....
....


　We take our positions and jiggle away from each other. I came to the exercise area because the Major was going to assign me training... but I haven't felt this airiness in a long time.

　I don't know how much time has already passed. Whether it was seconds, minutes, or hours... I was so immersed in this situation that my sense of time had disappeared.


　What they have for each other is seriousness. What the Major holds is just a sword. A nondescript, broadsword. I, on the other hand, am the Oborozuki Yoru. In terms of sword performance alone, I'm better than him. But even so, I couldn't possibly believe that I was superior.


　Once again I think...I'm horrified by the Major's seriousness. The training I've done so far has not only trained me technically, but also mentally. Whether my arm or my leg is cut off, I have enough energy to stand up to my opponent. I'm not afraid of death. I'm not afraid of pain either. Consciously, I am.


　But even so, the major said that it is impossible to completely erase the instinctive fear. The important thing is to embrace that fear. It's not about running away. I've learned the hard way that that spirit of confrontation is the source of strength.


Shh!


　It was the Major who moved first. A flash of a thrust. It was a brain shot, but when I perceived it, I shifted my head slightly to the left and ducked and swung my sword as if to reap the benefits of a kesa. Of course, the major had read the action and his figure was already not there.


''Don't ... do it, Belle.''
Hi.


　I didn't look backwards to catch the sword. I had noticed that there was a presence behind me. When I used my Singularity Ability 《Extra》 to grasp my opponent's movements in even more detail, I just turned my sword behind me to catch the attack. Probably, if it's only in terms of physical ability, I'm better than you. The Major's physical body is already long past its peak. I, on the other hand, am just at the peak of my peak. I had the pride that I could defeat any opponent now.


　However, I was going to be uncomfortably imprinted with the fact that my perception was still naive.


''But I'm still a chick.
What?


　Yes. Just as he was about to move on to his next attack, the Major's figure disappeared. In the next moment, I understood that a blade was being thrust at my throat. If this had been a battlefield, the blade would have pierced my throat and I would have been doomed.


　The major lowers his sword and settles it directly into the scabbard at his waist.



Are you being sarcastic?
'Sarcasm?　No, it's true. You know that, too, don't you?
''Well if you're just talking about physical ability alone.......maybe.......but if you can't win, then it's useless.......''
Well, my skills haven't declined enough to lose yet. If your physical skills are inferior, you can use this place.


　I get a little pissed off when I see the Major banging his head with a thump. Because that's like saying I don't have the brains to think.


''What.......are you making fun of me.......''
Ha-ha. That's like you, but in this case, experience is all that matters. I'm sure that a little work on my part is not going to be enough to defeat you in a year's time.
'I want to win now and I want to win now...'
Your competitive nature is still the same.


　I get smacked on the head with a pat on the head. I've always been unable to speak back when someone does that to me. Even though I'm already past 20 years old, this makes me a child...I thought so, but I was somehow comfortable with it. I was filled with this relationship. I had no friends and I was isolated in the military, but the Major had always been there for me. I'm sure I'm blushing red right now.


　But I'm sure that feeling is....


''What is it?　Turn red in the face. Are you that frustrated?
''Yes!　I'm so frustrated!
What the hell, don't lose your temper all of a sudden.


　It's not that I'm frustrated. I'm ranting because I'm trying to put a lid on an emotion that's laying dormant in my mind. Because this is something that should not be held.


　The Major had a wife and a child, apparently. But they both died of illness. They went into the thick of the twilight slightly when they were traveling between cities. That's all it took, and they both passed away soon afterwards from twilight disease. When I heard that story in the past, I knew that the Major still loved his child...and his wife.


　He would never turn around on me. I'm sure he thinks of me as nothing more than a child. But I'm glad for that. I have no desire to force the relationship. The relationship between teacher and student will always remain the same.


　However, I hadn't yet realized that the time to say goodbye was drawing nearer and nearer by the minute.



　◇


U....haha!
Major, what's going on?


　As I'm in his private room listening to the details of his next mission, I suddenly think I'm coughing up blood.... A large amount of blood splatters on his desk.


''Soooo, we need to get you to the hospital right away...!
No. Don't go...
How could I...?　Because there's so much blood...!
"Oh, shit. I've finally done it...


　He looks into my eyes as he wipes his mouth and looks into my eyes. I'm sure I look like I'm about to cry right now. Because my master, who is stronger than anyone else, wouldn't die.......for something like this. Never, never, never will he be the only one to die. With that strength, he could survive in this harsh world.


'Belle I'm going to be honest with you. My body can't hold on much longer.........
No!
'It's twilight disease. I've already.......fought in the thick of the twilight for quite a long time too. Well, it's the fate of an anti-magician.


　The fate of the counter-magician. That is to say, it refers to a short life span, but there are two main causes of death. One is to be killed in a daze by the demon tribe in the twilight. The other is that even though he had the ability to resist the demon tribe, his fate would never be the same.

　That is the twilight disease. No one can defeat that disease. Most of the special-grade anti-magicians who had been there before had died of the twilight disease. Even if they knew. The Major might eventually do so too...but why, why this timing...I can't help but curse this fate.


'Major, how much more ... how much more ... time ...'


　I couldn't see in front of me anymore because of the tears. But I still needed to know. I needed to be ready to say goodbye.


'They say it won't last a year...'
Not even a year....no way....


　Gulp and nod. I can't expect him, stronger than anyone else, nobler than anyone else, to die. Why ... why ... why ... I know that there is no point in wailing like that. So there's only one thing I have to do now.


"........Major.
What....?
Please hold me.
...What?


　I've never seen his expression like this before. To be honest, it was a bit of a surprise.


"Hey, do you know what that means?
I know. And besides, my feelings ... you know how I feel, don't you?
"Well that's because I'm the only man close to you. There are other men closer to your age and more suitable for you.
....


　I knew that there was color in the way I was staring at him. I was aware of that, too. But if the end was coming, I didn't want to regret it.


'Just for today,'
But you...
Are you going to run away?　Or do you not find me...attractive?


　I felt like I was going to cry in a different way. I don't really care that much about gender differences, but as a woman, I really want to cry when I go this far and get rejected.

　Will the major be unable to accept me after all?

　He or she showed signs of distress and clenched his or her fists and said, "I understand....


I'm not going to be able to get it right. Just for today and for the night.
Yes.







　That night I scattered its purity at the Major's house. There was pain. There was fear. But even more than that, I felt filled to the brim. A moment of happiness more than anything else. For the first time I knew that a human being could be so happy.


'Belle I'm going to die soon. But I will live on in you.
Major....


　In one bed, they are both naked, but the Major tells such stories with a serious face.

'I too am here to carry on the will of my predecessor. You, too, will one day meet someone you can trust with your will.
Yes.
Don't cry, you idiot.
Please let me cry for once in my life.
That's all right.


　Then I gently laid my own lips on his lips. And then we were back together again.

　There was nothing to fear anymore.