LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 204
“Like this?”
“No. More like this….”
“Do it….”
I was watching Yuki swing her sword when Da-eun’s voice caught my attention.
Her voice was bursting with excitement.
Yuki seemed to hear it too, stopping her movements to look in the same direction as me.
Whether she knew we were watching or not, Da-eun shot her two clenched fists into the air.
“I did it, aaaa!”
As if that wasn’t enough, she shook her body, flailing her arms and legs wildly.
From that, it was clear what Da-eun was feeling.
“That’s a bit… odd.”
“Yeah.”
And yet, there was something about Da-eun’s actions that made bystanders feel a bit uncomfortable.
Why was that, I wondered, twirling my hair. Then it hit me.
“Doesn’t it seem like a fish flopping out of water?”
“…Hmm, definitely.”
I thought it was quite a fitting metaphor, and judging by her nodding, Yuki seemed to agree.
“That’s an awful metaphor!”
But it seemed not everyone thought that way.
Well, perceptions differ, even when seeing and hearing the same thing.
“That can’t be! ‘A fish flopping out of water’—what does that even mean?!”
“It means exactly that.”
“Then what does that mean?!”
Despite quite a distance, Da-eun had overheard our conversation and came over, ruffling my hair roughly.
“You can’t even congratulate me on my big achievement! Instead, you say I’m like a fish gasping for air after being pulled out of the water, facing an inevitable death! I’m really hurt…!”
“I didn’t say it that harshly.”
“But that’s what you meant!”
“Well….”
I hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“I guess that is accurate.”
“You should deny that!”
“But lying is bad.”
“Oh, really? Then from this moment on, I can take everything Kana says as the truth?”
“? Do as you wish.”
That’s not something where my permission was needed, right?
As I replied nonchalantly, Da-eun’s enigmatic smile grew even wider.
“Really? So if I say Kana doesn’t like sweets, you’ll believe me?”
“….”
“Huh? Why so silent? Come on, say it! ‘I don’t like sweets!'”
“Ugh….”
“Come on, just say it already~?”
“I, I… *sniff*….”
Da-eun leaned in closely, pressing her face against mine.
Her devilish smile was getting closer, but despite my frustration, I found it hard to form the words.
“You little devil.”
But then, an unexpected savior appeared.
“Don’t bother the Master.”
Could there be a more awkward acting than this?
Yuki spoke in a tone that could only be described as that of an amateur actor as she slipped her arm between Da-eun’s.
Then she dragged.
“?! What are you doing?! Let go?!”
Da-eun spat out a line straight from a bad villain’s script as she was pulled away by Yuki.
The embarrassment of the situation radiated out, contrasting vividly with the supposed acting.
It felt as if it was real, not just acting.
“Of course it’s real!”
“Yeah. Da-eun could become a great actress.”
“Aaaaah! It’s not acting!”
Da-eun twisted her body like she was having a fit.
But no matter how much she struggled, Yuki’s hold was unyielding.
While Da-eun was athletic, Yuki’s years of dedicated workout made her much stronger.
Besides, their training purposes were completely different, so it was no wonder Da-eun couldn’t win.
“This is so infuriating….”
Ultimately, Da-eun gave up and slumped against Yuki.
She managed to deliver a final villain-esque line as she surrendered.
With a flick,
I secretly gave Da-eun a thumbs-up, and Yuki mirrored the gesture.
Just as the situation seemed to calm down and settle,
“So what did you accomplish?”
I asked Da-eun.
Da-eun, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance, reluctantly opened her mouth when I stared at her.
“It’s about mana. I succeeded.”
As she said that and opened her palm wide, a bluish energy swirled above it.
It was faint, as if it could disappear at any moment, but it was undeniably mana.
Of all things, I couldn’t possibly fail to recognize mana.
…Wait a minute, though—
An unexpected question made me tilt my head.
“If you can handle mana now, shouldn’t you have used it to escape instead of just sitting there?”
What allows humans to battle against those many times larger and stronger than themselves?
Isn’t it the mana that makes the impossible possible?
If she had used mana, she could have easily escaped Yuki’s grasp; why had she just been sitting quietly?
“You mean to say you wanted Yuki to be holding you?”
“Was that the case? Sorry, but I’m not into restraining someone. I can’t indulge your preferences.”
“How well that fits you, though! If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have invited you home that day.”
Da-eun said it as if she genuinely regretted that decision.
“What you just said is like asking a baby who just learned to roll over why they can’t run yet.”
“Hmm….”
At that remark, I tilted my head the other way this time.
“That—”
“Be careful if you say ‘Is that all?’, or I’ll pinch your cheeks.”
….
But she was serious.
“Why do you think you can’t do that when you just accomplished something tougher?”
“…Something tougher?”
“That.”
I pointed at Da-eun’s palm.
Despite its look of barely hanging on, the bluish mana was still dancing above her palm.
“Handling that is way harder than a simple body enhancement.”
Of course, I myself had no trouble doing both right from the start.
“But I still don’t get it.”
“Well, that’s possible.”
Mastering the sensation of handling mana was the trickiest hurdle, and since she’d toned that down, gradually teaching her the rest should suffice.
After coming back from Demoninus, she’d poured her heart into training, and it finally paid off.
Swish, swish.
“What are you doing?”
“Just acknowledging your brilliance.”
As I patted Da-eun’s head, still caught in Yuki’s hold, she wore a baffled expression.
Unbothered by her discomfort, I continued petting her, and Da-eun let out a sigh.
“It feels oddly good yet bad at the same time.”
“What does that even mean?”
“To put it simply, I’m feeling mixed emotions. Now can you let go?”
“Sure.”
Yuki, who had been holding her for a while, finally released Da-eun.
Once Da-eun stretched out her stiff body, she mumbled, “So, this is what it’s like to struggle.” as she waved her mana around.
Then she started throwing punches in the air, kicking wildly, and executing weird moves.
After a while of her bizarre display, she paused, catching her breath.
“I still have no clue.”
“You can’t expect to be full after one meal.”
I tried to offer some comforting words, but her expression didn’t brighten up.
Noticing her anxiousness, I casually asked.
“What’s got you all worked up?”
As I mentioned, Da-eun had been fully committed to her training since returning from Demoninus.
Having observed her spend almost all her time at Yuki’s Gymnasium, I knew just how sincerely she’d been working at it.
But that doesn’t mean she hadn’t been dedicated before; she’d simply stepped it up considerably.
“Um, well….”
Da-eun hesitated slightly, eyeing me warily.
“Remember what I said a few days ago about Demoninus? After hearing about you, I realized I couldn’t keep going like this….”
She knew that no matter how hard she struggled to get strong, it wouldn’t help us if she couldn’t.
But even so, she should at least avoid being a hindrance, right?
As the older sibling vowing protection, it would be utterly embarrassing to hold her back.
So, she needed to grow strong enough to reasonably take care of herself.
…And that’s why Da-eun was fueled by determination, resulting in what stood in front of me now.
“I see.”
I had my suspicions but wasn’t expecting her reasoning to be so genuine.
As I nodded in understanding, Da-eun continued to watch my reaction closely.
“…Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“What’s there to say?”
She wanted to be strong, and I would never discourage her; it wasn’t as if her intentions were bad.
In hindsight, it could even be seen as an extension of exercise.
The primary goal of exercise is health, and Da-eun’s training was aimed at self-defense, so in a broader sense, it was the same idea.
“I guess you have a point.”
Da-eun scratched her cheeks, feeling a bit awkward.
“Anyway, well done.”
I tiptoed again to pat Da-eun’s head.
Many people in Silia go their whole lives without ever realizing their connection to mana, and since this world previously had no concept of mana, I knew it had to be difficult for someone like Da-eun, who lived in that world.
Perhaps that’s why it felt a bit tedious to teach her, but at least it had a magnificent outcome, right?
“This is such a weird feeling.”
Da-eun accepted my petting with a completely perplexed expression.
“Should I stop?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Was this how it felt when Da-eun patted my head?
I could almost understand why I kept reaching out to her head and petting her….
With every movement of my hand, her sweaty hair stuck to my palm slightly.
Normally, I’d be disgusted enough to pull my hand away and shake it off. Yet today, I felt strangely okay with it.