Raiden Mei taught Hikari Aoi swordsmanship through sparring.
Or rather—
She used sparring not only to teach him, but also to refine her own technique.
Hikari Aoi didn't imitate Mei's stance, nor did she force him to.
After all, men and women were different.
The so-called "optimal" way to strike was always something that varied from person to person.
Hikari Aoi's approach—
Was to explore it himself.
Mei's sword emphasized speed.
Contrary to what the name Hokushin Itto-ryu might suggest, it wasn't about a single decisive strike.
Instead—
She seemed to follow a method of continuously attacking a single point, breaking through defenses by focusing pressure.
For women, whose average strength was lower than men's—
It was indeed a very suitable style.
Hikari Aoi thought about it briefly—
Then quickly abandoned the idea of copying her approach.
He had a Stigmata.
Even if it was only Selena (Top) for now—
His future potential was high.
One day, he would possess overwhelming strength.
There was no need to force himself into such a technique.
With enough power—
A single full-force strike should be enough to cripple a Honkai Beast.
What Hikari Aoi sought now—
Was the most efficient way to apply force.
Although, in Mei's eyes, he had already improved tremendously—
Hikari Aoi wasn't satisfied.
He could feel it—
There was still room to grow.
"…Tomorrow, do you want to practice swordsmanship together again?"
After two hours, Mei took several deep breaths, trying to steady her chaotic breathing before speaking as normally as possible.
Behind her back, her hands trembled slightly.
Facing Hikari Aoi, whose strength exceeded her own, she hadn't had an easy time as a sparring partner.
If nothing unexpected happened—
She felt that tomorrow, she would only be able to perform at ninety percent of her usual level.
There was no other reason—
She was simply too tired.
Even though they had only sparred for two hours—
It felt as if she had expended more energy than five hours of solo training.
If not for the fact that her bamboo swords had been custom-made during her time as a young lady—
Ordinary practice swords would have already broken under the force of their clashes.
"No."
Hikari Aoi shook his head.
"This kind of training should be gradual. Overstraining your body wouldn't be good. Besides, the weekend is ending—you still have classes, right?"
He paused slightly.
"But… if it's okay, can I come tomorrow just to talk with you?"
Despite having spent the past week completely disregarding the principle of gradual progress—constantly pushing himself to his limits—
Despite his body being far more exhausted than Mei's—
Hikari Aoi was now telling her to rest.
He was too considerate.
So much so that Mei began to feel her earlier judgment—that Hikari Aoi carried immense pressure—might have been wrong.
"Really? Just chatting isn't a burden, but… Tachikawa Academy isn't exactly close to Senba Academy, right? It takes more than ten minutes to walk here. A round trip would take over half an hour. Wouldn't that be troublesome?"
"If you don't find me annoying, Mei—then it's not troublesome at all."
Of course—
This "chatting" wasn't for leisure.
Nor was it primarily to increase Mei's affection.
For Hikari Aoi—
It was about friendship points.
About growing stronger as quickly as possible.
As for Mei—
Of course she didn't find him annoying.
In fact—
Every smile she showed while talking to him was genuine.
Someone who could talk with her.
Someone who would come specifically to see her.
Someone who would practice swordsmanship with her.
If possible—
She even wished he could transfer to Senba Academy and become her classmate.
That way—
During breaks, she could finally have someone to talk to, just like everyone else.
But—
If a boy like Hikari Aoi joined her class, the other students would surely gather around him.
She might not get many chances to speak with him.
And if he ignored others to specifically seek her out—
It might even cause resentment.
Besides—
Transferring schools wasn't simple.
And Senba Academy was a girls' school.
That small, greedy thought flashed through Mei's mind—
Only to quickly disappear under her rational thinking.
Watching Hikari Aoi's departing figure, she hurriedly called out:
"Tomorrow… can we meet a bit later than usual? Around 6:30?"
"No problem."
Hikari Aoi nodded.
"If you have something else to take care of, I can also not come. I don't want to disturb you."
Although friendship points were important—
Hikari Aoi had no intention of forcing himself into Mei's life because of them.
He would push himself to his limit before the Third Honkai—
But he wouldn't demand the same from others.
"Ah—no, no, that's not it."
Mei waved her hands hurriedly.
"I just wanted to prepare something for you… um… anyway, it's settled."
"You'll come tomorrow, right?"
"…Yeah."
Waving to Mei as a farewell, Hikari Aoi moved to a corner of Senba Academy.
Taking a deep breath—
He swiftly climbed over the two-meter-high wall, landing outside.
The moment he left Mei's sight—
His breathing, which had only been slightly heavier before, suddenly became ragged.
His hands trembled.
From the moment he woke up that day—
He hadn't allowed them to rest.
From typing away at a keyboard during his internship at ME Corp—
To sparring with Mei just now—
To everything he had done in the days before—
The strain placed on his hands was enough to leave lasting damage for an ordinary person.
Fortunately—
Hikari Aoi had a Stigmata.
And had undergone rigorous training.
His physical condition far surpassed that of a normal person.
Right now—
He was just tired.
Not injured.
Not even close to his limit.
The fact that Kiana had not yet appeared at Senba Academy meant that the Third Honkai was still some time away.
For now—
He didn't need to maintain his body in perfect condition at all times.
All he needed to do—
Was keep pushing forward.
So—
After returning to his dorm—
He would continue training.