Chapter 39

"It's finally tomorrow... The tournament is about to begin."

At night, after returning from the academy, I stood by the window of my room, gazing at the night sky.

"Lady Safina's first match will determine her fate... I can only imagine how she must feel..."

Tütte, who was standing nearby, said this, and I couldn't help but recall the events of the lottery.

"Hey, Tütte... Do you think the relationship between me and Safina looks like a calculated one, like a noble lady and her entourage?"

"If you think so, then it might be true, Lady."

When I mustered the courage to ask about something that had been bothering me, Tütte casually confirmed it.

"How could I think such a thing!"

I couldn't help but raise my voice at her blunt response.

"Well, if you don't, then it's fine. No matter what others think, as long as you believe it's not like that..."

When Tütte smiled gently, the unease inside me seemed to vanish.

"That's right, why should I worry? As long as I believe it, that's enough. ...Oh, how embarrassing, to be shaken by such a person's words."

"Thank you, Tütte. I feel more energized now..."

"Yes, my lady..."

When I smiled back, she bowed respectfully.

"By the way, my lady, are you really going to follow this script?"

Tütte changed the subject, showing me the stack of papers I had given her earlier.

"Of course. I wrote this script myself, so I'll follow it during the tournament. Tütte, you need to practice well too."

"Me? Are you sure I'm the right person? While the servants are allowed to enter the academy on the day, there might be someone more suitable..."

"No! I want you to do this, Tütte! Only you and I can make this happen! Let's succeed together!"

I approached Tütte, firmly held her hand, and looked at her with bright, determined eyes.

"Y-Yes, my lady!"

Encouraged by my enthusiasm, Tütte also became more motivated.

"Then, let's practice to improve our skills!"

"Yes!"

And so, we began practicing the script, reading it aloud and discussing our movements and positions, as if preparing for a play in our room.

---

Today is the first day of the martial arts tournament. Like a small sports day, parents are eagerly waiting at the entrance of the academy to catch a glimpse of their children's heroic figures.

The usual vast training ground (sports field) is divided into three sections, neatly prepared for the matches. Since each new student of Solos will have one match per day, the early rounds have many participants, so these simplified venues are used to save time. Once the top eight are determined, the matches will move to the arena, becoming more formal one-on-one battles with a larger audience, as Karlis-senpai mentioned.

(I want to finish in these simultaneous matches in the simplified venue... If I wait until the arena matches, even if I lose, I'll stand out. The first round, when the audience isn't fully gathered, seems most appropriate...)

After scouting the venue, I seriously considered this somewhat unserious plan.

(General visitors can't enter the academy yet, so I need to do a final check with Tütte when she arrives... Oh, I'm getting nervous...)

Feeling like I was about to perform in a cultural festival play, I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart. Before I knew it, I had ended up in front of the individual training room.

(This is the last time I'll come here... It's a bit sad...)

Although it was too early to be sentimental, I peeked into the room and saw someone already there.

She was standing still, very composed, and seemed to be visualizing something with her eyes closed. In the next moment, she drew her sword in a beautiful arc, cutting through the air.

The movement was sharp and beautiful, enhanced by the light from the window, which created a backlit effect.

"......Huh...... Ah! M-Mary-sama, you're here..."

Safina, who had been holding her breath, exhaled and took a deep breath. She sheathed her sword and, noticing me standing by the door, ran over cutely.

(Oh no... Her sword draw was so beautiful, I couldn't help but be captivated...)

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to maintain my composure as I greeted her.

"Amazing, Safina. To master the sword draw so quickly! With this, you're almost guaranteed to win the match."

"That's not true... I'm not that good... I'm not sure if I can even perform in the match..."

When I praised her, she looked down, more dejected than modest.

"That's not true..."

As I tried to encourage her, I took her hand and noticed it was trembling.

(...Nervous... It's no wonder... This first match is a matter of life and death for her... The pressure must be immense... If she goes into the match like this...)

"Hehe... I'm no good... I feel like I'm going to be crushed if I don't do something... I'm so scared... so scared..."

Safina, with a self-deprecating smile, pulled her hand away and tried to leave the training room.

(That's right... No matter how much she practices, her mind isn't strong enough...)

"It's okay, Safina. You can definitely win."

My words, trying to help, sounded weak and cliché.

"Maybe... I always... fail in the real thing... I thought this time would be different... but it's the same..."

My presence seemed to make her more vulnerable. She stared at her trembling hand, becoming even more nervous. She didn't even have the composure to speak formally to me.

"It's okay! You have to believe in yourself... All your hard work will be for nothing if you don't."

"...All my hard work... me?"

Safina looked at me, her eyes wide.

(One more push... What should I say? How can I get her to face the match? ...At least, to ease her tension to my level...)

I'm not in the same position as Safina, with my future on the line, and my enthusiasm for the match is low, so I can stay calm.

(If I were in her situation, could I move forward? ...Move forward?)

At that moment, I remembered a phrase.

"Listen, Safina... Everyone gets nervous in the real thing. I get nervous too, and so does Zaha... probably..."

(Considering his combat nature, he might be more excited than nervous...)

I lost confidence in my own words, so I decided not to use Zaha as an example.

"Anyway, everyone is the same. We all start from the same line, and any differences come after that."

I took Safina's hand in both of mine again.

"After that?"

Safina looked at me with surprise, but she was interested in my words and asked for more.

"Yes, at that moment, you either move forward with courage, hesitate, or retreat in fear. That's the only difference."

I shared the words I remembered from the Moonflower Festival.

"So... I keep retreating..."

"No, that's not true! Safina, you're just hesitating right now! You decided to stay at the academy and have worked hard up to this point! You decided to fight! You're not retreating at all! Believe in the hard work you've put in!"

"...Mary-sama..."

"So, let's move forward with courage, okay, Safina?"

I anticipated she might become negative and spoke quickly, squeezing her hand tightly. I felt her trembling lessen slightly.

"...Mary-sama..."

"...What, Safina?"

"...It hurts..."

"Ah, sorry! Ahaha..."

(I squeezed too hard... Oops, oops)

When Safina looked at me with teary eyes, I quickly let go of her hand and laughed to cover it up. She smiled back, albeit a bit awkwardly.

"...Mary-sama is amazing... I've never thought about it that way..."

"Well, actually, I got this phrase from Lord Claus... Ah, maybe I shouldn't have been so honest?"

"Hehe... Yes, you're right."

When I acted silly, Safina, with a slight smile, lifted her sword and focused on it, her trembling hand gaining strength.

"Safina?"

"...Believe in myself... and move forward... with courage..."

She looked at her sword, repeating the words to herself as the bell signaling the start of the martial arts tournament rang throughout the academy.

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