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"Uh...."

"So there's no helping it here, in Grendan. I was already prepared to use that move when the occasion requires it. And I finally got to try that move thanks to you. Then all I need to know is the time limit. But I tried not to think of it. Let's head back home after we wake up tomorrow, and end this tour. This is what I truly want now."

"......"

"But the problem is Nina. She's even more reckless than you. What would she do? She'd go on a rampage even though her strength is not enough. This time she even has the redundant Haikizoku. Her level of recklessness would increase. Even I wouldn't know what to do."

Anxiety filled his tone. He seemed to be shaking his head.

Doubt surfaced again.

"Senpai. Why did you come to save the captain?"

"Ha?"

"Because you knew you were being reckless? Besides, your moves are restricted.... Speaking in truth, you're really reckless."

"This integrity without decoration is also part of your personality though it's only limited to fights."

"Uh.... sorry."

"That's all right...." Sharnid sat up. Layfon sat up too.

"I knew. I already said many times that I knew I'm being reckless. Still, I did it. Didn't I say that at the beginning? I can't stand this level of insult. I came to get vent my anger. Can't I even do that?"

"........"

Layfon heard his "heh heh". The laughter was a bit shy.

"But I'm not the impulsive type. Though sometimes I do act impulsively, putting my life on the line...... If you had to say I'm of a certain type, then I'm the type to throw his life away for a woman."

"For a woman....? Eh........?"

Layfon's mind turned completely blank. For a woman....? Though it was a bit, really, he felt just a little bit that Sharnid did like Dalshena. The event happened in the past, but Sharnid did say so. Therefore, Layfon felt that he still liked her. He didn't know whether Dalshena knew, but Sharnid should still like her now.

But she wasn't here. Layfon remembering hearing that she was injured in the fight, but she should have recovered now. But she hadn't come. That must be because Sharnid hadn't told her of it. Or Sharnid said something to throw her off the track. Or perhaps she herself had chosen not to come. Either way, she wasn't here. Then "for a woman". He meant....

"Hey, right now, are you misunderstanding me to the extreme? No. This isn't what you're thinking at all. I'm not saying that Nina isn't a beauty but she isn't the type I like."

"The type." What would Nina have thought if she had heard of this? Layfon couldn't imagine it.

"Eh? I see? Then...."

"Well, this is to do with the personality. You should also know that Nina finishes what she does from start to finish with vigor. She isn't like the Student President who can always think about it, consider it, and then allocate the job to a suitable subordinate. The Captain relies on her vigor and she finishes the job with her subordinates who got involved. If I was to choose, I'd like a boss like our Captain even though she doesn't consider things much, like an idiot. But her personality to only think of what lies before her isn't too bad. Besides, there might be many changes in the process even though she only heads in one direction. Karian and Dinn could think about strategies, but Nina is different. No. I don't think she has great strategies but...."

"Bad balance?"

"Yes, that's it. No security. It hasn't been boring thanks to that. I don't feel like I'm only doing something for show. Instead, the job is filled with excitement and fun. Life would become very boring if that kind of fun things disappear. Do you understand?"

"Well...."

Layfon seemed to understand and not understand.

"Well, I only thought of this because I don't seem to know what I want to do."

His sudden words stabbed deep into the hole in Layfon's heart.

"Eh?"

"It's like that. Not that I don't hold any feelings about Nina's wish to protect Zuellni, but that feeling disappeared the moment I became her subordinate, pushing all responsibilities to her. If one had to say clearly, this is a responsibility a Captain should bear.... How should I put it? It makes me look cheap."

"Is that so?"

"In the end, I just didn't want to get bored. I already forgot my resolve, even my pretense. These kind of things already left me when I was in my previous platoon and when we lost the Military Arts Competition. Perhaps they really were the things I was chasing after. I encountered many things and failed to reach my goal in my previous platoon. Isn't it cool to then realize those things in the 17th platoon?" Sharnid said.

But Layfon couldn't feel any of those feelings in his words.

"But I stopped moving. After that incident, I pushed the responsibility to Dinn in the 10th platoon. And I pushed the responsibility to Nina, to them. 'Ok, what do you guys want me to do next?' I haled on this kind of thinking. That's not cool at all."

"......"

Layfon couldn't say anything. Not that he couldn't totally comprehend Sharnid's words.

"Ok, what do you guys want me to do next?"

This sentence could also be used on Layfon himself. No. It was too suitable. Layfon came to Zuellni, not wanting to fight and having no reason to fight. Having been deceived by Karian, Layfon entered the 17th platoon and have been fighting till now. He fought in the platoon matches, he fought against the filth monsters, and he fought other Military Artists. The fighting strength belonged to Layfon, yet he had been fighting, pushing the reason of the fights to Nina. Layfon himself didn't clearly want to fight. He only fought by giving that reason to Nina and obeyed her directions as time passed.

"Not everyone can live a life pleasing to him. And I don't think that is the best way to live. But well, even someone who lives by listening to somebody's order would hope to have a clear reason for it. That's better than me who only wants to play cool. I said it's for women, but I just want to look cool."

This was Sharnid's way of thinking. Layfon had no reason to do the same as him. Even acting on Nina's order was a decision in itself. But was this really good? He hadn't thought of it. He hadn't done something that he absolutely had to do, so he had been living by listening to Nina's order.

He'd have no place to go if the Academy City expelled him. If that happened, he could only drift from city to city. Still, there were ways to live even if he was in other cities. But the same thing might occur. Filth monsters attacking. The city's Military Artists could do nothing and so Layfon would have to take up the Dite again. There was no other way of survival.

Layfon would not pick the choice of not salvaging the worst situation when clearly it was doable. He himself should have picked a choice, but he abandoned it when the larvae attacked Zuellni. Still, he was the one who made the decision even though he was helped by Nina and Leerin.

Even if he were to seal off the Katana as his last line of defense, he had taken the Katana back up because of his foster father's forgiveness. The situation had changed. It was all right even if icy gazes were to reproach him, except he couldn't ignore the fact that his resolve was collapsing bit by bit.

(Then it's the same no matter where I go.)

Perhaps this thought had always been in him, somewhere inside him - whether it was the time when Karian found out of his identity, when he was fighting the larvae, and when Zuellni's Military Artists were being impotent.

(Perhaps I can't give up being a Military Artist.)

Had he not thought of this before? Then why had he been fighting, listening to Nina's directions?

(I......)

He can't deny it.

All the choices left to him were choices he didn't want, so he had picked the best out of those choices. Anyone would have done this. No one would blame him even though Layfon did it.

(I......)

What was he fighting for? For his own future in the Academy City? For the path outside of being a Military Artist? Or for the new path of life that he would be content with? He stepped back into the Military Arts role because of Nina and the others. This might not be bad. He had thought of this too.

He had thought that to include Military Arts in this new road of life might not be a bad decision, but he failed to speak of the reason behind his fights.

What was the evidence that living a life of a Military Artist was good? Was he only using the reason that "it isn't too bad to fight with Nina and the 17th platoon?"

If this was the case, what would he do if the 17th platoon disappeared? And they were in this kind of a situation.

Judging from what he heard from Nina, perhaps Lucia's words were right. Leerin had already decided to stand in a place without Layfon.

Then, what next?

(I....)

What does he want to do with Leerin?

(I....)

No matter what, he couldn't think of an answer.

He watched the ceiling next to Sharnid who had laid down again.