"So fast "
The cat-girl's fist thrust out straight out, her movements devoid of any fancy variations or techniques.
Speed, power, precision pure, direct violence, pure numerical dominance.
And this was only because the opponent suppressed their own ability value in order to make the sparring session possible.
Unlike the previous one-sided beating by the higher-ranking adventurers of the Dark Faction, this sparring session allowed Shirou to better experience the violence of "rank".
Shirou used his waist to push, his body suddenly tilting to the left, while his arm lashed out like a whip.
The fist struck the cat-girl's forearm from the inside, causing the jab to deviate slightly from its intended direction, much to the slight surprise of her gaze.
"Finally, we succeeded once."
So far, their sparring has been more like playful banter between a boy and a girl than actual sparring; it's just Anya throwing punches and Shirou trying to counter them.
Whether you resist, dodge, or counterattack, try any means necessary to deal with a normal punch from a Lv.4 adventurer.
After dozens of attempts and failures, and being repeatedly knocked to the ground, Shirou finally seized the opportunity.
By deflecting the opponent's straight punch, Anya's center was wide open, a rare opportunity for a counterattack!
The boy's right fist aimed straight for the cat-girl's abdomen.
He undoubtedly used all his strength without holding back given his level and power, worrying about hurting his opponent was just needless anxiety.
The cat-girl's lips curled up slightly.
Then, with unreasonable flexibility and speed, she turned around on the spot.
Something furry struck Shirou in the middle of his abdomen, sending the boy flying.
What the opponent can rely on is not only the numerical value brought by the high level, but also the innate racial advantages of the cat people - dexterity, flexibility, agility, and flexible tails that far surpass those of humans.
"Anya is amazing."
"Right? Everyone should admire Anya more, meow."
Finally, Shirou lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his body covered in bruises.
In contrast, Anya showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever, and it seemed she hadn't even broken a sweat.
The difference between a Lv.1 adventurer who has just received divine favor and a Lv.4 adventurer of higher rank is like heaven and earth.
Therefore, such a high-level battle will also bring Shirou significant benefits.
"Shirou is amazing too, he doesn't seem like someone who just became an adventurer at all." Anya praised, "Did you train in martial arts before, meow?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I never expected that punch would hit Ania right where she couldn't muster any strength, meow. Was it on purpose?"
"It was mostly a matter of chance and luck."
...
On the other hand, Ryu was so unwilling to accept defeat that she bit her handkerchief.
"I'm not reconciled..."
I was here first, and Shirou-kun asked me to do it in the first place, so why, why did it turn out like this?
I clearly want to become a mentor to the young, just as my former companions guided me. Wouldn't that bring some comfort to my departed friends?
However, he completely messed it up. The first move in the sparring session almost seriously injured Shirou, and he had no face to bring up the matter of becoming an instructor again.
"Wait a minute, if that's the case, then I'm completely inferior to Anya, aren't I?"
Whether as a waitress or a teacher, Anya is far superior to me. Moreover, when Anya goes grocery shopping, she can use her charm to get discounts from the shop owners, while I have been blacklisted by the shop owners because I was mistaken for someone collecting protection money.
Furthermore, Anya is also a top-tier Lv.4 adventurer.
Not only that, Anya also has fluffy ears and a tail!
Ah~ No, it's a complete failure, Lady Anya, I'm so sorry I couldn't satisfy you...
The elven girl's mood was so gloomy that Seele saw a hallucination: "Ryu, Ryu-chan, don't turn to ash!"
"Shirou..."
"Miss Liu?"
"Shirou... I'm a complete useless fairy..."
Ryu sat on the ground with her legs bent, her arms wrapped around her knees, and her bare feet on the grass in the courtyard, her long toes slightly gripping the ground.
"Don't think like that, Ryu-chan," the kind-hearted Anya quickly comforted her.
"Although you're clumsy, your cold and hard expression scares customers, you're a bit single-minded, and it's not good that you don't let the cat touch you, you're very strong, meow!" Anya said, clenching her fist. "And…and…and…huh?"
Anya looked conflicted.
Shirou, Xier: "..."
"And, and Ryu is incredibly strong, meow, and very fast too. Plus, Ryu is an elf, so she must be very skilled at magic, meow..."
No, it's not that you can count many advantages just by breaking down "strong combat power" into individual parts!
Seele: "Alright, stop talking. Liu is about to drop her little pearl."
"Shirou, I really am useless. Come to think of it, everyone used to call me the 'useless fairy'..."
"Miss Ryu, do you think my cooking is good?" Shirou plopped down in front of Ryu and asked softly.
"Of course, Shirou's cooking is delicious."
"I wasn't good at cooking from the start," the boy said. "I remember the first time I cooked, I burned it completely. My father ate it with a helpless look on his face, and ended up having diarrhea all night."
He said, "No one is good at everything from the start, and Seele and Anya are no exception."
"Ah, Anya still often serves the wrong dishes to the guests."
"Seele is the same way, she breaks plates every now and then, meow."
"A person's maturity is accumulated slowly in the process of 'growing up'," Shirou said, taking Ryu's hand again. "Moreover, I think it's amazing that Miss Ryu is good at fighting."
"Miss Ryu is only good at fighting because she's always fighting, right? And Miss Ryu's fighting must be to protect everyone, just like when she saved me back then," Shirou said.
"Huh?" Liu was stunned.
"Miss Ryu, this is not something to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of." Shirou said earnestly, "You are very powerful, and you have used this power to save and protect many people. I think that is truly remarkable!"
The figure of the boy before me overlapped once again with that of my past companions.
Do you think so too...?
"Miss Ryu..."
Call me Liu.
"What?"
"Shirou calls Anya by her name, so he calls me 'Ryu'."
Anya's excessive liveliness and cheerfulness made her difficult to respect, so people subconsciously called her by her first name. But Ryu...
"Miss Ryu..."
Call me 'Ryu'.
Shirou once again witnessed the stubborn nature of the elves.
"Liu".
"Shirou, I "
Gu~
The elf girl's stomach rumbled again, at an inopportune moment.
By the way, I messed up so many things today that I'm not in the mood for dinner at all.
It is an absolute truth that people will get hungry if they don't eat!
"Mmm..." The girl's face flushed red again.
"Oh right, Shirou, I want to eat the grilled fish feast you promised me." Anya pulled Shirou up.
"Now? But there are no fish right now. I was planning to buy some tomorrow."
"It's okay, Anya's going to sneak into Mia's mom's kitchen to steal a cat~"
"So, staying here was the right decision, wasn't it?" Seele sat down next to Ryu.
"Um..."
"I'm very grateful to Ryu." Seele took Ryu's hand, and Ryu's body did not reject it.
"Back when the Dark Faction was rampant, everyone who came to the tavern had a gloomy face." Seele turned her head to look at Ryu: "But now, there are more smiles."
"This is all thanks to Ryu, and to all of you heroes. So, just as Shirou-kun said, stand tall and be proud of it!"