"People like you?"

"Yeah, Espers."

"A what now?"

"How have you never heard of an Esper? And you're supposed to be an elite adventurer, how tragic."

Nyanjo, sounding annoyed, flipped her hair and looked at him with disdain. All Ryuji could do in response was give a small shrug.

"Okay, so I didn't pay attention when people explained it to me the first time, sue me! It's the highest rank in Science, right!? Other than that, I don't have a clue, so please elaborate."

Ash eyed the two nervously while wondering what was wrong before speaking. "It's not that hard to become an Esper. Pretty much everyone in Novic is one. All you need is a quality education, and thanks to Edge's new reforms, it's mandatory to go to school."

"You make it sound like it's hard to be a grandmaster in any profession. All you need is some proper training. People only see it as impressive because by becoming one, you cut yourself off from everything else. In other words-" Her eyes fell on the swordsman before she continued. "-only idiots become grandmasters."

"Really?"

"Don't listen to her kid, you'll be caught up in her lies! Also, what is with you? Didn't I just save your life? Why the fuck are you so pissy!?"

"OH, maybe it's because you did all that without asking me or considering how it affects me! Or, maybe, it's because you look like my dead Rudy, and now I have to travel with you for weeks until we get to a fucking town! There are so many things to choose from, so I just don't know!"

"Well, EXCUSE me for saving you! Next time I see you in dire straits, I'll look the other way while whistling before carrying on my merry journey! And while I'm at it, I'll permanently restructure my face, so it doesn't look like your husband's!"

"I could personally restructure it right now if you want."

"Oh, I'd like to see you try, cat bitch."

"So should I explain or not!?"

The two were startled by the outburst that brought them back to their senses. Quickly realizing how close their faces were to each other and how their weapons were drawn, the two idiots backed away from each other and sat back on the ground. With a remorseful look, Ryuji sheathed his blade. Nyanjo looked much the same as she retracted her claws. After a few sorry's were exchanged, Ryuji waved at Ash to continue.

"Like I was saying, Espers aren't that rare in Noth Kevic, and as far as I know, it's the only place Espers come from, period. Nowhere else has a good enough education, and the people that do get one don't pursue the route of science."

Ryuji scoffed as if he just heard something stupidly obvious. "Of course they don't. In this world, it's kill or be killed, little guy. No one's going to go down a path that doesn't utilize mana!"

"Well, I won't deny that Espers can't use mana. I don't have a single trace of it in my body. But in exchange, we get powers that aren't restricted to incantations, and we have the ability to improvise with it. If you get proficient enough with it, you can even rival dragons and the like."

Ash rose up and steadily got more excited about the explanation of his own powers before Ryuji raised his hand and asked with a serious expression.

"But are you that strong?"

"...No."

Completely deflated, Ash sat back on the sand, slowly sifting through it while pouting. Ryuji noticed that he was being glared at like he was trash from the cat beside him.

"Was it really necessary to hurt the boys feeling like that?"

"I didn't ask it to be mean! It was a legitimate question. If we're in the middle of this hellscape, I need to know if he's capable or not."

Ash's meek voice cut off their conversation. "It's okay, I understand. As you witnessed earlier, I'm pretty weak. I couldn't even slow you down."

"Ah well-"

While Ryuji fumbled around attempting to comfort him, the girl beside him stood up and walked over to Ash. Her hands gently cupped his face as she knelt in front of him. His eyes widened as he tried to look at any place besides the beautiful woman before him.

"Don't put yourself down like that, alright?" Her sweet soothing voice gently washed over him. "You're still young; there's plenty of time to get stronger, okay?" Her hands, working in tandem with her words, rubbed his blushing cheek while combing through his brown hair. "Besides, there's no shame in being weaker than him." Her head turned and faced the swordsman once more. "He might not look like it, but he's a monster." Her tone had lost all trace of the motherly aura she had been giving it and turned into something much, much colder.

"I can't tell if that was meant to be a compliment or not, but I think you're vastly overestimating my meager abilities."

With tension building once again in his voice, Ryuji quickly shot down her claim before looking her in the eyes. Nyanjo did not look away or falter from the piercing gaze.

"You're awfully humble for a man who killed an authority. Anyone else would be running around screaming at the top of their lungs how invincible they are."

The boy between her arms began frantically tapping her. "Um, y-you can let me go now. I'm getting pretty embarrassed."

Expecting to hear about some kind of emergency, Nyanjo quickly reverted to her big sister mode and showed him a kind smile. "Oh, my bad. I hope I at least made you feel the tiniest bit better."

Her arms retracted, and Ash absentmindedly rubbed his neck before whispering.

"You did, thanks."

"Yay!" Looking like some heroine from a shoujo manga, she clasped her hands together while beaming. Ash's heartbeat skyrocketed as he looked upon the smile that had grown so wide her eyes had closed. "If you need any more support, don't hesitate to ask~."

Her words took him to a fantasy inside his own head where she expertly comforted him. Only after noticing that she was looking concerned did he realize what he was doing. "Like I'd do something so embarrassing!"

"Ah, he ran off."

"Of course he did. You, a beautiful young woman, were just inside his personal space, getting all touchy-touchy. Think about it, kid's smack dab in the middle of puberty." Nyanjo tilted her head and creased her eyebrows. "He's probably going over the hill to rub one out real quick."

"You're disgusting. Seriously disgusting."

"Oh, what, the hand motion too vulgar for you?"

Without answering, Nyanjo picked up some sand and tossed it to her side. Ryuji watched in silence, frowning. The atmosphere had taken a turn from entertaining to solemn. He felt a question was coming and that he wouldn't like it. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally looked up from her sand and spoke.

"I don't understand you."

"...What?" Irritation leaked into his voice as the feeling of childish annoyance was beginning to take hold.

"What you're doing right now, I don't understand it. During the days I traveled with you. And during the attack, you acted the same. You had low self-esteem, sure, but you were caring and kind. You made some jokes at the expense of others, but I could feel that that's all they were. That slight positive energy was what I thought made you...you. Hell, I think during the crisis you were even more positive than usual. So that's why I don't understand it at all."

"Understand what!?"

Ryuji became fed up with her pussy-footing. His shout could probably be heard throughout the surrounding desert as he slammed a fist into the sand to calm himself down.

"That! That right there! This entire time you've been different. It might only have been an afternoon, but even when we were facing certain doom, you didn't act this way. You're just as self-deprecating, but you're jokes; they don't feel like jokes anymore. Everything you've said today has been double-sided and hateful. So I just don't understand. Was it all an act? Was your personality just for show?" She choked up on her words as if she was scared to voice what she was thinking and have her fears confirmed. "I just want to know if the man I saved was a lie or not, if what you said that day...was a lie or not."

Her voice quivered while gradually lowering in volume. Her eyes refused to meet his and just stared at sand. She braced herself for the worse answer. An answer that would affirm the doubts in her mind and crush the small hope she had found.

"It wasn't a lie. When I was fighting for my life, that's exactly how I felt, and I still do now. It's just...without those guys around I can't muster the energy to put up that front. My party, my friends, they help me see the brighter future that I wouldn't if I was alone. Without them, I'm weak, insignificant, a loser. All I'm good at is working hard but without a clear goal around..."

"I see." She breathed a small sigh of relief. "I'm sorry for saying those things about you, and I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I'm just afraid of being right about myself, and you're the only piece of evidence I have that says differently."

"No, it's alright. I have been a massive dickhead today." His embarrassed laugh caused a smirk to show on her face.

"As I said, I'm really sorry, and I'll try to be nicer, so can I travel with you to South Kevic?"

Ryuji raised an eyebrow at her desperate tone. "What, did you think I was going to leave you behind because we got into a little spat or something? I took a hard right to the face for you today! I am not going to let you die alone in a desert after going through all that emotional and physical turmoil!"

With her head laying upon her knees as she clutched them to her stomach, she gave him the same smile that Ash had seen moments before. 'I get why he would run away now. That thing is too deadly!'

"Thank you!"

"Okay, this is getting creepy. Please don't get all weirdly wholesome on me now. I know what you're really like, so when you pretend like that, it just feels awkward."

The smile dissolved into a glare that made Ryuji wish he hadn't opened his mouth. "That wasn't acting fucker!" With a sudden smug smirk, she methodically started to crawl towards him, her breathing purposely exaggerated as if she had just got done exercising. "This is acting~." Close enough that the breaths were melting his ear, she nuzzled up to him like some large version of a house cat. As she circled him purring, she eventually sprawled into his lap. "How's it feel, meowster?" Her claws pricking him as she kneaded in his lap brought his mind back from the brink.

"G-Get the hell off me!"

With a push that was probably too forceful, he shoved her out of his lap and turned around to hide his manly shame.

"So shy~."

Seemingly unfazed, she began crawling back toward him. He instinctively crab-walked backward to gain some distance.

"The hell was that?"

She shrugged while maintaining her smug smirk. "Oh nothing, just thought I would get you back for the sexual assault I experienced in the river city. Besides, if we're going to be together until that town, we might as well get something out of it, riiiiiight?" While holding out the end of her sentence in a seductive tone, she started to slowly approach him once more.

"You know men dumber than I might fall for those stupid jokes of yours, and then you'll end up with a stalker."

Nyanjo stopped moving to mockingly shake. "Ooooo, I'm so scared." With the speed of a veteran, she closed the gap. Her mouth was mere inches away from his. "And who said it was a joke."

"Should I come back later?"

Ryuji once more shoved her to the side after breaking out of her charm. On a hill near them, Ash looked down at them, annoyed.

"How long have you been there?"

"A while. It seemed like you two were in the middle of something, so I was waiting until you were done, but it was starting to seem like that would never happen."

Ryuji winced at the venom in the boy's voice and thought of how mad he would be if he had to silently wait for two people to stop their flirting. 'Oh no! I've become the very thing I swore to destroy, a normie!'

"Aw, are you feeling jealous? Come over here and let me spoil you!" Seemingly devoid of shame, Nyanjo only cooed at the boy while stretching her arms out in front as if to gently accept him into them.

Noticing that the shoe was about to be on the other foot, he rose and started to walk away from his temporary group. "I've had enough. I'm going to lay over there. Wake me up if we're going to die. Goodnight."

"Goodnight~!"

"Goodnight, Ryuji."

After getting far enough away that he could barely see the campfire, Ryuji took the tent that he stole earlier and set it up. Once inside, he laid in the bedding and closed his eyes. 'Okay, gameplan for tomorrow, try not to be such a dick. Easier said than done, but I did promise can't go back on it now.' After a quick rundown of tomorrow's plans, Ryuji drifted off into his sleep to a dream that he would forget the second he awoke.