"Nagi-chan, good morning."
"TOMIOKA?! You were awake?!"
Seeing that Nagisa was awake, Sahara and Yachiho each had their own reaction to the situation. While Sahara merely yawned and didn't treat it as that big of a deal, Yachiho's face was a bright red as she was slightly glaring at the boy.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?!"
"I definitely love every second of this. What? Did you expect me to stutter and lie about not enjoying this? Feels like i'm in heaven."
Hearing this, Yachiho quickly got up and ran towards her room. Soon Nagisa and Sahara just blinked before looking at each other. After coming to the same conclusion, Sahara and Nagisa nod their heads as they did what any person would in this situation.
"Back to sleep."
"Agreed."
~With Yachiho~
The young Azuma fell onto her bed as she screamed into her pillow. She couldn't believe she even agreed to do something like that. However, she hates owing something even more. The longer she waited to pay him back, the harder it would be to determine the value of the favor she would have to give. Though, as she thought back to what she did, she remembered something.
"His body.....it felt like I was touching cutting board. Just how many scars did he have?"
A sigh escaped from Yachiho's lips as she shook her head. Looks like she had to take care of one troublesome new recruit. Though, she was sure about one thing. While he might be troublesome, Tomioka Nagisa isn't weak.
"Ok, while the Chief is out, its up to the rest of the unit to get stronger to be prepared."
~With Tenka~
"Don't immediately attack the places that we know host shuuki nests, she says?"
"Yep, it looks like the commander wants to have a dialogue with the humanoid shuuki."
Kyouka and Tenka were both seen inside a restaurant as they were both enjoying some yakiniku. Right now they were discussing what they learned alongside enjoying this meal. Currently Tenka was relaying what the leader of the organization said to her.
"Tenka, they're the ones who attacked us first. There is no room to talk."
"She thinks if this goes well then we will be able to resolve the mystery between shuuki and Mato."
"That's a foolish thought. I'll have to talk with the commander directly."
"She knew you would say that. She said that she'll gather the chiefs together for a meeting and listen to you then."
Kyouka and Tenka guessed that they couldn't cooperate with the humanoid shuuki. If not, then they would just storm the nests anyway. As the two of them looked at each other, they both just simply lifted their glass with a smile on their face.
"Rest assured, the 6th unit will fully assist the 7th."
"Heh, you got a good look in your eye, Tenka."
~At the 6th Unit~
"Nagi-chan, you're leaving?!"
That question was repeated for the seventh time to Nagisa as Sahara had her arms wrapped around the boy's waist. Right now, Nagisa had packed his things as he was heading to a nearby gate. Nagisa knew he could only go so far in training by himself. While Sahara was a good sparring partner, he knew she would get nothing out of it since she had to restrain herself so much as to not harm him beyond repair.
"It's not like i'm leaving forever. I'm just going to be staying with the old man for a while."
"Oh, the guy who taught you martial arts?"
"The one and only. As I am now, i'm the weakest link. Plus.....now I have two people I need to meet by any means necessary."
As Nagisa was walking out the base and heading to the gate, he began to think about them. The humanoid shuuki that reminded him of Aoba and the other one who reminded him of the past. He needed answers, but he lacked the strength necessary to produce results.
~Meanwhile~
As he sat down at his dojo, Bang was seen meditating. The martial artist was simply waiting patiently for his disciple to visit him. After learning of humanoid shuuki attacking, he knew Nagisa would be facing these creatures. However, what truly caught his attention was what Nagisa told him over the phone.
"It was strange. For a moment, my body felt like it was engulfed in flames and my heart was beating uncontrollably. Yet, that strength when it happened was unbelievable. I don't know if I can ever do it again, especially by command, but.......I think this shows it. That I can at least close the gap. Even by a little."
"So he already unlocked the mark. However, one thing has me concerned. The boy who trained his martial arts and his swordsmanship merely fended off a boy who only had his power recently. I feared this problem would occur."
Just as Bang stood up, he heard the sound of his dojo opening. The moment he turned around, he saw Nagisa standing at the door with a serious look on his face. The old man merely sighed as he knew what that look meant. To be honest, it reminded him of himself during his younger days.
Just as the two were walking in the middle of the dojo, Bang and Nagisa suddenly began attack each other. Nagisa tried to kick Bang's right calf, only for the old man to had already jump in the air and land a karate chop on his left shoulder. However, Bang's eyes suddenly widen in shock when he saw Nagisa drew his sword and swung it at his right shoulder.
"So this is the reason behind your weakness."
As Bang said this, he noticed that his right shoulder wasn't even cut. Just before the blade could hit him, Bang noticed Nagisa had flipped his blade mid-swing so the back of it would hit Bang's shoulder instead. The old man sighed as he turned around and motioned for Nagisa to follow him.
"I heard about your performance from your chief. I must say I am rather disappointed."
"Sorry. Looks like Yuuki had the upper hand. Him having a boost from a peach abilit-"
"Tomioka Nagisa, you are already stronger than Yuuki. You have been trained by myself for years, you learned to use Breath of Water and martial arts, and your battle iq is definitely nothing to scoff at. You would be considered a genius. However, there is one reason why you did not win against Wakura Yuuki."
Just as Bang said this, he suddenly grabbed a hold of Nagisa's face and slammed the boy into the wall. As Nagisa struggled to get out of his teacher's grip, he saw the look in Bang's eye. Truth be told, Nagisa felt as if he was in the presence of an animal baring its fangs at him.
"Your body may be strong, but your mind and spirit are weak. During the match, it was already stated that any wounds would be healed in the end. Not only that, your partner even shot her weapon at her opponents without hesitation. Yet all you did was counter Yuuki."
"Because the battle was more for Yachiho and Hi-"
"You could say you were doing it for Yachiho. However, one could also say you're using it as an excuse to not fight seriously. Nagisa, you will be fighting shuuki more. Will they spare you for not fighting seriously? Will they care for your condition or whether you are able to fight alongside people with powers? Will they not harm you because you are friends with them like Yuuki?"
Nagisa's eyes widen in shock. Why did he only counter Yuuki when he could've easily overwhelm him? Why did he fight harder against the humanoid shuuki and not back then? The answer was simple, that fight with Yuuki was missing something. Unlike the fight with the shuuki, Nagisa knew he could survive that match and that he could take down Yuuki of he really wanted to. That fact led to him feeling slightly arrogant.
"Nagisa, with how strong your opponents will be, you do not have the luxury of holding back. That's why during this training, I will give you everything I got. Are you prepared to go to the point of no return?"
"Yes........help me conquer this weakness, Bang-Sensei!!!!"
"Very well. I will turn you to a human weapon, Tomioka Nagisa. We won't stop training until you become a man I would want to fight with my all."
"Fine, let's do this, old man."
"Tomioka Nagisa, when this is over, you will be my masterpiece."