Can’t win. Can’t win. Can’t win.
No matter what I do, I can’t win.

Regardless of the type of advice Gild-san gives me or the instruction I receive, nothing works.

I keep losing and I continue losing each day. I’m at my wits end.

There are already only a few days left until the end of the year, yet I still can’t win. I can’t even get a feeling that I’ll win.

What can I do? Is there even anything I can do?

I don’t notice my growing anxiety, distress, and exhaustion, but my parents are getting worried. However, I’m so worried and frustrated, I couldn’t care less about how my parents feel.

If nothing changes, I’m seriously going to lose Mistral.

It’s already been a long time since I last saw Mistral. Am I going to lose her like this without seeing her again?

No, I absolutely don’t want that.

A future where Mistral isn’t beside me, I don’t want something like that.

At any cost, I have to land a strike on Gild-san and get his treasure. It’s just, I can’t come up with a way to do that.

I’m so worried, it’s been days since I last had a proper night’s sleep. Gild-san keeps telling me to make sure I rest my body, but I’m too afraid the year will be over by the time I wake up if I go to sleep.

My thoughts, which haven’t been getting any proper rest, are getting stuck. I can’t focus on the few school lessons remaining for this year. Even my matches with Gild-san, which I’ve been miserably losing from the start, are getting worse. I realize I’m in a vicious circle, but I can’t do anything about it. As I am now, no matter what I try, nothing works.

As such, I totter about in a haze during my early morning walk to school and end up bumping into someone.

“Hey, you brat. Pay attention to where you’re going.”
A man with a nasty face grabs my collar.

“Sorry, I’ve been feeling a bit lightheaded.”

Ah, I messed up. I was walking without paying attention to where I was going and ended up bumping into this person.

“You think you can settle this with just a sorry?”

The man shouts and flings me aside. Even though I instantly land with ukemi[1], I was thrown onto pavement. The pain running throughout my whole body isn’t just a small sting.

“You don’t want me to throw you, right? Then you should apologize properly.”

Nothing has been going right these past few days and my frustration has been piling up. As such, instead of giving an earnest apology like usual, blood rushes to my head.

“Aah? What? You planning to snap at me even though you’re the one in the wrong?”
“Which is why I apologized. That had nothing to do with flinging me aside.”

I glare at the man as I stand up.

“Damned cheeky brat.”
The man intimidates me by jutting up his chin and glaring back at me.

Why do I have to get mixed up with such a bothersome guy so early in the morning?

“I’ll teach a rotten brat like you just how harsh this world is.”

With those words, the man swings a punch. Upon getting upset, he immediately resorts to violence. He’s absolute scum.

I respond without hesitation. His fist, compared to the sharp thrusts I’ve been receiving from Gild-san, looks as though it isn’t moving. I easily avoid him and return the favor by grabbing the nap of his neck and flinging him aside. I combine it with a heavy strike and flashily send him tumbling over.

“Baaaastard!”
The man seethes with anger as he glares at me.

But for me, his glare isn’t all that scary. I’m looking down on him as he crawls on the ground after having been flung aside.

“You still want to keep going?”
To me, this man isn’t an opponent.

The man’s face is bright red at my foolish attitude. His lips quiver as he gets back up. He’s tightly clenching his fist.

So, he still wants to continue? I wish he’d forgive me. I need to get to school.

“Damned brat, I’ll make you regret this!”
The man swings out his clenched fist.

It’s way too far to reach me.
I was negligent.

His fist was too far away to reach me, but from it flies dirt and dust. He probably grabbed it when he was on ground.

Dirt gets into my eyes and my sight is snatched away.

Damn.
The second I thought that, a heavy blow runs through my stomach.

“Don’t look down on me. This is what you get for getting carried away.”

The man strikes my face. With my sight stolen, I can’t avoid any of his attack and collapse in pain. I’m then kicked in the stomach and legs.

I wrap my arms around my head and curl into a ball. It’s all I can do to defend myself. Again and again, he kicks me and jeers. I scream out as my whole body is wracked with pain.

Damn, why do I have to go through something like this?

It hurts. It hurts.

What happened? I was in complete control just earlier.

“What are you people doing over there?!!”
A woman screams.

“Ernea-kun!”

I recognize this voice. But, with the dirt in my eyes and the violent assault I’ve received, I can’t place it right away.

“Che, shine maidens?”
The man clicks his tongue. He then kicks me one more time with all his strength before running away.

The sound of his heavy footsteps grows distant. Afterwards, several other footsteps rush towards me.

---

T/N: This can be a learning experience??

~Gandire Alea

[1] A way of landing that minimizes injuries.  Rolling, using your forearms, etc.

<67. Passing Everyday
68.2 Even I get Frustrated>