“Steady your pace before you strike!” Misashi parries my shot and delivers a powerful blow to my abdomen. “Souta!” Hanabi rushes towards me with a worried face. “Misashi, you don’t have to hit him so hard!” Placing my hand on Hanabi’s shoulder, I reassured her everything was fine. “She has to be hard on me so that I can improve my swordplay, if not I doubt I can protect you and those I care for from the Red Crimson.” Hanabi looks into my eyes with concern but soon she nodded her head, “I understand, but don’t push yourself too hard, I’ll be worried…”

After Hanabi left the backyard, Misashi lifted her bamboo sword up again, “Concentrate Souta…” As our swords clashed repeatedly, I could feel my reactions and attack speed increasing. Misashi soon jumped up into the air striking down at me with full strength, I swiftly spin around successfully evading her attack then I lunge forward at her with a clear strike right ahead of me. I thought to myself that surely, I had her where I wanted, I was going to triumph against her. However, she immediately crouched down, narrowly avoiding my strike before reaching out and grabbing my wrist. Before I knew it, I was thrown forward and placed in an arm-lock. “I give…I give…” Releasing her grip on me, Misashi helped me up and smiled. “You almost had me there, I honestly never expected you to evade my strike. You really surprised me back there.” From then on, I started to practice my sword fighting skills with Misashi endlessly whenever I had free time on my hands.

“Yuki-chan! Have you seen Souta?” Yukina points toward my room whilst reading the latest addition of Magical Girl Kyoko. Meanwhile in my room, “Remember Souta, by meditating, one is able to relax his or her vital points to allow one’s body to fully use the ki energy within them.” My eyes were closed shut, crossing my legs together, my breathing started to become more steady and slow. I could feel a burning energy within my chest as I started to picture this energy travelling through my body, Hanabi suddenly opens my door room and leaps onto me. “Souta! Let’s go shopping! I want to buy more clothes! Please!”

“Excuse me demon princess, but you are interrupting us right now, I need you to leave now or I will use force if necessary…” Hanabi ignores her and looks at me with pleading eyes. “Hanabi, go away please don’t disturb me now, go find Yukina or someone else, I’m busy.” I close my eyes again and started my meditation. Hanabi prods her index fingers together and puffs up her cheeks, “But..I just want to…nevermind…” She gets up and leaves the room quietly…

The next day after school, “Hey Souta! Let’s go to the arcade today! You still owe you another stuffed puppy for Sniffles.” Hanabi grabs onto my arm and pulls herself close to me. “Sorry Hanabi, ask Yukina I have to hurry to my Kendo Club to practice with Misashi…” I release myself from her grasp and hurry towards the Kendo Room. Hanabi just stood there silent without any retaliation and noise…

The days passed quickly and soon enough I was able to grasp control over some of my Ki energy, I am now able to transfer this energy onto certain parts of my body quickly to reduce damage taken from attacks. “Thank you so much Misashi, I do feel stronger now.” Misashi smiled and her face started blushing a bit, “Well, I did what I could…if you practice more, Ki can also be used on offense. Besides this is no big deal, you are the son of…nevermind…so see you tomorrow, bye!” Misashi picks up her belongings and head for the changing room. I’m the son of? Forget it, anyways I should get home soon before it gets too late.

“Souta! Could you hand me my shampoo? I decided to take a quick shower but I think I left it outside on the bench!” I heard Misashi’s voice coming from the female’s changing room. “Don’t worry, there is no one else here…” What? The female changing room? Thoughts of Misashi’s body started forming in my mind involuntarily…what the heck…I shook my head profusely, getting rid of the dirty thoughts in my head. “I’m coming in…” I pushed the door open and unzipped Misashi’s sporting bag. Inside her bag was a clean folded towel, I gently lifted the towel up and placed my hand deeper into the bag. I grabbed onto what felt like a shampoo bottle and took my hand out, “Misashi here you go…wait!” Her spare bra accidentally hooked onto my fingers when I took the bottle of shampoo out. However, Misashi gently opened her door and reached out, her fingers hooked onto the right strap of her bra.

I instinctively yank the bottle and bra backwards to quickly retract my hand, instead I pulled Misashi out of the cubicle along with the bra as she tripped over the wet floor and fell forward. *slop* I could feel two wet and weighted objects pressed against my chest, as I looked up I saw Misashi’s lips, I could feel her breath against my face as she exhaled. “Sou…ta…” Misashi’s face suddenly turns completely red as she displayed a mixed look of shock and embarrassment. “Close your eyes dummy!” Misashi pressed her palms over my eyes and lets out a shriek of embarrassment. “I promise they are closed!” I squeeze my eyes shut tightly and I tried not to think about the situation at hand but to no avail. “Souta? Your thing…its…pervert…PERVERT!” She jumps up in shock and wraps her arms around her breasts to cover them. There Misashi-senpai stood before me with nothing on, she looks just like how I would picture her nude and with that shy expression on her face, she totally makes me feel like…stop…control yourself idiot… I immediately get back up and hand her the towel from her bag.

She snatched it off my hand and quickly wraps the towel around her body, then she started at me, “You saw it, didn’t you…” Her eyes darted away from me, seemingly trying her best to avoid eye-contact. Well now she thinks I’m a creep, there goes the first and only person in my school to ever be my friend… “Sorry, I swear I didn’t mean to see your…I mean this is an accident I swear…” I bow down towards her with my hands at my sides. *Silence* After a while, Misashi crouched down to look at me, “I’m just messing with you.” She stood up straight again and started to laugh like a hyena. “You actually…actually fell for it! I’ve lived so long, trust me I have seen and done anything you can possibly imagine, besides being a female, sometimes it gets boring without some company and fun.” She reached out towards me and smiles, “Honestly I knew it was an accident but I wanted to see how you would react, I was right, your reaction was just so cute!” Huh? I looked at her in disbelief and confusion, “What…so…oh…you…” Misashi slaps me on the back and points at the exit, “I need to get changed, you should go home too, it’s getting late already.” As I walked home that day, my whole impression of Misashi changed, who knew she had such a fun yet mischievous side to her. The more I thought about her, the faster my heart started to beat…

Once I reached home, I made my way back to my room and lay down flat on my bed. “Misashi…stop it Souta…she’s too good for you, I’ll go take a bath to cleanse my mind…” I got back up and prepared my change as I head to my bathroom. As I made my way there, I passed by Hanabi, she looked at me for a second before turning away and heading back to her own room. Yukina soon follows and looks at me with concern, “Do you know what’s with Hana? She seems so down lately…I hope she’s alright? Maybe…Onii…you are a monster! How could you? You’re only 16! You better take responsibility to animal!” “What? No way, it’s not like that!” Yukina stares into my eyes, “Fine, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt but really go talk to her, I’m worried…”

Placing my clothes aside, I walked towards Hanabi’s room. *knock knock* “Hey, Hanabi, I’m coming in ok?” I gently push the door open only to see Hanabi sitting on her bed hugging her legs against her chest. I sat down behind her against her back, “Yukina told me…I mean…I noticed that you seem different, is everything all right?” Hanabi doesn’t say a word… “Errr…Hanabi, I realized I haven’t been free the past week cause of my training but…” “Hey, Souta… Do you think it was right for me to come here? Should I go back to my world and be who I was meant to be? Who am I to you?” Hanabi whispers and soon I could tell her voice becoming shaky as if she was starting to cry. Without hesitation, I turned around and wrapped my arms around her from behind.

“Hanabi, don’t think that way… Ever since you came, my life has become so different, I feel like I have a new reason to live, I want to know who I am, what this is all about and most importantly, I want to help and protect you… Honestly, I’m an awkward, anti-social freak, no one even wants to be talk to me nevertheless be my friend…” Hanabi turns around towards me holding back her tears, she lay her head against my chest and stammers, “No…no…to them you may be a freak…but...to me…Souta will always be my hero, someone I look up to and care for…” Hero? Me? Hanabi… “I can’t say for sure who you are to me, but what I can say is that whenever I’m with you, I feel stronger and brave, when you are close to me, I start to fumble and panic, my heart…it beats faster and…” At that moment, I felt that pair of lips again, pressing down hard against my dry and hard lips. Hanabi smiles and pins me onto her bed, her eye turned from the usual blue to a pink hue. “Souta, I can help you answer that question…just follow my lead, trust me, this will be fun and exciting…” I could feel her right-hand reach beneath my shirt as her fingers ran over my abs towards my chest. She started to rub her thigh against my crotch whilst kissing my left ear and licking it.

“Hanabi…hey…this isn’t you, cut it out…” I tried to push her back a little but I felt a strong surge of strength push me down further onto the bed. “You will never escape my…Souta?” The pink in her eyes disappear as she quickly dismounts herself off my body. “Hanabi are you fine? For a second, you weren’t yourself…” Hanabi inches backwards onto the far end of the bed, spacing herself apart from me. “Leave me alone…go away…I’m sorry, go!” Hanabi thrusts her palm towards me sending a strong wave of air against me, knocking me off the bed. “Hanabi…” Yukina suddenly enters the room and pulls me back, “Give her some space and time alone…” As the door closes in front of me, I knew I had to do something about this…