Chapter 31: Welcome Back

Meguri stared blankly at Taichi as he advanced.

His sword came down in precise, efficient strikes. Instinct alone kept Meguri moving. She dodged, blocked, parried, her body responding while her mind lagged behind, spiraling uselessly.

If he hadn’t already been weakened by the stamina drain faced by his nullification, she would’ve been finished already.

The next blow knocked her off balance.

She hit the floor hard.

The gifted sword clattered from her hand and skidded across the tile.

Taichi stepped forward, raised his blade, and reversed the grip.

Meguri squeezed her eyes shut.

As he swung down with the butt of his sword, the sound of steel colliding with steel rang through the hallway.

Asumi landed between them, parrying the blow with both hands braced around her blade.

“This isn’t over yet, Taichi!” she yelled. “It’ll never be over for us.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Taichi said, rushing at Asumi now – Meguri staying stationary, completely empty and defeated.

“I’ll show you,” Asumi smirked, igniting flames all around her body to enhance herself as she entered a duel of pure swordsmanship against Taichi.

Asumi matched Taichi blow for blow, refusing to let her mana come into contact with him.

Sparks exploded between their blades, screeching echoes racing down the hall. Each collision sent vibrations through Asumi’s arms, but she held firm, her movements growing faster with every exchange.

With each small explosion, Asumi moved even faster.

Faster.

Faster.

Our plan failed. I don’t know what I’m doing… I seriously don’t… but I can’t give up yet. Hayato Rintaro had one other stimulus that restored his memories. One stimulus other than grief.

As they continued to cross blades, overwhelming each other with waves of force vibrating through their arms, the even match of swords continued.

Taichi brought swords for us to fight with in this battle because he can’t fight an unarmed foe. That is something I doubt the headmaster programmed into him… that means behind that brainwashing… behind what the headmaster can wipe, there’s an underlying soul that can be reached out to.

“Taichi,” Asumi said, forcing his blade aside. “My name is Yuki Asumi. I’m your roommate. Your training partner. Your friend.”

The soul has values that can’t be tainted.

Their blades crashed together equally as Taichi quickly pulled back for a second hit, but Asumi immediately matched it.

“This swordsmanship?” she continued. “I learned it from you.”

Asumi vaulted over Taichi with an explosion and attacked his back, which he swiftly blocked with a skillful spin.

“This creativity? I chased it because of you.”

She weaved under Taichi’s blade and hit him in the stomach with the butt of her sword before spinning around and kicking her.

“You’ve always inspired me, taught me, believed in me…”

“Shut up!” Taichi yelled, desperately swinging his sword to land an attack.

“I can’t,” Asumi said, parrying again, sparks screaming between them. “There’s too much to say.”

She moved with him, never letting him disengage.

I doubt it’s so simple as to say emotions are enough to shatter the effects of brainwashing for anybody. After all, the headmaster brainwashed over 700 subjects, not to mention the people who weren’t subjects, yet the only person to restore their own memories was Hayato Rintaro. The nullification is the answer.

“When I met you, you thought you were saving me from muggers,” she said, breathless, almost laughing as she blocked another strike. “You looked like such a ridiculous white knight.”

I can’t use my aspect in a way that forces him to use his nullification right now. I didn’t realize until now, but all the examples where Hayato Rintaro’s memories were restored were in non-combat environments. I don’t have that luxury, but I think that means the nullification aspect simply can’t be occupied.

“Then we fought,” Asumi continued, deflecting, circling. “We tied.”

It’s a combination of variables.

“Then we became roommates, and that was… well, I wasn’t happy at the start, as you knew.”

His swings grew wider.

“In hindsight though, I’m insanely happy that Kodaka Sensei put us together.”

The corridor was a storm of sparks and heat.

The nullification can’t be activated by something else, and there has to be a strong emotional stimulus that resonates with the soul.

“I never thought we’d be anything more than acquaintances. Then you fought Natsu,” Asumi said. “Remember Natsu?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Taichi yelled, slamming his sword heavily, only to be dodged and swiftly countered by Asumi.

“I figured – if he’s what restored your memories, I’d be disappointed,” Asumi chuckled. “But after you fought Natsu… after I saw your tenacity in that fight… that’s when I slowly started to realize something… and that realization kept growing.”

“I’m not who you’re talking about, damn it!” Taichi yelled, his swordplay displaying his anger more and more as it became sloppy.

“You are,” Asumi said simply. “I have no doubt in my mind… you’re the man who ran a hundred kilometers at dawn. Who trained like tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed.”

She stopped retreating.

“You’re the man who inspired me to aim for the top despite impossible odds.”

Taichi’s sword wavered.

“The man who stood beside me.”

His breath hitched.

“The man I…”

Asumi stopped.

She dropped her sword.

The blade hit the floor with a dull clatter.

“The man that I love,” Asumi whispered.

Taichi’s blade was still moving quickly, but it stopped short of slicing Asumi.

“What did you just say?” Taichi asked, his face involuntarily turning red. “Wait, why do I care… what am I doing?”

Taichi raised his sword back up hesitantly.

“I said… I love you, Hayato Taichi,” Asumi said, stepping closer. “And you know what, you made a bet with me a while ago. You promised that we’d wait for each other at the end of all of this so I could give you my request. If you have any pride left inside of you… then you’ll wake the hell up!”

Asumi leapt up, pushing the arm Taichi was carrying his sword with aside, and hugged him tightly.

Mana rushed up to Taichi’s head as the temperature viscerally rose. It was as if his aspect was beginning to have a brawl inside his mind.

From the inside, walls of Kishimoto’s mana were being deteriorated inside of Taichi’s brain – the mana quickly flooding and breaking the walls like a dam overflowing. The nullification aspect was fighting back to restore the memories. A piercing pain rung through Taichi’s ears, his head feeling like it was going to explode. He nearly fainted from the sheer amount of pain.

Memories slammed into him all at once – Asumi, Meguri, Kodaka, Natsu, Hayama, Shoko, Yukimura, Rintaro.

His knees became weak, but Asumi kept him up with her tight hug.

“You’ve got this, Taichi,” she whispered.

Taichi screamed out in pain, clenching his fists and violently shaking… until he finally lost all the strength in his body.

“Taichi?” Asumi asked, holding onto him tightly still. “Are you there?”

A faint whisper could be heard, but Asumi couldn’t make it out.

“I… I lo-...”

“What are you saying, Taichi?” Asumi asked, bringing her ear closer to Taichi.

Taichi was about to continue, but smiled softly, opting not to.

“I’m back, Asumi.”

Tears welled up in Asumi’s eyes, quickly flowing down her cheeks as her smile beamed – shining brighter than the fluorescent lights of the hospital.

“Welcome back.”