Sparking Impact

Roko woke up in the bed of some sort of hospital. This was the second time in recent memory he was surprised he was still alive. From the light coming through a window he could not turn to look, he guessed it was dawn but he dared not think it was the same dawn that was coming when they were fighting the tree. Roko tried his best to move his head but he could only make small twitches to any side. His body was numb, making it hard for him to move or feel anything. But if he tried really hard to twitch his fingers, he could at least tell that they had been covered in a cast. He could not move any part of his body to check so all he could do is wait for someone to come help him. Thankfully the sound of the door opening came quite soon and a familiar figure walked up next to his bed.

"Roko!" Momo grinned as she placed a basket of fruits down next to him, "You're awake!"

"Everything's numb." Roko moaned, "I can't move my body."

"That's what happens when you take a heightened bolt for that long." Momo giggled, "I tried to hold back a smidge but you were still in terrible shape afterwards. You were twitching uncontrollably even while you were unconscious. It took several hours to remove all the static and get your hair to calm down again. The good news is all that lightni-electricity actually closed your stomach wound. We did a little touch up and it should heal up nicely on its own. The worst part was your hands. They almost fused with the weapons after the massive amount of heat that ran through your body. We had to rush a master surgeon from a few towns over to remove them. That was a few days ago though. Your hands should be fine now."

"A few days? How long has it been?"

"About three days since we fought the tree."

"Then we're horribly overdue for our return to school."

"That's your first thought?" Momo laughed as she helped Roko sit up in his bed, "We can go back as soon as you're healed. Which isn't too far along. We've been using as much medicine as we could but we can only do so much. From what I hear, you should be up and about tomorrow. You just have to undergo some massage therapy."

"I see." Roko said, "...Then just to make sure...the tree...it's gone now right?"

"Yep." Momo said as she took an apple and began to peel it, "Disintegrated entirely. Nothing left to extract or quarantine. All we have to do is patch up the holes the roots made. Everything worked out better than expected."

"That's a relief." Roko sighed.

"Honestly, more of the castle is still usable than we expected. We just have to mind the holes everywhere." Momo said, "Which is good for the party that we're having tomorrow."

"You're throwing a party?" Roko frowned.

"Of course we are! We just made it through a very dire event. The nobles are in a frenzy setting everything up."

"I would think they would be in a frenzy trying to fix the castle."

"It'll be fine. We have a celebration hall that only needs a little bit of touch up. Cooks have been stockpiling the best ingredients we could find and the decoration's being headed by Midora who is determined to make up for bringing the tree here in the first place."

"I feel sorry for her."

"Midora's not one to let that get her down too much." Momo said as she offered a peeled apple to Roko, "She's been looking forward to personally thanking you at the party."

"You want me to go?"

"Of course. You were essential to the destruction of the tree. Without you, we wouldn't have escaped getting captured."

"Without my idea, you wouldn't have tried cutting it down in the first place." Roko glanced meaningfully at his hand casts.

"We were going to try and cut it down regardless. Not a whole lot of ways to rout a tree otherwise." Momo said as she pushed the apple in front of Roko's face, "By the way, you still need to tell me how you managed to save me."

"It's not an interesting story." Roko turned his face away, "I've forgotten the details already."

"I see." Momo said as she bit into the apple, "Then I guess we'll have to use sensei's more exaggerated rendition."

"..."

"Is it true that you jumped down from the sixth floor and stabbed your daggers into the side of the tree to stop your fall?"

"I rode a wire down and stuck to the side of the tree with a handaxe."

"And then you went down the tree by slamming your axe over and over again into the side of the tree as you dropped down?"

"I guess you could say that. It wasn't so much me slamming my axe as I fell so much as I used it to pivot downwards repeatedly."

"And then you became the personification of death itself as you swung your scythe and destroyed the wall blocking us in a single swing!"

"It was certainly not in a single swing and it wasn't even the scythe that did it!" Roko cried, "And I wasn't the personification of anything other than myself! That old man doesn't know what the hell he's talking about!"

"Is that right? I'll have to get more details from you later." Momo giggled as she finished eating her apple, "Well, I'll let you finish recovering. I have some own preparations to make of my own. I'll see you at the party."

Momo picked up her fruit basket and stood up. Now that he was propped up Roko could look down and see Momo's legs which were covered in casts of her own.

"Your legs..."

"Oh these?" Momo said as she looked down at her own legs, "I just messed up my prote-defend spell at the end a bit. I'm mostly recovered as well so don't worry about it."

"..."

"D-Don't worry about it! I'll see you!" Momo said as breezily as she could before quickly rushing out of the hospital.

The night of the party, Roko was free of any casts though his massage therapy left him quite sore. Still he was able to move his arms and legs though he couldn't stand without a crutch so he was attending with one very noticeable asset with him. The nobles around him huddled together in excited groups, speaking loudly and glancing obviously at Roko who stood there, leaning on his crutch with a mini sandwich in his hand and trying not to notice all the talk around him.

"You enjoying yourself?" Momo asked as she walked over in a practical kimono with a plate of cookies in her hand, "You look kinda sour but you always look kinda sour."

"I'll be fine." Roko scowled as he finished off his sandwich. "So long as none of them come and talk to me."

"Would it be too much to ask you to be a little more sociable?"

"I'm not a social person."

"Many talented people aren't." Momo smiled.

"Stop that." Roko growled.

"Would a cookie lighten your mood?" Momo offered him the tray, "I made these myself."

"Should a princess really be going around serving people cookies?" Roko asked as he picked up a cookie in the shape of a flower petal.

"It's no big deal. I was really looking forward to baking some sweets for everybody. I also made one of the cakes here. Take a guess as to which one."

"The pink one."

"How'd you know?!"

"It's in the name." Roko said as he bit into the cookie, "...Cinnamon."

"You like cinnamon?"

"I prefer chocolate chip." Roko said as he finished off the cookie.

"Not very adventurous are you?"

"I've already been to more lands than I thought I would in my entire lifetime." Roko scoffed, "I think I'm plenty adventurous, though not by choice. Not like I have a home to hide in since coming to this world."

"Well, for what it's worth, we're glad you're here." Momo giggled.

"Sure."

"Well, I'm going to go hand out more cookies." Momo said as she turned around, "I hope to see you making a few friends during this party tonight."

"Don't count on it." Roko scoffed, "And before you go, this isn't the place to talk about it, but we really need to hammer out the details about how you're going to use this new amp spell. Particularly why basing it around me is a bad idea."

"Uuuhhh, I think I hear some customers waving me over for some cookies! Gotta go!"

Momo walked very quickly away.

Roko rested his crutch against a table and sat down next to the refreshment table. The party was still in full swing and much of the eyes that Roko had attracted when he first came in had wandered off to other conversations, hopefully not about him. Roko picked up a glass of apple cider and took a sip as he sat back in his chair. He had his fill of the very generous buffet but his body was still barely healed so he had trouble even standing around, much less talk to anybody for too long. Momo on the other hand was done serving her cookies and had begun mingling with the guests. The casts on her legs are gone but Momo has noticeably not taken any requests to dance. As for any of her siblings…

"Hello there!"

Roko looked up as Akaza and the rest of Momo's siblings all walked up to him with friendly smiles. Akaza stood in front of Roko, still in his red armor though it now sported a fancy cape that draped around his back and arms with a royal gold trim. Fancy golden metals decorated his breastplate.

"I've heard the story of your accomplishments the night of the attack. I'm impressed on every level, not just for what you accomplished but to do it over a single night is astounding."

"...Thanks, I suppose."

"Oh? That's a pretty muted response for someone who did so much."

"I keep getting told I focus too much on the negatives so I'm trying to fix that."

"We all have our problems, I suppose."

"Umm..." Midora stepped forward, meeker than Roko had ever seen her or ever expected to see her, "I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks for saving my home and country. Your work was...is truly inspiring. Though you came here for other intentions, I am glad that you were generous enough to aid us, for people and country that you knew little of. And most of all, I am forever thankful that you would go so far to resolve a problem that I myself brought into this land." Midora bowed deeply.

"Well, I can't really blame you for that." Roko sipped his drink, "Your work is exquisite and I hope this setback won't deter you from continuing your life's work."

"That you would grace me with such kind words is a treasure I ill deserve. That you would do me this service is-"

"Right, right. Let's stop with all the stiff talk here, okay?" Gina patted Midora on the back as she stood up straight again, "We've all forgiven you, even mom and dad, so there's no need to bend over backwards trying to fix things okay?"

"I'm not trying to fix anything, I'm simply trying to express my gratitude." Midora coughed awkwardly, "If it wasn't for me-"

"If you want to make things right, then help fix up the castle." Roko sighed, "Everything's a mess and could use some serious redecoration. This is a golden opportunity to rework the entire castle to your design. You should be excited. I'm sure Aoki understands."

"Haha. You got me there." Aoki laughed, "Yeah, I'm actually thinking of contributing some paintings towards the reconstruction. Maybe they'll even let me paint a mural on a wall or something. Just thinking about it makes me excited. If they'll let me, I'm counting on you to find homes for my works. So I hope you'll work together with me, Midora."

"Even if you've made a tremendous mistake, it only means you'll have to make a tremendous effort to make up for it." Akaza smiled, "But you don't need to bear that burden alone. We're all relying on you, Midora. For now and for the future."

"Your work is what makes coming home all worth it." Gina added, "It'd suck if you gave up now."

Midora looked at everyone, her face and body trembling slightly as she continued to hold back her emotions quite well, "Thank you. Thank you, everyone."

Everyone smiled as Midora made one more short bow, trying to hide her face before her neutral facade could break.

"In any case." Akaza turned back to Roko, "I have something I must ask you."

"I'm not joining your army." Roko replied.

"Hahaha. Well, I was going to ask that eventually but I figured you'd say no." Akaza laughed, "But that wasn't what I was going to ask. This is a matter that all us siblings are concerned about."

"Sounds important." Roko said, slightly anxious.

"Is Momo happy?" Gina asked.

…

"Sorry?" Roko blinked.

"We're all worried about Momo." Aoki explained, "After all, we all basically pushed the responsibility of the throne down to her. We want to know if she's really okay with that."

"She's not too stressed right?" Gina added, "She doesn't seem to have a lot of hobbies and she doesn't have a lot of close friends."

"I fear Momo might only be taking up the throne because we forced it on her." Akaza nodded, "Or rather, she's staying on the throne for us to continue without our parents bothering us."

"Does she have anything she likes to do?" Midora asked, "Anything we could help with? Perhaps we can introduce her to a nice hobby she can enjoy? Just to take her mind off things?"

Roko stared, stunned at each of the siblings who waited on baited breath for his response. He chuckled a little and replied, "Momo's fine."

"Are you sure?!" Gina cried, "She doesn't really talk to us much about her own life."

"I'm sure she would be happy to hear you're concerned for her that much but Momo wouldn't want you to do anything drastic for her."

"We know that but we can't help being concerned." Akaza frowned, "She was raised to take the throne since she was born so it's likely she's never thought about much beyond becoming the next queen. She may not know a life outside of being an heir."

"That wouldn't have happened if any one of you was brave enough to take the throne yourself." Roko scoffed.

Each of Momo's siblings looked down or away, unable to come up with a response to Roko's statement.

"But it's too late to do anything about that now." Roko continued, "Momo would just be sad if one of you decided to retake the throne now."

"B-But we can still be concerned!" Gina cried, "Momo's doing a lot for us so we should do something for her sometimes right?!"

"Then have you considered what Momo would want?"

"That's why we're asking you." Aoki said.

"No, from what I'm hearing, you're desperate to drag Momo into the same situations as you are. Trying to force her into a hobby and having her retire off that, like every single one of you."

"T-that's..."

"This never was concern for Momo." Roko said as he drew his drink close to his lips, "You just feel guilty for all the pressure you placed on her and want to drag her down into the same situation as you because you think she'd be happier and you can stop feeling bad."

"Y-You're just imaging things." Midora said.

"Your actions thus far say otherwise."

Roko took a long sip as each sibling shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other, trying to come up with some sort of response.

"...I..." Gina spoke up first, "I was offered my idol gig by a desperate talent manager who thought having a princess would make a good gimmick. I wanted to do it but it was Momo who encouraged me to take the job and leave home. She was the only one who supported me. I was supposed to be the main draw but I've just become another member in a more charismatic group. And yet Momo still cheers me on."

A quiet moment passed after Gina's confession until Aoki spoke up, "Momo always enjoyed my paintings when I was young and try to get me to share my art with others. Whenever I would hole up in my room with my drawings, she would try to copy my own drawings and show them around, talking about how much better the real version was. It was so cute. Her insistence was what eventually allowed my art to be viewed by more than just me."

"I had already abandoned the throne by the time Momo was born." Akaza spoke next, "At that time, I was keenly aware of the preconceptions surrounding me with my men. I wasn't quite as welcoming as I am now and all I can think of was how to convince my men to trust me. There were many days I wondered if abandoning my throne and enraging my parents was worth all the hopeless effort I was putting in now. Momo was eventually what allowed me to loosen up and connected me with my men. Taking care of her and eventually training her. Raising her together was what made me and my men a family. That is beyond what I had ever dreamed of."

"Momo would always try to help out in the garden when I was getting started." Midora sighed, "I kept trying to shoo her away but she liked to keep playing with the tools. Honestly, I had no confidence that landscaping was worth chasing but Momo was always so excited that I kept wanting to make better and better vignettes for her to explore. If it wasn't for her, I never would have grown so passionate about my work."

Each sibling, after telling their own stories, regarded each other with a new collective warmth and understanding. They all turned back to Roko who watched and heard their stories quietly.

"We all do want to help Momo." Akaza said gently, "These feelings are genuine."

Roko contemplated their words silently for a second before he sighed and got up, "If you want to help someone, you need to stop thinking about yourself and think about the person."

Roko turned and began to walk along the dessert table, propping himself up against the table. He picked up two plates of cake and brought them over to the siblings.

"Momo has a hobby. It's baking." Roko said as he handed the cakes over to the siblings, "She made this cake and some cookies for this party. If you really want to watch over her, then be a part of her life. Don't try to mix the boundaries of your individual lives. No matter how much Momo might have been groomed to be the next queen, this is still a path she has chosen to walk down. And it might do you well to watch her closely. You might learn how to balance your hobbies and duties from her."

Roko picked up his crutch and wandered off.

The next day, Roko stood waiting for Momo at the back of the carriage that would bring them back to Memoria Auspice. His body was still sore after another short massage session but it apparently was enough for him to stand and walk without his crutch. They still gave him a walking stick just in case his body acted up. Quietly, Roko hoped that he would be healed enough by the time he returns to school that he could act like he was fine.

"Oho! Planning to leave your teacher without saying good bye?"

Roko looked up to see Rokusho and Murasaki walking up to him.

"Didn't get a chance to see you at the party!" Rokusho laughed, "What, were you busy?"

"More like you were busy leering at women."

"Ah, you noticed?" Rokusho shook his head, "But I wasn't leering. I was just admiring the beauty and cuteness of the attendees."

"And is that supposed to make it better?"

"Anyway, Murasaki has something to talk to you about."

Roko turned to Murasaki who looked back at him with a determined nervousness.

"First of all, thank you for all you've done." Murasaki made a small bow, "It was an honor fighting alongside you."

"I couldn't have done half the things I did without you." Roko replied, "I'm glad you all trusted me enough to follow my hastily thrown together plans."

"You are a great tactician." Murasaki stood up, "I have a great respect for you now."

"Mmhm."

"Which is why..." Murasaki cleared her throat slightly as she approached her point, "I want to know. How best can I support Momo?"

"Just be yourself." Roko replied immediately, slightly tired of people coming to him with problems about Momo.

"I-I know Lady Momo wouldn't want me to act any differently!" Murasaki cried, "But this is about how to improve myself! I want to be able to help Lady Momo as much as I can! So what should I learn, what should I train?!"

"You shouldn't base your training around someone else."

"I don't care! I'm willing to do anything to stand at Lady Momo's side! Please! I'll even learn magic if I have to!"

Roko considered her earnestness and thought about it a little bit before he replied, "Momo's weaknesses are slow, gravity and water. In essence, her weakness is any effect that would limit her mobility. That's why she learned haste to counter her weakness to slow. However, gravity and water remain as her main weaknesses. She's going through underwater training but the results aren't as quite what Momo wanted. If you want to cover her weaknesses, you should think on how to supplement those two scenarios in particular."

"Gravity and water?" Murasaki gulped, "A-Alright! I'll do my best to think about those!"

"And if you could do me a favor, can you learn water and earth magic?"

"Eh? Why those two?"

"Nobody seems to know those spells and I'm getting tired of not having access to those spells." Roko scowled, "It's up to you though."

"R-Right! I mean, I'll do my best!" Murasaki saluted.

"Momo's weakness is her mobility?" Rokusho mused, "That's the first I've heard of it. But if you're saying so, I don't doubt it."

"Isn't Murasaki your student?" Roko frowned, "Should she really be coming to me for help?"

"What's the harm?" Rokusho shrugged, "Today's the day you stop being my student after all. Not that I ever believed you needed to be my student."

"Yeah, all I got from this trip was a bit of muscle." Roko scowled, "I was hoping for some basic techniques that I could utilize."

"Your basics are well built already." Rokusho laughed, "Let's be honest, even if we taught you a style, you would fight however you wanted anyway. And many styles are exclusive and want you to dedicate yourself to their ways so it wouldn't fit a rulebreaker like yourself."

"I can't say I really care for that." Roko frowned, "But I guess I can see why nobody would want to teach me if they knew."

"See? So you should be glad I took it upon myself to teach you."

"I'm glad you helped out during the incident and not much else." Roko frowned.

"Eh. I'll take it."

"Heeeyyy!" Momo called as she arrived in front of the carriage, "You all came to send us off?"

"Of course." Rokusho smiled, "I can't not bid my best student farewell."

"Is it okay to say that in front of Murasaki?" Momo laughed.

"Lady Momo!" Murasaki cried, "I-I'm going to try my best to get stronger! I'll travel the world and see as many different places and people that I can!"

"That sounds wonderful, Murasaki." Momo smiled, "I hope we'll get the chance to talk to each other again."

"Y-Yes!" Murasaki cried, "I look forward to that day! I'll show you how much I've grown, I promise!"

Momo just smiled as she placed her luggage onto the carriage and got on with Roko. Together, they left the capital of Momokami behind.