Capítulo 3: Rediscovery (2)
"...Shion. What are you doing over there?"
A voice suddenly emerged as I was deeply engrossed in the 「Notepad」.
I turned to look at him.
"You seem troubled."
It was Dent, the fencing instructor from the orphanage. There was only one knight in this orphanage, so he came to mind instantly. I used to follow him quite a bit.
I responded briefly.
"I'm thinking."
"About what?"
Thanks to Libra, the 「Notepad」 seemed to have developed a bit, and I was pondering how I could use it to topple Libra.
I altered the words swirling in my mouth and spat them out.
"Thinking about how I can be of help to Libra, things like that."
"...That's commendable. But it's simple. You just have to win in this match. The orphanage holds significant tradition in Libra. The direct descendants of the main family will be watching."
Direct descendants.
Upon hearing that, I turned to look at Dent. Dent coughed awkwardly.
"Hmm. The youngest one will come. Don't get your hopes up too high."
The youngest one.
Neither the eldest son, nor the second son, nor the eldest daughter, but the youngest, 'Zia', meaning the youngest.
Zia Celsien Libra Rain.
The youngest who will become the most significant person in the future.
I'm aware of the history of Zia, who started with a mere 5 million Len inheritance and usurped the great family known as 'Libra'.
"Really? That's fascinating. The youngest one is coming."
She is a mystery to me.
As much as I despise her, I also admire her.
Born as an illegitimate daughter in this desolate great family, she grew up without any foothold, killed her siblings and countless elders and relatives, pushed them away, exiled them, and eventually monopolized Libra.
"That's right. So work hard. Not just standing still like now..."
After all, it seems like Dent came to push me.
Of course, they don't know that I have Cancer of the Magic's Core now.
Even I was in the denial stage at this time. I mean, the five stages of any terminal illness: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
"Shion. You grew up here, so you know. The orphanage is a heritage that must not disappear, and it is the humanity that Libra holds. So-"
"Yes. I will try."
I'm now accustomed to uttering words I don't mean.
"That's right. Shion, you are a loyal knight of Libra. Just like your father was a knight of Libra until the end."
This damn—
I barely suppressed the words that were about to burst out like a cough.
With my lips tightly bitten, I just bowed my head deeply, and Dent patted my shoulder and left.
* * *
The match that would determine the fate of the orphanage was set for Friday, February 25th.
Perhaps because of this, the nine chosen as the 'Warriors of the Orphanage' woke up at dawn and devoted themselves to various training exercises, sleeping later than anyone else.
I was a little different. I slept more than 8 hours a day, ate meals regularly, did my own training after meals, and occasionally sat on a bench reading a book, watching the nine.
"One! Two! One! Two!"
This morning was no different. Six men and three women running around the playground, shouting slogans. Children, teenagers, and teachers from the orphanage cheering them on from the stands.
I was sitting on a bench in a park a little far from there.
"One! Two! One! Two!"
I didn't want to mix in with them.
I too grew up in the orphanage, but I didn't have many good memories. To be precise, I couldn't get along with the orphanage.
It was because I had been very sick since childhood, and because my parents 'had been there'.
The innocent hearts of children can sometimes turn into unintentional evil.
"If you're with him, you'll get germs – He smells weird – His scar on his head is gross – He must be an alien – He must eat his own poop – He vomits all the time, so dirty -"
"Pfft."
When I close my eyes on this bench of memories, I sometimes hear those young voices in my ears, and I smile.
Of course, it's not the children's fault.
It's just that all my memories of the orphanage have already been turned into garbage soaked in 'future hatred'.
The orphanage that made me mistake my enemy for a benefactor in the first place. There's no way I could have good memories, at least not now.
…Anyway.
I'm also in training. It's not heavy stuff like cardio, weights, swordsmanship, or spearmanship.
"Footwork is one of the basics of boxing. It's not just about stepping, it's a technique that helps you explosively jump out in any direction you want."
I'm watching YouTV on my phone.
It's a YouTV channel of a mercenary boxer called 「Sen-gun」. The current number of subscribers is 500,000.
This 'Sen-gun' is famous for being a skilled person who can compete with active senior knights. In 5-6 years, he will even establish his own martial arts school.
I plan to learn boxing through YouTV. Boxing is a martial art with particularly high versatility, so the earlier you learn it, the better.
Before my regression, I simply didn't have the luxury to learn this due to the lack of time amidst my efforts to earn money.
"...Hey."
Then suddenly, a low voice filled with dissatisfaction called me.
"Hmm?"
I looked around.
There was nothing.
"Not there. Here."
"...What? Where?"
"Berry is down here."
A voice coming from slightly below.
Behind the tree, two small kids were half hiding and glaring at me.
Ziiing— lasers seem to shoot from their eyes.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Berry. This is Bell."
Introducing herself, she steps forward confidently, places her hands on her waist, and bows slightly. She's quite polite.
"Ah, I see."
Both have blond hair, chubby cheeks, and large eyes. In other words, they're quite cute. Even when they're glaring at me.
"Do you need something?"
At that, Berry narrows her large eyes.
"You're the only one not training."
"...That's right."
The younger one backs up her sister's words.
Ah, so that's why they're upset and came to find me.
I chuckled and put down my phone.
"And?"
Chuk—! Berry points a small finger at me and shouts as if she's holding a trial.
"Do you like it when our home is in trouble?"
Our home.
The choice of words is childlike.
"Well, I don't know about our home, but I am training. Believe it or not, I'm quite athletic."
"Liar. You're always just sitting still..."
"Sitting still."
The younger one echoes her sister's words.
I shrug my shoulders.
"I'm not lying. I don't plan on losing either."
Rather than exhausting myself with running, it's better to maintain my condition first.
I've had my share of hard times as a cleaner and a deliveryman before my regression, and if I summon 'Perion' from the 「Notepad」, it's not like I have no chance of winning.
Berry pouts her lips.
"Berry doesn't understand what you're saying. If you don't want to lose, you have to train."
"...do it."
"I am training."
I show them my smartphone.
—This footwork will develop into 'stepping'. The center of stepping is balance. It can also be called the center of gravity. Not only when running, but also when walking, power should always circulate in the lower body.
"Look. I'm listening to a boxing lecture right now. I'm learning how to fight."
At that, the sharp faces of Berry and Bell melted in an instant.
Their eyes suddenly widened like a deer's and sparkled.
"Wow... It's a smartphone..."
"Smartphone..."
"Huh?"
Is a smartphone that amazing?
As I move the smartphone, their eyes follow it.
Well, I had to secretly work part-time to afford this. When I first activated it, I almost cried with joy.
I shook the smartphone and asked.
"Do you want to try it?"
"Wow! Really?!"
"Yes!"
"Come up here."
When I gestured, Berry and Bell ran over with their short arms and legs flailing and jumped onto the bench.
"Do you know Jelly? The animation."
"We know! We can watch it every Monday and Thursday at three!"
"Yes!"
"I'll show you."
I searched for Jelly on YouTV. There were a few full-length videos.
[Jelly's Winter Vacation]
"Go and watch."
"Thank you!"
"Thanks!"
Their complaints were quickly forgotten as they lean their heads together, staring intently at the smartphone screen.
"Wow… Jelly is sledding."
"So fun…"
I slowly rise to my feet, intending to practice the boxing moves I just watched.
"Footwork."
I step as [Sen-gun] from YouTV explained. Even though I'm a bit slow, I try to follow accurately, and strangely, my movements are light. Just like Sen-gun's in the video.
"…?"
Something is a bit off.
Even to me, the flow of my steps are too unusual.
"Ah! Jelly is falling. Hang in there, Jelly…"
"Don't fall!"
Of course, it's not that I had no physical talent. I was a cancer patient, but I was able to easily learn most physical skills and made quite a name for myself as a cleaner and delivery man.
"…What's this?"
But now, something is different.
I, who am using this body, can feel it.
Every time I step, every time I stretch my arm, it's as if Sen-gun's movements in the video are replaying in my head, and I can execute the movements without a single error.
Just from watching a video once, I'm like a professional who has devoted a lot of time to boxing.
Thud—!
I struck a tree with a straight punch. The bark breaks. A clear fist mark appears on the surface.
"…"
I am momentarily speechless.
However, the cause of this unbelievable 'upgrade' in physical talent is surprisingly easy to infer.
"Is this because of the Notepad?"
Spectrums are generally divided into Active and Passive. It's the same as active skills and passive skills in RPG games.
In that regard, this phenomenon might be a 'passive' of the Notepad.
As if saving a file in the 「Notepad」, actions or martial arts are naturally remembered through the naked eye.
I've heard of a similar talent somewhere.
Was it called 'Look-See-Do'?
Not tuxedo, but Look-See-Do. (턱시도 means tuxedo. But each individual one comes the sound 룩(Look)-시(See)-도(Do))
The meaning is simply 'watch and mimic exactly'.
"…The body first watches, remembers, and mimics exactly."
The core of Look-See-Do, that is, the process of 'remembering─' after watching, the Notepad naturally intervenes.
"Wow…"
I hear the children's exclamations.
They must have been watching.
"Hmm."
I peel off the bark stuck between my fists. I chuckled and turn to the kids.
"…This time, I might not lose-"
"Berry finished watching Jelly~"
"It was fun."
Berry and Bell, with their innocent faces, held out the smartphone.
"Can you show us the next one too…?"
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