This body has talent with the sword.
This body has nothing much to do.
This body has extra time.

So, I decided to practice swordsmanship in my spare time.

I didn’t particularly enjoy physical activities in my previous life, but now that my body has changed, using it feels enjoyable. Even in my duel against Cain, I seemed to have some sort of competitive spirit.

“Haaah…”

Taking a deep breath, I raise my sword.

Not having all my memories back was sometimes inconvenient. No matter how talented Felix was with the sword, it would be meaningless if I lost all the foundations he had built up until now.

I had to slowly rebuild those basics again.

“Phew……”

Exhaling deeply, I slowly bring the sword down.

As other students chat and play in groups, I would train.

I continue the motions of raising and lowering my sword. It must seem strange to others.

They probably can’t imagine Felix, a top 10 student in Class A, rebuilding the basics.

What is my goal? I didn’t think about that. I simply wanted to reach ever-higher heights.

And so I resolved to start over from the beginning. Raising the sword, bringing it down, from the very start.

“Like this…when…I don’t know…”

But it’s enjoyable, so it’s fine.

The problem was that practicing alone made me inadvertently start muttering to myself.

“Still…I have to…persevere!!”

Well, even those were just pointless words.

……No one’s listening anyway.

***

Sylvia liked taking solitary walks whenever she felt confused or had much on her mind.

It was a habit from her early childhood, continuing even after coming to this academy. Of course, she could only go for walks on nights like this when being alone wasn’t possible.

What troubled her mind was something she had heard that very morning.

[If you don’t like something, just say it.]

His voice echoes in her ears.

[If you tell someone you don’t like what they’re doing, they will listen.]

Had he seen through her heart?

Was that why he said that?

A small sigh escaped Sylvia’s lips.

Sylvia was born in a tiny village in the Empire, but she lived happily. All the villagers doted on her, and even the village boys and girls liked her.

She wasn’t oblivious that it was somewhat related to her appearance.

Nevertheless, her looks had never caused any issues until now. Since the villagers liked her not, they wished no harm upon her.

But the moment Sylvia entered the academy, she became embroiled in problems.

She was too beautiful.

Countless male students confessed to her after laying eyes on her face.
She, a commoner, received confessions from numerous nobles.

Something that should never have happened even once in her lifetime occurred dozens of times to Sylvia in just a few weeks. If asked if she was happy about it, she could answer that it wasn’t the case.

Good-looking boys, rich boys, boys of high status.

None of them made her happy. They had only approached her for her face. Rather, she could only feel a sense of discomfort.

‘Why? What do they see in me?’

They only saw her face.

Then what else? The prestigious families they bragged about, the intention of connecting with her, and her chance to walk the path together with them.

From trivial to important matters, not a single thing about them piqued her curiosity.

The smiles she had put on to make friends, the small actions she did, the shy hands she shook–they simply interpreted it all as they pleased.

Of course, she did make some good friends amidst that.

But to Sylvia, unaccustomed to new relationships, the confessions, rejections, and ensuing aftermaths were all difficult ordeals.

This is why Felix’s words resonate deeply within her heart.

Felix.

Sylvia didn’t know what kind of person he was, as they never had a chance to get to know each other.

He became one of the many boys who confessed to her, although they had been in the same class for some time.

The moment she rejected his confession, Sylvia had thought,

‘Ah…can I no longer be friends with him?’

She was saddened that she had ruined another relationship.

However, she ended up overhearing something when she followed Cain as he tried to reprimand the male students.

[To be honest, if some girl I’m not even close with suddenly confessed to me out of the blue, I’d probably reject her too.]

In a calm, soft voice.

“Anyway, apologize to her for me. Tell her not to worry too much about it.”

The words of a boy who understood her.

Of course, there had been others who feigned nonchalance before. But they had badmouthed and insulted Sylvia behind her back, so she had carelessly assumed Felix would be the same.

However, when he ran into her behind Cain,
While he seemed a bit surprised, he didn’t show any anger or hatred at all, even though it must have been awkward for him to face Sylvia, who had rejected his confession.

[Sorry for making you feel self-conscious because of me.]

Instead, he apologized to her.

Moreover, he even helped Sylvia. Of course…it’s not like that sparked any romantic feelings, but Sylvia ended up thinking,

‘I want to be friends with this boy.’

While it felt somewhat shameless to think that after rejecting his confession…Sylvia couldn’t help it.

It really felt like she had met someone she could be friends with. Even if Felix had just been putting on an act to get close to her…she couldn’t help it.

With those thoughts, Sylvia wandered the academy grounds before suddenly coming to her senses and looking around.

Having walked aimlessly, it had somehow become late at night, and she realized she was near the training grounds.

“It’s this late already……”

No matter how much was on her mind, she was still an academy student. The dorms had a curfew, so Sylvia started returning to avoid being late. But she inadvertently stopped as she heard noise from somewhere.

The sharp sound of a sword cutting through the air. Along with the labored breathing of some male students.

‘Training this late…?’

It was none of her business.

In fact, considering how she had been bombarded with grand confessions over small acts of kindness until now, she could have just ignored it. But Sylvia’s nature made her discard that thought.

‘I’ll just let them know and quickly head back.’

With that in mind, Sylvia made her way towards the training grounds.

The inside was still brightly lit, as if in use. It was getting quite late to be out, so Sylvia intended to speak up quickly and leave.

Then she saw who it was.

Red hair.

And…

“Like this…when…I don’t know…”

Felix’s faint voice reached her ears.

Gritting his teeth as he repeatedly brought the sword down, Sylvia suddenly recalled,

‘Cain said he dueled him today…’

Was that why he was training this late into the night, drenched in sweat from sheer diligence?

‘Impressive……’

While Sylvia wasn’t in the sword arts department, from the rumors she had heard, Cain’s skills had already far surpassed a student’s level.

A small admiration escaped her at the sight of Felix’s back, unfazed and relentlessly pushing himself even after crossing swords with such an opponent. She knew well that such unwavering resolve was impossible for most.

“Still…I have to…”

Though a bit distant, Felix’s soft mutterings came across as disjointed. Still, he was clearly making a firm resolution for some purpose.

‘He can’t be doing this because of me…can he?’

The thought crossed her mind momentarily, but realizing it was too far-fetched, her face immediately flushed red.

After watching Felix for quite a while, Sylvia finally remembered the late hour and spoke up.

“Um…excuse me!”

“……Yes?”

Only Felix’s voice had been echoing in the quiet training grounds, so when the high, soft voice reached him, he paused his training and turned his head.

And seeing Sylvia standing by the entrance, he blinked blankly.

“What’s the matter?”

As if nothing had happened, Felix calmly asked while lowering his sword. At his composed demeanor, Sylvia naturally continued speaking.

“It’s getting late. The dorm curfew will be soon.”

“…Eh? Already?”

Having been so immersed in training that he lost track of time, Felix dumbly replied while looking outside.

As Sylvia said, darkness had already dominated the sky. Realizing she was telling the truth, Felix hurriedly put away his sword and grabbed his outer garment.

“Whoa, that was a close one. Thanks, Sylvia.”

“No…I just happened to hear the noise when passing by. It’s nothing.”

Sylvia felt strangely at ease at Felix’s natural and composed attitude towards her.

When conversing with those who had confessed to her before, she always felt uncomfortable and stifled. But she didn’t sense any of that from Felix.

“We’ll be late, let’s hurry.”

Was it because of that?

Watching Felix’s back as he took the lead, Sylvia smiled unconsciously.

For some reason, the tangled thoughts in her mind felt clear.

“…Sylvia, at this rate, you’ll end up having to sleep outside.”

“Ah…! I’m coming…!”

She didn’t feel any desire or sense that he wanted something from her.

Unlike since coming to the academy where she was cautious about smiling or extending her hand,

Sylvia found herself naturally smiling in front of Felix without realizing it.

Perhaps with this boy, she could make a true friend.