Friends of the past, reunited

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"Wh… Can you elaborate?" Take said as sweat fell down from his forehead

First Class... Just what happened to her...

This is the worst...

'Silver words were heavy, they implied the worst possible scenario...'

'The scenario where not only they couldn't help her, but instead, they would become a dead weight if they tried.'

'But was doing nothing truly the right thing?'

'Out of everyone in the room, Mikoto was the most affected, she bit her lips in frustration trying to keep herself calm.'

'She couldn't stand the thought of turning a blind eye to her friend that she dreamed so much of meeting again, regardless of her plight.'

"Your answer?" Silver asked without budging

"... I…"

"Of course, we'll do it!" Mikoto exclaimed

"It isn't right to abandon her simply because her troubles are too big! Instead, we should be there for her!..."

'She then looked at the ground in shame.'

"Just like we should've all those years ago…"

'Not only her, but it seemed that Chigusa agreed with her, nodding her head quickly in silence.'

'Takemikazuchi closed his eyes and smiled.'

"... Sigh, as you heard, that is my answer, I am with my children." Take said with a helpless smile

"That's an admirable mindset to have… Not everyone can be righteous." Silver replied with a small smile

"I… I'm not… Like that…" Mikoto replied, slightly embarrassed

'Everyone smiled slightly.'

'Hestia let out a small sigh of relief while Take continued to smile helplessly.'

"Since that's your decision, I won't question it."

"In that case… It would be better to hear it directly from her." Silver said as he got up from the ground

As expected, they are very honorable.

I saw that he hesitated for a moment, not because he was weighing down if it was worth inciting trouble over her or not, but more because… He was worried for his children.

But it seems things will progress regardless... This was the Familia he raised after all.

"So come with me, I'll lead you all there… To our Familia home."

"Wait a moment."

'Take quickly raised his hand, stopping Silver.'

"Would it be okay for us to wait? As you said, some of my Familia members still have to come back… And I don't think it would be alright to leave them out of this, I would like to hear their decisions and worries as well." Take said with a small smile

"Takemikazuchi-Sama!" Mikoto said with a small frown

"I know, I'm not considering that at all, I just think Ouka and the others need to hear about this as well."

"That's up to you, I don't mind…"

'But Silver said with a smile:'

"I'm just afraid this may be too stimulating for Haruhime, she may have a small heart attack."

'Hestia nodded.'

"She's a bit too meek…"

"You're one to talk." Silver retorted

"Huh?! Say that again!"

"..."

'Mikoto smiled a little as she thought:'

They're very energetic... Unlike what I expected from him.

I don't much about him aside from what I saw that day in the War game...

But it seems my worries were unnecessary.

I feel stupid now... For basing my impression of him on that single event...

'She looked outside.'

Haruhime... We'll be meeting you soon...

This time, I won't let you go away.

"Don't pull my hair!" Silver exclaimed as Hestia jumped on his shoulders

/Chuckle/

'Mikoto and the others chuckled, it seemed time would pass very quickly…'

…

/A few minutes later…/

'Perhaps it was fate, or simply inevitable…'

"Do you really need to do this?" Hestia asked with a frown

He's… Shameless sometimes.

It's his first time with Take and.. Can't he wait a bit more?

"Yes, I can't lose this opportunity." Silver said as he took out his shirt

"But does it have to be right here and now?!" She replied, flustered

"And when would that be? Both me and you are always occupied…"

"Urg… Do as you wish…" Hestia said as she closed her eyes

"Are you ready adventurer Silver?" Take said with a small smile as he tightened the belt around his waist

'Silver smiled.'

'Both of them were currently outside of the house in the gardens next to a small lake, standing off against each other while the others observed.'

'Take was still using his traditional garbs, it seemed that like Hestia, Takeikazuchi had something with using the same clothes every day...'

'Silver on the other hand took out his shirt…'

'They were about to fight!'

"Right when you are."

Since I'm here, I might as well do this.

"I'm confident in my abilities, but can't say I'm fully ready to face a Level 2 adventurer… Especially one with your abilities, this will be a first for me."

'He smiled with a confident gaze.'

"I hope to learn a lot from this exchange!" He said as he bowed

'Silver bowed in reply, being courteous with him as well.'

"I won't be using my abilities though, as I said, I simply want to have a light spar."

'But why was Silver fighting a God with the body of a mortal?'

'Well… Take wasn't just any God. He was a God that presided over Martial Arts.'

'He was so good at it in fact, that even with a mortal body, after a few sacrifices, he could throw a First Class adventurer onto the ground.'

'That was a Level 5 adventurer using the strength of a normal man!'

'Imagine what he could do if he actually had some level of strength like Artemis or Hercules, one of the strongest Gods Physically.'

'Take has an extreme understanding of combat, a divine level of observation, and his perceptive decision-making puts him at a level where he can control his enemies' movements.'

'He knows hundreds of combat techniques, most of which never seen before in Orario, some actually pretty powerfull.'

'He also possesses knowledge in Ninjutsu, a fighting style that he himself thinks of as dirty, as it relies on the use of sneak attacks, traps, and ambushes, using whatever is necessary to achieve his target.'

(Wiki)

'And to top it all off, his mastery of weapons is extremely high, surpassing those of First Class adventurers, from the ax to even shurikens and kunai.'

'Using this knowledge, he taught everyone in his Familia how to fight, and even now, they're still learning, barely qualifying to having passed his basic training.'

'All of this combined made Take the perfect sparring partner to learn from, one that Silver wanted very much to befriend so he could often come here and learn.'

'Even if his stats didn't increase, as long as his technique could, that was enough for him.'

"Not going to use your abilities?" Take asked

"Please don't take it as an offense." Silver replied lightly

"Of course not, I can understand the meaning in starting slow..." He said as he shook his head

"But regardless, I won't hold back at all."

I'm not arrogant enough to do so either.

"That's what I want." Silver said as he looked at Hestia

"Without further ado… Start!" Hestia said as she threw a small white cloth into the air

/Fwoosh!/

'Silver dashed forward, but it was really slow, he was, after all, using the strength of a normal person.'

I would prefer to study his movements first, but the longer this take the dimmer my chances become.

'Despite himself lowering his strength, Silver's thought process and senses were still the same.'

"..."

A direct aproach? Trying to not give me time to think?

Good thinking!

'But Take was unfazed, he took a step forward and changed the position of his hands, his left hand lowered and close to his waist, while the right one was slightly above his chest.'

'Silver looked at his hands for a moment before taking a stance, ready to throw in a punch…'

"!"

Damn! It was a trap...

'But Take suddenly stepped forward, stepping over Silver's foot, he used his shoulder to lock his arm in place, preventing Silver from hitting him as he grasped onto his pants, ready to throw him down.'

"Huff!"

I'm not done yet...

'Yet Silver wasn't done, he kicked the ground and in a shown of dexterity, he locked his legs onto his neck!'

'He knew he couldn't stay like this, so Silver was already mid way through another movement... But...'

/Thud!/

'Yet… Take was ready for that as he simply used Silver's awkward position to send his head… Straight onto the ground like a nail.'

'Everyone shook their heads, Mikoto and Chigusa slightly worried as hitting your head like this is bound to be... Painfull...'

'Hestia simply let out a sigh, she knew this would happen, she knew more than anyone else just how capable Take is... Especially how insensible he can be of his surroundings.'

"Adventurer Silver… Are you okay?" Take asked, slightly concerned

That was quite the fall... Was that Frankenstainer?

I didn't expect to see it here.

"Hm? Why wouldn't I be?" Silver asked as he looked at Takemikazuchi

'Silver got up from the ground, cracking his neck.'

That was why I took out my shirt, I didn't want to mess it up before going to the Dungeon.

"I feel a bit embarrassed, but such a light fall won't do much apart from messing up my hair." He said as he shook the dirt off his head

'Take smiled, before saying:'

"I liked your approach, you tried to close the gap and end things in a hurry before I had the time to analyse your style... But you expose yourself too much in the process."

"That's really dangerous."

"Yeah, that is a bad habit of mine." Silver said with a small smile

He didn't say much, but he already got to the crux of the matter...

"Due to my abilities, I've grown used to not taking much care of my body, preferring to trade small wounds for large ones."

"As time went by, I kind of neglected basic combat training like this, basically putting all of training in further implementing my Magic into my combat style."

'Take shook his head.'

"That is the path you have taken, and it's in no way a bad one."

"Understanding that you can still improve, that in itself is a blessing."

"Indeed." Silver replied with a small smile

"Yet, I would still like to improve this side of me."

This was one of the reasons why I stopped using multiple weapons and decided to stay with a single one.

Even though the monsters in the Dungeon won't get better at combat in general, having better techniques will at least guarantee that I won't face difficulties against other people.

If I had half of his combat sense, no doubt... I definitely would've been able to defeat the Executives of the Loki Familia even if they came at me with their full strength.

One at a time of course, two or more and things might become complicated...

"I won't judge your fighting style, each has their own, for now, why not another round?" He asked as he went back into position

He's like Ouka, very straightforward and headstrong about his wishes.

However, unlike him, he seems to be more open towards others...

"That was barely a warm up." Silver said with a small smile as he got into a stance again

"Try not to hurt yourself." Hestia said as she shook her head

"Alright... If everyone is ready... Start!"

/Fwoosh!/

'Hestia stared as Silver ran forward once more, but her thoughts were quickly drawn somewhere else...'

I hope that she can move forward with this.

Being stuck in the path, only by accepting it can she rise up.

Hopefully these people will help her with that, something neither I nor him were fully capable of achieving.

Even after so long, she still holds a small sparke of hesitation in the deep corners of her heart.

By making up the childhood she lost, will she be able to extinguish it?

...

/Around an hour later.../

/Humming.../

"~Hum... Hu-Hum... And then the leaves...~"

'Haruhime sang in a low tone as she took care of the flowers in the front garden.'

'She wore a maid suit and a hood that hid her ears, and from far away, it was hard to discern her race, only that she had a tail.'

'Despite the hard work that it was to take care of this massive garden, she found happiness is taking care of these pretty flowers.'

'Pure and unsoiled, unlike her...'

'Many stories started and ended amount flowers, be them of hope of despair.'

'She dreamt many times in the hopes that hers ended with one of Love, and despite it all, she was slowly believing that she was indeed worthy of harboring such thoughts.'

'Slowly but surely, she was changing.'

/Creak!/

"Hm?" Haruhime said as he ears twiched inside the hood

'The sound of the front gates opening, Haruhime paid a lot of attention to that as she had to try and keep herself far from unknown people.'

'She first saw the Iconic Hestia, but then she saw something that made her drop the dirt bag on her hands.'

"Hu..."

It can't...

'She then saw a group of people wearing traditional Far East Clothes, followed by a God she knew all too well.'

'Her eyes trembled, and she got up from the ground, uncontiously taking a step back...'

/Thud.../

'But she hit something.'

'She quickly turned around...'

"What are you doing?" Silver asked with a small smile as he looked forward

"They came all the way here to see you again, are you going you just going to leave them hanging?"

'She closed her eyes in remorse.'

"But I'm... Not the..."

"Not with that talk again, how many times will I have to repeat myself." He said as he patted her head

'She started to get slightly red, not of embarrassment...'

"Independent of the past, you are you, don't let that dictate how you want yo live your future."

'Her eyes started to water slightly...'

"A gentle girl with an equally gentle smile, you don't need to hold it all inside, let it out from time to time, we're all here for you..."

'Haruhime started to cry silently.'

"Always. And when things take a turn for the worst, at the very least, I'll be there for you." Silver said with a small smile as he cleaned her tears

"So stop going after the shadows, and go smile in the sun..."

"Go prove to the world that you, Sanjouno Haruhime, are and always will be, a beautiful girl."

'Silver pushed her forward, her eyes were still a bit watery, but her expression as a bit more relaxed.'

'She didn't look back, and instead, walked slowly to the people in front of her...'

"H-He..."

'Before she could even say Hello, Mikoto ran and jumped at her, hugging her.'

'Friends of the past, reunited.'

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Notes