Chapter 22

Episode 22: Eliza Rowlett <2>

“Ah.”

“(…Eek.)”

As Shion walked down the hallway to head to his next class, he noticed a female student walking toward him stop in her tracks upon seeing him.

Shion, who vaguely recognized the girl, momentarily stopped as well but then tried to walk past her as if nothing had happened.

But then.

“Hey, wait a second. Why are you ignoring me?”

“Ugh.”

The girl, Eliza Rowlett, grabbed the back of his uniform and called out to him.

Suddenly pulled by his uniform, Shion lost his balance slightly but stopped walking.

“How about a greeting?”

“…Oh, hey.”

“(We’re not exactly on greeting terms, are we…?)” Shion thought to himself as he turned to face Eliza and replied, “Well, see ya,” before turning on his heel to leave.

“W-Wait a second!”

“Ugh.”

Eliza said in a flustered tone, grabbing his uniform again to stop him.

“…Do you need something from me?”

“Ah, no… It’s not like I have anything specific…”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be cold… But if you don’t need anything, I’m gonna go.”

“N-No… I’m the one who should apologize…”

Eliza said, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Shion, whose uniform she had been holding, gently freed himself and turned to walk away again.

However, after a short distance had opened between them,

“Ah, w-wait! I actually do have something to say!”

Eliza chased after Shion.

“(Oh no, oh no, oh no.)”

Shion, fearing she might challenge him to another duel, tried to come up with an excuse to end the conversation.

Yes, to him, Eliza Rowlett was currently his biggest concern.

If he got involved with her, there was always the risk of getting beaten up again or, worse, his lack of magical talent being exposed, ruining the “cool move” of hiding his true strength from their previous duel.

Especially the latter was a life-or-death matter for Shion.

Trying to avoid her as much as possible, Shion attempted to come up with a clever excuse, but when he turned around, Eliza’s expression was dead serious, her eyes filled with determination.

“…What is it?”

Sensing her seriousness, Shion responded to her call.

“Well… There’s something I want to ask you.”

“…If it’s something I can answer.”

Shion urged Eliza to ask her question.

“You told me something, right? ‘As long as you don’t give up, you haven’t lost.'”

Eliza took a deep breath and asked Shion with resolve.

Hearing this, Shion recalled their previous duel and thought, “(Oh yeah, I did say that.)”

“…Yeah, I did.”

“Then, do you think if I don’t give up, I can eventually beat anyone?”

“Of course.”

“…!”

There was no hesitation in his affirmation to Eliza’s question.

Despite it being just a single word, the weight behind it caused Eliza to show a slight tremor.

“Then, then… You know my strength, right? If I don’t give up…”

Though there was a moment of hesitation, Eliza continued with determination.

“Do you think even I could beat Yufia Queensroad, the top-ranked student in our grade?”

──Yufia Queensroad.

One of only three S-rank magical students in the academy’s history, ranked first in the second year at Crawford Magic Academy.

A genius magician recognized by everyone, the strongest magical student in the academy.

Common sense would dictate that Eliza, an A-rank at best, could never beat Yufia Queensroad, no matter what miracle occurred.

Surely, every magician in the world would agree.

Eliza herself knew this well.

But deep down, she had hoped that this boy in front of her would say she could win.

Just like during their previous duel, Eliza had asked him the question, hoping to be inspired by his words.

If anyone could make her feel that unyielding spirit, it was him.

But the boy in front of her knew Eliza’s strength.

As someone of his caliber, he must understand the gap between her and Yufia Queensroad better than anyone, a gap that no amount of effort could bridge.

Perhaps even he would say, “That’s just impossible.”

The moment she imagined that, Eliza felt her instincts rejecting the idea of hearing that answer.

Or perhaps, she was trying to accept the fact that she could never reach Yufia Queensroad.

If even this boy, who had so strongly declared, “As long as you don’t give up, you haven’t lost,” said it was impossible, maybe she could finally give up.

──As Eliza trembled slightly, Shion immediately responded to her question.

“What are you talking about?”

“…!”

His words and expression seemed to say, “Don’t ask the obvious.”

“(──I knew it, it’s just too reckless…)” Eliza thought painfully.

“Right… Forget I said anything──”

Eliza tried to say with a trembling voice, but Shion’s next words cut her off.

“That’s obvious.”

“…Huh?”

“No matter who the opponent is, if you keep fighting, you’ll eventually win. It’s only natural.”

He declared confidently.

“Huh…?”

“Hm? Did I say something weird?”

Shion looked puzzled at Eliza, who was wide-eyed. Seeing her serious expression, Shion felt he had to answer her honestly. That’s why he answered with what he thought was obvious, and Eliza’s surprised reaction genuinely confused him.

“No, it’s not that it’s weird…”

──That logic is completely absurd! No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t make sense! Eliza thought.

But the boy in front of her was dead serious, not joking at all, and it was painfully clear to Eliza that he truly believed what he was saying.

In fact, wasn’t she the one who had hoped for that answer in the first place? Eliza held back the urge to retort at Shion.

Somehow, she felt that this boy would never stop, no matter what obstacles stood in his way.

Even though she might be overestimating him after just one duel, she couldn’t help but feel that way.

“Well… I understand. Thank you for answering.”

“Yeah.”

“Then, I have one more question.”

Eliza continued.

“What is it?”

“If you had a dream, and you knew it was absolutely impossible, would you still not give up?”

“Yeah, of course. Something being absolutely impossible isn’t a reason to give up on a dream.”

Shion answered without hesitation.

“…I see.”

As if she had expected that answer, Eliza responded and pressed on.

“But chasing a dream you know is impossible… Don’t you think it’s ridiculous, pitiful, and foolish? …You’ll definitely keep being mocked by everyone around you.”

As she said this, Eliza felt her chest tighten, overlapping with her current situation.

“Chasing your dream has nothing to do with what others think.”

Shion answered nonchalantly to Eliza, who wore a pained expression.

“If not chasing impossible dreams makes someone smart, then──I’d rather be a fool.”

“───!!”

Shion looked at Eliza with unwavering eyes.

“Even if I struggle desperately, even if people laugh at me──I think a fool chasing their dream is way cooler than those who mock them.”

“…!”

Hearing this, Eliza was momentarily speechless.

“…I see. I understand.”

After a few seconds, she simply said that and turned her back to Shion.

Seeing this, Shion thought she was done and said, “Well then,” before starting to leave.

But right after.

“Absolutely…!!”

Eliza’s words made Shion stop.

When Shion turned around, Eliza was still facing away.

In that position, Eliza continued.

“Someday, I will absolutely beat Yufia Queensroad…!!”

After saying that, she turned to face Shion and added,

“And if I can beat her, I’ll definitely settle things with you too…!!”

With her eyes and nose red, Eliza pointed her finger at Shion and declared, “Remember that!!”

“…Yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”

“Ugh, your confidence is so annoying…”

Sighing, Eliza gave Shion a slightly serious look.

“Hey, can I ask one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“…Just who are you, really?”

“…You can tell by looking at this uniform, right?”

With that, he gave a somewhat smug smile.

“I’m just a C-rank magical student. …See ya.”

With that, Shion turned his back to Eliza, waving his hand lightly as he walked away.

“…Ugh, what an annoying guy.”

As she watched his retreating figure, a strong determination welled up inside Eliza.

…Someday, I will definitely beat Yufia Queensroad.

No matter how many times I’m knocked down, no matter how much the gap in strength is shown, no matter how hopeless the situation, I’ll never give up, never stop.

──I’ll never give up.

As Shion’s figure completely disappeared, Eliza wiped her eyes with her uniform sleeve.

◆

Several weeks later, Class 2-A was once again holding mock battles in class.

Eliza Rowlett’s opponent, as before, was Yufia Queensroad.

Eliza had been tirelessly honing her magic over the past few weeks, but the result was the same as before: a crushing defeat for Eliza.

Just like in the previous mock battle, all of Eliza’s full-powered magic was scattered by Yufia’s “Brutal Azure Water Dragon,” a water-based magic shaped like a dragon, and in the end, Eliza herself was swallowed by the magic and slammed into the field’s barrier.

As Eliza collapsed to the ground, Yufia completely dropped her combat stance and simply stared at Eliza with a cold expression.

But Eliza,

“It’s not over yet…!! It’s not over…!!”

She stood up and deployed a magic circle toward Yufia. But,

“Eliza, it’s over. You’ve lost. Please yield the field to the next pair.”

Just like before, the supervising teacher stepped in to stop the match.

Eliza glared back at the teacher, who thought, “(…Again?)” but,

“…Please, teacher. Let me continue.”

“…!”

Eliza’s tone was different this time.

Unlike her previous tantrums, her eyes were filled with a seriousness the teacher had never seen before. The teacher was slightly taken aback but spoke to Eliza again.

“…I’m sorry, but I can’t allow it. It’s not that I’m being mean. I’m stopping it because I think it’s dangerous for you to continue…”

“Please, teacher, just let me continue…!!”

“…!”

As the teacher tried to reason with her, Eliza pleaded, cutting him off.

Outside the field, female classmates could be seen whispering among themselves, but Eliza paid no attention.

All that was in Eliza’s mind was the strong will to not give up, to continue the match.

That unwavering determination was fully conveyed to the teacher.

“…I understand your seriousness. But it’s still too dangerous…”

Even so, as the supervising teacher, his judgment to stop the match remained unchanged.

“I also ask you, teacher.”

“Huh, Y-Yufia?!”

“!!”

Both the teacher and Eliza were shocked by the student who had stepped between them.

It was Yufia Queensroad, who had somehow appeared beside them without them noticing.

Ignoring their reactions, Yufia continued.

“Please, let the match continue.”

“B-But, Yufia, even if you ask, considering safety, I still can’t allow…”

“It’s fine. No matter what happens, I’ll ensure her safety.”

“…!”

Faced with Yufia’s usual expressionless request to continue the match, the teacher still hesitated but reconsidered his decision after Yufia’s final declaration.

If Yufia Queensroad, an S-rank magical student, said it was safe, then whether she held back or stopped her magic before it hit, Eliza’s safety would almost certainly be guaranteed.

“If Yufia says so, then fine. I’ll allow the match to continue. But I’ll be in the field to supervise, and if it looks dangerous, I’ll step in.”

With that condition, the teacher reluctantly agreed and headed to the center of the field to set up a barrier for supervision.

“Yufia, why…?”

After the teacher left, Eliza, still unable to hide her surprise, asked Yufia.

Yufia Queensroad was always expressionless and avoided interacting with anyone. Even after over a year since enrollment, no one had heard her voice outside of class.

And even if Eliza had some reason, Yufia had no benefit in continuing the mock battle.

So it was no wonder Eliza couldn’t believe Yufia’s actions.

Despite similar situations in the past, why only this time? Eliza’s mind was filled with questions.

To Eliza’s question, Yufia answered.

“──Your eyes right now resemble someone I respect the most in this world.”

“…?”

Yufia’s expression was as emotionless as ever, but Eliza thought she looked somewhat happy.

After that, “I don’t really get it, but thanks anyway. I won’t hold back, so don’t blame me,” Eliza said, psyching herself up to continue the match, but the result was still a crushing defeat for Eliza.

That day, they didn’t continue the match any further, but from the next class onward, Eliza continued to face Yufia in battles.

No matter how many times Eliza Rowlett was beaten down by Yufia Queensroad, no matter how much the gap in talent was shown, she never gave up.

No matter how pathetic, how miserable, or how much she was laughed at by others.

She would never break again, carrying the words of a certain boy in her heart as she continued to challenge──.