kscans

Chapter 665 - Together

“Is Sora-chan already asleep?”

“She is. It’s time for good kids to be in bed.”

“Fufu… She will scold you again for treating her like a child, you know.”

Master and disciple, walking side-by-side on the moonlit forest path.

Although the bamboo forest was part of her ‘domain,’ seeing her outside the grounds of her actual home, the dojo… come to think of it, this might be the first time.

Coupled with her unfamiliar appearance, just walking beside her made me feel slightly nervous.

Instead of the simple blue hakama do-gi that looked like a shrine maiden's uniform at first glance, she wore a splendid robe with a black and scarlet haori. I had thought she was indifferent to armaments, given that she herself called her usual katana a ‘mass-produced item,’ but perhaps that wasn't the case.

…………I feel like I recognize this design, or this style, or this atmosphere. A Japanese-style outfit with a sublime purity coexisting within its splendor. It’s none other than Kagu—

“...? What is it? You are staring.”

“No, I was just thinking you look beautiful.”

“..., ...”

“…………”

“...Haru-kun?”

“...Um, I was just thinking it suits you. Your usual simple do-gi has a very ‘Ui-san’ feel to it that’s comforting, but seeing you all dressed up has a very ‘Sword Saint-sama’ feel that’s just…”

“It seems your overly honest mouth has not changed.”

I tried to cover up the honest thought that slipped out while I was preoccupied by talking quickly, but her soft laughter only accelerated my embarrassment.

My praise was basically a direct confession that I was captivated by her, and she responded with immediate composure after a moment of surprise. That’s my master for you.

“...Actually, this is the first time I have properly used it.”

“Hm, ah, yes?”

After gracing me with her characteristic, graceful smile for a moment, she continued in a different tone. I turned to see Ui-san clutching the collar of her haori… with a somewhat embarrassed look on her face.

“It is not just ‘skills’; I have also avoided relying on ‘equipment’ like this. ...No, it is not so much that I avoided it, but that I simply never thought to use it.”

“Well, that sounds like you, Ui-san.”

She doesn't wield a sword because she wants to become strong. She wields a sword because she wants to wield a sword. To put it extremely, her sword is a ‘sword with no target,’ and there is no need to enhance it with skills or equipment, so it's only natural.

In fact, in her case, she has continuously achieved her grand goal of ‘wielding a sword with her body alone,’ so skills and equipment could even be a hindrance.

“I was told, ‘You can just keep it as a decoration,’ when I received it… Come to think of it, I have been quite rude for a long time. I have finally given it a chance to be worn.”

From the sound of it, it was a veritable offering. The fact that it looks like ‘something worthy of her’ at a glance suggests that whoever sent it must be a considerably high-ranking artisan.

I have a vague idea of who that someone might be, but I decided it wasn’t worth probing into, and saved the confirmation for another time. For now, more importantly…

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, I am sure.”

—It must be something different from a conviction.

But when I threw a soft question at her for breaking with her long-held way of being, she affirmed it gently with her words and expression.

She affirmed it, and continued.

“I do not like to fight.”

“I imagine so.”

“I am not good at competition. Anything that involves winning and losing feels suffocating.”

“I understand.”

“...Do you really?”

“Please don’t look so utterly surprised.”

After fighting Irori with everything I had, I realized once again that I’m better suited to fighting with everyone (PvE) than fighting against someone (PvP). The words I said were from the heart.

…Or rather, this is just my personal take on it, but—

“I don’t think I’ve ever approached a PvP fight in Arcadia thinking of it as a ‘battle.’ I mean, I thought I did, but deep down, I think I was unconsciously enjoying it with a different mindset…”

That was probably the place I reached after frantically climbing my way up. The people there, every single one of them, accepted me not as an ‘enemy’ but as ‘one of them.’

Those who stood by my side, those who stood against me… the ‘winning and losing’ that Ui-san mentioned was certainly there, but in the end, my awareness of having fought an enemy was remarkably faint. Looking back, all my PvP battles are more aptly described as ‘playing together to the fullest.’

That must be why I was so scared before my serious battle with Irori.

“—…And well, that’s why I understand how you feel, to some extent. Oh, but this is limited to PvP; when it comes to enemies, they’re my favorite.”

“...I see… yes. Then, that is what it is.”

“Huh? What is what?”

As I rambled on about my perspective, my master nodded in understanding as I finished. But I couldn't quite follow the flow of the conversation and tilted my head, asking for clarification.

We certainly have a connection as master and disciple, but in a way, she is the one whose heart is the most difficult to read. That’s why, in order to understand her heart, I tend to ask her more questions than anyone else.

I ask so many honest, direct questions that she once teased me with a fond smile, saying, “You’re like a child,” which was quite embarrassing… but that’s beside the point.

“In the end, it is a matter of perspective—I realized that from watching you, Haru-kun. The face I saw in the footage, over and over again… did not look like the face of someone engaged in a contest.”

“Should I be embarrassed that you watched me over and over again, or should I be embarrassed by the possibility that you understand me better than I understand myself?”

“And so, I began to think. Haru-kun is surely not trying to compete, but is simply playing together with everyone… without overthinking, just freely. And that is why you are able to leap forward with a smile on your face, more than anyone else.”

“Whether that’s true or not, depending on how you look at it, doesn’t that make me a natural-born battle junkie…?”

In any case, I generally understood the flow of the conversation. That’s why, though I feel it’s somewhat presumptuous, I think this is what she’s trying to say.

“It is the same as taking on a disciple—if you are to wield a sword that can be crossed with another, it would be a waste not to cross it with someone. There are landscapes you can only see with another person.”

She took a breath.

“And if I am to step forward, this time of my own volition, to desire and face ‘it’… I have reconsidered and thought it would be rude not to prepare my appearance as well as my heart.”

As always, more than always.

Her profile, as she spoke without hesitation, seemed to shine brilliantly in the moonlight.

“You desire it?”

“Yes, I desire it—it is your fault, you and the others, you know?”

Passing through the bamboo forest, we arrived at the gate.

Pushing open the closed door with one hand, the [Sword Saint] turned to me.

“It looked so, so fun… that I found myself wanting to go there, too.”

She smiled shyly, like a child asking, “Can I join in?”