A morning breeze blew gently over the apartment roof as Yuuto and Miku stood side by side. The sun had just risen.
"So… how are we getting to your training spot, Yuuto?"
Yuuto looked at Miku for a moment. A small smile appeared on his face — a smile that immediately made Miku suspicious.
"H-hey… why are you smiling like that? What's up?"
Before Miku could step back, Yuuto bowed slightly — then lifted Miku in a perfect princess carry.
"Y-Y-Yuuto!? W-what are you doing!?"
"Relax, Miku. Today I'll take you flying."
Three finger snaps sounded.
Click. Click. Click.
Then—
BOOM.
The wind surged and they vanished from the roof.
---
Over the City
"Aaaaaaaa!!"
Miku covered her face with both hands, her long hair whipping wildly. Yuuto held her steady, shielding her from the wind.
"Miku, try opening your eyes. You'll regret missing this."
Slowly Miku's fingers moved away from her face. Her eyes opened.
The world was swept in blue light.
The city spread out beneath them — small buildings, busy streets, and a clear sky stretching without limit. Miku's eyes widened in wonder.
"Whooo… it's so beautiful…"
"How is it? Do you like it?" Yuuto asked, watching Miku.
Miku turned slightly. In the reflection of the sky's light, Yuuto's face looked soft. "Yes…"
"Hold on tight, Miku. We're going fast."
"O-okay," Miku said, cheeks flushing a little.
Without hesitation, Miku wrapped both arms around Yuuto's shoulders and hugged him tight. Their faces were very close.
Yuuto smiled faintly. "Ready?"
Miku nodded slightly, indicating she was ready.
"Then—let's go."
WHOOSH!
They sped off like the wind.
"Woooow! You're so fast, Yuuto!"
Yuuto's laughter rang out lightly.
"Hahahaha!" he said.
"If you master your angel later you'll be able to do this too," Yuuto added.
---
After several minutes full of screams and laughter, Yuuto landed gently in front of the training warehouse. Miku still had her eyes tightly shut, unaware they'd arrived.
"Miku, we're here."
"Oh? Already…?"
Yuuto helped Miku stand up slowly.
In front of them lay a field of flowers swaying gently. Morning light reflected off the petals.
"Yuuto… this place… it's so beautiful…"
Without waiting, Miku ran into the field, twirling and laughing softly. Her blue hair danced in the breeze.
Yuuto leaned his back against the warehouse door and watched her with a gentle smile.
"Play as much as you like, Miku. But don't leave my bounded field."
"Okay!"
Yuuto went inside the warehouse, reached into his pocket, and opened his flip phone.
He looked at the hologram of the morning login reward still displayed — the text was clear.
[Gravity Blade]
He sighed softly.
"According to Kuroneko's notes… this comes from the world UQ Holder," Yuuto muttered. "A world full of immortals… and its swords are strange too."
He touched the screen.
"The original sword has its own consciousness and can change shape. But…," Yuuto smiled faintly, "this is a copy. Stabilized. It can't change form and has no consciousness, but it still has the main function of adjusting weight."
"A sword that can destroy a castle by the weight it throws… not bad."
He pressed [yes] and—
BUUUM.
A black katana appeared, planted in the ground. A faint purple sheen ran along the blade.
Yuuto approached to inspect it more closely. The handle was matte black, and near the tsuba there was a small dial with two labels:
LIGHT
HEAVY
"Very simple," he murmured, turning the dial to Light.
The sword suddenly became extremely light — like solid air.
Yuuto lifted it easily.
"That's actually the best."
He swung the light blade once — the air around him split.
He took a deep breath, lowered his center of gravity, and positioned his feet as he'd seen in Arthur's memories. His left hand moved slightly forward, his right hand firm on the hilt.
A beginner's stance — but with the foundation of a knight.
Yuuto lowered his head a little, looking at the black blade in his hand.
"All right… let's start my first sword training."
The wind flowed around him.
---
Time passed. The shff—shff—shing of the blade repeated as Yuuto kept swinging, following patterns from Arthur's memory. His movements were smooth but strong, his breathing steady, his whole body in motion.
He only stopped when the sunlight shifted to a golden hue. Yuuto lowered the sword slowly, inhaled, and wiped the thin sweat from his neck.
When he turned to sheath the blade, his eyes caught a figure sitting not far from the warehouse door — a girl watching him without blinking.
Miku.
And the look in her eyes was one of admiration.
"Miku," Yuuto called softly.
Miku blinked, as if only now realizing she'd been staring. "You finished?" she asked gently.
"You've been here all this time?" Yuuto walked closer.
"I've been here a while," she said, hugging her knees. "I watched you practice."
"I thought you were still outside," Yuuto replied, dabbing the sweat from his cheek.
He sat down next to her.
"You could have called me over," he said.
Miku shook her head, her hair shifting slightly.
"I wanted to, but when I saw your serious face I didn't want to bother you."
Yuuto frowned. "That serious, huh?"
"You really like it, don't you, Yuuto — the sword and magic," Miku said with a gentle smile that surfaced when she was being honest.
"Like it?"
"Yes. You really like it," Miku said.
"Well, maybe that comes from Arthur," Yuuto said, fidgeting with the sword.
"No, it's not Arthur. It's you."
Yuuto looked at her, surprised. "Why do you say that?"
Miku stood and stepped forward, then turned and bowed slightly. "I've seen that expression a lot on my stage… in front of thousands of people." She gave a small smile, eyes shining.
"The expression of someone who's found something they truly love."
"The expression of someone who finally finds what they were looking for. Happiness. Freedom. Purpose."
She looked at Yuuto gently.
"And you show that, Yuuto. You smile… you really smile."
Her words landed slowly but surely, and something warm crept into Yuuto's chest.
"…you talk too much, Miku."
Miku sat back down beside him, her shoulder lightly touching his.
"That's how it is."
Then she lifted something into her lap.
A kitten.
"See, they all gather when you practice," Miku said, stroking the kitten's head.
"They seem to really like you."
Around them, several stray cats and dogs lounged, some nudging Yuuto's leg, others curling up near Miku.
Yuuto smiled. He stroked a dog that pushed its head against his knee.
A few minutes passed in that peaceful scene.
Finally Miku stood and put the kitten back gently.
"Yuuto, I should go home now."
"Oh? You're leaving already?" Yuuto asked.
"Yes. It's late… I have to be back."
Yuuto nodded. "All right. See you later, Miku."
Miku smiled brightly and waved.
"See you later, Yuuto."
She opened her flip phone — a soft blue light formed a teleportation circle.
Yuuto was left alone.
A few minutes after Miku left, the calm broke when small steps and cheerful voices split the silence.
"Melusineee, we're here!" Honoka's high voice rang.
Yuuto turned.
"Oh, you actually came," he said.
Kotori nodded. "Yes. Like we promised."
"H-hello Melusine…" Umi's soft voice came from behind Honoka.
Honoka, at the front, suddenly leaned toward Yuuto.
"Melusine, you're… sweating!" she said, lifting her hand as if to wipe it.
Yuuto chuckled. "Oh yeah, I was just exercising."
"Do I… smell?" Kotori leaned in to sniff slightly.
"No," she said, shaking her head quickly. "Actually it smells nice… like morning grass. Is that a fairy ability?"
"Maybe," Yuuto answered.
Right then he noticed the three girls were carrying something.
"Oh? What did you bring?"
Honoka proudly held up a package. "Oh this! Cakes! We were supposed to buy them yesterday, but we forgot and the shop closed!"
Before Yuuto could answer, Umi suddenly appeared beside him like a shadow.
"This…" She handed over another cake package. "F-for you."
"Wow, thank you so much," Yuuto said, accepting it.
After Yuuto accepted it, Umi ran back behind Honoka.
Yuuto laughed softly — not mockingly, but genuinely, warmly.
"Thanks… you went out of your way to bring this. I feel like I'm causing trouble."
Kotori smiled and pressed her fingertips together in front of her chest.
"Don't think about it, Melusine. Consider it repayment for this place. Besides — it was Umi-chan's idea to buy cake for you."
"K-Kotori!!" Umi lightly smacked Kotori's shoulder, her face bright red.
Yuuto watched them. They really were fun girls.
Then—
Click.
Yuuto snapped his fingers.
Roots around them shifted, gathered, and formed a round wooden table and four finely carved stools.
"How about we sit?" Yuuto suggested.
"Of course!!" Honoka shouted and sat down first.
Kotori followed, and Umi sat last, keeping a little distance… though she stole glances at Yuuto now and then.
They opened the cake packages and immediately—
"Wow, delicious!!"
"It's perfect!"
"It's just the right sweetness…"
Yuuto laughed softly watching the three girls eat with full expressions.
As evening fell, the four of them sat together joking, chatting, and sharing cake in the flower field that had grown around Yuuto.