Suguha stretched to reach straight down with both hands, gradually bending her back— until she abruptly stopped. The smooth ice that formed over the lake reflected her appearance back to her. Her short hair, cut above her eyebrows and in line with her shoulders, was black with tinges of blue. Her eyebrows shared the same ink black color and were very thick, while two eyes filled with unyielding spirit lay below them. Together, her reflection had a seemingly boyish appearance. The traditional white dōgi and long black hakama she wore only helped to accentuate this. ——As I thought... I just don’t resemble... my Onii-chan... It was a thought that often filled her mind in recent days. She thought of this every time she saw her own face at the bathroom’s entrance. It wasn’t that she disliked her appearance; she didn’t care that much to begin with. But ever since her brother Kazuto returned to this house, her mind had began to subconsciously make comparisons. ——It’s no use, no matter how much I think about it. Suguha shook her stubborn head and resumed stretching. After she finished stretching, she picked up the shinai that was left propped up against the black pine. She gripped it, feeling the familiarity in her palm from its long use; then she straightened her back and assumed a centered posture. She took a deep breath while maintaining her stance— then instantly, with sharpened vigor, she struck out directly frontward with the shinai. Her keen movement seemed to cut the morning air, which startled a number of sparrows as they all flew off from the branch overhead.