The perfect | TBATE X COTE

Chapter 06: A little training.

"Um...I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Reynolds responded cautiously.

Adam stood up from the dry log he was sitting on. He approached my father and put his arm around his shoulder. "Come on, Reynolds, a little training won't hurt." Adam said with an innocent smile. He playedfully jabbed my father's sides with his finger. "After all, you've already trained them, correct? I'm just interested in seeing what they're capable of."

Our father sighed, scratching the back of his hair. After a little more hesitation and a tug-of-war from Adam and Reynolds, "Simply take it easy. We have not yet begun combat training." He finally spoke up.

I approached them, specifically Reynolds, and yanked on his shirt. When his gaze returned to me, I attempted to reason with him. "I don't think this is a good idea, Father."

"Why?"

I noticed Arthur approaching from the corner of my eye; he had apparently heard that we would be participating in a training session. It was extremely inconvenient, so I looked for an excuse. "Because w-"

However, before I knew it, I was interrupted in mid-sentence by a hard pat on the back. When I turned around, Adam was looking down at me with a smile.

"Come on, a little practice shouldn't be too difficult for a couple of geniuses, right?" He inquired rhetorically, emphasizing the word 'Geniuses.'

"I Don-"

However, I was again interrupted in the middle of a sentence. Adam grabbed my forearms. He dragged me away with his rough palm on my small arms.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Alice asked hesitantly, her brown eyes concernedly looking at me.

My father nodded, having faith in his former comrade.

"Don't worry, Reynolds; they're in good hands!" Adam joked as he said goodbye. No one seemed to be coming to my aid in this forced combat.

"Do I really have to?" I couldn't help but wonder as Arthur reached for us, his two hands occupied with two wooden swords.

"Yes." Adam replied, then turned his head and smiled smugly at me. "Or are you scared, little genius?"

Arthur, who was walking beside me, had a slight change in expression. Did such a simple remark bother him? I had to keep in mind that my brother in this life might have a very short fuse. What was he like in his previous life that he couldn't take a little teasing?

Assuming he was a functioning adult in society, he would be barred from most jobs if he couldn't control his temper toward his superior, so he should be in a high position, perhaps a businessman or politician of some sort... no, as I listened to Adam provoke us even more childishly, I broadened my perception horizons.

I assumed Arthur came from a modern society like mine, but it wasn't impossible that he came from a fantasy world. Given his sophisticated manners and the regard that seemed to be engrained in his nature, it would seem more reasonable that he couldn't bear insults if he were from the nobility.

I got caught up in my thoughts and didn't notice Adam standing in front of us with a wooden stick in place of his spear.

Arthur was holding the two wooden swords we'd received for our birthdays, and he jolted me out of my reverie. "You don't have to if you don't want to." He said, slightly concerned.

He appeared to have misinterpreted my brief disconnection for fear. I couldn't blame him, because my generally stoic expression makes it nearly impossible for him to read me correctly.

I let my gaze wander before responding. The crackling fire from the campfire illuminated our battleground. Everyone's expressions changed as they looked in our direction. My father took everything seriously, his blue eyes hawk-like, watching everything.