After a moment of silence, Leon, who had been looking at Mei with an apologetic expression, sighed and bowed his head to her in apology.
“Um, I’m sorry. I don’t really like people who use talent as an excuse. I have a bad memory of people who say such things without putting in enough effort. Well, if a student like you is saying that, it means you must be desperate. Besides, if that’s the reason, there’s no reason for me not to help.”
“…Thank you.”
“…You can skip the thanks. I did something wrong too, so don’t worry, I will definitely help you.”
Leon’s gaze shifted to Mei, and he asked, “You’re definitely someone who can manipulate air, right? Focused on close combat?”
“Ah, yes. I can use the wind for acceleration, solidify air to create barriers… well, I can manipulate the air currents to some extent, but I’m a bit clumsy with that.”
“Hm… I think I need to see you fight for real first, so how about you attack me a bit?”
After a few strikes during the sparring, Leon nodded and said, “…Considering just the ability itself, it’s possible to fight from a distance, but it would be better to focus on the speed you’re confident in for now. You’ve been training that aspect regularly, right?”
“…Yes, but I feel like I’ve hit a plateau. It feels like I can hardly get any faster.”
“Haha, I know that feeling well. I was in that position myself a while ago. For now, I think I have some advice to give. I’m not sure, but I believe you can get faster.”
“…! Really?”
“Of course. But there’s one thing you need to do before we train…”
With a finger pointing at Mei, Leon said, “Take that off.”
“…The clothes?”
As Mei shot him a look, indicating her discomfort with his request, Leon chuckled, then tapped his temple and said,
“No, I’m talking about your glasses. They’re magical tools for eye protection, right? It’s not that common for someone with abilities to need glasses.”
“…They are magical tools, but without them…”
Mei held her glasses with a worried expression. He wanted her to train without eye protection? Normally, she would use her ability to create a barrier around her eyes while running if she didn’t have any protective gear. But that would distract her from focusing on her speed, causing her to slow down. The glasses had always helped her maintain her speed, making her look at Leon doubtfully.
Seeing that, Leon smiled slightly and pointed at himself, saying, “Look, have you ever seen me wearing anything on my eyes as one of the fastest heroes? If you focus solely on training your abilities, your body will naturally adapt to match your skills. Actually, having a psychological defense mechanism like that generally creates unconscious limitations on your speed, so anything above a certain level can actually be a hindrance.”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course, that certain level is above being an ordinary hero, so it’s not a widely accepted thought. Anyway, your goal should be at least that level, right?”
Scarlet had said she wanted to become strong enough to fight a witch. So, Leon also needed to be strong enough not to hinder her.
Thus, Mei nodded slowly at Leon’s question.
Then Leon, with a serious expression, said, “Then trust me… no, trust yourself for the effort you’ve put in so far and take them off. I’m sure you can do it.”
“Trust myself…”
Murmuring that, Mei finally threw away the glasses she had always worn.
Leon nodded at her and said, “There are just two things to remember. Keep your eyes on your goal and take just one more step when you feel like you’ve hit your limit. Keep that in mind.”
Saying that, Leon tossed aside the spear he was holding and addressed Mei.
“Normally, this is something you imagine, but since it’s your first time, I’ll help you. From now on, I’m going to run just slightly faster than you. If you can catch me, thinking of yourself as running one step ahead, then you’ve succeeded. Got it?”
When Mei nodded, Leon grinned and said, “Then, let’s start-!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Mei saw Leon’s speed and shouted inwardly, ‘Slightly’? Where the heck is this “slightly” they’re talking about?
However, there was no time to complain, and Mei stomped the ground with all her might.
Acceleration, more acceleration.
It felt like she might have already surpassed her usual top speed.
Yet, she bit her lip and ran to catch up with Leon.
Still, the distance didn’t close.
The faster she ran, the more Leon slightly outran her.
No, it wasn’t Leon.
She was running one step ahead, so no matter how fast she ran, it was a parallel line that maintained its distance.
The faster she went, the more her vision became blurry.
She felt pain slowly creeping into her eyes.
Her body was now crying out that it was reaching its limit.
It was dangerous to go any faster.
Her eyes wouldn’t survive this.
But if she dispersed her abilities to protect her eyes, she would surely fall behind.
She didn’t want that, yet it became increasingly hard to ignore the pain in her eyes, and just as her eyelids began to close instinctively to protect her eyes…
– Keep your eyes on your goal.
Recalling Leon’s voice, Mei opened her eyes wide.
In her bloodshot eyes, she could see her own back running just one step ahead.
Her target, her aim.
Reflecting on that for a moment, she realized that was not her true goal.
Her true goal was running far ahead of that.
Ten steps? A hundred steps?
Or maybe even further beyond that.
The girl she admired, the one she wanted to catch up to, was too far from her current self.
She had no idea how fast she would have to run to catch up.
But she wouldn’t stop.
Just like the girl she admired showed during their training.
No matter how many trials and errors, until she reached her desired point.
As she focused on that distant target, she felt her blurry vision brightening, revealing the back of herself running just one step ahead.
Ah, compared to what she was aiming for, this was so close.
Looking back, it was nothing at all.
The fear of surpassing her limits, the one step ahead of her.
What was truly scary was not that, nor really that distant.
Without hesitation, Mei took a step beyond her own limits.
And in that moment,
The girl became the wind.
“…Huh?”
Realizing it, Mei, who had been resting her hand on Leon’s back with a dazed expression, looked at Leon.
And Leon looked at her with a very proud face and opened his mouth.
“…Talent is a really cruel word. Usually, people compare talent to flowers, only searching for those that bloom early. That’s why late-blooming flowers often wilt away without realizing they have the potential to blossom. Late-blooming flowers need constant watering and fertilizing until they bloom. It’s not something just anyone can do.”
Having been a late-blooming flower himself in the past, Leon knew how difficult it was to blossom.
“In that sense, you deserve respect. Even if you’re told the method, taking that one step forward is impossible without relentless effort up to now. And usually, that first step is the hardest.”
“…Ah.”
That’s why, he gazed sincerely and with warmth at the newly blossoming bud still dazed.
“From there on, if you take one step at a time, you can go anywhere. So put in more effort from now on. You’ve got talent, after all.”
With those warm words recognizing the efforts she had built up alone, Mei felt something flowing down her cheeks in surprise and said,
“…Huh? Why is this… eep…?
As the long winter passed and spring finally arrived, the remnants of melted snow gently blessed the late-blooming buds.
Surely, the beautiful flowers would bloom, given the time and care put into watering and fertilizing.
Leon smiled as he felt the lingering aura of the wind created by the girl.
The late spring was warm, as the spring breeze began to blow in May.
And realizing what the wind the girl had created had caused, Leon couldn’t help but chuckle.
“…Haha, this is quite something. It seems like everyone’s caught fire.”
The wind indeed fuels the flames.
Leon shouted loudly as he witnessed the flames flickering in the dozens of gazes directed at him.
“Alright, I’m in a good mood today! I’ll take care of all of you one by one, so line up!”
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