Training began the next morning.
Leo woke up to shouting.
Outside the hut, Aira and Rina were already facing each other. Aira held her wooden sword calmly. Rina, still barefoot, twirled her stick like a spear.
Leo sipped his barely-warm tea and sighed. "Oh great. Day one and they're ready to kill each other."
He limped outside, grabbing the nearest branch as a cane. "Alright, ladies. Teamwork training today!"
"I don't need a team," Rina grunted.
"She's too hot-headed," Aira replied flatly.
"You froze a bird yesterday."
"It was a distraction."
"You froze the tree it sat on."
Leo clapped loudly. "Enough!"
Both girls flinched.
He pointed to a nearby clearing. "That way. First one to take down a wild beast gets first pick of dinner. No killing each other. Understood?"
The girls glanced at each other. Aira nodded. Rina scoffed.
Then they ran.
Ten minutes later…
Leo arrived at the edge of the forest, panting.
A giant boar stood in the clearing, snorting flames from its nose.
"…That's new," Leo muttered.
Aira was already slashing at its legs, quick and precise.
Rina dashed in from the other side, spinning her stick like a burning wheel of death.
Aira froze the ground.
Rina melted it with a single stomp.
They clashed—not with each other, but in perfectly timed coordination. Fire licked the beast's flank. Ice trapped its hooves. Aira slashed. Rina struck.
Boom.
The boar collapsed.
Leo's jaw dropped. "…That was terrifying."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Both disciples are adapting combat patterns. Synergy detected. Host contribution: 0%]
"Gee, thanks."
Later that night…
Leo grilled the boar meat while the girls sat nearby, eating silently.
Their bodies were bruised, scratched, exhausted.
But they looked… proud.
And for once, they weren't arguing.
Leo served them seconds. Then sat, leaned back, and stared at the fire.
"Maybe I really can teach them. Even if I'm faking it all."
[SYSTEM: Host has shown early signs of actual leadership. Don't get cocky.]
He smiled.
"Too late."