Ember of the Starry Sky

Yukari's flames flickered around her, golden and bright against the snowy backdrop. Her breath came in ragged gasps, but she wasn't giving up. Not yet. She had three spells in her arsenal, and she was going to use every single one of them to wipe that smug look off Hinote's face.

Or at least, that was the plan.

"Alright, let's get serious!" Yukari yelled, wiping sweat from her forehead. "You can't keep dodging forever!"

Hinote, lounging mid-air as if she was on vacation, twirled lazily and examined her nails. "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just waiting for you to land a hit. I could use the exercise."

Yukari's eye twitched. "Oh, I'll give you some exercise, alright!" She summoned her flames again, the Dawn Flame crackling in her hand. "You're gonna regret messing with me!"

Hinote floated back down to the snow, barely containing her laughter. "Oh, Yukari, sweetie, you're adorable when you're angry. But let's make this a bit more interesting, shall we?"

Yukari narrowed her eyes. "More interesting? What are you talking about? You're already messing with me enough!"

With a dramatic sigh, Hinote extended her arm, pointing her index finger straight at Yukari. "I've decided, for the rest of this fight, I'll only use… this."

Yukari blinked. "Huh?"

Hinote smirked. "Just my finger. No spells, no flashy moves, just this little ol' finger right here. Seems fair, right?"

Yukari gawked at her, completely dumbfounded. "Are you are you seriously going to fight me with one finger?!"

Hinote grinned, twirling her finger in the air like she was showing off some kind of priceless treasure. "Yep. One finger is all I'll need."

Yukari felt her blood boiling. This bird was beyond insufferable. She was mocking her no, she was toying with her! "Fine! You want to fight with just your finger? Bring it on! I'm going to wipe that smug look off your face!"

Hinote chuckled, as if she'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "Oh, kid, you're welcome to try."

Yukari grit her teeth and charged forward, flames blazing at full force. Her feet pounded the snow as she gathered energy for her next move. "Take this!" she shouted, throwing her hands forward. "Dawn Burst!"

The golden fireball soared through the air, aimed directly at Hinote's chest.

But Hinote… didn't even move.

Instead, she simply lifted her finger and… flicked it.

With one effortless flick, the Dawn Burst was sent spiraling off course, crashing harmlessly into the snowbank behind her. The ground sizzled from the blast, but Hinote just stood there, completely unscathed, not even a hair out of place.

Yukari's jaw dropped. "You—WHAT?!"

Hinote waggled her finger, grinning. "Told you. Just the finger."

Yukari screamed in frustration. "YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE!"

"I've been told that before," Hinote replied casually, dusting some imaginary snow off her shoulder. "Now, what's next, kid?"

Fuming, Yukari didn't even hesitate. She summoned her flames again, this time forming a protective barrier around herself. "Dawn Shield!"

The golden flames swirled around her like a cocoon, guarding her from any attack. She smirked, feeling a bit more confident now. "Let's see you flick your way through this!"

Hinote raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "A shield, huh? Alright, I'll play along."

Yukari tightened her stance, expecting Hinote to blast her with one of her own powerful attacks. But instead, Hinote just strolled up to her, still waving that cursed finger around like it was the answer to all her problems.

Without a word, Hinote poked Yukari's Dawn Shield with her finger.

Poke.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, to Yukari's absolute horror, her Dawn Shield the very shield she had spent weeks mastering began to crack. The golden flames flickered, sputtered, and then shattered into a million tiny sparks, completely destroyed by a single finger poke.

Yukari stood there, frozen in disbelief. "You… you broke my shield… with a FINGER?!"

Hinote couldn't hold back her laughter this time. "Oh, Yukari, I warned you! This is what happens when you don't take your training seriously."

"I AM taking it seriously!" Yukari shouted, fists shaking. "You're just… just—UGH!"

"Insanely good-looking? Extremely talented? Yeah, I get that a lot," Hinote said, examining her nails again like she didn't have a care in the world.

Yukari clenched her fists, flames flaring around her. "You think this is a joke, don't you?! I'll show you! Dawn Flame!"

With all the energy she had left, Yukari summoned the largest Dawn Flame she could muster, a massive ball of golden fire that crackled and roared in her hands. She hurled it straight at Hinote, determined to make this one count.

But Hinote? She didn't even flinch.

She just pointed her finger at the incoming fireball and…

Poke.

The moment her finger made contact with the Dawn Flame, it fizzled out like a dying sparkler on New Year's Eve. Yukari could only watch in despair as her most powerful attack was reduced to a puff of smoke, all because of one stupid finger.

Yukari dropped to her knees, completely defeated. "This isn't fair! I can't even touch you!"

Hinote strolled over, still grinning like the smug phoenix she was. "Of course you can't. I'm me. And you're… well, you're trying. I'll give you that."

Yukari glared up at her, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. "You're the worst teacher ever!"

"Aw, come on now, don't be like that," Hinote said, crouching down to ruffle Yukari's hair. "You're improving, believe it or not. You're just, you know, not there yet."

Yukari swatted her hand away. "How can you say I'm improving when I can't even land a hit?!"

Hinote sighed dramatically, standing back up. "Alright, alright, let me break it down for you, kid. You've got power lots of it. But you're not using it right. You're throwing flames around like a toddler with finger paint. You need precision, strategy, timing."

"Precision? Timing? How am I supposed to have that when you're literally dodging everything and fighting me with ONE FINGER?!"

"That's the point," Hinote said, poking her forehead lightly with of course her finger. "If you can't handle me at finger-level, how are you gonna handle real enemies? This is for your own good."

"For my own good?" Yukari repeated, groaning in disbelief. "This is torture! I thought you were supposed to be teaching me magic, not humiliating me!"

"I am teaching you magic," Hinote replied cheerfully. "The magic of not sucking."

"Ugh, I hate you," Yukari muttered under her breath, slumping into the snow. Her flames sputtered out entirely, leaving her drained and cold.

"And yet, you keep coming back for more," Hinote said with a wink. "You're tougher than you think, kid."

Yukari buried her face in her hands. "I'm five years old. I'm supposed to be playing with toys, not getting my butt kicked by a magical bird-woman who fights with her FINGER!"

Hinote chuckled, plopping down beside her in the snow. "Welcome to the real world, kid. But hey, at least you didn't die this time. That's progress."

"Gee, thanks," Yukari grumbled.

After a few moments of silence, Yukari sighed, her breath visible in the cold air. "I'm never going to beat you, am I?"

Hinote leaned back, propping herself up on her hands. "Probably not. But that's not the point. You're not here to beat me, you're here to get stronger. And you are."

Yukari looked up at her, skeptical. "You really think so?"

"Of course," Hinote said, tossing a snowball into the air and catching it lazily. "You've come a long way from the kid who couldn't even control her own fire. Now look at you you've got spells, shields, attacks. Sure, they all kinda suck right now, but you're learning."