"I said, would you like to train me...?"

Surely, for a second there, I thought my ears were failing me after hearing such a surreal request but it appears not.

"Please say that again."

You can never be too sure. Maybe you were just hearing the wrong things at the right time.

"Are you teasing me? Is this what this is about?"

"No, please. I'll train you. Don't get mad at me."

I might've pushed my luck a little bit too much here.

Still, training? If I recall correctly, there were five components that we needed to incorporate ourselves in. The 5-kilometer run, the 50 squats, thirty push-ups, 50 sit-ups and lastly, the planks, which we had to do 5 minutes in total. It was fairly easy to recall this but what wouldn't leave my mind was that I wasn't the problem.

If I was the problem then I could have worked myself up on this exam by indulging in the areas even further. Yet that's not it. That's not it, at all.

I already knew from the start that no matter what I would say to her or how I 'trained' Yulia, it wouldn't make much of a difference. Simply because the time is far too short.

This isn't pessimism, this is me being realistic.

"Where have I seen him...?"

"Sorry, did you say something?"

"That guy who got out of the gym just now. I think I saw him somewhere but I can't really remember where... Weird..."

Yulia's questionable words aside, I had no interest in that guy. The coincidence of meeting someone in the rain sure caught me off guard, but there were more important issues at hand.

"What was your score, Yulia?"

"Rude. Don't you know that asking that to a girl can lead to instant rejection?"

I'm glad she's joking about this.

"I did 10,53 seconds. Pretty slow, right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty slow."

"Can you be a little more considerative?"

"What do you mean? I am being considerative. I'm asking you this because I need to analyze the situation, Yulia."

Truth to be told, knowing her score is relevant here. In order to truly know where to start this, I need to know just how bad her score was.

"You could be a little more kind though."

I am being kind though.

Am I not?

"Can you run now?"

"R-Right here...? There are people here you know..."

"The only people around here are Rayazaki and Yukishiro. Furthermore, they are arguing. Well, no... Rayazaki's trying to convince Yukishiro to cooperate but she's not willing to. What's the harm? They are not even paying attention."

For some reason, I wondered why there weren't more pairs inside the gymnasium, but to each their own. Additionally, I'm aware of just how chaotic this probably is for the rest.

"Hey, I'm willing to cooperate but you have to show a little compassion, okay? Otherwise, I won't do it."

"What are you talking about? What does compassion have to do with anything? We just have to score a redeemable score. Compassion or not, it doesn't make a difference."

"No... Compassion is important. Since this is an exam that revolves around teamwork, shouldn't we develop our interaction?"

"Aren't we fine as we are though? We already talked and we know each other a bit well."

"Alright, sure. But, we barely know each other. Don't you think that if we knew each other even better than we could develop and perform greatly in this exam?"

I'm not sure if Yulia realizes that what she is saying is completely irrelevant to the exam. The exam asks you to perform physical exercises, not to show how interactive you can be with your partner. My strategy essentially will imply that I will have to perform the most but even then, what's the use for all of what Yulia's saying?

"I get your point, but that's way too sentimental. You should have a more logical approach in this."

"I know it's sentimental, but it's the way I am. I won't cooperate unless you show a reasonable degree of compassion!"

It's hard to view this as a romantic development. Yulia's simply demanding a reasonable emotional treatment, which according to her, involves being showered with compassion. I also understand that I'm not exactly the kindest of all people but am I incorrect here?

My approach is not incorrect, but Yulia doesn't think that my approach is correct.

"Then, what should I do? Will kind words motivate you?"

"Maybe, that's a start. For starters, asking a girl to just run like that is unreasonable. I have free will too. You didn't consider that, did you?"

Again, so emotional. I just want us to score greatly.

Yet she will never understand my true approach.

"I don't get you. When have I not considered your free will?"

"You told me to run, but aren't you implying that I have to do all the work? Why don't you help me out too?"

But I just wanted to analyze the flaws in your running stance and how to possibly correct them...

Sincerely, wasn't it obvious that that was my approach?

Must I explain every single thing to her?

"So you want to run against me? Is that what you are saying?"

"I can't run against you..."

"Then, what are you saying? Be explicit, please."

"You have to show me how I should perform so I can learn from you. That's what I had in mind when I said 'train me.'."

"You could have just told me that from the start."

"Stop being so rude. It's not easy to say some words..."

Why not though? What Yulia said was something I could not comprehend.

Isn't speaking your mind the logical thing to do when you have something to say or something that needs to be immediately addressed?

I'm confused...

"I get it. My bad."

Arguing here with Yulia could take all day. Unfortunately, I hate to lose in arguments, but I hate to waste time unnecessarily even more.

Being kind towards her might produce a nice result. However, truly speaking, I'm not too certain if I'm competent in that emotional regard.

"I'll use this running machine. Watch me, then."

"Alright..."

Before getting on top of the running mat, I glanced at Rayazaki, who coincidentally looked at me with angry eyes.

My current relationship with Rayazaki wasn't good because I broke his phone. Nevertheless, my relationship with Rayazaki was never good. Not before he lost his memories nor after. Therefore, talking to him was meaningless.

For now.

"Pay attention to my stance. While the initial speed won't be fast, once the speed velocity contrasts to the initial one, you will notice how my original stance will change. It's important to prioritize your stance when running because it's a huge factor that could decide the outcome."

Regardless of the outcome, what truly mattered when forming a stance was how explosive your start would be. As the run progresses, to dictate the impulse of your movements, stances will need to be traded. Essentially, there will be a time in the middle of the process where you will need to discard your original stance for a far greater one.

A stance that can collect all the possible impulse your body gathers to create an explosive dash and a formidable speed.

Although, there was no way in hell that I would bother to tell Yulia all of this. Yulia cannot comprehend something she isn't capable of understanding in the first place. To understand, there is a necessity to create a certain foundation to further extend your train thought capacity.

"Should I note that down?"

Somehow she brought her mini-notebook and a pen. For a second, I thought that her suggestion wasn't so bad but it was completely unnecessary.

"No... But remember my words, alright? That's what matters."

"Got it."

After delivering my final words, I pushed the starting button.

Naturally, I attracted the attention of Rayazaki and somehow, Yukishiro's. Simply because the machine was making noises.

I couldn't hear Rayazaki make his loud complaints, which means that he either completely gave up or...

He's watching me.

Though, I couldn't care.

The speed was still quite slow, therefore I didn't need to adjust my current stance. My stance, right now, was firmly basic. There was nothing outstanding about it.

"When running, don't forget to inhale. A lot of people forget about that and that costs them a great deal of effort later on..."

It's true. One of the most common mistakes amateurs make is to solely consume air through their mouths instead of taking large inhaling breaths first and then exhale. There's a certain reason as to why the majority forgets this, and that's because they are too busy focusing on the run.

That is wrong. Breathing is far too essential.

"You can talk while running!?"

Why wouldn't I?

"For now, yes. Once the speed goes up then it will be hard for me to do so."

"Ohhh. Anything else I should know?"

"Yes. Use your arms, they create a necessary vacuum which will generate impulse in your stride. Not only in your initial stride, but in any stride."

Maybe to a normal person, talking right now would be out of the question. After all, the pacing was getting somewhat fast. Yet to me, it was only normal.

Besides, I had no intention of displaying my true abilities. All that I wanted to demonstrate was how to correctly run. It doesn't matter if I show her how fast I am because she will never be as fast as me.

I'm not throwing a flex, I'm just appealing to the fact that there is no necessity to go on an all-out performance for absolutely no reason. What needs to be transmitted here is the correct way and nothing else.

"Also, use your hips. You see how I'm moving them from right to left constantly? Don't stop this movement."

"I see..."

This should be basic to understand. In other words, there is no need to go into this anymore. If anyone can grasp these basics then, with proper training, anyone can become considerably and decently fast.

Of course, you'd need to do a whole lot more, but again, that's not the point.

"I'm stopping the machine now. Did you get what I said?"

"Eh? You're not gonna run anymore...?"

"I don't have to. I just wanted to show you a proper running stance mid-stride and how to execute a stance pre-stride."

Honestly, I was somewhat reluctant about this. Because if Yulia had not understood what I just had said, then I would be in trouble.

But that's something I immediately realized.

That I could not put myself in a situation where I would be in trouble. Therefore...

"Do you want to try and run now? You don't have to if you don't want to, though."

This time, instead of being imperative about my demands I threw a suggestion with a proposition. Yulia didn't have to do this if she wanted to.

I'm aware that Yulia might be an individual where, the better you emotionally know her, the better the outcome, but I really, really, couldn't give a fuck.

Although I can pretend to give a fuck.

"Yeah... Yeah, I think I'll go at it. But, don't expect much, okay?"

"Alright, sure. Take it easy. Remember, this is training. Making mistakes is a fine thing."

"Thanks..."

Maybe this is working out. Are people seriously this fragile when words of kindness that have no shred of genuineness in them are given to them just like that?

Also, even though I didn't notice, I took a seat right where she was previously seating.

Now, the truly important part would begin.

I'm not a fool. There's no way in hell that I would purposely bother myself with all these serious details without a clear reason behind it.

"...Do you have to look...?"

"I do. It's completely necessary. It's for the purpose of checking your stance. I'm worried about you."

"I-I see..."

I am truly glad you misunderstood my real intention, Yulia.

In addition to that, I am supremely glad that you bothered to bring extremely thin gym clothes. I expected nothing less from an attractive person like you, Yulia.

It can't be helped, alright?

This is, in theory, for the sake of correcting her stance's flaws.

Also, why are red leggins so alluring? What's the reasoning behind that?

Can someone explain to me, please?

"So... I-Is there anything wrong so far....? Ahhh..... Ahhh.... I've b-been doing.... Ahhh... What you prev-viously had said... Ahhh..."

Aside from the fact that I'm burning my eyes on her leggins and thigs, she was struggling. While I wanted to enjoy the scenario a bit more, I had to take into consideration her physical condition.

It's not easy to talk while you are running. It creates a conflict with your breathing rhythm which is something that not a lot of people can consistently do well.

"You're doing fine. You can quit whenever you want. Remember to move your hips though, you aren't moving your hips enough."

"E-Ehh...? Okay."

She was moving them considerably, but of course, that wasn't the true intent here.

Also, I could feel Yukishiro's glare coming straight at me.

What the fuck do you want bitch?

Go back to your phone, thot.

But still, just how is it possible to possess such a powerful arsenal? I'm pretty sure that Yulia could destroy models if she wanted to. While her emotional side is somewhat annoying, if we take that aside, then there's barely anything to complain about.

Oh right, I said barely, right?

Scratch that, because there isn't a single thing to complain about.

For the very first time in my life, I earned the feeling and desire to not take my eyes off this heavenly scenario.

I had to keep a straight face though in order to make sure that Yulia thinks that I am serious about this.

Yulia would also look in my direction constantly. She's probably suspecting that I am up to something.

"Why aren't you s-saying... Ahhh.... anything...? Ahhh..."

Did I mention how misleading her words can be sometimes if not all the time?

"I'm analyzing something."

"Oh yeah...? Ahhh.... What? Ahh..."

What would her reaction be if I told her: "Hey, I'm actually firmly staring at your beautiful ass, I hope you don't mind."?

There are other alternatives such as: "Your whole body is making me thirsty." "Why is it that every time I look at you I feel something rising?"

Okay, definitely not the last one. Regardless, I had to answer her in a way that she would accept.

Also, in a way where I wouldn't upset her mood.

"Your breathing. I understand that you have little practice in this but I feel like there's something wrong in the way you breathe. It's not your average breath."

To be more precise, she would constantly whizz or just simply take short breaths. I remember telling her to take long and deep inhales but, to my understanding, she didn't fail to understand that. Which means that there was something else.

"You have asthma, don't you?"

Yulia was done running if you can even call it that and came to meet me up.

"Don't tell this to anyone please..."

"I won't. But you should've told me sooner. If I had known beforehand then I wouldn't make you do all of this. I'm sorry."

"It's fine... I can run, just not like everyone else..."

Maybe I truly was at fault here. Perhaps Yulia was being defensive because she didn't want me to be aware of the fact that she has asthma. I suppose it can be embarrassing to a certain degree to reveal your weakness like that.

If Yulia was a girl that simply wanted to receive praise or something like that then she probably would have told me from the start.

Well, she still is kinda like that, though.

"Don't stress too much. As long as you can perform your limit, then that's fine. You don't have to go beyond that because if you do, then your asthma will be triggered, right?"

"Yes... Unfortunately, I have it since little. There's nothing I can do here. You're really unlucky to have a partner like me, you know?"

"Aren't we pretty good though? I mean, just look at that. It's been a one-sided argument and she has no intention of obeying him."

"Trueeee. Maybe I wasn't unlucky, after all."

"What do you mean? How can you be unlucky? We will win, you know?"

"Aye aye, I trust your ability, since you seem to know your stuff. I just thought that you would not show any compassion."

Still about that huh? Frankly, I was trying quite hard to keep up this fake attitude just to please her mood.

It was important that I did so.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to understand her better since it might prove to be essential to the exam.

"Do you want to talk?"

"Hahaha, aren't we already talking though?"

Well, Yulia was right. But she was a bit off the mark here.

"Not that. Personal talk. You reasoned that we should get to know each other better for the sake of making our synergy better, right? Then maybe you are correct. Maybe we do need to understand each other better."

"What happened...? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"It's just... It won't matter if we physically practice any of the exercises. You can't just suddenly improve in this short time-span, right?"

"Yeah... But that doesn't mean I can't try."

"There's no point though..."

"Seriously? You're being rude to me, again?!"

"No, listen to me. I'm just saying that instead of working towards the physical activities that maybe we should focus on something we can equally achieve."

"But didn't you say what mattered was that we scored a redeemable score? I'm not saying I agree with what you said but I can't understand what made you change your approach here..."

"Do you not understand? Take a look at Yukishiro and Rayazaki. Rayazaki is fairly physically competent but if Yukishiro doesn't comply then what's the point?"

"If that's the case, then, won't they fail?"

I had to say this a bit low in order for them not to hear me. Nevertheless, Yulia's apple perfume was penetrating straight through my nostrils in a rapid way.

Can't say I don't enjoy it.

"What determines whether or not they fail is if they are able to agree with each other. If they can, then they will be able to reach a consensus and then they can aim towards a progressive goal. In that sense, we could easily crumble too."

"Are you saying that there's a chance that we might just break up?"

Wrong words, but I'm sure she didn't mean them in that way.

"If by breaking up you mean, as partners, then yes. You demand things that I have difficulty in giving. I can't demand anything from you because you are incapable of giving them to me."

"Well, I'm so sorry Mist-"

"But that's fine. I don't need anything from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Let me know you. That's what I want to say."

The fact that I said that in a deep tone made her eyes widen for a split second there.

"As you can see, there's this barrier between the students in our class. We can't truly interact because we are hiding something..."

"Are you talking about everyone's crimes?"

Yulia caught on quickly. I'm grateful.

"Our argument earlier told me something. I think you were on the defensive side because you didn't want me to find out about the fact that you have asthma. From the way I was talking to you, you interpreted my request as unreasonable. Yet wasn't that because you were trying to hide it?"

"You were still rude about it. It doesn't matter if I have asthma or not, I can't tolerate your thoughtless words sometimes."

Now I'm thoughtless? Here was I, thinking that I often put a load of thinking before committing, but according to her, I'm thoughtless.

That's kinda funny.

"Whatever. My point is, that caused an argument to rise. If I had known beforehand then it most likely wouldn't lead to it. But, isn't that what's constantly happening? Aren't arguments caused because both parties lack certain knowledge?"

"Yes, arguments are caused by many reasons. One of them is misunderstandings. Which was what happened..."

"Then, let's just not argue anymore."

"What...? That's impossible. We don't know that much about each other..."

"Yulia, in this school, you are by far, the girl I've talked the most with. I want to take this chance to make things clear."

"O-Oh yeah...?"

"I reasoned that arguments are often witnessed due to misunderstandings, right? Therefore, let's actually get to know each other. We are both criminals and thus, there is only one way for us to reach a level of interaction where we can be truthful to each other."

Not known to many, the biggest secrets bring out the best elements out of someone. But, never for once, will the person who is holding that secret, think that way.

It's contradictory for them to think like this, according to their beliefs.

"Are you going to tell me what you have done, at last!?"

So that's what she was thinking.

But...

"I can't. I don't recall the event, remember?"

"Then, what? You're not expecting me to tell you what I did, right?"

"No, I'm not. I can't even trade information for information. Asking for a piece of information without giving something of equal value in return is quite unreasonable."

"I'm glad you understand..."

"But as I said, it's not about the crime. What I want to know is your mind."

"What do you mean by 'your mind'?"

"It's simple. You have another mindset that completely contrasts the one you are currently demonstrating to me, right? Let me see your true self, for once."

"Haaa... I don't think I can do that. I don't trust you. You might be a manipulator and maybe you just want to know something about me to feed on my emotions. Don't joke around. I'm not dumb. I won't fall for a simple trick like that."

By confirming that you are aware of a possible manipulation occurring, you are already confirming your insecurities to me though. However, I'm assuming that Yulia just isn't aware of that just yet. Regardless of whether or not she realizes, Yulia is a smart girl though.

"What if I show you a bit of mine though?"

"...What? No way you would do that, right?"

Perhaps I could put on a little performance for Yulia.

"Why not though? Ah, of course, I will only show you if you do the same."

"You're bluffing. Think about it, we both gain nothing here... You'll probably put on an ac-"

"I'll be serious about it. I swear."

I closed our distance and looked closely into her eyes. Simply because Yulia had to realize how serious my resolution was.

"W-Why...?"

"I've already said it. We need to know each other better. Chit-chat won't do. It won't allow us to grow truly closer."

"I see... So you think that if we reveal our true mindsets then we will grow closer?"

"Yeah. Easy, right? Quite simple, actually. However, it's just a bit."

Only revealing a bit would be the correct choice here. Because there's no way in hell that Yulia would compromise if we had to bet everything at stake here.

"...Alright. But, how do we do this...?"

"I'll reveal an action that I have done that can only be done once I have my true mindset. After that, you do the same. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, it's pretty easy to understand... But will you really do i-"

"Haven't you wondered why there are a small fraction of my bones sticking out from my fists?"

"Huh? I--"

"Yesterday, I beat up three guys. They are average students, I think. But, the thing is, I beat them quite hard. I'm not sure if they are even alive in the first place. The reason for the whole event is stupid so I won't mention but I might've committed murder yesterday. There is a chance that they are dead, but I believe that they are still alive. I told one of them that if they retaliate that I would kill their families..."

I wasn't looking at Yulia while saying this but I looked at the ground coldly. All of it, in order to create an atmosphere where Yulia could tell that I wasn't lying.

Nevertheless, Yulia could still suspect my actions being a lie.

"Why would you... Don't you know what happens once you are caught talking to other students from other classes!?"

"I won't get caught. I talked to them in a place where there are no cameras. I'm safe."

"There's such place...?"

"Yeah. Coincidentally, I pretended to be dragged into it by them. Hahaha, I bet they didn't see that one coming."

"So that's an action you would do with your true mindset?"

"Yeah... I would resort to killing and out of spite, I would kill further people just to make sure that certain lives experience hell. What do you think? Pretty simple, right...?"

Honestly, killing isn't anything too special.

It's only horrifying and excruciatingly hard to do it in your first time, but aside from that, there's nothing much to it.

"...Are you serious...? Right now, am I talking to a killer...?"

"Are you scared? I could kill you, if that's what you are thinking."

"Will you...?"

"No. Why would I do that in the first place?"

"I was just making sure since you don't seem to be lying about it."

Now...

"I told you mine. Tell me yours, Yulia."

".......This is for the sake of making us grow closer as partners, right?"

"Yes. You'll be surprised how much we can develop our interaction just by unraveling this glimpse of truth."

"Can you promise not to tell anyone ever? If you break your promise, then I won't forgive you. I'm not nice when I don't forgive."

Yulia was serious about this, it seems.

"I'll promise if you don't tell anyone either. I'm not nice in general, so don't exp-"

"Of course, I won't betray our conversation. I just hate liars, okay?"

So you hate the whole human race?

"I promise. You have my word."

"I see! Then... Give me your ear. I can't let the other possibly hear this..."

"Alright..."

It seems that the climax was set. My expectations weren't too high. Yulia probably didn't do anything too massive.

Furthermore, this wasn't about her crime, but an action that she did with her true mindset.

Once again, my nostrils were filled with a nice scent. This distance was enough to make a man shiver from excitement. Needless to say, it was hard to contain myself.

"I have made someone commit suicide."

"I see. But, was that your crime?"

"No, no. It's just something that I have, well-- I didn't do it. But I'm technically involved..."

"What are you saying?"

"I've made someone suicide, but that someone will never know that I was the root of all the problems that led to suicide in the first place."

She did say something similar earlier... How she didn't do the crime. Perhaps the methodology is linked here.

"Was it just someone though?"

"Nanana. That's way too much for you to know. We only agreed on revealing one action."

"I got curious, I guess."

"Haha... That's perfectly natural. So, what can we conclude from this, now that we have revealed the actions of our true mindsets?"

Well, that's obvious.

"Let's talk about them. Because then, we are discussing something truthful, aren't we?"

"Are you addicted to killing or something?"

"Well, are you addicted to making people suicide without them knowing you were the root of it?"

We had asked each other too very immoral questions.

By the way, it was lunchtime. Rayazaki and Yukishiro had already left but since they had achieved nothing, this was basically a waste of time for them.

A fruitless endeavor.

I think we both realized it was lunchtime but the conversation was starting to seem interesting.

Students could be seen from outside the windows walking and talking to each other like it was an everyday thing.

But, Yulia and I, kept talking without a care in a world.