35. Martial Training • Healing Magic

"Mitoka, I need you to spar with me today. You can fight, right?"

"Yes, I believe so. It’s about the right time, actually. My level’s risen, so I can handle weapons now."

Shiro finally realized—Mitoka’s manifestation level had increased, meaning she could now engage in combat training.

Shiro’s previous battles had all been against monsters. Since his main tactics were long-range magic attacks, he wanted to test just how effective he’d be against a human opponent.

The two headed to an open plaza-like area and positioned themselves ten meters apart.

Each held a staff Shiro had crafted.

"Um, are you going to stay in that maid outfit?"

"Yes? Oh—right, that’s probably not ideal. It’s a skirt, after all," Mitoka said.

After a moment of thought, she brightened. "Ah, that’s right!" Then she shimmered and transformed into a different outfit.

"Wait—goth... steampunk?" Shiro nearly said "goth," then corrected himself. The outfit was a fusion of both styles.

Black from head to toe. Black knee-high boots, a black skirt reaching mid-thigh. A white shirt, a tight-fitting black jacket, and over that, a long black coat extending to mid-calf. More mature than goth, subtly refined steampunk—no frills, just function.

"...Hey, what’s with that outfit?"

"My combat uniform. The look you wanted. Don’t you remember? All those data files you collected..."

"Wait, me? Oh—uh..." Shiro suddenly recalled.

I had some data gathered for characters meant for an old game I’d once tried to make. Of course, it was for game development—but probably reflected Shiro’s tastes a bit…

“Shiro, I know, it’s fine,” Mitoka replied, her voice laced with an unexpected warmth, her smile tender—like a system confirming a safe state.

Shiro couldn’t figure out what was acceptable, but decided to go with it for now. After all, it suited Mitoka—so much so he’d been instantly captivated.

The ideal girl I’ve always dreamed of is wearing the ideal outfit. Even so, I’ll say it once more—my ideal girl, exactly as I’ve imagined her, is wearing the perfect attire.

Where else could there possibly be a more perfect form?

"……uh, right, got it……. For now, let's treat this as a simulation match, so we'll just have to be careful not to get seriously hurt," Shiro said, brushing it off.

"Understood, Shiro," Mitoka replied, her cheeks flushing for some reason.

"Then let's begin. Start when the stone hits the ground," Shiro said, tossing a small pebble into the air.

The moment the stone fell, Mitoka lunged at Shiro, swinging the iron rod sideways and slamming it into his left flank.

Shiro was sent flying ten meters sideways, skidding to a stop across the ground.

“Uggh…”

Shiro groaned, caught off guard by the sudden jolt, and struggled to rise.

"……a-ah!! S-sorry, s-sorry, I'm so sorry!" Mitoka gasped, startled by what she'd done, and rushed to Shiro, unusually flustered.

"Seriously? This isn't even funny anymore... Mitoka, when did you get this strong?"

Shiro’s question came not from the pain, but from being startled by Mitoka’s movements.

“Shiro, I’m sorry! I don’t even know what just happened… No, I mean, the speed and power were higher than I expected—your body just flew off the moment I moved…”

“Huh. Probably because it’s combat using 【Precision Surface Manifestation】, Mitoka. Your reflexes and power exceeded my expectations,” Shiro analyzed.

“Y-yes, Shiro. That was… unexpected. It was entirely my fault.”

“No, it’s fine. Actually, is your left arm broken?” Shiro asked, touching his arm and gritting through the pain.

“Shiro, we should hurry and learn diagnosis and healing skills!”

Mitoka demanded skill acquisition in the middle of this mess.

“Wait, seriously? Now? In this condition?”

Shiro yelped, startled.

“Yes. Might actually be convenient. We don’t usually get serious injuries, after all.

So chances to practice healing are rare.”

“Yeah, I get that… but how am I supposed to do it while this hurts so much?”

Mitoka didn’t seem to care about his reaction and continued.

“First, focus on wrapping your body in Qi Technique to dull the pain. Then, simultaneously, focus on using mana manipulation to analyze the condition of the injured area—especially the painful spots—and activate Diagnosis.”

Mitoka gave instructions with surprising calm. Shiro, enduring the pain, tried his best to follow.

First, he managed to wrap himself in Qi Technique. He felt a slight relief, as if the pain had eased a little.

——『【Qi Technique Wrap】Level 1 acquired』

——『【Pain Dampening】Level 1 acquired』

Then, he tried to activate Diagnosis, aiming to examine the wound and the internal state of bones and muscles.

Immediately,

——『【Analysis】Level 1 acquired』

——『【Diagnosis】Level 1 acquired』

An announcement echoed, and instantly, data about the injury flooded into Shiro’s mind.

“Ow, ouch. Ah, right—first off, a fracture in the left upper arm and bruising. Then, superficial abrasions on the back and shoulder. Deep scratch? Bleeding, huh.”

Shiro explained to Mitoka.

“Is that so? Then I’ll stabilize your arm as much as possible. While I do that, focus your mana on the injury—visualize healing and bone reconnection. Imagining hemostasis or cellular activation helps too.”

Mitoka gave the instructions, so Shiro did exactly as told, channeling mana and forming the images. Then,

——『【Heal】Level 1 acquired』

——『【Cure】Level 1 acquired』

“Whoa—finally got a healing skill I’ve been waiting for!”

Shiro exclaimed, voice rising with delight.

Note: 【Heal】restores wounds, bruises, minor burns. 【Cure】treats illness, minor injuries, disinfection.

After a moment, Shiro felt the pain vanish. He rotated his arm, checked the wound’s condition.

“Good—fine. Just a minor mishap. Let’s restart the drill.”

He called out to Mitoka.

“Yes, understood. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll bring full intensity from the start this time.”

Shiro smiled in reply.

“...Yes, understood. Then, let’s begin,” Mitoka answered.

As before, she tossed a small stone.

The instant it landed, Mitoka closed the distance in a flash, lunging at Shiro—this time, swinging the iron bar in a high, diagonal slash aimed at his shoulder.

Shiro stepped back at that instant, dodging it.

Then, still retreating, he lunged toward Mitoka, swinging the iron bar from right to left.

Mitoka had already leapt further back—Shiro’s attack missed.

In the next moment, she closed in on Shiro’s left flank and struck upward with the bar.

Shiro deflected it with his own weapon, attempting a counter-thrust—but Mitoka slid past him just as easily, and both of them jumped backward, pausing mid-air for a split second.

Then, in perfect sync, they lunged again—but no decisive hit landed. After about an hour, Shiro called out the end.

“…Alright, that’s it. Phew. That was tough.”

Shiro spoke, breathless. Physically and mentally, this was his first real, serious sparring match against another person.

“Shiro, you held up well,” Mitoka said, cool as ever.

“…But now that I think about it… Mitoka, you’re using my magic energy, aren’t you? So if we go full force like this, it’s only natural I’d get exhausted, right?”

Shiro suddenly thought of that and asked her.

“Hmph. Shiro, you’re just now noticing? That’s right—but even if I’m in control, you’re still gaining experience in magic manipulation. So isn’t it a good trade?”

Mitoka replied casually.

If you found this interesting, please consider rating or bookmarking it—it really helps!