“Why are you looking so surprised?” Ellie narrowed her eyes, displeased with the common sense that I had.

“So you really are the leader of this team?!”

“Yes, I am.” Suddenly she became stiff with her own words.

But, okay... Putting aside Ellie's childish nature, why didn't she tell me about it from the very beginning? Does she want me to know her important role, from any other people's mouths but her’s? What does she want from something like this though…

Ah…

I think I see it...

Maybe all that she wants is to see my staggering expression just like now… That's why she's smiling contentedly. What a show-off kind of girl. “You’re enjoying all of this, aren’t you?”

This girl just laughed with her regular but warm smile as a beautification.

Right after our conversation was over, an alarm from someone's digital watch hypnotized each and every one of us into wondering what time it actually was. That’s when Novita, the only girl excluding Ellie, with her pixie cut hair jumps for joyfulness as to how an ordinary teenager who is passionate about her own daily life meets another girl who *might* also be as passionate as herself.

She came over to Ellie, pulling her hand until she finally stood up. “Eveline! Let's take a shower together!” Novita's invitation gets a nod from Ellie.

After that, they ran out of the room holding hands.

“Novita looks like a boy when viewed from behind… I’m sorry, but that’s a fact.”

“Yeah... And he holds hands with Evelin just like a couple… Wait… I mean she.” Frans' opinion was responded aggressively by Sion, before then they’re laughing like idiots.

“Can you imagine them taking a shower together? Especially… You know… When viewed from behind… Novita looks like a boy, isn’t she? Don’t you guys feel something… Which even though you don't want to admit it, but still hurts if it comes true?” I tried to ruin their imagination.

“Oh shit… Our pure Evelin. Fuck it… Maybe I'll just take a shower too. Daniel, you're going to love this dorm bathroom, bro! Come with us!” Even Sion is almost crying just by only thinking about it… He can’t lie.

And turns out, maybe Evelin already has a fan club here in this base… And she doesn't even know about it yet…

I want to be one of the members... I can't lie.

~~~~~

“Tomorrow we will have sword practice all day long. Then the next day again, the same exercise as today… You know? Like some judo stuff. And that's how the daily cycle of training type we have here for a whole month and another month in the future.”

“So flat! Aw… That’s not exciting at all.”

“But we do somewhat understand why the training is like that, though.”

“Why?”

“The practice of simply being able to stop the movement of your enemies is actually much more difficult than just straightaway killing them... Especially when you use a sword that can cut a giant boulder perfectly in half.” Frans' explanation while we were drying our bodies after taking a bath, really made a lot of sense. That’s also when I realized that I really enjoy having conversations with people like Frans and the others.

These people are indeed the good ones…

Sion is such a person who can follow everyone's aura...

Frans is fun and can be serious at the right time, Jogi doesn't talk much but always listens and cares about everyone's words…

Also Novita who is cheerful and honest with herself...

The funny thing is, I already knew that these people from the very beginning were already aware that I was very easily exhausted when I practiced all day with them. But they don't question it for the good reason… Because I acted as if I wasn't feeling tired at all. Maybe they just want to appreciate my hard work, right?

But that’s exactly why I don't think they really fit in such a place like this... A place where they would see a lot of things that normal teenagers like them shouldn't be worthy to see.

It feels like they're just... too... Regular?

It might not even take them long to meet their own… Death...

Oh fuck… It’s happening...

I think I'm going to faint any minute soon…

I couldn't even try to show my breathing to them, which had actually been messed up for a long time from holding back myself.

Even I began to feel that my fake smile now looks very silly to them…

But wait... Why do I have to smile every second in front of everyone, again?

Isn't that weird?

These people are nobody to me… What they think of this Daniel is not really that important to myself, right? Even their death in the future will not give me any feelings…

Okay… That’s it… I'm too tired already.

Those kinds of bad thoughts always come up whenever I'm over exhausted…

I need… To… Sleep…

“Whops…”

I bumped with Ellie right at the corner of the dorm crossing after leaving the boy's bathroom. She asked me if I was ok at my worst, so I just smiled and passed her in the blink of an eye. Closing the bedroom door from the inside, I immediately lay down on a soft mattress that in my life I had never felt before.

“I admit we have too much activity in a single day.”

No, that’s not it, Elis… Just admit that this body and soul is weak…

Because I knew it already. “You hear me, Elis?”

She was silent for a moment...

“Just go get some sleep, Daniel... And tomorrow, try not to move too much. I will think of some way to solve this problem.”

Yes please…

~~~~~

I don't know how and from when to begin with, but I realized that I had knocked and was dragged quite far on the crystal clear floor of the training hall…

A few seconds later, I noticed what I was currently holding with both hands, is a wooden sword that we were using for sparring today. Right in front, Jogi relaxed his stance, asked me to confirm. “Are you sure you're okay?”

“Yeah… Thanks. But… You know? For warming up, You’re too strong for me, Jogi.”

“No, that’s not it… You just didn’t focus at all.”

Damn… I hope that’s true though…

“I see… Sorry! I’ll try my best next time.”

“Just follow every instruction given by the coach since this morning. You can do it.”

“Thanks, Jogy…”

Ten minutes passed, battling jogi as if he was holding back out of pity… But he’s not even the last one yet. The sparring partners rotated in line until we had all fought every single one of our team members. With the aim that we all understand each member's fighting type and in which position he or she functions better in the team.

And now I have to fight this guy…

“Do you need a smaller sword?” In a tone that he thought would cheer me up, Sion swung his sword showing off his shrewdness.

“Give me some rest, already…” Sitting down letting go of my grip on the sword, I sweated enough to make Sion feel sorry.

“Can I ask about why you get tired so fast, Daniel?”

“I dunno buddy…”

“Okay, but usually... The way to deal with it is just to force yourself every day to do something much harder than yesterday.”

“Damn… I hate it, but that really does make sense…”

“So let me fight you.”

“Fuck you, Sion.”

Force myself, eh?

But I've fainted so many times before... Maybe if it happened now, it wouldn't be any worse than it was back then… Right? Am I being too easily swayed by words?

Should I give it a try?

Yeah?

Let’s give it a try then…

Elis... You used to say that you could see what's inside my memory, right? And I should also be able to see the contents of yours…

Because the longer I touch something that looks and feels the same as a sword, the longer I swing it as if I'm used to it, the more I remember something I've never actually done in my entire life… The way to wield the sword, the way to fight without expending too much energy in every attempt the enemy came at me with…

I stood up straight, ignoring all the directions I received from the coach, holding the sword in one hand as if I didn't see it as a weapon.

Spread my legs, I lower the blade to the floor…

“Okay Sion… Now, force me to give up.”

He was surprised with his mouth open, smiled then strengthened his own stance…

“Let’s do this!”

~~~~~