Episode 11:The Shadow of Admiration Liam's Hands Were Trembling
The training grounds of the academy in the port town of Elnea were enveloped in sand smoke and the clanging of metal from the morning. Every time magic was fired at the targets‚ the barrier device emitted a faint afterglow‚ and the voices of the students overlapped. The air was filled with heat and tension‚ but somehow a lively buzz drifted through it.
Aria picked up the training staff and tapped her fingertips lightly while preparing. The investigation into the residual pollution from yesterday crossed her mind‚ and she felt a slight bewilderment at the contrast with the peaceful morning at the academy.
（……Here‚ the crisis still seems like a distant topic）
At that moment‚ a young man appeared at the entrance of the training grounds. He stood with his back straight and moved with precise‚ calculated steps. His name was Liam. He was a young man who embodied seriousness itself.
In his hands were a thick technical book and a notebook with several memos tucked inside. The cover read “Aria-style Magic Construction Theory.” The way he held it like a testament of faith made the surrounding students whisper with small laughs‚ “…Isn’t he a bit too enthusiastic?”
Liam stood in the center of the training grounds and raised his voice.
“First‚ the form checklist! One‚ correct your posture! Two‚ regulate your breathing! Three‚ make the flow of magic power uniform!”
His seriousness in reading from the paper made those around him chuckle involuntarily. Cross shrugged and said‚ “Hey hey‚ a sermon from the morning?” while Rinne laughed‚ “…But he’s so serious it actually makes me feel relieved.”
Seeing this‚ a faint memory stirred deep in Aria’s heart.
（……I know that face. Someone who was watching me when I was young. His name is…… Liam）
While feeling bewildered‚ she recalled the image of the boy who had indeed directed an “admiring gaze” toward her. The person standing before her now was that boy‚ grown up.
Liam turned his gaze toward Aria and sent a serious look.
“Aria…… I’ve finally met you.”
His voice was mixed with long-held admiration and anticipation.
In the midst of the buzz in the training grounds‚ Liam stood before Aria. He straightened his back and directed a serious gaze at her.
“Aria…… To see you again like this. When I was young‚ your magic was the very ideal for me. Not a single line out of place‚ beautiful like a poem.”
His words were mixed with respect‚ but somewhere expectation and bewilderment also seeped through. Aria tapped her fingertips and averted her gaze.
「……Back then‚ I was just desperate. Now…… it’s a little different.”
His voice was modest‚ carrying a tone that compared his past and present self.
Complex emotions swirled in Liam’s chest.
（……What I had been pursuing was the “perfect form.” But the current Aria is showing strength while harboring fluctuations. Has my ideal image already ceased to exist?）
Admiration transformed‚ and the gap between ideal and reality turned into impatience. Being as serious as he was‚ he couldn’t hide his bewilderment at that discrepancy.
Cross interjected from the side.
“Hey Liam‚ talking so passionately makes it sound like a love letter.”
“N-no! This is pure respect!” Liam hurriedly denied.
“…But your face is red‚ you know?” Rinne pointed out in a small voice‚ and those around them chuckled again.
Aria let out a small sigh as if saved by that laughter.
（……He had idealized me. But I wonder how he’ll accept the current me）
While maintaining a serious expression‚ Liam’s impatience grew deeper in his heart. It was the moment when admiration wavered and the ideal began to collapse.
In the center of the academy training grounds. As the barrier device glowed faintly and sand smoke danced‚ Liam turned to face Aria again.
“Aria…… I want you to show me your form once more. I’ve been chasing that precision all this time.”
At his overly serious voice‚ the surrounding students whispered with small laughs‚ “It’s started again.”
Aria tapped her fingertips and quietly nodded.
“…Understood. But it’s a little different from the me of the past.”
She readied her staff and drew a magic circle. The lines were theoretically neat‚ but a faint emotion was mixed in‚ causing the light to sway softly.
Liam looked on with eyes of surprise.
（……It’s swaying‚ yet it doesn’t collapse. It’s not the “perfect form” I knew. And yet‚ it has power……!）
Impatience and confusion spread through his chest.
The training began. Aria’s magic enveloped the target‚ and the barrier trembled faintly. Liam readied his sword and earnestly deployed defensive magic.
“One‚ correct your posture! Two‚ regulate your breathing!”
Every time Liam voiced the checks‚ Cross quipped‚ “You’re commentating?!” and Rinne laughed‚ “…But it makes me feel relieved.” Iris innocently cheered‚ “Do your best—!”
Aria’s magic contained emotional fluctuation within calculated movements and pierced the target. Liam desperately layered defenses but was pushed back by that soft power.
“…This kind of movement isn’t in the theory books.” Liam muttered‚ hurriedly taking out his notebook.
“Um‚ ‘stability of fluctuation’…… No‚ the formula doesn’t match!”
Rinne laughed and pointed out‚ “This isn’t the time to be writing in your notebook!” and the surroundings were once again wrapped in laughter.
Finally‚ Aria’s new movement succeeded‚ and the barrier stably sealed the target. Liam lowered his sword and showed a complex expression.
（……The ideal form no longer exists. But the current Aria possesses a different kind of strength. What…… should I do?）
Laughter and tension intertwined in the air of the training grounds‚ and admiration and impatience mixed in Liam’s chest.
After training ended and the sand smoke settled‚ Liam lowered his sword and turned to face Aria with a serious gaze.
“…Aria. Why won’t you show the ‘perfect form’ like you did in the past? I’ve been chasing it all this time……”
His voice was not a shout but a frustrated question. Inferiority and impatience seeped out from the heart of the overly serious young man.
（……Has my ideal already ceased to exist? To think my admiration would waver……）
Aria tapped her fingertips and quietly answered.
“…In the past‚ under my mother’s strict guidance‚ I was simply chasing accuracy alone. But as a result…… I caused my magic power to go out of control. I became afraid of aiming for perfection. That’s why now‚ I’m searching for a way to infuse emotion while going through trial and error.”
Liam fell silent‚ and complex emotions swirled deep in his chest. Admiration‚ bewilderment‚ and the buds of understanding.
“…I admired your precision. But…… the current you might be strong in a different sense.”
A short tension ran through at those words. But Cross laughed heartily and lightened the mood.
“Hey hey‚ it’s getting too heavy with all the seriousness! This is a training ground‚ let’s have more fun!”
Rinne also pointed out‚ “…Liam‚ your hem is inside out.” Liam hurriedly fixed his hem‚ and those around chuckled.
As if saved by that laughter‚ Aria let out a small sigh. Liam also relaxed his shoulders a little.
（……My admiration wavered. But there is room to understand. Maybe we can still start from here）
Twilight at the training grounds. The sand smoke had settled and the light of the barrier device had vanished. Aria and Liam exchanged glances and shared a short silence.
Complex emotions still swirled in Liam’s chest.
（……My admiration wavered. But the current Aria has a different kind of strength. Not a perfect form‚ but power that embraces fluctuation. If I can understand that…… maybe I too can move forward）
Aria tapped her fingertips and quietly murmured.
“…In the past‚ I was chasing only accuracy. The current me…… is still on the way. But I think that’s fine.”
Those words were a small resolve and a step toward accepting the past and the present.
Then Rinne ran over and raised her voice with a smile.
“Okay okay! You two are way too serious! It’s bento time!”
Cross laughed heartily‚ “Oh—! Been waiting for that!” and Iris sparkled her eyes‚ “Is there anything sweet?”
Liam unintentionally smiled bitterly and relaxed his shoulders. Aria also showed a slight smile. The air in the training grounds returned to a harmonious one‚ and the relationship of admiration and growth began to show a new shape.
The academy at twilight left a lingering aftertaste that hinted at the next trial and the deepening of friendship.
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