CHAPTER 1 — PART 13: EMOTIONAL BLOCKAGE.

[Katsumi]

Snap. Thud.

My knuckles collided with the heavy bag, but the sound was all wrong. It was dull. Hollow. I pulled my hands back to my face, but my shoulders were practically glued to my ears, stiff and aching with tension.

I launched a roundhouse kick, my shin smacking into the dense leather. Too low. Not enough hip rotation.

I gritted my teeth and threw another flurry of punches, hitting harder, faster, desperately trying to beat the doubt out of my own head.

I...

Must...

Surpass...

"Kyaahh!?"

The sandbag I was using suddenly fought back, slamming into me.

"Ow..."

I lay on the floor, staring up at the light bulb.

Yami-san...

I slowly sat up, remembering the sight, the battle... the power.

How this handsome young man suddenly appeared, how he refused to back down from a challenge by a Yoshitaka, and how he showed such amazing power...

My fist clenched. The chest felt tight, like something was squeezing my heart.

"Will I ever live up to his expectations?"

A fortune wasted on me...

Sacrifices for my future...

So much pressure...

Was this really what I wanted?

I hugged my knees silently.

It was all too much...

Yami-san's [Brilliant Break]—his golden light made me close my eyes, and I was ten years old again.

It had been one of those calm days. I was just a child, watching TV with Dad. We were watching the news about a Blight Rift.

And then I saw it.

A woman. But not just any woman.

It was Aimi Oshima, the greatest Battle Maiden of today. She was saving people, as a hero from the comics I loved so much.

My eyes sparkled.

"OHHHHH!! Look, Papa! It's her! The Golden Warrior!! She's so cool, Papa!!" Katsumi's little legs kicked excitedly.

"Yes, dear. She is amazing, isn't she? I feel safe knowing she's here to protect us."

"Yup! I want to be just like her! I want to fight bad guys! I want to save people! And I want a cool nickname!!"

My dad chuckled softly.

"I believe you can. You have such a noble heart. You'll be a great hero one day, Katsumi."

His words were full of love and affection; he would blow up the moon for me, I knew.

"There is a school for Battle Maidens, a school the Golden Warrior herself made."

"Really?? Can I join!! Can I join, please???"

My dad laughed weakly, a little nervously.

"I'll try. I'll work my butt off!"

"Yay!! Thank you so much, Father!!"

And just like that, a few years passed.

"Why...?"

We were both sitting at the kitchen table.

"Why didn't you tell me... Dad!"

Silence.

My dad couldn't look at my face.

He opened his mouth a little to say something.

"I wanted to make your dream come true."

"At your own expense!?" I yelped.

His worn-out clothes and dark circles under his eyes told me everything...

Silence again.

"You didn't have to do this... Dad, why did you...? You have nowhere to live, and no money left..."

"Don't worry about me. You'll live in the dorms, and I managed to get you everything you need. You just have to work at the school to earn your own money."

"Dad... Don—"

My dad gave me a reassuring hug, yet... I didn't feel warm, not now...

"Listen to me, little plum. I did this for you. I want to make you the best Battle Maiden that ever existed," he said gently.

"Don't just do it for yourself. Do it for me. Show the world who you are. And know that I believe in you."

I couldn't stop my tears. He sacrificed his life, his future for me? Weren't we a team? We're the only ones left...

"Beat those bad guys, save those innocent people, become the greatest Battle Maiden of our time!"

My eyes were filled with fear, but a fire burned brighter inside me.

I couldn't fail him, not after this...

And now, in the present, I realized there were levels to becoming a Battle Maiden.

Seeing the battle between that haughty princess and Yami-san showed me the gap between students.

I was a mere fighter; my powers were as simple as reading... just freakish strength... nothing special.

Witnessing the massive Blade Oharu-san summoned and seeing Yami-san use [Brilliant Break] made me feel like a tiny ant.

And the pressure to beat everyone in the school made me anxious to the core.

My hands balled into fists, slamming the ground, leaving a small crack.

Drip.

Drop.

Tears fell.

Chest tight.

Expectations unmet.

So much pressure. So much weight.

"...!"

[Yami]

Katsumi turned her head toward me. I was already inside the gym, and seeing her crying made me want to comfort her.

I slowly walked up to her.

"Are you okay, Katsumi-san?"

"Yami-san...? What are you doing here?"

Scooting closer to her, I sat down.

"You see, I was looking for another place to train... and I saw you here alone, crying."

"Sorry about that... it must've been an ugly sight."

"Crying isn't ugly. It means you have feelings... it means you have a heart."

Her eyes met mine, and I saw a little hope in them.

But then she looked away. Her face turned gloomy.

"Have you ever felt like... you're never enough? Like, no matter what you do... You still feel like you don't belong?"

My eyes widened a little.

I've been there... I lived it. I felt it to the fullest extent.

Even now.

Was she just like me?

"I have. And to be honest... I still do."

"Really?" She gazed at me with surprise.

"But you were so cool... when you fought Oharu-san, you were shining, like a hero from a comic book..."

"To be honest, I didn't know I could do all that. I was just... pissed off. She badmouthed my dad, who passed away. I just let my emotions carry me."

That was the truth.

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"But... how do you go through every day like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like... with all that baggage, the pressure, the heavy weight..."

"Oh, I just..." I paused. There wasn't a good answer. "I just went with the flow..."

That wasn't it, not at all.

I sighed deeply and opened up to this azure tomboy.

"No. I didn't just go with the flow. I wanted to change. I wanted to improve my life. I wanted to erase who I was... and who I still am. I hate being a hikikomori and a NEET. Even though I was comfortable, I knew I was rotting. I was wasting my life. I tried to end it many times, yet... something kept me from dying..."

"Yeah... I was there when you told us that..." Katsumi said sadly.

"But that's all in the past. I want to be better. I want to show everyone that I can do it, and that I can be a Hero."

"You want to be a Hero?"

"Yeah. If my powers can be used for good... why wouldn't I want to be?"

Katsumi's eyes widened.

"If I were blessed with these powers, why wouldn't I try my best? After all, I'm the first man ever to have magic!" I said with a bright smile.

"I'd be going From NEET to Hero!"

I noticed Katsumi's lips curve up a little.

It looked like her mood had changed, at least a bit.

"Then that makes us rivals," Katsumi said.

"Rivals?"

"Yeah! I also want to be a Hero! That means we're competing! I won't let you take my spotlight!"

I was surprised by her challenge, but I chuckled.

"You're on, Katsumi-san."

"Please, drop the prefix. Call me just Katsumi."

"Oh, okay. Katsumi."

She smiled like the sun at the mention of her name. I even noticed a faint pinkish hue on her cheeks.

"Better. And I'll call you just Yami." Her lips arced up into a grin.

I guess that's fine?

"So, Katsumi... what do you usually do to train?"

"Oh, um... I just practice my punches and kicks... a lot."

"Martial Arts?"

"Yes! I do kickboxing and Taekwondo."

"So you're one of those! One-two night-night."

"Umm... what?"

"Don't mind me, just speaking my mind."

"I mean... using my bare hands against opponents with weapons is my weakness... like imagine bringing a bazooka to a railgun fight."

"Erm... yeah? I don't think that fits; you mean a knife to a gun fight?"

"A knife? No! More like a baseball bat to a soccer game!"

"..."

I think we'll get along just fine; she's probably one of the few that might respect me...