Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into years.
A young nun named Sister Lily became responsible for Asta and Yuno, along with the other children.
Sister Lily: Alright, children! Breakfast is ready!
Asta: SISTER!
Sister Lily: Yes, Asta?
Asta dramatically dropped to his knees.
Asta: MARRY ME!
Sister Lily: ...Again?
Asta: YES!
Sister Lily: Asta, you're five.
Asta: I'LL WAIT!
Sister Lily: I'm going to count to three.
Asta: I'LL WAIT VERY PATIENTLY!
Sister Lily: One.
Asta: I'll build us a house!
Sister Lily: Two.
Asta: We'll have ten children!
Sister Lily: Three.
WHOOSH!
A wave of water splashed directly into Asta's face.
Asta: BLUB—?!
Sister Lily: Stop proposing to me!
Asta: I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!
Sister Lily: Then neither will my water magic.
The other children burst out laughing.
Yuno: Idiot.
Asta: WHAT DID YOU SAY?!
Yuno: I said you're an idiot.
Asta: YOU WANNA FIGHT?!
Yuno: You can't even beat me at hide-and-seek.
Asta: THAT WAS BECAUSE YOU HID IN A TREE!
Yuno: Exactly.
Asta: THAT'S CHEATING!
Yuno: It's called strategy.
Years Later...
As the children grew older, something became painfully obvious.
Yuno was good at everything.
Magic? Excellent.
Studying? Excellent.
Swordsmanship? Excellent.
Healing magic? Excellent.
Helping the younger children? Excellent.
Even Sister Lily couldn't stop praising him.
Sister Lily: Yuno, that was wonderful!
Yuno: Thank you, Sister.
Sister Lily: You're becoming such a fine young man.
Asta stood nearby, covered in mud.
Asta: I did it too!
Sister Lily: Asta...
Asta: Yes?
Sister Lily: Why are you on the roof?
Asta: I was practicing!
Sister Lily: You fell through the roof.
Asta: ...Technical detail.
Yuno: You broke another roof.
Asta: SHUT UP!
From that day onward, Asta decided on one goal.
Asta: I'M GOING TO BE BETTER THAN YUNO!
Yuno: Good luck.
Asta: DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!
Yuno: Like what?
Asta: LIKE YOU'RE ALREADY SURE I'LL LOSE!
Yuno: Because you probably will.
Asta: I'LL BEAT YOU!
Yuno: I'll wait.
Asta: STOP BEING SO CALM!
Age 18
Eighteen years passed.
Yuno had grown into a tall, handsome young man. His gentle personality made him popular throughout the kingdom.
His magic was extraordinary. He could use powerful light magic for both combat and healing.
People naturally gathered around him.
Villager: Yuno! Could you help me?
Yuno: Of course.
Another Villager: Yuno, can you heal this wound?
Yuno: Certainly.
Girl: Yuno, you're amazing!
Asta: ...
Asta stood directly beside them.
Asta: HELLO?!
Nobody noticed him.
Asta: I'M RIGHT HERE!
Yuno glanced at him.
Yuno: You're making a lot of noise.
Asta: BECAUSE EVERYONE IS IGNORING ME!
Yuno: Maybe they're distracted by your screaming.
Asta: I'M GOING TO PUNCH YOU!
Yuno: You say that every day.
Asta was shorter than Yuno, loud, notorious, stubborn, and constantly getting into trouble.
But secretly, Asta didn't hate Yuno.
Not really.
He knew Yuno wasn't a bad person.
That was actually the problem.
Yuno was too perfect.
Everyone looked for Yuno.
Everyone praised Yuno.
Everyone trusted Yuno.
Even when Asta was standing right in front of them.
Asta: That's what I hate...
Yuno heard him.
Yuno: What?
Asta: Nothing!
Yuno: You were complaining about me again.
Asta: I WAS NOT!
Yuno: You were.
Asta: ...Maybe.
Yuno smirked.
Yuno: You're cute when you're angry.
Asta froze.
Asta: W-WHAT?!
Yuno: Nothing.
Asta: YOU SAID SOMETHING!
Yuno: Prove it.
Asta: YUNO!
Yuno walked away, quietly laughing.
He didn't truly dislike Asta either.
He simply enjoyed pulling his rival's leg.
After all, irritating Asta was one of Yuno's favorite hobbies from childhood.
And perhaps... there was another reason he always kept his eyes on Asta.
To be continued..