Mollified (Juuzou x Reader x Uta)

13: Training

"...Thanks for earlier" Haise spoke after they had left the room.

"No problem." Juuzou assured him. "I also have someone I'd like to meet after a long while."

Big Madame.

"...About Mutsuki-kun... Please... take care of him." Haise bowed to the small man.

"Same to you." Juuzou bowed back. And then, he didn't see the man for over a week.

Instead, Juuzou now sat with Hanbee, contemplating the one week remaining until the auction.

"This will be the first time that the quinx are put at a crime scene all together, won't it...?" Hanbee asked.

"Yep." Juuzou chewed on a bread roll. "Haise seems to be having trouble with them. Since there appears to be one of them that's lacking motivation... Watching a lot of kids is tough, isn't it?"

He would know, of course, having two toddlers of his own. The thought brought a smile to his face as he heard his name called.

"Associate Special Class Suzuya."

"Ohh," He turned his head. "It's Mutsuki-kun."

"Hello..." He greeted everyone.

"Rank 3 Mutuki?" Hanbee glanced over at Juuzou.

"Since Mutsuki-kun and I are going in first, we're going to prepare things together." Juuzou smiled brightly. "So, Hanbee, please go play somewhere."

"Eh?" He looked down. "Understood..."

And with that, the group left. Hanbee left to go see the others in his group and Juuzou took Mutsuki to practice with quinque knives.

"While the knives are in the air, you kill with the one in your hand. Like this." Juuzou modeled, tossing the blade around skillfully.

"Eh... By the blades..." Mutsuki noticed.

"Since you'll want more of them, keep four up in the air." Smoothly, he caught all the knifes in his hands. Not a scratch. "And four in your hands."

"That's... too impressive. I don't think I can imitate it..."

"Is that so? Well, even just two is enough."

"...Suzuya-san, aren't you... afraid... of being injured by your own knives?"

"Nope. Since I'm unfamiliar with pain. Tooru, are you scared?"

"Rather than... the knives... When I saw Sensei's battle... I thought that fighting was scary. Not about Sensei himself, but I thought I'll 'become like that, won't I?' eventually..." Mutsuki spoke on Haise.

"Hmm. What was it again?" Juuzou racked his brain for the phrase that Yukinori had told him about. "...'Fear is like fire.' It seems that was said by a certain boxing trainer. 'If you can control it, it can make food to warm your body.It can illuminate the darkness with light. But, if you lose control of it for just a moment, it will burn you and you may die. Fear is your best friend or your worst enemy.' Cus D'Amato. Incidentally, it seems he who bequeathed those words raised spectacular champions which will go down in boxing history. Haise and you others are like 'huge fires', even the ghouls can be afraid. In a battle, the one who wins is the person who tames their weakness."

"Those are some good words."

"I'm repeating the words of my sensei." Juuzou sighed. "That's all."

And with that, the training continued in an uncharacteristic silence.