Reaching out my hand, would I be able to touch the clouds atop this towering mountain peak?

In a small hut built in that lofty place, steeped in sheer cliff sides, a man lived alone.

Having abandoned his name and family, the only possession that man had was a single sword.

Thus, he was nothing more than a solitary swordsman.

—

The man’s routine was set.

Each early morning, he would rise and swing his sword at the edge of the cliff.

Whenever he felt hunger pangs, he would scavenge for food nearby to fill his belly, then return to the practice of swinging his sword.

He would repeat this until late at night, before finally succumbing to sleep.

Every day was just a repetition of this cycle.

And the man believed these days would continue on for the rest of his life.

—

“…A girl?”

On a day like any other while he wielded his sword, if not for a sudden appearance before his eyes…

Feeling a gaze upon him, he halted his swing and turned to look.

Before him stood a girl with black hair, clad in tattered clothing, staring at him with eyes as dark as her hair.

There was no way a girl could have climbed this peak all alone; not even a burly man could manage.

He wondered if she was some kind of demon or monster, debating for a moment if he should strike her down. Ultimately, he turned his head away from her.

What was important to him was only the sword, and everything else didn’t concern him.

Thinking she would disappear if left alone, he resumed swinging his sword.

However, contrary to his expectations, the girl did not vanish.

She merely remained standing still, gazing intensely at him.

As the sun hung in the sky, it continued to set till twilight.

—

“…Hah.”

He thought he had discarded everything except the sword, yet he couldn’t let go of the unnecessary things.

With a sigh of self-recrimination, the man finally stopped swinging his sword and approached the girl.

“…Where are your parents? Why are you here alone?”

Yet, the girl merely looked up at the approaching man without responding, as if she did not comprehend his question.

“…Are you mute?”

The girl blinked in response, leading the man to realize she couldn’t understand his words.

Oh well. The man muttered inwardly, and then he lifted the girl up and carried her into the hut, laying her down on the floor.

He tossed her a rough blanket made hastily from beast hides as she stared blankly at him, lying there, and then he lay down himself in a corner of the hut.

“…When dawn breaks, I’ll take you down to the village below, so stay the night. It’s cold, so make sure to cover yourself.”

After all, she likely wouldn’t understand my words anyway.

Turning his back to the girl’s gaze, the man tried to fall asleep.

—

The next morning, waking up, the man had a dazed expression.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

“…Wasn’t she mute?”

The girl, who until yesterday seemed unable to comprehend, was speaking naturally as if nothing had happened.

And in response to the man’s question, she pointed to a corner of the hut.

“I learned to speak by watching that.”

He glanced in the direction she indicated.

Stacked there were books filled with stories of swordsmen famed for their remarkable skills.

While he had read those books, they contained nothing to help one learn to speak, so he thought the girl was joking.

More than that, it seemed strange for someone her age to have a way of speaking quite similar to his own, but it was ultimately irrelevant to him today, so he asked nonchalantly.

“Alright. Anyway, it’s good you can speak. What is your name?”

“A name? I don’t have one.”

“…What about family? Where were you born and raised?”

“I don’t know. I think I probably don’t have that either.”

The girl, who could now understand words, yet knew neither her name nor family.

This was hardly different from being mute.

Sighing, the man muttered towards her.

“Sigh… Fine. Anyway, the sun will rise soon, so I’ll take you down to the village.”

“Huh? I’m fine staying here.”

“…It’s not you, but I have my reasons to say so. I can’t focus on my training with a kid like you around. Besides, this isn’t a place for a child like you to live. The terrain is harsh, and there’s only this worthless food available. If you want to grow strong, you need to eat something better than this. Regardless, you need to fill your belly before going down the mountain, so eat this at least.”

What does she mean it’s fine to be here?

With disbelief, the man gestured towards some roots he had foraged and dried nearby, throwing them to the girl. She tasted it, her expression changing.

“…This is a bit too much, I guess. This is terrible. It won’t be easy to live on this.”

Seeing the girl mumbling with a serious expression made the man chuckle slightly.

Even to him, who had gotten somewhat used to this taste, it was dreadful; how would a child’s palate handle it?

Carrying along the now quiet girl, the man hiked down the mountain trail, which normally took him half a day, until they reached the foot where the village was visible. He set the girl down and advised her.

“If you go to that village and say you’re an orphan, you can beg for food and survive. If you’re lucky, someone might take you in. Just make sure not to follow any strange people and get into dangerous situations.”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

“Right. You seem confident, so I won’t worry. I’ll take my leave now. Stay safe.”

“Hmm, then let’s meet again.”

With that farewell, he turned away, watching the girl dash off toward the village with lively steps, feeling his expression fade.

He was a man who had vowed to abandon the mundane world.

If it hadn’t been for that girl, he wouldn’t have come down the mountain.

Therefore, he would not see her again.

After bidding farewell to the girl, he ascended the mountain once more, intending to swing his sword just like usual.

—

And just a few days later,

“Have you been well?”

“…”

Before him appeared the girl again, and the man couldn’t help but wear a baffled expression.

“…I went to the trouble of sending you to the village, and what are you doing back here?”

“Hmm? Did you not say we’d meet again? I distinctly remember saying that.”

“…I do remember, but why did you come back to this difficult place again? Sigh… I don’t know how you made it back, but go back.”

Upon hearing this, the girl tilted her head and replied.

“Go back? What do you mean? From now on, I’m going to live here.”

“…Live here? In this place?”

“Yeah, I quite like it here. We’ll be neighbors. I look forward to our time together.”

The girl spoke with an audacious expression, causing the man to grumble, feeling pain in his head.

“…What gives you the right to say that? I never offered you my home. And besides, I have things to do. I have no time to dote on a kid like you.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. I don’t intend to impose on your home. I’ve learned various ways to live on my own from the village, so you don’t need to concern yourself with me.”

Even with the girl’s confident words, the man could only furrow his brow.

How could a child like her possibly survive alone on this mountaintop?

She would surely come asking for help within a day.

But the man decided he would give no help this time to the audacious child who had returned after he had shown kindness.

Thus, with a cold voice, he turned away from her and said.

“…Do as you wish. Just don’t expect my help, whatever happens.”

“That means it’s fine for me to stay here.”

“…I said do as you wish.”

With those words, the man, leaving behind the smiling girl, climbed to the mountaintop to immerse himself in his training.

When the sun began to set and he returned to the hut, he was rendered speechless by the scene laid before him.

“…What the…”

“You must have finished swinging your sword, huh? What a nice-looking home, isn’t it?”

Beside the shabby hut he built, a much more impressive-looking one was constructed.

With the girl emerging from that hut, the man asked, unable to believe his eyes.

“…Did you build this?”

“Yep. I learned how to build houses in the village. It’s not perfect, and I rushed it a bit… but it’s not too shabby, right? Oh, but here, try this!”

Caught off guard, the man took what appeared to be a root vegetable offered by the girl.

He was curious about what it was at first, but seeing the girl munching on a piece, he unwittingly took a bite himself.

As he tasted it, his eyes widened in surprise.

The plant was surprisingly delicious, indeed simply tasty.

Watching the man’s reaction with satisfaction, the girl said.

“I’ve brought back plants that can be eaten from the village. That dried root you gave me last time was barely edible. I learned how to cook too, but I haven’t made the utensils yet, so consider this a gift for moving in. Next time, I’ll treat you to something better.”

The man nodded his head, albeit reluctantly, in response to the girl’s words.

He instinctively realized that from the beginning, the girl had not appeared ordinary.

The girl who came to live with him seemed to possess qualities that indicated he did not need to concern himself with her at all.

—

A week passed.

“Before you go up to train, why not have breakfast with me? I just finished my cooking utensils yesterday and tried making something.”

“…Fine. You eat plenty.”

“Hmph, what a waste. I made enough for two, and it’s a shame to have to throw half of it away.”

“…Sigh, fine. I’ll eat before I go.”

—

Fifteen days went by.

“Look at this. I made clothes from the deer hide caught in the trap I set a while back. I learned tanning, but I never thought I’d actually use it. Now, put it on. The weather’s been pretty chilly lately, so it’s best to stay warm.”

“…That’s fine.”

“Are you not going to wear it? I made it specifically fit your shape, and now it will be a waste since I can’t wear it myself.”

“…Sigh, I’ll wear it, so hand it here.”

—

A month passed.

“I found a rare herb while wandering around yesterday. I dug it up, but it’s a medicinal herb for men, while it’s toxic for women. It seems too wasteful to throw it away, but I can’t eat it. I wonder if anyone around here has a use for it.”

“…Got it, I understand.”

“Ha! That’s great.”

“…”

—

As time passed, his solitary life of swinging his sword began to change.

The essentials of living; eating, sleeping, dressing.

What had once been an environment bordering on the bare minimum for survival was suddenly transformed by the addition of a single person to such a degree that he questioned whether it was even possible.

Yet, as time went on, he came to find the girl was becoming an integral part of his daily life.

True to her initial promise of not causing him trouble, the girl offered no inconvenience to him and rather enabled him to immerse himself in his training.

Even when the girl occasionally climbed to the mountaintop to watch him train, it became something he found less bothersome with each passing day.

Then one day, the girl asked.

“Is it fun?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Wielding your sword. Even when I advise you to take it easy sometimes, you swing it daily without fail, so I was just wondering how much fun it could be.”

In response to the girl’s question, the man answered.

“…It’s not that it’s fun. Rather, it’s simply my reason for living.”

“…Your reason for living.”

The girl, who had been gazing at him with wide eyes, seemed to ponder for a moment before indirectly asking.

“…Since you put it that way, I’m curious. Would you teach me how to wield a sword?”

At her words, the man’s expression stiffened unusually.

He hadn’t minded whatever the girl did, but one sanctuary that he did not wish to have touched was his sword.

“…A sword is a weapon for hurting others. It’s nothing you can handle lightly.”

“…I was trying to be quite serious.”

Even in response to the girl’s argument, the man remained steadfast.

As he spent time with the girl, he saw her kindness.

He had seen the parts of her that cared for him, despite her attempting to act indifferent, so he hoped the girl would never wield a weapon meant to harm others.

However, at the sight of the girl’s first expression of disappointment, he relented, the next day throwing her a wooden sword he had whittled with his own hands.

“Then if you truly want to learn from me, try cutting that rock over there with this wooden sword.”

“…This, with that rock? Isn’t that nonsense?”

“If you put your will into it, there’s nothing a swordsman cannot cut. This test determines whether you can or cannot accomplish that. If you succeed, I will teach you how to wield a sword.”

“…If you simply don’t want to teach me, you could have just said so.”

With those words, the girl accepted the wooden sword. The man felt a pang of guilt but hardened his resolve.

The girl’s request was unreasonable.

Unless she had reached the unattainable level of mastery he desired as a swordsman.

It would be impossible for a girl who had never held a sword before to slice the rock—with merely a wooden sword, no less.

She surely understood that cutting the rock was an impossible task and would logically give up.

He turned his gaze from the girl, who stared at the rock with disbelief, and resumed swinging his sword, thinking.

—

A sword is truly captivating, yet it brings ruin.

The man wished that the girl would not tread the same miserable path he had.

—

But the next morning.

“Just a moment, wake up and come out.”

Upon the girl’s call, the man exited the hut, only to be met with a scene that forced a laugh from him.

“…Hah.”

The cold morning air touching his skin alerted him to the fact that this sight was no dream.

The large rock he had told the girl to attempt cutting yesterday was bifurcated neatly down the middle.

It was such an unbelievable sight that he could not help but stand in disbelief.

“Remember our promise, okay?”

The girl stood with her back to the perfectly split rock, smiling triumphantly.

The man could only nod, utterly speechless.