Month: May
Year: X770
Age: Kaito — 5
POV: Erza Scarlet
---
May arrived quietly.
Not with festivals or fanfare, but with warmer mornings and longer light—days that invited effort.
Erza liked May.
It meant her arms ached less when she woke up.
She rolled her shoulders and lifted her sword. Across the clearing, Kaito was already moving—small body steady, breath even, feet tracing the same drills they had repeated every morning since April.
He wasn't rushing.
He never rushed.
That alone made him strange.
"Again," Erza said.
Kaito adjusted immediately. No wasted motion. No complaint. His eyes went briefly unfocused—just a flicker—and she felt it: that invisible presence correcting angles and timing before muscle followed thought.
Great Sage.
Erza attacked.
She didn't hold back today.
Wood struck wood. Sparks of effort jumped between them. Kaito blocked, redirected, slid back a step, then forward again—always inside her reach, always just out of danger.
Five years old.
And already infuriatingly solid.
She kicked. He ducked. She spun—he caught her wrist and let go instantly, respectful, controlled.
She laughed, sharp and pleased. "You're improving too fast."
He tilted his head. "You hit harder in May."
She blinked, then smirked. "You noticed."
---
Daily Hunt — Routine, Not Glory
They went out after breakfast.
Same path. Same rules.
Erza led. Kaito supported.
A forest hare fell first—clean strike from Erza. Kaito handled the rest.
Predator.
The body vanished gently, no struggle. Inside him, Analysis separated meat, bone, nutrients, waste. Useful material was stored. The rest was isolated and broken down.
He ate afterward. A lot.
Erza watched him tear through food twice his size. "You're going to explode one day."
"Unlikely," he said calmly. "Excess is stored. Growth efficiency stable."
She snorted. "Cheater."
He looked up at her. "You're not falling behind."
That stopped her.
---
Materials — Thinking Ahead
They didn't hunt big things yet.
Instead, Kaito pointed things out.
"Those beetles," he said. "Shell structure useful. Flexible. Light."
"For armor?" Erza asked.
"For later armor."
She crouched, studying the insects with new interest. "You really think I'll need it."
"I know you will."
She glanced at him sideways. Bold. Certain.
She liked that.
They gathered carefully. Predator stored the materials untouched, frozen in time.
Erza stretched her arms overhead. "You're planning like we're already mages."
"We will be," he replied.
Not if.
When.
---
Care — Refusing Gaps
At the stream, Kaito handed her a small food bar.
"Again?" she asked.
"Different," he said. "Adjusted for endurance."
She ate it—and felt steadier almost immediately.
Her brows rose. "You're serious about keeping up together."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
She leaned closer, eyes sharp and playful. "You know you're five, right?"
He met her gaze without flinching. "And you're strong."
Her face warmed.
She bumped his shoulder with hers. "Careful. That almost sounded like flirting."
"It was," he admitted.
She laughed—loud, delighted. "Good. Practice makes perfect."
---
Coin — Small, Honest Progress
They sold what they could.
Nothing dramatic.
Enough to matter.
The merchant nodded, impressed. "Clean work. Whoever's teaching you knows their trade."
Erza lifted her chin. "We teach ourselves."
As they walked home, coin pouch light but earned, Erza glanced down at Kaito.
"You're not hiding," she said.
"I don't need to," he replied. "Not from you."
She smiled—wide and fierce.
May stretched ahead of them, warm and demanding.
And Erza intended to meet every single day head-on—with him beside her.
---
Chapter 10 — Steel in the Sun
Month: May
Year: X770
Age: Kaito — 5
POV: Erza Scarlet
---
The sun was already warm when Erza opened her eyes.
May didn't forgive laziness.
She rolled up, stretched, and found Kaito exactly where she expected—already awake, already moving. His breathing was slow, deliberate, feet tracing familiar patterns in the dirt. Every step looked simple.
It wasn't.
She joined him without a word.
Wooden blades met. Not fast—precise. Erza pressed him harder today, chaining attacks, forcing angles. Kaito absorbed it all, adjusting in real time. When her balance slipped, he didn't strike.
He corrected.
Great Sage again. Always again.
"You're thinking too much," she said between breaths.
He blinked. "I'll reduce parallel threads."
She scoffed. "Show-off."
---
Morning Hunt — Repetition Builds Steel
Breakfast was quick.
Then the forest.
Same route. Same rules.
A forest deer bolted—Erza cut it off cleanly. Kaito moved in only when it fell.
Predator activated.
The body vanished smoothly. Inside him, Analysis sorted muscle, marrow, nutrients. Tough sinew was separated and stored; excess was broken down into raw magical force.
He ate afterward, methodical, unhurried.
Erza sat on a fallen log, watching. "You don't even slow down anymore."
"Digestive load optimized," he replied.
She shook her head. "Unfair."
He looked at her. "You're stronger today than yesterday."
That shut her up.
---
Materials — Future Weight
They gathered again.
Bone fragments. Hide strips. Beetle shells.
Kaito paused often, tilting his head as if listening to something no one else could hear.
"Too brittle," he muttered once, letting Predator Isolate a flawed piece and convert it harmlessly.
Erza crouched beside him. "You're already deciding what won't work."
"Yes."
"For armor I don't even have yet."
He met her eyes. "You will."
She smiled—sharp, pleased. "Then make it strong."
"I will."
---
Midday — Refuse the Gap
By the stream, Kaito handed her another bar.
She didn't question it this time.
Energy spread through her limbs faster than normal fatigue allowed. It wasn't overwhelming—just right.
"You really don't want me left behind," she said quietly.
"No," he answered. Immediate. Firm.
She leaned closer, eyes bright. "Good. Because I won't wait either."
He held her gaze.
Neither backed down.
---
Coin — Honest Work
The merchant recognized them now.
"Back again?"
Erza set the materials down confidently. "Daily."
The man inspected, nodded, paid.
Not rich.
But steady.
As they walked back, Erza swung the pouch once, then bumped Kaito's shoulder with hers.
"You keep this up," she said, "people are going to notice."
"I'm not hiding," he replied.
She grinned. "Good. I don't like cowards."
He smiled back.
The sun dipped lower, shadows stretching long.
Another May day complete.
Tomorrow, they would do it again—stronger, sharper, together.