Fukami Mikoto
Road 2- Afternoon
I throw every bit of physical strength I have at Shinozaki and he meets me head on. My initial punch is easily intercepted by his sharp instincts but the barrage of blow only escalates from there. Whereas before we would attack and control the space between us, now we are simply going toe-to-toe. The exchange is acceptionally brutal, but neither of us care. Despite our brutish act, the two of us are communicating in the best way we know how.
Eventually, what started off as an unscheduled brawl dies down as the two of us fall on our asses, completely exausted. In the end, I dare say I won, but that could just be my pride egging me towards a decisive result. Even if I'm a magus with a supposedly immortal body, I still don't consider myself one of the most physically daunting opponents. It's for this reason that I can admire the strength of people like Shinozaki. Perhaps I can even say I'm somewhat jealous of him. While I surely felt Shinozaki's reason for becoming strong, I know that it's an innocent desire.
Having caught his breath, Shinozaki gives me an indirect compliment and jokes about round three. Feeling my own second wind blowing in, I can't help but instinctively turn to him with a look that asks 'ready to go'. As our eyes meet, I realize how silly the idea of more fighting is and put on an awkward grin. Rubbing the back of my head, I release my brief nervousness with a laugh and Shinozaki soon joins me. Before we know it, the two us are sharing a hearty laugh despite not being in much of a condition to do so."Damn... That really hurt, Sempai... Might have to leave round three for another time... Shit."
However, it only lasts for just a moment. Immediately afterward, Shinozaki turns back to me with a serious expression. Unlike when we're fighting, I've never seen him like this in conversation. It makes me feel as though he's opening up to me more and more.
He doesn't have to say anymore to get his point across. Know instantly what it is he's trying to say. So, with a smile on my face, I rise to my feet and offer him a hand up, "I'd be honored, Shinozaki-san." Answering him with the same level of seriousness he relayed to me, I take his hand and pull him up."I want to sign up for the martial arts tournament. It's in a few weeks. But I need a team of four fighters and someone to act as an agent for that... You are the strongest person I know, Sempai, so..."
"But, I can't help but feel like you're giving me a little too much credit here..." Feeling a little sheepish, I speak my mind. "After all, you're no slouch yourself. Personally, I think you're much stronger than me right now. You might not realize it yet though. All the same, thank you. I've never been the strongest person anyone knew before."
With Shinozaki's hand still in mine, I laugh again as I shake his hand to signify a new point in our friendship. With that out of the way, I let go and give him a thumbs up with a confident wink.
"Whatever I can do, I'll help you win that tournament. Count on it." Saying something straight out of a shonen manga, I immediately transition back into rubbing the back of my head while playfully sticking out my tongue. "Just... not today. Sorry... You see, I kinda have a bit of prior business I need to attend to for now. But if you call me up later, I'll be glad to help. Oh! I guess I should give you my number then."
And with that, Shinozaki and I exchange numbers and make it our goal to win the upcoming tournament. Sure there are a few things we'll have to get out of the way first, but I'm more than confident that we'll be able to win it, no prob. After discussing a few plans with Shinozaki, we set off in different directions along the street. However, forgetting to say one last thing, I turn around to voice one last thing.
"And by the way... Sempai is cool and all, but I don't mind if you call me Mikoto either. After all, you're kinda my partner now, Shinozaki."
Dropping the honorfic from the boy's name, I tell him that it's okay if he calls me by my name. Without even waiting for a proper response, I turn around and continue along my way.
***(BGM on)
Drawing closer to the Nakamura household, I feel the stiffness in my muscles begin to fade away. A warm breeze sweeps past me and my body is filled with energy. The events of the day so far have gotten me so pumped up that I'd almost forgotten about the serious matter I wanted to address. And while the issue is still weighing heavy on my mind, I can't help but find myself in a good mood.
"Yosh~!"
Psyching myself up even more, I decide to run the rest of the way towards the Nakamura's. My powers aside, I do have a martial arts tournament coming up. If I want to have any hopes of winning, I have to train every moment I can. And it's like they say, 'no time like the present'!