Ralina-chan and I arrived at the training grounds.
As usual, it was just the straw-bale-shaped target for archery and nothing else….except, today was different.
「Ah, it’s still here」
「So it ‘was’ you, Ralina-chan. When did you make this?」
「Yesterday」
The training ground, normally barren, was now dotted with earthen walls, each about the size of a tatami mat.
「How long do these usually last?」
「Depends on the weather, but they usually crumble after about a day」
「Huh, I see」
I walked up to one of the walls and touched it with my hand.
It didn’t feel very sturdy at all. To call it a “wall” was generous, it was more like a fragile lump of dirt, ready to collapse at the slightest push.
Yesterday it must have been stronger and more solid. These walls were the result of Ralina-chan’s earth magic, specifically, the level 1 skill art ‘Earth Wall’.
「…………」
「What’s wrong?」
「Hm? Oh, nothing…」
The truth was, I wanted to be able to use magic like this too.
Meanwhile, the only “magic” I could use was my cheap “100-yen lighter imitation,” and even then, only when my parents were nearby…
Not that I’d ever complain about that to Ralina-chan.
「I was just thinking, it’s amazing that they’re still standing after a whole day. You really are amazing, Ralina-chan」
「Really? Ehehe, thank you, onii-chan」
And she ‘was’ amazing. Not just that the wall lasted a whole day, but the fact she could make walls sprout out of bare ground in the first place.
I’d seen her use ‘Earth Wall’ before, the way the wall would suddenly rise up from the flat earth was incredible. No, it was beyond incredible. It was unnatural. Truly magic, in every sense. Where did all that dirt even come from…?
「Onii-chan?」
「Ah, yeah. It’s nothing」
Without realizing it, I had been absentmindedly stroking the dirt wall.
「Well then, I’m going to start practicing with my bow」
「Mm. I’ll be watching you, onii-chan」
「…Huh?」
Watching?
「Mm. Do you want to practice archery together? Like taking turns shooting?」
「No, that’s okay. I’ll be practicing earth magic today. I’ll watch you for a while first, then I’ll start my own practice」
「I see…」
I thought she might like to shoot a few arrows, but apparently today was dedicated to earth magic.
Though I couldn’t help but wonder, what did she mean by “watching me for a while first”…?
「Okay then, I’ll get started」
「Do your best, onii-chan」
「Thanks」
I began preparing my bow, all the while feeling Ralina-chan’s unblinking gaze on me. Her stare was… pretty distracting.
Well, no helping it. Focus. I need to concentrate…
…Focus? Huh? Now that I think about it, is focusing really the right thing?
Could it be that focusing only on the bow is actually a bad idea?
Right before my first battle, I finally realized it. What I’m about to do isn’t target practice, it’s fighting monsters.
In kyudo* or archery, all you need to do is focus on hitting the target. But in a fight with monsters?
TN: Kyudo is more like a ceremonial archery or the art of archery. You’re not fighting with anyone and will just focus on hitting the target.
It’s not guaranteed there will only be one. While I’m concentrating on a single monster, another could suddenly attack from the side. That’s more than possible.
In kyudo, the chance of something like 「just as you release your arrow, someone tackles you from the side」 never happens.
But in a monster battle, it absolutely can.
――Could it be that Ralina-chan is trying to make me realize that?
「……? What’s wrong, Onii-chan?」
「Ah, no, it’s nothing?」
Probably just my imagination.
But still, maybe it really is important to shoot while paying attention to my surroundings.
Alright, let’s try it. I’ll shoot while keeping Ralina-chan in mind. It feels like a new kind of training. Seems harder than usual though…
And so, I readied my bow while keeping Ralina-chan in mind, nocked an arrow while keeping Ralina-chan in mind, drew the string while keeping Ralina-chan in mind――
「Yah」
「…………」
「Yah」
「…………」
「『Paralyze Arrow』」
「…………」
「『Paralyze Arrow』」
「…………」
…Distracting. Ralina-chan keeps staring at me in silence, probably so she doesn’t interrupt. Which only makes her even more distracting.
But wait, I’m supposed to shoot while paying attention to her, so being distracted should be fine… right?
I’m clearly not focusing properly, but does this still count as achieving the goal of 『not focusing only on the target』?
I don’t know. I really don’t know anymore…
◇
After firing about fifty arrows, I took a break. It felt like I was twice as tired as usual.
Ralina-chan had been watching me for a while, but eventually moved on to her own practice. She must have been satisfied with 『seeing me for a bit』.
Now she was a little distance away, practicing her 『Earth Magic』. From the looks of it, today wasn’t about mass-producing 『Earth Walls』.
「Ah, thanks for your hard work, onii-chan」
「Thanks, Ralina-chan」
When I walked over, she noticed me and greeted me with words of encouragement.
Ralina-chan was sitting on the ground, digging holes and making little hills with 『Earth Magic』.
From here, she really just looked like a little girl playing in a sandbox.
Oh? Is she making something else too?
「Look, see? Doesn’t it kind of look like onii-chan?」
「Hm? …Yeah, I guess so?」
Ralina-chan showed me a small bowl she had shaped out of dirt.
…What did she mean by that? I agreed without thinking, but in what way am I like this bowl?
Could it be she’s saying something like 『Onii-chan has a small capacity』? No way… right?
「But if it were onii-chan, you’d probably make it even better, huh?」
「No, no, I think yours is already really well made, Ralina-chan」
「Really? Thank you, onii-chan. I actually wanted to make a doll out of dirt too, like you, but it’s too hard」
Ah, I see. She thought making things so seriously looked like me.
So in Ralina-chan’s mind, I’m the guy who makes tableware and dolls out of clay…
「I bet you’ll be able to make dolls out of dirt soon, Ralina-chan. This dish came out great too」
「Thank you, onii-chan」
「But wow, you made a lot of stuff. This one’s a plate, and that’s a cup, right?」
「…………」
「Ralina-chan?」
Suddenly, she went quiet, just staring at the little dishes she had made.
「Ah, sorry. They just reminded me of when we used to pretend play together, onii-chan」
「Pretend play…」
「If we had this many dishes back then, it would have been even more fun, don’t you think?」
「Yeah, back then it was just mud dumplings and leaves」
Pretend play. Playing house, huh…
W-wait, could it be… is Ralina-chan hinting at something?
「Th-then, if you’d like, maybe we could…」
「But we’re really too old to be playing house now, right?」
「Yeah… maybe you’re right…」
So she wasn’t hinting. I got completely led on by Ralina-chan’s words and gestures. Played for a fool…
Well, I doubt she meant it like that, but still.
I see. So, we’re too old for that now… That’s how Ralina-chan feels, huh.
Somehow it felt like she had grown up while I wasn’t looking, and that made me feel a little lonely…
Still, this is a problem. If that’s how it is, then we really can’t pretend play anymore, can we?
Maybe it’s because I’ve been thinking about it so much, but now, regardless of leveling up or training, I kind of just want to pretend play again, even just a little, after all this time…
next chapter: Froggy Jump
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