After a moment of silence, Leon, who had been looking at Mei with an apologetic expression, sighed and lowered his head to apologize to her.
“Uh, I’m sorry. I don’t really like people who use talent as an excuse. I have bad memories of those who say such things without putting in enough effort. But, if a student like you is saying that, it means you care deeply about it. And considering that reason, I shouldn’t have any reason not to help.”
“…Thank you.”
“Enough with the thanks. I’ve done something wrong, so I’ll definitely help you, so don’t worry.”
Leon, who was looking at Mei, asked while pointing at her.
“You’re definitely someone who can manipulate air, right? Focusing on close combat?”
“Ah, yes. I can accelerate using the wind, create a shield by solidifying the air… Or I can manipulate the flow of the atmosphere a little, but I’m a bit clumsy with that.”
“Hmm… First, I need to see you fight, so can you attack me for a moment?”
After enduring a few of Mei’s attacks during the sparring session, Leon nodded and said.
“…Judging by your ability alone, it’s possible to fight from a distance, but honestly, it would be better to focus on the speed you are confident in right now. You’ve been training in that area regularly, right?”
“…Yes, I have, but I feel like I’ve stagnated for some time. It’s almost like I can’t seem to get any faster.”
“Haha, I know that feeling well. I went through something similar in the past. For now, I think I can give you some advice. Even if I can’t guarantee it, I believe you can get faster.”
“…! Really?”
“Of course. But before we train, there’s something we need to do first…”
Leon pointed at Mei with his finger.
“Take that off.”
“…The clothes?”
Mei, looking at Leon with a horrified face as she pointed at her chest, made him chuckle as he tapped his temple lightly.
“No, I mean your glasses. That’s a magical tool for protecting your eyes, right? As a superpower user, it’s rare to have bad eyesight and need glasses.”
“…It is indeed a magical tool, but if I don’t wear it…”
Mei clutched her glasses anxiously.
You want me to train without any protection for my already sensitive eyes? Normally, without protective gear, I would create a barrier with my abilities to protect my eyes while running.
But doing that would distract me and slow me down, which is why these glasses have been a helpful tool for maintaining my speed, causing Mei to look at Leon skeptically.
Then, Leon smiled slightly and pointed to his own eyes.
“See? As one of the fastest among heroes, have you ever seen me wearing anything? If you train hard to develop your abilities, your body naturally adapts to them. In fact, such psychological defense mechanisms, like protective gear, end up creating unconscious limits on your own speed, so above a certain level, they can hinder you.”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course, that ‘certain level’ is above most heroes, so it’s not widely talked about. Nonetheless, what you’re aiming for should at least be at that level, right?”
Scarlet expressed a wish to become strong enough to fight against witches.
Thus, Leon needed to become strong enough not to hinder her.
So, Mei nodded slowly in response to Leon’s question.
Leon then spoke with a serious expression.
“If that’s the case, trust me… No, believe in yourself, who has been striving until now, and take it off. I’m sure you can do it.”
“Believe in myself…”
Mei murmured and then, with a resolute expression, threw away her glasses that she always wore.
Seeing this, Leon nodded at her.
“Remember two things: Keep your eyes directly on your goal, and when you think you’ve reached your limit, take just one step further. Keep this in mind.”
With that, Leon threw aside the spear he had been holding and addressed Mei.
“Normally, it’s something done in imagination, but since this is your first time, I’ll help you. From now on, I’ll run just a bit faster than your speed. If you can catch me, imagining yourself as one step ahead of me, then you’ll succeed. Got it?”
When Mei nodded, Leon grinned widely.
“Then, let’s start-!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Mei gasped at Leon’s speed.
‘Just a bit’ faster? How can this be considered a bit!?
However, with no time to complain, Mei pushed off the ground with all her might.
Acceleration, then more acceleration.
She was running at a speed that might already surpass her usual maximum speed.
Yet, she gritted her teeth and ran to catch up with Leon.
Still, the distance didn’t close.
The faster she ran, the slightly faster Leon was.
No, it wasn’t Leon.
Since she was imagining herself running one step ahead, no matter how hard she ran, it felt like they were maintaining parallel lines.
As her speed increased, she noticed her vision becoming hazy.
Gradually, her once healthy eyes began to sting with pain.
Her body was now starting to scream that it was hitting its limit.
Going any faster would be dangerous.
Her eyes wouldn’t survive.
But if she dispersed her abilities to protect her eyes, she would inevitably fall behind.
That was something she didn’t want to happen, and as her painful throbbing eyes began to overcome her, her eyelids instinctively began to close in an effort to protect them.
– Keep your eyes directly on your goal.
Recalling Leon’s voice, Mei opened her eyes wide.
In her bloodshot eyes filled with red veins, she saw the back of herself running one step ahead.
The goal, my goal.
As she repeated those words in her mind, Mei soon realized that it wasn’t her goal.
Her goal was running far ahead of that.
Ten steps? A hundred steps?
Or perhaps even further away.
The girl she had idolized, the one she aimed to catch up with, was currently so far removed from who she was.
She had no idea how fast she would need to run to catch up.
But she wouldn’t stop.
Just like the girl she admired had shown during training.
No matter how many trials and errors it took, until she reached her desired destination.
As she focused on that distant goal, her blurred vision started to clear, revealing the back of her running self just a step ahead.
Ah, how close this was compared to what I’m aiming for.
Upon reconsideration, it was nothing.
The fear of surpassing her limits, the self that was just a step ahead.
What she was truly afraid of wasn’t that, and it wasn’t that distant, either.
Without hesitation, Mei took that one step beyond her limits.
And at that moment,
The girl became the wind.
“…Huh?”
Realizing what had happened, Mei, who had been touching Leon’s back, looked at him with a dazed expression.
Leon, in turn, looked at Mei with a proud smile and spoke.
“…Talent is a truly cruel word. People often liken talent to a flower; they only seek out those that bloom early. So most late-blooming flowers don’t even realize they can bloom and end up withering away. A late-blooming flower won’t bloom unless it’s given constant water and fertilizer until it blooms. Not everyone can do that.”
Since Leon himself had also been a rather late-blooming flower, he understood how difficult it was for such flowers to bloom.
“In that sense, you deserve respect. Even if I tell you the methods, taking that first step all at once is impossible without the relentless effort you’ve put in until now. And usually, that first step is the hardest part.”
“…Ah.”
Thus, he spoke sincerely to the newly blossomed bud with a pleasantly surprised expression.
“That’s where it starts. Once you stack those steps, you can go anywhere. So keep pushing forward. You have talent.”
Feeling the warmth in the words from someone she respected, Mei felt something flowing down her cheeks and, panicked, said,
“…Huh? Why is this… Ehh…?”
The traces of melted snow, welcoming spring after a long winter, soaked the late-blooming flower buds like a blessing.
Surely, after such a long period of care with water and fertilizer, they would bloom into beautiful flowers.
Leon smiled as he savored the lingering breeze that the girl created.
The late spring, the spring breeze beginning to blow in May, was warm.
And Leon belatedly realized the situation caused by the wind created by the girl, letting out a hearty laugh.
“…Haha, it seems everyone is really fired up.”
The wind tends to fuel the flames.
Leon witnessed the flames flickering in the numerous pairs of eyes staring at him and shouted loudly.
“Alright, I’m feeling good today! I’ll take you all on one by one, so line up!”
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