It was unexpected that I had taken away Lumia’s job.
I had only wanted to get closer to Kalian and her, so how did it turn out like this?
Of course, she probably wouldn’t blame me by saying “because of Kalian,” but I can’t help feeling uneasy.
“So today, I need to make up for that.”
“What should we do?”
One late night, Kalian and I stayed at the academy instead of going home.
Naturally, it was to become closer to Lumia.
The reason it was at night instead of during the day was to avoid taking away Lumia’s new job again.
We walked through the academy at night.
Thanks to the streetlights and buildings illuminated by magic, the streets were fairly bright.
Although many students, staff, and some merchants had left, there were still many people spending time at their respective places.
“Just go that way.”
After walking a good distance from the center of the academy towards the outskirts, we saw some shabby buildings.
Kalian looked around.
“Did Arcana really have a place like this?”
“It’s a backup training ground built a long time ago. The site is so large that there was no need to demolish it, and the student council forgot about it and left it abandoned.”
“Why is Lumia here at such a late hour? If she wants to train, she could use the official training ground.”
“You’ll know when you go inside.”
I took him into the old building.
There was plenty of dust, and strange plants were growing on the cracked walls.
It seemed to have been abandoned for at least ten years.
Although it was an old building, it was quite large, so we illuminated the darkness and found a place where Lumia might be.
“Before we go in, should we see what she’s doing?”
“Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to spy?”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Huh?”
We slightly opened the door to the training ground and peeked inside.
Kalian, who had been hesitating, reluctantly looked through the gap in the door.
It was quite bright inside.
Considering that the lights on the ceiling looked relatively recent, Lumia must have brought them herself.
“Huff!”
Whish, whish.
Lumia, dressed in training clothes, was energetically swinging a sword.
Her swordsmanship was outstanding for an ordinary person, without any unnecessary frills.
Her entire body was drenched in sweat, yet she remained steady.
It seemed she had been practicing for quite some time before we arrived, and she continued her training for a long while afterward.
“You’re really working hard.”
“Shh.”
I warned Kalian.
Her practice wasn’t over yet.
After some time, Lumia, who had been swinging her sword endlessly, came to a sudden stop.
She slowly closed her eyes and began to control the mana in her body.
It was pure and pristine mana.
It wasn’t something created just by practicing; it was something one could only have by being born with it.
However, the mana emanating from her body began to waver strangely, gradually losing its form and disappearing.
Seeing that, Kalian mumbled.
“What’s wrong? Why is she like that?”
“You know, she can’t control her mana.”
“That’s impossible. She’s a student at our school, right? This should be basic knowledge.”
“To be precise, Lumia is a failing student.”
Lumia, who had been concentrating, opened her eyes and relaxed her posture.
Her breathing was uneven, and her body’s balance was precarious.
She was more exhausted than someone who had been swinging a sword for hours.
“Ugh.”
She clutched her own hand.
Blood was flowing from her hand.
Her palm was injured due to excessive practice.
“Why… Why isn’t it working? I should have overcome it. I should have forgotten everything… How long am I going to be like this…”
Lumia started to sob and slumped her shoulders.
Just as she was about to put down her sword and sit on the floor, Kalian and I opened the door and entered.
Lumia, who seemed like she might collapse at any moment, was startled by our appearance and took a few steps back without realizing it.
“Uh…?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I, I… that…”
“I heard from the student council that someone seems to be using a building in the outskirts without permission. I came to check just in case, and it really exists.”
In response to my questioning, she hid her sword and hands behind her back.
By the way, the student council thing was made up.
“Were you training or something? Wanting to quietly concentrate in a place where no one can see?”
“Yeah….”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Huh?”
“That’s a good idea. Actually, we came here for the same reason. The student council was just an excuse.”
Seeing Lumia being flustered, I smirked.
We approached her.
“Practicing alone is fine, but wouldn’t it be better if you had a few people to practice with? Have you been doing it all by yourself until now?”
“I have no one to practice with….”
“That’s great. Three people would be just right.”
Lumia seemed slightly intimidated, but she was considerably better than when I first saw her at the junkyard.
“Hand.”
“Huh?”
“Give me your hand. There’s blood, so we need to treat it.”
“Uh….”
I took medicine and bandages from the first aid kit she had brought and took appropriate measures.
Ideally, Kalian should do it himself, but he still can’t directly touch a girl.
Lumia, standing there bewildered, glanced around at my bandaged hand.
Since the treatment was done, maybe it’s time to relax a bit.
“You were also in the Department of Knight Studies, right? Were you practicing swordsmanship?”
“Yeah.”
“It seems like something isn’t working. Actually, before entering here, I saw you practicing a bit.”
I extended my hand as if asking for her sword, and she inadvertently handed over hers.
“Swordsmanship… it’s difficult. After you climb over one mountain, two more await, and you’ll always feel like you’re hitting a wall.”
“Yeah.”
“When that happens, it’s important to find a breakthrough by watching the swords of someone more skilled than you. I’ll demonstrate, so watch carefully. Opportunities like this are rare.”
I fully set the mood and assumed a stance.
Lumia swallowed dryly without opening her mouth, and Kalian’s expression beside her became serious.
“Do you know what’s the most important thing in handling a sword? Strength, posture…? It’s not those things. It’s your breathing. If you can correct your breathing, even an ordinary person can become a superhuman.”
“Breathing….”
“It’s been a while since I’ve used this technique. The Silverrain family’s inherited vision breathing method… the Breath of the Sun!”
I took a deep breath and swung my sword.
They emitted shouts that seemed like they were hearing it for the first time.
“Haa! Haa! Haa! Haa!”
“Haa! Haa! Haa! How is it? Do you get it? Haa! Haa! Haa!”
I swung my sword repeatedly with a serious expression.
The Breath of the Sun was just me mumbling random sounds, and in fact, I was loudly shouting awkward groans as loudly as possible.
“Ugh….”
“Haa! Haa! Kalian, you bastard, are you laughing? I’m showing you the essence of swordsmanship. Haa! Haa!”
“Ah, no… I’m not laughing. It’s a very excellent shout… Phew… Ah…….”
The corners of Kalian’s mouth, who had been watching quietly, twitched.
He turned his head to another direction, trying hard not to laugh.
Lumia also couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
“Eut.”
“What, Lumia?! You shouldn’t laugh. It’s because of you that I’m demonstrating. Haa! Haa! Haa!”
“Ah, sorry… Puhuhu…….”
“Haa! Haa! Haa! Haa!”
Until Kalian and Lumia grabbed their stomachs and told me to stop,
I stubbornly shouted the battle cries.
The shadow on Lumia’s face, which had been enveloped in gloom, disappeared, and her wariness towards us noticeably diminished.
Taking advantage of this moment, next Kalian decided to teach her swordsmanship.
“My swordsmanship might help you, so I’ll show you. Come here for a moment?”
“Yeah. Ah….”
“Oops..”
But as he was about to demonstrate swordsmanship, he accidentally touched Lumia, and both of them flinched as if something had happened.
“Uh… I’ll start now.”
“Ugh….”
The sword Kalian was holding trembled like a trembling ash tree.
Sigh.
There’s still a long way to go before he can have physical contact with a girl.
To think he pushed it away just because they brushed a little…
Isn’t Lumia having a weird thought or something? But that was an unfounded thought.
“Try it.”
“H-Hm,”
“In this way…?”
Trembling.
Because Lumia also flinched similarly.
Ah, right. He was still immune to men.
After finishing the practice, we went to a nearby restaurant.
No matter how late it was, if you finished training, you should replenish your nutrients accordingly… which was obviously just an excuse.
The real reason was to get close all at once when the mood was good.
When people eat something together, they tend to lower their guards towards each other.
“Ugh…”
Kalian and I sat down without any fuss, but Lumia kept glancing around every moment, even feeling honored to sit on the chair.
She seemed to be coming to a place like this for the first time.
The staff brought the menu and water.
Lumia, who had been sitting quietly, was startled.
“Oh, I didn’t order anything?!”
“Huh?”
“The water. I didn’t order it!”
“This is complimentary.”
The staff looked at us with an expression of ‘what is she?’ Lumia reacted by saying ‘Ah’ and bowing her head deeply, quickly flipping open the menu.
Then she skimmed through the menu and prices and carefully closed the menu.
While Kalian and I ordered various things, she did nothing and just sat there quietly.
“Didn’t you order?”
“Huh? Ah… I’m not hungry… I’m fine.”
In response to my question, she answered with a forced smile.
Growl.
But her body couldn’t lie, and her face turned red from the sound coming from her stomach.
“Ah, ah….”
“From downstairs, it seems like you’re saying you’re hungry?”
“I’m really fine. I don’t usually eat dinner.”
“Is that so? Then, well, nothing can be done.”
Then the food we ordered arrived.
Deliciously roasted meat, gooey cheese, spicy seasoned lobster, and other luxurious dishes were spread across the table.
Lumia’s mouth watered.
She tried to avoid looking at the food, but sitting at the table, how could she not? She simply grabbed her water cup and sipped the complimentary water.
Kalian asked, “What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“Let’s eat quickly. It tastes better when it’s warm.”
“But I didn’t order anything…”
“I ordered for you too. Since I’m paying today, eat as much as you want.”
“R-Really?”
“Of course. Here, take this.”
Lumia, somewhat dazed, took the fork Kalian offered and looked at Kalian and me as if seeking permission.
When we nodded, she cautiously dipped the meatball in front of her and brought it to her mouth.
“Squelch squelch.”
“How is it?”
She answered with a startled face.
At that, Kalian smirked and picked up his fork.
And I smiled contentedly, watching the two of them.
To be continued in the next chapter