I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

"Then, shall we begin?" "…Uh, sure."

In the end, without even a moment to sort my thoughts, I was dragged by the atmosphere and ended up in the training grounds with Ren. Standing across from each other, it felt completely different from just a few days ago. However, the complex emotions were the same as before.
"You handle a sword too?" "…Yeah." "It’s been a while since I’ve had a duel, so I’m feeling a bit nervous."
'Been a while, huh…'

Does she not even remember the duel we had just a few days ago? Realizing that her memories related to herself had completely disappeared, a complex wave of emotions surged through me. Should I be happy about this?
[Isn’t it obvious you should be happy? You can start over again, after all.]
— I threw that kind of question to myself. Instinctively, my gaze turned toward Ren.

Maybe it was because of the anticipation for the duel. Her expression didn’t change much, but I could sense a slight flush on her face, an indication of her mood. ...It felt like, contrary to her memory loss, her emotions had become even richer than they had been a few days ago.
Did Ren, a few days ago, expect a duel with someone else like today? And I must have ruined that for her.
"…" "…? Are you okay? You don’t look so good." "…I’m fine. Don’t worry about it."

Looking at Ren’s worried expression, my mood grew heavier. I took a deep breath and gripped my sword again. She, too, got ready for the duel in sync with my movements.
"Let’s start off light. Let’s gauge each other’s skill." "…Okay." "Then, here we go."
With those words, her momentum changed. Although it was far from the intensity of the previous duel, the sharpness that came from the sword, now in harmony with her, was still there. In a fleeting moment, her figure blurred, and she was right in front of me. As always, I used the reverse grip on my sword to block her attack.

Clang―!
"…You’re pretty good."
After her attack was blocked, Ren widened the distance again. From her expression, now more flushed than before, I could sense even more emotional change.

'Well, there weren’t many opponents her age who could match her in close combat.'
The only one who could come close was the spear-wielder. I hadn’t faced him yet, though, so for now, I might actually be her first real rival. And that’s why her expression is so full of expectation.
Thud.

Ren’s sword tip touched the ground. At the same time, her aura flickered and surged. It was the same preparatory motion she made just before attacking me a few days ago.
Her foot took a step forward. In response, I raised my sword in the anticipated path. Soon, I could feel the heavy weight transferring through my sword.
But it didn’t stop there; Ren’s continued barrage of attacks collided with my blade.
Clang!

Klang!
Kraaang―!
"…Hah!"

With a short shout, a change came over Ren’s sword. A cold aura, clearly visible, emanated from her blade. Sword aura. Matching her level as an Expert, the wavering form of her aura was remarkably stable.
'This isn’t the time to be admiring…!'
Honestly, if I took that kind of attack head-on, even with my magic sword, my blade would probably break. She wasn’t trying to kill me, but the force was still incredibly threatening. Of course, I could probably mimic something similar, but it would be inefficient to copy her with my lower-level skills and crude techniques.

The amount and quality of the aura. There was a significant difference in everything.
That’s why I decided to use a bit of a cowardly trick.
Half a step. I leaned forward just a little earlier to match her movement. Where my sword should have been, my neck was now exposed.

"…?!"
Ren was startled and retracted the aura from her sword. At the same time, her sword, which had been aimed at my neck, twisted and instead targeted my lower body. I had already predicted this, so I blocked the low strike and moved inward.
Thud!

With my unarmed hand, I grabbed Ren’s wrist. Then, I pressed down on her foot and pulled her toward me. Her unstable posture from twisting the sword made it easy for her body to follow my will.
From there, it was simple. I turned my body and shifted into a position to lift her up, then, controlling the force, threw her to the ground. She groaned as she was tossed and dropped her sword.
Thud! Clang―!

"…Ugh!" "Is it over?"
I pointed my sword at the downed Ren and asked. She glared at me with an annoyed expression.
"…You’re a coward." "I’m just smart." "That’s cowardly."

Ren got up, shaking off the dust. She looked at me with a dissatisfied gaze.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
'Hmm, even I can admit that was a bit cowardly.'

I had intentionally exposed myself to force her to twist her sword’s path. If she had been someone with mediocre skills, she wouldn’t have been able to react and would’ve hit me right in the neck. It was a petty move, using her skills and good nature against her. ...Though, if she had been the Ren from a few days ago, she likely would’ve just cut my neck off without hesitation.
"Well, now it’s over―"
The duel finished, and I turned my body to place the sword back.

―Thud.
And at that moment, I felt a slight weight on my arm. Turning around, my eyes met Ren’s cold gaze.
...Did her memory come back?

"Do it again." "Huh?" "Let’s duel again."
...Ah, I see now.
'Ren, this girl. She’s really competitive, huh.'

She’s the type who wants to win any bet or competition. Even though Ren had always struggled to express herself when she was younger, this was one of the few times she showed her intentions clearly. And even now, that trait was still quite evident.
"I’m done for today." "…"
...She won’t let up just by glaring at me. I ignored her gaze and moved to put my sword back.

...
The sudden duel ended.
I leaned against the outer wall of the training grounds to gather my thoughts and take a short break.

Of course, I wasn’t alone. From a distance, I could see Ren swinging her sword. Even after our duel ended, she continued training. She didn’t seem tired at all, moving like a machine with a calm face, not a drop of sweat on her.
'Ah, it’s not entirely expressionless now.'
Contrary to her lost memories, her emotions seemed even richer than before. Her attitude toward me was strangely friendly, almost as if we had gone back to the way things were before. Just like the days when we played happily with the other kids.

'…What the hell am I doing?'
I smiled wryly at my ridiculous delusion. Just because the ties with her were cut, it didn’t mean we could go back to how things were.
[Why not? Ren doesn’t remember anything, right? You can just become close again from now on.]

It was a foolish question I posed to myself.
'How nice would that be…'
But my role wasn’t over yet. As her arch-nemesis, I would continue to torment her. The closer I got to her, the more the sense of betrayal she would feel in the future would grow. ...Just like that day I saw in the nightmare.

[Then, why didn’t you push her away? What was the reason you agreed to her duel?]
It was a serious question I posed to myself.
"…"

And I couldn’t answer that question. Even I thought it was a foolish and stubborn decision. It was irrational to have trained with her today.
'I don’t want to be hated anymore.'
It was a childish, impulsive thought. Unlike the hatred I had seen from her a few days ago, I couldn’t push away the kindness Ren was showing me. Moreover, the relationship with Ren, who had completely reverted to the past, also shook my resolve.

'I can start over from the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° beginning.'
I’m not a superhuman. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I was okay, the negative emotions from those who looked at me with disdain ate away at me. Without realizing it, the wounds I didn’t know were there had grown too large.
'…This makes the idea of having a third life seem laughable.'

In the midst of my self-deprecating laughter, something cold touched my cheek.
"…?" "Drink." "…Oh, thanks."
Ren handed me her water bottle. Perhaps her training had finished because she plopped down beside me. Her shoulder brushed against mine, so close.

'…Why is she acting like this all of a sudden? This proximity feels off.'
No matter how much the bad memories were erased, we were still strangers today. Is it normal for strangers to get so physical this quickly? Or maybe I’m just an awkward person who’s reading too much into it.
Either way, her actions made me feel strange.

"…Ah, I feel alive now."
Whether she knew how I was feeling or not, she smiled softly while drinking from the bottle. At the same time, her body slouched, and the weight of her shoulder pressed down on mine.
'…Is she really leaning on my shoulder right now?'

When I turned my head to look at her, she was also staring at me intently. For a moment, I was speechless, and as I stayed silent, she spoke first.
"Do you have something on your mind? You’ve been looking a little off since earlier." "…No, not really?" "That’s a lie. It’s written all over your face."
I guess warriors must be born with the ability to read faces.

"We just met today, right?" "So?" "I mean, it’s hard to tell you if I have a problem."
I awkwardly turned my head and pushed her away. When I did, the weight on my shoulder became even heavier.
"So, if we become closer, will you tell me?" "…" "I’m Ren Aizel. Just call me Ren."

With that introduction, I could feel her hot gaze from the side. It was as if she was urging me to tell her my name. Unable to ignore that gaze, I finally spoke up.
"…Ain." "Ain? Your name is Ain, huh."
Ren kept muttering my name. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke again.

"Ain, I come here every day around this time." "…So?" "Can you duel with me again tomorrow?" "…"
'I can’t get any closer.'
Continuing this false relationship carried too many risks. But, against my rational thoughts, the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. Eventually, I made another decision.

"…Sure, I don’t have anything scheduled for tomorrow." "…Really? So you’ll duel with me?" "Yeah."
Whether this ends in disaster or not, I wasn’t sure, but I finally made the decision to continue this unstable relationship.