Friday, 07/19/XX
Every once in a while, Izuki comes to our dorm to hang out. Whenever that happens, we almost always play punishment games.
“Alright Izuki, English or Japanese?”
“English!” Izuki exclaimed with a blindfold on.
Junya pressed the play button on his phone. The instrumental started. Izuki furrowed his brows, his head bowed slightly.
He grinned and placed the ruler under his mouth. “Must've spent thirty-five, forty-five thousand up in Tiffany's~!”
I raised my brows in surprise. “He actually got it,” I whispered to Junya.
I spoke too soon as Izuki started to mumble the lyrics. I stifled a laugh as Izuki continued to sing in broken English. Out of nowhere he belted, “THIS BITCH~!”
I cackled, leaning against Junya whose shoulders were shaking vigorously.
“Come on! That must've been 30 seconds already!” Izuki complained.
“It's already past that,” Junya stated.
Izuki ripped the blindfold off and shoved it in my face. “Not fair!”
“I mean, you skipped almost an entire verse,” I argued.
Izuki groaned in detest, but Junya and I ushered him out into the hall, shoving sunglasses onto his face. Izuki glared at us before walking to the dorm door across from our room. He knocked twice and leaned his shoulder against the door frame. A boy in his PJs opened the door, staring hard at Izuki.
“Is this room 101?” Izuki questioned.
“No… It's 213.”
“Well, you're definitely the basics of my love.”
The boy furrowed his brow, confused, and closed the door on Izuki's face.
“That was painful.” I wheezed between laughs.
After a few more rounds, Junya also had his share of punishments.
“Come on, Ricchan, ya gotta play too,” Izuki begged.
“No way, I’m not singing.”
“It's only us!” He encouraged me. “If ya don’t sing this next song, ya have to do the next punishment.”
I hopped off my bed. “I’ll do the punishment.”
Izuki and Junya watched from the dorm door as I strolled all the way down the hall. I knocked on the door before collapsing on the ground. After several awkward seconds, the creaking of the door made me sit up.
I placed my palm on my forehead. “Do you have first aid? Because I think I've fallen for y—” My heart stopped the moment I glanced up.
The towering boy glowered as I scrambled to stand up. “Sorry! W-wrong room!” I pushed the sunglasses closer to my face, hoping he wouldn't recognize me.
“Jiro, who was it?” I heard a voice call out from behind him.
“Some weirdo.” He sneered.
I yelped as I saw a glimpse of silver hair. Before he could peek his head out, I fled the area and pushed past Junya and Izuki to barge into my dorm. I tossed the sunglasses and plopped onto the bed.
“What happened, Ricchan? Did they answer?”
I lifted my head, my cheeks fiery red. “We are never playing that game again.”
Monday, 08/19/XX
I started to reminisce on the punishment games I played with Junya and Izuki to escape the burning I felt in my chest and calves. How I wished to be back in my AC dorm room, listening to the off-tune Izuki singing, and joining Junya in heartfelt laughter until we cried.
It’s been nearly three months since our training began, yet Natsuki has been on our asses to train every single day. Now that we’re all on summer break, Natsuki has been drilling every one of us without giving us time to rest until Mita-senpai intervenes. Days when we didn’t train were when a shadow appeared, which was quite often, surprisingly. However, these enemies haven’t been as dangerous as the attack on Honko City. It may be thanks to the kindled bond the five of us have built, contributing to our victories in battle or Natsuki’s training for improving my ability to hold myself in a fight. Nonetheless, I felt camaraderie among individuals I never would’ve thought of getting along with.
Still, even with our progress, I could barely finish the 5k run in under 30 minutes as it felt intangible after doing a two-hour full-body workout. As I was about to turn at the corner of the field, I heard heavy footsteps behind me. With my legs feeling as if they were about to give out on me, I attempted to run faster, but the dull pain in my calves stopped me.
“Yokono-senpai, are you alright?”
I turned my head towards the towering freshman, beads of sweat dripping down his temple. His sleeves were tucked inwards, and the chest part of his shirt was damp with perspiration.
I attempted to smile. “Yes!” I gasped. “I'm doing—” I stumbled as my knee caved in on itself.
Kouji quickly grabbed my shoulders, saving me from a face full of dirt and grass. I unconsciously leaned against him as I started to regain my balance.
“Sorry, I'm covered in sweat.” I apologized.
He shook his head. The boy patted my back with furrowed brows. “You should take a break, Senpai.”
With a weak nod, I glanced up at his face. His lips were curled into a pout as if he were frowning. I couldn't help but notice how long his eyelashes were, perfectly complementing his youthful, large eyes. My forehead creased, and I looked into his dark eyes, feeling as if something was different about the underclassman.
Kouji tilted his head, still patting my back. “Yokono-senpai?”
Quickly coming back to my senses, I moved aside. “S-sorry, I'll go get some water.”
I walked away while scratching my head. I hope I wasn't staring for too long…
-
The three trainees stood in a line, shoulder by shoulder, fronting the eldest boy.
“Alright, youngins! Before we end training, I want to test you. I want to see how much control each of you has over your powers. I also want to see if you can hold yourself in a fight.”
“What’s the test?” Izuki tilted his head.
The eldest smirked. “You have to touch me. Think of it as a game of tag.”
Kouji frowned. “I don’t really feel like fighting...”
“Would you rather fight, Natsuki?” Mita-senpai gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.
His boyfriend sat under the shade of the tree, flipping his knife between his fingers. The rest of us stiffly stood in our places as nervous energy built within us.
Mita-senpai chortled at our expressions. “Works every time. Now,” He intertwined his fingers, cracking his joints. “If all of you can tag me, I’ll buy us lunch.”
“You’re on.” Izuki grinned, stretching his arms over his head.
The eldest confidently put his hand on his hip with the other extended, motioning to come and attack him.
Izuki was eager to lunge toward Mita-senpai. With his hands extended, Izuki reached out to tap his chest, but the eldest simply leaned backwards, causing Izuki to stumble on his feet. Mita-senpai took the opportunity to step aside, keeping a safe distance from the three of us. Kouji joined in, but both boys’ efforts were futile as Mita-senpai danced around his opponents. He was always one step ahead, anticipating their every move.
I took this opportunity to turn myself invisible. Training had taken a toll on me, so my stamina to use my invisibility was limited. I tiptoed around the commotion and watched from afar. I grabbed onto the nearest rock and tossed it in his direction. Unsurprisingly, Mita-senpai was unscathed. I frowned and decided to ditch this tactic. The projectiles would give away my location.
Kouji used his putty to wield a wooden sword. As Kouji threw his sword down on the boy, Mita-senpai effortlessly evaded the blade.
I need to wait for Mita-senpai to become overwhelmed. Then I can sneak in and touch him. I strategized in my head.
Izuki and Kouji simultaneously attacked head-on. Izuki sporadically jumped in and out from one portal to the next, and yet, he still couldn’t get within an arm’s distance. Kouji raised his bamboo sword high above his head and leaped up in the air. As his blade fell towards Mita-senpai’s head, Izuki stuck his arm out of a portal from behind. Mita-senpai rolled to the side just in time, which led to Kouji smacking Izuki right in the head. Kouji stumbled on top of the wailing Izuki, the two boys lying down in a heap.
“Get off!” Izuki grumbled. Kouji whimpered an apology, wiping the sweat off his cheek.
I impatiently snuck behind Mita-senpai, extending my hand out to touch his shirt, but the latter dropped down into a side split.
“Your footsteps are loud, Rito.” The eldest rolled over and kicked himself off his feet.
I stumbled, trying to regain balance. I shuffled backwards and suddenly felt a heavy weight on my back.
“ACK—” I fell face flat on the ground. My powers reached their limit as I turned back to normal. I twisted my head around to look at what was weighing me down. Izuki's hands were pinned next to my head as he lay down on top of me.
“Where did ya come from, Ricchan?”
“IZUKI GET OFF!”
“Turn me invisible, why don't ya?” He wrapped his arms around my waist and showed his goofy smile.
I shoved my hand in his face. “GET OFF—” A tennis ball shot me in the cheek, a stinging pain lingering on my skin.
“I’m sorry, Senpai!” Kouji apologized across the field, holding a handful of tennis balls.
Izuki's giggles rang in my ear, but were stopped as a tennis ball hit him in the head. While Izuki and I were squabbling, Mita-senpai flipped to dodge the tennis balls.
I heard growling near the tree. “Gather your three brain cells and come up with a plan!”
“Two brain cells.” I deadpanned while glaring at Izuki. “I have an idea,”
Izuki huffed while getting off my back. “Spill it then.”
“Mita-senpai is predicting all of our moves because we’re going at him separately, but if we overwhelm him, one of us will be able to tag him,” I explained. “I can turn invisible, so I can be the one to tag him.”
Izuki brushed his hair out of his face while nodding. “I’ll use my portals to distract him. Kouji!” He beckoned to Kouji and informed him of our plan.
Kouji nodded earnestly while spreading his arms. His fingers grew into feathers, as his arms shrank until his entire body transformed into a falcon.
Once I turned invisible, Izuki and Kouji charged together. Kouji soared high above Mita-senpai and dived towards him, his talons outstretched. Mita-senpai ducked down and turned on the balls of his feet to avoid the hands reaching out to him from Izuki’s portals. Izuki desperately ran from each portal, extending his long arms to tag the eldest. Mita-senpai successfully dodged each attack, but each hit was getting closer and closer to its mark. After another diving attempt, Kouji landed on the floor and slithered rapidly like a viper. For a split second, I noticed the eldest hesitate. His eyes widened as his body stiffened uncharacteristically. I took advantage of his hesitation and lunged forward to tap Mita-senpai’s back. He cocked his head around, but it was too late.
By the time Mita-senpai backed away, I grabbed onto the hem of his shirt.
Kouji and I cheered happily as Izuki collapsed on the ground. I praised Kouji while patting him on the back. He wiped the sweat from his flushed face and smiled.
“Well done, boys. Pretty impressive.” Mita-senpai smiled triumphantly despite his loss. “As promised, lunch on me!”
-
As we chowed down our meal, Mita-senpai handed us sleek black watches. The band was silicone, making it comfortable to wear. The glass screen of the watch’s face appeared to have a blue tint to it. I placed the watch on my wrist and adjusted the band to fit my arm.
“Per Izuki’s request, I made these watches to allow us to communicate efficiently.”
“And conveniently,” Izuki added, gazing at his new toy. “Can’t believe ya actually took my advice.”
“I’m always open to criticism and suggestions.” Mita-senpai acknowledged. “Another feature I added is location tracking in case someone is separated during battle or if they are suddenly ambushed by shadows.”
“Amazing!” Kouji beamed with a mouth full of rice.
We all thanked Mita-senpai, who grinned while reveling in our praise.
“If you’re all that grateful, how about no training for tomorrow? I think you youngins deserve a break.”
Kouji wiped the crumbs from his face. “Speaking of breaks, do you think I can take a longer break? I have to prepare for a volleyball tournament coming up.”
Mita-senpai raised an eyebrow before glancing at Natsuki, who in return gave a nod of approval. “Of course! But on one condition,”
Kouji gulped. “Yes?”
“We all get to come and watch.” Mita-senpai smiled.
Kouji bit his lip with a shrug. “I think that’ll be fine.”
Izuki and Mita-senpai began cheering in excitement.
“S-sounds fun!” I let out a strained laugh, trying to blend in with their excitement. “Watching Kouji play will be nice.”
Izuki grinned. “We can watch someone else too~”
“Stalker much?” I scrunched his nose, pushing away the boy’s face.
“Sounds familiar,” Natsuki teased. I averted my gaze while eating my food.
“Imagine! Ya can make a sign that says, ‘Matsuoka’s Number One Fa-'" Izuki was cut off as I kicked him off his seat.
“Fukuyama-senpai, are you alright?” Kouji panicked.
“I think I broke my leg.” Izuki moaned.
“Keep whining and I'll break the other one.” I hissed.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVw82d9K3gk
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59f3Trbf4S
