Since Mimosa gave me an early off, I promptly head to Senya’s room without hesitation. The key that I have been looking for, for the technique to be used and proven effective, it all lies with mastering meditation, the way of granting oneself with tranquility.

With the lab coat still donned, I flung the door open where Senya is. I immediately saw the figure of the pink haired woman with beauty that transpired off from this world. She's laying on her bed while reading a book.

Her bed is also a canopy with white sheets hanging and soft bubbly foam. Unlike her office, it has a lot of open windows that fresh air circulates around and the gentle warm sunlight makes its way. The room itself has a strong scent of the flower as Senya’s room is just next to the flower beds. Some simple shelves and desk made of wood decorate the room and the floor is made of pure white marble. One could say upon entering this uselessly spacious room that it is for the highest ranking in this mansion.

I rush to her bedside with excitement swelling up. There are so many things I want to learn from Senya and Senya herself is a trusted master for me. She may seem different from master, but her credibility as someone strong is proven and tested. Maybe she also foresaw about my plight and had everyone here help me too.

She smiles at me as I got on her side and speaks.

“What’s wrong Asagao?”

“Miss Senya, I finally understand! I understand now why one must acquire peace of mind!”

“Asagao?”

“You had everyone helped, Meiko, Ardisia and even Mimosa! The importance of meditation in acquiring and using the dragon tempest counter! A concentration unbreakable and spirit unmovable! When I thought about it, countering an attack needs far greater concentration than attacking as you need to calmly volley an attack back! I understand, it was no simple feat and you took the time to make me understand it.”

“Eeeeh…?!”

“Eh?”

Senya’s face pales like a ghost. Her ghastly countenance screams confusion and guilt. As for me, I also don’t have any idea why she made such face. She unconsciously drops the book in her lap as her hand's trembled. She started sweating nervously and panicky.

“W-What’s wrong Miss Senya?!”

“Eh?? Ehhh?? Did I really instructed you that?! Eh??”

“What?! Wait…about Meiko, about Mimosa, and about Ardisia, they all showed me how meditation became helpful for them. Didn’t you tell them to do so for me?”

“No…I never did! Eeeeh?!”

“It was all a coincidence?!”

Senya started becoming flustered and even more confused than before. I can only stare at her, flabbergasted and confused as well as she becomes shaky with an embarrassed face like she failed at something.

“M-Miss Senya…?”

“N-No…it might be possible but…!”

“Umm…”

“Asagao, I’m sorry…that’s not really my intention. I just want you to at least learn the ways of the ki and its practices. It can lessen your stress and fatigue, however, what you said right now totally blew me. You learned something from others.”

“Eh…but they told me…and they that…what?”

“They? You mean Meiko and the others? They told that to you?! No…my intention for teaching meditation is the same reason as what I said earlier.”

“Does that mean…you were misunderstood for a long time now…”

“Uuuuhhh…”

“What a plot twist…”

Senya becomes depressed as she holds her head in disbelief.

“How did you even learn that Dragon Tempest Counter…”

“I…uh…learned it by sheer willpower…”

She dejectedly said. Come to think of it, Senya did tell me to meditate but never told me that learning the dragon tempest counter is related to it. It was all me, making a connection with the two.

“I was really…boyish back then… How do you feel hearing that?”

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“……”

“Asagao…?”

“Haha….HaHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!”

“D-Don’t laugh! It’s really embarrassing!”

I’m sorry!

I couldn’t hold it after all! It was really funny to see Senya got all depressed when ironically, everything she taught everyone actually worked!

How often do you see an adult woman pouts? The question now is how often do you see a cute adult pouting?

“I’m really sorry! It’s just that…Miss Senya, right now, you look cute.”

“Stop that! Stop teasing that old me…”

“Just the other day you, you did it with Ichirou to tiredness and today you just discovered that you are being misunderstood by most of the people in this mansion.”

“Wait! You even knew about me and Ichirou?! Did he tell you?!”

“I realized it myself.”

“Uhh…I don’t care anymore.”

As the tension settles, I made a huge grin towards Senya. She just sighs at my face and beckons me to sit on her bed.

“So, what do you want with me?”

“Since everything is in disarray now, I would like to learn to counter. With the situation at hand, like what Apollo said, we need to rush things.”

“I am fine with it. Since you found a way yourself, I guess I don’t have a choice but to teach you now. And one more thing, please don’t speak of anyone else what happened between us and Ichirou.”

“I-it’s not something I will gladly tell anyone! It is more like, it’s…irritating…he’s irritating, you’re irritating…”

“…Are you jealous…?”

“I am not! Let’s just get started! Can you stand up now?!”

“I can manage. Please get my wheelchair and let’s head to the ground three.”

I walk away and retrieve Senya’s wheelchair right beside the bookshelf. As I got hold of the wheelchair, I notice that there’s a thin book in the middle of the thicker books. I really shouldn’t but it got me curious so I pulled it out.

My body froze on the spot and my eyes are locked on the thin book. I read the title a little loud without thinking.

“The Sexual Frustration of a Wench. Written By Aynes.

“UUWAAAAHHH DON’T! NOT THAT!”

“The name…is painfully obvious…!”

“NOOO!”

“This is…an erotic novel, huh.”

I steer my eyes away from the thin book and returned it to the shelf. In respect for Senya’s exploding redness, I didn’t dare to ask anything about it and did my best to forget it. Senya could only shed a little droplet tear.

I feel like I got closer to Senya and we made a good closure with each other. Even it happened in the weirdest moment in the oddest situation, yeah, we bonded a little but this bond may stay strong and will keep getting stronger.

.

.

.

Senya and I are now in the ground three. We have the whole ground for ourselves and I am going to train to my heart content. I took a distance away from Senya.

“So, Asagao, I want to know what you learned from Meiko.”

“About basic swordplay, yeah? Meiko corrected my forms and taught me about swords vulnerabilities. A sword will always be inferior to spear and axes. Times of war always proved that. However, since swords are the most famous weapon out there, it created a lot of play and styles that it could now compete with other weapons, from being decoration for a noble’s status to a now more profound weapon of all times.”

“It’s quite deep, right?”

“The sword’s swing, attacks pattern and use will change depends on the variation, size, weight and design. Handling a longsword requires someone who has the strength and stature to use it but for someone like me, the ordinary hack and slash usage of long sword takes on a new form. It becomes swing and slide where I fully utilized its size and weight and gain advantage from my own stature and focus on speed and fierceness rather than strength and power.”

“So, you do realize too that spear is more suited for you, correct?”

“It is but, I became accustomed to swords and I love swords! Though the spears are proficient as they are used for piercing and their range is granted to be an advantage, also, moving around with it is more flexible than the sword. However, I still want to use swords!”

“Good! Because Mrothgir and I love swords too! So Asagao, take out your sword. Let’s begin this training now and apply what you have learned.”

“Okay!”

I draw out one of the swords master gave me. It is the magical sword in which I first received. It is also the sword that I used against master in our last training. When Meiko saw this sword, she cried in utter jealousy and despair saying that this sword is made of pure orichalcum and strengthened using adamantine. The jewel embedded on the handle is a carefully selected magic rune that grants the sword its own magic power and that magic power can be used temporarily by the user if they run out themselves.

In the end, I decided to name this sword…Ahomaru.

I took my stance and held the sword with both hands. A short sword standard play is usually accompanied by another short sword, however, with my body, I can only handle one at the moment. My swordplay relies on swiftness and flexible movements.

Meaning, I have to move around to deliver small wounds or try to see any opening in the enemies defense and deal a huge damage to them. The cons are that it will drain too much stamina so that’s why I should end the battle in a quick manner.

Another one is that I am vulnerable to pretty much enemy magic. I do trust my barrier but casting a succession of barrier definitely, hinders my movement. It also gives my enemy a leeway to recover or think of another strategy against me.

My attack patterns are also simple that any hardened veteran will be able to read me in no time and create countermeasures.

That’s why I want to learn to counter.

To deliver a quick succession of attack while maintaining that gained momentum. When the enemy attack back, countering it would be the best move as it leaves them defenseless and it will lessen the chances that I will cast barrier.

“Asagao, here’s the drill. I will be casting water ball, which is the safest spell, and you try to counter it, okay? The trick in using counter is that you will attack at the same time with the enemies attack. When yours and their attack collides, you simultaneously use barrier and swing your sword towards them. That goes with magic. You slashes the magic attack and with barrier infused sword, you deflect it back to the enemy. It may be hard to imagine it but trust your guts! Also, with calm dragon tempest, you volley back the attack by the stroke of your sword while still moving.”

“It kind of made no sense but that’s fine by me.”

“Let’s get started.”

“[Water Ball!]”

A ball of water rises out from Senya’s palm. Its size is like a ball and obviously, it’s made out of water. She then throws the water ball at me.

I concentrated my senses to the water ball. I imagined it bouncing back from my blade. I think of nothing else but the image of the water ball returning to Senya.

……

My sense of the surrounding disappears and I feel like everything is black. Only me and the water ball exist at this very moment. I closed off everything from my mind. The time loop, my worried of this word’s fate, the confusing and scary warm feeling towards Ichirou, my longing for my friends and people that I treated as my family and lastly, I erased Nil temporarily from my mind.

I tried to think of nothing else but countering this water ball thrown at me. Magical power rises from the sword as I enveloped it with a barrier. My focus strengthens and my mind becomes clear that I feel like my body becomes lighter than ever. I dispose of everything like what Meiko said. I focus on my work like what Ardisia did. And I only seek my goal like Mimosa wanted!

With these ideals, I bring my sword up and slice my sword towards the water ball. My sword already made contact with the spell and all I just think of is returning it. I feel like everything becomes slow. My movement, the water ball’s speed and even the swing of my sword.

Before I knew it, the water ball in front of me…

SPLASH!!

“……”

“……”

DRIP

DRIP

The water ball exploded on my face. I sliced it in the middle but it only went through the blade and now, I am dripping with.

I am drenched…

It becomes a little colder…

“……”

“Well, that’s just the first time…”

“……”

“Contrary to my expectation, it seems this will take a little longer…”

“Damn it…”

My shoulder slumps a little as I feel a little dejected.

However, like what Senya said, this is the just the first time!

There will be more tries so BRING IT ON!