***

It all still felt like a blur.

Something had happened during our match that triggered the first shift in Aria’s mood– Something that made her angry enough to completely lose her composure.

And Kiel’s words… I could only assume he provoked an unpleasant memory or trauma…

After a few turns, we stepped onto the outermost street of the Central District. 

Due to the district’s circular shape, it seemed this street formed a complete ring, bordering the wall that marked its edge.

Compared to those near the center, the buildings out here were definitely more tightly packed together.

On top of that, frequent road usage from both residents and visitors seemed to wear down these roads faster than repairs could make them new again.

Yet, there was still a sense of status and comfort befitting the image of the Central District.

I watched as Aria entered a multi-story complex and quickly followed after her.

A hallway, a turn, a flight of stairs, another hallway, and then we arrived.

If she had been aware of my presence for the past few minutes, she certainly wasn’t making any signs of it.

However, as she unlocked the door and walked through, she showed no intentions of closing it behind her.

A silent invitation.

So she did know I was following her…

Just beyond the door was a small kitchen connected to a simply furnished living room.

The color of the lone couch seemed to be more faded on one side than the other, and the table, cleanly plain, only featured a single white rose kept in a thin vase.

There were no signs of Aria in either of these rooms.

I shut her front door and continued towards the only other room, which appeared to be her bedroom.

From the wide open doorway, I could see Aria sprawled face down atop her bed, her head buried into her pillow.

“Are you… feeling okay..?”

It was a half-assed attempt at consoling her. Anyone could’ve easily seen how not-okay she was feeling, but I genuinely didn’t know any other way to try to get her to talk.

Being away from society for so long definitely didn’t do anything to improve my social skills…

My generic question somehow ended up receiving a curt response, but her words were muffled to the point of incomprehensibility by the pillow.

I awkwardly stood in the doorway for about a minute after that.

Maybe she actually wasn’t in the mood for conversation…

But even so, I didn’t feel like I could just leave– After all, I likely held a portion of the responsibility for her current state.

Without knowing how long she’d be like this, I decided to pull in a chair from the other room.

Another 10 minutes dragged by in silence.

Finally, the sound of rustling sheets caught my attention.

By the time I looked over, Aria had rolled onto her side, her deadpan eyes locking directly onto me.

“...why are you still here…”

“Look at yourself– If anything, I’d feel way too guilty about leaving you alone after what happened.”

“Ugh… I guess you're right.”

She rolled onto her stomach again, laying still for a moment before continuing to roll to the very edge of the bed.

“I felt like crying earlier, but with you just sitting there, I don’t feel like it anymore.”

Was this supposed to be her version of cracking jokes..?

If so, that was a sign of her mood improving, right?

She dangled her legs to the side, held still for a few seconds, then swung the rest of her body off the bed.

“I’m thirsty. Want something to drink?”

“Uh– Sure.”

And just like that, she left the room and headed to the kitchen.

Hopefully this meant I had managed to accomplish what I came here for.

Or maybe she would’ve recovered like this on her own– With her demeanor, it honestly was too hard to tell. 

I returned the chair I was sitting in to where I originally found it.

“I haveee… Water… and some fruit juice thing I bought from the market– It’s supposedly from the west. Whaddaya want?”

“I guess I’ll try the ‘fruit juice thing’ then.”

She shrugged and poured a glass for herself as well before plopping down onto the faded spot of the couch. After setting my glass down on the table, she patted the cushion next to her with expectant eyes.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it… I should be the one thanking you for sticking around with me after I acted like that…”

“It’s the least I could do,” I replied before picking up the glass and taking a few seconds to taste this unknown drink.

“...This is just apple juice–”

“Huh… So I got scammed then…”

She took a sip before adding, “It’s not bad though.”

Neither of us spoke for some time after that.

“...You probably want to know what’s going on with me, right?”

A wave of relief washed over me now that she decided to pick up the topic herself.

I gave her a nod before quickly adding, “Only if you’re okay with sharing.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like I’m gonna start breaking down whenever I talk about my past.”

She leaned back, rested her head against the pillows, and stared up at the ceiling.

“What those people said about me back there in the training hall, it wasn’t just plain badmouthing. I used to be part of the Shadow Guild, but they kicked me out.”

“Did you have enemies there or something?”

“Not really. See, I’m the younger sister of the guildmaster there… or at least, I used to view her as a sister.”

She pointed at her spear that was currently being used to prop her bedroom door open.

“‘Basic.’ ‘Unable to keep up with the times.’ ‘A wannabe ordinary.’ That’s what they said when I stopped using my attribute and picked that up.”

“You’ve got skill and talent though– Why should any of that matter when you can–”

“Because we’re dealing with people. Accept what’s seen as the norm and reject what doesn’t fit in. Reject and keep rejecting so the ones in the norm can stay on top. That’s how we all are.”

I thought about my relationship with Seraphim. I couldn’t reveal my ties with the corruption for a reason, even if I could control that power to some extent and use it for good.

She was right.

“And talent… Don’t associate that word with my name.”

She opened her profile window and moved it so it faced me.

“Y’know, when we all first received these profiles, I didn’t have a single title to my name. I worked my ass off between then and now, and this stupid thing is all I have to show for it.”

“...What exactly is your title for anyways..?”

“Dunno and don’t care. It hasn’t done anything for me except be the target of everyone’s mockery. It’s defective too! ‘Million Strikes?’ Oh please, that’s barely the surface of how much I’ve worked to get here–”

She took a deep breath.

“Anyways, I was supposed to be my sister’s successor. I won our tournament too, but I guess I still wasn’t enough. ‘You can’t keep pretending to be something you’re not.’ Those were the last words she said to me… I’d like to see the look on her face once I join the Snow guild without the help of her damn attribute.”

“So… what happened back during our match then?”

“Hah. The spot that was supposed to be mine was given to some woman who didn’t even participate in the tournament. The natural talent with an image of overwhelming power that was deemed the best fit for the Shadow Guild’s image, Seika.”

“She’s part of the Shadow Guild?!”

“You know her, don’t you? Do you think someone like her would be chained to a position like that? I don’t even know what her motive was, but she left a couple days after joining. Guess she’s been running around doing whatever in Orientalis since then.”

So that’s why Aria suddenly snapped when I used one of Seika’s techniques.

“Sorry for–”

“Don’t apologize. Your fighting style borrows the techniques of others, doesn’t it? It’s not your fault you trained with her. It’s mine for losing my cool.”

She waited for me to acknowledge her point before continuing.

“Now, that just leaves what Kiel said at the end.”

“Do you wanna… take a break for a bit?”

Her breathing was definitely quicker than when this conversation started.

“I’m fine. It’s not a big deal… My father was blinded during a training mission. That’s why my sister is currently the guildmaster, and that’s what Kiel was poking at.”

“I’m… sorry to hear that.”

She sighed.

“Alright, that’s enough of bringing down the mood. We were busy chatting earlier, but this time, I’m gonna take you on a proper tour of the rest of the Central District.”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna take a quick break?”

“I get it. You’re worried about me after talking about all that, but don’t worry.” 

She placed one hand on her hip and pointed back at herself with the other.

“It takes a genius to be the best at being ordinary. That’s my motto.” 

Before I could reply, she was already heading for the door. 

“Like I said, if you’re being judged, you either gotta just take it, or prove them wrong. And I’m certainly not gonna just sit around and let everyone else tell me what I can and can’t be.”

For some reason, her cheesy motivational quote brought a smile to my face.

“I guess you’re right. So, what’re we doing then?”

“I thought you’d never ask. C’mon. Let’s get going.”