Chapter 17

At 5:00 in the early morning, my body naturally wakes up.

It's a habit from childhood, and no matter how the environment changes, my body always wakes up as usual.

I usually do some light exercise and then head to the cafeteria.

I pile my plate with a lot of food.

The cafeteria ladies are all very kind.

Whenever I take a lot of food, they always smile and say, "You'll grow even bigger."

In my family, the teaching is to eat until you're almost uncomfortable during breakfast.

My mother used to cook a lot of food every day for my father, me, and my two younger brothers.

I thought leaving home wouldn't be a big deal.

However, after about a month, I found myself missing my mother's cooking.

I thought I was already an adult, but it was only after leaving home that I realized my immaturity.

I'm starting to understand the meaning behind my father sending me to this academy.

When I left home, my father and brothers didn't seem too concerned about me.

I also thought it was just for three years, so I didn't want to make a big fuss about my departure.

Only my mother, with tears in her eyes, saw me off.

She gave me a gift to help me make friends.

I left home a month ago without even thanking my mother.

Now, I regret it a little.

I wish I had at least said thank you to my mother.

I never thought about such things before.

But now, I clearly think this might be what growing up is.

I don't know if the gift my mother gave me was useful.

Still, I did make a friend.

I thought it would be fine even if I didn't make any friends.

I didn't have anyone I could call a friend in my life so far.

If I can find something in these three years, then my time outside will have been worth it.

This is what I've been thinking about on my way to the academy.

However, my thoughts have changed a bit now.

The best thing would be to find a significant theme in life at this academy.

But now, I also find myself wanting to enjoy the life at the academy purely.

I made a friend named Kururi.

He's always practicing with his sword, but he's also a kind person.

Being with him, I've encountered many new emotions.

When I gave him some lamb, he was so happy that he cried.

Even my growing brothers don't eat that voraciously.

I really feel good about treating him to a feast.

He often reads books.

At first glance, he seems like a weak noble's son, but that's far from the truth.

His hands are as calloused as mine from daily sword practice.

His upper and lower body are well-balanced, and he can use magic too.

I once met the first prince, Arc, when I was a child.

Arc was the first person I thought I might lose to if we fought seriously.

I feel the same thing from Kururi as I did from Arc.

He would be a very tough opponent in a fight.

It might be rude to feel this way about a friend, so I try not to think about it too much.

I haven't even met the residents of rooms 1-3 yet.

Thinking about it, I feel very lucky to have become friends with Kururi.

The food here is a bit too salty.

While eating breakfast, I suddenly thought about this.

At home, my mother used to make the food less salty so I could eat more.

Oops, I'm thinking about my mother again.

Actually, it's all his fault.

My friend Kururi's daily visitor.

The guy who suddenly came to Kururi, saying he wanted to become his disciple and get stronger, is to blame.

He's small, thin, and has a high-pitched voice.

He looks almost like a girl and says he wants to be as strong as Kururi.

I didn't want to get close to him because of my bad first impression, but I decided to take care of him on a whim.

Then, I noticed that his face resembles my mother's.

My brothers look like my mother, so it feels like having another brother.

Because of him, I often think about my mother lately.

After finishing my meal, the cafeteria ladies call out to me as I leave.

"Make sure to eat a lot for lunch too."

I never respond.

I'm grateful and like the ladies, but I'm not good at talking to people.

Outside, the sun is rising.

There are a few more days until the opening ceremony.

Today, I'll go to Kururi's room again.

"Good morning. You're early again, Vain."

On my way to room 1-1, I met Kururi just as he was coming out of his room.

"Unusual for you to be up already."

"Yea, I stayed up all night practicing and made something amazing! It's my best work ever."

He looked sleepy, but more excited.

I could tell from his tone of voice.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yea, I want to try it out. Let's go for a test cut."

Kururi drew his sword, and it was indeed a masterpiece.

I've never been particularly interested in swords, but I was captivated by its beauty.

I might have even felt a bit envious.

"Are you going to hunt monsters?"

"Yea, there are a few small ones in the western forest. It's not dangerous, so I want to try it there."

His face lit up as he spoke.

I could tell he was eager to try it out.

"Are you coming, Vain?"

"No, I have to train that guy."

"Right, sorry for pushing it on you."

"It's fine."

After a brief conversation, Kururi left.

He always shows up about 10 minutes after I enter Kururi's room.

I decided to sit and wait in front of the door.

"Did you lose your key or something?"

I had my eyes closed, so I didn't notice him until he spoke.

He was approaching me.

"I'm not as clumsy as you. We'll start the training right away."

"Alright."

Crossi immediately reached for Kururi's door.

"Huh, is Lord Kururi still asleep? That's why you were waiting outside?"

He glanced at me.

I thought his face resembles my mother's.

"No, Kururi has already left on some errand. We'll train in my room today."

After I finished speaking, Crossi took a step back.

I could see the wrinkles on his forehead.

"Alone with you!? I can't go to such a dangerous place!"

"Stop shouting. The room is the same as Kururi's. It's not dangerous."

"That's not what I mean! You! You're not planning to do something weird in the room, are you!?"

His words were forceful.

I don't know what he's wary of. I've been strict, but that's all.

"Nothing weird will happen. Come in quickly."

"Swear you won't do anything weird!"

"I swear. We'll only train."

Crossi was silent. He still didn't trust me, looking at me from a distance.

"If you do anything weird, I'll kill you and then myself."

"You can't kill me."

"Shut up!! If I get serious, I can—"

He muttered curses but finally came in.

"There's nothing in this room."

I think that's the good thing about this room.

Now we can finally start the training.

As usual, I stretched my whole body.

He has good athletic ability.

His body quickly became more flexible.

I thought it would take about a week for someone who doesn't usually do stretching, but he has a good body.

For the final check, I pressed and moved his body.

"Hey! Don't touch me so much!"

"Just trust me with your body."

"What!?"

He resisted a bit, but I was able to check everything I needed.

"Your base is better than I expected. We can start building your body more seriously now."

"Really!? Thanks a lot."

Crossi looked happy.

I thought he must like training.

Thinking back, I was also happy when my father first allowed me to hold a sword.

He might feel the same way.

If so, I'll teach him the training I did with my father that day.

"The next step is running to build stamina."

"Okay."

"But we're progressing faster than expected.

Today, I'll give you a special training."

"Okay, what is it?"

I handed him the wooden sword from my belongings.

"Today, you'll swing this mindlessly. It's a traditional training method of the Rott family."

"Will that make me stronger?"

"Don't rush. Consistency will make you stronger. Follow my instructions for now."

"Okay, I understand."

"Alright, let's go to the courtyard and swing the swords."

I gripped my sword and went to the courtyard.

I chose this room as soon as I heard it had a courtyard on the first floor.

I think it was a good choice to be on the first floor.

In the courtyard, I took off my upper body clothing.

I swing the sword while sweating.

It's a good memory with my father.

"What are you doing!? You!!"

Crossi shouted from behind.

"Take off your clothes too. We'll swing the swords together."

"No way!!"

Before he could finish speaking, his wooden sword came straight at my head.

I easily deflected it with my sword.

I thought it was a good swing.

"Didn't you swear not to do anything weird!?"

"This isn't weird. We didn't start off well, but by sweating together, we can understand each other. It's like the saying, 'men become friends through naked camaraderie.'"

"O-Okay, but I'll keep my clothes on!"

"..."

"Are you disappointed?"

I wasn't that disappointed.

But Kururi and I became friends by sharing a favorite lamb.

I thought I could make good memories and become friends with him too.

But maybe, as Kururi said, it's impossible to be friends with everyone.

"I won't take off my clothes! But I'll keep swinging the sword until you're satisfied.

It's also a way to thank you for taking care of me."

Crossi seemed to be struggling to find the words.

My mother once said to me.

Our family has three brothers, all grumpy and always thinking about swords.

Therefore, we're not particularly close or distant.

It's a world of people born in the same house and walking the same path of swords.

"There are many people in the world who think differently from you.

By the way, I'm one of them."

It was a casual comment from my mother.

But it resonates with me now.

It must be because of his face.

I thought he might be one of those people who think differently, as my mother said.

Yes, he probably is.

Even if we don't enjoy the same things or get excited about the same things, we can still be friends.

Looking at Crossi's earnest face, I felt that emotion.

"Alright. Let's start."

"Okay, leave it to me."

"Show me your swing. I'll point out any flaws."

"Got it."

Crossi swung the sword.

I watched every movement, but there were no particular issues.

He didn't have any bad habits because he was a beginner.

There was nothing to point out, but his thin body was a concern.

His legs were also thin.

With this body, he won't be able to brace himself when it matters.

I want to build up his basic strength.

I grabbed his thigh. It felt as thin as my arm.

"Stop touching my inner thigh! It's a sensitive area!"

"Gain 20 kilograms of muscle."

This is the optimal number I calculated based on his body.

"Can you do it!?"

"It's fine. If you follow the diet I suggest, you'll gain it in half a year.

By the way, what's your current weight?"

"Don't talk about my weight so casually!"