The sunlight was barely peeking through the curtains when I was awakened by an explosion of energy beside me. Ayako, with her characteristic enthusiasm, leaped onto my bed, waving her arms frantically.
Ayako: "Kaimmy! Kaimmy! Wake up! Your uniform is ready!"
Still half-asleep, I blinked my eyes to adjust to the light and process the news. Ayako was practically jumping with excitement, and even before fully opening my eyes, I could feel the energy radiating from her every time she shook me.
Kaimmy: "Huh? Uniform...?"
Ayako: "Yes, yes, hurry! Get up, get dressed, we need to go to Rowan's shop right now!"
It didn't take long for me to realize that her excitement was contagious. I got out of bed, still a bit dazed, and followed Ayako, who practically dragged me out of the room. As I speedran through my morning routine, brushing my teeth, combing my hair, and all the rest, Ayako ran back and forth doing who knows what, waking up Hiroshi and Yuki in the process.
Yuki: "Hey, hey, what's going on? An earthquake?"
Alarmed, Yuki jumped out of his bed to try to figure out what was happening, running out of his makeshift room and almost colliding with me.
Kaimmy: "No... she's probably just a bit excited because she gets to use me as a dress-up doll again today..."
Yuki: "What...? Does that happen frequently?"
Hiroshi: "Whaa," yawning, Hiroshi joined the conversation. "The part where she wakes up excited about something and goes around waking everyone is quite common, but the part where she gets to use Kaimmy as a doll happened only once. She's excited because Kaimmy's new uniform is ready, you have no idea how much she wanted both of them to wear matching uniforms..."
Yuki: "That's... surprising, for lack of a better word..."
Hiroshi: "If you're going to stay here, you better get used to it. Come on, since we're up, how about helping me with preparations for today? Looks like these two are going to be late for training, and I could use some help."
The journey to Rowan's shop was filled with Ayako's animated chatter. I, still half-asleep, could barely keep up with her rapid pace. Upon arriving at the shop, the bell hanging on the door chimed, and Rowan appeared from somewhere, casting an incredulous look at us.
Rowan: "Honestly, it hasn't even been fifteen minutes since I sent the message saying it was ready, but I guess I should expect that from you... Good morning, I suppose. Wait a moment; I'll fetch her outfit."
Kaimmy: "Ah... good morning, and thank you."
Ayako: "Hahaha, don't be shy; I'm sure it will look great on you. Rowan is one of the best, no doubt."
It didn't take long for Rowan to reappear, carrying the clothes in hand.
Rowan: "Here you go. I'm particularly proud of my work this time. Come, let me help you put it on."
Ayako: "Aww, no, no, let me do this, please!"
Rowan: "Honestly, you're hopeless..."
Without much choice, I allowed Ayako to lead me to the fitting room, where she skillfully assisted me in removing my clothes. As she finally began to dress me, the smoothness of the fabric and the skill with which it was crafted became evident. The details were nothing short of incredible, and the fit to my body was perfect.
Kaimmy: "This... is amazing. It looks so... perfect."
Confronting my image in the mirror, I doubted for a moment if it was really me. The uniform highlighted features I barely recognized in myself, and my shyness manifested once again as I tried to assimilate this new version of me. The black fabric provided an elegant base, while the blue and purple details harmonized perfectly with the color of my heterochromatic eyes and my deep blue hair. On the sash wrapped around my waist, the image of an Eastern dragon cutting through stormy skies over the ocean was emblazoned. Undoubtedly, a beautiful representation of the three elements that are my specialty: water, lightning, and wind. And the sleeves... they are certainly a crucial element to add a touch of elegance to my appearance. I imagine that, by replicating the graceful movements of Ayako's style, they will give my motion an ethereal and fluid quality, like that of a dancer. My reflection in the mirror presented me as more mature than I really am, highlighting some feminine characteristics of my body which I remained unaware until now.
Rowan: "Of course, it's perfect. It was one of my best works, as always. I left enough extra fabric to make some adjustments when you grow a bit more."
Rowan, self-assured, accepted the compliments with a casual nod. As I inspected every detail, Ayako couldn't contain her excitement.
Ayako: "Kaimmy, you look so cute! Come here!"
She approached and enveloped me in a warm hug, rubbing her cheeks against mine and making me blush even more. With the uniform now worn, we headed back to the dojo, and when we finally arrived, the training had already begun. The moment I came into view, I was taken aback; everyone seemed to have frozen as they stared at me. Confused and a bit desperate, I hid behind Ayako and peeked inside, trying to understand what was happening...
Kaimmy: "U-uh, what happened?"
The twins were the first to react, abandoning what they were doing to run toward me.
Mei: "Kaimmy, what are these clothes? You look amazing!"
Yui: "Yes, yes, even better than Ayako's! Where can I get one of those?"
Ayako: "Hey! I look good in this outfit too! But I can't deny that Kaimmy has outdone me... just a little..."
While Ayako internally debated whether to make a pouting face or hug me again, the twins continued to touch and praise my clothes even more. I took the opportunity to look around and gauge the reactions of other people. Hiroshi was just watching the scene with a smile on his face; Kaelan stayed where he was, hands on his chin, nodding approvingly. I could hear him mumbling something about wanting to do something similar for his daughter in the future, but Yuki...
[Yuki's POV]
I couldn't take my eyes off her; my heart began to beat faster. It was a strange feeling, a mix of admiration and nervousness. I couldn't decipher if it was simply because she looked amazing or if there was something more.
She shyly hid behind Ayako when everyone began to stare at her, and this action only made her look incredibly cute in my eyes. Perhaps I stared for too long, as she noticed and started looking back at me, visibly embarrassed. Realizing my mistake, I began to look around and disguise, not wanting to convey the wrong idea about what I was thinking.
A little later, when the commotion subsided and we resumed normal training, once again, we were practicing simulated fights against each other, and eventually, it was my turn to face Kaimmy.
With my sword and shield in hand, I took a battle stance. I initiated the match with a direct strike from my sword to test her reaction. She easily dodged the blow by spinning her body, and taking advantage of the rotation, executed a spinning kick that I blocked with my shield. Heavy! I can't imagine how she can put so much force into a kick with such a small and lightweight body like hers... It seems like we're all falling behind in terms of using aura to strengthen the body.
As we exchanged more blows, I became certain that she was a formidable opponent. All my strikes and feints were deftly evaded and countered. Several times, I thought I was about to hit her, only to see her dodge with acrobatic movements that called into question the limits of the human body. There seems to be no bounds to the mobility of her body... hitting her that way is almost impossible. However, all these acrobatics came at a cost, leaving her exhausted. The same, though, could be said for me. I'm not sure if I can keep going for much longer.
Before I succumb to exhaustion, I decided to press on and attack with the remaining of my strength. I exchanged a few more blows with her, always advancing, and in the final moment, I attempted to strike her with a horizontal sword swing, but she dodged by jumping and delivered a flying kick in my direction. I used what little strength remained to me to place my shield between us and avoid a direct hit. I managed to block, but I was too weak to resist and was thrown to the ground, unable to get up. When I thought I had lost the match, I saw her also lying on the ground, apparently in the same state as me, unable to continue due to exhaustion.
Yuki: "...Do you think we can call this a draw?"
Kaimmy: "Arf, arf, w-well, I guess so..."
Yuki: "Hahahaha, a draw it is, then. Phew, that was tough; you're getting really good at this."
Kaimmy: "Thank you... you did great too. I had to put in a lot of effort not to get hit; I think I managed to dodge everything because I was a bit lucky."
Yuki: "Hey, don't downplay yourself. You dodged everything because you're getting more skilled!"
Kaimmy: "Hahaha, maybe that's true, so thanks again."
Seeing her blush as I complimented her made my heart flutter once more. In a sudden burst of inspiration, I asked:
Yuki: "Hey, Kaimmy."
Kaimmy: "Uh, what?"
Yuki: "So... I was thinking, you know, about my parents."
Kaimmy: "Ah... that, I'm sorry, I had no idea..."
Yuki: "No, that's not it. Remember when you said you'd go with me to save them? So... thanks for that. I mean, really, thank you."
Kaimmy: "Eh? Oh, right... I did say that. Yeah, I'll definitely go with you, okay?"
Hearing those words from her, I couldn't help but smile. It was one of the lightest and most genuine smiles I've had in the past few days; I was genuinely happy. I looked sideways, trying to gauge her expression, and she was staring back at me. She had a shy, determined, yet serious look on her face.
Yuki: "I've made up my mind."
Kaimmy: "Nn? About what?"
Yuki: "If I went there now, I'd just be letting them capture me again. No, before doing that, I need to get strong enough to protect myself. I'm going to become an adventurer and use that to gain strength. The minimum age for that is 13, so I still have a little over 2 years to train. Are you coming with me?"
Kaimmy: "What? I... uh..."
Caught off guard by my sudden question, she was clearly embarrassed and needed a moment to compose herself, looking away and awkwardly playing with her hair. Again, it was a very cute sight that warmed my heart, until she finally turned back to me and looked me in the eyes.
Kaimmy: "Alright... I guess we're forming a party, then."