January 25 (Year 4)
The following days passed quickly due to my new routine.
In the morning, I watched Riochiro train with Mr. Kawashima. In the afternoon, Riochiro and I trained together. At night, I spent time with the family. On weekends, I carved out time to visit Riochiro.
As you can see, I spent almost all my time with the boy with vampire-like eyes. Of course, during training sessions, we didn't have much time to talk. However, now that I spent nighttime weekends with him, we gradually became closer on a more personal level.
Now, apart from being student and teacher, we were close friends.
Beyond that, Riochiro was even more excited, as it was his fourth year of training. Both of us were fully aware that he was nearing the end of his training.
Looking back on everything he has achieved so far, we can say the results have been satisfactory. Yet, I still feel uncertain about what he will do when he leaves here.
Most likely, he will search for Aunt Rachel. Although I doubt he'll be able to find her—even we haven't found any clues to her whereabouts.
In my opinion, Riochiro should stay with us. After all, even as a foster relative, he still indirectly belongs to the Kisaragi family.
Perhaps, with time, we could even enroll him in a good school, where he would surely meet people and make friends. But I also worry about what people will say about his condition.
May 26 (Year 4)
Riochiro has continued training with Mr. Kawashima. His new endurance record so far is two and a half minutes, and, in addition to that, his technique has improved tremendously.
The "Dragon Style," which he continues to use—stubbornly, in my opinion—has evolved and is now his primary combat style.
This has helped him in his fights against Mr. Kawashima, who now struggles to predict the techniques of his opponent, making the battles slightly more balanced.
Even so, there is still a significant gap between Riochiro's skills and Mr. Kawashima's. It's utterly impossible for someone new to fencing to defeat someone like the formidable gardener, who is at the level of a sword master.
At this point, Riochiro must be well aware of this, so he's probably focusing on winning the match by relying on the time condition. For him, that would be more than enough.
Since Riochiro is a smart young man, I was sure he would come up with strategies to last longer—like attacking from a distance, gaining ground, or dodging instead of attacking.
But Riochiro does none of that. He knows that even if he achieves victory in that way, he won't acquire the knowledge he needs to face Skiller users.
That's why he attacks head-on, blocks Mr. Kawashima's powerful strikes, and gets as close as possible to the gardener to analyze his attacks in greater detail.
Even if he gets knocked down, he gets up again and again to keep analyzing and learning from these valuable lessons. That's why every second he manages to last against Mr. Kawashima is not just time—it's a massive improvement in Riochiro's combat skills.
Mr. Kawashima recognizes him as someone very strong, saying that if Riochiro dedicates himself to the path of the sword, he will surely master the Seven Great Fencing Styles in the future.
I think the same.
June 13 (Year 4)
While we were having breakfast, Riochiro began sharing some of his analyses about the weaknesses of the Skillers, based on what he had gathered during his battles with Mr. Kawashima.
To my surprise, the white-haired boy had managed to analyze most aspects and, beyond that, had identified how he might emerge victorious in a fight against someone depending on their Skill, as well as which Skills were the most lethal to an anomaly like him.
There were certain aspects that even I hadn't managed to figure out. For example:
Magnis have a gland near their liver, which connects to the sweat glands, body fat, and heart. This small secretory organ enables any bodily fluid they produce to become a flammable liquid.
Magnis also generate high body heat, which can react with these flammable substances, making it possible for their entire body to ignite if they so desire.
Of course, there's also an organ that helps regulate this process, allowing Magnis to control which parts of their body they wish to transmit combustion with sufficient practice.
Depending on the genetics of some users, certain Magnis can even produce flames that extend outward from their bodies, increasing their attack range.
As for the Ligthners, there's little left to explain at this point about how they function.
Then there are the Herculus, whose Skills operate in a simple way. Superhuman strength might seem as impressive as fire or lightning, but it is actually the simplest of the four Skill types that exist to date.
Herculus users are born with naturally strong muscle fibers. Even before they reach the age of nine and awaken their Skill for the first time, signs of their evolution are evident from birth.
Furthermore, as they mature, their testosterone levels rise to nearly dangerous heights, causing their muscles to grow and harden uncontrollably.
In the early stages of their evolution's manifestation, they usually maintain a normal physique. However, something periodically happens to the Herculus, a process we call "compaction."
Their muscles compress and coil together, causing their fibers to bind more tightly to one another. When this happens, the increase in the user's strength is notable.
If a Herculus user exercises before this compaction process occurs, their already developed muscle fibers grow even stronger each time.
Thus, for a Herculus user, physical exercise is essential to further enhance their strength and develop a superhuman power as much as their body allows.
Among these Skill functionalities lie Riochiro's strategies, which exploit the weaknesses and limits of each ability.
To begin with, every Skiller has a limit to how much they can use their ability. Reaching that limit and continuing to use their Skill can result in catastrophic consequences.
A Magnis can burn to death in their own flames. A Ligthner can fry their nerves, succumbing to unbearable pain. A Herculus can have their body crushed from the inside by the pressure of their own muscles.
It's clear that without a profound understanding of oneself and careful management of their limits, users could lead themselves to self-destruction.
However, training and absolute control over one's Skill can extend those limits, which is why it's rare to see anyone during combat push an opponent's Skill to its breaking point.
Riochiro considers this a last resort. While he acknowledges the advantage, he believes that forcing someone to self-destruct to achieve victory is far from ideal.
That's why, if he ever has to fight, he intends to finish the battle with his own hands—not at the expense of someone else's blood and sacrifice.
So what are his strategies for emerging victorious and in one piece against a Skiller, considering that he, in essence, has no abilities?
Every Skiller, no matter how devastating their techniques, has certain vulnerabilities when attacking. These techniques can sometimes leave gaps in their strikes and openings in their posture.
When Ligthners use Hypercharge, they can only move in one direction. If someone is fast enough, they can dodge to the side and attack from their flanks once the Hypercharge is executed.
Riochiro can also anticipate this, leaving a Ligthner stunned—or better yet, on the ground—an advantage he could use to finish the fight.
Magnis can throw fire and cause explosions through spontaneous combustion. However, these techniques often obscure their visibility, leaving them exposed to any kind of attack.
Lecters can make their copied Skills more powerful than those of the original user. However, they are against the clock and must finish the fight as quickly as possible.
Riochiro plans to use all of this to his advantage, opening up opportunities to win against these groups of superhumans. With the fencing training he has received, he feels confident it will be enough.
—"Hey... Wait, what about the Herculus?" I asked curiously, as I hadn't heard him mention them in his explanation.
—"Ah, them…"
I waited expectantly as I watched Riochiro look to the side, deep in thought. Finally, he opened his mouth, took a breath, and delivered his next line.
—"Well, there's nothing left to do but pray."
August 12 (Year 4)
Kisaragi Ryuugamine, my grandfather... has passed away.