Confirming Erika’s Abilities

“S-So you’re saying if I fight and win against you, you’ll let me touch your cheeks? With no limit on chances?”

“Yes.”

“But fighting between friends is a bit… I thought we’d be doing exercises or training together, you know.”

“Erika.”

When she showed signs of refusing, I put on an expressionless look while slowly bringing both hands close to my face.

Squish─

“I’ll really let you touch my cheeks.”

I pulled my cheeks outwards.

My face felt tingly and I was a bit embarrassed, but I steadfastly maintained my posture. I could make this much effort assuming I succeeded in persuading her.

It was a small sacrifice for a greater cause.

Rub, rub─

Erika’s eyes followed the flesh as it stretched and contracted, then breaking the silence, she suddenly raised her hand.

“I-I’ll do it!”

Only after hearing her affirmative response did I release the pressure on my fingers. I nodded while rubbing my sore cheeks.

“Good choice.”

“But promise we won’t fight too harshly! Okay?”

“Alright.”

Erika was already enchanted by the reward for victory and just nodded her head.

If someone came here and saw her eyes, they’d say she had the eyes of a fish caught on bait.

That’s how much her enthusiasm seemed to be burning.

“It’s sparring, so I won’t be too harsh.”

If she got hurt unnecessarily, it could cause problems in the upcoming joint training. I planned to proceed with just enough intensity to check Erika’s skills.

“Then get ready.”

“Okay.”

I went to a corner of the open space, took off my coat and unbuttoned my uniform jacket. I removed the outer garment full of various decorations like epaulettes and gold badges, leaving only the fluttering white shirt.

Rustle─

I rolled up my sleeves to reveal my pale white arms, making it much easier to move.

“Yena, I’m all ready!”

“Alright.”

“You’ll really… let me touch, right?”

“I don’t lie.”

If you can win, that is.

No matter if it was practice, not a real battle, even if it was combat with Erika who could be called my most precious comrade, I had no intention of easily allowing her to touch my cheeks.

My body is the most precious thing after all.

Rustle, rustle─

“Then we’ll begin.”

“Okay!”

By now, the trembling in Erika’s eyes had stopped. Only firm determination was visible in her blue eyes.

I guess she’s steeled her resolve.

“Phew──.”

If so, it would be right to give her appropriate treatment. I exhaled as if expelling all the air from my lungs, relaxed my whole body, and lowered my stance.

Patter!

And without warning, I sprang forward.

My hair and shirt fluttered as I ran quickly. In an instant, I closed the distance with Erika and threw a punch aimed at her abdomen.

“Oomph─!”

As if she hadn’t expected this from the start, Erika’s eyes widened as she barely dodged the attack.

Whoosh, whoosh!

However, as the battle continued, whether she was adapting or not, she gradually showed composure. At first, she was just desperate not to get hit by my fists, but now she occasionally looked for counterattacks.

“Haah!”

As if seeing the fruits of her persistence, Erika finally broke free from my continued pressure and threw her first punch.

It wasn’t an attack from a proper stance.

Crack!

Nevertheless, if it hit properly, it would have enough force to knock me out of the training ground.

Erika’s mana grade was three levels ahead of mine, in terms of multipliers it was tens of times ahead, so even this crude gesture came across as lethal.

So I absolutely must not get hit. I quickly twisted my body.

Swish─!

As her fingers grazed just below my eye, a thin drop of blood formed. Perhaps due to being weaker than others, I get injured easily.

“Y-Yena, are you okay…!”

“Continue!”

Erika was momentarily shocked by the blood on the back of her hand and tried to stop the sparring, but I didn’t allow it. Rather, I urged her on, trying not to break this atmosphere.

I can’t stop here.

I didn’t want to end it when it was this enjoyable. If a stage has started, shouldn’t we see its conclusion? This isn’t just sparring, it’s a sacred battle to verify an officer’s abilities.

“Haah……”

So, befitting Erika’s abilities, I’ll draw out a bit more power.

Crack, crack!

If the girl before me was emitting mana, it would be right to respond accordingly. I turned both hands towards the ground and slowly gathered the energy from the surroundings.

Whoosh─!

Soon after, I released mana from my palms in an instant, using it as propulsion to charge straight at Erika.

She was startled but tried hard to distance herself, but I was no longer one to allow such moments. I changed course to match Erika’s movements.

“Ugh!”

Finally, when I was close enough to embrace Erika’s chest, I wrapped my arms around her from behind like a snake coiling around its prey, and

Bang!

I twisted one of her arms and slammed her to the ground. It was an easy technique due to Erika being relatively light.

“Ow……”

Having hit her back on the ground, she twisted her body and bit her lips. Though she didn’t lose consciousness, she seemed to have received quite a shock, turning her head this way and that.

“Can you continue?”

“I’m fine!”

After taking some rest and regaining her senses, Erika came running without hesitation. Her attitude showed no fear at all.

I liked this about Erika.

It was attractive how she continuously challenged herself without getting discouraged by high walls. From a teaching standpoint, she was the textbook definition of a student that’s a pleasure to teach.

I unbuttoned my collar to breathe more easily, then spread my arms wide to prepare to receive Erika.

Thud─!

A few seconds later, Erika this time took a precise stance and accumulated more mana than before, fiercely aiming for my abdomen.

But unfortunately, she didn’t hit the destination she was aiming for.

Just as Erika had become familiar with my attacks and easily avoided them, I too had started to see the trajectory of where she was aiming, so even if her speed increased, I handled it well.

It seems the match has been decided.

We spent a few more minutes in fierce struggle, but it was just meaningless movement. Erika tried somehow to grab me and throw me to the ground, but

Bang!

“Ugh, eek……”

Rather, it was she who had many openings.

“I-I surrender! Huff, huff”

It’s over.

Like shedding skin, Erika collapsed on the ground, closed her eyes, and groaned. Her face was a mess with skin covered in dirt and hair sticking to it clammily.

Regrettably, I had to end the sparring here.

Is this the difference in experience?

Not paying attention to energy distribution while making numerous attacks, having an absolutely low number of sparring experiences as she’s still just a candidate, and her movements still being awkward.

These and other issues stemming from her inexperience became the causes of her defeat.

Thud─

I looked around at the air full of dust from our recent struggle for a moment, then sat down next to Erika who was lying half-unconscious on the ground.

“Phew……”

As the excitement subsided and the adrenaline rush stopped, sweat kept bursting out until my eyebrows were soaked.

Even though I won, it was equally tiring.

“That was quite fun.”

“Why are you so good at fighting, Yena?”

“Because I worked hard.”

Having caught our breath roughly, we continued our conversation while sticking to the ground. I answered in a kind tone, drawing a smile on my lips at the satisfying sparring.

“I-I see. I trained too, but……”

For me, fighting and evaluating Erika’s skills were the main objectives, so I had no regrets, but Erika seemed quite disappointed.

“Ugh, I wanted to touch your cheeks.”

Fidget, fidget─

Even though she must be tired, she’s not normal, drooling at the corner of her mouth and reaching out her hands in the air, kneading.

“You still have many chances, Erika. We promised to train together until the joint training, remember? I’ll accept your challenge each time.”

“R-Really?”

I patted Erika’s drooping head and comforted her with words that were sweet to her. As I mentioned earlier, I had no intention of ending it here.

“Yes, you know I keep my promises.”

“Gulp─!”

I’m curious to see how far she can grow if I educate her based on my specialized knowledge.

I felt greedy. Maybe influenced by my instructor’s qualities gained from teaching countless soldiers as an officer in the past, I wanted to test my talents on this child once.

“Whenever you win, I’ll let you touch my face.”

How would she change if I put in all of this – mana manipulation methods, combat techniques, systematized training methods that would only appear years later?

“Haah……”

Just imagining it gave me goosebumps.

“Whenever you win, I’ll let you touch my face.”

“Yena, you promise?”

Perhaps because she had already made a choice once, the deliberation wasn’t long.

“Yes, of course.”

I just showed Erika an indecipherable smile.