Yuya scoffs, looking sideways at Rita. "I've definitely trained harder than this before! I'll stay up all night practicing if that's what it takes."

He absently swings his fist in the air for emphasis. That's dedication, right? Admirable, and totally not obsessively focused.

He leans back on his hands. "Besides, this is really important to me." Rita knows that already, how much he wants to protect his friends. It's no less earnest in his tone even after their vacation. He told himself he wouldn't be so weak anymore, and now he's seeing it through. He just has a lot of catching up to do.

"You still have to practice magic to stay good at it, right?" That's how every other skill works.