I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

It was a dark, windy night—the perfect backdrop for either clandestine mischief or outright chaos.

A serene quiet enveloped the small courtyard, so still that even the chirping of insects was clearly audible.

But the peace didn't last.

"Damn you, Itto—!"

The yell came from the kitchen, where the warm glow of firelight flickered. Suddenly, the partially ajar door slammed open, and a barrage of objects—spatulas, rolling pins, knives, and even vegetables like carrots and cucumbers—were hurled out.

Moments later, Itto Arataki stumbled out, his cheeks stuffed with food. He tumbled to the ground but immediately sprang to his feet and bolted, his movements remarkably smooth and practiced.

Not far behind him, Sara stormed out of the kitchen, fuming with rage. She burst through the doorway so quickly that she had to skid to a halt on the floorboards before giving chase.

Though Sara was noticeably faster than Itto, he managed to maintain his lead by using every object in the courtyard to his advantage. He vaulted over corners, leapt across ponds, and used trees and ornamental rocks to widen the gap.

"Ha! See this, Senior? I'm not the same Itto I used to be!"

With a burst of speed, Itto launched himself over the courtyard wall, disappearing from sight.

Sara, hot on his heels, leapt up and grabbed the wall to vault over—but as she did, Itto, now back inside the courtyard, passed her mid-leap.

The maneuver opened the gap once again.

This infuriating game of cat and mouse kept repeating. Sara grew increasingly frustrated, her patience wearing thin.

"It was just a few dang mochi! Is that really worth hunting me down like this?" Itto shouted, swallowing the last of his stolen prize as he ducked a flying knife.

"Just a few?!" Sara's furious retort cut through the night.

"I worked so hard to make those for Master—to show her my appreciation—and you dare steal them?! And now you dare ask if it's worth it?!"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I finished training, passed out from exhaustion, and woke up starving! Then I smelled something delicious in the kitchen…" Itto defended himself, his tone equal parts defiant and sheepish. "Honestly, it's your fault, Senior! If it was that important, you should've hidden them better. Isn't that, like, common sense? Even a three-year-old knows that!"

"…Are you implying I'm worse than a three-year-old?!" Sara's incredulous laugh was laced with fury. "So by your logic, this is my fault?! Should I apologize to you, then?!"

"No need! It's fine, I forgive you!" Itto declared magnanimously, grinning like a fool.

Sara's vision blurred with rage.

---

Kiichi Hougen emerged from her room, yawning as she stretched. Just then, a streak of violet lightning flashed across the sky.

"Huh? Thunder? Guess I should bring the laundry in…" she muttered, though the playful tone in her voice made it clear she wasn't serious.

She glanced at the scene unfolding in the courtyard below: Sara, her elemental lightning flaring, relentlessly pursuing Itto.

"Those two better not blow up my courtyard," Kiichi sighed.

The fruits of their recent training were on full display tonight. Even against Sara's mastery of Electro, Itto wasn't entirely defenseless. Using his Geo Vision, he had formed a translucent purple shield—a product of crystallized Electro energy—around himself.

This made him as slippery as an eel. No matter how close Sara got, Itto evaded her grasp with infuriating ease.

"Get back here, you idiot!" Sara roared.

"If I stop now, where's my dignity? Nope, not happening!" Itto yelled over his shoulder, laughing smugly.

His cocky voice echoed under the night sky, punctuated by the occasional crack of thunder.

"What's the matter, Senior? Can't catch me? Remember how you beat me in a race last time? Not tonight! Looks like I'm faster now—should we call me 'Speedy Itto'? No, wait—how about 'Godspeed Itto'? Yeah, I like that!"

Sara's patience snapped as her repeated failures to catch him piled up. But what truly grated on her nerves was Itto's obnoxiously triumphant laughter, which felt like an assault on her very sanity.

"That's it… I'm putting an end to this!"

Sara's eyes narrowed as she gritted her teeth. Lightning stopped crackling wildly around her and began concentrating on her body, coiling tightly like a living entity.

Her earlier attacks, though flashy, had been too dispersed to pierce Itto's shield. This time, she focused her energy into a single point.

She stomped the ground, propelling herself forward in a burst of speed. Her body transformed into a streak of purple lightning, closing the distance to Itto in an instant.

In her hand, a condensed blade of violet lightning took shape, nearly solid as it hummed with power.

Using the momentum of her charge, Sara drove the lightning blade forward, shattering Itto's shield like a bubble. The blade's tip raced toward his unprotected back—

"That's enough."

A calm yet commanding voice cut through the chaos.

Electricity and thunder dissipated in an instant. The courtyard, now charred in places, fell silent.

Hovering in the air, Kiichi Hougen held Itto by the back of his collar with one hand and Sara's wrist with the other.

"Both of you trained earlier today, yet you still have this much energy to spare? Hm… Seems I underestimated you two. Or rather, maybe your progress has surpassed my expectations. Gahaha! That's a good thing!"

Despite the mess they'd caused, Kiichi Hougen didn't seem angry—quite the opposite, in fact. Her grin was one of amusement.

Sara, still mid-attack, froze at the sight of her Master's smile. The realization of her actions hit her like a tidal wave.

What am I doing? I let myself get dragged into Itto's nonsense… I lost control…

Mortified, Sara lowered her head. "Master, I…"

She opened her mouth, but no words came. Guilt and self-reproach threatened to swallow her whole.

Before she could spiral further, Kiichi placed a gentle hand on her head.

"Well done, Sara. And you too, Itto."

---

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