Moment of calm

Four hours had passed since Kazuki had dodged Enea's attack for the first time. The sky above was still overcast, but the light had dimmed significantly, suggesting that the sun—or whatever celestial body played that role on this planet—was setting. Kazuki lay sprawled on the ground, his chest rising and falling heavily with each breath. His clothes were torn and caked in dirt, his body bruised and battered, with purplish marks covering him in twice the number as before. He had several broken ribs, and his nose was clearly out of place.

Enea approached at a leisurely pace, stopping to look down at him. "It's getting dark," he said. "I think that's enough for today."

But Kazuki, summoning the last remnants of his strength, forced out a reply between labored breaths. "No... I can still... keep going... I have to... avoid... another attack!"

Enea let out a soft sigh. "No, persona, you can't. You're too far gone. You can't even get up anymore. I expected you to be stubborn, but this is beyond that."

Kazuki clenched his teeth, refusing to give in. "Didn't you... say... you would heal me...? If you heal me... I can... keep going!"

"Yes, and I intend to," Enea replied, his voice calm but firm. "But what I'm about to use will only heal your physical injuries. It won't cure your exhaustion. The reason you can't move isn't because of your injuries—it's because you're completely drained, both physically and mentally. Your legs aren't wounded; I made sure not to cause damage that would prevent you from walking. Now, shut up and open your mouth so I can heal you. Unless you want me to knock you out again."

Kazuki wanted to argue, to insist he could keep training, but as he tried to move, his body refused to cooperate. Realizing he had no other choice, he sighed and opened his mouth as instructed.

"Good," Enea said. "Stay still."

He positioned his fingers over Kazuki's mouth and, with his unusually long nails, made a small cut on the underside of his index finger. A single drop of blood trickled out and fell into Kazuki's mouth. Before he even realized what had happened, he swallowed instinctively.

The taste of blood barely registered before a sudden warmth spread through his body. In an instant, all the pain he had been enduring vanished. His nose felt normal again, and when he pressed his ribs experimentally, there was no trace of the fractures. Enea's method had worked exactly as promised.

Still, as Enea had warned, the exhaustion remained. Kazuki's body was too worn out to stand.

"It's getting dark," Enea said again. "We should head to the place where we'll be staying for these seven days. Do you want me to carry you, or would you rather wait until you can walk on your own?"

Kazuki hesitated. The thought of being carried was embarrassing, but it wasn't entirely unfamiliar. Yuto, the boxing club captain, had carried him home more than once after an especially grueling training session. Considering how drained he felt, Kazuki reluctantly accepted Enea's offer.

"Let's go," he said, forcing the words out. "Just... lend me your shoulder. I think I can manage like that."

Enea nodded and helped Kazuki to his feet, steadying him. "I imagine you noticed the wooden house in the distance when I untied you," Enea said as they began walking.

"Yeah. That's where we're staying?"

"Correct. That house was created by that bastard specifically for us. According to the information he gave me, it's equipped with everything we'll need to survive and relax."

The word relax sparked an unexpected sense of urgency in Kazuki. Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, he desperately needed a break after today's ordeal.

The walk to the house was short—only a few minutes—but for Kazuki, it was a welcome reprieve. For the first time since his abduction, the pace of events slowed enough for him to reflect. His thoughts churned with questions about everything that had happened so far.

"Can I ask you something?" Kazuki asked after a moment.

"Sure," Enea replied. "If I know the answer, I'll tell you."

"You keep calling the guy you work for a bastard or an asshole. I assume you know his name. Why not use it? Wouldn't that be easier?"

Enea chuckled. "You're right—it would be easier. But there's a small problem: he doesn't have a name. According to him, he came into existence alone, in a void where nothing existed—not even the concept of a name. He only learned what names are by observing universes and the beings in them. He could have given himself one at any time, but when I asked why he didn't, he said, 'Why should I care about something that concerns me?' So, since he doesn't care, I call him what he is—a bastard and an asshole. Don't stress over what to call him. Just pick whatever you like. He won't care."

"Alright," Kazuki said, filing the information away for later. "But I have another question."

"Go ahead."

"I'm stuck here for seven days, right? I don't mind missing school for a bit—in fact, I'm happy about it. But what happens when people notice I'm gone? If I don't answer my phone for a week, someone's bound to call the police."

Enea waved the concern away. "You don't need to worry about that. If what that asshole told me is true, time in this universe moves much slower than in yours. One day here equals one second in your universe."

Kazuki felt a wave of relief wash over him. The thought of causing trouble back home had been nagging at him, and Enea's answer eased his mind.

As they approached the wooden house, supported by Enea's shoulder, Kazuki let out a long, slow breath. At least for now, he could rest and gather his strength for whatever awaited him next.

fter about six minutes of walking, Kazuki and Enea arrived at the house. Up close, the wooden structure was massive—three stories tall and sprawling in width. It had looked large from a distance, but now, standing in front of it, Kazuki fully grasped its enormous scale. Considering that only the two of them were supposed to live there, it seemed almost absurdly oversized.

"You can let go now. I should be able to walk on my own," Kazuki said, freeing himself from Enea's support.

The two entered the house and began to explore. The first floor featured a spacious kitchen and an expansive living room with a large sofa and a television. The second and third floors were nearly identical, each containing a medium-sized bedroom and a generously sized bathroom. In the closet of the third-floor bedroom, Kazuki found clothes that were identical to his own, including copies of his school uniform. He decided this would be his room.

After their brief tour, they met again in the living room. It was quickly agreed that Kazuki would take the third floor while Enea occupied the second.

"Can you cook?" Enea asked, crossing his arms.

Kazuki shook his head. "No. Since my sister went abroad a year ago, I've been surviving on cup ramen, takeout, and whatever a senpai of mine occasionally cooks for me."

"Alright, I'll handle the cooking. I'm no gourmet chef, but I can make something decent," Enea replied, heading to the kitchen to check the pantry and refrigerator.

Kazuki sank into the sofa, waiting. But Enea, noticing the state of his guest, called out, "You should probably take a bath. Don't worry, I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Kazuki glanced at himself and realized Enea was right. His uniform was dirty and sweaty, clinging to his skin, and the smell was far from pleasant. Grateful for the suggestion, he headed to the bathroom on the third floor.

Once there, he began filling the large tub with steaming hot water. Standing in front of the mirror, he undressed and examined his body for any lingering injuries. To his amazement, there wasn't a single bruise or wound.

"He really healed me perfectly," Kazuki murmured, lightly touching his nose, which had been broken hours earlier. "Even my nose is as good as new—no scars or anything. Drinking someone else's blood is disgusting, but I might need to ask him for some before my mission. It could save my life."

Once the tub was full, Kazuki climbed in, sighing as the hot water worked its magic. The accumulated fatigue from both his boxing sessions and Enea's brutal training seemed to melt away. He lingered for twenty minutes, nearly dozing off a few times, until a knock on the door startled him.

Enea's voice called out, "I suggest you get dressed—dinner's almost ready."

Kazuki climbed out of the tub, wrapping himself in a bathrobe he'd found hanging nearby. After drying his hair with the provided hairdryer, he went to his room and changed into a white short-sleeved shirt, blue sweatpants, and boxer shorts. Feeling refreshed, he headed back downstairs.

When he reached the living room, the table was already set. Enea, seeing him enter, said, "Take a seat. I'll bring the food out."

Kazuki sat down, and moments later, Enea returned with two plates of spaghetti topped with a tuna-based sauce. Famished from the day's exertions, Kazuki immediately dug in. The flavor was unfamiliar but delicious. After a few bites, he noticed something else and asked, "This pasta is great, but it's not just tuna, is it? There's something else."

Enea grinned. "Good palate. There's also anchovies in oil. You don't see them because they melted into the sauce. It's a simple recipe my father taught me. If you want, I can show you how to make it."

Kazuki shook his head. "No thanks. Cooking's not really my thing."

Enea shrugged. "Suit yourself, but you should learn someday. You never know when it might come in handy."

Enea finished his meal first and stood, stretching. "Excuse me, but I'm heading to my room. In the last universe I visited, I found two great anime, and I still haven't finished them. Don't disturb me until tomorrow morning."

As he walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor, he added, "Oh, and don't worry about the dishes. Just leave them in the sink—I'll handle them later."

Kazuki finished eating and did as Enea instructed, placing the dirty plates and utensils in the sink. He then headed to his room, where he collapsed onto the bed. As soon as he lay down, the accumulated exhaustion from the day overwhelmed him, and he fell asleep almost instantly.

The following five days of training were even harsher than the first.

On the second and third days, Kazuki began successfully dodging several of Enea's attacks, but Enea compensated by significantly increasing his speed. By the end of each session, Kazuki returned to the house too exhausted to do anything but collapse.

On the fourth day, Kazuki's endurance began to improve. Though the training was just as grueling, he managed to conserve enough energy to experiment with his abilities in the evening.

By the fifth and sixth days, Enea decided there was no need to increase his speed further. Instead, he focused on forcing Kazuki to maintain constant movement at the peak speed required to dodge his fastest attacks. To make the stakes even higher, Enea began using a katana during training. Each attack was aimed to cause significant pain if it connected. Thankfully, Kazuki avoided most of the strikes and continued practicing his abilities in the evenings.

Now, it was the morning of the seventh day—the final day of training.