VOOOM—!
My life flashed before my very eyes.
"Hey watch where you're going you fucking idiot!!"
I stood there dazed and confused, unable to process what was before me. My mind was overwhelmed by the whirlpool of colorful dots ahead.
Beep—! Beep—!
"...!"
I only regained my senses when a honk sounded, and that's when I realized I was standing in the middle of the crossroad.
Despite the confusion, I moved toward the other side of the road before leaning against the streetlight pile.
"Just what in the…"
There was so much that I needed to process.
Wasn't I in a house just moments ago? Why did I suddenly appear over here?
Ah, wait.
As I observed my surroundings more closely, I realized I was near the supermarket again.
So…
Realization suddenly struck me.
"It can't be right?"
No, it wasn't possible. I refu… yet, the more I thought about it, the more I came to understand what had happened.
"Was that... Sarah?"
My heart felt heavy at the thought. I had already had a hunch but refused to acknowledge it. Even now, I refused to believe what I had seen.
Recalling what I'd seen back then made my heart ache even more.
I didn't feel comfortable. It was as if something was trying to crawl up at my body.
What exactly happened? Did I travel back in time, or was I recreating a personal memory of hers?
My head throbbed.
I'd be more inclined for it to be the latter but I couldn't exactly rule out the first option. It sounded extremely improbable but at the same time, so were my visions.
"What if..."
An idea sprung inside of my mind. My hand rummaged through my bag, and I took something out.
It was a familiar package. One that I had grown accustomed to buying.
[Sweet Fly]
'...Is what I saw the reason why she loves this candy so much? This specific brand at that? But how is it possible...?'
Thinking for a moment, I took out my phone and searched for the brand name.
"Haa."
'It's a new brand. It was introduced just five years ago...'
"So it really... Haa."
My heart was heavy, but considering the present circumstances, I understood that it wasn't the moment for me to dwell in gloom.
Whether what I saw was really the past or not, the present was different.
The current Sarah was the one who needed my help. Putting the candy back into the bag, I was just about to leave when I realized something.
"...Hm?"
Opening the bag and counting the goods, it suddenly struck me.
"..."
What the...
No matter how hard I looked I couldn't find them.
I had bought three packs. Yet, there was only one left.
Then it finally dawned on me.
"...Heh."
A weird sound came out of my mouth.
I didn't understand the sudden surge of emotion, but it felt like something inside me had finally burst. My body trembled and for the first time in a very long while...
"Hahaha."
I laughed.
***
[Time - 18:29]
I sighed in relief after seeing the time.
'Just about on time.'
After catching my breath, I headed toward the training room. It was where Sarah was supposed to be.
"Since she should still be practicing, I don't think she should've seen the news about her yet."
It was just a small hope of mine, but I wished for her to be able to train peacefully, shielded from the drama that surrounded her.
I knew all too well just how important one's mentality was when training.
"That's not it! Why do you keep making the same mistake over and over again...!? Is this a joke to you?"
The sound was coming from the training room.
Could it be...?
My steps hurried as I strained my ears to listen.
"Your stance is all over the place, and the way you're gripping the sword is just wrong. I've reminded you countless times that it's not the right way to hold it, and yet, you keep repeating the same mistake over and over again. If only you had heeded my advice, you wouldn't have fum... Damn it."
You wouldn't have fum...?
She was going to say fumbled, wasn't she?
I guess the secret was out of the bag. Thankfully, it seemed like the Guild had already told the trainer about the situation. Or else, why would she stop herself from finishing the sentence?
I quietly entered and watched the scene from the corner.
Ms. Valeri was the coach in charge of training Sarah. A former Tier 3 Star Chaser last I recalled. This was probably the first time I saw her in person. She was a lot taller than I thought, and she was also rather pretty. A pity she was standing close to Sarah.
The difference was night and day.
"No, most importantly. Have you stopped eating candy like I told you to?"
"..."
Staying silent, Sarah lowered her head.
"Sarah!"
I flinched at the trainer's shout. Sarah lowered her head further.
"...Sorry."
"That's not going to cut it! How many times have I told you to cut on your candy? Do you understand just how important your diet is?"
"..."
"Why do you think all the top professional athletes and Star Chasers have personal diet programs designed for them? Quite frankly, you're an embarrassment!"
"..."
"You're not even going to say anything anymore? Do you think this is a joke? Do you understand that what you do not only reflects you but me and your group mates!? Do you love candy so much that you'd go all the way to screw the ones trying to he... no, you've already done that haven't you?"
Sarah's body flinched the moment the last words were spoken. As if she couldn't hold back anymore, Ms. Valeri started berating her even more fiercely. So much so that even I, who was merely listening, found it hard to remain still.
No, I had already started moving the moment she said the last words.
It was obvious that Ms. Valeri was letting out all her grievances.
"Who are you?"
Finally spotting me, Ms. Valeri raised her brow.
"Ah, right. It's time."
"Yes. I've come to pick Sarah up. I'm her manager, Liam Marken."
"I see."
Ms. Valeri nodded and nudged Sarah with her chin.
"You go."
"...Thank you."
Packing up her stuff, Sarah left the training room with her head lowered. Only once she left did Ms. Valeri address me.
"Did you enjoy the show?"
"You knew I was here?"
"The entire time."
As expected of a former Star Chaser. Her senses were sharp.
"Is there something you're unsatisfied with?"
"Hm?"
Her question caught me off-guard.
"You've been making quite the scary expression since you've come here. As if you wanted to eat me alive."
That fierce?
Hm, maybe I was. I couldn't deny that I wasn't happy with some of her words.
"I'm not her teacher so I have no right to interfere. I may be her manager, but I know what line not to cross."
"Heh. Your expression says otherwise."
"My expression has always been like this."
"Do tell..."
Looks like she didn't believe me.
I was just about to speak when she beat me to it.
"I won't be teaching her any longer."
"Uh?"
My eyes opened wide at her sudden words.
Did I hear wrong? Or did she just...
"You should already be aware of what happened."
"Yes..."
"So you should already be aware of the mess she caused. If you've heard what I said before, then you should know that her 'fumble' didn't only implicate her, but me as well."
Digging into her pockets, she retrieved her phone and displayed several screenshots to me.
﹂Who is her teacher? How can someone be this bad?
﹂I bet her trainer half-asses their job.
﹂Just look at how bad she is. If she had a proper trainer none of this would've happened.
"She isn't the only one that is receiving bad comments. My life depends on my reputation. If this keeps going any longer, no one will try to work with me anymore. I have no choice but to quit."
"..."
I wanted to refute her, say that she was wrong, but when I realized that I couldn't reveal anything about the situation just yet since Dean and the upper echelon were still investigating, I could only shut my mouth.
"I will be applying for a change tomorrow. From this point forward, I will have nothing to do with her."
Putting the phone away, Ms. Valeri started packing up her stuff.
I just stood behind her without saying a word. Perhaps, everything would be resolved by tomorrow when the situation was cleared, but there was a part of me that thought that this was for the best.
"I guess this is it."
Ms. Valeri came up to me and held out her hand. Lowering my head, I stared at her hand before suddenly asking,
"What do you think about Sarah?"
"Uh? All of a sudden?"
"Yes. I want to know."
I stared her directly in the eyes.
I wanted to know her exact answer.
"Sarah, huh? Can I be brutally honest?"
"Please."
She lowered her hand and turned away from me.
"To be frank, she's not bad, but she's just not cut out for this. There are hundreds of other people in this company who have far more potential than her. Sorry to say this, but besides her looks, she's nothing special."
I closed my eyes.
When I opened them back up I stood alone in the training hall. Ms. Valeri was long gone, and silence permeated my surroundings.
Not bad? Not cut out for this? Hundreds of other people who have far more potential than her? Nothing special?
Why?
Why were her words irritating me so much? So much so that my fingers were digging at my own palm. Why was that?
A strange sense of discomfort pervaded my chest.
Was it that I just cared about her, or something else?
"Sarah."
I knocked on her changing room, but I got no response. Knocking again, and receiving no response once more, I decided to call her number.
—The number you have dialed is busy. Please try again later.
Where did she go?
Moving out of the changing room, I searched all around. Yet, no matter where I looked, I saw no sign of her.
Did she leave already?
Frowning, I was just about to call her again when I realized that the lights in the training room were open. I was sure I'd turned them off before.
Swoosh—! Swoosh—! Swoosh—!
A strange whistle echoed out as I approached the training room and when I arrived, my steps came to a stop.
It was Sarah.
With sweat trickling down the side of her face, she swung her swords repeatedly. Beside her was a small phone recording her every action. Every couple of movements, she would rush to the phone and playback the video before returning to her position.
I stood her dazed.
Time seemed fleeting at that moment as Sarah continued to practice. The entire time her head was lowered.
"Sarah."
Before I knew it, I was standing right before her.
Swoosh—!
Her sword swooshed a couple of inches away from me before she finally stopped.
"Look at me."
Her shoulders trembled, and at last, she raised her head. A familiar set of hazel eyes looked at me. Even as sweat streamed down her face, it couldn't conceal the tears that were falling from her eyes.
Cl— Clank!
As our gazes met, she dropped her sword.
This was the first time I'd ever seen her this weak. As her mouth opened, her voice quivered. She looked so weak right now.
"M...manager."
"Yes?"
"S-should I quit?"
Right.
I suddenly understood why I was so irritated by Ms. Valeri's words.
"No."
What others couldn't feel she could feel.
"Because..."
No vision needed to tell me about her potential.
"You're talented. More so than you can imagine."
So.
"Let me train you."
Train you to reach the peak of this world.