Chapter 24: False Relationship

“Shall we start?”

“…Uh, yeah.”

Before I even had a chance to collect my thoughts, I was swept up in the moment and found myself standing in the sparring arena with Ren.

Now that we faced each other like this, it felt noticeably different from just a few days ago.

But the tangled emotions remained the same.

“You use a sword too?”

“…Mhmm.”

“It’s been a while since I last sparred, so I think I’m a little nervous.”

A while, huh…

Did she really not remember our sparring match from just a few days ago?

Realizing that every memory related to me had completely vanished sent a storm of indescribable emotions crashing over me.

Should I be happy about this?

[Isn’t it obvious you should be? This is a chance to start over.]

—That was the kind of question I found myself asking.

Almost instinctively, my gaze shifted to Ren.

Was it anticipation for the spar?

Her expression didn’t change much, but the slight flush on her face hinted at her excitement.

…Strangely enough, while her memories had disappeared, her emotions seemed even richer than they were a few days ago.

Had she been looking forward to sparring with another student back then, just like she was today?

And was I the one who ruined that for her?

“…….”

“……? Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“…I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Seeing the concern on Ren’s face only made my emotions even more tangled.

I took a deep breath, steadied my grip on my sword, and forced myself to focus.

She too adjusted her stance and prepared for the match.

“I’ll start off light. Let’s gauge each other’s skill first.”

“…Alright.”

“Then, here I go.”

With those words, her presence shifted.

It was far from the ominous intensity of our previous duel, but the sharpness of her movements, as if she were one with her sword, remained unchanged.

In the blink of an eye, her figure blurred and before I knew it she had closed the distance between us.

As always, I blocked her attack with my sword held in a reverse grip.

Clang—!

“…You’re pretty good.”

As soon as her strike was deflected, Ren quickly widened the gap between us again.

Her expression which was now even more flushed than before revealed a surge of emotions.

Well, it’s not like she has many opponents her age who can match her in close combat.

There was that spear wielder, but…

She probably hadn’t faced him yet, which meant that I was likely her first real rival in a practical sense.

That explained the anticipation in her eyes.

Tap.

The tip of Ren’s sword touched the ground.

At the same time, her aura rippled and surged.

It was the preparatory movement for the same attack she had used against me a few days ago.

She took a step forward.

I responded immediately by positioning my sword to intercept her strike.

Moments later, a heavy force pressed against my blade.

But it didn’t stop there. Ren’s relentless chain of attacks continued to crash against my sword.

Clang!

Clang!

Claaang—!

“…Hup!”

With a short breath, a change overtook Ren’s sword.

A chilling energy radiated from her blade as a vivid blue aura flared to life around it.

Sword Aura.

As befitting someone at the high Expert level, her aura flickered with remarkable stability.

This isn’t the time to be analyzing her skills…!

Honestly, if I took that level of attack head-on, even with a practice sword, mine would likely snap.

She wasn’t attacking with the full intent to kill, but even so, her attacks were dangerously strong.

Of course, I could imitate her to some extent, but at my lower rank, merely copying her technique with limited skill wouldn’t be effective.

From the very start, the sheer quantity and quality of her aura—

The difference between us was overwhelming in every aspect.

That was why, even if it was a little underhanded, I decided to use a trick.

A half-step.

I moved forward slightly ahead of her motion.

My neck leaned into the very spot where her sword was meant to be.

“……?! “

Ren flinched in shock and hastily retracted the aura from her blade.

At the same time, her sword which had been aimed at my neck twisted downward toward my lower body.

Anticipating her reaction, I blocked the low strike and closed the distance between us.

Thud!

With my free hand, I grabbed Ren’s wrist.

Then I pressed down on the tip of her foot and pulled her toward me.

Her stance had already been unstable ever since she twisted her blade mid-swing, so her body moved just as I intended.

From there, it was simple.

I turned my body, lifted her onto my back, then adjusted my strength as I slammed her onto the ground.

She let go of her sword with a groan.

Thud! Clang—!

“…Ugh!”

“It’s over, right?”

I pointed my sword at Ren who was still lying on the ground and asked,

She looked up at me with a sullen expression.

“…You’re a coward.”

“I’d call it being smart.”

“It’s cowardly.”

Ren shook off the dust and got up.

She looked at me with clear discontent in her eyes.

Well, I guess it was a bit cowardly.

I had deliberately put my body in harm’s way, forcing her to alter the trajectory of her sword.

If she had been someone with mediocre skill, she wouldn’t have even reacted in time and would’ve just slashed my neck instead.

It was a cheap trick, one that took advantage of both her skill and her kind nature.

…Of course, if this had been the Ren from a few days ago, she probably wouldn’t have hesitated to take my head off.

“Well then, now that it’s over—”

Since the match was finished, I turned to put my sword back in its place.

Thud.

At that moment, I felt a faint weight on my arm.

When I turned my head to look behind me, my gaze met Ren’s.

Her eyes were cold.

… Did her memories somehow return?

“Again.”

“Huh?”

“The spar. Let’s do it again.”

…Ah, so that’s what this was.

Ren, this girl… She’s surprisingly competitive.

If it was a bet or a match, she just had to win, no matter what.

Ever since she was young, Ren had struggled to express herself. This was one of the rare moments when she clearly conveyed her will.

And even after all these years, that trait of hers remained the same.

“I’m stopping here for today.”

“…….”

…Staring at me like that wouldn’t change my mind.

Ignoring her gaze, I deliberately turned away and moved to put my sword back in its place.

.

.

.

Once the sudden sparring session was over, I leaned against the outer wall of the training ground, taking a moment to gather my thoughts.

Of course, I wasn’t alone.

In the distance, I could see Ren swinging her sword.

Even after our match had ended, she continued her training without pause.

She didn’t seem to tire. She was moving like a machine with a blank expression and without so much as a single bead of sweat.

Ah, I guess she’s not completely expressionless anymore.

Though her memories had vanished, her emotions had only grown more vivid than before.

There was something strangely familiar about the way she treated me. So much so that it almost felt like we had gone back in time.

Back to the days when she used to run around, laughing and playing with the other kids.

…What am I even thinking?

I let out a hollow chuckle at my own foolish thoughts.

Just because our ill-fated past had been severed didn’t mean we could return to the way things were.

[Why? Ren doesn’t remember anything, does she? Can’t you just start over and become close again?]

A ridiculous question I threw at myself.

If only it were that easy.

My role wasn’t over yet.

I was destined to continue tormenting her as her archenemy.

The closer we became, the greater her sense of betrayal would be when the time came.

…Just like that day I saw in my nightmares.

[Then why didn’t you push her away? Why did you agree to spar with her?]

A question I asked myself.

“…….”

And yet, I had no answer.

Even to me, my decision seemed utterly foolish and naive.

Spending time with her today had been an irrational act.

I just don’t want to be hated anymore.

It was an immature, misguided thought. Nothing more than a moment of weakness.

Unlike the hateful glare she had given me just days ago, Ren had now approached me with kindness. And I hadn’t been able to push her away.

On top of that, the way our relationship had seemingly reverted to the past was shaking my resolve.

We could start over from the beginning.

But I wasn’t some unshakable being.

No matter how many times I tried to convince myself that I was fine, the constant waves of resentment directed at me slowly ate away at my very core.

Without even realizing it, the festering wound had grown far too deep.

…So much for having lived through life three times.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Just then, something cool lightly touched my cheek.

“……?”

“Drink.”

“…Oh, thanks.”

Ren handed me a water bottle.

Did her training already end? She plopped down beside me.

She sat so close that her shoulder touched mine.

…What’s up with her all of a sudden? This feels a little off.

No matter how much our unpleasant past had been erased, the fact remained that we had only met for the first time today.

Was it normal to be this bold with physical contact with someone you just met?

Or was I just an inexperienced loser reading too much into it?

Either way, her actions left me feeling unsettled.

“…Haa. I feel like I can finally breathe.”

Whether she noticed my unease or not, she took a sip of water and let out a contented sigh with a faint smile on her lips.

At the same time, her body relaxed, and I suddenly felt her weight settle against my shoulder.

…Wait. Is she seriously leaning on me right now?

I turned my head to look at her, only to find her gazing right back at me.

Caught off guard, I was at a loss for words. Before I could say anything, she spoke first.

“Is something on your mind? You haven’t looked too happy for a while now.”

“…No, not really.”

“Liar. It’s written all over your face.”

So, heroes were naturally gifted at reading people too, huh?

“We just met today, didn’t we?”

“So what?”

“It means that even if I did have something on my mind, I wouldn’t exactly be able to tell you.”

I turned my head away with difficulty and gently pushed her off.

Following that, the weight on my shoulder grew even heavier.

“Then, if we get closer, will you tell me?”

“……….”

“I’m Ren Aizel. Just call me Ren.”

Along with her introduction, I could feel her intense gaze from the side.

It carried the unmistakable nuance of wanting me to hurry up and introduce myself.

Unable to ignore that persistent stare, I finally opened my mouth.

“…Ain.”

“Ain? So your name is Ain.”

Ren murmured my name repeatedly under her breath.

Then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke to me again.

“Ain, I come here at this time every day.”

“…So?”

“Would you spar with me again tomorrow?”

“……….”

I can’t let this go any further.

Keeping up this false relationship was far too dangerous.

And yet, despite knowing that, I couldn’t bring myself to say those words out loud.

In the end, I made a different decision.

“…Sure, I guess. I don’t really have any plans tomorrow anyway.”

“…..! Really? So you’ll spar with me?”

“Yeah.”

Whether this would lead to ruin or not, I had no way of knowing.

But in the end, I chose to maintain this unstable relationship.