So wait, she’s not trying to stop me . . . she’s doing the opposite?
“So, you’re not going to interrogate me about all the training that Usato put me through and then try and put other people through the same thing?” I asked.
Gladys had been resting her elbows on her desk, but the moment I asked my question, she collapsed on top of it. She quickly regained her composure and forced a quivering smile onto her face.
“I-I would never dream of doing such a thing,” she replied. “Making an ordinary child undergo such treatment would break them entirely in just a matter of days. Such training is for healers and healers only—it’s entirely impractical otherwise.”
It was a harsh appraisal, but it was also true. Usato had claimed that he was going easy on me, but even just my first day of training was, in a word, insane. I felt the fear in those old memories rushing back. I shook my head to clear them from my mind.
“But how did you know I was coming?” I asked.
That was, first and foremost, what I was most curious about. It was just too weird that the headmistress knew what I was up to.
“Well, you underwent Usato’s unique instruction in the ways of healing magic,” she replied gently.
“Yes.”
“His training methods . . . that is to say, the rescue team’s training methods, are unlike anything here at our school of magic. The training was all encompassing—you strengthened your magic, your body, and your mind. And now that you have experienced such a thing, you feel that something is missing in the lessons here at Luqvist, do you not?”
The headmistress had hit the nail right on the head. Ever since my battle with Mina, every lesson I’d taken felt lacking. And when it came to basic sparring, the sheer speed I’d developed in my legs let me take the initiative and win with ease. I’d never been very good at lessons in hand-to-hand combat, but now I could read my opponent’s movements with ease.
“I had always intended to leave eventually,” I said, “but in this short time I’ve realized that I can’t get any stronger through lessons at the school.”
I didn’t want to sound rude or ungrateful, but now that I’d been through the hell of Usato’s training, everything I went through at school just felt too easy and too gentle.
“Sudden change isn’t always entirely good. There are downsides to it as well. In your case, your whole sense of value shifted. I could see this, and so I waited for you to come.”
“I . . . I see.”
She was worried about me . . .
I looked down at the floor. All this time, I’d been avoiding the truth of the matter. I knew that I’d gotten stronger because of my training, but I’d never thought my physical abilities now put me leagues above the rest of my classmates. It made me happy to think that I was a little closer to reaching Usato’s heights, but the difference between my abilities and my perception of them left me confused.
“Nack,” said Gladys. “You have gotten very strong.”
She spoke kindly to me as I stared at the ground. There was a mix of confusion and happiness swirling within me.
“I watched your training with Usato,” she continued. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but on many occasions I questioned his sanity. On the times that he . . . got serious, so to speak, many of our teachers believed that he was a monster finally showing its true colors.”
“Yeah, that makes perfect sense,” I said, lifting my head and nodding at the headmistress.
When Usato changed like that, he was so utterly terrifying that I was convinced he was a different person.
“However, you persevered, you overcame his training, and it brought you victory in your match against Mina Lycia. You should be proud of yourself. You and your victory are now etched into the hearts of all who saw it.”
“I didn’t do anything that grand or amazing,” I said bashfully.
“It was only a small change, but it was decisive,” said the headmistress, placing her hand over her heart. “And everyone here will change because of it.”
She closed her eyes for a moment as if feeling something very important, and then she smiled at me.
“I am talking about hard work, effort, and self-belief over talent,” she continued. “That is what you and Usato showed the entire Luqvist School of Magic. It was something that we teachers were unable to do on our own.”
I had a feeling that Usato didn’t care about that in the slightest when he trained me. I was so desperate just to keep up that I didn’t even have time to think about the bigger picture, either. And yet, I was proud of myself. It made me really happy to think that the work Usato and I did left a positive influence.
“And so, I wanted to let you know that I am grateful. Thank you, Nack.”
“You’re welcome!” I said brightly.
The headmistress nodded sagely, then her expression darkened slightly.
“Unlike the two of you, we teachers . . . were powerless. We thought only of maintaining the state of the school. Because of that, we were unable to help you when you needed us.”
“It’s not the school’s fault that I was bullied,” I replied.
“No, it is a truth that cannot be overlooked,” said Gladys sadly, “and I feel nothing but apologetic to you for it.”
She really does care about all of us students.
I knew that the problem between Mina and me wasn’t one that the school could easily insert itself into. But even then, the headmistress still looked extremely regretful for being unable to rescue me.
“Until a little while ago, I tried to pretend like the last two years of bullying just never happened,” I said.
I wanted to settle things between Mina and me so I could move on and never see her ever again. That was what had driven me to win in our fight.
“What she did to me was really, truly awful,” I said, “and it’s deeper than just a matter of forgiveness.”
I’d lived my life thinking that none of it was me—that all of it was the people around me.
“But she cried,” I admitted.
“Oh?”
When Mina had tried to use her imperfect mana boost, I’d grabbed her hands to try and keep her magic power under control. That was the first time I’d ever seen her cry in front of anyone.
“I knew her when we were both little, so I know she’s not the type to cry because she’s hurt. She won’t easily cry in front of other people, either.”
In fact, until that moment, I’d never seen Mina cry before. That was how strong she was.
“All I ever thought about was myself,” I said. “I felt like my unfair circumstances were everybody else’s fault. But when I saw Mina cry, I felt like I’d been wrong about it all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think Mina and I both got things wrong. She’d never admit it in a million years, but I think if I’d been more aware of the people around me when I first got here, then perhaps we could have been friends, just like when we were kids.”
If that had happened, I never would have encountered Usato the way that I did. But in any case, there was no use lingering on what could have been.
“Headmistress Gladys,” I said. “I’m going to stay positive. Mina bullied me, that’s true, but now things are different. I’m going to live a life where I don’t have to avoid her. I’m going to live a life where I can look her in the eyes.”
Yes, I was scared, but at the same time, that was only a small part of my heart. Until now, I’d been walking dark paths with nowhere to go, but now the road ahead was clear with a goal at the end of it. Gladys was at first surprised by my confident gaze, but she soon relaxed into a smile.
“You really have gotten stronger,” she remarked. “Far stronger than I’d imagined.”
She closed her eyes, which quivered with happiness. A silence fell over the room, and I waited for what she would say next.
“Nack,” she said finally. “You’re leaving here because you want to join the rescue team, yes?”
“That’s right,” I said, sitting up straight.