As Lena's words, "Remember the old days..." hung in the air, Sard turned his gaze toward the grey sky outside the window. His eyes narrowed slightly as his mind drifted away from the room, retreating four months back to the day it all began.
It had started in a dusty square at the entrance of a low-rank portal. Sard, recently promoted to B-Rank, stood among a group of E-Rank heroes, yet his presence set him worlds apart. He was the vanguard of that day's mission. Amidst the chaos, someone caught his eye: Lena. She was a clumsy sort, constantly bumping into things, her hands trembling even as she gripped her dagger—yet the strange, fierce spark in her eyes never flickered.
Lena was a raw, newly appointed E-Rank back then. Sard had watched her struggle through the battle in that square, falling repeatedly only to stand back up with even greater ambition each time. When their paths crossed on the next mission, Lena dashed from the back of the group to his side, an excited smile lighting up her face.
"Hey, you're Sard, right? We hunted monsters together on the last mission. Remember me?"
Sard, without even taking his hands out of his pockets, glanced at her from the corner of his eye. In a voice as cold as ice, he replied, "Yeah... it was Lena, right?"
From that day on, whenever they met at the Hero Association, a silent pact seemed to form, and they began taking missions together as if by a silent agreement. To channel her raw ambition in the right direction, Sard would offer subtle, strategic tips during their hunts. In the heat of battle, his voice would cut through the noise:
"Don't let your eyes deceive you, Lena. It's not about looking; it's about feeling the flow of energy. Don't scatter your strength; gather it at a single point and turn it into a blast."
Thanks to his cold but surgical advice, Lena began to master her power, bringing her latent talent to the surface. That's how it all began in that dusty square in front of the portal.
The wheels of time turned again, landing on a rainy day just one month ago. Sard and Lena were walking through dimly lit streets after a grueling mission. When the skies opened up, Sard intended to continue alone, but Lena insisted on sharing her only umbrella. "I can't let you get soaked, Sard. It's on my way anyway," she urged. Though Sard remained silent in the face of such unnecessary kindness, he accepted. All along the way, Lena talked about his friend, Fast.
When they reached the shop, Fast was waiting under the wide awning. Lena chimed in cheerfully, "Hey Fast! Look, this is Sard, the friend I told you about. And Sard, this is Fast."
As Fast sized him up, he thought to himself: "Is this the punk Lena's been talking about?" He gave a simple nod: "Hey."
Sard, without taking his hands out of his pockets, glanced at him and replied in an icy voice: "I'm Sard."
To ease the tension, Lena turned to Fast. "We were on a mission again today, and Sard saved me once more!" she said with undisguised admiration. Fast looked surprised, his eyes shifting to Sard. Though Sard avoided direct eye contact, he turned slightly toward Lena.
"Actually, she has improved significantly. She can hold her own now and performs well enough on missions without my intervention."
At this, Lena's cheeks flushed, and she looked down in embarrassment. Sard said, "Alright then, see ya," and stepped out from the awning into the rain.
Just then, Lena quickly reached out and caught Sard's arm. "Actually... would you like to have dinner with us?" she asked. Sard paused, turning his head toward her in genuine surprise.
Then Fast called out: "Look, the ramen here is incredible. We can catch up a bit; wouldn't you like to join us?"
Sard turned his gaze to Fast. Struck by a second wave of surprise, he stood there. He slowly lowered his eyes and, in a low voice, replied: "Fine." Then, with his hands still in his pockets, he walked toward them.
Present Day – Hospital Room
Sard snapped out of his thoughts. His expression was still dull, but a silent approval was hidden in his eyes.
Seeing his continued silence, Lena leaned forward, meeting his gaze with striking gravity. "Sard, listen to me..." she said, her voice stripped of all humor. "If it weren't for those small tips you gave me, those single-sentence tactics in the middle of a fight... I wouldn't be D-Rank today. I'd likely be dead. You're the best at this. You know how to draw out potential and control power better than anyone."
She pointed toward Fast, who waited hopefully in his bed. "You can do for Fast what you did for me. You're the one who understands abilites best among us. Please, Sard... give him a chance."
Sard took a deep, heavy breath, caught between Fast's pleading gaze and Lena's earnest confession. As the silence in the room stretched on, they both waited for Sard's response.