a feminine boy would outclass all women in terms of beauty. Gotta admit that's a huge blow to all women." Hikigaya thought and then turned to Yuigahama who was still writing the letter of intent until she read it to check for any mistakes. It was very strange for the young dark mage. Despite what he said to her back then, she still maintained her usual cheerful demeanor aside from a few hints of anxiety from her small body language. He averted his gaze from her to avoid anyone noticed but he wasn't aware that Yukinoshita caught a glimpse of his act and wondered what happened between those two.

"I'm done!" Yuigahama declared while showing them the letter of intent. "And then I go to Hiratsuka-sensei for approval, right?"

"Yes, but don't hurry. We have plenty of time for work." Yukinoshita said and the orange-haired girl nodded in enthusiasm as she ran out of the room to find the homeroom teacher. Meanwhile, the Ice Queen shifted focus towards Totsuka and asked. "If you are here only for Hikigaya-kun, then I don't mind if you borrow him for a moment. Just make sure to return in two hours."

"Thank you, Yukinoshita-san." The silver-haired boy thanked her with a bow.

"I'm surprised you aren't really kidding about teaching me." Hikigaya said as he stood up while stretching his neck.

"It just feels great to teach people about something I'm passionate about. But, uhh... in exchange for teaching you..."

"Oh, I should've expected that there is a favor in return," Hikigaya thought. "Just hoping whatever favors he wants are easy to do."

"... Can you train me to become strong like you?"

"... What?" Totsuka's request caused Hikigaya to look at him in confusion. "Train you on what? If you're talking about how I achieved my inhuman strength, then sorry, it's not something anyone could do."

"P-Please! I need to get stronger in a different way. My magic won't do any good." Totsuka begged.

"I don't get it. What makes you think your magic isn't any good?" The young dark mage asked with a raised eyebrow. "Was all of the things you did at that battle royale a fluke? You're joking, right?"

"If I remember correctly, you are suffering from a curse?" Yukinoshita said in a tone of a question.

"A curse?" Hikigaya repeated that word to check if he heard that right.

"Yeah... Our family branch is cursed with having bodies that can't withstand magical energy," Totsuka explained his family circumstance. "When we cast even the weakest spells, our bodies ache and then our veins would burst out blood. It's like for us, both normal magic and Enziel magic have Equal Feedback. We can only cast a small number of spells before we either pass out or die. Back at the battle royale, the reason why I used that large Enziel wind spell because my body was nearly at my limit. Just one more spell and I would be on the ground shaking in pain."

"So what activates the curse is not the amount of mana you put into a spell, but the number of times you use magic," Yukinoshita said and Totsuka nodded in confirmation. "Unlike that, the equal feedback in elemental magic would occur by either the amount of mana in that spell or the number of times used."

"I actually wondered why you would use such a powerful spell so early in our first match," Hikigaya said while holding his chin in thought. "Did the family catch the person that cursed you all?"

"Yes, but they didn't tell us much about the perpetrator besides the fact it was a man who apparently was envious of us for some reason." The silver-haired boy answered while shaking his head.

"When someone bore humungous malice within him, he or she will express that malice through a curse. Some people would sacrifice their own souls for powerful curses no matter the chances of success."

Wylfrid's words surfaced in Hikigaya's mind.

A curse is a type of magic that expresses a malicious wish into some form of adversity or misfortune befalling or attaching to one or more people. The opposite of a blessing. Unlike other types of magic, a curse attacks the victim's soul and causes decades or eternal effects. There is a huge variety of curses from disrupting memories or personality to deforming one's body and sufferable transformations. In order to create a curse, one must give a "scar" on the victim's soul. It means the user requires to torment the victim either physically, mentally, or both to the point it becomes an unforgettable traumatic experience. Methods may vary from torture, complete humiliation, and more as long as that method aligns well with the caster's desired effect. For example, if you want to give someone a curse that causes memory loss or distorts mentality, then a form of psychological torture must be performed. After assessing that the victim is traumatized, you must use a cursed magic circle and it should work.

It is really the evilest and most malicious form of magic.

"That man kidnapped our great grandparents and forced them to do many awful things. The most well-known was forcing them to perform intercourse in the center of a cursed magic circle with heavy injuries." Totsuka said while staring down on the floor.

"Whoever that perpetrator is, he is very skilled in curse magic," Yukinoshita commented. "A hereditary curse that lasts for eternity. His malice within him must have been terrifyingly strong."

"So that's why I want you to train me, Hikigaya-kun," Totsuka said with a bow. "Please!"

"I can train you but achieving the same level of physical prowess as mine is impossible." Hikigaya said with shrugged shoulders.

"Then allow me to train you in that aspect." The Ice Queen declared with a stroke of her long black hair. "Although I wish for us to continue discussing our most recent success with the invention, it can wait since it is time for Service Duties. I am not certain that we could fulfill such a near-impossible objective, but I promise you will become stronger than ever."

"Really?" Totsuka asked with a gleam in her-... his eyes.

"Yes, just have faith in me as your trainer. And we will make wonderful progress." She answered with confidence.

"O-Okay! Thank you!" The silver-haired girl thanked her once again and turned to Hikigaya. "Ah, I'm still gonna teach you so don't worry about it."

"Oh, I guess this works out too." Hikigaya was the first to leave the room while ignoring the conversation between Yukinoshita and Totsuka. He walked in the hallway but stopped immediately after seeing Yuigahama running towards him with the letter of intent in her hand and was smiling.

"Hikki! I-.. I did it!" The orange-haired girl said between exhausted breaths after running. She then showed the letter close to his face. "I'm now an official member!"

"...Sure, whatever," That was the only response he could give as Yuigahama returned it with a grin. She ran past him to enter the institution room but stopped mid-way by the young dark mage's call. "Oi, Yuigahama."

"..." After a few seconds, the silence was her only response to his call. Hikigaya didn't turn around nor even bother to look at her. What mattered was to settle things between them properly.

"Meet me after we finish training Totsuka. You still remember that empty classroom where we once ate lunch together?"

"... Yeah." She answered with a soft voice.

"That's where I want to talk to you alone... I want to discuss this properly about last week."

"Yeah, me too..." Yuigahama walked back towards Hikigaya as footsteps echoed in the hallway. As she closed the distance, she tapped his shoulder to make him turn around in which he did. Hikigaya saw her smile but not the usual energetic and carefree one. It was gentle and heartening. Her cheeks were red as her eyes gave such an affectionate stare. "I have something to say too so... I'll meet you there."

In the training grounds.

Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and Totsuka were wearing the standard training outfit while Hikigaya still maintained the usual black kimono and hakama with a torn right sleeve. They all held a wooden sword but Hikigaya's and Totsuka's were wielding a "bokken", wooden katanas. The two men faced each other a few feet apart with Totsuka placing his left foot slightly behind the right with the left heel raised. Both feet were parallel, hips straight forward, and the shoulders relaxed. With both hands, the bokken was held out in front of the body pointing at Hikigaya's waist. Meanwhile, Hikigaya just stood there with his left foot forward and his bokken one-handedly held firmly. If someone would look at the two duelists, he/she would immediately assume one of them was an experience sword user while the other was a novice as if a child was still learning how to walk. However, that assumption would be proven wrong the moment their wooden swords clash.

"Gedan-no-kamae, I see." Yukinoshita mumbled while staring at the silver-haired boy.

"Ge-... Gekkon-no-same? What?" Yuigahama tried to repeat the term but failed.

"Gedan-no-kamae, it is one of the five stances in a sword art known as kendo," Yukinoshita explained. "The Totsuka clan is best known for their mastery in swordsmanship. All of them spend their entire lifetimes practicing every known sword arts in the eastern continent. Kenjutsu, Kendo, Iaijutsu, and even the Kazakuren style that you learned; the clan will pursue all forms of the blade."

"Oooohhh... And that one is kendo?" Yuigahama asked while pointing at Totsuka.

"Yes, it is a sword art in Taiyokigen that is used to practice self-discipline and spirituality through applying the principles of the katana. As it is aligned with that concept, the techniques require patience, precision, decisive and quick strikes," After finishing her explanation, Yukinoshita spoke to Totsuka and Hikigaya. "The first thing we need to know is your strengths and weaknesses. We will have you fight Hikigaya-kun so we can observe and assess your abilities while at the same time, having Hikigaya-kun learn kendo. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Totsuka answered with seriousness and determination

"Good for me," Hikigaya, on the other hand, in a lazy and uncaring tone.

"Well, then... Begin!" Yukinoshita's signal caused both combatants to heighten their awareness and moved forward. Their wooden katanas clashed and Hikigaya pushed on the offensive. He first kicked Totsuka in the stomach and then attempted to hit his head, but Totsuka guarded in time and swung the bokken to his neck. The swing was precise and fast but not fast enough to achieve a successful hit against someone with inhuman physical capabilities. Normally, Hikigaya would've been able to either guard against that or even dodge it and then perhaps deal the finishing blow. However, surprising to everyone in the training grounds, he didn't as Totsuka stopped his own swing by a hair before it even touched the neck.

"...Eh?" Totsuka wondered with a look of bewilderment how the fight ended so quickly. It only took three moves to end the fight and everyone froze in confusion. Hikigaya's left eye twitched in irritation as he could tell without even looking that Yukinoshita was staring at him in pity and arrogance. Yuigahama just blinked a few times with a blank smile as she just stared at the others. The silver-haired boy retreated his bokken and scratched his cheek from the uncomfortable scene. "I-I guess that's my win?... Maybe you shouldn't hold back too much? A-Ahahaha..."

"Hikigaya-kun, let us switch before you waste our time," The Ice Queen said as she approached the young dark mage. "It seems your idiocy has finally caught up to you."

"Now just a second," Hikigaya said which made her stop. "two out of three. And this time, hit me like you mean it."

"Ah, okay!" Totsuka agreed to his request immediately and Yukinoshita contemplated for a moment before reluctantly going back to Yuigahama's side. Both male combatants went back to their previous positions facing each other a few feet apart. Yukinoshita sighed at Hikigaya's embarrassment which reached his ears as he glared at the Ice Queen. She raised her right hand for a few moments while glancing between the two men and swung it down as a signal to begin the second round. Hikigaya was the first to initiate as he swung the wooden katana at Totsuka who guarded it in time. Hikigaya recklessly continued his attacks until Totsuka parried a swing aiming for his left side and counterattacked by swinging upward below his armpit. Fortunately, Hikigaya guarded the attack and then threw a left jab at Totsuka's face only for him to tilt his head to dodge successfully. The fight was even longer this time and it was in Hikigaya's favor as the silver-haired boy's exhaustion finally became noticeable through his heavy breathing. Desperation grew within Totsuka and he charged at the young dark mage with a swing towards his right temple. With his bokken, Hikigaya blocked it as well as another one aiming at his right side. He then grabbed the collar of Totsuka's blouse and pulled him closer for a successful headbutt. Hikigaya finished the fight by hitting his left cheek which made the silver-haired boy fell with his back. The moment Totsuka sat up, the tip of Hikigaya's wooden katana was already inches close to his face to stop him from getting up. A sign of the end of the fight.

"Nice fight!" Yuigahama commented while clapping. "What happened back there, Hikki? Were you sleepy?"

"I would like to assume that arrogance consumed you but my discovery of your ability is too interesting to lie about." Yukinoshita said while holding her chin.

"His ability?" The orange-haired girl wondered what the Ice Queen discovered.

"There are two elements I have currently noticed to Hikigaya-kun's fighting capabilities," Yukinoshita explained. "One: While his offensive moves were that of an amateur, his defense and evasive maneuvers are superb though sometimes reckless such as catching a blade with a bare hand. Two: He seems to know where the danger is and counter them as if he has precognition. All this may because of a special ability he acquires."

"A special ability... As expected of you, Hikigaya-kun," Totsuka praised him with gleaming eyes. "The gods truly favored you for having such gifts!"

"If the gods really favored me, then they should've sent all those who hurt me to the deepest depths of hell," Hikigaya thought with his left eye twitched and answered Yukinoshita's assumptions. "Yeah, there's this thing that I have called 'instincts'. I can sense any danger coming my way."

"Oh, that explains why you lost so quickly back then," The silver-haired boy said with a look of realization. "I didn't put my intention to hurt you so your instincts didn't alarm you."

"That's really cool," Yuigahama praised. "Can we also do that?"

"Possibly not," Yukinoshita answered. "This is only a trait that animals and demi-humans are given from birth, and we don't even know how it even works. We can assume that Hikigaya-kun is an animal in disguise. I must say, I am very impressed that your disguise even fooled me."

"I'm just special, nothing more," Hikigaya said in an arrogant and low tone. "Don't be envious of my extraordinary capabilities and insult me."

"Me? Envious of you? That is the most terrible joke I have ever heard so far in history," Yukinoshita mocked. "Even among the worse jesters would be smart enough to see how dull and downright pitiful your comedic sense is."

"As if I care what jesters think. And I have a good sense of humor."

"What exactly is your definition of 'humor'? Surely, you didn't fail to distinguish from someone laughing at your jester to someone shaking in distress."

"Those people shaking in distress have their minds broken from thinking too much about my humor. They are simply not smart nor tasteful enough to understand the layers of true comedy." And once again, the two engaged in yet another argument. Meanwhile, Yuigahama and Totsuka just silently watched them arguing to the point where they couldn't understand what they were saying. Totsuka laughed awkwardly trying to call out to them to stop, but his call was ignored or perhaps didn't even reached their ears. The silver-haired boy had sweat dripping on his head and turned to Yuigahama who just stood still in the same spot for a while with a short smile and deadpan eyes.

"Umm... Shouldn't we stop them?" Totsuka asked.

"No, it's always like this between those two." The orange-haired girl answered in a deadpan tone.

"This always happens?"

"Yeah, but you get used to it." That was the last thing she said as the spectators watched the argument growing intense with Yukinoshita pointing her wooden sword at Hikigaya's face. A vein popped on the young dark mage's head and swung his bokken at the Ice Queen to which she guarded it in time but her wooden sword cracked slightly. If she didn't cast the Hearten spell on the wooden sword in time, she might've received a head injury from his attack. Yuigahama and Totsuka quickly approached them to cease fighting and once they calmed themselves down, Yukinoshita cleared her throat to speak.

"Let us not waste any more time," She said and turned to Totsuka. "The fight brought more than enough information to evaluate the proper training for you. And the first thing we will do is a simple exercise routine for you to practice and be part of your daily activities or at least weekly."

"First, laps around the training ground until they die; do as many push-ups as they can until they die; do sit-ups until they die; practice hand-to-hand combat until they die; then practice sword swings until they die; finishing off with sparring matches until they die, maybe?"

"Wait, just asking, but you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting, are you?" The young dark mage asked nervously after remembering a certain quote from the Ice Queen. His fear was confirmed from the way she smiled at him. "Oi, Oi, we're training him, right? We're training him to get physically stronger, right? Not training him till his body broke and become unfit for battle?"

"Whatever do you mean, Hikigaya-kun?" Yukinoshita asked feigning ignorance to his question. "This training is very appropriate to someone with such determination to improve himself. If we train him any less, he won't meet his goal or even take a step closer to it. That is unacceptable, do you agree, Totsuka-kun.?"

"Yes!" Totsuka answered loudly while clutching his bokken. "I can't afford to let my family branch fall behind. It doesn't have to be enough to be one of the best in the clan, just good enough for my family to gain recognition."

"Good. Now, let us begin with..."

As she declared, Yukinoshita gave the silver-haired boy the routine that could perfectly be described in one short sentence: Train hard until he has reached Death's door. At first, Yuigahama and Totsuka thought she was kidding and assumed her words were some form of metaphor. However, when the Ice Queen ordered him to train until he would die, she truly meant it by ordering poor Totsuka to do five hundred push-ups and sit-ups, and spar against her without mercy.

And that was all in an hour.

After only fifteen minutes of rest and using healing potions, Yukinoshita then ordered him to run ten laps around a forest with rough terrain, a difficult environment, and a strong rainstorm that was all simulated by the training ground's feature, Nature's Rule. It was all muddy, cold, and rocky. None could find a safe corner to rest or a smooth and easy path to run. Totsuka ran as fast as he could jumping over the same tree trunk in the seventh lap, and covering his head from the rain. Just three more laps until the entire session was finished. And yet, it felt as if that goal was as impossible as trying to swim in the ocean to reach far to another continent. He ran without even knowing this was the eighth lap. Although his legs were aching, he still ran but mostly because his body was just moving on its own now. The exhaustion was unbearable yet, Totsuka refused to fall nor even stop for a moment of rest. After what felt like an eternity for him, he succeeded ten laps and fell on the flat ground from exhaustion. The simulated forest disappeared and turned back into the normal, empty training grounds. The now three science members ran towards him and treat the injuries he received from tripping a few times and being scratched by tree branches and thorns.

"You did well." Yukinoshita praised while giving Totsuka a small bottle of healing potion.

"You know you could've just given up and done this again tomorrow," Hikigaya suggested while sitting on the ground with his chin rested to his palm. "This isn't really a week of training but more of showing you the routine and after that, you're on your own. No need to put so much effort in something that'll seriously kill you."

"Thank you... for your concern..." Totsuka said between breaths. "But... I need to... give it my all... I have to..."

"It's useless to dissuade a person with such spirit, Hikigaya-kun. Give up." Yukinoshita convinced which made Hikigaya clicked his tongue.

"If he breaks his body beyond recovery or just straight-up dies, I'll have you arrested for murder," Hikigaya said while glaring at her. "Even if it's futile with your aristocratic blood."

"Viewing this as murder is false and misleading," Yukinoshita refuted. "Totsuka-kun chose to do this by his own will, so that means it is more of a suicide than anything."

"He's STILL gonna die?!" Yuigahama said dumbfounded at their argument. Totsuka just laughed nervously.

"Let's end here for the day." Yukinoshita announced as the young dark mage stood up and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, the sooner to get home, the better." Hikigaya said while stretching his neck.

"YOU are not going anywhere," The Ice Queen said sharply. "There are still other subjects we need to discuss such as the success of our invention and how we can amplify it further."

"Ugh, if it's a success, then that it's done. Why bother fixing something that's not broken."

"Fool. Science is about pursuing the knowledge of the natural world and progressing living beings further through that world. We don't just stop at one way."

"Why do we have to make things more complicated than it already is?..." Hikigaya said with a facepalm.

"Are you not up for it? Then you are not allowed to hold the weapon and if you do, consider it to be the last time you've used those filthy hands."

"What makes you think I care about holding that weird stick?" Hikigaya folded his arms together trying to convince them (mostly himself) that he didn't care about it. After only being given silence for a few moments, he finally gave in as he scratched the back of his head with a sigh. "Fine, just don't expect me to add some ideas. It's just a fluke that I came up with that 'size' suggestion."

"It is no fluke." Yukinoshita refuted while shaking her head. "It is a display of what could be a pinch of your creativity and imagination. Please use it more often for science. No matter how idiotic or thoroughly meaningless your ideas could be."

"Again, don't ask me to give ideas when you're not expecting anything." Hikigaya said with a vein popped on his temple.

"Well, there we have it. Totsuka-kun, we will continue helping in your training regime tomorrow." Yukinoshita said and Totsuka nodded in response while standing up.

"Thank you very much!" The silver-haired boy bowed in gratitude for their help so far. And that concluded the first day of training with Totsuka Saika. It was hellish but he could see the benefits outweighing the risks and problems with it. Hikigaya contemplated whether Totsuka knew something that he couldn't or perhaps that mindset was nothing more than optimism. Either way, Hikigaya saw him as a passionate lunatic with a strong will that could easily surpass all other lunatics.

And someone he couldn't help but respect that as such.

"I'll be going ahead," Totsuka announced while holding his shoulder bag and sheathed sword. "Again, I couldn't thank you all enough."

"A mere thanks is the only compensation we need," Yukinoshita said. "As long as you are this spirited tomorrow onwards, that is enough."

"I will be. Thank you." After bowing to them in gratitude, the silver-haired boy waved farewell and walked to the hallway leaving the three science members that were waving back except for Hikigaya. As they saw him leave further, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama turned around to go back to the institution for the discussion while the young dark mage still stared at the retreating form of his cursed classmate. He saw Totsuka's circumstances as similar to Yuigahama's problem in her elemental magic. However, the difference was that Yuigahama could still improve as her problem was solvable while Totsuka couldn't as his curse prevented that from ever happening. He respected that spirit within Totsuka. His goal could be considered idealistic, but Hikigaya finally understood that without something as bright and childish as a distant dream, power would only serve to crush everything smaller than the strong. No meaning, no beauty, nor even give peace to others and oneself. It was just something a person was good at and could be even better at doing it than other people. But if there was a purpose with that power, something that drove a person to pursue it with an end goal in mind, then that also aligned with the purpose of living as a whole.

Totsuka's purpose in life was to earn the recognition his family and he himself deserved.

Yukinoshita wished to see a world where science had evolved as high as magic.

Yuigahama would do almost anything for the person she loved.

.

.

.

And that hooded monster wanted revenge.

All had different ways and meanings, yet they all had one thing in common:

They were goals that came from deep within those motivated individuals.

For the sake of such goals, they would do even the most foolish choices if those were the most efficient. Such recklessness should be avoided as it would mean gambling the benefits and risks for a path worse than ever. It was the peak of foolishness within humanity... yet...

"I envy them..." Hikigaya thought as it repeatedly echoed in his mind.

"Hikki! What are you doing there?!" Yuigahama shouted behind him and so he turned around to see her confused expression and Yukinoshita just continuing to walk without care. Hikigaya didn't answer and just walked towards them to reach the institution room. The orange-haired girl pouted when he walked past her without uttering a single word but she did notice the quick glance he gave. She never thought to see someone as indifferent as him to look so conflicted before. It was a rare sight for her indeed. He was truly bothered by what happened between them even though he was the one who initiated it. Yuigahama chuckled at that and quickly followed the young dark mage to his side. He noticed her chuckling and looked at her with a confused expression.

"Why are you laughing?" Hikigaya asked and Yuigahama leaned closer to his face which made him flinched back.

"You're just funny, Hikki. That's why!" She answered with a grin.

"Hah?" He was even more confused by her odd cheerful behavior and averted his gaze.

"Hikki?" Yuigahama wondered why he looked away.

"You really are a piece of work..."

Meanwhile. Somewhere in the middle of the woods

"By the gods... How is this possible?" The voice of a woman questioned the horrifying sight in front of her. There were a hundred knights clad in different armor lying lifeless on the ground and puddles of blood. Some of the dead bodies were bathed in their own blood with heads and limbs decapitated, and parts of their armors broke. The battlefield turned this area of the woods into an open field as trees were cut off clean, craters everywhere on the ground, and debris of plants, rocks, and flesh littered. The woman had a long dark, brown ponytail, and her attire consisted of: A red leather scale chest armor under a green tunic, "Oda Gote" (Forearm guard) and "Sode" (Shoulder armor) on the left, a "Kote" (armored sleeve) on the right, "Tekko" (Handguards), a "Kobekama" (short Hakama), and shin guards. By her side were two other knights staring in fear at their fallen comrades.

"All of them dead?" The male knight spoke. He had white hair and wore full-body black armor. "A lot of them were candidates for the elite rank."

"Either that title is has been tarnished for mere jester or the enemy is that powerful," The other male knight commented. He wore a metal pauldron and plackart over a dark brown tunic, vambraces on both forearms, greaves and knee guards, and a red cape. "It could be that monster's doing. I have to admit, I'm very impressed that the guardian managed to surviv-"

"Over there!" The female samurai pointed at something behind the woods. The two knights looked and saw a silhouette of a person wearing a cloak but other than that, it was too difficult for them to see.

"Come out! Or else it won't end well for you!" The black knight threatened while pointing his sword at the enigmatic perpetrator. The female samurai shifted into a fighting stance with her naginata and the red-caped knight followed suit with a crossbow in hand while stepping back for the role as support. The two melee fighters slowly moved forward while gaining each other's distance to cover both sides of the enemy. After a few seconds of silence from the enemy, The red-caped knight spoke in anger.

"You dare not answer!? Then you wil-" Suddenly, the enigmatic perpetrator became a blur to them and the knight stopped mid-sentence. The two other knights felt a quick gust of wind blowing them and looked behind to see the enemy pierced the red-caped knight's throat with two fingers. The red-caped knight vomited blood and fell on the ground as his throat bled and bathing himself in a puddle of his own blood. The black knight just stared at bewilderment and fear at the scene, but the female samurai didn't waste a second and charged in anger without even bothering to register the enemy's face. Three pyramids of mana appeared around the enigmatic perpetrator as he (or she) tried to move but froze because of those mana pyramids. The samurai swung the naginata and attempted to decapitate the enemy's head. However, what happened instead was that something hit inches between the blade of the naginata and the enemy's neck. It was as if there was an invisible shield protecting the neck.

"What the-" Before she could assess what happened, the black knight shouted.

"Get away from her, Himari!"

She flinched and quickly backed away from the enemy.

"That woman is not normal at all..." He mumbled to her.

"Woman?" The female samurai named Himari looked closely at the mysterious perpetrator and was shocked to notice that it was a woman they were facing. The enemy had red hair tied to a bun and wore a black tethered cloak. She struggled to raise her right hand that had two bloody fingers but managed to move it shakingly and clenched it into a fist. She punched all three mana pyramids into nothing and then began moving her shoulders and stretched her neck to refresh her muscles from being bound by that Liberator spell. Himari was shocked at how the woman was able to break free from that. "But how?..."

"It doesn't matter how," The black knight spoke. "We need to get out of here. Just my intuition, but I can tell she's too much for us."

"R-right, let's-" It was then that the red-haired woman ran towards them with inhuman speed when she understood the black knight's suggestion. Himari reacted in time and created a mana cube to cast a barrier when the woman threw a right straight punch. The barrier cracked slightly but it fulfilled its purpose to protect Himari.

"Extended Flesh!" The black knight raised his left fist and the entire arm stretched further and glowed red with the silhouette of its bones. The woman caught the stretched fist and pulled him closer to hit his head with a kick. Fortunately, Himari quickly created two mana spheres and fired Mana Shots at the female enemy as she was sent flying and crashed into trees. The black knight tumbled on the ground and landed on his knee. "Thanks!"

"No problem," They both heard footsteps and saw the red-haired woman walking towards them with her purple lips curled into a smile. Himari couldn't help but step back in bewilderment as her eyes widened at the sight of the enemy moving normally as if nothing affected her. "N-Not even a single scratch?"

"Strong and fast. Escaping might be impossible..." The black knight thought. "We have to fight our way out."

"Okay..." The female samurai answered while clutching the naginata. She created another mana sphere and with the other two spheres, she fired Mana Shots. The red-haired woman bent to the left to dodge the first, then to the other side to dodge another one. And then, she ducked to avoid the Mana Shot aiming for her head and she charged at them with the same inhuman speed. It was so fast, they only saw her as a blur. However, the black knight managed to block her straight punch and attempted to swing his blade at her neck. The red-haired enemy just guarded with her right backhand and kicked his pauldron which left a dent as he tumbled away. The woman jumped and tried to stomp him, but she noticed his skin turning red and she could see a yellow silhouette of his heart through the black armor. The black knight stood up and jumped towards the red-haired woman who was still in mid-air. He was so fast that when he jumped, his entire figure was a blur. The black knight swung the blade aiming at the red-haired woman's neck, but she quickly caught the blade with her bare hand.

"What?!" The black knight couldn't believe what happened but his thoughts were severely interrupted by a straight punch in the face by the woman and plummeted to the ground leaving a huge crater. He coughed up blood as his nose cracked from the counterattack and bled. He tried to maintain his breathing from his mouth until the enemy was falling towards him and preparing to throw another punch. Fortunately, Himari fired more Mana Shots while approaching the crater, and thanks to that, the black knight quickly stood back up and jumped towards the red-haired perpetrator once more as she was distracted from blocking all the Mana Shots by punching all of them. Just when they both thought they finally got her, the woman blocked the black knight's blade with a backhand. However, he wasn't finished as he pointed both index finger and middle finger together at her. "Enziel Magic: Crimson Spear!"

"Tch!" The red-haired woman clicked her tongue while tilting her head to dodge the red beam of light. The black knight then moved his two fingers together to swing the red beam to her face and she blocked it in time by raising her hand to cast the basic invisible barrier spell. However, it wasn't exactly enough as shattered pieces of air scattered from her hand and she was then knocked away into even more trees because of the force from the barrier breaking completely. Their attacks didn't stop as Himari continuously fire more Mana Shots while approaching the fallen enemy who already stood up and dodged all the magical attacks while running towards her. Himari swung the naginata towards the top of the red-haired woman's head who responded by using her forearm to block the collar of the weapon for a successful guard. Then she raised her other forearm to block what appeared to be an afterimage of the naginata swinging to her left side at the same time Himari attacked. Himari was shocked but didn't waste time as she continued her relentless attack with her naginata while the mana spheres fired. The red-haired woman was able to dodge both her and the Mana Shots. She simultaneously blocked the female samurai's naginata that was swinging towards her left side and its afterimage that went for the head while also tilting her head to dodge another Mana Shot. This continued for a few seconds and each second passed, Himari's frustration and bewilderment grew. Suddenly, the black knight charged at the woman and joined in for them to have relentless and coordinated attacks. Judging from the expression, the red-haired woman was slowly struggling to keep up and so she struck the ground with her palm and a shockwave knocked the two knights away while the mana spheres were destroyed by it. The black knight landed perfectly on his two feet while Himari still tumbled until she crashed her back into a tree.

"Himari!" The black knight shouted in worry.

"I'm alright!" Himari reassured while she was on all fours struggling to stand up because of the pain in her back. She raised her head to look at the current situation and what she saw caused fear to completely break her spirit. Within a second after she said that, the red-haired woman was already behind the black knight and snapped his neck. Tears fell down the female samurai's cheek as she watched him fell to the ground dead with a broken neck and the red glow on his body faded along with the yellow silhouette as every slow beat of his heart made it more blurry until it disappeared.

"The kingdom became more interesting since the last time I visit," The red-haired woman said with a smile. It wasn't devious nor wicked, but a warm smile that made her appear as a mother with golden eyes. Her beauty could be described as if all depictions of motherhood and maturity in art manifested into this person right in front of Himari. Fear quickly dissipated within the samurai's mind as a mix of love and despair took over while the red-haired woman approached her. "... especially in this great capital. An Embracer knight who, without hesitation, used an Enziel spell that risked his own body in exchange for enhanced physical capabilities. And a Liberator samurai woman who possesses a fine enchanted weapon: a naginata that creates afterimages of itself to hit two or more at the target simultaneously. So many surprises."

"H-How...?" The trembling voice of Himari reached the woman's ears but couldn't hear the word correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"How are you... able to do all that? It's like the same... the same with-"

"The same with that dark mage living in that city, right?" The red-haired woman finished the sentence for her in which Himari frantically nodded.

"Yes... Y-Yes!"

"Well, it's because I AM the same as him. Inhuman strength and the ability to detect danger and yet, there was no magic involved in those abilities... well, not magic SPELLS per se..." As the woman kept getting closer, Himari crawled back away from her. "Perhaps the one difference between him and I is how we obtained that achievement. I hope to meet him soon."

"W-What are you going to do with him?"

"Hm? I'm sorry but I can't tell you that." The red-haired woman kneeled to look closer at the female samurai and caressed her cheek. Himari oddly felt bliss when she did that to her. The woman's hand was soft and each movement spelled love and care. Himari blushed but soon shook her head to break free from the trance and stood up.

"Then I'll just assume what you want from him is not good," Himari pointed her naginata at the enemy who blinked a few times before chuckling. "What's so funny?"

"You are," The woman answered while standing up. "I never thought you would care for someone such as a dark mage. Do you two share some form of relationship?"

"No, I don't. But that doesn't matter," The female samurai answered as the naginata glowed with magical energy. "I won't let you do as you please with that kid."

"... Strange, indeed," The red-haired woman stared at the sky absorbed in thought. "Has time truly changed, I wonder?"

"Just... who are you?"

"Me...? Hmmm, since you are about to die, I might as well tell you my name."

"That's if you can kill me!" Himari shouted and charged with three mana spheres around her. The enemy didn't appear to be intimidated nor show any changes in her expression as she maintained that motherly smile. While firing Mana Shots, Himari struck relentlessly with the naginata as afterimages appeared striking in different directions concurrent to her strikes.

There was one afterimage.

Then two.

Seven.

Fourteen.

And then thirty.

"Every strike creates more afterimages!" The red-haired woman thought as she received numerous scratches from the female samurai's attacks. The woman dodged and blocked the attacks and then she moved her body slightly to let some of the attacks hit her but missed the vitals to prevent a fatal injury. Her white tunic under the black tethered cloak was now soaked in blood from the injuries but despite that, she was still able to maintain that inhuman speed and reflexes. Himari thought victory was hers and that feeling grew the more injuries the enemy received. And so, she reshaped the mana spheres into pyramids to bind the woman once again, but the feeling of triumph was short-lived as the red-haired woman clapped once inches in front of Himari's face. At that moment, all mana pyramids were destroyed and Himari's ears rang as she was slowly falling back on the ground, but the red-haired woman grabbed her neck to stop the fall. For some reason, Himari was disoriented and could only lift a finger while the rest of her muscles were frozen. With one hand, the enemy began choking the female samurai and pulled her closer so the woman could speak softly. "My name is Virago Gunnhildr."

"Vi...rago?" Himari struggled to pronounce the name as her lungs began lacking air. The cloaked perpetrator then took the naginata away from her while choking her.

"I'll be keeping this. This should suffice, for now." The woman said as Himari stopped moving as both arms were limp. The woman released the neck as Himari was dead. "Thank you, sweetie. I learned a lot."

"Mo...ther..." The voice of Havu gained the red-haired woman named Virago Gunnhildr's attention.

"Oh, Havu, darling! What did I say about going out?" She scolded.

"B-But... I'm worried about you..." Havu said with teary eyes.

"Well, I'm okay so you don't have to worry."

"B-Blood..." Havu pointed at her mother's injuries.

"It's fine, dear. This is nothing," Virago reassured her while patting her head. "Now, are you ready for what you have been waiting for?"

"Yes..." Havu answered with a hiss. "Revenge..."

"Good, good. Now did you gather all of your friends?"

"Yes, mother..." Havu hissed and Virago heard bushes rustling. The grunts, shouts, and laughter were not human and their footsteps told her there was an army. She turned around to see goblins and shadow cravens hiding behind the woods wielding various weapons such as spears, swords, and even shields.

"The kingdom will fall when we destroy its heart, Alexander City."

An hour later. Evening.

"That damn Ice Queen and her continuous rant," Hikigaya mumbled and clicked his tongue. "Why bother trying to fix something that's not even broken?"

For a couple of hours, the discussion in the True Science Institution slowly devolved into another usual one-sided argument between Hikigaya and Yukinoshita. For thirty minutes, the three science members failed to come up with any ideas to improve the invention called "gun" and so, Hikigaya suggested keeping it as it was since the current state of the gun fulfilled the goal they were aiming for. However, Yukinoshita refuted thinking that there could be some pieces of the puzzle they had missed and if there wasn't, she wanted to add more to find an evolution of the invention. Hikigaya mocked her stubbornness and Yukinoshita bit back by mocking his close-mindedness. After mocking back and forth, it led to the argument where Yukinoshita undoubtedly won once again while Hikigaya only threw refutable claims and mockeries. As always, Yuigahama tried to stop them but her voice left deaf ears. After hours of arguing, the orange-haired girl then shouted to call an end to the meeting, and the two members arguing reluctantly agreed. While the Ice Queen left home (though not without sending a soul-piercing glare at him), Hikigaya was in the empty classroom where he would always eat his lunch. He was currently waiting for the orange-haired girl and discuss the matter they had a week ago. The only problem he had was the words he needed to say to her. Should it be filled with emotions of sympathy? Should he maintain the monotone self or confront her seriously and with passion?

The sound of the doorknob turning interrupted his thoughts and watched as the door slowly opened. He expected Yuigahama to peek through the door as her eyes would look around the room until they found him. But what he saw instead was a man who had long brown hair with the top portion of his head braided and tied into a ponytail. His attire consisted of a red open front baroque jacket with golden-colored lace trim along its collar, hem, lapel, shoulders, and cuffs. Under it was a beige brocade vest, black pants, and of course the white academy cloak.

"... Seerwind?" The young dark mage said in bewilderment at the appearance of Oliver Seerwind.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Hikigaya," Oliver said with a smile as he entered the room. "It's been a while. I am here to discuss an important matter."

"What about Yuigahama?"

"I asked her to go home early and asked where you were. And so, I found you here."

"At a time like this? I guess it really is an important matter," Hikigaya thought and looked at the man in front of him with a serious expression. "So? What's this 'important matter' you wanna talk about?"

"You visited Ms. Yuigahama when she stayed in bed at home, didn't you?" Oliver asked with an oddly sharp tone. Normally, his voice would be serious but still kept a kind, calm and collected demeanor fit for the son of a noble family but this time, there was a hint of anger in his question. Hikigaya was intrigued by this with a raised eyebrow and so he answered truthfully while sharing his thoughts on Oliver's tone.

"Yeah, I did visit her in the entire week but nothing is going on between us," He said with crossed arms. "If you're thinking that she's having an affair with me then get rid of that thought into the gutter. I don't bear that kind of interest towards her in any way-"

"That is not exactly the problem," Oliver interrupted to refute his assumptions. "You see, all the noble family heads had a meeting two days ago. One of the most obvious topics was the whole chaos with Ms. Yuigahama as the center during that physical fitness class. That mysterious monster made them shit their own pants and suddenly spitting even more shit about how scary Ms. Yuigahama can be and then they started fucking make weird-ass claims like if she's even human or not. Those shitheads don't have the right to fucking ask about that when they're even lower than human beings. No, they're pure shit- Oi, you listening?"

"Uhh... yeah... It's just that I'm a bit taken back at how your way of talking suddenly changed," And that was no lie. In their first interaction, Oliver was proper and spoke with manners. Hikigaya saw in him as that: A proper gentlemen from a noble family who could easily find even the most beautiful suitors. Now, what the young dark mage witnessed was the exact opposite: rude, terrifying, and act like a rebellious youngling. Frankly, Hikigaya had that mindset that people always had something hidden within them whether it was secrets that would reveal who they really were or something as simple as an embarrassing past or habits. But still, it was quite a surprise for him to see the person right in front of him shattered his own image as a gentleman to break down into a rude delinquent. It took Oliver a few seconds to understand what Hikigaya said and then his eyes widened at the realization.

"I-I apologize for my rudeness..." Oliver said while covering his mouth.

"This is a surprise. I never thought this could be the real you," Thr young dark mage said with a smirk. "A rare sight to behold. Don't you think, Mr. Seerwind?"

"Please don't tell anyone about this..."

"I bet Yuigahama didn't know this. What would she do if she ever finds out?"

"She already knew since childhood." Oliver's answer turned to be a mistake as Hikigaya realized what he had just said.

"Childhood? So you were like that since childhood? Your parents must be quite neglectful of their own child."

"You can't blame a kid for listening to adult conversations! You see, children are curious creatures so surely you understand? They want to imitate adults and want to know the why's and how's. My childhood self was the same. When I was being escorted home via carriage, the coachman almost crashed into a man walking down the path. The man was enraged and caused an uproar to the point he started- why the fuck am I telling you this?!"

"So you heard him talk rudely and that influenced you. Very interesting..." Hikigaya mumbled while holding his own chin, but Oliver managed to hear that.

"Forget about it!" The not-so gentleman shouted until he took deep breaths to calm himself and returned to his proper and gentleman self. "Anyways, that incident with Ms. Yuigahama's feared them. After back-and-forth assumptions and argument, they all agreed to view you as the cause."

"And they got that idea because word spread around that I've been able to enter the so-called 'sacred grounds', huh?"

"They only saw you riding a carriage and going off somewhere. They sent someone to surveillance your actions but he apparently lost track of the carriage. It seemed there was a clever mage who cast illusion spells to trick any pursuers and watchers."

"And yet, they still chose me as the main perpetrator," Hikigaya said with a sigh. "Their irrational decision is from a mix of a bias standard and fear of the unknown. The fear of the unknown is eating away their mind and so they quickly find someone to blame to ease that fear. Even if it's illogical."

"That's understandable," Oliver said while standing in silence thinking about the situation until he noticed Hikigaya's staring at him. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm still thinking about that sudden breakdown of your character earlier."

"P-Please, for the sake of my dignity. Please forget about that."

"The fact that you just went on an outburst which is very rare means two things to me: Either you really care about Yuigahama or there's something that you're frustrated about regarding her matter," Hikigaya approached the orange-haired girl's fiancèe and leaned close inches to his face. He glared at Oliver while sending a mix of pressuring magical energy and bloodlust for even further intimidation. "Do you truly care for her? Or is it for some sort of agenda? Depending on your answer, you won't live second."

"Hmm... I didn't expect this," Oliver surprisingly maintained composure while holding his own chin in thought. "For you to convey such strong emotion. Perhaps I should be the one to ask you whether you truly care for her or not."

"Answer the damn question." Hikigaya threatened while uncovering the cloth of his sword to reveal its handle. Oliver remained silent and then just walked past him. Hikigaya watched him if he would do anything suspicious as Oliver just looked out the window. The sun descended further until it hid behind the horizon as nighttime entered and he finally spoke.

"I don't bear any feelings towards Ms. Yuigahama. All of this is to establish strong relationships between the Yuigahama family and the Seerwind family with the goal of rebuilding her lineal family, the Gushiken Clan. The current head, Ms. Yuna Yuigahama, led all the female members and even the maids of that clan to form a business as merchants selling potions for survival and to hide from that rival family that destroyed her clan. The women expected the process to be slow but thanks to her talent, she was able to gain the attention in the circle of aristocracy and even among royal families of several kingdoms. My father was the first to negotiate an arranged marriage between their children and form a partnership to create one of the greatest alchemic businesses in Taiyokigen."

"Yeah, I know that. You don't have to tell me."

"There is more, after reforming the said clan into the Yuigahama family, my father and Ms. Yuna agreed to move their business in Villfalt to expand and attract more customers. When Ms. Yuna and her very young daughter just entered Villfalt and was peacefully traveling down the safe path, an unexpected incident happened."

"Wait, he couldn't mean-" Hikigaya thought and his assumptions were confirmed when Oliver told the story further.

"A pack of streckweiss tigers attacked the carriage and almost killed both mother and daughter. However, the efforts and sacrifices of the guarding knights saved them," Oliver then turned around and glared at him. "At least, that was what we were told."

"You saying there are some holes in that story?"

"I am saying that there is a lie within that story," The son of Seerwind closed the distance between them and now their faces were inches closer, both glares clashing against each other. "It was you who saved them, wasn't it? You were there during that incident."

"Where did that idea come from?"

"In our childhood, Ms. Yuigahama and I introduced to each other as we were both betrothed. We steadily grew closer and became friends. However, there was one odd thing I noticed about her. Every time someone would ask or mention who Yuigahama loved the most, she would answer her mother. But then when they asked who else besides her, Ms. Yuigahama would look up in the sky and say "I love Ollie" with such an empty voice. I was a talented child back then achieving perfect scores in academics and magic. And so, as smart as I am, I would obviously notice that strange moment while others were too blind to see it."

"Now I get where this is going," Hikigaya sat on a lecture hall table. "You immediately knew she already loved someone else and now in our second year in the academy, you saw Yuigahama and I interacted and finally solve the puzzle. That childhood intuition of yours is really scary."

"I appreciate the compliment, Mr. Hikigaya," Oliver said with a sigh and sat beside him. "So my suspicions are true..."

"In my defense, I didn't remember a single thing about her in my childhood. So she was the one approaching me while I didn't know shit."

"Memory loss?"

"Equal feedback."

"I see..."

"... So, what are you gonna do now with that information?"

"Mr. Hikigaya," Oliver stood up and faced the young dark mage. "Now that I know you are the one Ms. Yuigahama love, then that means you are the one I trust the most for her sake."

"What do you mean?"

"I have faith in you to take care of her."

"That's some huge responsibility you're giving me. And what about the whole 'arranged marriage' thing?"

"It may be difficult but if I voice out my opinion along with Ms. Yuigahama, my father might comply."

"What are the odds that Yuigahamama would reject that idea?"

"Did you just call her-... nevermind. Ms. Yuna will understand. She might not appear to be observant but she can really be when it matters. She should've notice weeks ago of her daughter's heart and she would also understand that as well considering you were the one who saved them."

"Sounds kinda far-fetched... and really hard to imagine Yuigahamama being smart after interacting with her daughter a lot."

"Did you forget that Ms. Yuna cleverly climbed her way back to aristocracy?"

"Oh, yeah, there's that. Huh, still hard to imagine..."

"Your perception towards them is quite harsh. Though, perhaps I can understand that. Yuigahama is extremely difficult to teach ever since she was a child. It must be because Ms. Yuna doted on her too much."

"You were lying about not having any feelings for Yuigahama, right?" Hikigaya suddenly asked which caused Oliver to be taken back. It was a strange and immediate change in topic that it took the son of Seerwind exactly ten seconds to process what the young dark mage said. While still had the look of bewilderment, he asked.

"What do you-"

"I can tell if a person is lying or not. And you lied when you said you bear no feelings to her."

"Goodness, you really surprised me," Oliver sighed. "Then allow me to surprise you as well. The meeting between all noble heads concluded with the decision to assassinate you."

"What?"

"As we speak, the hired assassins should come and kill you."

"You set me up?!"

"No, if you went home and those you care about saw you being assassinated, they won't leave them alive. No witnesses. This is the best place I could think of where no civilians will be involved and we can fight in some open areas. It was very fortunate that you chose to wait in this abandoned area as well."

"...we?" Hikigaya asked with slanted eyes that expressed confusion.

"I told you, did I not?" The son of Seerwind opened his mouth wide and a hilt of a sword came out of it. He pulled it out of his mouth and draw the sword from its sheath. "You are perhaps the only person that can make Ms. Yuigahama happy and I will not allow you to die after I realized that."

"Even if it costs your chance to be with her?"

"I was never in her eyes from the beginning. Her heart dedicates to either Ms. Yuna or you," Oliver answered with a sad smile. "Challenging you is out of the question. It is a guaranteed loss for me."

"You wouldn't know if you try."

"I'd rather not waste time on a losing battle." Oliver said while shaking his head. Hikigaya wanted to refute but his instincts alerted him of a danger coming from outside the window. Its glass broke and he quickly bent forward to dodge an invisible attack. He couldn't see who it was but he could sense the danger near his proximity and so, he just threw a punch in the air and luckily hit something as they heard a grunt of pain.

"Gah!" The voice of a man came along with the sound of him fell on top of the lecture hall table. His invisibility spell was removed to reveal his appearance: A black cloak with a hood covering his head; a black doublet and pants; and a goblin mask

"They are quite faster than I thought." Oliver commented.

"Swift and silently. That is how we assassins perform our duties," The voice of a woman came from behind and they turned around to see a female assassin who also wore a black cloak, leather chest plate and pauldron over a grey blouse, and a mask that appeared to be an old woman's face. The two young mages then heard a thump near the blackboard and saw a mysterious entity with its entire figure covered in some sort of black smoke which made it impossible for them to tell if it was a man, woman, or something else entirely. Its skull mask made Hikigaya found the answer easily.

"A shadow craven?"

"Correct," The female assassin answered. "You are quite knowledgable. Monsters like this one are rare to reveal themselves."

"Let's just say I have my fair share of encounters with them." Hikigaya said while drawing his chipped and dirty sword, and pointed it at her.

"Then that makes you all the more dangerous."

"Basing it out of such vague information is purely irrational." Oliver argued.

"Mr. Seerwind, the job we were given is to kill Hikigaya Hachiman with no witnesses," The male assassin spoke. "Lester Seerwind himself hired us to deal with him so we wish to not harm the client's son."

"Father hired you?!"

"Please leave and pretend this never happened," The female assassin said with a dagger in hand. "It is too dangerous. Unless you want the status of your family to crumble, we wish you no-"

"Sorry, but I don't give a single fuck about my family right now," Oliver said in a sudden change of sharply tone and speech which caused the two human assassins to flinch. "Listen here, you damn fuckheads. This guy here ain't gonna die by the likes of you. He ain't dying until he did the thing I told him so you piss off."

"Don't be so overconfident," The male assassin spoke in a sharp and low tone. "You both got talent, but at the end of the day, you're still kids. Wanna test if you can stop professionals like us?"

"Go ahead, I fucking dare you!" Oliver threatened. "Even if we're kids, three-against-three is still balanced, y'know?"

"Three-against-three?" The female assassin wondered until the shadow craven suddenly ran towards her and carried her and then the male assassins to the window but Hikigaya was ahead of them. Hikigaya already carried the son of Seerwind over his shoulders and then kicked the shadow craven which knocked it and the two assassins away from the windows. He then jumped out of the glass window and landed on his feet before an explosion occurred in the classroom. The three assassins were flung away by the force of the mysterious explosion but they still managed to land on their feet. "What in the-"

"Hah! Assassins, huh?" A familiar voice of a man echoed from the destroyed classroom to here. Hikigaya saw the silhouette of that man behind the cloud of dust as he slowly came out of there to reveal himself. The man had a long black ponytail and an attire consisted of a red wine burgundy colored shirt, a brown and black vest with an attached black belt on the waist, the white signature academy cloak, black pants, and brown boots. When Hikigaya saw that familiar face and those dual swords, bewilderment was on his expression.

"Terrowin Merek?" The young dark mage said and Terrowin Merek grinned at his reaction.

"Indeed I am!" Merek answered and jumped down. "My good underclassmen, Oliver, told me about people who are out to kill you! Such cowardice and shame! A powerful and skilled young one such as yourself should not be given such an unfitting death by hands unfit to battle you."

"This is not a battle," The female assassin retorted. "This is assassination."

"If you don't step aside, then we're gonna have to do this the hard way," The man with a goblin mask cracked his knuckles to prepare for battle. "We'll knock you two out and then kill the dark mage."

TRIVIA:

1) Gedan-no-kamae means "lower-level posture". It is one of the five stances in kendo.

2) Virago has two definitions; One is that it means a woman who demonstrates exemplary, heroic qualities. It is from the Latin word "virago" or "female warrior"; the second is a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman. Gunnhildr is a Germanic name composed of two words meaning "war" (hild/hlidr and gun). So putting two names together would either mean, "The Hero of War", or "The Vixen of War".

3) Streckweiss is just a made-up name I came up with. It composes of two words "strecken" (stretch), and "weiss" (white).

Thank you for reading this fanfic. Please leave a review as your opinions will be helpful for making this story better.