"I was only comrades-in-arms with Sword Maiden at first, adventuring together. Because her talent was Sword Art, I learned Sword Art along with her. I never had the chance to receive a Spellcaster's education, so she learned the knowledge at school and then taught me..."
"I've forgotten whether there was ever a confession stage, but if she says it was me, then it was me."
"Our relationship wasn't smooth sailing. The main problem was me. To put it a little more poetically, my heart had shattered into pieces, and each piece only liked one person... I feel like if I dared say that in front of her, I'd be dead."
Without hiding or evading anything, Ash told Niya the whole course of his relationship with Sonia. Sometimes he would smile unconsciously, and sometimes he would chatter on about details that had left a deep impression on him, completely ignoring whether his sole listener wanted to hear them.
"Sword Maiden and Witch are waiting for me in another world. To save me, they're fighting somewhere I don't even know about."
Ash said, "The reason I'm trying so desperately is just so I can go back and reunite with them one day sooner."
"That's the story of me and Sword Maiden."
In the Serenity, Ash's hand clearly felt Niya's heartbeat quicken. He tried to pull his hand free, but Niya gripped it hard and refused to let go, insisting on pressing his hand against that soft, springy place, as if demanding that he feel her heartbeat every moment.
"...Does she look the same as me?" Niya answered her own question as soon as she asked it. "She must. Otherwise, how could you have recognized me at a glance... No."
She realized it. "That girl you mentioned earlier, the one who likes looking