𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 [𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢]

• Chapter 9 •

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❝You're going on your first mission!❞
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As Panda walks back to grab his water, you decide to watch their second match. They both start in positions almost identical to yours, but what happens after is completely different. Maki starts with the offensive, throwing a swift punch to Inumaki's face, which he ducks to dodge. After that motion, she takes the chance to flip over his head, landing on the other side of him.

He quickly gets back up, and she grabs him under his arms, lifting Inumaki into the air and onto the ground behind her. He lands face-first onto the ground, but instead of being disoriented, he grabs her ankles and shoves them to the left. Unfazed, Maki quickly regains balance and turns around to pin him.

As she's descending, he rolls out of the way and jumps up, causing her to fall to the ground. Inumaki runs over to her, then successfully pins her without a blink. He taps her head three times, her body barely flailing. "Now we're tied," she says, head tilted to the side as to not touch her mouth to the ground. He nods. The two then get up, both clearly worn out. You're in awe.

'It all happened so quickly,' you think yourself. You wish the battle was a bit slower so you could see their actions more clearly.

Maki walks off to grab her water bottle, and he sits down to wait for her. You realize how hot your face feels, and remember that you probably need some water after the duel as well. You get up to grab your bottle, then glance at Inumaki's unopened one. There were water droplets starting to form on the side. 'Surely he needs some water, right? After all, he ran so quickly, then moved around a ton in battle.' You look back at him, and notice how red his face looks.

'Now that I think about it, didn't he skip breakfast, too? I'm sure he's exhausted.' A worried expression washes over your face. Unscrewing the cap and taking a sip, you place your bottle down on the grass and grab his. Your hand gets wet due to the condensation forming on the sides of it. You walk over slowly and stop when you reach the small figure.

"You looked tired, so I brought you your water. Even if you're not thirsty, it's important to stay hydrated with all the training we're doing." You tried not to sound too assertive, but you stress that your tone still came off wrong, so you add a smile at the end of your sentence.

He looks up at you and grabs the water bottle you're offering to him. "Thank you for this; I really needed it." He looks downwards and fidgets with the bottle. You can tell he's feeling shy, so you start to walk back to your spot in the center.

Walking back, you realize he's been shyer towards you since your meeting at the mall. 'I wonder if he feels guilty for taking the plushie,' you wonder. It's almost as if he's gone back into his shell, and his talking has gotten more stiff and formal. But, it could be something else, or rather that it's all in your imagination. You decide to think on the topic more before coming to a conclusion.

As Panda makes his way back, you realize he also has two wooden weapons with him: a pole and a knife. 'I guess we're practicing with mock weapons now. Too bad: I wanted to get to the bottom of this little mystery.' You stand up, and decide you'll figure it out while painting after practice.

Just as Panda is about to reach you, you spot a tall man running down the stairs to the track. 'Gojo-sensei?' The haphazard running and flashes of white and black confirm your suspicion. Something looked off about him though.