"Are you doing alright?" Lady Kieri pondered, watching me hold the blade given to me. We were in my room, and she had just been tended to. Guards were posted right outside the door in case I tried anything—I guess they still don't fully trust me.
Although, no matter what they think, I've already made up my mind: I'll protect her—my savior.
"Keep your stance!" I heard my instructor roar as I was beaten down by my opponent. Their movements were something I couldn't predict, something I couldn't fathom with my untrained eye.
A girl who seemed to be not a day over sixteen, not much older than me, wielded a naginata like it was an extension of herself. I watched how she gripped the staff with such a firm grasp, completely entranced by how it whirled around, blinding me to when it bit. The air cracked as her strikes cut through it with precision, the blade's edge glinting ominously in the dim morning light.
I staggered backward, hoping to gain some distance, though the tip of her weapon shot forward, ready to exploit my retreat. Each step I took seemed to drag me deeper into the inevitability of my defeat. My legs felt heavy, my breath ragged, but I couldn't afford to give up.
I gripped the hilt of my full training sword and blocked the attack. Sparks flew as steel met steel, the screeching sound of the collision ringing in my ears. The sudden impact forced us both to bounce back, though my opponent recovered instantly, her movements as fluid as water. Her piercing gaze met mine, unyielding and unforgiving, as if she saw every weakness in my stance.
Through panting breath and narrowed eyes, I watched her yellow hair flutter in the cold morning breeze. My hands trembled from adrenaline and the biting chill. My muscles screamed in protest, yet I tightened my grip on the sword, refusing to let it slip.
"Is that all you have?" she taunted, her voice cutting through the air sharper than her weapon. She spun the naginata with ease, the blade creating a menacing arc as it whistled toward me.
I ducked just in time, feeling the weapon's edge graze the top of my head. Desperation clawed at my chest. I could feel my heart ringing in my ears. Cornered and desperate, I rushed in, blade poised and ready, hoping for a miracle.
She only smiled, a predator toying with her prey. In that moment, I knew it was over.
Before I could react, her legs swept me off my feet. The ground rushed to meet me as I landed hard on my side, the impact rattling my bones. My sword slipped from my grasp, embedding itself upright in the mud beside me.
"Pathetic…" she spat, looking down on me with a level of disdain mixed with humor at her own accomplishments. "No way you're fit to protect the Daimyou's daughter!"
(They're laughing at you—)
"There must be a mistake!" she laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. "You can't even hold your own stance, much less swing a blade."
"Again!" I shouted, getting up to my feet slowly, staggering as a result of my sudden fall.
"What—" The girl snarled, looking at me with disgust riddled across her features, staring down on me as though I was just a pig that had learned to stand on two legs.
"Fight me again!" I said louder, though my words hardly passed by her. My Japanese was broken and shattered, but she managed to get the message.
"If you're sure!" she snarked, spinning her naginata once more. The sparks of battle flew across the battlefield as she lunged at me without hesitation.
I sidestepped her strike, my legs trembling under the effort. The clash resumed with renewed ferocity. Each strike of her naginata was calculated and devastating, and every parry I managed felt like sheer luck. My arms ached from the force of her blows, the vibrations traveling through my body.
(No matter what) I'll protect the people that saved me!
The naginata came for my shoulder, but I twisted my body at the last second, the blade slicing through the air mere inches from my skin. I countered with an upward slash, forcing her to block. The impact drove her back a step, but her smirk didn't falter.
"You're persistent, I'll give you that," she said, her voice tinged with amusement. "But it won't save you."
Her naginata whirled again, faster this time. I ducked, sidestepped, and parried, the rhythm of the fight consuming me. I could see the confidence in her movements, the precision that came from years of training. Compared to her, I was a novice, but I refused to let that stop me.
(No matter what!) I'll protect the nation that helped me!
"I'll do my job, no matter what!" I roared, pushing forward with everything I had. My blade met hers with a resounding clash, the force causing her to stagger. For the first time, her balance wavered.
Taking advantage of the opening, I lunged, my sword arcing toward her. She twisted to avoid the strike, but I was relentless. My attacks came in a flurry, forcing her to defend. Her smirk faded as she realized I wasn't backing down.
Finally, with a desperate upward swing, I knocked her naginata aside. She stumbled, landing on her rear. Before she could recover, I was already over her, the tip of my blade pointed at her throat.
"It's over," I said through labored breaths, sweat dripping down my face.
For a moment, she stared at me, her eyes wide with shock. Then, to my surprise, she laughed. It wasn't mocking this time—it was genuine, almost impressed.
"That was just a lucky shot," she muttered through a pout, much quieter than before.
(No matter what!) I'll be the symbol of pride of this nation.
"Your japanese is getting better!" Lothar praised, his hands reaching for his brush before dipping it in a sea of ink. "Although—"
"This is how you write it," he instructed. I watched as he wrote the kanji for Development: 開発.
"Kaihatsu—" I muttered under my breath, watching as the man's hands moved across the paper with ease, an elegant motion that could only be described as an art form.
"How's everything holding up with your training?" he asked, trying to make conversation as we looked over the lesson.
"It's… rough," I sighed, my hand still trembling under the beating I received today, despite ending on a win.
Lothar simply chuckled at my words, his hands coming to a halt as he finally rested his brush aside. "I bet."
"But I'll keep going!" I said with rising determination, the grip of my fingers tightening around the fabric of my pants. "I'll get stronger and stronger so I can stand beside you! You and Kieri and the Daimyou!"
His face softened at my determination, watching as my head hung to look below me as I spoke.
"I'll become worthy to wield Kiyohime, so I can protect the people of this land…" Tears started to form within my gaze.
"The very people that protected me."