It was a few days after facing the Demi-Spirit. Bell's ears were still ringing from the lecture from Hestia. He had a feeling that this would be a common thing to happen, as they kept getting into these situations. A part of him felt that Hestia was overreacting, as not more than a day could've passed after their agreed return. Yet he could also understand it. If something didn't go to plan, it usually meant something went wrong. And it did too. So in the end, the quartet could only meekly accept the two hour rant from Hestia until her voice got too exhausted and had to be carried away by Astraea and tucked into bed. Though Bell suspected that Kojiro tuned out the rant in its entirety. Actually, they all kinda did. After all, their heads were filled with excitement. Maybe Hestia shouldn't have done that speech after updating their Falna. Their growth spurt, the biggest being Solaris, was on their mind constantly. Sure, they had a close call with the fire dragon spirit fusion thing, but that jump was kind of impressive.
Anyway, the group was just returning from a shopping trip, as Hestia refused to let them go and demanded they take a break for now. Because of that, they had some idle talk. Haruhime about Ohma and how quiet the baby was, which concerned her a bit. Bell about his little sparring session with Aiz and Lefiya, something that offended Kojiro to no end, leading to him refusing to talk to Bell whatsoever. The young man would've felt bad if it weren't for the fact that Kojiro most likely would've caused an incident. More than just Bell getting beaten black and blue. Kojiro himself didn't have any stories to share, beyond some amusing stories about Artoria. How she was a glutton. How she was very clingy to the man she loved. How she had to lead a band of maniacs and that it was impressive they lasted as long as they did. Bell had no idea what was a lie and what wasn't. However, the one topic that caught his attention the most was Solaris'. Or rather how casually she said the words.
"By the by, I'm adopted."
They all froze in mid bite, having received free samples of hot potatoes. Solaris silently slurped on her drink through her straw, raising her eyebrow at them.
"What, that strange?"
"Yes!"
Solaris winced at Haruhime's and Bell's synchronised shout. Picking her ears, she sighed, shaking her head.
"Well, sorry to disappoint. Picked up at a young age. Probably would've died without Lord Quirinus' soup station idea."
"Soup station?" Kojiro asked, tasting the words in his mouth, yet only looking more confused. At their collective staring, Solaris shrugged nonchalantly with a smile.
"Free food for the ones who need it. Loooots of subjugation spent on upping quality of life and what not. Specifically for orphans like me," she said, pointing at herself. She closed her eyes, smiling softly as she recalled the memories. "Eventually I caught the Crozzo's eye. Y'know, what with the red hair and burning shit." She twirled her hand playfully. "Whoopdeedoo, here I am now."
"Is that why... ?" Bell trailed off with wide eyes. That sense of inferiority. That need to prove herself. Or rather prove to the world she deserved the name of Crozzo. It certainly explained her lone wolf personality. If she couldn't do it on her own, what good was she? Bell didn't agree with that line of thinking but it certainly explained a lot. Solaris merely smiled sadly before nodding slowly.
"A little bit."
They didn't elaborate further, despite the confused expressions from their other Familia members. They moved on in pleasant silence. Well. It could have been a pleasant silence, Bell thought nervously, if it weren't for one simple factor. Coughing, he slowly raised his arm, getting the attention from his familia.
"Uhm, I have a question."
"That is?" Kojiro asked politely. In response, Bell spread his arms out after taking a deep breath.
"Why is everyone looking at me like this?!"
Merchants behind their stalls. Mothers playing with their children. Said children. Even some gods. While they tried to pretend they were doing their business, Bell could feel the stares on his body. Usually he only felt one gaze, which was creepy on its own, but today it felt like being stabbed with a million needles! His exclamation certainly proved his point as the many gazes made a point of looking away from him. People coughed awkwardly, they sheepishly went on with their business. But still, Bell was confused and worried.
"Dunno," Solaris responded with a shrug. Kojiro hummed, rubbing his chin. Then his eyes widened before he let out a small laugh as he raised his finger.
"Perhaps Hans released his book?"
It was like cold water crashed down on him. He recalled. How Hans said he planned to write a book based on his diary. Bell knew it was going to happen one day, the author didn't seem to be the type to make empty promises. And he faintly recalled some news like that, with Solaris' advisor jokingly asking for an autograph. Yet Bell didn't get the message. Said message being... that the stories of his journey were out. Until now. Naturally Haruhime was still as clueless as he was ten seconds ago, her ears twitching as she tilted her head.
"Book?"
"Uhm, I showed Mimir my diary... ?"
Bell wasn't sure if that was enough context. But apparently it was, as Haruhime gasped in shock, covering her mouth as she stepped back as her face began to turn red. Apparently Hans was very popular in the Far East as well, who would have thought.
... Was Bell that ignorant of world wide trends?
"That means... Ah…!"
"D-Don't worry, I made him promise to keep out the, err... confidential information!" Bell quickly calmed her down, waving his hands. Haruhime calmed down a little bit but she was covering her face with her hands, a giddy smile on her red face.
"I'm in a book... "
"Welp, guess I know what I'll do at home," Solaris announced, clapping her hands together.
"We have White Fool?" Bell blinked, realizing how weird it was to essentially refer to himself in the third person. Clearing his throat, he gave it one more try. "Err, we have his new book?"
Solaris scoffed, waving her hands dismissively.
"I'd be surprised if Mimir didn't give us free copies."
/
Hans indeed gave them free copies. Signed as well, which made Bell believe they could be sold for quite the price. Not that he would do so. Still, he was a bit hesitant reading the book. After all, it was based on him. He suspected he would end up as a stuttering, blushing mess, cursing his past self and his actions. So he decided to hold it off for now.
Which didn't mean that the others were holding off on it. Quite the opposite, almost everyone in the Stardust Garden was reading it at their own pace, as they were sitting in the backyard of the house. Said backyard being quite spacious and... spartan. It lacked flowers or grass, instead appearing to be intended for combat training. Though the only thing sticking out was that massive slab of stone in the middle of it, with ropes attached to it. Honestly Bell wasn't sure what the purpose of that thing was. Either way, as he said, not everyone was reading the book. Two specifically were busy with something else.
"Faster!"
"Y-yes!"
Haruhime moved fast, her arms never stopping in aiming for Kaguya. Yet the level six, with only one arm, diverted them with ease. Whatever she was seeing enraged her as her veins popped out with a snarl.
"Hit me like you mean it! Like you want to smash through me and that wall behind me!"
"U-understood!"
"Stop stuttering!"
"Eek!"
Bell winced at the sight. He pitied Haruhime for having to stick to their routine, despite the fact that the girl wanted to read the book more than anyone. Yet here she was, desperately avoiding the counter attacks Kaguya began to throw before being mercilessly thrown to the ground.
"Sheesh, Kaguya really does not go easy on Haruhime." Solaris raised her thumb as she buried her face in her own copy. "That's why I prefer you, Alise!"
"Thanks!" Alise chuckled before turning a page, shaking her head with a sigh. "Pity you're still healing up or we could go a few rounds."
"Nah, my pride can't handle it," Solaris waved her hand dismissively. She glanced at the man next to her, calmly reading his own book. "How about you, Kojiro?"
The man looked up before smiling wryly.
"As much as I would love to, my sword is still in maintenance."
Alise hummed, remembering how Kojiro mentioned giving away the blade to Hephaestus for a day or two. Stretching her arms she put the book down before turning to Bell with a smirk.
"How about we test out that Argonaut of yours, Bell? I stopped at a good spot anyway."
"W-what spot?" He asked shyly, feeling heat rise up in his face. Alise hummed in thought before snapping her finger with a giggle.
"Good showing against that Raki-"
"Hey, no spoilers! I'm still at the Far East!" Hestia shouted immediately, not even looking up from her book. Solaris blinked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Really? I skipped that."
Bell winced at the words. Ryuu herself looked up as well, frowning a bit.
"Why?"
"Rakia for life." Solaris shrugged. "Might backtrack though."
"Shouldn't you read in order?" Kojiro huffed before turning a page. "I like to think the Far East is more exciting than the Rakia parts."
"Later maybe."
Bell laughed a bit. He sure didn't expect such varied reactions. Anyway with Alise crossing her arms, waiting patiently, Bell took a deep breath. He thought back to the sensation he felt when using Argonaut. The images of the heroes he met so far in life. How their backs were so big, glowing almost heroically as he would stand behind them. He wanted to be like that. He wanted to-
"Aaaand boot to the face!"
Before Bell could finish his imagery, he felt a sharp pain.
"Ouch!"
Lying on the ground, he rubbed his face as he looked up. Alise raised an eyebrow, lowering her right leg before clicking her tongue, waving her finger.
"Yeah, daydreaming is no go in battle. Again!"
Bell groaned before forcing himself up. He had the feeling this was going to be a long day. But it revealed a weakness to him. If he ever wanted to have a chance of charging Argonaut while not being stationary and having to be protected, he needed a faster activation. Suffice to say...
"Boot to the face!"
... it was harder than he thought. Just wishing to activate Argonaut didn't work. Wanting power didn't work either. The repeated kicks to the face didn't help either. But eventually, after Alise's shoe imprinted itself on his face, he figured it out. The glow appeared on his arm in an instance. The desire to protect. It seemed he just needed to bring up his feelings, his thoughts of what a hero was, instead of imagining other heroes. He began to smile... only to be kicked in the face once more. By now it didn't even hurt, as his face was in constant pain, so he just lied there, letting out a breath of frustration. Alise hummed, tilting her head.
"Okay, why aren't you dodging my boots of justice?"
"I... can't?"
At one point, Bell did try to dodge the kick he saw coming. Yet the moment he tried to move, he felt his image break, Argonaut disappearing and giving him minor head pain. At his reply Alise frowned, tapping her cheek thoughtfully.
"Hm. Weird."
"May I try, Alise?"
They all turned to Ryuu, who stepped forward after putting her own book away. Alise blinked before letting out an 'ah' and snapping her finger at the elf.
"Oh right, this Argonaut is basically like Concurrent Chanting, huh?"
Bell narrowed his eyes in contemplation. He recalled Artoria specifically and her Excalibur. Charging up energy, not allowed to lose focus, yet fighting at the front line of a gigantic monster... Huh. Argonaut really did need Concurrent Chanting, didn't it? Ryuu nodded, a small smile on her face as she sat down.
"Indeed." She lowered her head politely. "I may not help much."
"I-I'm in your care!" Bell bowed back before taking his seat in front of her. Alise giggled, patting Bell's head before rolling her shoulders.
"Guess I'll read ya book!" She cupped her mouth before turning to the Stardust Garden. "Lady Astraea, Lady Hestia, how far are you two?!"
"I'm at the third act." Astraea chuckled warmly as she turned a page. "It's quite good. Hans surpassed himself once more."
"I can't believe you almost started a civil war, Bell!" Hestia shouted, pointing accusingly at the vice captain. "I knew you needed Luck, if this is what you faced!"
Bell laughed awkwardly as Ryuu stared blankly at him. Right. That. He kind of hoped everyone would skim over it. Solaris spluttered, almost falling down from her chair before moving next to Hestia with high speeds.
"Hold up, what?! What page?!"
"Good to see the others are alright," Arash said with a warm smile. Kojiro let out a snort, shaking his head.
"It is a bit outdated, Arash."
Ryuu politely coughed, getting Bell's attention. She hummed thoughtfully before raising her finger.
"Let me start with this. Concurrent Chanting, or in your case, using Argonaut on the move, is easier for those that fight at the front line."
"Really?" Bell asked in surprise. Ryuu in return nodded.
"It is. Those in the backline often have difficulty even moving at the same time as casting. Why do you think that is?"
Bell mulled over the question for a moment. Those in the back usually were protected so that they can completely dedicate themselves to their powerful magic. Meanwhile front fighters had to guard them, defeat the monsters. Which meant...
"Frontliners need to watch out for many things at once?" Bell asked, titling his head. Ryuu smiled slightly in approval, causing the boy to blush a bit.
"Indeed. So to say, casting is just one more thing to keep track off, theoretically speaking." She stood up and pulled out her wooden sword, causing Bell to sweat nervously."Therefore, instead of you repeatedly trying to use Argonaut while moving, I have another proposal.
"Err, that is?" He asked with hesitation. Just as expected, there was a certain glow in the elf's eyes.
"To make dodging second nature to you, so that when you charge, you don't need to think about it." She swung her weapon a few times in demonstration."Once you have that ability, we can move on to combat."
This sense of deja vu. Bell laughed awkwardly as he stood up. Pulling out Homebringer, he held them defensively while raising an eyebrow in dry amusement.
"It's going to be painful, isn't it?"
First Artoria. Then Aiz. Now Ryuu. Why did blondes want to beat him up so much? Almost cheekily the elf chuckled.
"The best lessons are, yes." Her face turned serious once more. "In that way, you may even train your focus. Losing your cool is detrimental to mages after all."
"Didn't Riveria say something about being an unshakeable tree once?" Alise asked from the background. Ryuu stiffened up for a moment before shaking her head.
"Yes, but I am not her highness. Thus we're doing it this way."
"Unshakeable tree... "
He glanced at Kojiro who turned another page. Bell did notice that the man never seemed to lose his cool. Ever. The closest thing was saving Nyx and she radiated a literal fear aura. Maybe that was why he had difficulties. He knew he could be... hot headed. Thinking about heroes or his dreams only made it worse. Trying to be cool and calculated wasn't exactly something that was easy to come by. So Ryuu's suggestion might work better. Who knew, maybe later he could be calm and relaxed in combat, if he succeeded in this lesson. With a nod, he signaled for Ryuu to start. And just as expected... she didn't seem to be a fan of holding back much either.
The blows felt like they aimed to break his bones. They aimed for any weakness he showed. Yet somehow, Bell was able to manage. Maybe it was his new level that allowed a better performance in comparison to Aiz or Artoria. At the very least, by the end of it, he was drenched in sweat, but mostly unharmed. Though while lying on the ground, he turned his head and saw Haruhime who groaned in pain as well. He laughed awkwardly. Apparently Kaguya was worse. But still. He smiled in satisfaction. In the latter half of the training, he started to think he grasped something. Keeping track of each movement Ryuu made to predict her. Each new detail he could take in without being distracted... he felt he was getting closer to the ideal he wanted to reach. He smiled in gratitude at Ryuu, who wiped some sweat off her forehead as well, smiling back.
"By the way." Solaris raised her hand, causing everyone to look at her before she pointed upwards. "What has her so chipper?"
They all turned to the Pallum dangling her feet off the rooftop. She was smiling almost goofily, as she tilted her head in rhythm to her own humming. Astraea giggled before turning to the others with a warm smile.
"She has an upcoming date apparently."
"Absolutely nothing can ruin my mood now!" Lyra shouted down before going back to her own humming. Bell couldn't help but blush a bit. He wasn't alone with that, as Haurhime and Ryuu seemed a bit embarrassed as well. Dating... he couldn't fathom doing anything like that. It seemed too much. Before he could think about it however, Hestia cleared her throat. Turning towards Kojiro, she frowned deeply.
"Question. Your Tsubame Gaeshi... does it really work like this?"
Solaris let out a dry laugh, shaking her head before Kojiro could even respond.
"Oh believe me, it does. Dude's breaking reality without magic!"
Suffice to say, everyone besides her, Haruhime, Arash and Bell looked very skeptical. They looked at each other before back to Kojiro, who calmly smiled at them.
"That is... hard to believe," Astraea said slowly. Kojiro shrugged casually.
"A pity I can't show it off without-"
He snatched the thrown katana from the air. He blinked, looking at Kaguya who raised an eyebrow at him.
"You can take mine, I'm curious about what you are talking about."
"Please be open-minded," Arash said with a somewhat strained smile. Bell and Haruhime dragged themselves away to a safe distance as Kojiro took a stage. He inhaled and took his stance.
"Hiken."
He exhaled.
"Tsubame Gaeshi."
The silence after the three blades spawned into reality and disappeared was deafening. Hestia dropped her book. Lyra almost fell off the roof. The others were gaping just as much as the next, eyes bulging wide. It was Lyra who broke the silence after awkwardly climbing down and biting her lip.
"...Okay, I can't see crap, but I felt that." She turned to the others, pointing at Kojiro as she did so. "Tell me I'm drunk."
"If I tell you that, we all are drunk," Alise muttered absentmindedly. In the end, it was Hestia who exploded as she threw her arms up in the air.
"What the hell was that?!"
"One-"
"Don't start with the one breath three swings bullshit!" Kaguya snarled, silencing Kojiro immediately as she jabbed her finger at his chest. "I know what one breath three swings is! That wasn't it!"
"I... I didn't feel any magic whatsoever... " Ryuu whispered in utter shock. Shaking her head, she frowned deeply as well. "How in the world did you learn that?!"
"What can I say, I was very stubborn in taking down that swallow when I lived in the mountains."
Kojiro's explanation turned everyone's heads but Arash's, who just shook his head with a sigh. Slowly, they tilted their heads, blinking in confusion as if they were one entity. Bell... couldn't even begin to explain what was wrong with that sentence. Was that why he wanted to be called Swallow Slayer? But no, that... that... ?
"...That's it?" Solaris asked quietly, speaking out what everyone was thinking. He just 'tried' really hard and then did it? Apparently that was exactly what happened as Kojiro shrugged nonchalantly.
"Should there be more?"
"Fuck yeah there should be more!" Solaris snarled before pointing at the two goddesses covering their mouths in shock. "It's straight up divine!"
"Actually, it isn't. I can guarantee you that," Astraea immediately objected, raising her hand. Naturally everyone snapped their heads towards them.
"Excuse me?!" Ryuu shouted, causing Hestia to laugh nervously, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I've never seen anyone pull that off even among gods! Not without Arcanum being used and that's a big maybe!" She threw her arms up in the air. "I mean, why would anyone do that anyway?! We have no reason up there!"
"Are there no swallows in heaven?"
"Enogu With the damn swallows!" Kaguya sent Kojiro a death glare before turning back to the divine entities in the backyard. "Wait, so-"
"Mimir really isn't joking when he calls Kojiro the apex of swordsmanship," Astraea muttered, rubbing her temples. Kojiro laughed lightly, patting his chest a few times.
"Oh my. How flattering."
Apparently that was the last straw. Kaguya snatched her katana back from Kojiro's hands and moved towards the inside of the house.
"Hey, where are you going?" Alise asked, causing the Far Eastern woman to stop for a moment.
"Letting out some steam and Haru won't do," she growled in a deadly tone. She pointed her weapon at them. "You girl-"
"Absolutely."
"Right behind you!"
"I'll make sure they won't overdo it."
Lyra and Alise didn't hesitate to follow Kaguya and escape the insanity that occured in here. Arash bowed politely, following them as well. In fact, Haruhime and Solaris chased after them as well, only having a moment of hesitation. With only a few left behind, Hestia spun towards Kojiro, eyes narrowed as she pointed at him.
"Anyway, I forbid you from using that move in public! You have no idea the kind of attention that would bring!"
Kojiro rubbed his chin thoughtfully before nodding with a small smile.
"I suppose going back to basics should be good training."
"That is a very terrifying answer. I will now make dinner," Astraea said in a flat tone before shaking her head. Hestia immediately ran after her.
"I will help!"
Bell gulped. He had a bad feeling about this. He started to move inside as well, before a hand clasped on his shoulder and kept him in an iron grip. He laughed nervously before turning his head a bit, to see Ryuu stare at him with empty eyes. Her smile would have been attractive if it weren't for the dark aura surrounding her.
"Let's continue, Bell."
He could only nod meekly as Kojiro went inside instead, leaving him to the tender mercies of an elf whose belief in reality got shattered... and whose only stress relief was in the form of a poor young man.
Suffice to say, by the end of it, Ryuu apologized profusely as she tended to his injuries once she regained her senses. Bell would've appreciated the lap pillow if not for the concussion he was suffering from.