The field was already marked when Roen stepped onto it, faint lines cut into the dirt from earlier classes crossing over each other in uneven angles. Groups filtered in from different paths, some jogging the last few steps, some walking slower as they found space. A boy near the edge dragged his heel across one of the lines and blurred it out of habit before stepping back into place. Roen moved past him without adjusting pace, stopped where the line held straight, and set his feet without looking around.
Daichi stood off to the side, arms folded, eyes moving across the forming rows without calling anyone out. He let the last few students close the gaps on their own before speaking.
"Two laps," he said. "Don't break the line."
No signal. Just a hand flick forward.
The front row moved first, uneven for half a step before the rest followed. Sand shifted under the push-off, a few students jumping into a faster start than needed. One boy near the right edge sprinted early, cutting ahead by two strides before his pace broke. Another behind him was already breathing heavier than the rest, shoulders lifting with each step. Roen moved with the line, stride even, breath steady through his nose, not pushing, not holding back. The rhythm settled around him whether he matched it or not.
They curved along the outer edge of the field, the ground dipping slightly near the far corner where water had dried unevenly. Someone slipped a fraction and corrected it mid-step, the stumble carrying forward instead of stopping him. A short burst of laughter came from behind and faded as the distance stretched. Roen's foot struck the same patch on the second pass without adjusting, heel landing flat before rolling through. The boy who sprinted early dropped back, steps losing shape, arms swinging wider than before. No one said anything.
By the second lap, the line had stretched thinner. Small gaps opened, then closed again as people tried to match pace they hadn't kept. Roen stayed where he was, neither gaining nor losing ground, breath unchanged, eyes forward. The finish came without a call. The front slowed first, the rest compressing behind them, steps shortening until they stopped.
A few bent forward immediately, hands on knees, pulling air in through open mouths. One boy walked in a slow circle like stopping would drop him. Another wiped his face with the back of his sleeve and shook his arms out, trying to get the stiffness out.
Daichi didn't wait.
"Pairs. Rotate on my mark."
He was already moving.
Students moved without being told again, turning toward whoever was closest. Roen stepped forward and met the first partner without pause, feet setting on the same line he'd started from. The other boy raised his hands late, still catching his breath, stance uneven for a second too long.
They moved at the same time.
The first strike came wide, easy to read. Roen stepped in, turned his shoulder just enough to let it pass, then held before the next one came. They drifted apart on their own. The boy blinked, adjusted his feet, tried again with a straighter entry this time. Roen met it near the center, nudged it off line, then stepped back before it could turn into anything. Just contact, then space again.
"Rotate."
The next partner stepped in before the first had fully cleared the space. This one came faster, shorter steps, hands tighter. The entry closed quicker, a low strike aimed straight through the center. Roen shifted half a step, caught the line, then let it go without answering. The gap opened again. The boy hesitated, like something should have followed. Nothing did.
"Again," Daichi said from somewhere behind them.
They moved once more. The strike came in the same way. It stopped in the same place.
"Rotate."
A third stepped in. Taller, slower to commit, weight sitting too far back at the start. He circled once instead of entering, trying to find an opening that wasn't there. Roen didn't follow. He stayed where he was, feet set, hands still. The boy stepped in late, strike forming halfway through the motion. Roen met it, turned it off-line, then dropped it before it became anything else.
One cleared, the next was already moving in.
"Rotate."
They met, touched once, then drifted apart. The next exchange followed the same shape as the last, then the one before it. Different faces, same timing. A strike came in, got met, and died there. Another tried to press and lost it halfway, stepping back to fix his footing.
Off to the side, Daigo took one to the shoulder and checked his step, rubbing it once before settling again.
"Walked into that." he said, half-turned.
Aoi didn't look at him. "Move." She was already in, stepping straight through her partner's guard, pushing them back a step before cutting it off herself.
Kagehiro stood just outside his line for a second longer than needed, watching two others collide too close and lose their spacing. He stepped in after they separated, hands already up, then moved once and stopped.
"Rotate."
Roen's next partner came in harder, trying to carry through the first contact instead of stopping. It lasted a moment longer, enough to close the gap.
Roen let it come, gave a step, then settled back under it.
The other boy tried to follow and lost his footing on the way in, step going too far, balance slipping before anything could form.
It ended there.
"Set your feet," Daichi said.
The boy nodded and stepped back, trying again.
"Rotate."
Roen moved with it, in and out, ending each exchange before it had time to stretch.
Once, he cut it short early, hands dropping just before the next motion came.
The other boy stalled, then backed off too.
"Keep it moving," Daichi said.
They did.
At the edge of the field, someone argued a point, hands moving as he tried to explain what had happened. The other shook his head and stepped back into position without answering. Aoi corrected her stance mid-step, foot sliding into place without breaking her line. Daigo missed his timing again and exhaled sharply through his nose, resetting harder than needed. Kagehiro watched, then moved when it was his turn, one clean entry, then nothing after it.
"Rotate."
Roen stepped in again.
The exchange started.
[SYSTEM]
Roen's foot had already settled when it appeared, weight balanced over the line as if nothing had changed. The field didn't shift. Sand still moved under other people's steps. Daichi's voice carried from the side, calling another rotation. The boy in front of him raised his hands again, waiting.
Elapsed Time: 4 Months
Baseline Integration: Complete
Progress Rate: Reduced
The next strike came in. Roen met it on reflex, turned it slightly, then let it go. The exchange broke as usual. The boy stepped back, waiting for the call.
Current State: Stable
Growth Curve: Flattening
"Rotate."
Another stepped in. Hands up. Feet set. Same distance.
Option Available: Accelerated Progression
Skip Interval: 2 Years
The line didn't stop. Someone laughed somewhere behind him. A foot scraped across the dirt to his left. Daigo's voice cut in briefly, then dropped out again as he moved.
Roen stood where he was, hands still raised, eyes on the next partner.
The prompt didn't disappear.
The boy in front of him shifted his weight, waiting for the start.
Roen didn't move.
Daichi's voice carried across the field again.
"Go."
Roen stepped forward.