Shunya held the wooden sword like it was a broom.
Which, to be fair, was how he used it last night to swat away a suspicious flying beetle near his bed.
"Stand straight," Naomi snapped.
He adjusted his stance.
"Wrong. Again."
He shifted.
"Still wrong."
He slumped a little. "How is that still wrong? I'm literally standing upright."
Naomi folded her arms, hair tied back tightly as always. Her training robe was crisp, clean, and radiated an aura of pure 'Do Not Mess With Me' energy.
"You're floppy," she said, walking around him. "Your shoulders are lazy. Feet uneven. Your grip is— what is this, a noodle hold?"
Shunya blinked. "It's how I hold chopsticks."
"You're not eating soup dumplings, you're learning sword stance!"
Across the courtyard, Vikoria sat under a tree with a thick book open on her lap. She watched them quietly.
Sometimes she'd giggle to herself when Naomi stomped in frustration. Other times, her fingers would pause on the page as she caught Shunya's voice floating in the breeze.
He was trying. He really was.
But watching him hold a sword was like watching a cat play a flute—confusing, awkward, and weirdly funny.
"Okay," Naomi huffed. "Let's try a simple downward strike."
She stepped back and demonstrated, slicing the air with a clean whoosh.
Shunya followed.
He missed the air entirely and whacked the practice dummy's neck sideways.
"...Was that a neck massage?" Naomi asked with a straight face.
"I was going for the classic side-chop," Shunya said.
"There is no side-chop in swordplay."
"There is now."
She groaned.
"Again. Ten times."
Ten minutes later…
Shunya lay flat on the ground.
His arms refused to move.
His sweat had sweat.
Naomi stood over him, breathing evenly, not a hair out of place. She wasn't even glowing with effort.
He pointed at her. "You're not human."
She shrugged. "Hard level, mid-stage. I trained for eight years."
"Yeah, well, I trained in writing Webnovels for six years."
Naomi blinked.
Then, slowly, a smirk crept onto her face.
"Guess the sword doesn't bend to word counts, huh?"
He laughed. "Wow. That was almost a joke."
Naomi turned away quickly. "Shut up. Take a break."
As Naomi walked off to get water, Vikoria approached.
She handed Shunya a small towel and sat beside him on the grass.
"You're improving," she said gently.
"Thanks," he sighed. "Even if I'm being bullied by Sword Teacher 9000."
Vikoria smiled. "Naomi is very strict… but she only trains people she respects."
"Really?"
She nodded. "She rejected ten other applicants this month. Called them lazy and unfocused."
"So I'm the chosen one of her wrath?"
"She likes that you keep going," Vikoria said.
Shunya blinked. Then glanced toward Naomi, who was now pouring water into two cups with her usual cold expression.
"She has a weird way of showing it," he muttered.
The three of them sat together on a bench under the tree.
Naomi handed out water without saying anything. Shunya took it with a smile. Vikoria sipped quietly.
"So," Naomi said, "you still can't use any proper combat skills?"
"Nope," Shunya replied cheerfully. "System says I have 'Beginner Sword +0.5' and 'Running Away +1.'"
Naomi facepalmed. Vikoria giggled.
"You're like a duck in a wolf's den," Naomi muttered.
"I'm the protagonist," Shunya said proudly. "I'm supposed to look weak and then surprise everyone later."
Naomi narrowed her eyes. "What if you die before that happens?"
"Then I'll be a very short story."
After a moment of silence, Vikoria reached into her pouch and pulled out something wrapped in cloth.
It was a wooden pendant, roughly carved with a small symbol that looked like a flame.
"I made this," she said shyly. "It's a warding charm. For good luck. I thought… maybe you could use it?"
Shunya blinked. "For me?"
She nodded.
He took it carefully. "Thanks, Vikoria. That's… really kind of you."
Naomi watched the exchange silently.
Her fingers tightened slightly on her cup, but she said nothing.
[Hidden Flag Detected: "Gift Received – Vikoria"]
[Vikoria Affection +8]
[Naomi Emotional Confusion +3]
Later that evening, Shunya lay in his small dorm bed, holding the charm in his hand.
He smiled to himself.
Vikoria's gentle thoughtfulness. Naomi's strict-but-reliable training.
For the first time since getting trapped in this strange app world… it felt like he was part of something.
Even if it was just small steps.
Even if it was still terrifying.
He looked at the wooden charm again, then whispered, "Thanks for not giving up on me, world. Even if you are completely messed up."
Then he fell asleep.