She had always considered herself strong. The idea of being "weak" was something that she simply could never allow of herself. After everything her sister had done to her, everything that her master had done for her, being "weak" was simply not an option.

So she made herself strong. To be able to not look back, to be able to repay her debts, to be able to serve her master well; she made herself strong.

She would never be weak again.

She could be alone in this world, but she would be strong. This was assured, she had decided.

But then he came.

At first he had been nothing but an annoyance. A perverted character that wouldn't understand the importance of strength if it hit him in the face, or so she liked to think.

She was wrong. Time and time again, he rose to meet every challenge that came his way. His perverted antics even quickly became a source of his strength, and soon her master began regularly relying on his power. Before she knew it, he had become the centerpiece of their team - the most important member that every one of them relied on.

Every single time, he would stand back up and smile or do something perverted (or both), and he would bring everyone together. There was just something about him that she couldn't ignore.

She soon realized that he was becoming a source of strength for her as well. Just being near him made her feel stronger than she ever had felt alone. She found herself relying on him more and more, to the point that being away from him for too long made her feel weak.

It was a strange thing. She was supposed to be strong, wasn't she? How could she let this happen to her? How could she let this simple, fool of a man get to her so?

She couldn't place when she had fallen in love with him for sure, but before she knew it, she realized she didn't mind his perverted antics anymore - in fact, if anything, she just wished she could be the target of them more often.

She had begun to realize she was proud to know such a strong person. He was a simple man, but in his simplicity was his strength. He was always able to rise, even if sometimes it was only because of a pair of soft, round carrots being dangled before his eyes. It didn't matter though.

He was always there, and in knowing that, she felt like she would continue growing stronger still. Even if he wasn't with her, he would still be there - he would still be there for her, and in knowing that, she felt incredibly strong. It made her feel weightless, knowing that such a person cared so much for her, knowing that such a person would risk everything for her, knowing that such a person would rise above all challenges for her if need be.

... This time, though... This time... He didn't stand back up.

She had been prepared for this. She knew that this possibility was likely. He got himself into life-and-death situations every other week. Sometimes more often than that. She had made her peace with that. She knew that someday, it was perfectly possible for him to die in battle.

She had always considered herself strong. The idea of being "weak" was something that she simply could never allow of herself. After everything her sister had done to her, everything that her master had done for her, being "weak" was simply not an option.

And yet... As she realized her beloved senpai, the man she had proposed to only hours ago, was gone...

She had never felt more weak in her life.