[S1] Chapter 15: Pain

"Simply no. I'm not doing it."

Another week has passed since the end of the school festival, and our training camp is drawing to an end. Unlike usual, today we met with Hannah in the student council room before our first workout.

"But I thought you were thinking about it?"

"I did. And I don't feel like giving a lecture. If someone wants to join a guild and fight monsters one day, I won't be able to stop them, no matter what I tell them."

I'm briefly reminded of the time after I joined the guild, and the group around Eliza, Lillith, and Miko shared a few scary stories with me. And she's right. I wasn't really put off by it either. Mainly because I lack the experience to be able to imagine just a fraction of the things they went through.

"I see."

"Sorry."

"No, that's all right. I can understand." Hannah looks a little dejected but smiles anyway.

Miko sighs slightly and gets up from the chair she was sitting on. "I can talk to your friends, though. The ones who got this offer."

Hannah shakes her head. "Thanks, but it's fine. I haven't seen them for a week or so. They're not doing anything except preparing."

"Then I don't think you need to worry. As long as they take it seriously, it'll be fine. I'm sure of that."

“Thank you, Miko.”

“No problem.”

Miko turns her gaze to me as I try to think of a suitable story for whatever they've just been talking about. I know I don't need to know everything, but how did this whole thing pass me by?

"Come on, let's get training. Move your ass."

I jump to my feet, "Yeah, right."

"Don't be so hard on her," Hannah says, giggling.

"It's okay, I'm into it." I give her a thumbs up before Miko pokes me in the side with a finger, making me shriek loudly.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

"It better did."

The conversation with Elliot definitely helped Miko. After all, she left our room again. But it has somehow made her regress a little because since she no longer cares what others think, she has become a little more aggressive and mean again.

This is not a direct complaint, by the way. I'm fine with it. That's how I got to know and love her. It's just that now I definitely need more courage to confess these feelings to her at some point.

"What are we doing today?"

"The usual, right? Why do you ask?"

"I thought we might have another fight."

Miko rolls her eyes a little too conspicuously and stops in front of the hall we just arrived at. I understand her reaction all too well. Our last fight ended in a bloodbath, so to speak. But I've been training, and when I put myself to the test, I do it with Miko.

"Okay, but let's warm up properly first."

"Of course." I can't help but grin. I love the feeling when Miko goes along with my requests.

We only disappear into the locker room for a short time to change our shoes; as we have already changed into our training clothes in the dormitory. Armed only with a water bottle, we walk into the sports hall, where we have been training almost every day for over three weeks. I've gotten so used to it that my day feels incomplete if I don't work out in some way. I wasn't unsporty before, but I was quite lazy. I just need someone to get me going, and Miko definitely does that.

"Warm up a bit, then stretch," Miko says and starts jogging on the running track. I join in behind her and follow suit. As most of the students have lessons at the moment, the hall is relatively empty, so the only thing I can hear is my own breathing.

What actually happens when all this is over when we go home again? Will we continue to train together? I can definitely say goodbye to the idea of sleeping in a bed with Miko. While I hated it at first because she is so warm, I now enjoy the casual body contact while we are searching for the perfect position. Huh? Why am I getting so sentimental now? I don't want to blame it on my hormones. That would be too easy.

"What are you spacing out for?"

"Nothing, everything's fine. I'm just figuring out how I'm going to beat you."

"Cute."

"Thank you."

As we move on to stretching, I look at Miko almost constantly. She now copes very well with me keeping an eye on her. And strangely enough, I no longer feel guilty about it.

"Let me see your mana shield. I want to know if I can hit you today."

"Can you do it anyway, or are you afraid I'll break?"

"As frail as you are, that might happen."

"Is that an insult?"

"You can decide for yourself, and now show me your mana."

"Hey, don't pressure me, I can't work like that."

Because I feel most comfortable with it, I let mana flow out from my hands and spread it evenly over my skin. I have no idea how dense this layer is, but I can feel how the mana is connected in several places.

"Looks pretty good in theory. Can you also harden the mana?"

"In places... Sometimes."

"Kayla, really now. Even if you don't believe me, I don't want to hurt you. Can't you keep practicing, and we'll fight in a few months?"

"Nah, I want to do it now." I may sound like a sulky child, but it really has to be now. I lack faith that we will have so many opportunities to do this kind of training again.

"Okay." Miko gets into position and shows me what it looks like to form a barrier around herself. Within a second, she is completely surrounded by a slightly shimmering layer that I can only see if I concentrate on it.

I jump up and down a little and then run towards Miko. She hints that she won't dodge. The last time I hit her arm with all my momentum, I wanted to scream in pain.

The moment I arrive in front of her. However, she also reaches out and punches in the direction of my stomach. I try to harden the mana in this area, but the memory of Miko's fight with Elliot flashes before my inner eye, in which his shield popped like a soap bubble. So I try to dodge downwards at the last moment by dropping to my knees.

I only feel a gust of wind rushing past my face before Miko suddenly falls and lands on top of me. My second fight with her, and for the second time, I slap my back on the floor. But my mana shield definitely helped, as if I had hardened it myself on impact. But what happened?

"Are you alright, Miko?"

"I think so."

"What was the problem?"

"A certain idiot decided to drop to the ground right in front of my fist, so I had to change direction at the last second."

"I'm sorry."

"You just lack experience. That could have gone really badly. Can we just stop?"

"When it comes to you lying on top of me, I have to say no."

"And the fighting?"

"Also, no."

Miko jumps off me at record speed and almost reluctantly holds out her hand in my direction. I accept her offer and let her pull me up while she makes it seem so effortless that I feel as light as a feather.

"Thank you."

"I should have asked before, but what are you hoping for? Do you want to test your barrier? Do you want to know how mine feels? What is it?"

I wouldn't say that she's more annoyed with me than usual, but something is bubbling up inside her. And I can kind of guess what it is.

"I don't know."

Miko grabs my hands and encloses them in hers. I look up into her face and am greeted by an expression I can't quite make sense of. Is it disappointment? Resignation?

"Kayla. I don't understand you or your thoughts, and I'm not going to try. I don't want to hurt you, but if you want a fight, I'll give you one."

"Yes, please."

"I'm counting down from three."

Contrary to expectations, she does it with her fingers and not with words. I have just enough time to spread mana around my body again before she rushes at me.

I try to fend off her arms, but she keeps hitting me in different spots. Strangely enough, not a single hit hurts as much as the poke in my side earlier this morning. I can't tell whether it's because of my barrier or her attacks. I build up distance between us with a few leaps backward. My body hurts in countless areas, but it is absolutely tolerable. My heart is racing for the fact that the fight has lasted barely thirty seconds so far, but that's not too bad, either.

"Is it fun?" Miko asks me, smiling from ear to ear. She's probably enjoying it more than I am. Although I can't deny that I somehow feel the same. Am I an adrenaline junkie? Or perhaps a masochist, after all.

Wait, why is Miko waiting? Does she want to attack me too? I decide to accept her invitation and go to her again. I wonder if she expects me to do the same thing again as in our first fight. I wonder if she expects me to do the same thing again as in our first fight. I reach out with my right arm and punch in her direction, but instead of following through with the attack, I stop mid-strike and go for a calf kick.

I hit something, but it feels like I kick the edge of a stone wall instead of her leg. It could be my imagination, but I think I heard a crack. I immediately feel sick, and my vision blurs a little. It doesn't really hurt until I lean on my leg. A sharp pain shoots through my leg, I look at Miko for a moment and see that she is saying something, but I can't hear her voice.

If there was a prize for idiocy, I would be a contender for first place. Tears well up in my eyes, but I'm not sure whether it's from the pain or the frustration about my own stupidity. I didn't need this fight to make me realize that I was no match for Miko.

"Breathe, Kayla. Breathe."

Miko sits next to me on the floor and strokes my back. My stomach turns a little, and I feel dizzy, too, but the pain is bearable as long as I'm just lying there.

"I'll take you to the infirmary, alright?"

"Okay," I whisper, and a moment later, Miko lifts me up and carries me as if I were her bride. Every time my leg shakes a little, the pain runs through my shin, but I can put up with it. What strikes me is that I'm getting really cold even though it's over 20°C outside.

It feels like it only takes a few moments before Miko lays me down on a lounger. I didn't even know where this room was, but I immediately recognize the face of the teacher who is the healer here.

"What happened?" she asks in a friendly but firm tone.

"We had a training fight, and she did a magic-enhanced kick against a barrier."

What, my kick was enhanced by magic? Is Miko saying that to make me look better? No, why would she?

"All right, different question. Why didn't you heal yourself, Kayla?"

Miko and I look at each other at the same time and smile sheepishly. Yeah, why didn't I do that? Well, I may have lacked concentration. After all, my leg really hurts. But I probably wouldn't have come up with the idea myself.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I'll take care of it. Kayla, I'll push up your pants, don't get scared."

I can feel her pulling the fabric, and even before it slips over my shin, it starts to hurt.

"Oh shit." are the words that come to Miko's mind when she sees what her barrier has done. The teacher, on the other hand, is just quiet, which doesn't exactly reassure me.

"It'll be fine. I don't think it's broken, but the swelling is pretty big and colorful. I'm going to heal you now."

Her gloved hands feel cold on my skin, and the mana she directs into my leg tingles a little, almost itching. I wonder if my patients feel the same way when I use my magic on them.

A minute passes, but she doesn't stop. The fact that it takes so long doesn't really worry me, but that the pain absolutely won't stop does.

"Is everything okay?" I ask hesitantly, without daring to look at my leg.

"Somehow, my healing magic isn't working." the teacher admits.

I slowly straighten up and look at my injury for the first time. This bruise looks really disgusting, but I'll survive, I'm sure of it. Without saying anything, I start to channel magic from my hand into my leg, only to realize immediately that something is wrong.

"It's almost a bit late, but we're cooling the area now." The teacher goes to the sink and prepares a wet bandage, which she ties around my shin. Then she puts a cooling pad on top, which I hold in place myself.

Meanwhile, Miko stands there and looks as if she is racking her brains over something. I give her a questioning look, which she ignores. But then I can literally see her realize something.

"I've heard of it before. People who come into contact with a certain form of magic too often become immune to it. There are fire mages who can be exposed to fire magic without taking any damage."

"Thanks for the explanation, but that doesn't really make sense to me because I can't remember being healed very often."

"I think you should go to the hospital."

I immediately reject the suggestion with a shake of my head. "It's okay, I'll be fine. I just need to rest a bit."

"I won't force anything on you that you don't want. I can offer you a crutch, but I'm not a fully-fledged doctor, so I can't prescribe you any medication."

"That's all right, I don't need anything."

Miko gives me a critical look, I don't know what's going through her mind, but it's probably nothing good.

◆

"Should we go home?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

After Miko offered to carry me back to our room bridal style, I took the crutch that was provided to me and struggled all the way back on my own. Once in bed, I put my leg up, and surprisingly, the pain is pretty much tolerable that way. No idea why she wants to go home now.

"Our stay here would be over in three days anyway, and you definitely won't be able to train or do anything else with your leg. I can call Eliza. She'll come here by train and then drive us home with her car."

She has a point, but somehow, I don't want to leave yet.

"Don't look so sad. It was just a suggestion. If you want to stay, we'll stay." she smiles at me but then has to sigh. "This all sucks."

"Yeah, right?"

"If they can't even heal you, you shouldn't really go into a dungeon. I was so looking forward to it."

"Why?"

"During our training battle, I realized that you have more talent than I thought."

"Thanks, I guess?"

"You're a typical intuitive person. You can probably learn endlessly, but you don't get it right. But when you're thrown in at the deep end, you somehow get the hang of it."

"Is that so unusual?"

"I don't know. I can only speak for myself. And I'm similar, I think. Except that some things just don't suit me at all. Healing, for example, is something I can never do in my life."

"Shall I teach you? It's actually quite simple."

"Simple, you say?"

"You just have to have someone you really want to heal, and then it'll happen all by itself. That's how it was for me."

Miko looks at my leg in silence as if she's thinking about trying. Like she's wondering if she really wants it enough to be able to heal me.

"Nah, I'll leave the healing to you."

"Then I should probably leave the fighting to you as well."

"Are you telling me you've learned your lesson?"

I don't know, did I? What I've definitely learned is that getting hit doesn't hurt as much as you think, and the adrenaline from fighting might be addictive.

"I've definitely learned a thing or two."

"That you like pain, right?"

"No comment."