We’ve almost caught up to the latest chapter in the RAWs…I don’t think the story is ending yet though. Well, we shall see~

Ahh, it"s coming……

Clack clack - the sound of wooden swords clashing grew farther and farther away.

At the same time, I felt my own senses sharpening.

The existence known as myself receded, my head cleared, and simply focussed on the enemy, myself……and the battle.

The opponent"s movements slowed to the point where they could be seen easily.

The hearing of my ears sharpened to the point where I could hear the opponent"s breathing, as well as the movements of each and every one of my muscles.

My brain moved optimally to process all of that information, unifying it and bringing it together.

Right in the middle of battle……or perhaps the moment when I was told to fight, I became immersed in that feeling. It has been that way ever since the day father remonstrated me and I cried.

When I fell into that feeling, my own existence felt distant, and there were times when I felt that it was strangely scary, but……at the same time it gave me a sense of satisfaction.

It wasn"t like previously, when my vision was filled with only black and red.

By no means was I fascinated with being in battle, but……brilliant and vivid colours flooded my vision, colouring the world within it.

That sight was so beautiful, yet sweet.

"The winner is Mel!"

At the referee"s voice, I finally returned to my senses.

"I lost, huh…….your current state is pretty good. Aren"t your movements on a completely different level?"

"Thank you very much, Kuroitsu-san."

I exchanged a handshake with Kuroitsu-san, who was my opponent.

"Did something good happen?"

"Something good……if I had to say, it"s fun."

"……fun?"

"Cause up until now, I"ve felt a sense of obligation that I had to become stronger."

For the sake of revenge.

To win against the irrationality of reality.

In order not to lose anything else.

I kept telling myself that I had to become stronger.

No matter how strong I became, it didn"t satisfy me.

……I feel like I kept on blaming myself, saying that it just wasn"t enough.

"My reason for becoming stronger completely disappeared……but that was all I had. The moment I realized that, I fell into despair for a period of time."

I simply secluded myself in my room and rejected the world.

I was sad at my empty self and wanted to avert my eyes, wishing that time would hurry up and pa.s.s. But at the same time, I was afraid of time pa.s.sing hour by hour in idleness.

"But Kuroitsu-san and everyone partic.i.p.ating in this training and……the many people around me taught me the importance of facing forward, towards the future. If this is all I have, then I should thoroughly refine it……while facing towards a new goal. This time, it is not that I have to become stronger, but that I wish to become even stronger. Once I thought that, I felt as if some burden disappeared from my shoulders……right now, it is simply fun. Although it might be imprudent of me to think that training is fun."

"No, isn"t that fine? But, I see……if Mel is taking a new step forward, then I fully welcome that."

At the kind smile that came together with those warm words, I also smiled once more.