I feel like a kid right now… Sitting on the back of a car, eager to get home and py a new game I just bought. I remember looking at every detail on the cover over and over again…

  Except this time, it’s not a game but a cool sword that I’m holding instead. Carol and I were sitting at the back while Katja drove us back to the house. We left the b shortly after Reia got my sword ready. It was getting dark, but there was still enough light outside to examine the small treasure in my hands.

  My sword had a compact form just like Katja’s, so I couldn’t see the whole thing very well. Taking a closer look, I think its length is around half my keyboard in this form. It doesn’t really look like anything when it’s like this. It’s easy to grip and a bit thicker than the handle when it’s in sword form, but otherwise, it just looks like a stick made out of metal. The whole thing was bck, and even though it was made out of something metallic, it didn’t shine much. Except for parts of the bde visible through some gaps, that is.

  “Hey, Katja. Is it fine if I extend the sword here? It’s not going to match with me just because of that, right?” At this time of the year, we had to drive with the windows open not to melt. I raised my voice so Katja could hear me over the sound of the wind.

  “It’s safe to extend, so you can do it. Just make sure you don’t damage the car. Don’t point it at anyone!”

  “Got it!” Hehehe… I got the go-ahead. I aimed the front of the sword at a weird diagonal towards the side of the car. Worst-case scenario, the interior gets ruined, and I get a scolding for misjudging its length. It should be fine, though. *Click.* “Woah!”

  Just like I thought… It’s beautiful. The sword is almost completely bck. The edge of the bde had a slightly lighter color, and the grip had a red light glowing out from a few gaps. It’s a bit basic, but for a sword, I really like it.

  The bde feels incredible to the touch. It’s all metal, but felt pleasantly smooth. Why would this one feel better than my old one? Maybe this it’s psychological… As I ran my hand through the bde, I searched for any gaps in the metal. There’s no way the sword is one single segment. The length of the compact version is smaller than the bde itself. If my guess is correct, the point where they connect is going to be a weak point. I’d rather find it now than during a fight.

  “There’s nothing…” Somehow, there were no gaps. I really couldn’t find anything. A thing like this with so many mechanical moving parts should be weaker than a normal sword. But it’s not.

  I applied pressure at different points, and every time I did, this thing got more and more impressive. When it’s unfolded, this is just like a normal sword. No… It's better than a normal sword. If I didn’t know any better, I’d call this magic. Reia might have been telling the truth. This is at a point where the science is so advanced that it’s practically magic! I think I’d be able to cut through steel using one of my skills with this sword. God, I’m gonna be gushing over this thing for so long…

  “Are you happy with it? You seem really excited right now.” Carol had been staring the whole time while resting her chin on her hand.

  “Ah!” I froze up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to show off in front of you…”

  “What are you acting considerate for?” Carol looked upset for a second. “It’s fine. I don’t care that I wasn’t able to get a Matching Weapon. Whether or not I have one doesn’t matter. I’m gonna continue training, and I’ll get stronger in my own way. Is that what you said?”

  “Right…” I almost forgot… Carol doesn’t like it when people fuss over her. Especially with something like this. I returned the sword to compact mode, not because I was trying to be considerate, but because I had seen what I wanted to see for now. “Yeah, you’re right. We both gotta get stronger. Let’s keep training together.”

  Carol nodded. “We’re in this together.”

  “Ahem!” The mood was almost getting to a good point when Katja interrupted us. “It’s good that you’re both motivated to train, but this time, make sure you leave a warning before disappearing. I let you off easy this time, but I can’t promise I’ll do the same next time.”

  “Hahahaha… Of course, Katja. We’ll do things properly next time…”

  …

  It was already te when we arrived, so I spent the night at the House. Next morning, Katja and I ate breakfast and headed straight for the dojo. It’s time to match with my new sword. There wasn’t much of a reason to dey it, so we went for it right away.

  “How are you feeling, Iroha? Are there any problems? If you’re not in peak condition, we shouldn’t do this right now.”

  “I’m feeling great. I wanna get this done as soon as possible.” So much so that we skipped school to wrap this up. Carol skipped too, but that’s apparently because there’s no point in her going if I’m not there. Quite a nice thing to hear early in the morning.

  But enough gushing about her. “Are you sure? Did you sleep well? Was Hecate’s breakfast enough for you? She never gets the portions wrong, but I want to make sure.”

  “It’s alright… If there was anything wrong, I promise I’d tell you. Trust me on this one. I know how dangerous this can get, and I want this to succeed as much as you do.” Especially since I’m destined to fail… At least according to Miyuki… Her predictions haven’t been wrong so far, but I’ve managed to avoid some of the bad things she has predicted. I hope this one won’t be any different if I manage to keep my guard up.

  “I understand. If you feel anything wrong, tell me right away.” Katja’s face softened up. In the end, no matter how dangerous things get, I have to do this. For Ririna, Carol, and Hecate. The only way for us all to live happily ever after is to get to the bottom of what is causing the portals to appear. For that, I’ll need to get a lot stronger.

  But that’s too far away… For now, I need to get my hands on whatever it takes to keep what I have safe. I’m gonna tame this sword, no matter what it takes… Tame the crazy silver flower… “So, what’s the process? Why are we in the dojo?”

  “Our location doesn’t matter that much, but I brought you here because the dojo is a good pce to do this. You need to do something simir to meditation to match with your weapon. Dojos have always been good pces for meditation, so here we are.” Katja expined with a serious yet casual tone. She went to the corner of the room to grab a cushion.

  “Makes sense… Plenty of sunlight and quieter than anywhere else in the House. I understand why you’d choose this pce.”

  “Right?” Katja bent over and gently pced the cushion on the floor between the two of us. “I’m gonna stay with you the whole time to support and guide you. No need to worry about things going wrong. I’ll immediately snap you out of it before the worst can happen. Go ahead.” With the shape of the cushion and her gestures, I understood what I was supposed to do.

  I calmly knelt on the cushion with my back turned towards her. “Is this fine?”

  “Extend your sword and rest it on your p. Yes, just like that.” Katja pced her hands on my shoulders and gave me a gentle massage. “Are you anxious?”

  Since my life is on the line, there’s no way I’m not at least a bit anxious. “Not at all… There’s nothing to worry with you looking over me, is there?” Katja was a bit taken aback.

  “Wow… Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you succeed.” Katja continued her massage. I didn’t expect this level of service. “Rex… Let yourself feel comfortable…”

  I let the tension escape my shoulders and enjoyed her touch. “Mhmm… What’s next?” Katja stopped her hands with one st tap.

  “Close your eyes whenever you’re ready. You’re gonna want to focus on your sword as much as possible. Pay attention to the way it feels when it touches your hands and thighs. Try to visualize it… What’s important is that you rex while focusing on it.” Katja spoke with a particurly soothing voice. “At first your head will be flooded with other thoughts, but don’t worry about it. They’ll be gone after a few minutes. Good luck, Iroha.”

  I closed my eyes and did as she told me. Resting it on my p is making me very aware of its weight. I can still see the beautiful bck metal of the bde glowing in my mind. What exactly is supposed to happen? I should have asked her. Is it the kind of thing I’ll know when I see it?

  Maybe that’s it… Maybe I’ll be able to tell the matching is done when it’s done. Where exactly is the danger in this? Is the sword going to start moving and attack me? There’s no way that’s it, is there? If anything’s gonna happen, it will probably be inside of my mind…

  Ah! I’m getting sidetracked… Gotta focus on the sword… How it feels… Visualize it… Even these thoughts are just distractions, aren’t they? Can I shut them up for a while?

  …

  The feelings and the image. No comments…

  Words again…

  …

  ……

  The darkness turned to light… Blinding light… Damn it… I got distracted again, didn’t I? No… Wait…

  I thought I was once again putting things to words, but this time was different. The light I saw felt different. I slowly opened my eyes and… “Flowers…?” When did I stand up? The floor before my feet was now completely colored silver… Silver Flowers… As far as the eye could see. Just like the one used for my sword. If I’m not mistaken…

  “This pce…” It’s the Endless Silver… From the game… From the other world. “When did I get here?” It was a never-ending expanse of silver flowers, letting off a hazy glow by reflecting the light of the moon. The flowers stretched to a small hill ahead of me with a weird structure on top. A thin tower that stretched endlessly into the sky, splitting the moon in two with its silhouette. It’s an incredible view… I had no idea a pce like this existed…

  The next moment, the flowers ahead started rustling. A gust of wind cut through the silence, causing numerous glowing petals to dance in the sky.

  “?!” A presence? After the gust of wind hit me, something appeared in front of that tower. Something that seems more than human, but different from the monsters I know… Either way…

  I’m not alone anymore.

  Bam100