Morning was pretty much the same as it had always been—
I kept my eyes closed in pain from a sleepless night and my body was sore from my training.
I silently got dressed, tied my hair up tightly, and went to the training ground before the sun was fully up. I wanted silence. I needed it. Early morning was the only hour when the world was calm, there were no talks or looks directed at me.
However, today… that silence was broken.
Because as soon as I got on the field—
"GOOD MORNING, SOLDIER OF DARKNESS!"
In irritation, I closed my eyes.
Kento.
Of course.
Probably with the most ridiculous of all his energies, he came towards me with a jog. His hair was unkempt, his uniform half tucked in and he resembled a walking festival.
"Wow," he said, theatrically stopping in front of me, "you wake up earlier than even the sun. That's terrifying."
I turned my face away and took a wooden sword in my hand.
Like a dog, he trailed me.
"Hey, hey, wait—don't turn your back on me first thing in the morning! My heart is fragile, you know."
I didn't pay him any attention.
He exhaled in a very loud manner. "Okay, okay. You can ignore me. But at least let me see you train. I swear I won't talk."
He laid down on the ground.
One second.
Two.
Then—
"In fact, I need to speak. I am not capable of being quiet."
I almost made a sound of displeasure.
He caught that.
"Oh! That is an effect. I am coming closer!"
I moved far from him and resumed my work.
Strike.
Move.
Breathe.
Do it again.
The pace was helping me to calm down.
The morning air was refreshing my face.
Almost, I forgot that he was there.
Almost.
Because after that, he started to do something that was totally unexpected.
He was training too.
Very, very, really seriously.
I did not anticipate that.
He was not kidding or showing off.
He was actually quite good.
Tight and quick movements.
Firm support.
Fast wrists.
He was not looking like a fool now.
He was looking like a real general.
And for a moment… just a moment… I was wondering.
But his following words destroyed that.
"Amane! Look at this, I call it—THE KENTO SPECIAL!"
He threw his sword… and slid.
Totally.
He was lying on the ground so it was hard to tell but dust flew out from around him like a broken cloud.
I stood there, dumbfounded.
He stayed there for three seconds, looking at the sky.
After that, he sat up and shouted, "I MEANT TO DO THAT."
I turned away fast before he saw my face.
Not smiling.
Just… trying not to react.
He smiled.
"See? I'm always mixing training with fun."
I did not answer and kept going.
But then something totally unexpected came to pass.
Nearby, a group of trainees were practicing with real blades. One of them—very obviously a novice and overly excited—lost control of his sword while doing a spin move.
The sword went out of his hand.
Quick.
Sharp.
Straight towards me.
I was frozen for half of a heartbeat.
Before I could even move, someone grabbed me forcefully and pulled me out of the way.
Kento.
The sword narrowly missed my face and hit the ground with a loud noise.
My heart was pounding like mad.
My hands were trembling.
Kento didn't immediately release me.
He was still holding me around the shoulder and breathing heavily.
"Are you okay?"
This time, his voice was not loud.
It was low… worried.
I moved away from him swiftly.
"I'm okay," I said in a very low voice.
He looked at me for a while, his eyes were serious—
no joke, no bright smile, no dramatic facial expression.
Just… concern.
After that, he turned to the trainee who had dropped the sword.
"HEY!" Kento was yelling, being loud again, "If you are going to kill someone, at least don't aim at the quiet girl! Aim at me! I am able to dodge!… sometimes!"
The trainee was apologizing for a hundred times.
I kept quiet.
My hands were still slightly trembling but I held the sword more tightly and went on with my training.
Slower.
More cautiously.
Kento was looking at me with a strange expression on his face.
Not a playful one.
Not an annoying one.
Not teasing.
Something more… serious.
But only for a brief moment.
Then he applauded loudly once more.
"Alright! Morning full of trauma is over. Time for lunch!"
I left from there.
He was shadowing me.
I stepped up my pace.
Still, he was chasing me.
He put a food box next to me on the bench.
"I prepared this," he was saying with pride. "Unless you eat it, I'm going to shed a tear. And believe me, I cry very ugly. It's not a nice sight."
I silently opened the box.
Rice.
Egg.
Seaweed.
Simple.
But nice and warm.
"Thank you," I said in a very low voice.
His face became as bright as if someone has turned on a thousand lights behind him.
"You're welcome!" he said with eagerness. "Wait—did you just thank me? Am I dreaming? Someone pinch me!"
I stood up.
He pinched his own arm and yelled, "OW! Not a dream!"
I shook my head and went back to training.
He was following me with his cheerful voice, "Alright! Ignore me once more! I'll keep my efforts up tomorrow!"
His vitality was still with me like the sun rays hitting off the walls.
I did not smile.
I did not laugh.
If only for the very first time…
Just for one moment…
My chest did not feel as heavy as it did yesterday.