The faintest whisper slipped out of his throat—so soft it was drowned out by the fluttering curtains.
"Why do you… want to become a mage?"
That question made Ao freeze. His expression twisted in a way that made Muyagura's chest tighten.
He couldn't answer.
"You don't have to rush, Onishima-kun… I just want you to really think about it.
Why do you want to be one?"
Silence hung between them. Ao's mind spun wildly, trying to form a thought—any thought.
A long, heavy moment passed.
Finally, with hesitation, he forced himself to meet Muyagura's gaze.
"…My father abandoned our family. So I want to punch him in the face… really hard."
His voice trailed into silence.
"And then? What comes after?"
"My mom—" Muyagura cut him off before he could continue.
"No, that's not what I'm asking.
I want to know what you'll do after you accomplish that.
Will you still be a mage?"
Ao fell silent again.
It hit him: He had never once thought about what came after.
"After you become a mage… ten years from now, what will you be doing?
Will you stop everything once you punch your father and call it a day… Onishima-kun?"
She stepped closer.
"If you don't know… then try listening to the voice in your heart."
"…The voice in my heart?"
Ao pressed a trembling hand to his chest.
"Why did you try so hard, Ao?
Why did you push yourself this far to become a mage?"
Silence again.
Then Muyagura continued softly:
"I'm not saying you should give up your original goal.
You can still punch your dad… (though honestly, poor man…)
I just want you to find what comes after. What future do you see… beyond revenge?"
Inside Ao's Mind
'…The voice in my heart, huh?'
A narrow path stretched into darkness. At its end—an enormous cliff so deep he couldn't see the bottom.
Ao stood at the edge, toes dangling over the abyss.
He turned around—
And saw himself. A child, only a few years old, staring back at him.
One pair of eyes full of determination. The other empty and exhausted.
"You're really gonna jump?"
the younger Ao asked, voice echoing in the cold wind.
"You're giving up already?"
Ao instinctively pulled his foot back from the edge.
"…Yeah. This is it. The road ends here."
"That so? Shame. I thought we'd go punch that jerk together."
"…Sorry. But this body's hit its limit. It ends here."
He looked down at his battered hands—shaking uncontrollably.
"But… you still want to be a mage, right?"
"…Huh? Did you not hear anything I just said!?"
"I heard you. But you're just looking for an excuse to take the easy way out."
The younger Ao stepped forward.
"You think dying solves anything?"
"Tch… what would you know? You haven't lived through any of this."
"I am you. I know exactly what you've been through.
Even when you lost duels, you kept going.
So why can't you think of something as simple as this?"
Ao had no answer.
"You made a promise, didn't you?
That tomorrow's you would be stronger than yesterday's you."
The younger Ao's eyes narrowed.
"So why…
why has the future you become so weak?"
Ao looked toward the cliff again.
This time—not with despair.
"If fire hurts, then train until it doesn't.
If you can't catch lightning, then run until you can. If you can't break a barrier, then keep punching until you shatter it.
That's how we think. That's how we've always been.
Prove the people who mocked you wrong— by becoming stronger."
"…Yeah.
So what you're saying is… as long as I can beat the version of myself from yesterday, that's enough."
"You could word it that way."
Ao stepped closer to the cliff—
but this time, when he looked down, something changed.
His eyes regained their light.
"My path ends at this cliff…
but instead of jumping—
I can climb down.
I can keep going."
He grabbed the rock face and began to descend.
His eyes once again burned with purpose.
Back in Reality
Right before Muyagura stood a boy whose eyes had changed completely.
The light had returned.
The despair washed away.
It was the Ao she admired— the one who refused to give in.
"I want to prove to everyone… that even someone without magic can become a mage.
I want people who've given up to stand back up—like me.
I don't want anyone else to quit for stupid reasons.
And I'm gonna shove it in the faces of everyone who mocked me…
…by becoming a Purple Cloak mage."
Muyagura let out a long breath—realizing she'd been holding it.
"I love seeing that look in your eyes… It finally came back."
She smiled without meaning to.
"…Thank you."
Ao's sudden words made her jump.
"T–T–Thank you!? You can say that!?"
"I'm a functioning member of society, you know!! Of course I can say it!"
The wind rustled the curtains. Crows cawed in the distance.
"Then… do your best, Onishima-kun. Sensei will be watching you from behind."
After School
The ordeal at school ended like a fading dream. Before Ao left, Muyagura handed him a charm for academic success.
He walked home admiring it in the fading evening light.
The streets grew quieter with every step— students had all vanished, excited for summer vacation.
Soon, the silence became eerie.
"…Why is it so quiet?"
Before he could think more—
CRASH!!!
Glass exploded outward with a deafening blast.
Three masked men burst from the bank, huge bags stuffed with cash in their arms.
Their staves still glowed from freshly cast magic.
They sprinted toward a van parked on the curb.
Ao froze. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't move.
Te–Terromagia…!? The real ones!?
His legs trembled uncontrollably.
Move! MOVE!! If you don't move you'll DIE!!!
But then—
his eyes caught movement.
Students in his school uniform.
Hiding behind walls, trembling.
His classmates.
Something in Ao snapped back online.
As the three men sprinted toward the van—
FWIP!!!
Ao suddenly stood in their path.
His entire body shook. He couldn't even look them in the eye.
"Move."
Ao stayed silent, gasping for breath.
"What do we do with him, boss?"
"We're not killing anyone. Do this instead."
They whispered among themselves.
"Hey, kid."
Ao swallowed hard and slowly raised his head.
"Move aside. We're in a hurry."
He hesitated— glanced back at the terrified students— then inhaled sharply.
His shaking stopped.
THUD!!!
Ao's fist slammed straight into the leader's face.
A molar flew.
The massive man dropped like a sack of bricks, blood gushing from his mouth, eyes rolled back.
The dust settled—
And Ao stood there, fist dripping with blood, eyes blazing.