The sun is thin, and it's time for night to fall. Silent night............

The waves lapped against the silhouette of the Street of Sword, at the foot of the hill of the Street of Sword, in the middle of a mansion.

There is a rare elegant tone.

A song to Alice came unhurriedly from the music box, and the girl who dragged it with a jade hand stood slim.

At this moment, the blonde Alice shed the armor she had been wearing and changed into civilian clothes.

I saw her wearing a white shirt with a blue bow tie and light blue jeans, looking very refreshing standing outside the porch.

"It's a full moon tonight......"

The turquoise eyes reflect a full moon in the sky, why can't people look directly at the sun, can look directly at the moon, but ...... What about hating the night?

Alice didn't think about it so much, and she had a lot of thoughts in her heart when she came out to relax in the evening breeze.

Since I came to the Street of Swords alone, I have experienced so many things...... Now......

The melody kept echoing in her mind, and when she was alone like this, she always thought of her father.

With loneliness and sorrow on her face, Alice looked at the full moon in the sky, and Alice wondered if there would be such a full moon in her father's place...... Is it in the place where this sky continues?

Myself...... Can you get there?

I don't know, but if you stop, you definitely can't go anywhere.

The music box was carefully covered, and Alice wore slippers and walked on the snow that had not yet melted.

Walking from the porch in the back room in the direction of the dojo, Alice walked halfway and found a few footprints on the ground and a few cyclones.

For some reason, she could vaguely feel that it seemed to be a trace left by Kitamura's single-mindedness............

Kitamura Isshin............

That man's strength is genuine, and before you know it, it gives people a very reliable feeling.

And............ It seems that he has a good interest in things like fame and money, not to mention glory...... None are interested.

patted her chest, and the girl's heartbeat slightly made her white clothes rise and fall.

Alice thought to herself......

Perhaps, he is not interested in love and relationships or anything like that.

Step by step, step by step, stepping on the footprints of the green mountain, Alice continued to think about the things that were in her heart.

That man, just using his own sword to pursue the strongest......?

Could it be that the man is just ...... Are you in pursuit of sharpening?

If that were the case, he would already be damaged as a human being.

Clenching her chest, Alice looked embarrassed and couldn't help but think............

But...... As a swordsman...... That person, is ideal!

Myself...... Can you be like him, can you become as strong as him, can you ...... Do you want to go straight ahead without distractions?

For what, for what to be strong, for what to swing the sword?

As the moonlight fell, Alice's memories slowly surfaced......

"Alice, why do you want to learn swords as a woman, why do you want to fight and kill, and become a knight?"

Alice was only twelve years old at the time, just a few years after she was separated from Father Stella.

She knelt on one knee and raised her head slightly, her etiquette and temperament as a knight were already excellent.

"My lord, I love swords, I want to be stronger, I don't want to lose anything because of my weakness, I want to protect people, just like my father used to protect me. ”

Alice's face was full of sincerity and her words were warm, and it was hard to imagine that this was a twelve-year-old girl's great revenge.

“...... Well............ That's not good. ”

............？

Alice, who was splashed with cold water, immediately showed an innocent and confused expression.

"Why, sir, if you like swords, shouldn't you understand me? knight...... Isn't it just for the sake of protection and strength, dedication and sacrifice? My lord, if it were for my age, you could ......."

"Not really. ”

There was a hint of horror and confusion on the girl's expression full of doubt, if it weren't for that...... So why ......?

"Alice, you are a good boy, and I really want to praise the father who raised you, but the sword is a thing that takes the life of others, it is a murder weapon, it is used to kill. ”

"It's not good for the woman who gave birth to life to wield it, it's not appropriate. This is contrary to the will of Heaven and God. ”

"Alice, I like strong men, but you, a woman, if you like swords no matter what, and want to protect them, give birth to strong boys. ”

Alice, who was only twelve years old at the time, froze her expression and body after hearing the words of the chief knight.

I don't know what to do, I don't know what kind of expression to show.

The way forward for oneself has been denied............

"You don't want to swing a sword, but you want to give birth to a man who will play swordsmanship to the extreme, men's body structure is different from women, and when you grow up, you will understand, men are responsible for protecting the family and defending the country, and women, as long as they are responsible for giving birth to men. ”

Alice's stunned eyes drew a teardrop, and her own value was denied............

The knight couldn't bear it, and put his hand on Alice's shoulder, gently comforting her.

"Don't blame me, it's the gods who stipulate this, women are destined to be weaker than men. Be obedient, be obedient, and find happiness as a woman. ”

............ What a god?

The moonlight shone on Alice's delicate half-length face, which looked a little resentful, like a pool of lifeless water.

...... Why, am I a woman?

Powerful man wields a sword, is feared, respected, and pursued by everyone............

But my sword ...... What is it for...... What will happen..................

Father, I ........................

！

Just when Alice was thinking for a long time and was confused, a voice came.

It was a small sound of breaking wind...... Coming from the dojo.

Alice Qi stepped forward and looked in through the crack in the door, who was ...... in the dojo at this time?

As the sun gradually set over the mountain, Aoyama had already fallen asleep in bed. At this time, the moon was already in full bloom.

But that man, since talking to Oni Liu, who had just finished reading the newspaper in the afternoon, hadn't left the dojo for a single step.

The moon shone brightly, through the porch, and shot into the somewhat deserted field from the courtyard.

The man standing there naked and sweaty, waving the wooden knife in his hand..................

Reflecting the girl's green eyes, Kitamura was single-minded, wrapped in sword qi, as if the whole body was a whole, and he looked very concentrated.

Swing your sword, swing your sword, until you get all the excess off your body.

Phew——————

If you look closely, there are still a lot of sweat stains and fresh sweat beads on the floor.

I had already noticed that there was someone outside the door, and my demeanor was sharp and calm, like a knife on a knife holder.

“...... What's the matter? It's not ...... Something that looks interesting. ”

Faced with an undiminished spirit, Alice entered the door and stepped forward in two steps.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?"

The confusion in the girl's eyes was replaced by a focused look, as if looking at the sweaty and determined look, Alice couldn't help but start sweating and shaking in her heart.

Yixin still didn't turn his head to look in Alice's direction, but quietly looked at the moonlight, feeling the feel of the sword in his hand just now.

“...... This is a training to be able to stand perfectly. ”

......？

Alice couldn't help but wonder after hearing this, her expression hadn't changed at all compared to six years ago, and she was still so immature.

"Standing, standing...... Training?"

"Yes, it's a standing training that minimizes the amount of force used when standing, and that you can respond immediately to whatever happens, and you can be in a state of battle at any time, so that's the perfect standing. ”

"What I'm doing now is training for that. ”

..................

After Yixin finished explaining, there was silence between the two.

Under the sweat-soaked bangs, his sharp features wrinkled slightly.

Scenes that can only be forgotten when swinging a sword come to mind.

"I'm still far from being as strong as I imagined, and my goal is still out of reach, so I have to work hard to hone myself. ”

Maybe it's because of the influence of Aoyama's sword last night, or maybe it's because of some mission.

Yixin's crazy sword swing and experience, behind him, what supported him forward...... What is it exactly?

————！

A glint of admiration flashed in Alice's eyes, and a drop of cold sweat appeared on her fair forehead.

Ever since he came in, he has been staring straight ahead and has never looked at himself.

Even if she is so young and beautiful, she is a neatly dressed girl.

...... This man, really————

...... Why? Why?

"Why?"

Alice blurted out, pouring out the doubts in her heart and her own confusion in an instant.

"Why are you so pure about swords?"

............ was silent, unwilling to talk about his old pain, let alone show his bloody scars to others.

With a suspicious face, Alice's dexterous lips were slightly upturned, and her hands hung weakly beside her, as if she couldn't change the fact that she was a woman anyway, nor could she change the patriarchal world.

If she wielded the same sword, she wanted to find an answer.

"Why? It is not a dream to be famous in the street of swords, but money, status, wealth, fame, and even everything but the sword are worthless. ”

............ Yixin remained silent, not because he thought those things were worthless, but because he had already lost them all because of the things that were more valuable than these............

"To be honest, I envy you. ”

Isshin's head sank slightly, and he looked at the moonlit floor.

"I ...... Nothing to envy. ”