BY THE WAY, I’M ON INSTRUCTOR ZENON’S SIDE

It had been two weeks since then, and I’d been somehow managing to survive my stint as Alexia’s boyfriend. I ran into the occasional bit of harassment from other students, but it was all well within the range of what I could tolerate.

Above all, I was just relieved that Instructor Zenon hadn’t tried to beat me to a pulp or resort to any other short-sighted, violent outbursts. A real weight off my shoulders.

Despite the situation, Instructor Zenon continued to instruct Alexia and me during class with his usual politeness. He didn’t strike up casual conversations like he used to, but you had to hand it to him—he was handling things like a real adult who knew how to separate his public and private life.

Compare that to this girl...

“I can’t stand that man,” she spat. “Acting all high and mighty just because he’s a little decent with a sword.”

As expected, she played the part of the sweet princess in public, but behind the scenes, it was a non-stop storm of verbal abuse.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”

At this point, I was basically a robot designed for nodding. I knew from experience that arguing with her was a total waste of time.

“You saw that shady smile too, right, Pooch?”

“Yeah, yeah. I saw it.”

Our usual pattern involved taking a slight detour through a deserted forest path on the way back to the dorms after classes ended. During the walk, I did nothing but mindlessly agree with whatever came out of Alexia’s mouth. Not even ten percent of her rant actually registered in my brain.

We trekked through the twilight woods at a snail’s pace. She would unconcernedly spend over thirty minutes on a path that should have taken ten. There were days when it grew so dark that the stars came out, but I endured it. There were days when I thought she should just go talk to a wall, but I simply endured.

Endurance, endurance, and more endurance.

Eventually, however, even I felt the need to get a word in.

“Uh, can I say something for a second?”

“What is it, Pooch?”

Alexia sat down on her favorite tree stump and crossed her legs. I couldn't exactly tell her to get off her ass and keep walking, so I had no choice but to sit down next to her.

“What is it you actually hate about Instructor Zenon? Looking at it objectively, he seems like a prime catch as a marriage partner.”

“Are you serious? Were you even listening to a word I said?”

Alexia looked more than a little displeased.

“Everything. I hate every single thing about that guy’s existence.”

“He’s handsome, a Swordsmanship Instructor, and he’s got status, honor, and money. Plus, he seems like a nice guy who knows how to conduct himself. He’s actually pretty popular with the girls.”

Alexia scoffed at my assessment.

“Only on the surface. You can polish a surface however much you want. Just look at me.”

“Fair point. That’s actually very persuasive.”

Come to think of it, Alexia was also incredibly popular. That was only because she put on a front to a nauseating degree.

“That’s why I don’t judge people by their surface.”

“Then what do you judge them by?”

“Their flaws,” Alexia said with a smug look on her face.

“That’s a pretty negative way to judge people. It suits you perfectly.”

“Oh, thank you. By the way, I don’t actually dislike you, despite the fact that you’re a total mess of flaws with almost no redeeming qualities.”

“Thanks. That’s officially the most insulting compliment I’ve ever received.”

Alexia gave a wry smile.

“You’re a straightforward piece of trash, and that’s fine. But that’s exactly why I hate that man.”

“So, what are Instructor Zenon’s flaws?”

“As far as I can tell, he doesn't have any.”

“Then he’s a super-catch, isn't he?”

“That’s exactly the problem! There’s no such thing as a person without flaws. If one exists, they’re either a massive liar or they’ve completely lost their mind.”

“I see. Thank you for that answer, which was absolutely overflowing with dogma and prejudice.”

“You’re very welcome, my flaw-ridden Pooch. Now, go fetch!”

Alexia tossed a single gold coin into the air. I caught it with a full-speed dash.

Score! One hundred thousand Zeny!

I shoved the gold coin into my pocket and returned to Alexia, who was clapping her hands in delight.

“There’s a good boy.”

She started patting my head. Endure. I must endure.

“He hates it! He really hates it!”

As she ruffled my hair and patted me all over, I was reminded once again that she really wasn't a decent human being.

“It’s written all over your face, you know.”

“I’m letting it show on purpose.”

With a light chuckle, Alexia stood up.

“Well, let’s head back.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Pooch, tomorrow is the day I’m finally going to slam a wooden sword into that man’s irritating face. You’d better be watching.”

As she said that, I found myself compelled to ask a question.

“Are you actually being serious when you fight him?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Alexia turned around and stared intently at me. I’d definitely asked something unnecessary, but for me, it was the one thing I couldn’t just ignore.

“Instructor Zenon is definitely more skilled than you, but from where I'm standing, it doesn’t look like the gap is big enough for you to get beaten that one-sidedly.”

I actually like Alexia’s sword. It’s a style built one step at a time, through honest, daily effort. But when it comes down to a serious fight, she clutters it up with unnecessary junk. I hate seeing such unsightly garbage mixed into a style I’ve actually acknowledged.

“You certainly make it sound easy for a White Uniform,” she said.

“It’s just the nonsense of a White Uniform. You don’t need to take it to heart.”

“Fine, I’ll tell you. It isn’t as simple as you think.”

“Oh?”

“I have no talent. I was born with a lot of Magic Power, and I like to think I’ve put in the work. I even think I’m reasonably strong. But even so, I can never win against a true genius.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ve been compared to Sister Iris my entire life. There were expectations from everyone around me, and more than anything, I respected Sister Iris and wanted to catch up to her. But I couldn't do things the way she did. Everything—the very things we were born with—was different from the start. That’s why I tried to become strong in my own way. You know what people call my swordsmanship, don’t you?”

When people compared the skills of the two sisters, Iris and Alexia, there was one phrase that always came up.

“The Ordinary Sword.”

“That’s the one. By the way, yours is an Ordinary Sword just like mine. Sucks for you.”

Alexia gave a lopsided smile.

“I don’t think it sucks. I like your sword, Alexia.”

Alexia held her breath for a moment at my words, then glared at me.

“I’ve heard that before. After I lost miserably on the stage of the Bushin Festival, Sister Iris told me the same thing.”

『I like your sword, Alexia.』

Alexia mimicked her sister’s voice, her lips twisting into a distorted expression.

“That woman couldn't possibly understand my feelings. She has no idea how miserable I felt in that moment. I’ve hated my own sword ever since that day.”

Alexia laughed. I couldn’t tell what kind of smile it was, but it certainly didn't look like she was having fun.

There were words I had to say. If I didn’t say them, I would be denying my very soul.

“I’m a pretty indifferent guy,” I began. “If some tragic incident happened on the other side of the world and a million people died, I wouldn’t really give a damn. If you lost your mind and became an indiscriminate mass murderer, I wouldn’t really care much about that, either.”

“If I ever lose my mind, I’ll make sure to cut you down first.”

“But there are things that aren't trivial to me. They might be worthless to other people, but they are more important than anything else in my life. I live my life while protecting the very few things that are precious to me. That’s why there is no lie in what I’m about to say.”

Just one thing.

“I like Alexia’s sword.”

After a long silence, Alexia finally responded.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. But if I had to say... it's just that I get pissed off when people trash something I like. That’s all.”

“I see.”

Alexia turned on her heel.

“I’m going home alone today.”

And with that, she walked away.