My name is…

Roko ducked under a swing from Murasaki and tried to attack in return only for Murasaki to step backwards. Murasaki waited briefly to see if Roko would attack but Roko just straightened his body again and stared at Murasaki with a bored and tired look. Knitting her brow in confused frustration, Murasaki moved to strike again, going in for a low jab only for Roko to dodge to the side and raise his sword. Murasaki nimbly swung her sword around in her hands to set the sword back along her arm and over her head. Roko's swing was met with the blade of Murasaki's sword, stopping the blade from landing a hit. Murasaki pushed her back against her sword, pushing Roko sword back until he was finally repelled as Murasaki stood fully up. Murasaki shifted her arm over her head, winding her arm back before launching a large swing at Roko's face. Roko leaned back, excessively, exaggeratedly so, almost putting his body perpendicular to his legs. In that position, Roko turned his hand around, shifting his sword to point away from Murasaki again before leaning in and swinging upward at Murasaki's head. Murasaki leaned back slightly, barely managing to get her head out of the range of Roko's sword, stumbling back to a safe distance. Roko simply took the time to straighten his body back up and look again at Murasaki with the same tired look.

"Roko's fighting style is different." Momo noted as she watched, intrigued.

"How so?" Gina asked.

"His movements are more...loopy." Momo said, struggling to find the words to describe it, "His movements are all over the place and his swings are much wider and looks like they little strength to them, letting the built up forces determine the strength and speed of his attack. It's...it's like he's barely trying to fight seriously. Like he's saving his energy for something other than this fight."

"What would that be?"

"I don't know."

"I've realized it as well." Murasaki scowled as she clashed blades with Roko, "This isn't how you fought yesterday. What happened?"

Roko just looked at her tiredly before he pushed her off of him and sighed, "I'm just tired."

"...Of what?"

"Just tired. My body still aches from all the training I did yesterday."

"Wait, you're just fatigued?!" Murasaki cried, stunned.

"I have more training after this too so I can't just go all out."

"From that little bit of training?!"

"Not everyone is built to train and fight all day!" Roko snapped, "I'm not like you guys!"

"That's what sensei said as well." Momo nodded.

"How sad." Murasaki sighed.

"I'm still fighting you aren't I?"

"Well if you're not taking it seriously, I don't see the point."

"Yeah, we better stop soon before I win."

Murasaki's eyes flared up at Roko's casual statement and she poised her sword.

"Wow, he really went there." Gina remarked as the fight resumed with heightened vigor, "I thought he didn't want to fight."

"I'm sure he doesn't want to fight." Momo mused, "But he also doesn't want to be pitied even more."

"My. How prideful."

"Pride?" Momo looked at Gina after her remark.

"Hm? Yes. What else would you call it?"

"Pride..." Momo mulled over the word curiously.

Thanks to Roko's taunt, Murasaki's attacks were coming fiercer and faster. Parrying and dodging was the most Roko could do to avoid getting hit. There was no way to launch a counterattack in the middle of her of her storm of attacks. Well, there was but that would mean he'd have to force one open. And since he got exposed as not trying, he felt kind of committed now. Part of him wanted to just stop fighting and let things go but the other part of him wanted the fight to conclude properly. Even if it meant he'd lose. Roko considered that latter part of him curiously. Why would he want to finish a fight he thought he'd lose? Was it just because he, like many humans, didn't like leaving things open ended? There was no risk if he lost. His life wasn't in danger. All that he would lose was a bit of pride. And he felt perfectly fine with that so long as the fight finished properly. But even if his loss was minimal, it was still measurable and in comparison, there was nothing for him to gain for fighting. Meaningless fights like this brought Roko no share of joy or pride, like when Roland challenged him when he first arrived in Memoria Auspice. So if there was nothing to gain and something to lose, as minuscule as that loss would be, what reason would there be to continue a fight that he had no hope of winning?

Murasaki clashed her sword with Roko's and pushed until she was glaring at him face to face in between their swords.

"I'm surprised you still have the guts to fight." She said, "Have you talked yourself into believing you can win or did you think of some sort of plan?"

"Planning would require effort." Roko replied, "And that's something I'm not sparing right now, if you'll remember."

"Ha. Still doing things halfheartedly are you?" Murasaki smirked, "Are you always like this?"

"Only when I'm doing something meaningless."

"You don't think my opinion of you matters?"

"I don't think winning your favor in a fight would even give you a proper view on what kind of person I am." Roko scoffed, "But in actuality, all you care about is whenever I'm worth somebody else's time."

"You don't understand how privileged you are do you?" Murasaki snarled, "Just landing into favor with a bunch of princesses and then being handed an apprenticeship with our country's most well renowned teachers." Murasaki deflected Roko's sword to the side as she prepared another slash at him, "Have you ever earned anything?!"

"I never got to choose where I appeared." Roko scowled as he dodged her attack, "And I've been in a few life and death fights myself. I've opened some wounds and cracked some bones. If you think I haven't earned anything, then it's only because you think you've worked harder than me."

"And have I not?" Murasaki growled, "I've trained day in and day out to earn the chance to learn under sensei! Ever since I was young, it was a dream of mine to learn how to fight! You wouldn't know a thing about it."

"I certainly don't know a thing about it and I certainly don't know a thing about you." Roko replied as he blocked an attack, "We don't know a thing about each other and yet we're still fighting. What have we learned since we fought? What has these swords taught us that our conversation here has not? What is meaningless in this situation?"

Murasaki's sword was repelled back as she stood there, considering his words in stunned silence. After a brief moment, she gave a small smile, "You're an interesting one, Roku."

"Roko."

"It's true. These brief verbal exchange was more insightful than our duel. True, a peaceful sort like you would prefer peaceful exchanges over a violent one like this. I feel I can respect you a little more.

But..."

Roko jumped back as Murasaki made another attack at him, "Don't pretend that these two exchanges we've been having are anywhere near comparable. You still refuse to give your all with your sword, hiding what is your true skill from even yourself. The only thing hold anything back in this 'conversation' is you. If this is meaningless then think for yourself why it is so."

Roko stumbled back as Murasaki's sword threw him back with great force.

"Besides." Murasaki continued, "Let's not pretend like you're a pacifist here. You're the one who chose to come here to learn how to fight. You're the question here. And I intend to find an answer."

"You're more perceptive than I thought." Roko admitted.

"A lot of people tend to think that a combat focused nation like this can't be intelligent as well. And while we're no Visindi, combat is just as much a mental exercise then you think."

"Maybe I should let Momo do the planning sometime then."

"Wait, have you been giving Lady Momo orders?!" Murasaki cried.

"Yeah?" Roko looked confused at Murasaki's sudden outburst, as if she was offended, "I mean, I've been making training plans for her for a while. She seems happy enough with them."

"YOU'RE making up Momo's training regime?!"

"...Should I have not said that?" Roko called over to Momo.

"I've got no problem with it." Momo gave a thumbs up, "Dunno what's up with her."

"Kh...are you perhaps...more competent than I first believed?" Murasaki bit her lip.

"Well that's rude." Roko sighed, "But are you finally starting to accept me?"

"Well, my respect for you has gone up." Murasaki admitted with a hint of embarrassment, "I still don't know you that much but I guess you're worthy of some consideration. Even if you seem a bit lazy."

"Hey." Roko's eyes narrowed, "If you say that, then it'll make me sound like Alec."

"Who?"

Before Murasaki could look up, Roko charged at Murasaki, throwing a solid slash that she could barely block in time.

"What the-"

Roko withdrew his sword and began to attack Murasaki relentlessly, keeping her unable to return an attack.

"He suddenly became all serious." Gina noted, "What changed this time?"

"I'm not sure myself." Momo shrugged, "But he's definitely fighting seriously now. This should be good."

"Are you sure your friend is right in the head?"

Roko's attacks weren't stopping but Murasaki was slowly starting to get over the shock of suddenly being plunged back into a fight and her attempt at a counterattack was going to happen soon. Roko jumped back and drew his sword back for a big slash. Murasaki noted his coming attempt for a big slash and readied her sword in front of her to block it. Roko swung his sword but took half a step back, deliberately missing his swing by inches from Murasaki's sword. As the momentum of his swing brought the sword back around his body, Roko threw his sword, catching it with his other hand. In the seconds that Murasaki became stunned by this stunt, Roko lunged forward for a stab at her exposed lower half. It was too low to deflect by just shifting her sword to the side but that wasn't what Murasaki did. All she had to do was shift her body backwards, sliding the side of her body that would have gotten hit back until Roko's sword could no longer touch her. In those fleeting seconds she also swung her sword to the side, shifting her stance to prepare an instantaneous counterattack, swinging her sword from below to catch Roko's low stance. With the sword stopping inches from his neck, the first true hit had been unmistakably made and the match was over.

Roko collapsed on the ground once Murasaki withdrew her sword and gasped for breath as he recovered from processing what happened.

"I knew I couldn't beat you." Roko sighed as he got up and sheathed his sword, "There never was a chance for me to beat a trained warrior."

"No, if I had hesitated for any time slower, I would have been hit by your feint." Murasaki breathed her own sigh of relief as she resheathed her sword as well, "That maneuver...it certainly wasn't something I expected or would have ever thought of. I see what sensei was talking about. You're a smart fighter but not a strong fighter. If you came here to become strong, you might not have to fight as smartly."

"If I wanted to build muscle, I could have done that at school." Roko scowled, "I came here to learn actual techniques and strategies."

"I see." Murasaki nodded, "I understand. Then, I would be proud to welcome you as a fellow student and friend."

Murasaki reached out her hand for a handshake. Roko looked at it for a moment before he reached out and shook her hand. Murasaki smiled at him warmly but Roko seemed less than accepting, "I didn't exactly need your approval but okay."

"W-Well, I suppose that's true." Murasaki jolted at Roko's response as Momo and Gina arrived to meet them, "But we had a good duel didn't we? That should be-"

Roko just stared at her.

"Right, meaningless. Uhh..."

"Don't let Roko get to you." Momo grinned as she clapped Murasaki in the shoulder, "He's just pouting."

"You have no proof that I would act any different if I won."

"Maybe, but that doesn't change anything." Momo giggled.

"You should be proud." Gina patted Roko in the back, "You did extremely well for someone from another country."

"We should duel again once you've completed your training." Murasaki said, "You'd probably much stronger at that point."

"Please no." Roko scowled, "I can only take so many pointless duels."

"That sounds like a you problem." Gina shrugged, "Maybe you should be grateful for the opportunity to practice your skills instead of just honing them in training."

"I'm not mad at not being able to put my knowledge into practice. It's the principle of the duel that ticks me off. Having to prove myself means forcing a comparison between us and I don't particularly like having to defend myself in matters of pride."

"I'm certain you have your own kind of pride though!" Momo jumped in excitedly, "Sensei might have said you don't have any as a fighter but I'm sure it still exists!"

"If I do, then tell me where it is so I can get rid of it."

"Pride is not so toxic an element that you should try and be rid of it completely, young man."

"Sensei!" Murasaki and Momo cried out and bowed as the old man walked leisurely up to them.

"Indeed, pride is what allows us to hold our head up high." The old man grinned, "You can't live your life by looking at the ground all the time, Roko."

"If there's something to see, I'll look up." Roko growled, "I don't need pride to do that."

"Honestly, there's a difference between humility and...whatever this is." the old man sighed, "Well, I'll be sure to make you work on that."

"I doubt you can do that."

"Hmm, can't I?" The old man smiled slyly, "I'm not a teacher of national renown because I let my student's hold onto their weaknesses, you know."

"It's not a weakness." Roko scowled, "And I don't see how you're going to make me proud of myself or something. Especially when I'm only here for a week."

"Well, I'll take that challenge nonetheless." The old man laughed, "In fact, I can see it now. A whole new title for you!"

"Say what?"

"Yes! From now on you shall be known as The Nameless Sword!"

"Oooooo!" Momo and Murasaki looked like they were bursting with excitement, "It's here! Sensei's title making!"

"Title making?"

"It's one of sensei's most well known acclaims." Gina smiled, "He can come up with a very stylish and marketable title for any aspiring fighters. Many people would be glad to receive a title from him."

"This is ridiculous." Roko scowled, "I don't need a title! And what's with that name anyway?! Nameless Sword? Are swords normally named here?!"

"Oh? Did you not know about named swords?" the old man looked amused, "Many named weapons exist in the world, young man. You could hardly be called a top class warrior without one."

"What sort of thing is that?" Roko frowned, "That sounds absurd. Momo, does your sword have a name?"

"Yeah." Momo replied as she held up her sword, "It's called Midarezakura."

"What?!"

"It means 'Disorderly Cherry Blossoms'."

"I'm not asking what it means, I'm just surprised this is actually a thing!"

"For the record, my sword is named 'Ano Toki No Sora' or 'The Sky From That Time'." Murasaki spoke up.

"What the hell?! Does this sword have a name?!" Roko cried as he brandished his sword.

"No, I just stole that from the armory."

"You just gave me a random sword?!"

"Hey, it worked didn't it?"

"If it upsets you that much, maybe sensei can name it for you." Gina smiled, "How about it sensei?"

"No, I gave Roko the title of Nameless Sword precisely because he would never use a named sword. Or if he did, it wouldn't matter to him." the old man nodded, "Indeed, it is a perfect name for him as someone whose talent is hidden by such a rough exterior. None would ever recognize him as anything great even though he is capable of great things. And no matter how many great things he would do, he would never accept any titles or positions. Yes, Nameless Sword is a perfect name for someone like Roko."

"I hate this." Roko sighed as he rubbed his eyes.