Lyrien and Toma were training in a quiet park nearby.

  Lyrien launched herself at him at full speed. Their movements blurred together, far too fast for the naked eye to follow. Lyrien unleashed a rapid series of punches while Toma stayed purely on defense, blocking each strike with calm precision.

  But then Toma suddenly slipped through her guard and tapped her with a Blue Nova blow. The hit wasn’t strong, just enough to break her balance — and Lyrien toppled to the ground.

  She was just about to push herself back up when Toma appeared right in front of her, moving so fast she barely saw him arrive. He lifted his left hand, shaped his fingers like a gun, and mimed pulling the trigger.

  “Bang! And I win again!”

  Lyrien clenched her teeth, frustrated. “Damn it, I didn’t expect that attack from you!”

  “You have to expect everything,” Toma reminded her gently. “Your biggest mistake is that once you get shaken, you lose Full Flow completely. And then you need to restart it — which takes time.”

  “But I just couldn’t focus!”

  “You don’t need to focus,” he said, tapping his forehead. “For me, using Full Flow is as natural as breathing. Even if someone catches me off guard, I don’t lose it.”

  “But Toma, I don’t get it… how do you do it that well?”

  “Because I practiced for a long time. You can’t master Full Flow perfectly in a single day. But we’ll keep training for as long as we can.”

  “Okay!” Lyrien nodded, determination burning in her eyes.

  ***

  Lyrien and Toma trained relentlessly all afternoon. By the time darkness settled over the park, both were exhausted, so they sat down in the cool grass to rest.

  Lyrien lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, Toma… that you have to deal with me like this.”

  Toma leaned back on his hands. “It’s no problem at all, Lyrien. You asked me for help, and as your friend, of course I’ll help you. Besides, a bit of extra training doesn’t hurt me either — it’s not like I have anything better to do.”

  Lyrien let out a soft, polite giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.

  Toma continued, his voice calm but serious. “The point is, Lyrien… whatever happens tomorrow, don’t be afraid. Be proud of who you are. Don’t give up. Do everything you can so that one day you’ll be able to say you regret nothing. Promise me that.”

  “Yes, Toma.” She took a breath before continuing. “You know… my brother is actually just my cousin. But inside our family, we’re required to call each other that — as a symbol of unity. Still, he asked me not to call him that in public. The truth is… he never liked me. He never thought I was strong enough, and he didn’t want me to study at the academy.”

  “Then why did you come to the academy in the first place?” Toma asked, genuinely confused.

  “Because of my parents,” Lyrien said quietly. “My parents are part of the family, but they were never members of the Water Division. The army has always been represented by my father’s brother’s family. My parents are very kind and they don’t expect anything from me… but I still want to help them.”

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  Toma looked at Lyrien, then turned his eyes toward the horizon. “That’s a noble goal. And all I can say is — you can achieve it. Even if you’re scared right now, it’s still better to step into tomorrow’s match knowing you did everything you could, instead of living with the thought: ‘maybe if I had tried harder…’”

  “You’re right. I agree with that,” Lyrien said softly as she looked at him.

  Toma clapped his hands together and rose to his feet. “Alright then — let’s continue training. I’m going to show you a new technique!”

  ***

  Lyrien and Toma continued practicing late into the night, pushing themselves until every movement felt sharp and disciplined. Toma poured all his experience into each explanation, determined to prepare her as best as possible.

  Eventually, Toma exhaled and stretched his arms out with a groan. “Ahh… That’s enough training for today.”

  Lyrien wiped the sweat from her forehead. “You’re right. I’m worn out too.”

  Toma studied her progress with a small, approving nod. “What we reached tonight is probably the limit of what someone at your level can improve in one session. You’ll need to keep training regularly if you want to master it perfectly. But even getting this far is already a big step.”

  Lyrien’s voice grew firm. “I want to bring out the very best of myself tomorrow.”

  “Good. Then let’s head home.”

  They started walking back through the quiet streets. Toma tilted his head toward the sky, losing himself in the stars, as if the entire night sky were speaking directly to him. Lyrien, bothered by the silence hanging between them, tried to start a conversation.

  “Toma… do you like looking at the stars?”

  “Yeah,” he answered without looking down. “There’s something special about the view.”

  Lyrien tried to keep the conversation alive, watching him stare upward. “Who will be your opponent tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know. When I left the arena, you grabbed me for training right away, so I forgot to check. At least it’ll be a surprise,” he said, still tracking the clouds, the stars, and even the position of the moon as if it all mattered.

  That answer was way too short… I should try something else… Lyrien muttered under her breath, annoyed with herself. Then an idea suddenly flashed into her mind.

  “Toma… who would you most like to fight during the championship?”

  This time, Toma immediately lowered his gaze from the sky and met hers directly, his expression sharpening with certainty. “Arvian. Without question. I want to make it all the way to the finals… and defeat him there.”

  “You two are rivals?” Lyrien asked softly, studying the intensity behind his eyes.

  Toma let out a quiet breath. “Well, I think so, yes. But honestly, I feel the same way about your match against your cousin. It’s easy to talk big, but facing the reality of it… I’m taking on something huge. Arlen, Arvian, and I grew up together, yet Arvian was always the strongest. I only awakened my ability later, not from birth, so catching up was… difficult.”

  Lyrien tilted her head, genuinely curious. “But you did catch up to them, right? You’re on their level now?”

  “It was tough,” Toma replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Arlen and Arvian helped me a lot, though. In the end it even became an advantage that I didn’t have an ability as a kid—I’ve been training since childhood, learning to fight properly, studying different martial arts styles. Honestly, I really believed that the mission I went on during the second half of the school year helped me grow enough to finally catch up to Arvian. I pushed myself like crazy, and during a life-threatening fight I shattered my limits.”

  His expression shifted slightly. “But Arvian also went on a mission… and he learned the exact same things I did. So now I want to see just how far I’ve come compared to him.”

  Lyrien listened the whole time with admiration sparkling in her eyes. “Good luck, Toma. Arvian’s a good guy, but… I’ll be cheering for you.”

  That made Toma smile. “Thank you.”

  They reached the familiar crossroads where they always parted ways. Both slowed to a stop, glancing at each other at the same moment.

  “Well… I’ll turn here,” Lyrien said, her cheeks suddenly burning red. Before she could overthink it, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a quick, warm hug. “Thanks for the help, Toma!”

  And with that, she hurried away.

  Toma lifted a hand after her, still processing the sudden burst of warmth left in her wake. “Good night…” he murmured, dazed. “Why do I feel weird…? It’s not every day a girl hugs me…”

  He clasped his hands behind his neck as he started walking again, the moonlight spilling across the path.

  I have no idea how I was supposed to react to that… This feels so strange…