Later that day, I finally went back home with Alice walking me to the station. Her face was still blushing while a satisfied smile was etched on it.
“Next time we’ll chat, will it be at my competition?”
“So we can’t chat in the pauses at school?”
“Besides that.”
“Then yes.”
“And after that will be…”
She blushed again and her eyes wandered around until they fell on me again, as if trying to hint me something. I smiled and stopped walking. When she turned, I raised her chin and kissed her lips again, gently holding on to her.
“It will be at my place. Be prepared.”
“Mhm…”
She looked at me shyly then smiled back bashfully.
After I arrived back home, I didn’t start working, but rather took a sword and started training, trying to forget about what just happened. Honestly speaking, I was in so much heat at the moment, I would be unable to just sit and bend rings even if I forced myself to, the image of Alice’s dazed and blushing face haunting my mind while the feeling of her body still lingering on my mouth and hands. So rather than waste materials and smith something for no reason, I had the option of training with the sword, my whole body now steaming up from moving around as outside was still cold.
Oh man, oh man! What the heck just entered me?! We barely have a month- no, do we even have three weeks since were together? And I’m already at B from the ABC of a relationship?! No no no, I’m moving too fast. Calm down, you bull in heat!
I swung that sword like crazy while trying to calm my nerves, cutting the air with speed and power unlike before.
-SWING! SWISH! SWUNG!-
This time using a large two-handed sword, the swings were large, powerful, and fluid, using the power of inertia and the centrifugal force to swing faster, stronger, and more accurately, cutting air and going more fiercely than ever.
“…”
Looking at me, my uncle was now taking a pause as he was drinking another bottle of wine while lying down on a bench behind the house. Me going for a shadow-fight with a sword while him drinking relaxed while staring at me, made for a rather comical image.
“Tell me again, with such skills, why not just participate in some Buhurt matches? I’m sure you would wreak havoc there with your abilities.”
“Pfft, hell-nah. I’m a blacksmith, not a fighter.”
“Oh come on, you still going with that? Here, strike it.”
He looked around then took an old log and threw it towards my head. Seeing this, I calculated the timing then turned and while using the power of inertia, I swung the sword and cut the log in two.
“Oh, wow.”
“Damn, nice.”
I remained surprised by how sharp the sword was and uncle nodded with a “not bad” expression.
“This sword it’s sharper than expected.”
“It’s not the sword that’s sharp, but your moves. You seriously got what it takes to fight on the field, yet you still refuse?”
“My body is made to beat the metal, not humans.”
“… Are you afraid of your own strength?”
“…”
I scratched my cheek and looked away, thinking that maybe I could’ve hidden this little secret a bit better. Uncle looked at me somewhat baffled then examined my body some more, looking intently at my literally steaming body.
“I don’t get it… Is not like your body is monstrously strong or you have superpowers. Rather, your body is with nothing different from a more athletic student. If I’d say, the only difference is your skin which is scarred and burnt all over.”
“No, if I measure my strength through normal ways, then yes. It won’t be with anything different from someone my age. However…”
“Oo~h wait a bit… Is it that you get overly excited while fighting and can no longer control your strength?”
“Yeah…”
Uncle scratched his beard with an interested grin as he understood all too well what that meant. Let’s say that a normal human’s punch it’s 100 units. When they are fighting or when in a critical moment, their overall power can spike twofold or even more than that, reaching a power-base past their personal limits. That’s mostly caused by an Adrenaline Rush, but most people still use only 100 units even through such a moment, the only difference being that they can use that 100 unit constantly without feeling the fatigue. The difference between the first and the second type of people is that the first can use their strength way over their limits, there being examples of women lifting cars to save their children or loved ones.
The reason why there are those who can and those who can’t, it’s still unknown. But, just like there are those who barely can or cannot bring out this strength at all while under an Adrenaline Rush, there are also those who bring it out just too easily, at times more than they should, inducing grave injuries to their adversaries or even to themselves.
I was one of such out of control individuals whose limits were much too frail compared to a normal person, not once ending up heavily harming the ones around and even myself by rupturing my muscles, maybe from a fit of anger or for some other reason. Although I have no such ridiculous thing as superpowers to lift cars or something like that, sometimes my brute strength gets way past it should, not once ending up throwing people in the air with just one arm, making me wonder if I should fight at all or just resist everything thrown at me.
I started going to Karate with the thoughts of learning how to control this strength… But rather than control it, I was only forced to reveal it more frequently in tournaments, none of my adversaries joking around. Because of that, I had to take it easy even against pros or I would’ve harmed someone by punching to kill without intending it, ending up losing more matches than I first expected…
Seeing me so troubled, uncle smiled then walked to me and grabbed another sword.
“Here, parry this.”
“Ok?”
-CLANG!!-
“Guh!”
I felt my arms shaking at the ridiculous weight of his strike, sparks flashing with a yellow color. His face was rather ferocious as if he had fun, coloring me surprised as I never saw such an excited face on him. He then retreated and stabbed the sword on the ground.
“You bastard! Do you have any idea how much it took to sharpen these?! F***! Look at these chipped edges now!”
I felt like crying after seeing two little V-shaped cracks appear on my blades, making me fall depressed on my knees. Meanwhile, my uncle grinned satisfied and shrug his shoulders,
“Heavy, yes? Well, imagine dudes taking head-on similar strikes without even feeling them.”
“Err, what?”
“Yep. And the secret is this beauty.”
He then took out a piece of armor from behind the weapons’ stand.
“This thing will surely protect anyone from similar strikes. It might bend here and there inevitably, but it will do its job without a hitch.”
“Meaning…”
“You can use your strength all you wanna! Nobody’s gonna give a s***, cuz they’ll gonna strike right back as well! Maybe even stronger!”
“God damn!”
“I know, right? Doesn’t it sound fun?”
“Hella fun.”
We laughed like some maniacs and then I asked back,
“Then how come you didn’t participate in any of those matches?”
“Who said I didn’t?”
“Eh? B-but I-“
“If I had to stay here and take care after your sorry ass, that was another story.”
“Oh drop the b*******, will you? I bet you just found it troublesome as you only wanted to drink.”
“Kek. Maybe?”
“Pfft.”
Chugging down another bottle with a smug on, I smiled while feeling ridiculous.
Look at this lazy bastard. Too lazy to even have fun.
After finishing my training I just placed the sword back and uncle did the same. Thinking that I might be able to have some fun while looking at the swords, I asked curiously,
“When will be the next Buhurt then? And where?”
“Where? Right in this city, and it will happen before Christmas. Basically, it will happen right when our deadline is.”
“Before Christmas, eh? Too bad I can’t come. Alice’s competition starts at that time as well.”
“Oh? The festival takes around a week. I don’t think that competition will be more than a day or two at most, right?”
“Yeah, but it’s somewhere at the end of the month as well.”
“The Buhurt battle will happen on the last day, so I’m sure we’ll be able to catch it.”
“Oh~? I’m in then.”
I smiled amused as I couldn’t help getting motivated for work. However, the next day when I continued on my work I immediately felt the motivation go out the window, the two pliers in my hands now almost feeling like finger extensions. When I got to school I instantly dropped with my head on the table, sleepy from working till 11 PM.
“Are you fine? You look even more tired than usual.”
Alice asked confused while I was holding my head on the table, my eyes looking more tired than ever. I glanced at her and grumped, feeling like crying,
“Get used to this… There’ll be more…”
She laughed drily while Mira and Marina stood next to my table, one playing with my hair putting ribbons on as the other used my back as a table to copy her homework.
“Just like this, Leon! If you can hold still for some more, that would be just perfect!”
“Another knot here~… a knit here… Leon, you should let your hair grow longer. I can’t knit too well with it being so short.”
The two commented and I couldn’t help feeling ridiculous at this point.
I understand that I’m not reacting at anything as I got used to bullying, but this type of bullying it’s a first…
“Stop using me for your personal preferences, you brats… Damn, why do I feel like you two started being more clingy ever since the fact that Alice is my girlfriend has been revealed?”
“Alice is our good friend, so if you take her, you gotta take us as well.”
“… Is that how it works?”
I glanced at Alice incredulously and she pouted annoyed at Marina, suddenly pulling my head into her chest and hugging me tightly.
“Definitely not! I’m sorry you two but Leon is the only thing I can’t share with you two.”
“So I’m a thing now…”
Although I said that, I didn’t complain, my head being in Heaven at the moment, her scent and softness, feeling it in full.
“Woah-!? Hey! I was doing my homework here!”
“Then do it on a table!”
“And I was knitting his hair.”
“You can knit mine! Is longer!”
“No.”
“I guess I have no say in this…”
I commented troubled as they then started a thug of war with me as the rope. Marina grabbed my hand annoyed and started pulling, Mira joining right after. It was two versus one, but Alice was still stronger. However, the one who was suffering the most was me, or rather, my neck especially because she was holding onto my head and not on my other arm.
“Can you four be any louder? And what is this, Roil? Creating yourself a harem?”
“If you say you want to join, I’ll cry…”
“Not even in your wildest dreams, Roil.”
The class-president walked to my bench and looked disgusted at me as I was surrounded by girls. I couldn’t mind her enough but Alice on the other hand instantly pulled me again in her arms, looking at the prez with some enmity.
“I won’t give him to you.”
“Who would want him?”
She asked plainly then Marina also asked with a naughty smile,
“Ehehe~. You might say that, but you’re always keeping an eye on him and nag him all the time. Are you sure you don’t have a thing for him?”
“That’s absurd!”
While Marina teased her, Mira looked intently at the prez then asked confused,
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t see her coming with us on the trip, right?”
“Hmph! You think I have time for trips? Exams are near the corner and-“
“Most probably because she knows about her own weak constitution.”
“Eh?”
I interrupted her while looking at her skinny legs, making everyone folow my gaze and having her turn red in the face while covering her legs.
“Where do you think you’re looking?! You wolf!”
“Don’t worry, you’re not my target.”
I waved uninterestedly while I pointed to Alice, making everyone aware who I was eyeing.
“Y-you…”
She turned bright red from furry then she left the next moment, Mira and Marina giggling amused while Alice pulling my face up to hers, scolding me with a pout.
“Not allowed to look at other girls with perverted eyes.”
“I’m starting to suspect your definition of the word perverted, Alice.”
I’m supposed to go through this every day for the next few weeks?
And as if this chaotic trio wasn’t enough, the whole class was now glaring at us, rather, at me and quite piercingly, the guys’ jealous glares making holes through me.
Take a room and f*** there, you damn gigolo!
Their eyes were as if bleeding, but I couldn’t help but snare at them amused.
Hehe, that’s right. Get more annoyed. At least let me feel some satisfaction by teasing you losers, God dammit.
No matter how pretentious it sounded, I never asked for this type of trouble and I found no pleasure from being surrounded by girls while being in a relationship, but the fact that the others found me enviable still made me feel better, their envious glares making for a smug to appear on my face.
Kekeke~ ah yes, cry some more.
I thought with a wide grin while Marina continued to use my back as a flat surface to write her homework, Marah played with my hair, while Alice rested with her back on me as she tipped on her phone, using me for some type of furniture… They say enviable, I’d say miserable…
.
The days passed, then weeks went on, until the deadline was coming closer, forcing me to take a few days off from school so I could actually finish my work on time.
[Leon? I- uhm… I don’t want to disturb you or to stress you out, but… You know that exams are right around the corner, yes?]
I turned the call into a video call and placed it on the table I was working on with the pliers, adding ring after ring as I also chatted with her.
Hearing about the exams, my expression didn’t change as I continued to use the pliers, my eyes indifferent and bored,
“Yeah? What about it?”
[You’ve been skipping school lately, and the teachers are continuously asking me whenever you have the interest to finish this semester or waste at your holidays to study to retake the exams…]
“Pfft. Tell them not to worry. It’s just another test. I’ve passed hundreds of those already.”
[Y-yeah, but still…]
“Don’t worry, I know what technique to use for each teacher so I can cheat.”
[If you say so- wait. Cheat?!]
Seeing me so relaxed, Alice thought I was actually studying home, only to freeze the moment she heard about cheating.
“Duh? How do you think I passed last year? Ain’t nobody got time to study all that useless s***.”
[L-Leon, I don’t think is right to say that…]
“You mean you find all of that useful?”
[N-not all of it… Okay, maybe most of it, not.]
“See? Grades don’t even make money, so I don’t give a damn. Just don’t worry about me. I went through so much already. You really think some exams will disturb us in any way?”
[Sigh~ alright, Leon. I’ll trust you on that.]
“Always trust me honey, I got this.”
I affirmed confidently and she chuckled amused before saying another goodbye and ending the call. Hearing our conversation my sneered and asked sarcastically,
“So you’re gonna cheat at the exams? Wow, what a delinquent.”
“Oh shut it, as if you never cheated.”
“I didn’t.”
“No freaking way.”
I looked incredulously at him then he pushed his chest out arrogantly.
“Of course I didn’t. Because I never went to school in the first place! You loser.”
“Why am I even bothering…”
I shook my head baffled then continued on with my work until exams’ week came up.
Now I was at school, ready to take the exam without a problem thanks to all the little notes I made beforehand, now only needing to hide them in different places.
“Hey Leon, are you prepare-… What are you doing?”
With some tape and more little pieces of paper I started creating little shelves right under the table all focused, Alice gazing at me with squinted eyes.
“… Nothing?”
I looked at Alice with big eyes while I was slowly pushing a little piece of paper inside the small shelf I made out of paper and tape. She chuckled amused then she verified the little notes just to be sure that what I wrote down was at least accurate.
“I’d suggest to at least changing the way the propositions are formed so they won’t suspect anything.”
“Of course I’ll do that. How do you think I’ve never got caught?”
“And for math… you didn’t bring any?”
“As if I need to cheat for something that helps me accurately calculate my profit and the surface of a sword. I could do that with ease any time.”
“I’m glad you’re confident.”
She smiled sweetly then, when the teacher finally appeared we started the exam and, as I already planned, I simply laid back on my seat, with the notes a bit pulled while hanging from bellow the bench, me easily glancing a few times then write on the test paper. Whenever the teacher was coming, I would fake a stretch as I would use both hands to just push back the piece of paper, then easily pull out again, relaxed and with no worries as ever.
After the exams for the day were done, I simply packed my things and left even though there were still classes, my work being more important to me than school.
Two weeks passed and all my exams were done, passing on all of them with minimal grades, my absences actually dragging my grades down.
Bah, who cares, I passed. Viva la cheating!
